Record Book: Memorial Stadium Highs and Lows

Whether it's been 44 first downs or none at all for the Huskers, fans have seen it all as the venue enters its 100th season.

Nebraska Athletics photo

Third in a series marking the 100th season of Nebraska football in Memorial Stadium. NOTE: A few records changed with the addition of the 2022 season.

Roy Helu's 307-yard rushing day. Eric Bieniemy's four fourth-quarter touchdowns. Clete Pillen's 30-tackle afternoon. Gale Sayers' 99-yard run.

Maybe you were there, losing your voice or shaking your head, when one or more of those events unfolded. Each one stands as a Memorial Stadium record as the Nebraska football venue enters its 100th season. Dozens more are listed below. 

Most of the records we've compiled here are straight from Nebraska's official list. We've added a few, most of which popped up in a search of the NCAA record book but aren't on Nebraska's list for some reason. And we've made one correction in the all-purpose-yards category: Sorry, Ameer Abdullah, but that one belongs to Troy Edwards of Louisiana Tech.

All records here are for Memorial Stadium only. For example, the Huskers have had 41 perfect home seasons, but the number listed below is 27 because 14 of the seasons came before 1923, when the stadium was built.

Click on the links for more game details at HuskerMax.

The general ledger

Elsa/Allsport via Wibbitz

Eric Crouch seals Nebraska's 2001 victory over Oklahoma with a 63-yard pass reception in the fourth quarter. It was the seventh of the Huskers' eight home wins.

• Overall record: 720-347-25 (.671) 1,092 games.
• Home Record: 421-143-13 (.741) 577 games.
• Longest Home Win Streak: 47; 1991-98.
• Most Home Games Won: 8; 2001.
• Unbeaten Home Seasons: 33.
• Unbeaten and Untied Home Seasons: 27.
• Most Consecutive Winning Home Seasons: 46; 1969-2014.
• Fewest Home Games Won: 0; 1947, 1951, 1957.
• Most Home Games Lost: 5; 1947, 1951, 1957, 2017.
• Longest Home Loss Streak: 7; 2017-18.

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The visitors

Logos from 1971 Nebraska media guide

These five former conference opponents account for all the categories below.

• Most Wins Against a Single Opponent: 39, Iowa State (39-5).
• Most Losses to a Single Opponent: 18, Oklahoma (20-18-2).
• Most Frequent Opponent: Missouri, 45 games (30-14-1).
• Longest Home Winning Streak Against Single Opponent: 21, Oklahoma State (1962-2003); Kansas (1969-).
• Longest Home Losing Streak Against Single Opponent: 8, Oklahoma (1943-57).
• Longest Home Winless Streak Against Single Opponent: 9, Pittsburgh (0-6-3 from 1928 to 1954).

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Points by the bushel

Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

With two touchdowns yet to be scored, Tom Osborne and his staff sweat out the final seven minutes of the 1988 scoring fest against Barry Sanders and Oklahoma State. The teams' combined 105 points set a stadium record that was matched seven years later.

• Most Points Both Teams: 105; (NU 63, Oklahoma State 42), 1988; (NU 77, Arizona State 28), 1995.
• Most Points by NU: 77; Arizona St., 1995; Iowa State, 1997.
• Most Points by an Opponent: 61; Minnesota (61-7), 1945.
• Most Points by NU, First Half: 63; Arizona St., 1995; Iowa State, 1997.
• Most Points by NU, Second Half: 55; Colorado, 1983.*
• Most Points by NU, Any Quarter: 48; vs. Colorado, 1983.*

*The 1983 Colorado game is one of three singled out in the NCAA record book for rapid scoring: 41 Husker points in 2:55 of playing time in the third quarter.

At the other extreme, there have been eight 0-0 ties, all in the stadium's first 16 seasons. Intersectional rival Pittsburgh was the opponent for three of those sets of goose eggs.

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Packing the stands

Eric Francis/Getty Images via Wibbitz

Official attendance was 91,585 - tops for any game at Memorial Stadium - when the Huskers hosted Miami for the first time in nearly four decades in 2014. The boisterous crowd saw things get chippy between the teams at times as Nebraska turned back the Hurricanes, 41-31.

