2021 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team

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 2021 Nebraska Cornhuskers were the first team in Division I history to lose nine games by single digits, six of which came against ranked teams (three against Top 10 teams).

2021 Nebraska Cornhuskers football
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Division	West
Record	3–9 (1–8 Big Ten)
Head coach	Scott Frost (4th season)
Offensive coordinator	Matt Lubick (2nd season)
Offensive scheme	Spread option
Defensive coordinator	Erik Chinander (4th season)
Base defense	3–4
Home stadium	Memorial Stadium
Seasons ← 2020 2022 →

2021 Big Ten Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
East Division
No. 3 Michigan xy$^		8	–	1					12	–	2
No. 6 Ohio State x		8	–	1					11	–	2
No. 9 Michigan State		7	–	2					11	–	2
Penn State		4	–	5					7	–	6
Maryland		3	–	6					7	–	6
Rutgers		2	–	7					5	–	8
Indiana		0	–	9					2	–	10
West Division
No. 23 Iowa xy		7	–	2					10	–	4
Minnesota		6	–	3					9	–	4
Wisconsin		6	–	3					9	–	4
Purdue		6	–	3					9	–	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 Rankings from AP Poll

Offseason

2021 NFL Draft

The following players declared for 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	Jacksonville State
Keem Green	#4	DL	6'4"	320	Senior	Sumter, SC	South Carolina
Demariyon Houston	#10	WR	6'0"	180	Sophomore	Oklahoma City, OK	Missouri
Austin Jablonski	#47	WR	6'2"	215	Sophomore	Lincoln, NE	Concordia (NE)
Luke McCaffrey	#7	QB	6'2"	200	Sophomore	Highlands Ranch, CO	Rice
Caden McCormack	#59	LB	6'0"	235	Sophomore	Lincoln, NE	Nebraska–Kearney
Jamie Nance	#3	WR	6'0"	180	Sophomore	Blanchard, OK	Utah State
Ryan Novosel	#32	K	6'0"	160	Freshman	Wilmette, IL	Georgetown
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
Chris Kolarevic	LB	6'1"	225	Junior	Traverse City, MI	Northern Iowa
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

College recruiting information (2021)
Name	Hometown	School	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
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (73)
Ru'Quan Buckley DE	Wyoming, MI	Godwin Heights	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	280 lb (130 kg)	Dec 6, 2020
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (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
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (76)
James Carnie TE	Roca, NE	Norris	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	Oct 12, 2020
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (76)
Gabe Ervin Jr. RB	Buford, GA	Buford	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Jun 23, 2020
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (76)
Thomas Fidone II TE	Council Bluffs, IA	Lewis Central	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	Aug 26, 2020
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (81)
Mikai Gbayor LB	Irvington, NJ	Irvington	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	Sep 4, 2020
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (76)
Kamonte Grimes WR	Naples, FL	Palmetto Ridge	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Aug 16, 2020
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (80)
Heinrich Haarberg QB	Kearney, NE	Kearney Catholic	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	May 9, 2020
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (78)
Shawn Hardy II WR	Kingsland, GA	Camden County	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	May 29, 2020
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (79)
Wynden Ho'ohuli LB	Mililani, HI	Mililani	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	Jan 2, 2021
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (83)
Randolph Kpai LB	Sioux Falls, SD	Sioux Falls Washington	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Jan 2, 2020
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (83)
Henry Lutovsky OL	Crawfordsville, IA	Mount Pleasant	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	320 lb (150 kg)	Nov 17, 2019
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (78)
Seth Malcolm LB	Tabor, IA	Fremont-Mills	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	Jun 6, 2020
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (73)
Latrell Neville WR	Fresno, TX	Hightower	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	Jul 4, 2020
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (78)
Teddy Prochazka OL	Omaha, NE	Elkhorn South	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	280 lb (130 kg)	Sep 28, 2019
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (79)
AJ Rollins TE	Omaha, NE	Creighton Prep	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	230 lb (100 kg)	Aug 28, 2020
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (76)
Jailen Weaver DL	Antioch, CA	Antioch	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	320 lb (150 kg)	Oct 31, 2020
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (74)
Malik Williams DB	Atlanta, GA	Buford	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Jul 21, 2020
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (73)
Branson Yager OL	Grantsville, UT	Grantsville	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	330 lb (150 kg)	Apr 27, 2020
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (76)
Overall recruit ranking:    Rivals: 19    247Sports: 24    ESPN: 39
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, 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. Retrieved December 18, 2020. "ESPN". ESPN. Retrieved December 18, 2020. "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals. Retrieved December 18, 2020.

