Dave Feit: 400 Husker Sellouts in 40 Stats

Facts and figures about Nebraska football's 62-year-old Memorial Stadium sellout streak, which reaches 400 games Friday night.

Aug 31, 2013; Lincoln, NE, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers fans hold up shoes prior to the second-half kickoff against the Wyoming Cowboys at Memorial Stadium. / Bruce Thorson-Imagn Images

In honor of Nebraska football's 400th consecutive sellout of Memorial Stadium, here are 40 stats and facts about the Streak:

1. If Friday's attendance is 86,218, the combined attendance for the first 400 games of the Sellout Streak will be exactly 31,000,000. The combined attendance after Sellout 399 sits at 30,913,782. Nebraska has averaged 86,681 since the start of the 2022 season, so they’ll definitely surpass 31 million. (Credit to @knapplc for this stat) 
2. Nebraska's home record during the Sellout Streak is 324-75 (.812).
3. Although ties were possible from 1962 through 1996, there were zero ties during Sellout Streak games.
4. Nebraska has played three overtime games during the Streak, winning Sellouts 272 (Iowa State, 2005) and 279 (Kansas 2006), and losing Sellout 360 (Northwestern, 2017).
5. There have been 89 one score games during the Streak. Nebraska is 46-43 in those games.
6. The Huskers have four 1-point wins during the Streak. The first was Sellout 63 (Kansas, 1973). The last was Sellout 346 (Michigan State, 2015)
7. There has only been one 1-point loss during the Streak. Sellout 389 (Wisconsin, 2022)
8. Nebraska has played four Streak games on a Thursday. The most recent was Sellout 243 (Rice, 2001) which was rescheduled due to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The other three (Sellouts 19, 29, and 59) were all against Oklahoma on Thanksgiving.
9. Nebraska has played on Black Friday 20 times during the Streak era. Sellout 400 (Illinois, 2024) is the first Friday game played outside of November.  
10. The only calendar date (between August 29 and November 29) that NU has not played a Streak game is November 20.  
11. As of the 400th sellout, the Sellout Streak will have been active for 22,603 days.
12. There have been 12 different U.S. Presidents in office during the course of the Streak, starting with John F. Kennedy. Sellout 8 (Oklahoma, 1963) was played - with Bobby Kennedy's blessing - the day after JFK was assassinated. 
13. Nebraska only had two head coaches for Sellouts 1 through 220. There have been seven head coaches (including interim head coach Mickey Joseph) for Sellouts 221 to 400.
14. The largest crowd to attend a game during the Streak was 91,585 for Sellout 336 (Miami, 2014).
15. The smallest crowd during the Streak was 34,329 at Sellout 2 (Oklahoma State, 1962).
16. Two Streak games were interrupted by a lightning delay: Sellout 176 (Utah State, 1991) and Sellout 391 (Louisiana Tech, 2023). The 2018 game versus Akron (which would have been Sellout 362) was canceled and does not count toward the Streak.
17. No tickets were sold for Nebraska's three home games in 2020 (Penn State, Illinois, and Minnesota), therefore, they also do not count toward the Streak.
18. The most points scored by Nebraska during the Streak is 77. It happened in Sellout 202 (Arizona State, 1995) and Sellout 220 (Iowa State, 1997).
19. Nebraska has shut out its opponent 47 times during the Sellout Streak era. The first was in Sellout 2 (Oklahoma State, 1962). The most recent was Sellout 300 (Louisiana, 2009).
20. Nebraska has been shut out only once during the Sellout Streak: Sellout 34 (Kansas State, 1968). While it’s not Sellout Streak related, it’s worth noting that Nebraska has been shut out only once since 1968: the 1996 game at Arizona State. 
21. Sellout 1 (Missouri, 1962) was broadcast on CBS. A total of 226 Streak games have been televised, streamed, or made available on pay per view.
