2021 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team

2021 Nebraska Cornhuskers football
Conference	Big Ten
Division	West
2021 record	3–9 (1–8 Big Ten)
Head coach	Scott Frost (4th season)
Offensive coordinator	Matt Lubick (2nd season)
Defensive coordinator	Erik Chinander (4th season)
Home stadium	Memorial Stadium (Capacity: 85,458)
Uniform
Seasons ← 2020 2022 →

2021 Big Ten Conference football standings
v t	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
East Division
No. 2 Michigan xy$^		8	–	1					12	–	1
No. 6 Ohio State x		8	–	1					10	–	2
No. 10 Michigan State		7	–	2					10	–	2
Penn State		4	–	5					7	–	5
Maryland		3	–	6					6	–	6
Rutgers		2	–	7					5	–	7
Indiana		0	–	9					2	–	10
West Division
No. 15 Iowa xy		7	–	2					10	–	3
Minnesota		6	–	3					8	–	4
Wisconsin		6	–	3					8	–	4
Purdue		6	–	3					8	–	4
Illinois		4	–	5					5	–	7
Nebraska		1	–	8					3	–	9
Northwestern		1	–	8					3	–	9
Championship: Michigan 42, Iowa 3
^ – College Football Playoff participant $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant As of December 4, 2021; Rankings from CFP Rankings

The 2021 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team represented the University of Nebraska as a member of the West Division of the Big Ten Conference during the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was led by fourth-year head coach Scott Frost and played its games at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska .^[1]

The Huskers finished 2021 with a 3–9 record, despite the fact that they outscored their opponents by a combined total of 335 to 272 on the season. All loses were in single digits.

Previous season[]

The 2020 season saw a conference-only schedule and the Cornhuskers finished with a 3-5 record and finished in fifth place for the second year in a row in the Big Ten West Division. Nebraska did not attend a bowl for the fourth year in a row, even though they could have participated.

Offseason[]

2021 NFL Draft[]

The following Huskers have announced their plans to enter their names into the 2021 NFL Draft:

Name	Number	Position	Height	Weight	Class	Hometown
Dicaprio Bootle	#7	CB	5'10"	195	Senior	Miami, FL
Matt Farniok	#71	OL	6'6"	330	Senior	Sioux Falls, SD
Brenden Jaimes	#76	OT	6'5"	300	Senior	Austin, TX
Dedrick Mills	#26	RB	5'11"	220	Senior	Waycross, GA
Jack Stoll	#86	TE	6'4"	260	Senior	Lone Tree, CO

Transfers[]

Outgoing[]

Name	Number	Position	Height	Weight	Class	Hometown	Destination
David Alston	#45	LB	6'4"	235	Junior	St. Paul, MN	Montana State
Matthew Anderson	#72	OL	6'6"	255	Sophomore	Leesville, LA	Louisiana-Lafayette
Jared Bubak	#80	TE	6'5"	245	Graduate	Lincoln, NE	Central Missouri
Niko Cooper	#32	LB	6'5"	225	Junior	Memphis, TN	Western Kentucky
Ronald Delancy III	#0	CB	5'11"	160	Freshman	Miami, FL	Toledo
Will Farniok	#68	OL	6'3"	295	Junior	Sioux Falls, SD	Tulsa
Marcus Fleming	#6	WR	5'10"	160	Freshman	Miami, FL	Maryland
Jimmy Fritzsche	#78	OL	6'7"	290	Sophomore	Greenville, SC	TBD
Jamin Graham	#89	DL	6'4"	265	Sophomore	Attalla, AL	TBD
Keem Green	#4	DL	6'4"	320	Senior	Sumter, SC	South Carolina
Demariyon Houston	#10	WR	6'0"	180	Sophomore	Oklahoma City, OK	TBD
Austin Jablonski	#47	WR	6'2"	215	Sophomore	Lincoln, NE	TBD
Luke McCaffrey	#7	QB	6'2"	200	Sophomore	Highlands Ranch, CO	Rice
Caden McCormack	#59	LB	6'0"	235	Sophomore	Lincoln, NE	TBD
Jamie Nance	#3	WR	6'0"	180	Sophomore	Blanchard, OK	Utah State
Ryan Novosel	#32	K	6'0"	160	Freshman	Wilmette, IL	TBD
Kurt Rafdal	#82	TE	6'7"	245	Senior	Carmel, IN	Boise State
Wan'dale Robinson	#1	WR	5'10"	185	Junior	Frankfort, KY	Kentucky
Ronald Thompkins	#25	RB	5'11"	195	Sophomore	Loganville, GA	Retired
Kade Warner	#81	WR	6'1"	210	Senior	Scottsdale, AZ	Kansas State
Boe Wilson	#56	OL	6'3"	300	Graduate	Lee's Summit, MO	Western Kentucky
Branson Yager	N/A	OL	6'8"	330	Freshman	Grantsville, UT	TBD

Incoming[]

