Football
Janiran Bonner’s Return Adds Versatility for Nebraska Football
Janiran Bonner spent 2025 trying to stay motivated on the sidelines, and with the help of his support system, he’s back with the Nebraska football team in 2026. The senior wide receiver tore his ACL in the first game last year, sidelining him for the remainder of the…
Blackshirt Motivation Driving Nebraska Football Newcomer Dexter Foster in Camp
For Nebraska football newcomer Dexter Foster, one of the Huskers’ most famous traditions has been a major motivator throughout camp. “Having that Blackshirt, it’s a big deal, and you’ve got to be able to take it,” Foster said. “I ain’t never been a part of no program…
Nebraska Fall Football Practice | Photos | Hail Varsity
Hail Varsity Historical: Here Come the Cornhuskers, and the Blackshirts
A century ago, Ernie Bearg’s first game as head coach of Nebraska football was against Illinois in Champaign-Urbana. Legendary All-America running back Harold “Red” Grange, nicknamed “the Galloping Ghost,” led the Illini. Illinois won the previous two meetings. But…
Nebraska Fans Meet the Husker at Fan Day | Photos | Hail Varsity
Hail Varsity Historical: Flippin Leads the Way and Another Nebraska Football Historical Inaccuracy
As noted last week, George Flippin was the first Black athlete at Nebraska, playing for the football team in the 1891 game against Iowa. He was a groundbreaker beyond that. According to Arthur Ashe’s “A Hard Road to Glory: A History of the African American Athlete:…
Rhule, Seniors Set the Stage for 2026 Nebraska Football Season at Big Ten Media Days
Coach Matt Rhule didn’t bring a quarterback with him to Chicago to represent Nebraska football at Big Ten Media Days, but he expressed plenty of confidence in the players that make up that room on Thursday. Two-year starter Dylan Raiola is gone, but newcomer Anthony…
Hail Varsity Historical: Nebraska Football’s Historical Fallability
The focus of the next couple Hail Varsity Historical installments will be on other Nebraska football topics rather than past game recaps. Nebraska football’s oldest rivalry is with Iowa, its first out-of-state opponent. That’s probably appropriate now, given the…
Hail Varsity Historical: Nebraska Football Comes Within Seconds of a National Title
Depending on the poll, Nebraska football was first (Coaches) or second (Associated Press) going into the Orange Bowl game against Florida State, second or first, on January 1, 1994. And the scoreboard would tell the tale: Florida State 18, Nebraska 16. The previously…
Hail Varsity Historical: Offense Sputters, Defense Steps Up in Nebraska Football Victory
Nebraska football went into the Oklahoma game at Memorial Stadium on Thanksgiving Day 1993 ranked first nationally in rushing offense and 14h in total offense. So these numbers didn’t add up. The Huskers rushed for 122 yards and finished with 179 total-offense yards….
Connection with Geep Wade Key in Barrett Kitrell’s Commitment to Nebraska Football
Ashland-Greenwood football’s Barrett Kitrell will stay in state in college, and his relationship with Nebraska offensive line coach Geep Wade is a big reason why. Kitrell committed to Nebraska in June. The senior lineman will join the team as part of the 2027 class….
Hail Varsity Historical: Fast Start Sets Tone as Nebraska Football Defeats Iowa State
Two minutes, 54 seconds into the game, Nebraska football led Iowa State 14-0 on the way to a 49-17 victory at Memorial Stadium in mid-November 1993. The AP fourth-ranked Huskers improved to 10-0. It happened this way. Mike Minter forced a fumble on the opening…
Hail Varsity Historical: Kansas Went for the Win Against Nebraska Football — and Lost
Nebraska football’s 21-20 victory at Kansas the first Saturday in November 1993 came down to one play, a Jayhawks 2-point conversion attempt with 52 seconds remaining. “Basically, I think they were lucky,” Kansas guard Hessley Hempstead said of the Huskers. You can be…
Hail Varsity Historical: Defense, and Frazier, Critical to Nebraska Football Victory Over Colorado
Nebraska football scored 21 points, Colorado managed a field goal, in the first quarter of the eighth game of the season, on a cold day at Folsom Field in Boulder, October 30, 1993. Couldn’t ask for a much better start, right? But the Huskers wouldn’t score again,…
Hail Varsity Historical: First half Not Good Enough in Nebraska Football Victory
The Hail Varsity Historical series focusing on Nebraska football during the 1990s, suspended when the baseball season began, resumes today. Nebraska led Missouri 21-7 at halftime of the seventh game of the 1993 season. But Husker defensive coordinator Charlie McBride…
Babcock: May George Darlington, and Others, Rest in Peace
As legendary Nebraska sports information director Don Bryant used to say, you’ve got to be a “tough SOB” to get old … the late Don Bryant. His insight involved not only the aches and pains, and other more significant things, of aging but also the pain of the passing…
Former Husker Tommy Armstrong Jr. Entering Omaha Beef Hall of Fame
Former Nebraska and Omaha Beef quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr. has etched his name into Nebraska sports history forever. The signal caller will be inducted into the Omaha Beef Hall of Fame on Saturday. He said he learned the news from Beef owner Ricky Bertz. “I’m…
Former Husker Emmett Johnson Excited to Join “Legendary Program” in Kansas City Chiefs
Emmett Johnson grew up catching 200 footballs a day from his older brother with dreams of one day playing in the NFL. The Nebraska running back saw that dream come true on Saturday. The Kansas City Chiefs selected Johnson with the 161st overall pick and in the fifth…
Subscribe To Our Newsletter
Get bi-weekly emails from Mike Babcock about Nebraska history and what’s top of mind for him in Husker athletics each week.