Nebraska Huskers Football

Nebraska may be coming off a season-opening loss to Illinois and just 12-21 under head coach Scott Frost, but Saturday's game against Fordham will be a sellout.

Nebraska athletic director Trev Alberts announced Tuesday that "two generous donors" purchased the remainder of the tickets for the game at Memorial Stadium to give underserved children the opportunity to attend:

We had two generous donors come forward and purchase the remaining tickets for the home opener so that we could provide those tickets to young people throughout the state.

These donors have a strong commitment to Nebraska Athletics and understand our history and tradition. They also have a desire for young people, who may not otherwise have the opportunity, to experience a Nebraska Football game day at Memorial Stadium.

That means Saturday's game will be the 376th consecutive sellout at Memorial Stadium, which Nick Bromberg of Yahoo Sports pointed out is the longest active streak in college football.

The streak may be in jeopardy, though, if the Cornhuskers continue to struggle—and that seems likely with games remaining against Oklahoma, Ohio State, Wisconsin and Iowa.

Nebraska and head football coach Scott Frost are reportedly under investigation by the NCAA. 

Per Brett McMurphy of The Action Network, there is “significant video footage” of the Cornhuskers improperly using analysts and consultants during games and practices dating back 12 months. 

McMurphy noted the video footage shows the practice violations occurred in the presence of Frost and other assistants. 

Frost has already been interviewed by the NCAA about the allegations, as well as "multiple current and former staff members, administration and football players."

In addition to the improper use of analysts and consultants during games, Nebraska is also said to have organized workouts at a time when such events were prohibited by the NCAA because of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

According to McMurphy, it's unknown if the program is currently being investigated for organizing unauthorized workouts. 

McMurphy added that Frost could be suspended for "an unknown number of games," among the other potential penalties the program could receive from the NCAA after the investigation gets wrapped up. 

The Cornhuskers have seen significant turnover over the past two years. Twenty-four scholarship players have transferred since the end of the 2019 season. 

Gerrod Lambrecht, who worked with Frost the previous five years dating back to their time at Central Florida, stepped down as Nebraska's chief of staff last week to pursue other opportunities. 

Frost took over as Cornhuskers head coach in December 2017 amid a lot of hype. The Nebraska alum went 19-7 in two seasons at UCF, including a perfect 13-0 record in 2017. 

Things haven't gone as planned since the 46-year-old returned to his alma mater. He has gone 12-20 overall (9-17 in the Big Ten) with no bowl appearances in the past three seasons, including 3-5 last year. 

Nebraska is scheduled to open the 2021 season on Aug. 28 at Illinois.    

Former Nebraska football player Katerian LeGrone was found not guilty of sexual assault in court Thursday.

According to ESPN's Paula Lavigne, a female student said LeGrone and fellow former Nebraska football player Andre Hunt sexually assaulted her at an apartment in the Lincoln, Nebraska, area in August 2019.

LeGrone and Hunt, who were dismissed from the football team in 2019 and the school in 2020, were found responsible for assaulting the woman by the University of Nebraska after it investigated a Title IX complaint made by the woman.

Both LeGrone and Hunt were subsequently charged with first-degree sexual assault.

Per Lavigne, the woman said she accepted Hunt's invitation to join him at his apartment on Aug. 25, 2019. She said Hunt began having sex with her without her consent, but she did not resist because she felt pressured and scared.

The woman added that at one point, LeGrone stepped in and began having sex with her while her head was under some blankets. Again, the woman said she did not consent.

Defense attorney Mallory Hughes asked the woman why she didn't verbally tell LeGrone or Hunt to stop. The woman said LeGrone raped her for 15 minutes, and when asked what she did to get LeGrone to stop, she said she "prayed."

As part of her closing arguments, Hughes said:

"You can't assume he should've known she didn't want to have sex. She saw him. He started having sex with her, and she didn't do anything about it. The law does not require this young man to read her mind.

"Our law says that women have a duty to resist. When they see somebody approaching them they have to say, 'Stop, get out.'"

According to Lavigne, LeGrone initially told police he did not have sex with the woman before admitting he did. He also said the woman gave him consent, but after Hunt testified in exchange for his charges getting changed to two misdemeanors for accessory to attempted false imprisonment and false information, he said he never heard the woman give LeGrone consent.

