1987 Nebraska Cornhuskers football
Fiesta Bowl, L 28–31 vs. Florida State
Conference	Big Eight Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 6
AP	No. 6
Record	10–2 (6–1 Big 8)
Head coach	Tom Osborne (15th season)
Offensive coordinator	Tom Osborne (18th season)
Offensive scheme	I formation
Defensive coordinator	Charlie McBride (7th season)
Home stadium	Memorial Stadium
Seasons ←  1986 1988 →

1987 Big Eight Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 3 Oklahoma $	7	–	0	–	0			11	–	1	–	0
No. 6 Nebraska	6	–	1	–	0			10	–	2	–	0
No. 11 Oklahoma State	5	–	2	–	0			10	–	2	–	0
Colorado	4	–	3	–	0			7	–	4	–	0
Missouri	3	–	4	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Iowa State	2	–	5	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
Kansas	0	–	6	–	1			1	–	9	–	1
Kansas State	0	–	6	–	1			0	–	10	–	1
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

The 1987 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team represented the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in the 1987 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was coached by Tom Osborne and played their home games in Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 5	1:30 pm	Utah State*	No. 2	Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE		W 56–12	75,910
September 12	4:00 pm	No. 3 UCLA*	No. 2	Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE	ESPN	W 42–33	76,313
September 26	2:30 pm	at No. 12 Arizona State*	No. 2	Sun Devil Stadium Tempe, AZ	ABC	W 35–28	71,264
October 3	3:00 pm	South Carolina*	No. 2	Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE	ESPN	W 30–21	76,061	[1]
October 10	1:30 pm	Kansas	No. 2	Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE ( rivalry)		W 54–2	76,053
October 17	1:30 pm	at No. 12 Oklahoma State	No. 2	Lewis Field Stillwater, OK	CBS	W 35–0	50,440
October 24	1:30 pm	Kansas State	No. 2	Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE ( rivalry)		W 56–3	76,106
October 31	1:30 pm	at Missouri	No. 2	Faurot Field Columbia, Missouri ( rivalry)		W 42–7	55,594
November 7	1:30 pm	Iowa State	No. 2	Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE		W 42–3	76,001
November 21	2:30 pm	No. 2 Oklahoma	No. 1	Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE ( rivalry)	CBS	L 7–17	76,663
November 28	3:00 pm	at Colorado	No. 5	Folsom Field Boulder, CO ( rivalry)	ESPN	W 24–7	52,026
January 1	12:30 pm	vs. No. 3 Florida State*	No. 5	Sun Devil Stadium Tempe, AZ ( Fiesta Bowl)	NBC	L 28–31	72,112
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

Rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Final
AP	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	1	5	5	5	6
Coaches																6

Game summaries

Utah State

Utah State at Nebraska [box score]

1 2 3 4 Total Utah State 0 3 3 6 12 • Nebraska 7 21 21 7 56 Date: 1987-09-05 Location: Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska Game attendance: 75,910

Nebraska QB Steve Taylor rushed for 157 yards, breaking a 35-year-old Cornhusker quarterback record, and Nebraska returned two punts for touchdowns, tying its own Big 8 record. Nebraska rolled over Utah State with 515 rushing yards while holding the Aggies to -1 yard.

UCLA

UCLA at Nebraska [box score]

1 2 3 4 Total UCLA 7 3 7 16 33 • Nebraska 0 14 14 14 42 Date: 1987-09-12 Location: Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska Game attendance: 76,313

Memorial Stadium recorded its 150th consecutive sellout as #2 Nebraska defeated #3 UCLA. This was the first time two teams from the Top 3 had played in Lincoln. Nebraska QB Steve Taylor's five TD passes tied a Big 8 record set in 1938.

Arizona State

Nebraska at Arizona State [box score]

1 2 3 4 Total • Nebraska 0 14 7 14 35 Arizona State 0 6 15 7 28 Date: 1987-09-26 Location: Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona Game attendance: 71,264

Following a late ASU game-tying score resulting from a fumble by Nebraska QB Steve Taylor, Nebraska IB Keith Jones tore off a 62-yard run with 3:37 remaining to set up the winning series as Nebraska triumphed over the #12 Sun Devils.

