1996 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team
American college football season
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The 1996 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team represented the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in the 1996 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was coached by Tom Osborne and played their home games in Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska. This was the first season for Nebraska in the Big 12 Conference, which took on that name after their previous conference, the Big Eight Conference added four schools from the disbanded Southwest Conference. Nebraska was placed in the new conference's North Division along with Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, and Colorado.
| 1996 Nebraska Cornhuskers football | |
|---|---|
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Big 12 North Division champion Orange Bowl champion | |
Big 12 Championship Game, L 27–37 vs. Texas | |
Orange Bowl, W 41–21 vs. Virginia Tech | |
| Conference | Big 12 Conference |
| North Division | |
| Ranking | |
| Coaches | No. 6 |
| AP | No. 6 |
| Record | 11–2 (8–0 Big 12) |
| Head coach |
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| Offensive scheme | I formation |
| Defensive coordinator | Charlie McBride (16th season) |
| Base defense | 4–3 |
| Home stadium | Memorial Stadium |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| North Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 6 Nebraska x% | 8 | – | 0 | 11 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 8 Colorado | 7 | – | 1 | 10 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 17 Kansas State | 6 | – | 2 | 9 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Missouri | 3 | – | 5 | 5 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kansas | 2 | – | 6 | 4 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Iowa State | 1 | – | 7 | 2 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| South Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 23 Texas x$ | 6 | – | 2 | 8 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Texas Tech | 5 | – | 3 | 7 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Texas A&M | 4 | – | 4 | 6 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oklahoma | 3 | – | 5 | 3 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oklahoma State | 2 | – | 6 | 5 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Baylor | 1 | – | 7 | 4 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Championship: Texas 37, Nebraska 27 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Cornhuskers entered the season as the two-time defending national champions, having won the first Bowl Alliance championship game at the Fiesta Bowl in January 1996, and were ranked #1 in the polls to start the season. Nebraska also entered the season with a winning streak of 25 games, having not lost since falling to Florida State in the 1994 Orange Bowl.
Nebraska opened the season with a rout of Michigan State in their home opener and traveled to face Arizona State, a team they had defeated 77–28 the year before. This time, the results were different as Nebraska was shut out in a 19–0 defeat to snap their winning streak. They would not lose again during the regular season, winning the Big XII North and climbing back up to #3 in the polls. Their division win earned the Cornhuskers a place in the first Big 12 Championship Game against the winner of the South Division, unranked Texas. With a potential national championship game berth at stake, Nebraska lost for the second time in 1996 as Texas defeated them 37–27 to secure the automatic Bowl Alliance berth for the conference.
Despite this, Nebraska managed to qualify for the Bowl Alliance as an at-large team and was invited to play in the Orange Bowl, where they beat Virginia Tech.
Schedule
| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 7 | 11:00 am | Michigan State* | No. 1 | ABC | W 55–14 | 75,590 | |
| September 21 | 9:15 pm | at No. 17 Arizona State* | No. 1 | FSN | L 0–19 | 74,089 | |
| September 28 | 11:30 am | Colorado State* | No. 8 |
| ABC | W 65–9 | 75,575 |
| October 5 | 11:30 am | at No. 16 Kansas State | No. 7 | ABC | W 39–3 | 43,916 | |
| October 12 | 1:00 pm | Baylor | No. 5 |
| W 49–0 | 75,478 | |
| October 19 | 2:30 pm | at Texas Tech | No. 5 | ABC | W 24–10 | 51,344 | |
| October 26 | 6:00 pm | Kansas | No. 5 |
| FSN | W 63–7 | 75,158 |
| November 2 | 11:00 am | at Oklahoma | No. 5 | ABC | W 73–21 | 75,004 | |
| November 9 | 1:00 pm | Missouri | No. 5 |
| W 51–7 | 75,133 | |
| November 16 | 1:00 pm | at Iowa State | No. 5 | W 49–14 | 47,850 | ||
| November 29 | 1:30 pm | No. 5 Colorado | No. 4 |
| ABC | W 17–12 | 75,695 |
| December 7 | 12:00 pm | vs. Texas | No. 3 | ABC | L 27–37 | 63,109 | |
| December 31 | 7:00 pm | vs. No. 10 Virginia Tech* | No. 6 | CBS | W 41–21 | 51,212 | |
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Rankings
Personnel
Roster
| 1996 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Offense
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Defense
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Special teams
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Roster | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Depth chart