The 21-year-old LeGrone joined the Nebraska football program in 2018 after playing tight end at The B.E.S.T. Academy in Atlanta.

LeGrone redshirted in 2018 and did not appear in any games during the 2019 season before his dismissal from the team.

Both LeGrone and Hunt are currently listed as active in the transfer portal.

Andy Hoffman, who was the father of Nebraska superfan Jack, died Monday at the age of 42.

Elizabeth Merrill of ESPN reported the news, noting Hoffman was diagnosed with Glioblastoma multiforme—a rare brain cancer—in July 2020. Jack is also a brain cancer patient.

Hoffman raised more than $8 million for Team Jack to help fight pediatric brain cancer after Jack's diagnosis. He also survived two strokes and recovered after he contracted COVID-19. However, an MRI after he recovered from COVID-19 revealed the cancer had spread.

Ndamukong Suh, who won the Defensive Player of the Year and was a consensus All-American during his dominant career at Nebraska, said he was "heartbroken" by the news and highlighted Hoffman's work to help fight cancer:

As Merrill noted, Jack was diagnosed with a cancerous glioma at the age of five in 2011. It was Hoffman's research that helped the family find a doctor in Boston who extracted more than 90 percent of Jack's tumor.

Nebraska put Jack in for a play during its 2013 spring game, and he proceeded to run for a touchdown in front of a packed house. He went on to win an ESPY award and meet President Barack Obama.

Andy Hoffman is survived by Jack, his wife Bri and his daughters Ava and Reese.

Nebraska quarterback Luke McCaffrey entered the NCAA transfer portal Tuesday, a decision he said he had been struggling with "for weeks."

McCaffrey, the brother of Carolina Panthers star Christian McCaffrey, made seven appearances for the Cornhuskers in 2020. He threw for 466 yards and one touchdown with six interceptions while running for 364 yards and three scores.

Last week, Luke's older brother Dylan entered the transfer portal to lay the groundwork for his exit from Michigan.

The Highlands Ranch, Colorado, native isn't the only one potentially saying goodbye to Nebraska. According to the Omaha World-Herald's Sam McKewon, wide receiver Kade Warner and offensive lineman Will Farniok will transfer, too.

Sean Callahan of HuskerOnline explained how losing McCaffrey would be a big blow for head coach Scott Frost: "McCaffrey's departure puts Frost and the Huskers in a major bind going forward. NU currently has two remaining spots left to use for their 2021 recruiting class. It's assumed now that one will be used to find a transfer quarterback from either the FBS or JUCO ranks to provide depth at the position."

McCaffrey made two starts midway through last season, but he was benched ahead of the team's 26-20 loss to Iowa on Nov. 27. In the buildup to the game, Frost said McCaffrey was a long-term piece for the program.

"There's no doubt in my mind Luke McCaffrey's the future around here, but right now to help us win, we've got to play the guy who gives us the best chance," he told reporters.

McCaffrey's transfer will likely lead to more scrutiny toward Frost, who has a 12-20 record in three seasons at the helm.

Coming out of high school, McCaffrey was a 4-star recruit and the No. 13 athlete in the 2019 class, per 247Sports' composite rankings. He had a rocky year as a redshirt freshman, but some FBS programs will likely feel a change of scenery could be beneficial.

The Big Ten reportedly rejected a proposal by Nebraska to replace its previously scheduled game against Wisconsin, which was canceled because of COVID-19 concerns within the Badgers' program, with one against Chattanooga.

ESPN's Chris Low reported Thursday the Cornhuskers had an agreement in place with the Mocs, including payment for all of the FCS school's coronavirus testing before Saturday's contest, but a Big Ten committee turned down the idea.

Chattanooga is part of the Southern Conference, which is expected to play football in the late winter and spring. It suffered a 13-10 loss to Western Kentucky last week, however, and was willing to play Nebraska on short notice before an extended hiatus until its Feb. 20 clash with VMI.

The plan called for both teams to get tested for COVID-19 multiple times before Saturday's game, including a round of tests for the Mocs on game-day morning, per Low.

It's unclear why the Big Ten, which is playing a limited eight-game, conference-only schedule this year because of the pandemic, denied the Cornhuskers' request.