Name	Position	Height	Weight	Class	Hometown	Previous
Chancellor Brewington	WR	6'3"	185	Junior	Chandler, AZ	Northern Arizona
Kyan Brumfield	DB	6'0"	185	Senior	San Antonio, TX	Texas Tech
Brendan Franke	K	6'3"	235	Sophomore	Gretna, NE	Morningside
Josh Jasek	K	6'1"	175	Sophomore	Iowa City, IA	Iowa Western
Tyreke Johnson	DB	6'1"	190	Junior	Jacksonville ,FL	Ohio State
Markese Stepp	RB	6'0"	235	Junior	Indianapolis, IN	USC
Samori Toure	WR	6'3"	190	Graduate	Portland, OR	Montana

Recruits[]

The Cornhuskers signed a total of 20 scholarship recruits and 20 walk-ons during national signing period.^[2]

Scholarship recruits[]

US college sports recruiting information for 2021 recruits
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Koby Bretz DB	Omaha, NE	Omaha Westside	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	Aug 24, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 73
Ru'Quan Buckley DE	Wyoming, MI	Godwin Heights	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	280 lb (130 kg)	Dec 6, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 78
Marques Buford Jr. DB	DeSoto, TX	Trinity Christian School / St. Thomas More	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Jul 18, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 76
James Carnie TE	Roca, NE	Norris	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	Oct 12, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 76
Gabe Ervin Jr. RB	Buford, GA	Buford	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Jun 23, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 76
Thomas Fidone II TE	Council Bluffs, IA	Lewis Central	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	Aug 26, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 81
Mikai Gbayor LB	Irvington, NJ	Irvington	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	Sep 4, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 76
Kamonte Grimes WR	Naples, FL	Palmetto Ridge	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Aug 16, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 80
Heinrich Haarberg QB	Kearney, NE	Kearney Catholic	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	May 9, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 78
Shawn Hardy II WR	Kingsland, GA	Camden County	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	May 29, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 79
Wynden Ho'ohuli LB	Mililani, HI	Mililani	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	Jan 2, 2021
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 83
Randolph Kpai LB	Sioux Falls, SD	Sioux Falls Washington	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Jan 2, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 83
Henry Lutovsky OL	Crawfordsville, IA	Mount Pleasant	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	320 lb (150 kg)	Nov 17, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 78
Seth Malcolm LB	Tabor, IA	Fremont-Mills	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	Jun 6, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 73
Latrell Neville WR	Fresno, TX	Hightower	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	Jul 4, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 78
Teddy Prochazka OL	Omaha, NE	Elkhorn South	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	280 lb (130 kg)	Sep 28, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 79
AJ Rollins TE	Omaha, NE	Creighton Prep	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	230 lb (100 kg)	Aug 28, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 76
Jailen Weaver DL	Antioch, CA	Antioch	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	320 lb (150 kg)	Oct 31, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 74
Malik Williams DB	Atlanta, GA	Buford	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Jul 21, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 73
Branson Yager OL	Grantsville, UT	Grantsville	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	330 lb (150 kg)	Apr 27, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 76
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 19  247Sports: 24  ESPN: 39
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Nebraska Football Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved December 18, 2020. "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 18, 2020. "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved December 18, 2020.

Walk-on recruits[]

US college sports recruiting information for 2021 recruits
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Michael Booker III DB	Grand Prairie, TX	South Grand Prairie	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	Feb 1, 2021
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN: N/A
Derek Branch DB	Lincoln, NE	Lincoln Southeast	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Sep 28, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN: N/A
Grant Buda WR/LB	Lincoln, NE	Lincoln Southwest	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Jan 30, 2021
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN: N/A
Alex Bullock WR	Omaha, NE	Creighton Prep	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Nov 23, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN: N/A
Maddox Burton DL	Lincoln, NE	Lincoln Southeast	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	290 lb (130 kg)	Jan 30, 2021
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN: N/A
Blake Closman DB	Omaha, NE	Millard North	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Dec 1, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN: N/A
AJ Collins DB	Omaha, NE	Creighton Prep	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	Oct 31, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN: N/A
Sam Hoskinson OL	Omaha, NE	Elkhorn South	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	245 lb (111 kg)	Dec 14, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN: N/A
CJ Lilienkamp S	Bellevue, NE	Bellevue West	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Jan 2, 2021
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN: N/A
Grant Lohr RB/S	Jenks, OK	Jenks	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Feb 2, 2021
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN: N/A
Joey Mancino OL	Holmdel, NJ	Holmdel	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	300 lb (140 kg)	Jan 30, 2021
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN: N/A
Kelen Meyer PK	Ord, NE	Ord	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Oct 12, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN: N/A
Evan Meyersick TE	Omaha, NE	Millard West	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Nov 5, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN: N/A
Weston Reiman OL	Weeping Water, NE	Weeping Water	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	290 lb (130 kg)	Nov 1, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN: N/A
Beau Schaller OL	Waukee, IA	Waukee	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	265 lb (120 kg)	Dec 11, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN: N/A
Matthew Schuster RB	Cozad, NE	Cozad / Ashland-Greenwood	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	Sep 29, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN: N/A
Jarrett Synek QB	Hastings, NE	Hastings	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Nov 18, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN: N/A
Taveon Thompson WR/LB	Lincoln, NE	Lincoln Southeast	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Jan 21, 2021
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN: N/A
Payton Weehler DB	Blockton, IA	Mount Ayr	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Nov 20, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN: N/A
Aiden Young RB	Omaha, NE	Elkhorn	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Nov 15, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

Preseason[]

Award watch lists[]