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Game summaries
Michigan State
Michigan State at Nebraska [box score]
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan State | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
| • Nebraska | 7 | 20 | 21 | 7 | 55 |
- Date: September 7
- Location: Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska
- Game attendance: 75,590
Arizona State
Nebraska at Arizona State [box score]
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nebraska | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| • Arizona State | 9 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 19 |
- Date: September 21
- Location: Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona
- Game attendance: 74,089
Colorado State
Colorado State at Nebraska [box score]
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado State | 0 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 9 |
| • Nebraska | 7 | 17 | 20 | 21 | 65 |
- Date: September 28
- Location: Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska
- Game attendance: 75,575
Kansas State
Nebraska at Kansas State [box score]
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Nebraska | 6 | 12 | 14 | 7 | 39 |
| Kansas State | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
- Date: October 5
- Location: KSU Stadium, Manhattan, Kansas
- Game attendance: 43,916
Baylor
Baylor at Nebraska [box score]
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baylor | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| • Nebraska | 7 | 21 | 14 | 7 | 49 |
- Date: October 12
- Location: Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska
- Game attendance: 75,478
Texas Tech
Nebraska at Texas Tech [box score]
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Nebraska | 7 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
| Texas Tech | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
- Date: October 19
- Location: Clifford B. and Audrey Jones Stadium, Lubbock, Texas
- Game attendance: 51,344
Kansas
Kansas at Nebraska [box score]
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| • Nebraska | 7 | 35 | 14 | 7 | 63 |
- Date: October 26
- Location: Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska
- Game attendance: 75,158
Oklahoma
Nebraska at Oklahoma [box score]
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Nebraska | 0 | 17 | 28 | 28 | 73 |
| Oklahoma | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 21 |
- Date: November 2
- Location: Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, Norman, Oklahoma
- Game attendance: 75,004
Missouri
Missouri at Nebraska [box score]
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Missouri | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| • Nebraska | 7 | 16 | 28 | 0 | 51 |
- Date: November 9
- Location: Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska
- Game attendance: 75,133
Iowa State
Nebraska at Iowa State [box score]
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Nebraska | 20 | 8 | 14 | 7 | 49 |
| Iowa State | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
- Date: November 16
- Location: Cyclone Stadium, Ames, Iowa
- Game attendance: 47,850
Colorado
Colorado at Nebraska [box score]
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 12 |
| • Nebraska | 7 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
- Date: November 29
- Location: Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska
- Game attendance: 75,695
Texas
Nebraska vs Texas [box score]
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nebraska | 7 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 27 |
| • Texas | 7 | 13 | 3 | 14 | 37 |
- Date: December 7
- Location: Trans World Dome, St. Louis, Missouri
- Game attendance: 63,109
Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech vs Nebraska [box score]
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia Tech | 7 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
| • Nebraska | 0 | 17 | 14 | 10 | 41 |
- Date: December 31
- Location: Pro Player Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida
- Game attendance: 51,212
Rankings
| Week | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Final |
| AP | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 6 |
| Coaches | 6 | |||||||||||||||||
Awards
| Award | Name(s) |
|---|---|
| All-America 1st team | Aaron Taylor, Jared Tomich, Grant Wistrom |
| All-America 2nd team | Chris Dishman |
| Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year | Grant Wistrom |
| All-America Freshman 1st team | Ralph Brown |
| All-Big 12 1st team | Chris Dishman, Jon Hesse, Jared Tomich, Mike Minter, Jason Peter, Aaron Taylor, Grant Wistrom |
| All-Big 12 2nd team | Eric Anderson, Michael Booker, Kris Brown, Jeff Ogard, Jamel Williams |
| All-Big 12 3rd team | Scott Frost, Terrell Farley, Ahman Green |
| All-Big 12 honorable mention | Ralph Brown, DeAngelo Evans, Brendan Holbein, Vershan Jackson, Jesse Kosch, Brian Schuster, Eric Stokes, Jon Vedral, Jamel Williams |
| Big 12 coach of the Year | Tom Osborne |
NFL and pro players
The following Nebraska players who participated in the 1996 season later moved on to the next level and joined a professional or semi-pro team as draftees or free agents.[3]