Walk-on recruits

College recruiting information (2021)
Name	Hometown	School	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
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Derek Branch DB	Lincoln, NE	Lincoln Southeast	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Sep 28, 2020
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Grant Buda WR/LB	Lincoln, NE	Lincoln Southwest	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Jan 30, 2021
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Alex Bullock WR	Omaha, NE	Creighton Prep	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Nov 23, 2020
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Maddox Burton DL	Lincoln, NE	Lincoln Southeast	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	290 lb (130 kg)	Jan 30, 2021
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Blake Closman DB	Omaha, NE	Millard North	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Dec 1, 2020
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
AJ Collins DB	Omaha, NE	Creighton Prep	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	Oct 31, 2020
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Sam Hoskinson OL	Omaha, NE	Elkhorn South	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	245 lb (111 kg)	Dec 14, 2020
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
CJ Lilienkamp S	Bellevue, NE	Bellevue West	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Jan 2, 2021
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Grant Lohr RB/S	Jenks, OK	Jenks	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Feb 2, 2021
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Joey Mancino OL	Holmdel, NJ	Holmdel	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	300 lb (140 kg)	Jan 30, 2021
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Kelen Meyer PK	Ord, NE	Ord	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Oct 12, 2020
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Evan Meyersick TE	Omaha, NE	Millard West	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Nov 5, 2020
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Weston Reiman OL	Weeping Water, NE	Weeping Water	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	290 lb (130 kg)	Nov 1, 2020
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Beau Schaller OL	Waukee, IA	Waukee	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	265 lb (120 kg)	Dec 11, 2020
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Matthew Schuster RB	Cozad, NE	Cozad / Ashland-Greenwood	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	Sep 29, 2020
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Jarrett Synek QB	Hastings, NE	Hastings	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Nov 18, 2020
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Taveon Thompson WR/LB	Lincoln, NE	Lincoln Southeast	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Jan 21, 2021
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Payton Weehler DB	Blockton, IA	Mount Ayr	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Nov 20, 2020
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Aiden Young RB	Omaha, NE	Elkhorn	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Nov 15, 2020
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Overall recruit ranking:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, 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.

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

1. Nebraska and Illinois were originally scheduled to play at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland for the Aer Lingus College Football Classic. The game was moved back to the United States due to travel concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic.^[11]

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]

Personnel

Roster

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

Defense [15] FS Marquel Dismuke Myles Farmer ⋅ NICKEL LB LB JoJo Domann Nick Henrich Luke Reimer Isaac Gifford Chris Kolarevic Garrett Snodgrass ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ SS Deontai Williams Noa Pola-Gates ⋅ CB Cam Taylor-Britt Tyreke Johnson Marques Buford DE DT DT DE Garrett Nelson Damion Daniels Ben Stille Caleb Tannor Damian Jackson Ty Robinson Deontre Thomas Pheldarius Payne ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ CB Quinton Newsome Braxton Clark ⋅ Offense [15] WR Omar Manning Levi Falck Wyatt Liewer WR Samori Toure Alante Brown ⋅ LT LG C RG RT Turner Corcoran Nouredin Nouili Cam Jurgens Matt Sichterman Bryce Benhart Teddy Prochazka Brant Banks Ethan Piper Trent Hixson Broc Bando Ian Boerkircher ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ TE Austin Allen Travis Vokolek Chancellor Brewington Chris Hickman WR Zavier Betts Oliver Martin ⋅ QB Adrian Martinez Logan Smothers ⋅ Key reserves Season-ending injury Number of games played () RB Gabe Ervin (4) OT Teddy Prochazka (5) ILB Will Honas (0) NB Javin Wright (0) Special teams PK Connor Culp P William Przystup KR Zavier Betts PR Oilver Martin LS Cade Mueller RB Rahmir Johnson Jaquez Yant Markese Stepp Sevion Morrison

Game summaries

at Illinois

See also: 2021 Illinois Fighting Illini football team

Nebraska Cornhuskers (0–0) at Illinois Fighting Illini (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Cornhuskers	7	9	7	6	29
Fighting Illini	2	14	14	0	30

at Memorial Stadium • Champaign, IL

• Date: August 28, 2021
• Game time: 12:20 p.m.
• Game weather: Sunny, 94 °F (34 °C)
• Game attendance: 41,064
• Referee: John O'Neill
• TV announcers (FOX): Joe Davis (play-by-play), Brock Huard (analyst)
• Sources: huskers.com^[16]

Game information

First quarter (4:07) ILL – Team safety (Drive: 6 plays, 3 yards, 3:24; Illinois 2–0) Second quarter (14:25) NEB – Markese Stepp 2-yard run (Drive: 7 plays, 63 yards, 2:27; Nebraska 6–2) (9:15) NEB – Connor Culp 27-yard field goal (Drive: 8 plays, 60 yards, 3:01; Nebraska 9–2) (2:51) ILL – Mike Epstein 1-yard run, James McCourt kick (Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 6:24; Illinois 9–9) (0:37) ILL – Calvin Hart Jr. 41-yard fumble return, James McCourt kick (Drive: 3 plays, 2 yards, 0:21; Illinois 16–9) Third quarter (6:56) ILL – Luke Ford 2-yard pass from Artur Sitkowski, James McCourt kick (Drive: 14 plays, 75 yards, 8:04; Illinois 23–9) (4:01) ILL – Isaiah Williams 1-yard pass from Artur Sitkowski, James McCourt kick (Drive: 3 plays, 47 yards, 1:10; Illinois 30–9) (3:48) NEB – Adrian Martinez 75-yard run, Connor Culp kick (Drive: 1 play, 75 yards, 0:13; Illinois 30–16) Fourth quarter (2:41) NEB – Oliver Martin 4-yard pass from Adrian Martinez (Drive: 19 plays, 91 yards, 6:42; Illinois 30–22)