South Carolina

South Carolina at Nebraska [box score]

1 2 3 4 Total South Carolina 0 7 14 0 21 • Nebraska 3 10 0 17 30 Date: 1987-10-03 Location: Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska Game attendance: 76,061

South Carolina was leading 21–13 in the 3rd as Nebraska QB Steve Taylor left the game with a shoulder injury. After that, Nebraska regained the momentum, holding the Gamecocks to just 9 yards total, recovering a fumble to set up a score, and adding a late interception and field goal to put up the win.

Kansas

Kansas at Nebraska [box score]

1 2 3 4 Total Kansas 0 0 0 2 2 • Nebraska 17 10 14 13 54 Date: 1987-10-10 Location: Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska Game attendance: 76,053

Nebraska cruised against a weak Kansas team, as Nebraska QB Clete Blakeman filled in for injured starting QB Steve Taylor.

Oklahoma State

Nebraska at Oklahoma State [box score]

1 2 3 4 Total • Nebraska 7 14 7 7 35 Oklahoma State 0 0 0 0 0 Date: 1987-10-17 Location: Lewis Field, Stillwater, Oklahoma Game attendance: 54,440

Nebraska continued their 26-year winning streak against the Cowboys, putting a stop to #12 Oklahoma State's best start and best winning streak since 1945. Cowboys RB Thurman Thomas, at that time the NCAA rushing leader, was held to just 7 yards in 9 carries.

Kansas State

Nebraska secured their 26th consecutive winning season, tying the NCAA record, and rolled up 459 rushing yards using 17 rushing players, while the Cornhusker defense prevented a touchdown for the third game in a row.

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Kansas St	Passing	Gary Swim	12/29, 118 Yds, INT
	Rushing	Lee Pickett	9 Rush, 44 Yds
	Receiving	Kent Dean	5 Rec, 59 Yds
Nebraska	Passing	Clete Blakeman	9/10, 165 Yds, TD
	Rushing	Tyreese Knox	8 Rush, 100 Yds, TD
	Receiving	Todd Millikan	3 Rec, 46 Yds

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP KSU NU 1 13:18 3 66 Nebraska Steve Taylor 49-yard touchdown run, Chris Drennan kick good 0 7 1 8:23 10 39 Nebraska Tom Banderas 15-yard touchdown reception from Steve Taylor, Chris Drennan kick good 0 14 1 0:25 10 80 Nebraska Richard Bell 46-yard touchdown run, Chris Drennan kick good 0 21 2 7:07 10 56 Nebraska Clete Blakeman 1-yard touchdown run, Chris Drennan kick good 0 28 2 2:24 3 1 Kansas St 29-yard field goal by Mark Porter 3 28 2 0:00 7 88 Nebraska Hendley Hawkins 40-yard touchdown reception from Clete Blakeman, Chris Drennan kick good 3 35 3 8:17 7 47 Nebraska Micah Heibel 3-yard touchdown run, Chris Drennan kick good 3 42 3 0:41 10 83 Nebraska Gerry Gdowski 10-yard touchdown run, Chris Drennan kick good 3 49 4 10:53 3 63 Nebraska Tyreese Knox 50-yard touchdown run, Chris Drennan kick good 3 56 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 3 56

Missouri

Nebraska at Missouri [box score]

1 2 3 4 Total • Nebraska 7 21 7 7 42 Missouri 0 7 0 0 7 Date: 1987-10-31 Location: Faurot Field, Columbia, Missouri Game attendance: 55,594

The NCAA touchdown pass record from 1938 was tied by Nebraska for the second time in this season as the Cornhusker offense scored in all four quarters for the 4th game in a row, though the defense finally allowed their first touchdown in 15 quarters.

Iowa State

Iowa State at Nebraska [box score]

1 2 3 4 Total Iowa State 0 0 3 0 3 • Nebraska 14 14 7 7 42 Date: 1987-11-07 Location: Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska Game attendance: 76,001

The Cornhuskers locked up their 19th consecutive 9-win season while piling up 666 total yards of offense as they rocketed to a 28–0 halftime lead before coasting to another win.

Oklahoma

Billed as "Game of the Century II", this first-ever #1 vs. #2 matchup in Memorial Stadium brought a halt to the Cornhuskers' title hopes. Nebraska had taken away Oklahoma's #1 ranking before this game, and gave it back as the Cornhuskers struggled to move the ball after their first and only score. The Sooners went on to win their 4th straight Big 8 Championship.