Award	Player	Position	Year
Johnny Unitas Award[3]	Adrian Martinez	QB	JR
Groza Award[4]	Connor Culp	K	SR
Mackey Award[5]	Austin Allen	TE	JR
Maxwell Award[6]	Adrian Martinez	QB	JR
Nagurski Trophy[7]	JoJo Domann	LB	SR
Rimington Trophy[5]	Cam Jurgens	C	JR

Preseason Big Ten Media poll and awards[]

Below are the results of the preseason Big Ten media poll with total points received next to each school and first-place votes in parentheses. For the 2021 poll, Ohio State was voted as the favorite to win both the East Division and the Big Ten Championship Game. This is the 11th iteration of the preseason media poll conducted by Cleveland.com, which polls at least one credentialed media member for each Big Ten team. Only three times in the last 11 years has the media accurately predicted the Big Ten champion.^[8]

East
Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
1	Ohio State	238 (34)
2	Penn State	192
3	Indiana	169
4	Michigan	144
5	Maryland	79
6	Rutgers	77.5
7	Michigan State	52.5

West
Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
1	Wisconsin	233 (29)
2	Iowa	202 (5)
3	Northwestern	160
4	Minnesota	146
5	Nebraska	91.5
6	Purdue	72.5
7	Illinois	47

Media poll (Big Ten Championship)
Rank	Team	Votes
1	Ohio State over Wisconsin	28
2	Ohio State over Iowa	5
3	Wisconsin over Ohio State	1

Below are the results of the annual Preseason Big Ten Player of the Year awards conducted by Cleveland.com.^{[9] [10]}

Preseason Offensive Player of the Year
Rank	Player	Position	Team	Votes (1st place)
1	Chris Olave	WR	Ohio State	58 (11)
2	Michael Penix Jr.	QB	Indiana	44.5 (8)
3	Mohamed Ibrahim	RB	Minnesota	36 (4)
4	Tyler Linderbaum	C	Iowa	13 (1)
5	Garrett Wilson	WR	Ohio State	12 (1)
6	David Bell	WR	Purdue	10 (1)
7	C. J. Stroud	QB	Ohio State	6 (2)
7	Jahan Dotson	WR	Penn State	6 (1)
7	Graham Mertz	QB	Wisconsin	6 (1)
10	Tyler Goodson	RB	Iowa	5 (1)
11	Ty Fryfogle	WR	Indiana	4 (1)
12	Tanner Morgan	QB	Minnesota	3.5 (1)

Preseason Defensive Player of the Year
Rank	Player	Position	Team	Votes (1st place)
1	Brandon Joseph	S	Northwestern	49 (11)
2	George Karlaftis	DE	Purdue	33 (8)
3	Haskell Garrett	DT	Ohio State	30.5 (5)
4	Micah McFadden	LB	Indiana	28 (6)
5	Olakunle Fatukasi	LB	Rutgers	18 (3)
6	Aidan Hutchinson	DE	Michigan	11
7	Jack Sanborn	LB	Wisconsin	7
7	Tiawan Mullen	CB	Indiana	7 (1)
9	Zach Harrison	DE	Ohio State	3.5
10	Jaquan Brisker	S	Penn State	3
10	Sevyn Banks	CB	Ohio State	3
12	Boye Mafe	DE	Minnesota	2
12	Chris Bergin	LB	Northwestern	2
12	Cam Taylor-Britt	CB	Nebraska	2
12	Jake Hansen	LB	Illinois	2
16	JoJo Domann	S/LB	Nebraska	1
16	Tyshon Fogg	LB	Rutgers	1
16	Owen Carney	LB	Illinois	1

Schedule[]

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 28	12:00 p.m.	at Illinois	Memorial Stadium[a] Champaign, IL	FOX	L 22–30	41,064
September 4	11:00 a.m.	Fordham*	Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE	BTN	W 52–7	85,938
September 11	2:30 p.m.	Buffalo*	Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE	BTN	W 28–3	85,663
September 18	11:00 a.m.	at No. 3 Oklahoma*	Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium Norman, OK (rivalry/Big Noon Kickoff)	FOX	L 16–23	84,659
September 25	6:00 p.m.	at No. 20 Michigan State	Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI	FS1	L 20–23 OT	70,332
October 2	6:30 p.m.	Northwestern	Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE	BTN	W 56–7	87,364
October 9	6:30 p.m.	No. 9 Michigan	Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE	ABC	L 29–32	87,380
October 16	11:00 a.m.	at Minnesota	Huntington Bank Stadium Minneapolis, MN ($5 Bits of Broken Chair Trophy)	ESPN2	L 23–30	45,436
October 30	2:30 p.m.	Purdue	Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE	ESPN2	L 23–28	85,902
November 6	11:00 a.m.	No. 5 Ohio State	Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE	FOX	L 17–26	84,426
November 20	2:30 p.m.	at No. 15 Wisconsin	Camp Randall Stadium Madison, WI (Freedom Trophy)	ABC	L 28–35	67,888
November 26	12:30 p.m.	No. 16 Iowa	Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE (Heroes Game)	BTN	L 21–28	86,541
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll (and CFP Rankings, after November 2) - Released prior to game All times are in Central time

The Big Ten released a revised conference schedule on February 5, 2021 to correct home/away matchups that were altered from the 2020 COVID-stricken season.^[12]