Statistics	NEB	ILL
First downs	19	18
Total yards	392	326
Rushes/yards	39–160	48–167
Passing yards	232	159
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	16–32–0	15–19–0
Time of possession	25:05	34:55

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Nebraska	Passing	Adrian Martinez	16/32, 232 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Adrian Martinez	17 carries, 111 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Oliver Martin	6 receptions, 103 yards, 1 TD
Illinois	Passing	Artur Sitkowski	12/15, 124 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Mike Epstein	16 carries, 75 yards, TD
	Receiving	Deuce Spann	1 reception, 45 yards

vs Fordham

See also: 2021 Fordham Rams football team

Fordham Rams (0–0) vs Nebraska Cornhuskers (0–1) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Rams	0	7	0	0	7
Cornhuskers	7	17	14	14	52

at Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE

• Date: September 4, 2021
• Game time: 11:00 a.m.
• Game weather: Cloudy, 68 °F (20 °C)
• Game attendance: 85,938
• Referee: Bryan Banks
• TV announcers (BTN): Mark Followill (play-by-play), Matt Millen (analyst), Elise Menaker (sideline)
• Sources: huskers.com^[17]

Game information

First quarter (3:59) NEB – Adrian Martinez 4-yard run, Connor Culp kick (Drive: 13 plays, 75 yards, 4:41; Nebraska 7–0) Second quarter (14:14) FORD – Fotis Kokosioulis 31-yard pass from Tim DeMorat, Nick Leinenweber kick (Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 2:19; Tied 7–7) (11:36) NEB – Connor Culp 39-yard field goal (Drive: 7 plays, 58 yards, 2:33; Nebraska 10–7) (3:56) NEB – Adrian Martinez 4-yard run, Connor Culp kick (Drive: 8 plays, 69 yards, 3:44; Nebraska 17–7) (0:29) NEB – Sevion Morrison 1-yard run, Connor Culp kick (Drive: 9 plays, 83 yards, 1:58; Nebraska 24–7) Third quarter (8:24) NEB – Chancellor Brewington 2-yard pass from Adrian Martinez, Connor Culp kick (Drive: 9 plays, 64 yards, 3:40; Nebraska 31–7) (3:58) NEB – Samori Toure 8-yard run, Connor Culp kick (Drive: 10 plays, 35 yards, 2:53; Nebraska 38–7) Fourth quarter (14:26) NEB – Sevion Morrison 6-yard run, Connor Culp kick (Drive: 10 plays, 58 yards, 3:41; Nebraska 45–7) (1:43) NEB – Marvin Scott III 6-yard run, Connor Culp kick (Drive: 15 plays, 62 yards, 7:13; Nebraska 52–7)

Statistics	FORD	NEB
First downs	12	34
Total yards	292	633
Rushes/yards	28–129	65–329
Passing yards	163	304
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	18–30–3	21–30–0
Time of possession	23:39	35:21

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Fordham	Passing	Tim DeMorat	17/29, 165 yards, TD, 3 INT
	Rushing	Trey Wilson III	13 carries, 75 yards
	Receiving	DeQuece Carter	5 receptions, 69 yards
Nebraska	Passing	Adrian Martinez	17/23, 254 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Markese Stepp	18 carries, 101 yards
	Receiving	Samori Toure	8 receptions, 133 yards

vs Buffalo

See also: 2021 Buffalo Bulls football team

Buffalo Bulls (1–0) vs Nebraska Cornhuskers (1–1) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulls	0	0	3	0	3
Cornhuskers	0	14	0	14	28

at Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE

• Date: September 11, 2021
• Game time: 2:30 p.m.
• Game weather: Sunny, 91 °F (33 °C)
• Game attendance: 85,663
• Referee: Greg Blum
• TV announcers (BTN): Brandon Gaudin (play-by-play), Damon Benning (analyst), Rick Pizzo (sideline)
• Sources: huskers.com^[18]

Game information

First quarter None Second quarter (6:56) NEB – Gabe Ervin Jr. 2-yard run, Connor Culp kick (Drive: 4 plays, 80 yards, 1:44; Nebraska 7–0) (0:34) NEB – Samori Toure 68-yard pass from Adrian Martinez, Connor Culp kick (Drive: 4 plays, 80 yards, 0:58; Nebraska 14–0) Third quarter (9:17) BUFF – Alex McNulty 45-yard field goal (Drive: 8 plays, 49 yards, 3:08; Nebraska 14–3) Fourth quarter (14:47) NEB – Gabe Ervin Jr. 1-yard run, Connor Culp kick (Drive: 1 play, 1 yard, 0:04; Nebraska 21–3) (5:53) NEB – Samori Toure 68-yard pass from Adrian Martinez, Connor Culp kick (Drive: 1 play, 68 yards, 0:10; Nebraska 28–3)

Statistics	BUFF	NEB
First downs	19	19
Total yards	359	516
Rushes/yards	33–135	41–220
Passing yards	224	296
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	27–50–1	14–20–0
Time of possession	32:00	28:00