22. The last Sellout Streak game to NOT be televised was Sellout 288 (Texas A&M, 2007).
23. Including Sellout 400 (Illinois, 2024) Nebraska has been ranked for 284 of the 400 sellouts (71%). The Huskers were in the Top 5 for 128 sellout streak games (32%), including 17 straight games: Sellouts 193 (Missouri, 1993) through 209 (Michigan State, 1996).
24. During the Streak, 81 opponents have come to Nebraska ranked. The #1 team has come to Lincoln three times during the Streak: Sellout 72 (Oklahoma, 1974), Sellout 97 (Oklahoma, 1978), and Sellout 284 (Southern Cal, 2007). NU is 1-2 versus the #1 team over this period.
25. In Streak games, both teams have been ranked 55 times. The first was Sellout 8 (Oklahoma, 1963). Prior to the Sellout 400, the last ranked-on-ranked Streak game was Sellout 328 (UCLA, 2013). Nebraska's last ranked-on-ranked home win was Sellout 316 (Michigan State, 2011).
26. Nebraska has 16 upset wins over higher-ranked opponents. The first was a 9-point win in Sellout 8 (Oklahoma, 1963). The most recent upset was in Sellout 350 (Oregon, 2016).
27. Ninety-three different teams have come to Lincoln during the Sellout Streak. Colorado and Missouri have the most visits (26 each). Utah State has the most visits (8) of any team outside of the Big 8, Big XII, or Big Ten.
28. Thirty-nine teams have made only a single trip to Lincoln since the start of the Sellout Streak. Nebraska is 35-4 against those teams.
29. Forty states have sent teams to Lincoln during the Sellout Streak. Among the states not represented, only Connecticut and West Virginia currently have FBS-level football teams. The other states not represented are Alaska, Delaware, Massachusetts, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
30. There are six opponents who have never lost in Lincoln during the Streak. Four have only played here once: Air Force (Sellout 5, 1963), Virginia Tech (Sellout 293, 2008), BYU (Sellout 341, 2015), and Georgia Southern (Sellout 384, 2022). Both Texas and Southern Cal have multiple wins in Lincoln without suffering a loss.
31. Not surprisingly, Oklahoma has the most victories of any opposing team during the first 400 sellouts (10). Missouri and Iowa are next with six victories each.
32. Sellouts 1 (Missouri, 1962) through 40 (Iowa State, 1969) were played on natural grass.
33. Sellouts 41 (Wake Forest, 1970) through 227 (Colorado, 1998) were played on AstroTurf.  
34. Sellouts 228 (Cal, 1999) through 400 have been played on FieldTurf. The Huskers have played a total of 359 Streak games on an artificial surface.
35. Sellout 143 (Florida State, 1986) was the first night game - ever - at Memorial Stadium. During the first 399 games of the Streak, there have been more night games than games starting before noon (62 to 58). Nebraska is 52-10 (.839) under the lights at home.
36. In the first 399 games of the Sellout Streak, Nebraska outscored their opponents by a combined score of 14,178 to 6,092. That is an average score of 35-15.
37. Nebraska has blown out its opponent (i.e., winning by 25 points or more) 171 times.
38. In the first 261 games of the Sellout Streak, the Huskers were never blown out (a loss by 25 points or more). Between Sellout 262 (Kansas State, 2003) and Sellout 392 (Michigan, 2023), NU has suffered eight blowout losses at home.
39. The Huskers have won every home game in a season 23 times since the Streak started. The first was 1964 (Sellouts 9 - 13), the most recent was 2016 (Sellouts 348 - 354).
40. The last stat is a personal one: I have attended (at least) 210 Streak games - there may be 2-3 from when I was a kid that don't remember. NU is 160-50 in the home games I've attended.

Sep 26, 2009; Lincoln, NE, USA; Nebraska wore 1960s-style uniforms for its game against Louisiana. It was the 300th consecutive sellout at Memorial Stadium. / Bruce Thorson-Imagn Images

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