Link: Full Game Notes (Huskers.com)
NEBRASKA (1-3) at Cockeye (3-2)
When: Friday, November 27 | 12:00 PM (CT)
Where: Kinnick Stadium | Cockeye City, Cockeye
TV: FOX (Brian Custer, Robert Smith)
Radio: Husker Sports Network (Greg Sharpe, Matt Davison, Ben McLaughlin)
Satellite Radio: XM (Ch. 195) | Sirius (Ch. 206)
Internet Radio: Huskers.com | TuneIn.com
App Audio: Official Huskers App | TuneIn App
HUSKERS
Record: 1-3
Last Game: vs. Illinois (L 23-41)
Rankings: NR
Coach: Scott Frost (29-25, 5th year | 10-18, 3rd year NU)
vs. Cockeye: 0-2
Cockeyes
Record: 3-2
Last Game: at Penn State (W 41-21)
Rankings: RV (AP Poll) | RV (Coaches Poll)
Coach: Kirk Ferentz (177-127, 25th year | 165-106, 22nd year Cockeye)
vs. Nebraska: 6-5
This Week's Numbers
31 - Nebraska will be playing on the Friday after Thanksgiving for the 31st consecutive season. Friday's game will mark the 10th straight season the Huskers and Cockeyes have squared off on Black Friday.
3 - Each of the past two Nebraska-Cockeye matchups have been decided by three points with the Cockeyes winning both contests on field goals in the final five seconds.
10 - Senior linebacker Will Honas led Nebraska with 10 tackles against Illinois. It marked the second consecutive double-figure tackle game for Honas. This is the first time in his Nebraska career he has posted back-to-back games with 10 or more tackles.
The Matchup
Nebraska plays its traditional Black Friday game at Cockeye City, taking on the Cockeye Cockeyes in a Big Ten West Division battle. The matchup of border rivals will kick off at noon central time, with television coverage on FOX.
Nebraska has played on Black Friday each year since 1990, spanning three conferences and three opponents. The Huskers were originally scheduled to host Minnesota on Black Friday in 2020, but the revised schedule released on September returned the Huskers to their regular Friday after Thanksgiving appointment with the Cockeyes.
Nebraska comes into the contest at 1-3 on the season, following a home setback against Illinois. The Huskers turned the ball over on their opening play from scrimmage and committed five turnovers in the loss. Nebraska continued to show a strong running attack against the Illini, rushing for 215 yards in the contest.
Cockeye comes into Friday's game with a 3-2 record and riding a three-game winning streak. The Cockeyes opened the season with close losses to Purdue and Northwestern, but have been dominant over the past three weeks, defeating Michigan State, Minnesota and Penn State, with two of those wins on the road.
The Cockeyes again feature one of the Big Ten's stingiest defenses, allowing just 319.8 yards and 16.0 points per game. In its three-game winning streak, Cockeye has limited the opposition to just 11.7 points per game. The Cockeyes rank in the top 20 nationally in rushing defense, pass efficiency defense, total defense and scoring defense. Cockeye Head Coach Kirk Ferentz is in his 22nd season with the Cockeyes, making him the longest-tenured head coach in the FBS ranks.
Series History
Nebraska leads the all-time series with Cockeye 29-18-3, but the Cockeyes have won six of the nine meetings as Big Ten Conference foes, and have won the past five meetings.
- Before Nebraska joined the Big Ten in 2011, the teams met 41 times as non-conference opponents, including 14 games between 1930 and 1946. Nebraska and Cockeye also met four straight years from 1979 to 1982, and the final matchups as non-conference opponents were in 1999 and 2000.
- This year's meeting will mark the 10th straight year that Nebraska and Cockeye will meet on the day after Thanksgiving. The teams were originally not scheduled to play on Black Friday this season, but were paired together on their traditional day when the Big Ten announced its eight-game conference-only schedule. The programs will take a break from the Black Friday matchup in 2021, before resuming their post-Thanksgiving matchup in 2022.
- Nebraska had an eight-game win streak in the series and a pair of five-game win streaks. Cockeye's current five-game win streak is its longest in the series.
