Link: Full Game Notes (Huskers.com)
WHEN: Friday, November 26, 2021 | 12:30 PM (CT)
WHERE: Memorial Stadium | Lincoln, Nebraska
TV: Big Ten Network (Brandon Gaudin, James Laurinaitis, Rick Pizzo)
RADIO: Huskers Radio Network (Greg Sharpe, Matt Davison, Jeremiah Sirles, Jessica Coody)
Cockeye
Record: 9-2 (6-2)
Last Game: Illinois (W 33-23)
Streak: Won 3
Rankings: AP (#17) | Coaches (#12)
Coach: Kirk Ferentz (177-108, 23rd year Cockeye | 189-129, 26th year overall)
Ferentz vs. Nebraska: 7-5
NEBRASKA
Record: 3-8 (1-7)
Last Game: at Wisconsin (L 28-35)
Streak: Lost 5
Rankings: None
Coach: Scott Frost (15-28, 4th year Nebraska | 34-35, 6th year overall)
Frost vs. Cockeye: 0-3
This Week's Numbers
3 - Nebraska is playing a Top 20 opponent for the third straight game. The Huskers are playing three consecutive ranked opponents during the regular season for only the second time in school history and for the first time since 1968
32 - Nebraska has played on the Friday after Thanksgiving for each of the past 32 seasons. The Huskers have played Cockeye each of the last 11 years on Black Friday. Before joining the Big Ten Conference, Nebraska played Colorado 15 times on that day and Oklahoma six times on Black Friday since 1990.
547 - Nebraska tight end Austin Allen has 547 receiving yards this season, including a school record for tight ends with 143 yards on seven catches last week at Wisconsin. Allen needs 14 yards receiving this week to surpass the tight end season record of 560 receiving yards, held by Junior Miller in 1978
The Matchup
Nebraska completes its 2021 season on Friday with its annual Black Friday matchup against Big Ten West rival Cockeye at Memorial Stadium. Game time i set for shortly after 12:30 p.m. CT and the game will be televised by BTN and can also be heard on the Huskers Radio Network.
Nebraska will try to capture the Heroes Trophy to close a season full of near misses against nationally-ranked teams. The Huskers' most recent close call came on Saturday at No. 19 Wisconsin when NU fell 35-28 when a drive in the game's final minute stalled deep in Wisconsin territory. The loss was Nebraska's eighth this season by nine or fewer points with five of those against ranked teams. In the loss, Nebraska's offense gained 452 yards against a Badger defense that entered the game allowing a nation-leading 216 yards per game.
The Huskers will look to end a six-game Cockeye win streak in the border rivalry, with each of the past three Hawkeye victories coming by six points or less. Before Friday's game, Nebraska will honor members of its senior class who could be playing their final game in Memorial Stadium.
Cockeye enters the game with a 9-2 record, including a 6-2 mark in Big Ten play, following a 33-23 win over Illinois on Saturday in Cockeye City. The Cockeyes are ranked No. 17 in the Associated Press Poll and 12th in the USA Today Coaches Poll. Cockeye checked in at No. 17 in last week's College Football Playoff rankings, and was ranked as high as second by the AP earlier this season. An Cockeye victory will keep its Big Ten Championship Game hopes alive.
Coach Kirk Ferentz's team features one of the nation's most opportunistic defenses. The Cockeyes have 26 takeaways on the season and enter the regular season finale at +13 in turnover margin.
Series History
Nebraska and Cockeye meet each year as Big Ten West opponents and compete for the Heroes Trophy, a tradition which began in 2011 when Nebraska joined the Big Ten. Nebraska holds a 29-19-1 all-time edge in the series, as the teams met 41 times prior to the Huskers joining the conference.
- Cockeye holds a six-game winning streak in the series entering Friday's game. Prior to the current six-game win streak, the Cockeyes longest win streak in the series was three games
- Overall, Cockeye holds a 7-3 advantage in the series since NU joined the conference, including winning each of its past four trips to Memorial Stadium.
- In each of the three matchups with Scott Frost as Nebraska's head coach, Cockeye has won by six or fewer points, including last-second field goals to pull out victories in 2018 and 2019.