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Buffalo	Passing	Kyle Vantrease	27/50, 224 yards, INT
	Rushing	Kevin Marks Jr.	21 carries, 85 yards
	Receiving	Quian Williams	8 receptions, 93 yards
Nebraska	Passing	Adrian Martinez	13/19, 242 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Adrian Martinez	9 carries, 112 yards
	Receiving	Samori Toure	2 receptions, 136 yards, 2 TD

at No. 3 Oklahoma

See also: 2021 Oklahoma Sooners football team

Nebraska Cornhuskers (2–1) at No. 3 Oklahoma Sooners (2–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Cornhuskers	3	0	6	7	16
No. 3 Sooners	7	0	9	7	23

at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium • Norman, OK

• Date: September 18, 2021
• Game time: 11:00 a.m.
• Game weather: Sunny, 84 °F (29 °C)
• Game attendance: 84,659
• Referee: Reggie Smith
• TV announcers (FOX): Gus Johnson (play-by-play), Joel Klatt (analyst), Jenny Taft (sideline)
• Sources: huskers.com^[19]

Game information

First quarter (8:02) OKLA – Spencer Rattler 1-yard run, Gabe Brkic kick (Drive: 14 plays, 75 yards, 6:58; Oklahoma 7–0) (1:21) NEB – Connor Culp 51-yard field goal (Drive: 14 plays, 42 yards, 6:41; Oklahoma 7–3) Second quarter None Third quarter (3:50) OKLA – Jeremiah Hall 1-yard pass from Spencer Rattler, Gabe Brkic kick (Drive: 10 plays, 80 yards, 5:29; Oklahoma 14–3) (0:08) NEB – Adrian Martinez 4-yard run (Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 3:42; Oklahoma 14–9) (0:08) OKLA – Pat Fields defensive PAT conversion (Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 3:42; Oklahoma 16–9) Fourth quarter (10:24) OKLA – Kennedy Brooks 2-yard run, Gabe Brkic kick (Drive: 12 plays, 65 yards, 4:44; Oklahoma 23–9) (5:38) NEB – Omar Manning 21-yard pass from Adrian Martinez, Connor Culp kick (Drive: 3 plays, 38 yards, 1:02; Oklahoma 23–16)

Statistics	NEB	OKLA
First downs	18	21
Total yards	384	408
Rushes/yards	38–95	35–194
Passing yards	289	214
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	19–25–1	24–34–0
Time of possession	29:10	30:50

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Nebraska	Passing	Adrian Martinez	19/25, 289 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Rahmir Johnson	11 carries, 42 yards
	Receiving	Zavier Betts	6 receptions, 31 yards
Oklahoma	Passing	Spencer Rattler	24/34, 214 yards, TD
	Rushing	Eric Gray	15 carries, 84 yards
	Receiving	Jadon Haselwood	6 receptions, 61 yards

at No. 20 Michigan State

See also: 2021 Michigan State Spartans football team

Nebraska Cornhuskers (2–2) at No. 20 Michigan State Spartans (3–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	OT	Total
Cornhuskers	0	10	3	7	0	20
No. 20 Spartans	0	13	0	7	3	23

at Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI

• Date: September 25, 2021
• Game time: 7:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: Sunny, 60 °F (16 °C)
• Game attendance: 70,332
• Referee: Jeffrey Servinski
• TV announcers (FS1): Aaron Goldsmith (play-by-play), Mark Helfrich (analyst)
• Sources: huskers.com^[20]

Game information

First quarter None Second quarter (14:08) MSU – Jayden Reed 35-yard pass from Payton Thorne, Matt Coghlin kick (Drive: 3 plays, 55 yards, 0:52; Michigan State 7–0) (11:22) NEB – Connor Culp 28-yard field goal (Drive: 7 plays, 65 yards, 2:46; Michigan State 7–3) (8:20) MSU – Matt Coghlin 26-yard field goal (Drive: 6 plays, 49 yards, 2:54; Michigan State 10–3) (4:20) NEB – Adrian Martinez 12-yard run, Connor Culp kick (Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 4:00; Tied 10–10) (1:03) MSU – Matt Coghlin 27-yard field goal (Drive: 9 plays, 61 yards, 3:11; Michigan State 13–10) Third quarter (9:10) NEB – Connor Culp 28-yard field goal (Drive: 14 plays, 60 yards, 5:50; Tied 13–13) Fourth quarter (7:29) NEB – Adrian Martinez 3-yard run, Connor Culp kick (Drive: 11 plays, 80 yards, 5:05; Nebraska 20–13) (3:47) MSU – Jayden Reed 62-yard punt return, Matt Coghlin kick (Drive: 3 plays, 7 yards, 2:26; Tied 20–20) Overtime (0:00) MSU – Matt Coghlin 21-yard field goal (Drive: 4 plays, 22 yards, 0:00; Michigan State 23–20)

Statistics	NEB	MSU
First downs	26	12
Total yards	442	254
Rushes/yards	50–194	30–71
Passing yards	248	183
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	25–36–1	14–23–1
Time of possession	37:28	22:32