Since teams don't have a bye and the conference wants to play its championship week before the College Football Playoff selection committee makes its choices Dec. 20, the Huskers don't have an alternative beyond taking the week off and playing one fewer game.

Nebraska opened the campaign with a 52-17 loss to fifth-ranked Ohio State last weekend. Head coach Scott Frost told reporters he believed the team's on-field problems were fixable:

"I thought we did some good things. Unfortunately, some of the things that led to the game getting out of hand were self-inflicted things that we can fix. We had too many penalties. They hardly had any. We turned the ball over a couple times with the quarterback running. We got them in a couple second and really longs and gave up first downs on third and 14s. We can fix those as a group. We hung in with them a lot better physically...I was proud of how our kids fought."

The Huskers' next scheduled game is Nov. 7 when they'll visit Ryan Field to face Northwestern.

Adrian Martinez will start at quarterback when Nebraska opens its season against No. 5 Ohio State on Saturday, according to ESPN's Adam Rittenberg.

Martinez beat out redshirt freshman Luke McCaffrey, the brother of Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey, for the starting job.

Nebraska head coach Scott Frost said Monday that Martinez's experience—5,817 yards through 21 games—was the factor that made the ultimate decision, and that he feels as though the team has "two first-string quarterbacks." 

"If Luke had already been playing and we had the same camp, it probably would have been Luke," Frost said, per Rittenberg. "We feel we have the luxury of two starters."

After just two seasons, Martinez holds school records in 11 different statistical categories, including career 400-yard offense games (4), and freshman total offensive yards (3,246), passing yards (2,617), passing touchdowns (17) and total touchdowns (25). He also set records for single-season 300- and 400-yard games, with seven and three as a freshman in 2018. The California native was named a team captain for the second consecutive season on Monday.

After a standout freshman year, Martinez's production dipped ever so slightly in his sophomore campaign, with 149-of-251 passing, 10 touchdowns and nine interceptions for 1,956 yards compared to 224-of-347 passing with 17 scores, eight picks and 2,617 yards in his debut season.

Nebraska and the rest of the Big Ten open their season this weekend, months after voting to postpone fall seasons as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic back in August. Ohio State and Nebraska joined Iowa in initially voting to play, and Ohio State's team doctor, Dr. Jim Borchers, was a co-chair on the medical subcommittee of the league's return task force, per ESPN. 

Nebraska's simmering feud with the Big Ten over the conference's decision to postpone fall sports has reached the state's attorney general.

According to ESPN's Heather Dinich and Paula Lavigne, AG Doug Peterson, a 1981 Nebraska graduate, has sent a letter to Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren, questioning the conference's compliance with state law and "requesting all documents and information pertaining to its decision to postpone the 2020 fall sports season."

The move follows news of eight Nebraska football players filing a lawsuit against the Big Ten to invalidate the league's postponement and award damages to the plaintiffs. 

Peterson is now challenging the Big Ten's cooperation with Nebraska's Nonprofit Corporation Act, accusing the conference of operating within the state while failing to maintain registration. 

The AG has also requested access to all meeting minutes of deliberation among the university presidents and chancellors, all documents that show their decisions about the 2020 season were properly approved, all documents that relate to the financial impact of the league's decision and all "information, opinions, reports and statements" that the presidents and chancellors used to reach their decisions, per ESPN. 

"In order to receive the advantages to operate as a nonprofit organization in Nebraska, it is imperative that the organization operate with complete transparency regarding its decision-making process," Peterson said. "Nebraskans expect transparency from nonprofits operating in this state, and the Big Ten Conference is no exception."

Big Ten chancellors and presidents voted 11-3 to postpone the season on August 11 with only Nebraska, Ohio State and Iowa objecting. 

Warren has stood by the decision since and announced there would be no reversal until the conference's return-to-play committee discovered a safe route forward as they look to resume college sports amid the coronavirus pandemic. 

"The decision was thorough and deliberative, and based on sound feedback, guidance and advice from medical experts," Warren wrote on August 19. "Despite the decision to postpone fall sports, we continue our work to find a path forward that creates a healthy and safe environment for all Big Ten student-athletes to compete in the sports they love in a manner that helps to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and protects both student-athletes and the surrounding communities."