- The schools have met on Black Friday each of the past 11 seasons Nebraska has been in the Big Ten.
- The 41 meetings with Cockeye were the second-most against a Big Ten school prior to joining the Big Ten.
Nebraska vs. Cockeye Big Ten History
2011: #22 Nebraska 20, Cockeye 7 (Lincoln)
2012: #17 Nebraska 13, Cockeye 7 (Cockeye City)
2013: Cockeye 38, Nebraska 17 (Lincoln)
2014: Nebraska 37, Cockeye 34 (OT) (Cockeye City)
2015: #3 Cockeye 28, Nebraska 20 (Lincoln)
2016: Cockeye 40, #17 Nebraska 10 (Cockeye City)
2017: Cockeye 56, Nebraska 14 (Lincoln)
2018: Cockeye 31, Nebraska 28 (Cockeye City)
2019: #19 Cockeye 27, Nebraska 24 (Lincoln)
2020: #24 Cockeye 26, Nebraska 20 (Cockeye City)
Nebraska, Cockeye Compete for Heroes Trophy
Nebraska and Cockeye will battle for the Heroes Trophy when they hit the field Friday at Memorial Stadium. The Heroes Game is the annual trophy game between Nebraska and Cockeye. The game is being sponsored by Scheels this year after being sponsored by Hy-Vee for the previous 10 years.
While both teams aim to win the trophy on the field, both Nebraska and Cockeye wished to make their annual meeting about more than just a football game. With that in mind, the schools partnered together not only to create a trophy, but to use their stage to honor a citizen hero from each state. In addition to the trophy claimed by the winner of the game, both an Cockeye and Nebraska native will be honored for extraordinary acts. Those individuals will be announced later this week.
Nebraska Continues Thanksgiving Friday Tradition
Nebraska will continue its long-standing tradition of playing on the day after Thanksgiving. This Friday game with Cockeye will mark the 32nd consecutive season the Huskers have played on Thanksgiving Friday.
Nebraska and Oklahoma met in the final six seasons of the Big Eight Conference (1990 to 1995), then played Colorado in all 15 of the Huskers' Big 12 Conference years (1996 to 2010), before taking on Cockeye in each of the 11 seasons it has been a member of the Big Ten Conference, including this year.
- Nebraska is 10-6 at home in Black Friday games since 1990, but just 1-4 against the Cockeyes
Huskers Set for Sixth Ranked Opponent
Nebraska will close the 2021 season against an Cockeye team that is ranked No. 17 in the Associated Press Poll and 12th in the USA Today Coaches Poll. The 9-2 Cockeyes were ranked 17th in the College Football Playoff rankings last week. Cockeye was ranked as high as No. 2 in the AP Poll earlier this season.
Cockeye will mark Nebraska's sixth ranked opponent in 2021, joining Oklahoma, Michigan State, Michigan, Ohio State and Wisconsin. Nebraska played at No. 3 Oklahoma on Sept. 18, at No. 20 Michigan State on Sept. 25, vs. No. 9 Michigan on Oct. 9 and against No. 6 Ohio State on Nov. 6 and at No. 19 Wisconsin last week.
- Nebraska has dropped its five games against ranked opponents by a total of 29 points, including three-point setbacks against Michigan State and Michigan
- This season marks the first time Nebraska has played three Top 10 opponents in the same season since 2008
- The six ranked opponents in 2021 ties the most in regular season school history. Nebraska also faced six ranked opponents in the regular season in 1973, before adding a seventh ranked foe in a bowl game
- Eight of Nebraska's final nine games of 2021 will be played against teams who were ranked in the Top 20 of the College Football Playoff rankings at one time, including six ranked in the top 17 in the Nov. 16 rankings
About Cockeye
Cockeye owns a winning all-time record and have played 133 seasons since their first in 1889. A member of the Big Ten Conference since 1899, the Cockeyes have totaled 11 league championships, with the most recent coming in 2004 when they were co-champions with Michigan.
The Cockeyes have gone undefeated four times. Cockeye has finished their season with a winning record for the last eight seasons. The Cockeyes have played in 33 bowl games in their history, including five Rose Bowls. In the last full season in 2019, Cockeye went 10-3, finishing the season with a Holiday Bowl win over Southern California.