- Each of the past two meetings have been decided by a game-winning kick in the final seconds. In the last meeting at Kinnick Stadium in 2018, the Huskers erased a 15-point fourth quarter deficit and tied the game with 3:22 remaining before Cockeye drove into position for a Miguel Recinos game-winning, walk-off 41-yard field goal. Last year, Nebraska rallied from a 14-point third-quarter deficit to tie the game before Keith Duncan made a 48-yard field goal with one second remaining to lift Cockeye to a 27-24 victory.
- Nebraska leads the series 10-8 all-time in games played in Cockeye City and is 2-2 in Big Ten games played in Cockeye City.
Nebraska vs. Cockeye Series History
1891 - Cockeye 22, Nebraska 0 (Omaha)
1892 - Nebraska 10, Cockeye 10 (Omaha)
1893 - Nebraska 20, Cockeye 18 (Omaha)
1894 - Nebraska 36, Cockeye 0 (Omaha)
1895 - Nebraska 6, Cockeye 0 (Omaha)
1896 - Nebraska 0, Cockeye 0 (Omaha)
1896 - Cockeye 6, Nebraska 0 (Omaha)
1897 - Nebraska 6, Cockeye 0 (Council Bluffs)
1898 - Cockeye 6, Nebraska 5 (Council Bluffs)
1899 - Cockeye 30, Nebraska 0 (Omaha)
1903 - Nebraska 17, Cockeye 6 (Cockeye City)
1904 - Nebraska 17, Cockeye 6 (Lincoln)
1908 - Nebraska 11, Cockeye 8 (Cockeye City)
1909 - Nebraska 6, Cockeye 6 (Lincoln)
1913 - Nebraska 12, Cockeye 0 (Lincoln)
1914 - Nebraska 16, Cockeye 7 (Cockeye City)
1915 - Nebraska 52, Cockeye 7 (Lincoln)
1916 - Nebraska 34, Cockeye 17 (Cockeye City)
1917 - Nebraska 47, Cockeye 0 (Lincoln)
1918 - Cockeye 12, Nebraska 0 (Lincoln)
1919 - Cockeye 18, Nebraska 0 (Cockeye City)
1930 - Cockeye 12, Nebraska 7 (Cockeye City)
1931 - Nebraska 7, Cockeye 0 (Lincoln)
1932 - Nebraska 14, Cockeye 13 (Cockeye City)
1933 - Nebraska 7, Cockeye 6 (Lincoln)
1934 - Nebraska 14, Cockeye 13 (Lincoln)
1937 - #11 Nebraska 28, Cockeye 0 (Lincoln)
1938 - Nebraska 14, Cockeye 0 (Cockeye City)
1940 - #12 Nebraska 14, Cockeye 6 (Lincoln)
1941 - Nebraska 14, Cockeye 13 (Lincoln)
1942 - Cockeye 27, Nebraska 0 (Cockeye City)
1943 - Cockeye 33, Nebraska 13 (Lincoln)
1944 - Cockeye 27, Nebraska 6 (Cockeye City)
1945 - Nebraska 13, Cockeye 6 (Lincoln)
1946 - Cockeye 21, Nebraska 7 (Cockeye City)
1979 - #7 Nebraska 24, Cockeye 21 (Cockeye City)
1980 - #6 Nebraska 57, Cockeye 0 (Lincoln)
1981 - Cockeye 10, #7 Nebraska 7 (Cockeye City)
1982 - #3 Nebraska 42, Cockeye 7 (Lincoln)
1999 - #5 Nebraska 42, Cockeye 7 (Cockeye City)
2000 - #1 Nebraska 42, Cockeye 13 (Lincoln)
------------Big Ten Conference---------
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)
Nebraska and Cockeye to Compete for Heroes Trophy
Nebraska and Cockeye will battle for the Heroes Trophy when they hit the field Friday at Kinnick Stadium. The Heroes Game is the annual trophy game between Nebraska and Cockeye.
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 winning a football game. With that in mind, the schools partnered together to not only create a trophy, but to use a national stage to honor a citizen hero from each state. In addition to the trophy that will be 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's game with Cockeye will mark the 31st consecutive season the Huskers have played on Thanksgiving Friday.
- Nebraska met Oklahoma in the final six seasons of the Big Eight Conference (1990 to 1995, going 5-1), then played Colorado in all 15 of the Huskers' seasons in the Big 12 (1996 to 2010, going 11-4), before taking on Cockeye each of the 10 seasons (going 3-6) it has been a member of the Big Ten, including this year.