Eight University of Nebraska football players have filed a lawsuit against the Big Ten over the conference's decision to postpone the 2020 season. 

According to the Omaha World-Herald's Evan Bland, the suit filed in the District Court of Lancaster County, Nebraska, is seeking the reversal of the Big Ten's decision and "greater clarity" regarding why the decision was made.

It is alleged in the lawsuit that the postponement of the Big Ten's 2020 football season "didn't follow established procedures in the decision-making process and was unjustified based on flawed and misapplied medical information."

The Big Ten and Pac-12 have announced that they will not play college football during the fall amid the COVID-19 pandemic, while the SEC, ACC and Big 12 all plan to play in the fall.

Garrett Snodgrass, Garrett Nelson, Ethan Piper, Noa Pola-Gates, Alante Brown, Brant Banks, Brig Banks and Jackson Hannah are the eight Nebraska players who combined to file the lawsuit.

The Big Ten released the following statement in response to the lawsuit:

The players' attorney, Mike Flood, said they are not seeking any more than $75,000 in damages per player. Flood added that the lawsuit "isn't about money or damages, it's about real-life relief."

Flood called the Big Ten's decision to postpone the 2020 fall season "arbitrary and capricious," and noted that the players want to know if a vote was held, as well as what the results of the vote were.

With fall football out of the equation for the Big Ten and Pac-12, the conferences are considering the possibility of a winter or spring season depending on the environment with regard to COVID-19.

Other FBS conferences that could potentially take part in a winter or spring season include the Mid-American Conference and Mountain West Conference, which both postponed their seasons as well.

Nebraska went a disappointing 5-7 last season and has finished with a losing record in three consecutive seasons after previously making nine straight trips to a bowl game.

The Cornhuskers weren't expected to be major players in the Big Ten this season against the likes of Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan and Wisconsin, but there was excitement surrounding the season regardless due to the popularity of college football in Nebraska.

The uncertainty regarding COVID-19 and the decision by the Big Ten and Pac-12 to postpone their seasons has led to several high-profile players opting out of the 2020 season.

Among the most notable Big Ten players to opt out are Michigan offensive lineman Jalen Mayfield, Purdue wide receiver Rondale Moore, Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons and Minnesota wide receiver Rashod Bateman.

Should the Big Ten play in the winter or spring, there could be even more opt outs due to concerns over how playing could potentially impact players' stock in the 2021 NFL draft.

The family members of Nebraska football players issued an open letter to Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren after the conference postponed all fall sports for the 2020-21 school year.

The parents wrote they wanted to "express our displeasure" about the decision. They're also requesting more transparency regarding why the Big Ten went ahead with the cancellation.

"We do not want to make light of the seriousness of this terrible disease, but it is not going away," the letter read. "Our sons are willing to assume this risk and commit to mitigating risks this fall."

Before the Big Ten even announced its final ruling, Cornhuskers head coach Scott Frost raised the idea of the team's leaving the conference temporarily to play football.

Frost also joined Nebraska chancellor Ronnie Green, president Ted Carter and athletic director Bill Moos in releasing a statement Tuesday to say they "continue to strongly believe the absolute safest place for our student athletes is within the rigorous safety protocols, testing procedures, and the structure and support provided by Husker Athletics."

Two days later, Carter and Green issued a new statement to say Nebraska "is a fully committed member of the Big Ten Conference."

While the Pac-12 joined the Big Ten in postponing fall sports in 2020, the ACC, SEC and Big 12 are all still operating with the purpose of staging football games. That almost certainly emboldens those in favor of seeing the Big Ten reverse course.

Ohio State star Justin Fields launched a petition through MoveOn that had garnered more than 140,000 signatures in almost six hours.

Frost was among the coaches who argued players are safer staying with their teams and playing games than they would be otherwise.

A number of United States-based sports leagues have successfully returned to play while moving all necessary personnel into central locations that are closely monitored and closed off to the wider public.

College football could plausibly do the same thing, with NCAA president Mark Emmert advocating for the idea to stage NCAA championships. The obvious question is how schools could embrace the concept without jeopardizing the long-term status of amateurism.

Fans want to see football, and the players want to play. But that outside pressure might not be enough to overcome the health concerns and potential ramifications of having schools such as Nebraska defy their conference's wishes.