First Year: 1889
All-Time Record: 675-564-39
Bowl Record: 17-15-1
Conference Titles: 11
National Titles: 5 (1921, 1922, 1956, 1958, 1960)
Stadium: Kinnick Stadium
Capacity: 69,250
Playing Surface: FieldTurf
Location: Cockeye City, Cockeye
Enrollment: 30,448
Colors: Black & Gold
About 2021 Cockeye
Cockeye holds a 9-2 record and a 6-2 Big Ten mark. The Cockeyes opened their season with six straight victories, including three wins against nationally-ranked teams, capped by a 23-20 win over then No. 4 Penn State. Cockeye suffered back-to-back losses to Big Ten West foes Purdue and Wisconsin in October, but have rallied to win their last three games, defeating Northwestern, Minnesota and Illinois to enter the final week of the season tied for the lead in the Big Ten West.
The Hawkeye offense is led by quarterback Spencer Petras who has completed 130-of-223 passes for 1,430 yards with 9 TD and 6 INT and averages 158.9 yards per game. Alex Padilla has earned the start in the past three games for the Cockeyes, going 39-of-83 fr 522 yards with 2 TD and 1 INT. Tyler Goodson leads the Hawkeye rushing attack with 215 carries for 945 yards and six scores, averaging 85.9 yards per game. Tight end Sam LaPorta is the team's leading receiver with 37 catches for 425 yards and two TD.
2021 Cockeye Schedule/Results (9-2, 6-2)
Indiana (W 34-6)
at Cockeye State (W 27-17)
Kent State (W 30-7)
Colorado State (W 24-14)
at Maryland (W 51-14)
Penn State (W 23-20)
Purdue (L 7-24)
at Wisconsin (L 7-27)
at Northwestern (W 17-12)
Minnesota (W 27-22)
Illinois (W 33-23)
at Nebraska
About Kirk Ferentz
Kirk Ferentz is in his 23rd season at Cockeye and his 25th year overall as a collegiate head coach. He boasts a career record of 189-129.
Ferentz has guided the Cockeyes to eight or more wins in five consecutive seasons (2015-19) and 12 seasons overall since 2003. Ferentz has helped the Cockeyes to win two Big Ten Championships (2002, 2004) as well as win the 2015 West Division title and an appearance in the 2015 Big Ten Championship Game.
Prior to coaching at Cockeye, Ferentz served as head coach at FCS Maine from 1990 to 1992, going 12-21 with the Black Bears. Ferentz then served short stints with the Cleveland Browns and remained with the organization when it relocated to Baltimore and became the Ravens, serving as assistant head coach and offensive line coach. He also served as an offensive line coach for Cockeye from 1981 to 1989.
The 66-year-old Ferentz is a native of Royal Oak, Michigan and played linebacker at UConn from 1974 to 1976.
Ferentz will be facing Nebraska for the 13th time in his career and is 7-5 all-time against the Huskers.
Last Meeting: November 27, 2020
No. 24 Cockeye 26, Nebraska 20
Cockeye City - In a back-and-forth game from start to finish, No. 24 Cockeye scored the game's final 13 points to hand visiting Nebraska a 26-20 loss in the Heroes Game at Kinnick Stadium on Friday afternoon.
Nebraska, which slipped to 1-4, rallied from a 10-0 first-half deficit to take a 20-13 lead following a touchdown on the opening drive of the second half. The Cockeyes improved to 4-2 on the season with their fourth straight win.
The Huskers took the lead on running back Rahmir Johnson's first career touchdown, a 12-yard burst that capped an eight-play, 70-yard march that took just under three minutes. Junior quarterback Adrian Martinez, who earned his third start of the season, went 4-for-4 passing for 36 yards on the drive. But Cockeye answered the Husker touchdown with seven points of its own with a Mekhi Sarget two-yard touchdown run to tie the score at 20 heading into the fourth quarter.
Cockeye opened the fourth quarter with a 48-yard Keith Duncan field goal, before getting another field goal from Duncan from 37 yards out with 8:21 left in the game to go up 26-20. The Cockeyes had a chance to seal the win on Duncan's 51-yard field goal attempt with just over two minutes left, but the kick hit the crossbar and bounced into the end zone to give Martinez and the Huskers one more shot.