• Top Single-Game Attendance: 91,585; Miami, 2014.
• Top Average Attendance: 91,249; 2014 (7 games).
• Top Total Attendance: 727,466; 2013 (8 games).
• Consecutive Sellouts: 382; 1962-present.

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Two games, 15 records

1983 Nebraska football media guide

Ricky Simmons sprints for the Huskers' ninth touchdown against New Mexico State in 1982. More than two minutes still remained in the third quarter.

Two games stand out for generating multiple stadium records that remain intact.

The first was Nebraska's 68-0 pasting of New Mexico State in 1982. Several stadium records were set that afternoon, and the following ones still stand:

• Biggest Victory Margin: 68.
• Most Total Offense Yards: 883 (677 rush, 206 pass, 104 att.).
• Most First Downs by Rush: 36 (NCAA record).
• Most Yards Rushing, Team: 677 (NCAA record).
• Most Yards Rushing Without a Loss: 677 (NCAA record).

Getty Images via Wibbitz

The 405 receiving yards by LaTech's Troy Edwards remains a Division I single-game record.

An even more record-packed game came courtesy of Louisiana Tech's pitch-and-catch tandem of Tim Rattay and Troy Edwards. The Ragin' Cajuns were on the short end of the 56-27 score in 1998, but their passing game had the home crowd feeling a little airsick.

• Most Yards Passing: 590; Tim Rattay, Louisiana Tech (68 att., 46 comp.).
• Most Pass Attempts: 68; Rattay (46 comp., 590 yards).
• Most Pass Completions: 46; Rattay (68 att., 590 yards).
• Most Total Offense Yards: 568; Rattay (-22 rush, 590 pass).
• Most Total Offense Attempts: 74; Rattay (6 rush, 68 pass).
• Most Receiving Yards: 405; Troy Edwards, Louisiana Tech (NCAA record).
• Most Receptions: 21; Edwards.
• Most Touchdown Receptions: 3; five times, including Edwards; most recently, Frantz Hardy vs. Kansas State, 2007.
• Most All-Purpose Yards: 424; Edwards (23 att.).
• Most Yards Passing, Team: 590; Louisiana Tech (46 comp., 68 att.).

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More pitch & catch

Bruce Thorson, US PRESSWIRE

Joe Ganz looks for a receiver against Kansas State in 2007. He threw a stadium-record seven touchdown passes that day.

There do exist a handful of stadium passing and receiving records not held by someone named Rattay or Edwards:

• Most Passing Touchdowns: 7; Joe Ganz vs. Kansas State, 2007 (40 att.).
• Most Interceptions Thrown: 7; Lynn Dickey, Kansas State, 1970 (47 att.), Harold Baysinger, Syracuse, 1927 (28 att.)
• Longest Touchdown Reception: 98 (TD); Joe Stewart from Pete Woods, Missouri, 1976.
• Most First Downs by Pass: 24; Nebraska vs. Iowa State, 2005.

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More offense

Matt Ryerson-USA TODAY Sports

Rex Burkhead's 38 carries against Iowa in 2011 tied the stadium record and helped the Huskers control the clock for nearly 38 minutes in a 20-7 win.

• Most Yards Rushing: 307; Roy Helu Jr., vs. Missouri, 2010 (28 att., 3 TD). See photo at top of page.
• Most Rushing Attempts: 38; Rex Burkhead, vs. Iowa, 2011 (160 yards, 1 TD); Eric Bieniemy, Colorado, 1990 (137 yards, 4 TD).
• Most Rushing Touchdowns: 4; many times, most recently, Jorvorskie Lane, Texas A&M, 2007.
• Most touchdowns in a quarter: Eric Bieniemy, Colorado, 1990 (ties NCAA record).
• Longest Run From Scrimmage: 99 (TD); Gale Sayers, Kansas, 1963.
• Most Total First Downs, Team: 44; NU vs. Utah State, 1991.

Note: Eric Crouch and Joe Ganz each pulled off the rare feat of having a running, passing and receiving touchdown in a single game (Crouch vs. California in 1999 and Ganz vs. New Mexico State in 2008).

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Defense!