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Nebraska	Passing	Adrian Martinez	24/34, 244 yards, INT
	Rushing	Rahmir Johnson	19 carries, 76 yards
	Receiving	Zavier Betts	5 receptions, 62 yards
Michigan State	Passing	Payton Thorne	14/23, 183 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Kenneth Walker III	19 carries, 61 yards
	Receiving	Tre Mosley	6 receptions, 70 yards

vs Northwestern

See also: 2021 Northwestern Wildcats football team

Northwestern Wildcats (2–2) vs Nebraska Cornhuskers (2–3) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Wildcats	7	0	0	0	7
Cornhuskers	21	14	14	7	56

at Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE

• Date: October 2, 2021
• Game time: 6:30 p.m.
• Game weather: Cloudy, 67 °F (19 °C)
• Game attendance: 87,364
• Referee: Larry Smith
• TV announcers (BTN): Cory Provus (play-by-play), Matt Millen (analyst), Elise Menaker (sideline)
• Sources: huskers.com^[21]

Game information

First quarter (14:10) NEB – Adrian Martinez 1-yard run, Connor Culp kick (Drive: 3 plays, 75 yards, 0:50; Nebraska 7–0) (9:19) NEB – Adrian Martinez 1-yard run, Connor Culp kick (Drive: 6 plays, 78 yards, 2:13; Nebraska 14–0) (4:14) NEB – Adrian Martinez 25-yard run, Connor Culp kick (Drive: 11 plays, 64 yards, 3:31; Nebraska 21–0) (1:37) NW – Stephon Robinson Jr. 28-yard pass from Ryan Hilinski, Charlie Kuhbander kick (Drive: 7 plays, 82 yards, 2:31; Nebraska 21–7) Second quarter (12:37) NEB – Rahmir Johnson 5-yard run, Connor Culp kick (Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 4:00; Nebraska 28–7) (0:42) NEB – Rahmir Johnson 9-yard run, Connor Culp kick (Drive: 5 plays, 59 yards, 1:10; Nebraska 35–7) Third quarter (13:48) NEB – Zavier Betts 83-yard run, Connor Culp kick (Drive: 1 play, 83 yards, 0:13; Nebraska 42–7) (9:16) NEB – Samori Toure 58-yard pass from Adrian Martinez, Connor Culp kick (Drive: 2 plays, 57 yards, 0:41; Nebraska 49–7) Fourth quarter (9:44) NEB – Sevion Morrison 4-yard run, Connor Culp kick (Drive: 13 plays, 64 yards, 8:03; Nebraska 56–7)

Statistics	NW	NEB
First downs	17	28
Total yards	293	657
Rushes/yards	26–37	53–427
Passing yards	256	230
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	25–40–0	15–21–0
Time of possession	25:55	34:05

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Northwestern	Passing	Ryan Hilinski	29/35, 256 yards, TD
	Rushing	Evan Hull	7 carries, 31 yards
	Receiving	Stephon Robinson Jr.	8 receptions, 116 yards, TD
Nebraska	Passing	Adrian Martinez	11/17, 202 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Jaquez Yant	13 carries, 127 yards
	Receiving	Samori Toure	2 receptions, 108 yards, 1 TD

vs No. 9 Michigan

See also: 2021 Michigan Wolverines football team

No. 9 Michigan Wolverines (5–0) vs Nebraska Cornhuskers (3–3) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 9 Wolverines	0	13	6	13	32
Cornhuskers	0	0	22	7	29

at Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE

• Date: October 9, 2021
• Game time: 6:00 p.m.
• Game weather: Sunny, 94 °F (34 °C)
• Game attendance: 87,380
• Referee: Reggie Smith
• TV announcers (ABC): Sean McDonough (play-by-play), Todd Blackledge (analyst), Molly McGrath (sideline)
• Sources: huskers.com^[22]

Game information

First quarter None Second quarter (9:52) MICH – Jake Moody 35-yard field goal (Drive: 6 plays, 18 yards, 2:55; Michigan 3–0) (3:19) MICH – Jake Moody 21-yard field goal (Drive: 11 plays, 87 yards, 5:18; Michigan 6–0) (0:09) MICH – Hassan Haskins 3-yard run, Jake Moody kick (Drive: 11 plays, 76 yards, 1:28; Michigan 13–0) Third quarter (12:49) NEB – Austin Allen 46-yard pass from Adrian Martinez, Connor Culp kick (Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 2:11; Michigan 13–7) (3:36) MICH – Hassan Haskins 3-yard run (Drive: 10 plays, 91 yards, 4:31; Michigan 19–7) (1:24) NEB – Rahmir Johnson 41-yard pass from Adrian Martinez, Connor Culp kick (Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 2:12; Michigan 19–14) (0:52) NEB – Levi Falck 13-yard pass from Adrian Martinez, Adrian Martinez two-point run (Drive: 1 play, 13 yards, 0:07; Nebraska 22–19) Fourth quarter (11:21) MICH – Blake Corum 29-yard run, Jake Moody kick (Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 4:31; Michigan 26–22) (7:08) NEB – Adrian Martinez 5-yard run, Connor Culp kick (Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 4:13; Nebraska 29–26) (3:00) MICH – Jake Moody 31-yard field goal (Drive: 9 plays, 69 yards, 4:08; Tied 29–29) (1:24) MICH – Jake Moody 39-yard field goal (Drive: 4 plays, -3 yards, 0:21; Michigan 32–29)