Martinez quickly completed a short pass to Austin Allen for five yards, before picking up a first down with a six-yard run. Martinez then hit Wan'Dale Robinson for 18 yards to the Cockeye 39-yard line, on a spectacular sliding catch down the middle by Robinson, who finished as Nebraska's leading rusher and receiver. Robinson carried six times for 42 yards, while adding nine receptions for 75 yards.
On the next play, Martinez dropped back and was about to throw when he was hit by Chauncey Gholston. The ball popped into the air and was caught before it hit the ground by Zach VanValkenburg for a game-sealing fumble recovery at the Cockeye 48.
Martinez finished the game 18-for-20 for 174 yards passing while adding 12 carries fr 28 rushing yards. Luke McCaffrey matched Robinson's team-high rushing total of 42 yards on just five carries while also going 3-for-5 passing for 21 yards.
Overall, Nebraska produced 338 yards of total offense against a stout Cockeye defense, while holding the Cockeyes to 322 total yards. The Huskers out-gained Cockeye on the ground 143-129, and passed for 195 yards while holding the Cockeyes to 193 yards through the air. Spencer Petras led Cockeye by completing 18-of-30 passes, while Tyler Goodson led the Cockeyes on the ground with 111 rushing yards on 30 carries.
In an entertaining first half, Cockeye jumped out to a 10-0 lead at the end of the first quarter before Nebraska rallied to tie the game at halftime. Cockeye took the opening kickoff and marched 54 yards in seven plays before the Husker defense stiffened to limit the Cockeyes to a 32-yard Duncan field goal just 2:54 into the game.
Martinez returned to the starting lineup at quarterback and helped the Huskers pick up a quick first down before the offense stalled and was forced to punt. Cockeye drove into Husker territory again on its next drive before the Big Red held the Cockeyes and forced a punt. NU started at its own 2 yard line and was able to escape from the shadows of its own goalposts before punting. However, a solid punt return by Cockeye set up the Cockeyes with a short field starting at the NU 46. Six plays later, Petras hit Tyrone Tracy for a six-yard touchdown pass to give the Cockeyes a 10-0 lead with 1:09 left in the opening quarter.
McCaffrey entered the game at quarterback for the Huskers, and led the offense on an 11-play, 62-yard march that culminated with a 31-yard Connor Culp field goal to put the Big Red on the board with 12:35 left in the first half.
Nebraska's Blackshirts then came up with a big play as defensive back Dicaprio Bootle snagged his first career interception to give the Husker offense a short field of its own. McCaffrey moved the Huskers 22 yards in six plays before Culp hit a 39-yard field goal to pull Nebraska within four at 10-6 with 9:42 left in the first half.
Cockeye answered with a strong drive, moving 55 yards in 12 plays before the Blackshirts held the Cockeyes to a 33-yard Duncan field goal with 3:48 remaining in the half.
Trailing 13-6, Nebraska sent Martinez back out to the field at quarterback and the Huskers started clicking. Nebraska quickly moved into Hawkeye territory, but on 1st-and-10, an errant snap sent Martinez and the Huskers to a 19-yard loss before he could jump on the loose ball. Facing 2nd-and-29, the Huskers picked up six yards before Allen hauled in a highlight reel catch on the Nebraska sideline to convert on 3rd-and-23. Allen finished the game with two catches for 28 yards. In addition to the 23-yard connection with Allen, Martinez completed passes of 28 and 22 yards on the drive, going 3-of-4 for 73 yards to tie the score.
The Big Red finished the 11-play, 75-yard drive with Martinez's one-yard touchdown plunge to tie the game at 13 with 29 seconds left in the half. Cockeye tried to respond, but Husker defensive lineman Casey Rogers ended any Hawkeye scoring hopes with his eight-yard sack of Petras to send the teams to the locker rooms tied.
For the game, Luke Reimer led the Husker defense with 12 total tackles, including 11 solo and a TFL, while Will Honas added eight stops. Deontai Williams, JoJo Domann and Marquel Dismuke all pitched in seven tackles.