- Nebraska is 9-5 on the road in Black Friday games since 1990, including 2-2 against the Cockeyes.
- Since 1990, Nebraska is 19-11 in Black Friday games
- In addition to the past nine years, Nebraska and Cockeye also closed the regular season against each other nine times from 1892 to 1916.
About Cockeye
Cockeye began playing football in 1889, one year before Nebraska. The Cockeyes have won more than 660 all-time games. Cockeye claims five national championships (1921, 1922, 1956, 1958 and 1960). The Cockeyes have also won 11 Big Ten Conference championships, with the first coming in 1900 and the most recent in 2004. Four of the 11 Big Ten titles have been outright titles, while the other seven have all been co-championships. Cockeye has appeared in 33 bowl games and has had one Heisman Trophy winner, Nike Kinnick in 1939.
Recently, Cockeye is perhaps best known for its coaching stability. The Cockeyes have had only two coaches since 1979. Hayden Fry led Cockeye to a 143-89-6 record in 20 seasons from 1979 to 1998, and Kirk Ferentz is 162-104 with the Cockeyes since his first season in 1999.
First Year: 1889
All-Time Record: 664-561-39
Bowl Record: 17-15-1
Conference Titles: 11
National Titles: 5 (1921, 1922, 1956, 1958, 1960)
Stadium: Kinnick Stadium
Capacity: 69,250
Location: Cockeye City, Cockeye
Enrollment: 32,948
Scouting 2020 Cockeye
Cockeye started the season 0-2 but has won its last three straight, including a 41-21 victory at Penn State last weekend. The Cockeyes scored 28 unanswered points in the second and third quarters in the win over the Nittany Lions. The victory gave head coach Kirk Ferentz his 100th career Big Ten win. He joined Ohio State's Woody Hayes (153 wins), Michigan's Bo Schembechler (143) and Chicago's Amos Alonzo Stagg (115) in the Big Ten's 100-win coaching fraternity.
Cockeye's defense has been solid this season, allowing just 16.0 points per game, which ranks third in the conference and ninth nationally. The Cockeyes rank fourth in the Big Ten in rushing defense with 102.6 yards per game and third in the conference with 217.2 passing yards per game and 319.8 total yards allowed per game. Cockeye leads the conference in net punting with 44.5 yards per kick.
On offense, quarterback Spencer Petras is 90-for-162 in the air with 945 passing yards and three touchdowns. On the ground, Tyler Goodson and Mekhi Sargent each have six touchdowns.
https://i.ibb.co/s5ykw4q/Cockeye-nebraska.png
2020 Cockeye Schedule/Results
at Purdue (L 20-24)
Northwestern (L 20-21)
Michigan State (W 49-7)
at Minnesota (W 35-7)
at Penn State (W 41-21)
Nebraska
at Illinois
Wisconsin
About Kirk Ferentz
Kirk Ferentz is in his 22nd year as head football coach at the University of Cockeye, and the 31st season overall at the university. With Cockeye's 33-7 win over Northern Illinois in the opening game of the 2018 season, Ferentz recorded win No. 144 as Cockeye's head coach, surpassing the late Hayden Fry as the winningest football coach in program history.
Ferentz is the longest-tenured head football coach in the nation. Under Ferentz's leadership the Cockeye football program has made 17 bowl game appearances since 2001.
Ferentz has guided the Cockeyes to eight wins or more each of the past five seasons and 12 times overall since 2003. Cockeye has appeared in 11 January bowl games under Ferentz. The Cockeyes have won three straight bowl games for the second time under Ferentz (2008-2010 and 2017-2019).
Ferentz is 6-5 against Nebraska in his career, and 6-3 against the Huskers as Big Ten opponents.
Ferentz is 100-77 all-time in Big Ten games.
Ferentz is a 1976 graduate of the University of Connecticut where he played linebacker for three seasons. After his time at UConn, Ferentz went right into coaching and spent time as an assistant at UConn, Pittsburgh, Cockeye and Maine before spending five seasons as an offensive line coach in the NFL for the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens. Ferentz did spend three years as a collegiate head coach at Division I-AA (FCS) Maine from 1990 through 1992 where he went 12-21.