1977 Nebraska media guide

Linebacker Clete Pillen takes down Oklahoma State running back Terry Miller in 1976. It was one of Pillen's stadium-record 30 tackles in the Huskers' 14-10 win.

• Fewest Yards Rushing Allowed: (-45); NU vs. Kansas State, 1976 (39 att.).
• Fewest Yards Passing Allowed: 0; several times, most recently, NU vs. Nicholls State, 2006.
• Fewest Total-Offense Yards Allowed: 31; NU vs. South Dakota State, 1963 (-17 rush, 48 pass).*
• Fewest Opponent First Downs: 2; South Dakota, 1964.*
• Most Tackles: 30; Clete Pillen vs. Oklahoma State, 1976 (14 UT, 16 AT).
• Most Tackles for Loss: 7; Jim Skow vs. Missouri, 1985 (40 yards).
• Most Interceptions: 3; Dana Stephenson vs. Colorado, 1969; Joe Blahak vs. Kansas State, 1970; Matt O'Hanlon vs. Oklahoma, 2009.
• Longest Interception Return: 98 (TD); Aaron Sam, McNeese State vs. Nebraska, 2014.
• Most Passes Defended: 7; Ralph Brown vs. Colorado, 1996 (7 passes broken up); Fabian Washington vs. Kansas, 2004 (6 PBUs, 1 interception).
• Most Passes Defended, Team: 17; Nebraska vs. Kansas, 2004.

*Those are the official records for fewest yards and first downs. But New York University gained just 16 net yards (all on the ground) and one first down in a 15-7 loss in Lincoln in 1926, according to multiple news accounts of the game.

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Special teams

Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports

After nailing a 57-yard field goal to pull Nebraska ahead of Colorado late in the game in 2008, Alex Henery is lifted by long snapper T.J. O'Leary. At right is holder Jake Wesch. 

• Longest Kickoff Return: 100 (TD); Ameer Abdullah vs. Fresno State, 2011; Tracy Lampley, Southern Miss, 2012.
• Longest Punt Return: 95 (TD); Eric Hagg vs. Texas, 2010.
• Longest Punt: 93; Don Birdsey, Kansas State, 1980.
• Fewest Punts by NU: 0, several times, most recently vs. Illinois, 2016.
• Fewest Punts by Opponent: 0, Missouri, 2008.
• Most Field Goals: 5; Brian Franco, Penn State, 1981 (5 att.); Bruce Kallmeyer, Kansas, 1981 (5 att.); Drew Brown, Nebraska vs. Southern Miss, 2015 (7 att.).*
• Most Blocked Field Goals: 2; Kyle Vanden Bosch vs. Texas A&M, 1999.
• Most Blocked Punts: 2; Barron Miles vs. Pacific, 1994; Lannie Hopkins vs. Kansas, 2002.
• Longest Field Goal: 57; Alex Henery, vs. Colorado, 2008.

The following are unofficial but are the most likely candidates we could dig up from the archives:

• Most Punts in a Game, Both Teams: 38; vs. Oklahoma, 1931.
• Most Opponent Punts in a Game: 21, Oklahoma, 1931.
• Most NU Punts in a Game: 19; vs. Kansas State, 1926; vs Oklahoma, 1937.

*Brown shares the NCAA record for field goals in a half (5) with two others, including Nebraska's Dale Klein (1985 at Missouri).

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Down in the dumps

Sunday Tribune

Minnesota end Bob Carley goes high against a pair of Huskers for the Gophers' eighth touchdown in Minnesota's 61-7 win in Lincoln in 1945.

The stadium has seen times of Husker futility, most of it generations ago. But recent seasons have crept into some of these categories.

• Most Points by Opponent: 61; Minnesota (61-7), 1945.
• Biggest Losing Margin to Opponent: 54; Minnesota (61-7), 1945.
• Fewest NU First Downs: 0; vs. Colorado, 1961; vs. Pittsburgh, 1928.
• Most Opponent Rushing Yards: 502; Notre Dame, 1948 (70 att.).
• Most Individual Rushing Yards by Opponent: 249; Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin, 2017 (25 att.).
• Most Opponent Total-Offense Yards: 633; Ohio State, 2017 (86 att.).

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