NEBRASKA vs. COLORADO
Sept. 7, 2024 | MEMORIAL STADIUM
LINCOLN, NEB. | 6:30 PM CT
HUSKERS
Record: 1-0, 0-0 B1G
Last Game: vs. UTEP (W, 40-7)
Rankings: AP – RV/Coaches – RV
Head Coach: Matt Rhule
Career/NU Record: 53-50 (9th Year)/6-7 (2nd Year)
vs. Colorado: 0-1
BUFFALOES
Record: 1-0, 0-0 Big 12
Last Game: vs. NDSU (W, 31-26)
Rankings: AP – RV/Coaches – RV
Head Coach: Deion Sanders
Career/COL Record: 31-14 (5th Year)/5-8 (2nd Year)
vs. Nebraska: 1-0
SERIES HISTORY
All-Time Series: Nebraska leads, 49-21-2
At Lincoln: Nebraska leads, 26-9
Last Game: Colorado, 36-14 in Boulder (2023)
Win Streak: Colorado, 3 games
BROADCAST INFO
TV – NBC (Paul Burmeister, Colt McCoy, Kathryn Tappen)
RADIO NETWORK – Huskers Radio Network (Greg Sharpe, Damon Benning, Jessica Coody)
INTERNET AUDIO – Huskers.com
APP AUDIO – Official Huskers App
The Matchup
Nebraska continues its four-game homestand to open the 2024 season on Saturday night when the Huskers take on the Colorado Buffaloes in a highly anticipated non-conference matchup. The battle between the two long-time rivals is set for 6:30 p.m. at Memorial Stadium. NBC will provide the national television coverage and the game can be heard on the Huskers Radio Network and Huskers App.
The Huskers kicked off the 2024 campaign with an impressive 40-7 victory over UTEP on Saturday. The Husker offense topped 40 points for the first time in two seasons and the 33-point victory margin was Nebraska's largest win in three seasons.
Nebraska showed balance on offense, topping 200 yards in both rushing and passing. Four running backs played a key role for Nebraska and true freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola had a successful debut with 238 yards and two touchdown passes. The Blackshirt defense continued to be stingy, allowing just seven points and 205 yards of offense to the Miners.
Colorado opened its season last Thursday night with a 31-26 victory over North Dakota State in Boulder. The Buffs' high-powered passing attack was on full display, as Colorado threw for 445 yards and averaged better than 17 yards per completion.
Saturday's matchup will be the fourth between Nebraska and Colorado in the past seven seasons. CU won close contests in both 2018 and 2019 before defeating the Huskers, 36-14, in Boulder last season. Nebraska will be looking for its 50th all-time victory over the Buffs, with the Huskers holding a 49-21-2 lead in the series.
Series History: Nebraska vs. Colorado
Nebraska and Colorado will meet for the 73rd time on Saturday night. The Huskers hold a commanding 49-21-2 all-time lead in the series, but the Buffs have won three straight meetings, all since 2018.
• Nebraska and Colorado met 63 straight seasons from 1948 to 2010, while members of the Big Seven, Big Eight and Big 12 Conferences.
• Saturday's meeting is the fourth meeting between the schools since 2018.
• Colorado was 10-9-1 in the first 20 games in series history, but Nebraska owns a 40-10-1 edge since 1962, including a 23-1 strectch from 1962 to 1985.
• Nebraska won 15 of the final 19 meetings as conference opponents between 1992 and 2010.
• The series featured a nine-year streak from 1988 to 1996 in which both teams entered the game ranked in the top 20. Six of those games pitted top-10 foes and the 1996 game marked the third-ever top-5 matchup between the schools. The 1992 game marked the first time in modern college football history that both teams entered with the same ranking in the Associated Press poll (tie-8th).
Huskers Set to Shine Under the Lights
Nebraska's matchup with Colorado is the first of three consecutive prime-time home games at Memorial Stadium. Following this Saturday's game, the Huskers will play host to Northern Iowa (Sept. 14) and Illinois (Sept. 20) in night games in Lincoln.
• This will mark just the third time in school history the Huskers have played three straight home night games. Nebraska also hosted three consecutive prime-time games in 2008 (New Mexico State, Virginia Tech, Missouri) and 2002 (Arizona State, Troy, Utah State).
• Nebraska has a strong history of success in night games in Lincoln. The Huskers are 50-10 in home night games at Memorial Stadium. The first prime-time game in Lincoln was a 1986 victory over Florida State, when CU Coach Deion Sanders was a sophomore for the Seminoles.
1994 National Champions Return to Lincoln
Nebraska will honor its 1994 national championship team as part of the festivities surrounding this weekend's game. The 1994 team will have a private reception on Friday evening in Lincoln, and be honored on the field at the start of Saturday's game.
• The 1994 Huskers earned the first of Coach Tom Osborne's three national championships in four seasons by posting a perfect 13-0 record.