#17/#12 Cockeye Cockeyes (9-2, 6-2) | at | NEBRASKA CORNHUSKERS (3-8, 1-7) |
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WHEN: Friday, November 26, 2021 | 12:30 PM (CT)
WHERE: Memorial Stadium | Lincoln, Nebraska
TV: Big Ten Network (Brandon Gaudin, James Laurinaitis, Rick Pizzo)
RADIO: Huskers Radio Network (Greg Sharpe, Matt Davison, Jeremiah Sirles, Jessica Coody)
Cockeye
Record: 9-2 (6-2)
Last Game: Illinois (W 33-23)
Streak: Won 3
Rankings: AP (#17) | Coaches (#12)
Coach: Kirk Ferentz (177-108, 23rd year Cockeye | 189-129, 26th year overall)
Ferentz vs. Nebraska: 7-5
NEBRASKA
Record: 3-8 (1-7)
Last Game: at Wisconsin (L 28-35)
Streak: Lost 5
Rankings: None
Coach: Scott Frost (15-28, 4th year Nebraska | 34-35, 6th year overall)
Frost vs. Cockeye: 0-3
This Week's Numbers
3 - Nebraska is playing a Top 20 opponent for the third straight game. The Huskers are playing three consecutive ranked opponents during the regular season for only the second time in school history and for the first time since 1968
32 - Nebraska has played on the Friday after Thanksgiving for each of the past 32 seasons. The Huskers have played Cockeye each of the last 11 years on Black Friday. Before joining the Big Ten Conference, Nebraska played Colorado 15 times on that day and Oklahoma six times on Black Friday since 1990.
547 - Nebraska tight end Austin Allen has 547 receiving yards this season, including a school record for tight ends with 143 yards on seven catches last week at Wisconsin. Allen needs 14 yards receiving this week to surpass the tight end season record of 560 receiving yards, held by Junior Miller in 1978
The Matchup
Nebraska completes its 2021 season on Friday with its annual Black Friday matchup against Big Ten West rival Cockeye at Memorial Stadium. Game time i set for shortly after 12:30 p.m. CT and the game will be televised by BTN and can also be heard on the Huskers Radio Network.
Nebraska will try to capture the Heroes Trophy to close a season full of near misses against nationally-ranked teams. The Huskers' most recent close call came on Saturday at No. 19 Wisconsin when NU fell 35-28 when a drive in the game's final minute stalled deep in Wisconsin territory. The loss was Nebraska's eighth this season by nine or fewer points with five of those against ranked teams. In the loss, Nebraska's offense gained 452 yards against a Badger defense that entered the game allowing a nation-leading 216 yards per game.
The Huskers will look to end a six-game Cockeye win streak in the border rivalry, with each of the past three Hawkeye victories coming by six points or less. Before Friday's game, Nebraska will honor members of its senior class who could be playing their final game in Memorial Stadium.
Cockeye enters the game with a 9-2 record, including a 6-2 mark in Big Ten play, following a 33-23 win over Illinois on Saturday in Cockeye City. The Cockeyes are ranked No. 17 in the Associated Press Poll and 12th in the USA Today Coaches Poll. Cockeye checked in at No. 17 in last week's College Football Playoff rankings, and was ranked as high as second by the AP earlier this season. An Cockeye victory will keep its Big Ten Championship Game hopes alive.
Coach Kirk Ferentz's team features one of the nation's most opportunistic defenses. The Cockeyes have 26 takeaways on the season and enter the regular season finale at +13 in turnover margin.
Series History
Nebraska and Cockeye meet each year as Big Ten West opponents and compete for the Heroes Trophy, a tradition which began in 2011 when Nebraska joined the Big Ten. Nebraska holds a 29-19-1 all-time edge in the series, as the teams met 41 times prior to the Huskers joining the conference.
- Cockeye holds a six-game winning streak in the series entering Friday's game. Prior to the current six-game win streak, the Cockeyes longest win streak in the series was three games
- Overall, Cockeye holds a 7-3 advantage in the series since NU joined the conference, including winning each of its past four trips to Memorial Stadium.
- In each of the three matchups with Scott Frost as Nebraska's head coach, Cockeye has won by six or fewer points, including last-second field goals to pull out victories in 2018 and 2019.