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP OU NEB 1 1:28 84 Nebraska Jones 25-yard touchdown run, Drennan kick good 7 0 3 12:48 2 13 Oklahoma Stafford 11-yard touchdown run, Lashar kick good 7 7 3 1:39 Oklahoma Collins 65-yard touchdown run, Lashar kick good 14 7 4 7:40 Oklahoma 27-yard field goal by Lashar 17 7 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 17 7

Colorado

Nebraska at Colorado [box score]

1 2 3 4 Total • Nebraska 0 10 7 7 24 Colorado 0 0 7 0 7 Date: 1987-11-28 Location: Folsom Field, Boulder, Colorado Game attendance: 52,026

Scoring summary 2 13:54 NEB Steve Taylor 5-yard run (Chris Drennan kick) NEB 7-0 2 3:41 NEB Chris Drennan 50-yard field goal NEB 10-0 3 11:54 NEB Keith Jones 50-yard run (Chris Drennan kick) NEB 17-0 3 4:57 COL George Hemingway 4-yard pass from Mark Hatcher (David DeLine kick) NEB 17-7 4 9:34 NEB Keith Jones 44-yard run (Chris Drennan kick) NEB 24-7

Nebraska recovered from the Oklahoma loss and obtained their revenge for last year's loss to Colorado by taking out their frustrations on the Buffaloes in Boulder. Nebraska IB Keith Jones' 248 yards lifted him into a career 3rd-place ranking among Cornhusker runners.

Florida State

Florida State vs Nebraska [box score]

1 2 3 4 Total • Florida State 0 21 3 7 31 Nebraska 14 0 14 0 28 Date: 1988-01-01 Location: Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona Game attendance: 72,112

Nebraska lost after leading by 4 midway through the 4th. A Seminole defender stripped the ball from Nebraska IB Tyreese Knox as he ran in from the FSU 2, which set up a 97-yard FSU march for the winning touchdown with 3:07 left to play.