Last Meeting: November 29, 2019
#17 Cockeye 27, Nebraska 24
LINCOLN, Neb. -- It was cold and damp, Cockeye had the ball at its 26-yard line with 32 seconds left in regulation in a tie game, and the Cockeyes' offense hadn't done much since the first quarter.
Instead of being content to play for overtime against border rival Nebraska, coach Kirk Ferentz went for the win Friday.
The Cockeyes got it when Keith Duncan kicked a 48-yard field goal with one second left, giving No. 17 Cockeye a 27-24 victory over Nebraska that leaves the Cornhuskers out of the postseason for a third consecutive season.
"We thought we had a chance if we executed," Ferentz said. "There's some risk and reward involved there. We thought the reward outweighed the risk. At least we came out the right side this time."
The Cockeyes (9-3, 6-3 Big Ten) beat the Huskers (5-7, 3-6) for a fifth straight year and second year in a row on a late field goal.
Duncan, who walked on with Cockeye in 2016, had more to celebrate than just helping the Cockeyes hold onto the Heroes Game trophy for at least another year. Ferentz announced after the game that he was giving Duncan a scholarship.
"The culmination of all these four years of hard work," said Duncan, who also kicked a 49-yarder against the Huskers and now owns the Big Ten single-season record with 29 made field goals. "These 12 weeks have been really hard for us, just working 100 percent. There's been some setbacks, but we finished here. Team goals will lead to individual goals, and that's where we are today."
Cockeye, which saw its 14-point lead wiped out in the third quarter, got the ball back after forcing a Nebraska punt in the final minute. A long Nate Stanley completion to Nico Ragaini was overturned on video review, but Stanley then completed a pair of 22-yard passes to Ihmir Smith-Marsette and Sam LaPorta to bring on the reliable Duncan.
The Huskers called two timeouts before Duncan drilled the winner down the middle and with plenty of distance.
"Every field goal I'm hungry for, especially in a situation like that with tough conditions," Duncan said. "That's why you become a kicker. You've got to be hungry and not scared."
Nebraska, down 24-10 at half, tied it with back-to-back touchdowns in the third quarter. Luke McCaffrey entered the game for a play in place of quarterback Adrian Martinez, rolled to his left and hit JD Spielman with a perfect 39-yard TD pass. The Huskers ran on 12 of 13 plays while covering 60 yards on their next drive, converting a fourth-and-6 before Wyatt Mazour ran in from 9 yards.
Smith-Marsette scored on a 45-yard on a reverse run and ran back a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown and Tyler Goodson broke a 55-yard TD run as Cockeye got out to its lead in the first half.
Cockeye had 18 plays for 191 yards in the first quarter but just 131 yards on 38 plays for the remainder of the game. Cockeye gained 11 yards in the second quarter and 7 in the third.
Stanley completed 11 of 24 passes for 99 yards, his lowest total since throwing for 86 against Maryland last season. Goodson ran 13 times for a season-high 116 yards.
The Huskers are in their longest bowl drought since 1955-61, but coach Scott Frost is encouraged by the progress he saw during the second half of the season.
Cockeye outgained Nebraska in total yards 324 (99 pass, 225 rush) to 284 yards (100 pass, 184 rush). Both teams committed two turnovers in the game. Nebraska held an advantage in time of possession 33:51 to 26:09. Cockeye was penalized six times for 49 yards, while Nebraska was penalized just three times for 25 yards.
Cockeye quarterback Nate Stanley was 11-of-24 for 99 yards with an interception in the win. Tyler Goodson rushed 13 times for 116 yards and Mekhi Sargent added 8 carries for 55 yards. Ihmir Smith-Marsette also carried one time for 45 yards and a TD. Sam LaPorta was the top receiver with three catches for 37 yards.
In the loss, Adrian Martinez was 10-of-18 for 50 yards and an interception, while Luke McCaffrey was 1-of-1 for 39 yards and a TD. Noah Vedral also saw the field at quarterback and was 1-of-3 for 11 yards. Dedrick Mills had 24 carries for 94 yards, Martinez added 21 carries for 44 yards and Wyatt Mazour had seven carries for 28 yards and a TD. JD Spielman was the leading Husker receiver with three receptions for 34 yards and a TD and Dedrick Mills had four catches for 34 yards. Cam Taylor-Britt returned an interception for a touchdown in the loss as well.