• Nebraska's biggest regular-season victory in the 1994 season was a 24-7 victory over Colorado at Memorial Stadium. The Huskers entered the game ranked third in the AP poll, with the Buffs at No. 2. The victory vaulted Nebraska to No. 1 in the following week's poll, a spot the Huskers occupied the remainder of the season.
• Nebraska clinched the 1994 national championship with a 24-17 victory over No. 3 Miami in the Orange Bowl.
Blackshirt Defense Makes Strong 2024 Debut
The Nebraska defense was one of the nation's most improved units in 2023. The Blackshirts opened the 2024 season with a strong showing in a 40-7 victory over UTEP. Nebraska limited the Miners to 12 first downs, 56 rushing yards and 205 total yards.
• Nebraska held UTEP to seven points, marking the eighth consecutive opponent the Huskers have limited to 24 or fewer points. This is the longest stretch Nebraska has limited the opposition to 24 points or less since a 14-game stretch spanning the 2009 and 2010 seasons.
• NU limited UTEP to 205 total yards, marking its eighth consecutive opponent to gain less than 400 yards. The last time Nebraska had held eight straight opponents to less than 400 yards was an eight-game stretch spanning the 2009 and 2010 seasons.
• NU allowed just 56 rushing yards, marking the ninth time in 13 games under Head Coach Matt Rhule the Huskers have held the opponent to less than 100 rushing yards.
Nebraska Shows Balanced Offense in Opener
Nebraska's offense posted its most explosive showing under Coach Matt Rhule in its season-opening victory over UTEP.
• Nebraska's 40 points were its most since scoring 42 against Georgia Southern in 2022, and the 33-point margin of victory was Nebraska's largest since a 56-7 victory over Northwestern in 2021. It was the Huskers' largest margin of victory in a season opener since a 43-10 win over Fresno State to open the 2016 season.
• The Huskers gained 507 yards of total offense against the Miners, the most by Nebraska since gaining 575 yards against Georgia Southern in 2022. The Huskers reached 339 yards before halftime, which was just 80 yards shy of last year's season high for total offense for a full game (419 vs. Louisiana Tech).
• Nebraska's 284 passing yards were its most since throwing for 354 yards at Purdue in 2022. Nebraska's season high in passing yards in 2023 was 199 vs. Michigan.
• Nebraska added 223 rushing yards with 11 players having at least one carry. The win over UTEP marked the first time Nebraska topped 200 yards in both rushing and passing since 2022 against Georgia Southern.
Raiola Efficient in Husker Quarterback Debut
True freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola had an impressive collegiate debut in the season opener. Raiola completed 19-of-27 passes for 238 yards and two touchdowns, while playing just one series after halftime. Raiola became just the second true freshman Husker quarterback since World War II to start a season opener, joining Adrian Martinez in 2018. Raiola earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors for his play in the opener.
• Raiola is the first Husker freshman (redshirt or true) quarterback to win his first start since Taylor Martinez guided Nebraska to a victory over Western Kentucky in the 2010 season opener.
• The 232 yards of total offense by Raiola compared favorably to other Husker freshman quarterbacks over the past three decades making their starting debuts.
Veteran Receivers Make Quick Impact
Nebraska added a pair of veteran receivers through the transfer portal in the offseason. Jahmal Banks joined the Huskers from Wake Forest, while Isaiah Neyor came to Nebraska after previously playing at Texas and Wyoming. The two seniors each check in at 6-4 and 220 pounds, and showed an immediate connection with quarterback Dylan Raiola.
• Neyor posted his fourth career 100-yard receiving game and first since 2021 with six receptions for 121 yards and a 59-yard touchdown against UTEP. Neyor's six catches matched his career
high and his 121 yards were just five yards shy of a career high. Five of Neyor's receptions came before halftime.
• Banks also made his mark in the opener with four catches for 61 yards, including a 21-yard touchdown catch just two seconds before halftime.
• Both players have had productive collegiate careers before joining the Huskers. Banks now has 111 career catches for 1,465 yards and 14 career touchdowns. Neyor has 59 catches for 1,261 yards and 13 touchdowns in his career. Neyor averages an impressive 21.4 yards per catch in his career.
This Week’s Numbers
11 – In Nebraska's victory over UTEP on Saturday, the Huskers had 11 players with a rushing attempt and 11 receivers catch a pass. That is the most players to have a rushing attempt and a reception since 11 players had a rushing attempt and 11 players had a reception against Northwestern in 2021.
200 – The Nebraska offense put up 507 yards of total offense in the season-opening victory over UTEP on Saturday. The Huskers topped 200 yards in both rushing and passing offense for the first time since 2022.
73 - Saturday's matchup will be the 73rd all-time meeting between Nebraska and Colorado. The schools met 63 straight seasons from 1948 to 2010 when they were members of the same conference. This will be the fourth meeting between the schools since 2018.