Statistics	MICH	NEB
First downs	26	19
Total yards	459	431
Rushes/yards	42–204	32–140
Passing yards	255	291
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	22–39–1	18–28–1
Time of possession	34:24	25:36

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Michigan	Passing	Cade McNamara	22/38, 255 yards, 3 TD
	Rushing	Hassan Haskins	21 carries, 123 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Daylen Baldwin	6 receptions, 64 yards
Nebraska	Passing	Adrian Martinez	18/28, 291 yards, 3 TD
	Rushing	Rahmir Johnson	17 carries, 67 yards
	Receiving	Rahmir Johnson	6 receptions, 105 yards, 1 TD

at Minnesota

See also: 2021 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team

Nebraska Cornhuskers (3–4) at Minnesota Golden Gophers (3–2) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Cornhuskers	3	6	7	7	23
Golden Gophers	7	14	0	9	30

at Huntington Bank Stadium • Minneapolis, MN

• Date: October 16, 2021
• Game time: 11:00 a.m.
• Game weather: Sunny, 51 °F (11 °C)
• Game attendance: 45,436
• Referee: Ron Snodgross
• TV announcers (ESPN2): Brian Custer (play-by-play), Kelly Stouffer (analyst), Lauren Sisler (sideline)
• Sources: huskers.com^[23]

Game information

First quarter (6:33) MINN – Brevyn Spann-Ford 5-yard pass from Cole Kramer, Matthew Trickett kick (Drive: 14 plays, 61 yards, 7:42; Minnesota 7–0) (3:59) NEB – Connor Culp 50-yard field goal (Drive: 6 plays, 43 yards, 2:34; Minnesota 7–3) Second quarter (14:53) MINN – Mike Brown-Stephens 28-yard pass from Tanner Morgan, Matthew Trickett kick (Drive: 7 plays, 79 yards, 4:06; Minnesota 14–3) (5:47) NEB – Rahmir Johnson 6-yard run (Drive: 9 plays, 68 yards, 3:21; Minnesota 14–9) (1:53) MINN – Chris Autman-Bell 6-yard pass from Tanner Morgan, Matthew Trickett kick (Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 3:54; Minnesota 21–9) Third quarter (9:29) NEB – Rahmir Johnson 1-yard run, Connor Culp kick (Drive: 3 plays, 45 yards, 0:42; Minnesota 21–16) Fourth quarter (4:45) MINN – Esezi Otomewo safety (Drive: 1 play, -11 yards, 0:08; Minnesota 23–16) (2:12) MINN – Bryce Williams 56-yard run, Matthew Trickett kick (Drive: 5 plays, 72 yards, 2:33; Minnesota 30–16) (1:12) NEB – Austin Allen 9-yard from Adrian Martinez, Connor Culp kick (Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 1:00; Minnesota 30–23)

Statistics	NEB	MINN
First downs	19	22
Total yards	377	396
Rushes/yards	31–136	43–182
Passing yards	241	214
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	18–33–0	21–25–2
Time of possession	21:59	38:01

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Nebraska	Passing	Adrian Martinez	18/33, 241 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Rahmir Johnson	11 carries, 83 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Austin Allen	5 receptions, 121 yards, 1 TD
Minnesota	Passing	Tanner Morgan	20/24, 209 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Bryce Williams	17 carries, 127 yards, TD
	Receiving	Chris Autman-Bell	11 receptions, 103 yards, TD

vs Purdue

See also: 2021 Purdue Boilermakers football team

Purdue Boilermakers (4–3) vs Nebraska Cornhuskers (3–5) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Boilermakers	0	14	7	7	28
Cornhuskers	7	10	0	6	23

at Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE

• Date: October 30, 2021
• Game time: 2:30 p.m.
• Game weather: Sunny, 66 °F (19 °C)
• Game attendance: 85,902
• Referee: John O'Neill
• TV announcers (ESPN2): Roy Philpott (play-by-play), Kelly Stouffer (analyst), Lauren Sisler (sideline)
• Sources: huskers.com^[24]

Game information

First quarter (6:16) NEB – Omar Manning 16-yard pass from Adrian Martinez, Chase Contreraz kick (Drive: 12 plays, 82 yards, 4:36; Nebraska 7–0) Second quarter (12:37) PUR – Jalen Graham 45-yard interception return, Mitchell Fineran kick (Drive: 5 plays, 24 yards, 2:15; Tied 7–7) (10:45) NEB – Adrian Martinez 4-yard run, Chase Contreraz kick (Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 1:52; Nebraska 14–7) (3:48) PUR – Zander Horvath 1-yard run, Mitchell Fineran kick (Drive: 14 plays, 75 yards, 6:57; Tied 14–14) (1:20) NEB – Chase Contreraz 33-yard field goal (Drive: 7 plays, 61 yards, 2:28; Nebraska 17–14) Third quarter (2:47) PUR – Milton Wright 3-yard pass from Aidan O'Connell, Mitchell Fineran kick (Drive: 8 plays, 48 yards, 2:59; Purdue 21–17) Fourth quarter (10:05) PUR – Jackson Anthrop 9-yard pass from Aidan O'Connell, Mitchell Fineran kick (Drive: 14 plays, 75 yards, 5:47; Purdue 28–17) (1:44) NEB – Rahmir Johnson 12-yard pass from Adrian Martinez (Drive: 8 plays, 94 yards, 1:30; Purdue 28–23)