NEBRASKA (1-3) at Cockeye (3-2)
When: Friday, November 27 | 12:00 PM (CT)
Where: Kinnick Stadium | Cockeye City, Cockeye
TV: FOX (Brian Custer, Robert Smith)
Radio: Husker Sports Network (Greg Sharpe, Matt Davison, Ben McLaughlin)
Satellite Radio: XM (Ch. 195) | Sirius (Ch. 206)
Internet Radio: Huskers.com | TuneIn.com
App Audio: Official Huskers App | TuneIn App
HUSKERS
Record: 1-3
Last Game: vs. Illinois (L 23-41)
Rankings: NR
Coach: Scott Frost (29-25, 5th year | 10-18, 3rd year NU)
vs. Cockeye: 0-2
Cockeyes
Record: 3-2
Last Game: at Penn State (W 41-21)
Rankings: RV (AP Poll) | RV (Coaches Poll)
Coach: Kirk Ferentz (177-127, 25th year | 165-106, 22nd year Cockeye)
vs. Nebraska: 6-5
This Week's Numbers
31 - Nebraska will be playing on the Friday after Thanksgiving for the 31st consecutive season. Friday's game will mark the 10th straight season the Huskers and Cockeyes have squared off on Black Friday.
3 - Each of the past two Nebraska-Cockeye matchups have been decided by three points with the Cockeyes winning both contests on field goals in the final five seconds.
10 - Senior linebacker Will Honas led Nebraska with 10 tackles against Illinois. It marked the second consecutive double-figure tackle game for Honas. This is the first time in his Nebraska career he has posted back-to-back games with 10 or more tackles.
The Matchup
Nebraska plays its traditional Black Friday game at Cockeye City, taking on the Cockeye Cockeyes in a Big Ten West Division battle. The matchup of border rivals will kick off at noon central time, with television coverage on FOX.
Nebraska has played on Black Friday each year since 1990, spanning three conferences and three opponents. The Huskers were originally scheduled to host Minnesota on Black Friday in 2020, but the revised schedule released on September returned the Huskers to their regular Friday after Thanksgiving appointment with the Cockeyes.
Nebraska comes into the contest at 1-3 on the season, following a home setback against Illinois. The Huskers turned the ball over on their opening play from scrimmage and committed five turnovers in the loss. Nebraska continued to show a strong running attack against the Illini, rushing for 215 yards in the contest.
Cockeye comes into Friday's game with a 3-2 record and riding a three-game winning streak. The Cockeyes opened the season with close losses to Purdue and Northwestern, but have been dominant over the past three weeks, defeating Michigan State, Minnesota and Penn State, with two of those wins on the road.
The Cockeyes again feature one of the Big Ten's stingiest defenses, allowing just 319.8 yards and 16.0 points per game. In its three-game winning streak, Cockeye has limited the opposition to just 11.7 points per game. The Cockeyes rank in the top 20 nationally in rushing defense, pass efficiency defense, total defense and scoring defense. Cockeye Head Coach Kirk Ferentz is in his 22nd season with the Cockeyes, making him the longest-tenured head coach in the FBS ranks.
Series History
Nebraska leads the all-time series with Cockeye 29-18-3, but the Cockeyes have won six of the nine meetings as Big Ten Conference foes, and have won the past five meetings.
- Before Nebraska joined the Big Ten in 2011, the teams met 41 times as non-conference opponents, including 14 games between 1930 and 1946. Nebraska and Cockeye also met four straight years from 1979 to 1982, and the final matchups as non-conference opponents were in 1999 and 2000.
- This year's meeting will mark the 10th straight year that Nebraska and Cockeye will meet on the day after Thanksgiving. The teams were originally not scheduled to play on Black Friday this season, but were paired together on their traditional day when the Big Ten announced its eight-game conference-only schedule. The programs will take a break from the Black Friday matchup in 2021, before resuming their post-Thanksgiving matchup in 2022.
- Nebraska had an eight-game win streak in the series and a pair of five-game win streaks. Cockeye's current five-game win streak is its longest in the series.