- The schools have met on Black Friday each of the past 11 seasons Nebraska has been in the Big Ten.
- The 41 meetings with Cockeye were the second-most against a Big Ten school prior to joining the Big Ten.
Nebraska vs. Cockeye Big Ten History
2011: #22 Nebraska 20, Cockeye 7 (Lincoln)
2012: #17 Nebraska 13, Cockeye 7 (Cockeye City)
2013: Cockeye 38, Nebraska 17 (Lincoln)
2014: Nebraska 37, Cockeye 34 (OT) (Cockeye City)
2015: #3 Cockeye 28, Nebraska 20 (Lincoln)
2016: Cockeye 40, #17 Nebraska 10 (Cockeye City)
2017: Cockeye 56, Nebraska 14 (Lincoln)
2018: Cockeye 31, Nebraska 28 (Cockeye City)
2019: #19 Cockeye 27, Nebraska 24 (Lincoln)
2020: #24 Cockeye 26, Nebraska 20 (Cockeye City)
Nebraska, Cockeye Compete for Heroes Trophy
Nebraska and Cockeye will battle for the Heroes Trophy when they hit the field Friday at Memorial Stadium. The Heroes Game is the annual trophy game between Nebraska and Cockeye. The game is being sponsored by Scheels this year after being sponsored by Hy-Vee for the previous 10 years.
While both teams aim to win the trophy on the field, both Nebraska and Cockeye wished to make their annual meeting about more than just a football game. With that in mind, the schools partnered together not only to create a trophy, but to use their stage to honor a citizen hero from each state. In addition to the trophy claimed by the winner of the game, both an Cockeye and Nebraska native will be honored for extraordinary acts. Those individuals will be announced later this week.
Nebraska Continues Thanksgiving Friday Tradition
Nebraska will continue its long-standing tradition of playing on the day after Thanksgiving. This Friday game with Cockeye will mark the 32nd consecutive season the Huskers have played on Thanksgiving Friday.
Nebraska and Oklahoma met in the final six seasons of the Big Eight Conference (1990 to 1995), then played Colorado in all 15 of the Huskers' Big 12 Conference years (1996 to 2010), before taking on Cockeye in each of the 11 seasons it has been a member of the Big Ten Conference, including this year.
- Nebraska is 10-6 at home in Black Friday games since 1990, but just 1-4 against the Cockeyes
Huskers Set for Sixth Ranked Opponent
Nebraska will close the 2021 season against an Cockeye team that is ranked No. 17 in the Associated Press Poll and 12th in the USA Today Coaches Poll. The 9-2 Cockeyes were ranked 17th in the College Football Playoff rankings last week. Cockeye was ranked as high as No. 2 in the AP Poll earlier this season.
Cockeye will mark Nebraska's sixth ranked opponent in 2021, joining Oklahoma, Michigan State, Michigan, Ohio State and Wisconsin. Nebraska played at No. 3 Oklahoma on Sept. 18, at No. 20 Michigan State on Sept. 25, vs. No. 9 Michigan on Oct. 9 and against No. 6 Ohio State on Nov. 6 and at No. 19 Wisconsin last week.
- Nebraska has dropped its five games against ranked opponents by a total of 29 points, including three-point setbacks against Michigan State and Michigan
- This season marks the first time Nebraska has played three Top 10 opponents in the same season since 2008
- The six ranked opponents in 2021 ties the most in regular season school history. Nebraska also faced six ranked opponents in the regular season in 1973, before adding a seventh ranked foe in a bowl game
- Eight of Nebraska's final nine games of 2021 will be played against teams who were ranked in the Top 20 of the College Football Playoff rankings at one time, including six ranked in the top 17 in the Nov. 16 rankings
About Cockeye
Cockeye owns a winning all-time record and have played 133 seasons since their first in 1889. A member of the Big Ten Conference since 1899, the Cockeyes have totaled 11 league championships, with the most recent coming in 2004 when they were co-champions with Michigan.
The Cockeyes have gone undefeated four times. Cockeye has finished their season with a winning record for the last eight seasons. The Cockeyes have played in 33 bowl games in their history, including five Rose Bowls. In the last full season in 2019, Cockeye went 10-3, finishing the season with a Holiday Bowl win over Southern California.