Roster and coaching staff[]

2021 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class TE 11 Austin Allen (C) Jr QB 9 Spencer Arceneaux Fr OL 73 Broc Bando Jr OL 74 Brant Banks RFr WR 32 Brody Belt So OL 54 Bryce Benhart RFr WR 15 Zavier Betts Fr OL 58 Ian Boerkircher So TE 49 Nate Boerkircher Fr TE/WR 82 Chancellor Brewington Jr WR 4 Alante Brown Fr WR 41 Elliott Brown Fr WR 84 Alex Bullock Fr TE 81 James Carnie Fr OL 79 Alex Conn Fr OL 69 Turner Corcoran Fr RB 22 Gabe Ervin Jr.  Fr WR 88 Levi Falck Sr TE 24 Thomas Fidone II Fr TE 46 John Goodwin RFr WR 13 Kamonte Grimes Fr QB 10 Heinrich Haarberg Fr WR 17 Ty Hahn Fr WR 80 Shawn Hardy II Fr RB 37 Isaiah Harris Fr TE 80 Jacob Herbek RFr TE 87 Chris Hickman RFr OL 75 Trent Hixson Jr OL 50 Sam Hoskinson Fr RB 29 Cooper Jewett RFr RB 14 Rahmir Johnson RFr OL 51 Cam Jurgens So WR 85 Wyatt Liewer So RB 35 Trevin Luben Fr OL 59 Henry Lutovsky Fr OL 77 Michael Lynn RFr OL 67 Joey Mancino Fr WR 5 Omar Manning Jr WR 89 Oliver Martin Jr QB 2 Adrian Martinez (C) Jr QB 18 Matt Masker So OL 71 Keegan Menning Fr TE 48 Evan Meyersick Fr WR 19 Barron Miles Jr. Fr OL 66 Ezra Miller RFr RB 28 Sevion Morrison Fr OL 53 Riley Moses RFr WR 7 Latrell Neville Fr WR 12 Will Nixon Fr OL 63 Nouredin Nouili So OL 57 Ethan Piper RFr OL 65 Teddy Prochazka  Fr RB 34 Beau Psencik Fr WR 45 Truitt Robinson Fr TE 86 AJ Rollins Fr OL 76 Beau Schaller Fr RB 39 Matthew Schuster Fr RB 21 Marvin Scott III Fr OL 70 Matt Sichterman Jr QB 8 Logan Smothers Fr RB 30 Markese Stepp So QB 16 Jarrett Synek Fr WR 36 Taveon Thompson Fr WR 3 Samori Toure Sr TE 83 Travis Vokolek Jr RB 16 Zach Weinmaster RFr RB 0 Jaquez Yant Fr RB 44 Aiden Young Fr	Defense Pos. # Name Class ILB 53 Jake Archer So DL 96 Marquis Black Fr DB 43 Michael Booker III Fr DB 35 Derek Branch Fr DB 26 Koby Bretz Fr DB 27 Kyan Brumfield Jr DL 63 Ru'Quan Buckley Fr LB 46 Grant Buda Fr DB 12 Marques Buford Jr. Fr OLB 35 John Bullock RFr DL 71 Maddox Burton Fr OLB 17 Jimari Butler Fr ILB 58 Chris Cassidy So CB 11 Braxton Clark So DB 36 Blake Closman Fr DB 42 AJ Collins Fr DL 93 Damion Daniels (C) Jr S 9 Marquel Dismuke Sr OLB 13 JoJo Domann Sr S 4 Myles Farmer RFr DL 82 Colton Feist So ILB 14 Mikai Gbayor Fr S 23 Isaac Gifford Fr OLB 24 Blaise Gunnerson Fr ILB 10 Jackson Hannah RFr DB 29 Ashton Hausmann Fr LB 42 Nick Henrich RFr ILB 3 Will Honas  Sr ILB 18 Wynden Ho'ohuli Fr ILB 39 Garrett Hustedt RFr DL 72 Nash Hutmacher Fr OLB 38 Damian Jackson Jr CB 1 Tyreke Johnson So CB 16 Nadab Joseph So ILB 51 Braden Klover Fr ILB 31 Chris Kolarevic Jr ILB 30 Randolph Kpai Fr OLB 81 Nick Leader RFr DB 41 Christian Lilienkamp Fr CB 7 Tamon Lynum Fr ILB 19 Seth Malcom Fr ILB 22 Eteva Mauga-Clements Jr S 48 Lane McCallum Jr DB 40 Darius Moore Jr OLB 44 Garrett Nelson So DL 52 Mosai Newsom RFr CB 6 Quinton Newsome So S 43 Mason Nieman Fr OLB 34 Simon Otte So OLB 0 Pheldarius Payne Jr S 21 Noa Pola-Gates RFr ILB 28 Luke Reimer So DL 91 Jordon Riley Jr DL 99 Ty Robinson RFr DL 98 Casey Rogers So CB 37 Phalen Sanford So OLB 54 Ryan Schommer So OLB 83 Sam Shurtleff RFr ILB 41 Garrett Snodgrass RFr DL 95 Ben Stille Sr ILB 56 Grant Tagge Fr OLB 2 Caleb Tannor Jr CB 5 Cam Taylor-Britt (C) Jr DL 97 Deontre Thomas Jr DL 55 Chris Walker Jr DL 50 Jailen Weaver Fr DL 92 Tate Wildeman So S 8 Deontai Williams Sr DB 32 Kaden Williams Fr DB 15 Malik Williams Fr S 33 Javin Wright  RFr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class P 40 Daniel Cerni Fr PK 36 Chase Contreraz So PK 33 Connor Culp Sr P 95 Grant Detlefsen RFr PK 92 Brendan Franke Fr PK 93 Gabe Heins RFr PK 97 Josh Jasek Fr PK 25 Kelen Meyer Fr LS 94 Cade Mueller So LS 91 Cameron Pieper So P 90 William Przystup So LS 96 Camden Witucki Fr	Head coach Scott Frost    6th season as HC    4th year at Nebraska    Alma mater: Nebraska Coordinators/assistant coaches Erik Chinander    6th season as DC    4th year at Nebraska    Alma mater: Iowa Matt Lubick    19th season as WR coach, 5th as OC    2nd year at Nebraska    Alma mater: Colorado State    Dismissed on November 8th Greg Austin    9th season as OL coach    4th year at Nebraska    Alma mater: Nebraska    Dismissed on November 8th Sean Beckton    6th season as TE coach    4th year at Nebraska    Alma mater: Central Florida Mike Dawson    8th season as LB coach    3rd year at Nebraska    Alma mater: UMass-Amherst Travis Fisher    10th season as DB coach    4th year at Nebraska    Alma mater: Central Florida Ryan Held    6th season as RB coach    4th year at Nebraska    Alma mater: Nebraska    Dismissed on November 8th Barrett Ruud    4rd season as ILB coach    4th year at Nebraska    Alma mater: Nebraska Tony Tuioti    6th season as DL coach    3rd year at Nebraska    Alma mater: Hawaii Mario Verduzco    29th season as QB coach    4th year at Nebraska    Alma mater: San Jose St.    Dismissed on November 8th Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster Last update: October 27, 2021