- Each of the past two meetings have been decided by a game-winning kick in the final seconds. In the last meeting at Kinnick Stadium in 2018, the Huskers erased a 15-point fourth quarter deficit and tied the game with 3:22 remaining before Cockeye drove into position for a Miguel Recinos game-winning, walk-off 41-yard field goal. Last year, Nebraska rallied from a 14-point third-quarter deficit to tie the game before Keith Duncan made a 48-yard field goal with one second remaining to lift Cockeye to a 27-24 victory.
- Nebraska leads the series 10-8 all-time in games played in Cockeye City and is 2-2 in Big Ten games played in Cockeye City.
Nebraska vs. Cockeye Series History
1891 - Cockeye 22, Nebraska 0 (Omaha)
1892 - Nebraska 10, Cockeye 10 (Omaha)
1893 - Nebraska 20, Cockeye 18 (Omaha)
1894 - Nebraska 36, Cockeye 0 (Omaha)
1895 - Nebraska 6, Cockeye 0 (Omaha)
1896 - Nebraska 0, Cockeye 0 (Omaha)
1896 - Cockeye 6, Nebraska 0 (Omaha)
1897 - Nebraska 6, Cockeye 0 (Council Bluffs)
1898 - Cockeye 6, Nebraska 5 (Council Bluffs)
1899 - Cockeye 30, Nebraska 0 (Omaha)
1903 - Nebraska 17, Cockeye 6 (Cockeye City)
1904 - Nebraska 17, Cockeye 6 (Lincoln)
1908 - Nebraska 11, Cockeye 8 (Cockeye City)
1909 - Nebraska 6, Cockeye 6 (Lincoln)
1913 - Nebraska 12, Cockeye 0 (Lincoln)
1914 - Nebraska 16, Cockeye 7 (Cockeye City)
1915 - Nebraska 52, Cockeye 7 (Lincoln)
1916 - Nebraska 34, Cockeye 17 (Cockeye City)
1917 - Nebraska 47, Cockeye 0 (Lincoln)
1918 - Cockeye 12, Nebraska 0 (Lincoln)
1919 - Cockeye 18, Nebraska 0 (Cockeye City)
1930 - Cockeye 12, Nebraska 7 (Cockeye City)
1931 - Nebraska 7, Cockeye 0 (Lincoln)
1932 - Nebraska 14, Cockeye 13 (Cockeye City)
1933 - Nebraska 7, Cockeye 6 (Lincoln)
1934 - Nebraska 14, Cockeye 13 (Lincoln)
1937 - #11 Nebraska 28, Cockeye 0 (Lincoln)
1938 - Nebraska 14, Cockeye 0 (Cockeye City)
1940 - #12 Nebraska 14, Cockeye 6 (Lincoln)
1941 - Nebraska 14, Cockeye 13 (Lincoln)
1942 - Cockeye 27, Nebraska 0 (Cockeye City)
1943 - Cockeye 33, Nebraska 13 (Lincoln)
1944 - Cockeye 27, Nebraska 6 (Cockeye City)
1945 - Nebraska 13, Cockeye 6 (Lincoln)
1946 - Cockeye 21, Nebraska 7 (Cockeye City)
1979 - #7 Nebraska 24, Cockeye 21 (Cockeye City)
1980 - #6 Nebraska 57, Cockeye 0 (Lincoln)
1981 - Cockeye 10, #7 Nebraska 7 (Cockeye City)
1982 - #3 Nebraska 42, Cockeye 7 (Lincoln)
1999 - #5 Nebraska 42, Cockeye 7 (Cockeye City)
2000 - #1 Nebraska 42, Cockeye 13 (Lincoln)
------------Big Ten Conference---------
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)
Nebraska and Cockeye to Compete for Heroes Trophy
Nebraska and Cockeye will battle for the Heroes Trophy when they hit the field Friday at Kinnick Stadium. The Heroes Game is the annual trophy game between Nebraska and Cockeye.
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 winning a football game. With that in mind, the schools partnered together to not only create a trophy, but to use a national stage to honor a citizen hero from each state. In addition to the trophy that will be 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's game with Cockeye will mark the 31st consecutive season the Huskers have played on Thanksgiving Friday.
- Nebraska met Oklahoma in the final six seasons of the Big Eight Conference (1990 to 1995, going 5-1), then played Colorado in all 15 of the Huskers' seasons in the Big 12 (1996 to 2010, going 11-4), before taking on Cockeye each of the 10 seasons (going 3-6) it has been a member of the Big Ten, including this year.