First Year: 1889
All-Time Record: 675-564-39
Bowl Record: 17-15-1
Conference Titles: 11
National Titles: 5 (1921, 1922, 1956, 1958, 1960)
Stadium: Kinnick Stadium
Capacity: 69,250
Playing Surface: FieldTurf
Location: Cockeye City, Cockeye
Enrollment: 30,448
Colors: Black & Gold
About 2021 Cockeye
Cockeye holds a 9-2 record and a 6-2 Big Ten mark. The Cockeyes opened their season with six straight victories, including three wins against nationally-ranked teams, capped by a 23-20 win over then No. 4 Penn State. Cockeye suffered back-to-back losses to Big Ten West foes Purdue and Wisconsin in October, but have rallied to win their last three games, defeating Northwestern, Minnesota and Illinois to enter the final week of the season tied for the lead in the Big Ten West.
The Hawkeye offense is led by quarterback Spencer Petras who has completed 130-of-223 passes for 1,430 yards with 9 TD and 6 INT and averages 158.9 yards per game. Alex Padilla has earned the start in the past three games for the Cockeyes, going 39-of-83 fr 522 yards with 2 TD and 1 INT. Tyler Goodson leads the Hawkeye rushing attack with 215 carries for 945 yards and six scores, averaging 85.9 yards per game. Tight end Sam LaPorta is the team's leading receiver with 37 catches for 425 yards and two TD.
2021 Cockeye Schedule/Results (9-2, 6-2)
Indiana (W 34-6)
at Cockeye State (W 27-17)
Kent State (W 30-7)
Colorado State (W 24-14)
at Maryland (W 51-14)
Penn State (W 23-20)
Purdue (L 7-24)
at Wisconsin (L 7-27)
at Northwestern (W 17-12)
Minnesota (W 27-22)
Illinois (W 33-23)
at Nebraska
About Kirk Ferentz
Kirk Ferentz is in his 23rd season at Cockeye and his 25th year overall as a collegiate head coach. He boasts a career record of 189-129.
Ferentz has guided the Cockeyes to eight or more wins in five consecutive seasons (2015-19) and 12 seasons overall since 2003. Ferentz has helped the Cockeyes to win two Big Ten Championships (2002, 2004) as well as win the 2015 West Division title and an appearance in the 2015 Big Ten Championship Game.
Prior to coaching at Cockeye, Ferentz served as head coach at FCS Maine from 1990 to 1992, going 12-21 with the Black Bears. Ferentz then served short stints with the Cleveland Browns and remained with the organization when it relocated to Baltimore and became the Ravens, serving as assistant head coach and offensive line coach. He also served as an offensive line coach for Cockeye from 1981 to 1989.
The 66-year-old Ferentz is a native of Royal Oak, Michigan and played linebacker at UConn from 1974 to 1976.
Ferentz will be facing Nebraska for the 13th time in his career and is 7-5 all-time against the Huskers.
Last Meeting: November 27, 2020
No. 24 Cockeye 26, Nebraska 20
Cockeye City - In a back-and-forth game from start to finish, No. 24 Cockeye scored the game's final 13 points to hand visiting Nebraska a 26-20 loss in the Heroes Game at Kinnick Stadium on Friday afternoon.
Nebraska, which slipped to 1-4, rallied from a 10-0 first-half deficit to take a 20-13 lead following a touchdown on the opening drive of the second half. The Cockeyes improved to 4-2 on the season with their fourth straight win.
The Huskers took the lead on running back Rahmir Johnson's first career touchdown, a 12-yard burst that capped an eight-play, 70-yard march that took just under three minutes. Junior quarterback Adrian Martinez, who earned his third start of the season, went 4-for-4 passing for 36 yards on the drive. But Cockeye answered the Husker touchdown with seven points of its own with a Mekhi Sarget two-yard touchdown run to tie the score at 20 heading into the fourth quarter.
Cockeye opened the fourth quarter with a 48-yard Keith Duncan field goal, before getting another field goal from Duncan from 37 yards out with 8:21 left in the game to go up 26-20. The Cockeyes had a chance to seal the win on Duncan's 51-yard field goal attempt with just over two minutes left, but the kick hit the crossbar and bounced into the end zone to give Martinez and the Huskers one more shot.