• Due to COVID-19, the NCAA granted an extra year of eligibility to student-athletes who competed during the 2020-21 season where it would not count against a student's years of eligibility.^[13] As a result, all returning players are listed as the same class as 2020.^[14]

Depth chart[]

Game summaries[]

at Illinois[]

Nebraska at Illinois

1 2 3 4 Total Nebraska 0 9 7 6 22 • Illinois 2 14 14 0 30 Date: August 28 Location: Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL Game start: 12:20 PM CDT Elapsed time: 3:34 Game attendance: 41,064 Game weather: Sunny, Wind SW @ 11 mph Referee: John O'Neill TV announcers (FOX): Joe Davis (play-by-play), Brock Huard (color) Sources:[16]

Scoring summary 1 4:07 Illinois Kerby Joseph safety Illinois 2–0 2 14:25 Nebraska Markese Stepp 2 yard run (PAT missed) Nebraska 6-2 2 9:15 Nebraska Connor Culp 27 yard field goal Nebraska 9-2 2 2:51 Illinois Mike Epstein 1 yard run (James McCourt kick) 9-9 2 0:37 Illinois Calvin Hart Jr. 41 yard fumble return (James McCourt kick) Illinois 16-9 3 6:56 Illinois Luke Ford 2 yard pass from Artur Sitkowski (James McCourt kick) Illinois 23-9 3 4:01 Illinois Isaiah Williams 1 yard pass from Artur Sitkowski (James McCourt kick) Illinois 30-9 3 3:48 Nebraska Adrian Martinez 75 yard run (Connor Culp kick) Illinois 30-16 4 2:41 Nebraska Oliver Martin 4 yard pass from Adrian Martinez (PAT missed) Illinois 30-22

Fordham[]

Fordham at Nebraska

1 2 3 4 Total Fordham 0 7 0 0 7 • Nebraska 7 17 14 14 52 Date: September 4 Location: Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE Game start: 11:00 AM CDT Elapsed time: 2:59 Game attendance: 85,938 Game weather: 68 degrees, cloudy, Wind N @ 12 MPH Referee: Bryan Banks TV announcers (BTN): Mark Followill (play-by-play), Matt Millen (analyst) & (sideline) Sources:[17]

Scoring summary 1 3:59 Nebraska Adrian Martinez 4 yard run (Connor Culp kick) Nebraska 7–0 2 14:14 Fordham Fotis Kokosioulis 31 yard pass from Tim DeMorat (Nick Leinenweber kick) 7-7 2 11:36 Nebraska Connor Culp 39 yard field goal Nebraska 10-7 2 3:56 Nebraska Adrian Martinez 4 yard run (Connor Culp kick) Nebraska 17-7 2 0:29 Nebraska Sevion Morrison 1 yard run (Connor Culp kick) Nebraska 24-7 3 8:24 Nebraska Chancellor Brewington 2 yard pass from Adrian Martinez (Connor Culp kick) Nebraska 31-7 3 3:58 Nebraska Samori Toure 8 yard run (Connor Culp kick) Nebraska 38-7 4 14:26 Nebraska Sevion Morrison 6 yard run (Connor Culp kick) Nebraska 45-7 4 1:43 Nebraska Marvin Scott III 6 yard run (Connor Culp kick) Nebraska 52-7

Buffalo[]