- Nebraska is 9-5 on the road in Black Friday games since 1990, including 2-2 against the Cockeyes.
- Since 1990, Nebraska is 19-11 in Black Friday games
- In addition to the past nine years, Nebraska and Cockeye also closed the regular season against each other nine times from 1892 to 1916.
About Cockeye
Cockeye began playing football in 1889, one year before Nebraska. The Cockeyes have won more than 660 all-time games. Cockeye claims five national championships (1921, 1922, 1956, 1958 and 1960). The Cockeyes have also won 11 Big Ten Conference championships, with the first coming in 1900 and the most recent in 2004. Four of the 11 Big Ten titles have been outright titles, while the other seven have all been co-championships. Cockeye has appeared in 33 bowl games and has had one Heisman Trophy winner, Nike Kinnick in 1939.
Recently, Cockeye is perhaps best known for its coaching stability. The Cockeyes have had only two coaches since 1979. Hayden Fry led Cockeye to a 143-89-6 record in 20 seasons from 1979 to 1998, and Kirk Ferentz is 162-104 with the Cockeyes since his first season in 1999.
First Year: 1889
All-Time Record: 664-561-39
Bowl Record: 17-15-1
Conference Titles: 11
National Titles: 5 (1921, 1922, 1956, 1958, 1960)
Stadium: Kinnick Stadium
Capacity: 69,250
Location: Cockeye City, Cockeye
Enrollment: 32,948
Scouting 2020 Cockeye
Cockeye started the season 0-2 but has won its last three straight, including a 41-21 victory at Penn State last weekend. The Cockeyes scored 28 unanswered points in the second and third quarters in the win over the Nittany Lions. The victory gave head coach Kirk Ferentz his 100th career Big Ten win. He joined Ohio State's Woody Hayes (153 wins), Michigan's Bo Schembechler (143) and Chicago's Amos Alonzo Stagg (115) in the Big Ten's 100-win coaching fraternity.
Cockeye's defense has been solid this season, allowing just 16.0 points per game, which ranks third in the conference and ninth nationally. The Cockeyes rank fourth in the Big Ten in rushing defense with 102.6 yards per game and third in the conference with 217.2 passing yards per game and 319.8 total yards allowed per game. Cockeye leads the conference in net punting with 44.5 yards per kick.
On offense, quarterback Spencer Petras is 90-for-162 in the air with 945 passing yards and three touchdowns. On the ground, Tyler Goodson and Mekhi Sargent each have six touchdowns.
https://i.ibb.co/s5ykw4q/Cockeye-nebraska.png
2020 Cockeye Schedule/Results
at Purdue (L 20-24)
Northwestern (L 20-21)
Michigan State (W 49-7)
at Minnesota (W 35-7)
at Penn State (W 41-21)
Nebraska
at Illinois
Wisconsin
About Kirk Ferentz
Kirk Ferentz is in his 22nd year as head football coach at the University of Cockeye, and the 31st season overall at the university. With Cockeye's 33-7 win over Northern Illinois in the opening game of the 2018 season, Ferentz recorded win No. 144 as Cockeye's head coach, surpassing the late Hayden Fry as the winningest football coach in program history.
Ferentz is the longest-tenured head football coach in the nation. Under Ferentz's leadership the Cockeye football program has made 17 bowl game appearances since 2001.
Ferentz has guided the Cockeyes to eight wins or more each of the past five seasons and 12 times overall since 2003. Cockeye has appeared in 11 January bowl games under Ferentz. The Cockeyes have won three straight bowl games for the second time under Ferentz (2008-2010 and 2017-2019).
Ferentz is 6-5 against Nebraska in his career, and 6-3 against the Huskers as Big Ten opponents.
Ferentz is 100-77 all-time in Big Ten games.
Ferentz is a 1976 graduate of the University of Connecticut where he played linebacker for three seasons. After his time at UConn, Ferentz went right into coaching and spent time as an assistant at UConn, Pittsburgh, Cockeye and Maine before spending five seasons as an offensive line coach in the NFL for the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens. Ferentz did spend three years as a collegiate head coach at Division I-AA (FCS) Maine from 1990 through 1992 where he went 12-21.