Personnel

Roster

1987 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class C 59 Jeff Anderson So C 53 Mark Antonietti Jr G 58 R.G. Arneson So SE 81 Chip Bahe So TE 87 Tom Banderas Sr WB 18 Vance Behrens Sr WB 21 Richard Bell So QB 12 Clete Blakeman Sr OT 69 Bill Bobbora So WB 33 Dana Brinson Jr FB 29 Bryan Carpenter Jr IB 32 Ken Clark So IB 1 Ray Coleman Jr FB 45 Doug Dalton Sr QB 14 Jerry Dunlap So OT 77 Jim Ernest Jr QB 4 Gerry Gdowski So OT 67 Doug Glaser So OT 73 Derrick Green Sr SE 19 Morgan Gregory So G 74 Mike Griffin So WB 82 Hendley Hawkins Sr FB 48 Micah Heibel Sr WB 27 Jim Holscher Sr OT 70 Corey Bill Hudson Sr IB 6 Keith Jones Sr G 65 Andy Keeler Jr IB 40 Jon Kelley Sr IB 34 Tyreese Knox Jr TE 85 Monte Kratzenstein So FB 41 Tom Lenneman Sr OT 57 Keven Lightner Sr G 61 John McCormick Sr SE 83 Tim McCoy So TE 43 Todd Millikan Jr G 76 John Nelson Jr TE 86 Keith Neubert Sr C 63 John Nichols Sr C 54 Chris O'Gara So IB 20 Terry Rodgers So G 64 John Roschal So OT 72 Brad Rother So FB 25 Sam Schmidt So WB 2 Von Sheppard Sr OT 62 Bob Sledge Jr SE 88 Rod Smith Sr G John Strasheim QB 9 Steve Taylor Jr WB 31 Jamie Worden Jr C 68 Jake Young So	Defense Pos. # Name Class S 23 Mark Blazek Jr OLB 81 Kurt Broer Jr DT 95 Paul Brungardt Fr LB 49 Chris Caliendo So CB 7 McCathorn Clayton Sr SS 17 Reggie Cooper Fr CB 17 Jon Crippen Fr OLB 88 Mike Croel Fr CB 28 John Custard Jr LB 47 LeRoy Etienne Jr LB 51 Brad Ferguson So LB 38 Steve Forch Sr CB 10 Charles Fryar Jr DT 84 Willie Griffin Jr LB 36 Bob Hansen So CB 8 Lorenzo Hicks Jr S 4 Tim Jackson Jr DE 80 Jeff Jamrog Sr LB 55 Randall Jobman So DT 98 Lee Jones Sr CB 5 Tahaun Lewis Fr DT 94 Jeff Long So DE 93 Jon Marco Jr S 2 Dan McArdle So CB 3 Kurt McCallum So DE 42 Jeff Mills So MG 74 Mike Murray So DE 90 Harlan Opie Sr DT 97 Tony Palmer Sr MG 96 Lawrence Pete Jr MG 92 Sean Putnam Jr S 18 John Richman So DT 78 Tim Rother Sr S 26 Marvin Sanders So DT 66 Kurt Skradis Jr DT 99 Neil Smith Sr DE 56 Steve Stanard Jr DE 89 Broderick Thomas Jr S 11 Jeff Tomjack Sr DT 75 Ray Valladao So S 41 Scott Vampola So CB 27 Cartier Walker Jr DE 83 Kenny Walker So S 5 Brian Washington Sr MG 91 Kent Wells So LB 37 Doug Welniak Sr S 1 Rick Wendland So LB 24 Dante Wiley Jr S 15 Wendell Wooten Jr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class PK 44 Gregg Barrios So PK 39 Dave Cheloha Jr PK 16 Chris Drennan So P 46 John Kroeker Jr P/PK 13 Craig Schnitzler Sr	Head coach Tom Osborne    15th season    24th year at Nebraska    Alma mater: Nebraska Coordinators/assistant coaches Charlie McBride    7th season as DC/DL coach    11th year at Nebraska    Alma mater: Colorado Ron Brown    1st season as WR/TE coach    1st year at Nebraska    Alma mater: Brown Dan Young    5th season as OL/K coach    5th year at Nebraska    Alma mater: Reed Milt Tenopir    14th season as OL coach    14th year at Nebraska    Alma mater: Sterling Tony Samuel    2nd season as OLB coach    2nd year at Nebraska    Alma mater: Nebraska George Darlington    DB coach    15th year at Nebraska    Alma mater: Rutgers Frank Solich    5th season as RB coach    9th year at Nebraska    Alma mater: Nebraska Boyd Epley    19th season as S&C coach    19th year at Nebraska    Alma mater: Nebraska Jack Pierce    9th year at Nebraska John Melton    15th season as LB coach    26th year at Nebraska    Alma mater: Wyoming Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster Last update: 2011-01-17

Depth chart

Awards

^[2]

Award	Name(s)
All-America 1st team	John McCormick, Neil Smith, Steve Taylor, Broderick Thomas
All-Big 8 1st team	LeRoy Etienne, Steve Forch, Keith Jones, Kevin Lightner, John McCormick, Tim Rother, Neil Smith, Steve Taylor, Broderick Thomas
All-Big 8 2nd team	Tom Banderas, Charles Fryar, Bob Sledge, Rod Smith, Jake Young
All-Big 8 honorable mention	Mark Blazek, Lee Jones

NFL and pro players

The following Nebraska players who participated in the 1987 season later moved on to the next level and joined a professional or semi-pro team as draftees or free agents. ^[3]

Name	Team
Richard Bell	Pittsburgh Steelers
Dana Brinson	San Diego Chargers
Ken Clark	Indianapolis Colts
Reggie Cooper	Dallas Cowboys
Mike Croel	Denver Broncos
LeRoy Etienne	San Francisco 49ers
Tim Jackson	Dallas Cowboys
Keith Jones	Cleveland Browns
Jeff Mills	San Diego Chargers
Keith Neubert	New York Jets
Lawrence Pete	Detroit Lions
Tim Rother	Los Angeles Raiders
Von Sheppard	Coventry Jets
Neil Smith	Kansas City Chiefs
Steve Taylor	Edmonton Eskimos
Broderick Thomas	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Kenny Walker	Denver Broncos
Brian Washington	Cleveland Browns
Kent Wells	New York Giants

References