Buffalo at Nebraska

1 2 3 4 Total Buffalo 0 0 3 0 3 • Nebraska 0 14 0 14 28 Date: September 11 Location: Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE Game start: 2:30 PM CDT Elapsed time: 3:46 Game attendance: 85,663 Game weather: Sunny, 91 degrees, Wind SW @ 12 mph Referee: Greg Blum TV announcers (BTN): Brandon Gaudin, Damon Benning, Rick Pizzo Sources:[18]

Scoring summary 2 6:56 Nebraska Gabe Ervin Jr. 2 yard run (Connor Culp kick) Nebraska 7–0 2 0:34 Nebraska Samori Toure 68 yard pass from Adrian Martinez (Connor Culp kick) Nebraska 14-0 3 9:17 Buffalo Alex McNulty 45 yard field goal Nebraska 14-3 4 14:47 Nebraska Gabe Ervin Jr. 1 yard run (Connor Culp kick) Nebraska 21-3 4 5:53 Nebraska Samori Toure 68 yard pass from Adrian Martinez (Connor Culp kick) Nebraska 28-3

at #3 Oklahoma[]

Nebraska at #3 Oklahoma

1 2 3 4 Total Nebraska 3 0 6 7 16 • #3 Oklahoma 7 0 9 7 23 Date: September 18 Location: Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium Norman, OK Game start: 11:00 AM CDT Elapsed time: 3:05 Game attendance: 84,659 Game weather: 84 degrees, sunny, Wind NE @ 4 mph Referee: Reggie Smith TV announcers (FOX): Gus Johnson, Joel Klatt, Jenny Taft Sources:[19]

Scoring summary 1 8:02 Oklahoma Spencer Rattler 1 yard run (Gabe Brkic kick) Oklahoma 7–0 1 1:21 Nebraska Connor Culp 51 yard field goal Oklahoma 7-3 3 3:50 Oklahoma Jeremiah Hall 1 yard pass from Spencer Rattler (Gabe Brkic kick) Oklahoma 14-3 3 0:08 Nebraska Adrian Martinez 4 yard run (PAT blocked) Oklahoma 14-9 3 0:08 Oklahoma Patrick Fields 100 yard PAT return Oklahoma 16-9 4 10:24 Oklahoma Kennedy Brooks 2 yard run (Gabe Brkic kick) Oklahoma 23-9 4 5:38 Nebraska Omar Manning 21 yard pass from Adrian Martinez (Connor Culp kick) Oklahoma 23-16

Nebraska and Oklahoma will meet for the first time since 2010 when they last met in the Big 12 Championship game that year, which was Nebraska's last Big 12 game before joining the Big Ten.

at #20 Michigan State[]

Nebraska at #20 Michigan State

1 2 3 4 OT Total Nebraska 0 10 3 7 0 20 • #20 Michigan State 0 13 0 7 3 23 Date: September 25 Location: Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI Game start: 6:00 PM CDT Elapsed time: 3:41 Game attendance: 70,332 Game weather: Sunny, 60 degrees, Wind SW @ 6 mph Referee: Jeffrey Servinski TV announcers (FS1): Aaron Goldsmith (play-by-play) and Mark Helfrich (analyst) Sources:[20]

Scoring summary 2 14:08 Michigan State Jayden Reed 35 yard pass from Payton Thorne (Matt Coghlin kick) Michigan State 7–0 2 11:22 Nebraska Connor Culp 28 yard field goal Michigan State 7-3 2 8:20 Michigan State Matt Coghlin 26 yard field goal Michigan State 10-3 2 4:20 Nebraska Adrian Martinez 12 yard run (Connor Culp kick) 10-10 2 1:03 Michigan State Matt Coghlin 27 yard field goal Michigan State 13-10 3 9:10 Nebraska Connor Culp 28 yard field goal 13-13 4 7:29 Nebraska Adrian Martinez 3 yard run (Connor Culp kick) Nebraska 20-13 4 3:47 Michigan State Jayden Reed 62 yard punt return (Matt Coghlin kick) 20-20 OT 0:00 Michigan State Matt Coghlin 21 yard field goal Michigan State 23-20

Northwestern[]

Northwestern at Nebraska

1 2 3 4 Total Northwestern 7 0 0 0 7 • Nebraska 21 14 14 7 56 Date: October 2 Location: Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE Game start: 6:30 PM CDT Elapsed time: 3:05 Game attendance: 87,364 Game weather: Cloudy, 67 degrees, Wind NW @ 12 mph Referee: Larry Smith TV announcers (BTN): Cory Provus, Matt Millen, Sources:[21]

Scoring summary 1 14:10 Nebraska Adrian Martinez 1 yard run (Connor Culp kick) Nebraska 7–0 1 9:19 Nebraska Adrian Martinez 1 yard run (Connor Culp kick) Nebraska 14-0 1 4:14 Nebraska Adrian Martinez 25 yard run (Connor Culp kick) Nebraska 21-0 1 1:37 Northwestern Stephon Robinson Jr. 28 yard pass from Ryan Hilinski (Charlie Kuhbander kick) Nebraska 21-7 2 12:37 Nebraska Rahmir Johnson 5 yard run (Connor Culp kick) Nebraska 28-7 2 0:42 Nebraska Rahmir Johnson 9 yard run (Connor Culp kick) Nebraska 35-7 3 13:48 Nebraska Zavier Betts 83 yard run (Connor Culp kick) Nebraska 42-7 3 9:16 Nebraska Samori Toure 38 yard pass from Adrian Martinez (Connor Culp kick) Nebraska 49-7 4 9:44 Nebraska Sevion Morrion 4 yard run (Connor Culp kick) Nebraska 56-7