Last Meeting: November 29, 2019
#17 Cockeye 27, Nebraska 24
LINCOLN, Neb. -- It was cold and damp, Cockeye had the ball at its 26-yard line with 32 seconds left in regulation in a tie game, and the Cockeyes' offense hadn't done much since the first quarter.
Instead of being content to play for overtime against border rival Nebraska, coach Kirk Ferentz went for the win Friday.
The Cockeyes got it when Keith Duncan kicked a 48-yard field goal with one second left, giving No. 17 Cockeye a 27-24 victory over Nebraska that leaves the Cornhuskers out of the postseason for a third consecutive season.
"We thought we had a chance if we executed," Ferentz said. "There's some risk and reward involved there. We thought the reward outweighed the risk. At least we came out the right side this time."
The Cockeyes (9-3, 6-3 Big Ten) beat the Huskers (5-7, 3-6) for a fifth straight year and second year in a row on a late field goal.
Duncan, who walked on with Cockeye in 2016, had more to celebrate than just helping the Cockeyes hold onto the Heroes Game trophy for at least another year. Ferentz announced after the game that he was giving Duncan a scholarship.
"The culmination of all these four years of hard work," said Duncan, who also kicked a 49-yarder against the Huskers and now owns the Big Ten single-season record with 29 made field goals. "These 12 weeks have been really hard for us, just working 100 percent. There's been some setbacks, but we finished here. Team goals will lead to individual goals, and that's where we are today."
Cockeye, which saw its 14-point lead wiped out in the third quarter, got the ball back after forcing a Nebraska punt in the final minute. A long Nate Stanley completion to Nico Ragaini was overturned on video review, but Stanley then completed a pair of 22-yard passes to Ihmir Smith-Marsette and Sam LaPorta to bring on the reliable Duncan.
The Huskers called two timeouts before Duncan drilled the winner down the middle and with plenty of distance.
"Every field goal I'm hungry for, especially in a situation like that with tough conditions," Duncan said. "That's why you become a kicker. You've got to be hungry and not scared."
Nebraska, down 24-10 at half, tied it with back-to-back touchdowns in the third quarter. Luke McCaffrey entered the game for a play in place of quarterback Adrian Martinez, rolled to his left and hit JD Spielman with a perfect 39-yard TD pass. The Huskers ran on 12 of 13 plays while covering 60 yards on their next drive, converting a fourth-and-6 before Wyatt Mazour ran in from 9 yards.
Smith-Marsette scored on a 45-yard on a reverse run and ran back a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown and Tyler Goodson broke a 55-yard TD run as Cockeye got out to its lead in the first half.
Cockeye had 18 plays for 191 yards in the first quarter but just 131 yards on 38 plays for the remainder of the game. Cockeye gained 11 yards in the second quarter and 7 in the third.
Stanley completed 11 of 24 passes for 99 yards, his lowest total since throwing for 86 against Maryland last season. Goodson ran 13 times for a season-high 116 yards.
The Huskers are in their longest bowl drought since 1955-61, but coach Scott Frost is encouraged by the progress he saw during the second half of the season.
Cockeye outgained Nebraska in total yards 324 (99 pass, 225 rush) to 284 yards (100 pass, 184 rush). Both teams committed two turnovers in the game. Nebraska held an advantage in time of possession 33:51 to 26:09. Cockeye was penalized six times for 49 yards, while Nebraska was penalized just three times for 25 yards.
Cockeye quarterback Nate Stanley was 11-of-24 for 99 yards with an interception in the win. Tyler Goodson rushed 13 times for 116 yards and Mekhi Sargent added 8 carries for 55 yards. Ihmir Smith-Marsette also carried one time for 45 yards and a TD. Sam LaPorta was the top receiver with three catches for 37 yards.
In the loss, Adrian Martinez was 10-of-18 for 50 yards and an interception, while Luke McCaffrey was 1-of-1 for 39 yards and a TD. Noah Vedral also saw the field at quarterback and was 1-of-3 for 11 yards. Dedrick Mills had 24 carries for 94 yards, Martinez added 21 carries for 44 yards and Wyatt Mazour had seven carries for 28 yards and a TD. JD Spielman was the leading Husker receiver with three receptions for 34 yards and a TD and Dedrick Mills had four catches for 34 yards. Cam Taylor-Britt returned an interception for a touchdown in the loss as well.
