Nebraska Cornhuskers vs Colorado Buffaloes game week notes

Selected notes from Nebraska athletics.

Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports

NEBRASKA at COLORADO
Sept. 9, 2023 | FOLSOM FIELD
BOULDER, COLO. | NOON ET

BROADCAST INFO
TV - FOX (Gus Johnson, Joel Klatt, Jenny Taft)

HUSKERS
Record: 0-1, 0-1 B1G
Last Game: at Minnesota (L, 13-10)
Rankings: NR
Coach: Matt Rhule
Career/NU Record: 47-44 (8th Year)/0-1 (1st Year)
vs. Colorado: 0-0

BUFFALOES
Record: 1-0, 0-0 PAC-12
Last Game: at No. 17 TCU (W, 45-42)
Rankings: NR (Preseason)
Coach: Deion Sanders
Career/CU Record: 27-6 (4th Year)/1-0 (1st Year)
vs. Nebraska: 0-0

The Matchup
Nebraska continues its season-opening road trip with a matchup at Colorado on Saturday. The renewal of a rivalry between long-time conference opponents will kick off at 10 a.m. local time (11 a.m. CT) from Colorado's Folsom Field. The game will be televised by FOX, which will also originate its Big Noon Kickoff pregame show live from Boulder. 

Nebraska enters Saturday's matchup looking for its first victory under first-year Head Coach Matt Rhule. The Huskers opened at Big Ten West foe Minnesota last Thursday night and led for nearly all of the second half before Minnesota rallied. The Gophers connected on a game-winning walk-off field goal to post a 13-10 win.

Despite the loss, the Nebraska defense showed its toughness, limiting the Gophers to less than four yards per play and allowing only 55 rushing yards. Nebraska also showed a strong running game against the Gophers, churning out 181 yards on the ground against one of the Big Ten's top defensive units.

Colorado enters the contest at 1-0 after an impressive 45-42 road victory at No. 17 TCU on Saturday. First-year Coach Deion Sanders' squad showed an explosive aerial attack in the win, throwing for 510 yards and four touchdowns to outscore the Horned Frogs.

Nebraska is no stranger to Boulder, having played Colorado in the Rocky Mountains on 36 previous occasions, most recently in 2019. 

Series History: Nebraska vs. Colorado
Nebraska and Colorado will meet for the 72nd time on Saturday in Boulder. The Buffs have won the two most recent meetings in 2018 and 2019.

• 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 third of four meetings between the schools between 2018 and 2024. Colorado is set to visit Lincoln on Sept. 7, 2024.

• 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).

Reimer Aims to Climb Nebraska’s All-Time Tackles List
Linebacker Luke Reimer has been Nebraska's leading tackler each of the past two seasons, recording 194 tackles in 22 games during that stretch. In his career, Reimer has amassed 250 tackles with 5.0 sacks and 16.5 tackles for loss. In August, Reimer was one of 80 FBS players named to the Lombardi Award preseason watch list.

• With 250 career tackles, Reimer is second in career tackles among Big Ten players, trailing only Iowa's Nick Jackson who transferred to the Hawkeyes in the offseason. Reimer was the only returning Big Ten player with 220 or more tackles entering 2023.

• Reimer is looking to become the fourth Husker to lead Nebraska in tackles three straight seasons since complete tackle statistics are available beginning in 1965.

HUSKERS TO LEAD NEBRASKA IN TACKLES 3 STRAIGHT SEASONS
» Mike Brown, Rover (1996-97-98)
» Marc Munford, Linebacker (1984-85-86)
» Jerry Murtaugh, Linebacker (1968-69-70)

• Reimer ranks 13th in school history with his 250 career tackles. With seven tackles, he would move into the top 10 on Nebraska's all-time list and with 34 tackles he would move into the top five. Reimer is just 38 tackles away from the No. 3 spot on the Huskers' all-time tackles chart.

HUSKERS WITH 300 CAREER TACKLES
» Barrett Ruud, Linebacker (432 tackles, 2001-04)
» Jerry Murtaugh, Linebacker (342 tackles, 1968-70)

PROGRESS TRACKER: REIMER ON NEBRASKA'S ALL-TIME TACKLES LIST
» Current Rank: 13th (250)
» Tackles Needed to Reach 10th Place: 7 (257)
» Tackles Needed to Reach 5th Place: 34 (284)

Newcomers Make Immediate Impact for Huskers
Nebraska featured many new faces in the starting lineup in the season opener at Minnesota. A total of 11 players made their first starts at Nebraska, including four players in their first season in the program.

• Two true freshmen earned starting assignments for the Huskers, place-kicker Tristan Alvano and defensive end Cameron Lenhardt.

• Lenhardt is only the ninth Husker true freshman (excluding kickers) to start a season opener since freshmen regained eligibility in 1972.

• Lenhardt joined Maliek Collins as the only true freshmen defensive linemen to start a game for Nebraska since freshmen regained eligibility in 1972. Collins started one game as a true freshman during the 2013 season, earning a start in the 2014 Gator Bowl.

This Week’s Numbers
2 - Nebraska hits the road for the second straight week to begin the season after opening at Minnesota last Thursday. The Huskers are opening a season with back-to-back road games for the first time since 1995, when Nebraska traveled to Oklahoma State and then to Michigan State.

8 - The two most recent matchups between Nebraska and Colorado were both down-to the wire contests. Colorado won both games that were decided by a combined eight points, including a three-point overtime win in 2019.

72 - Saturday's meeting will be the 72nd all-time matchup between Nebraska and Colorado. The schools met 63 straight seasons from 1948 to 2010 when they were members of the same conference and met in a home-and-home series in 2018 and 2019.