#9 Michigan[]

#9 Michigan at Nebraska

1 2 3 4 Total • #9 Michigan 0 13 6 13 32 Nebraska 0 0 22 7 29 Date: October 9 Location: Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE Game start: 6:30 PM CDT Elapsed time: 3:37 Game attendance: 87,380 Game weather: Cloudy, 77 degrees, Wind S @ 6 mph Referee: Reggie Smith TV announcers (ABC): Sean McDonough (play-by-play), Todd Blackledge (analyst) and Molly McGrath (sideline) Sources:[22]

Scoring summary 2 9:52 Michigan Jake Moody 35 yard field goal Michigan 3-0 2 3:19 Michigan Jake Moody 21 yard field goal Michigan 6-0 2 0:09 Michigan Hassan Haskins 3 yard run (Jake Moody kick) Michigan 13-0 3 12:49 Nebraska Austin Allen 46 yard pass from Adrian Martinez (Connor Culp kick) Michigan 13-7 3 3:36 Michigan Hassan Haskins 3 yard run (2 point PAT failed) Michigan 19-7 3 1:24 Nebraska Rahmir Johnson 41 yard pass from Adrian Martinez (Connor Culp kick) Michigan 19-14 3 0:52 Nebraska Levi Falck 13 yard pass from Adrian Martinez (Adrian Martinez 2 pt PAT) Nebraska 22-19 4 11:21 Michigan Blake Corum 29 yard run (Jake Moody kick) Michigan 26-22 4 7:08 Nebraska Adrian Martinez 5 yard run (Connor Culp kick) Nebraska 29-26 4 3:00 Michigan Jake Moody 31 yard field goal 29-29 4 1:24 Michigan Jake Moody 39 yard field goal Michigan 32-29

at Minnesota[]

Nebraska at Minnesota

1 2 3 4 Total Nebraska 3 6 7 7 23 • Minnesota 7 14 0 9 30 Date: October 16 Location: Huntington Bank Stadium Minneapolis, MN Game start: 11:00 AM CDT Elapsed time: 3:26 Game attendance: 45,436 Game weather: Sunny, 51 degrees, Wind W @ 11 mph Referee: Ron Snodgrass TV announcers (ESPN2): Brian Custer, Kelly Stouffer, Lauren Sisler Sources:[23]

Scoring summary 1 6:33 Minnesota Brevyn Spann-Ford 5 yard pass from Cole Kramer (Matthew Trickett kick) Minnesota 7-0 1 3:59 Nebraska Connor Culp 50 yard field goal Minnesota 7-3 2 14:53 Minnesota Mike Brown-Stephens 28 yard pass from Tanner Morgan (Matthew Trickett kick) Minnesota 14-3 2 5:47 Nebraska Rahmir Johnson 6 yard run (PAT missed) Minnesota 14-9 2 1:53 Minnesota Chris Autman-Bell 7 yard pass from Tanner Morgan (Matthew Trickett kick) Minnesota 21-9 3 9:29 Nebraska Rahmir Johnson 1 yard run (Connor Culp kick) Minnesota 21-16 4 4:45 Minnesota Esezi Otomewo safety Minnesota 23-16 4 2:12 Minnesota Bryce Williams 56 yard run (Matthew Trickett kick) Minnesota 30-16 4 1:12 Nebraska Austin Allen 9 yard pass from Adrian Martinez (Connor Culp kick) Minnesota 30-23

Purdue[]

Purdue at Nebraska

1 2 3 4 Total • Purdue 0 14 7 7 28 Nebraska 7 10 0 6 23 Date: October 30 Location: Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE Game start: 2:30 PM CDT Elapsed time: 3:22 Game attendance: 85,902 Game weather: Sunny, 66 degrees, Wind SW @ 17 mph Referee: John O'Neill TV announcers (ESPN2): , Kelly Stouffer, Lauren Sisler Sources:[24]

Scoring summary 1 6:16 Nebraska Omar Manning 16 yard pass from Adrian Martinez (Chase Contreraz kick) Nebraska 7-0 2 12:37 Purdue Jalen Graham 45 yard interception return (Mitchell Fineran kick) 7-7 2 10:45 Nebraska Adrian Martinez 4 yard run (Chase Contreraz kick) Nebraska 14-7 2 3:48 Purdue Zander Horvath 1 yard run (Mitchell Fineran kick) 14-14 2 1:20 Nebraska Chase Contreraz 33 yard field goal Nebraska 17-14 3 2:47 Purdue Milton Wright 3 yard pass from Aidan O'Connell (Mitchell Fineran kick) Purdue 21-17 4 10:05 Purdue Jackson Anthrop 9 yard pass from Aidan O'Connell (Mitchell Fineran kick) Purdue 28-17 4 1:44 Nebraska Rahmir Johnson 12 yard pass from Adrian Martinez (2 pt PAT failed) Purdue 28-23