Martinez quickly completed a short pass to Austin Allen for five yards, before picking up a first down with a six-yard run. Martinez then hit Wan'Dale Robinson for 18 yards to the Cockeye 39-yard line, on a spectacular sliding catch down the middle by Robinson, who finished as Nebraska's leading rusher and receiver. Robinson carried six times for 42 yards, while adding nine receptions for 75 yards.
On the next play, Martinez dropped back and was about to throw when he was hit by Chauncey Gholston. The ball popped into the air and was caught before it hit the ground by Zach VanValkenburg for a game-sealing fumble recovery at the Cockeye 48.
Martinez finished the game 18-for-20 for 174 yards passing while adding 12 carries fr 28 rushing yards. Luke McCaffrey matched Robinson's team-high rushing total of 42 yards on just five carries while also going 3-for-5 passing for 21 yards.
Overall, Nebraska produced 338 yards of total offense against a stout Cockeye defense, while holding the Cockeyes to 322 total yards. The Huskers out-gained Cockeye on the ground 143-129, and passed for 195 yards while holding the Cockeyes to 193 yards through the air. Spencer Petras led Cockeye by completing 18-of-30 passes, while Tyler Goodson led the Cockeyes on the ground with 111 rushing yards on 30 carries.
In an entertaining first half, Cockeye jumped out to a 10-0 lead at the end of the first quarter before Nebraska rallied to tie the game at halftime. Cockeye took the opening kickoff and marched 54 yards in seven plays before the Husker defense stiffened to limit the Cockeyes to a 32-yard Duncan field goal just 2:54 into the game.
Martinez returned to the starting lineup at quarterback and helped the Huskers pick up a quick first down before the offense stalled and was forced to punt. Cockeye drove into Husker territory again on its next drive before the Big Red held the Cockeyes and forced a punt. NU started at its own 2 yard line and was able to escape from the shadows of its own goalposts before punting. However, a solid punt return by Cockeye set up the Cockeyes with a short field starting at the NU 46. Six plays later, Petras hit Tyrone Tracy for a six-yard touchdown pass to give the Cockeyes a 10-0 lead with 1:09 left in the opening quarter.
McCaffrey entered the game at quarterback for the Huskers, and led the offense on an 11-play, 62-yard march that culminated with a 31-yard Connor Culp field goal to put the Big Red on the board with 12:35 left in the first half.
Nebraska's Blackshirts then came up with a big play as defensive back Dicaprio Bootle snagged his first career interception to give the Husker offense a short field of its own. McCaffrey moved the Huskers 22 yards in six plays before Culp hit a 39-yard field goal to pull Nebraska within four at 10-6 with 9:42 left in the first half.
Cockeye answered with a strong drive, moving 55 yards in 12 plays before the Blackshirts held the Cockeyes to a 33-yard Duncan field goal with 3:48 remaining in the half.
Trailing 13-6, Nebraska sent Martinez back out to the field at quarterback and the Huskers started clicking. Nebraska quickly moved into Hawkeye territory, but on 1st-and-10, an errant snap sent Martinez and the Huskers to a 19-yard loss before he could jump on the loose ball. Facing 2nd-and-29, the Huskers picked up six yards before Allen hauled in a highlight reel catch on the Nebraska sideline to convert on 3rd-and-23. Allen finished the game with two catches for 28 yards. In addition to the 23-yard connection with Allen, Martinez completed passes of 28 and 22 yards on the drive, going 3-of-4 for 73 yards to tie the score.
The Big Red finished the 11-play, 75-yard drive with Martinez's one-yard touchdown plunge to tie the game at 13 with 29 seconds left in the half. Cockeye tried to respond, but Husker defensive lineman Casey Rogers ended any Hawkeye scoring hopes with his eight-yard sack of Petras to send the teams to the locker rooms tied.
For the game, Luke Reimer led the Husker defense with 12 total tackles, including 11 solo and a TFL, while Will Honas added eight stops. Deontai Williams, JoJo Domann and Marquel Dismuke all pitched in seven tackles.