Statistics	PUR	NEB
First downs	23	19
Total yards	349	399
Rushes/yards	41–116	29–130
Passing yards	233	269
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	34–45–0	14–29–4
Time of possession	38:38	21:22

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Purdue	Passing	Aidan O'Connell	34/45, 233 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	King Doerue	17 carries, 74 yards
	Receiving	David Bell	9 receptions, 74 yards
Nebraska	Passing	Adrian Martinez	14/29, 269 yards, 2 TD, 4 INT
	Rushing	Jaquez Yant	6 carries, 60 yards
	Receiving	Omar Manning	4 receptions, 75 yards, 1 TD

vs No. 5 Ohio State

See also: 2021 Ohio State Buckeyes football team

No. 5 Ohio State Buckeyes (7–1) vs Nebraska Cornhuskers (3–6) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 5 Buckeyes	0	17	6	3	26
Cornhuskers	0	10	7	0	17

at Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE

• Date: November 6, 2021
• Game time: 11:00 a.m.
• Game weather: Sunny, 50 °F (10 °C)
• Game attendance: 84,426
• Referee: Michael Cannon
• TV announcers (FOX): Gus Johnson (play-by-play), Joel Klatt (analyst), Jenny Taft (sideline)
• Sources: huskers.com^[25]

Game information

First quarter None Second quarter (11:25) OSU – Noah Ruggles 26-yard field goal (Drive: 11 plays, 57 yards, 4:52; Ohio State 3–0) (6:41) OSU – Chris Olave 3-yard pass from C. J. Stroud, Noah Ruggles kick (Drive: 7 plays, 49 yards, 3:24; Ohio State 10–0) (3:52) NEB – Chase Contreraz 39-yard field goal (Drive: 8 plays, 54 yards, 2:49; Ohio State 10–3) (3:34) OSU – Jaxon Smith-Njigba 75-yard pass from C. J. Stroud, Noah Ruggles kick (Drive: 1 play, 75 yards, 0:18; Ohio State 17–3) (2:53) NEB – Samori Toure 72-yard pass from Adrian Martinez, Chase Contreraz kick (Drive: 2 plays, 75 yards, 0:41; Ohio State 17–10) Third quarter (9:42) OSU – Noah Ruggles 46-yard field goal (Drive: 5 plays, 23 yards, 2:44; Ohio State 20–10) (2:05) OSU – Noah Ruggles 35-yard field goal (Drive: 6 plays, 35 yards, 2:21; Ohio State 23–10) (0:22) NEB – Adrian Martinez 1-yard run, Chase Contreraz kick (Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 1:43; Ohio State 23–17) Fourth quarter (1:29) OSU – Noah Ruggles 46-yard field goal (Drive: 9 plays, 58 yards, 3:41; Ohio State 26–17)

Statistics	OSU	NEB
First downs	25	18
Total yards	495	361
Rushes/yards	30–90	34–113
Passing yards	405	248
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	36–54–2	16–31–1
Time of possession	33:52	26:08

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Ohio State	Passing	C. J. Stroud	36/54, 405 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	TreVeyon Henderson	21 carries, 92 yards
	Receiving	Jaxon Smith-Njigba	15 receptions, 240 yards, TD
Nebraska	Passing	Adrian Martinez	16/31, 248 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Rahmir Johnson	16 carries, 62 yards
	Receiving	Samori Toure	4 receptions, 150 yards, 1 TD

at No. 15 Wisconsin

See also: 2021 Wisconsin Badgers football team

Nebraska Cornhuskers (3–7) vs No. 15 Wisconsin Badgers (7–3) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Cornhuskers	7	7	7	7	28
No. 15 Badgers	14	0	14	7	35

at Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI

• Date: November 20, 2021
• Game time: 2:30 p.m.
• Game weather: Cloudy, 47 °F (8 °C); Wind at W 7 MPH
• Game attendance: 67,888
• Referee: Jerry McGinn
• TV announcers (ABC): Dave Pasch (play-by-play), Dusty Dvoracek (analyst), Tom Luginbill (sideline)
• Sources: huskers.com^[26]

Game information

First quarter (14:47) WISC – Stephan Bracey 91-yard kickoff return, Collin Larsh kick (Drive: 0 plays, 0 yards, 0:13; Wisconsin 7–0) (12:41) NEB – Markese Stepp 1-yard run, Chase Contreraz kick (Drive: 5 plays, 74 yards, 2:06; Tied 7–7) (1:59) WIC – Braelon Allen 71-yard run, Collin Larsh kick (Drive: 3 plays, 80 yards, 1:23; Wisconsin 14–7) Second quarter (6:35) NEB – Samori Toure 4-yard pass from Adrian Martinez, Chase Contreraz kick (Drive: 8 plays, 48 yards, 3:02; Tied 14–14) Third quarter (11:35) WISC – Kendric Pryor 17-yard pass from Graham Mertz, Collin Larsh kick (Drive: 4 plays, 33 yards, 2:01; Wisconsin 21–14) (6:24) NEB – Adrian Martinez 1-yard run, Chase Contreraz kick (Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 5:11; Tied 21–21) (1:30) WISC – Braelon Allen 3-yard run, Collin Larsh kick (Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 4:54; Wisconsin 28–28) Fourth quarter (6:27) NEB – Marvin Scott III 3-yard run, Chase Contreraz kick (Drive: 7 plays, 68 yards, 3:52; Tied 28–28) (3:50) WISC – Braelon Allen 53-yard run, Collin Larsh kick (Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 2:37; Wisconsin 35–28)