#5 Ohio State[]

#5 Ohio State at Nebraska

1 2 3 4 Total • #5 Ohio State 0 17 6 3 26 Nebraska 0 10 7 0 17 Date: November 6 Location: Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE Game start: 11:00 AM CDT Elapsed time: 3:38 Game attendance: 84,426 Game weather: Sunny, 50 degrees, Wind SW & 7 mph Referee: Michael Cannon TV announcers (FOX): Gus Johnson (play-by-play), Joel Klatt (analyst) and Jenny Taft (sideline) Sources:[25]

Scoring summary 2 11:25 Ohio State Noah Ruggles 26 yard field goal Ohio State 3-0 2 6:41 Ohio State Chris Olave 3 yard pass from C.J. Stroud (Noah Ruggles kick) Ohio State 10-0 2 3:52 Nebraska Chase Contreraz 39 yard field goal Ohio State 10-3 2 3:34 Ohio State Jaxon Njigba-Smith 75 yard pass from C.J. Stroud (Mitchell Fineran kick) Ohio State 17-3 2 2:53 Nebraska Samori Toure 72 yard pass from Adrian Martinez (Chase Contreraz kick) Ohio State 17-10 3 9:42 Ohio State Noah Ruggles 46 yard field goal Ohio State 20-10 3 2:05 Ohio State Noah Ruggles 35 yard field goal Ohio State 23-10 3 0:22 Nebraska Adrian Martinez 1 yard run (Chase Contreraz kick) Ohio State 23-17 4 1:29 Ohio State Noah Ruggles 46 yard field goal Ohio State 26-17

at #15 Wisconsin[]

Nebraska at #19 Wisconsin

1 2 3 4 Total Nebraska 7 7 7 7 28 • #15 Wisconsin 14 0 14 7 35 Date: November 20 Location: Camp Randall Stadium Madison, WI Game start: 2:30 PM CDT Elapsed time: 3:16 Game attendance: 67,888 Game weather: Cloudy, 47 degrees, Wind W @ 7 mph Referee: Jerry McGinn TV announcers (ABC): Dave Pasch, Dusty Dvoracek, Tom Luginbill Sources:[26]

Scoring summary 1 14:47 Wisconsin Stephen Bracey 91 yard kickoff return (Collin Larsh kick) Wisconsin 7-0 1 12:41 Nebraska Markese Stepp 1 yard run (Chase Contreraz kick) 7-7 1 1:59 Wisconsin Braelon Allen 71 yard run (Collin Larsh kick) Wisconsin 14-7 2 6:35 Nebraska Samori Toure 4 yard pass from Adrian Martinez (Chase Contreraz kick) 14-14 3 11:35 Wisconsin Kendric Pryor 17 yard pass from Graham Mertz (Collin Larsh kick) Wisconsin 21-14 3 6:24 Nebraska Adrian Martinez 1 yard run (Chase Contreraz kick) 21-21 3 1:30 Wisconsin Braelon Allen 3 yard run (Collin Larsh kick) Wisconsin 28-21 4 6:27 Nebraska Marvin Scott III 3 yard run (Chase Contreraz kick) 28-28 4 3:50 Wisconsin Braelon Allen 53 yard run (Collin Larsh kick) Wisconsin 35-28

#17 Iowa[]

#17 Iowa at Nebraska

1 2 3 4 Total • #17 Iowa 0 3 6 19 28 Nebraska 7 7 7 0 21 Date: November 26 Location: Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE Game start: 12:30 PM CDT Elapsed time: 3:16 Game attendance: 86,541 Game weather: Sunny 57 degrees, Wind NW @ 22 mph Referee: Mark Kluczynski TV announcers (BTN): Brandon Gaudin (play-by-play), James Laurinaitis (analyst) & Rick Pizzo (sideline) Sources:[27]

Scoring summary 1 9:18 Nebraska Logan Smothers 2 yard run (Chase Contreraz kick) Nebraska 7-0 2 10:39 Iowa Caleb Shudak 51 yard field goal Nebraska 7-3 2 4:20 Nebraska Jaquez Yant 1 yard run (Chase Contreraz kick) Nebraska 14-3 2 0:39 Iowa Caleb Shudak 48 yard field goal Nebraska 14-6 3 5:54 Nebraska Logan Smothers 1 yard run (Chase Contreraz kick) Nebraska 21-6 3 0:27 Iowa Caleb Shudak 36 yard field goal Nebraska 21-9 4 14:16 Iowa Kyler Fisher 14 yard punt block return (Caleb Shudak kick) Nebraska 21-16 4 9:56 Iowa Safety Nebraska 21-18 4 7:21 Iowa Caleb Shudak 44 yard field goal 21-21 4 2:58 Iowa Spencer Petras 2 yard run (Caleb Shudak kick) Iowa 28-21

Big Ten Awards[]

Player of the Week Honors[]

Weekly Awards

Player	Award	Week Awarded	Ref.
Luke Reimer	Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week	Week 2	[28]
JoJo Domann	Big Ten Co-Defensive Player of the Week	Week 5	[29]

All-Conference Awards[]

2021 Big Ten Offense All-Conference Teams and Awards^[30]

Kwalick-Clark Tight End of the Year
Position	Player
TE	Austin Allen

National Awards[]

All-America Awards[]