Statistics	NEB	WISC
First downs	22	15
Total yards	452	397
Rushes/yards	35–101	31–252
Passing yards	351	145
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	23–35–2	12–18–0
Time of possession	33:17	26:43

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Nebraska	Passing	Adrian Martinez	23/35, 351 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Brody Belt	7 carries, 31 yards
	Receiving	Austin Allen	7 receptions, 143 yards
Wisconsin	Passing	Graham Mertz	12/18, 145 yards, TD
	Rushing	Braelon Allen	22 carries, 228 yards, 3 TD
	Receiving	Jake Ferguson	8 receptions, 92 yards

vs No. 17 Iowa

See also: 2021 Iowa Hawkeyes football team

No. 17 Iowa Hawkeyes (9–2) vs Nebraska Cornhuskers (3–8) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 17 Hawkeyes	0	3	6	19	28
Cornhuskers	7	7	7	0	21

at Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE

• Date: November 26, 2021
• Game time: 12:00 p.m.
• Game weather: Sunny, 57 °F (14 °C)
• Game attendance: 86,541
• Referee: Mark Kluczynski
• TV announcers (BTN): Brandon Gaudin (play-by-play), James Laurinaitis (analyst), Rick Pizzo (sideline)
• Sources: huskers.com^[27]

Game information

First quarter (9:18) NEB – Logan Smothers 2-yard run, Chase Contreraz kick (Drive: 12 plays, 75 yards, 5:42; Nebraska 7–0) Second quarter (10:39) IOWA – Caleb Shudak 51-yard field goal (Drive: 7 plays, 27 yards, 2:57; Nebraska 7–3) (4:20) NEB – Jaquez Yant 1-yard run, Chase Contreraz kick (Drive: 13 plays, 75 yards, 6:19; Nebraska 14–3) (0:39) IOWA – Caleb Shudak 48-yard field goal (Drive: 8 plays, 45 yards, 3:41; Nebraska 14–6) Third quarter (5:54) NEB – Logan Smothers 1-yard run, Chase Contreraz kick (Drive: 9 plays, 94 yards, 4:18; Nebraska 21–6) (0:27) IOWA – Caleb Shudak 36-yard field goal (Drive: 10 plays, 57 yards, 5:27; Nebraska 21–9) Fourth quarter (14:16) IOWA – Kyler Fisher 14-yard blocked punt return, Caleb Shudak kick (Drive: 3 plays, 2 yards, 1:11; Nebraska 21–16) (9:56) IOWA – Team safety (Drive: 1 play, -1 yards, 0:41; Nebraska 21–18) (7:21) IOWA – Caleb Shudak 44-yard field goal (Drive: 8 plays, 36 yards, 2:35; Tied 21–21) (2:58) IOWA – Spencer Petras 2-yard run, Caleb Shudak kick (Drive: 6 plays, 76 yards, 3:00; Iowa 28–21)

Statistics	IOWA	NEB
First downs	19	18
Total yards	364	327
Rushes/yards	37–186	43–129
Passing yards	178	198
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	13–27–0	16–22–1
Time of possession	31:53	28:07

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Iowa	Passing	Spencer Petras	7/13, 102 yards
	Rushing	Tyler Goodson	23 carries, 156 yards
	Receiving	Sam LaPorta	3 receptions, 61 yards
Nebraska	Passing	Logan Smothers	16/22, 198 yards, INT
	Rushing	Logan Smothers	24 carries, 64 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Samori Toure	6 receptions, 67 yards

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

Coaches All-Big Ten Position Player Team TE Austin Allen Second Team LB JoJo Domann Second Team DB Cam Taylor-Britt Second Team C Cam Jurgens Third Team DL Damion Daniels Honorable Mention QB Adrian Martinez Honorable Mention DL Ben Stille Honorable Mention LB Luke Reimer Honorable Mention DB Marquel Dismuke Honorable Mention DB Deontai Williams Honorable Mention

Media All-Big Ten Position Player Team TE Austin Allen First Team DB Cam Taylor-Britt Second Team LB JoJo Domann Third Team WR Samori Toure Honorable Mention C Cam Jurgens Honorable Mention DL Damion Daniels Honorable Mention DL Ben Stille Honorable Mention LB Luke Reimer Honorable Mention DB Deontai Williams Honorable Mention

National awards

All-America awards

Associated Press All-America Team
Position	Player	Team
DB	JoJo Domann	Second Team[31]

Players drafted into the NFL

See also: 2022 NFL draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	NFL Club
2	51	Cam Jurgens	C	Philadelphia Eagles
2	60	Cam Taylor-Britt	CB	Cincinnati Bengals
7	258	Samori Toure	WR	Green Bay Packers

Source:^[32]