Category: April 2022

There Are Holes to Fill but a Whole Summer and Fall to Fill Them

By Steve Beideck

For a group that entered spring football with a number of concerns, real or imagined, Nebraska’s defensive line had a solid showing in the 2022 spring game.

With five starters and regular contributors gone from last season’s lineup, a new crew of defensive linemen was eager to show that they’re prepared to fill those positions.

News on April 20 that Casey Rogers was entering the transfer portal puts more pressure on an inexperienced crew to stop opponents’ run games. The junior from Syracuse, New York, played in 19 games during his three seasons in Lincoln.

The 2021 campaign was a difficult one for Rogers, who missed the first five games because of a knee injury during preseason practice. Near the end of the season finale against Iowa, Rogers reinjured the knee and missed all of spring ball.

There’s a chance that Rogers could return if he doesn’t have any suitors, but the Huskers now will be looking even harder for additional depth at an already-thin position now coached by Mike Dawson.

Fourth-year sophomore Ty Robinson (6-foot-6, 305 pounds) and Rogers were expected to be anchors of the interior line. More will now be expected from Nash Hutmacher and walk-on Colton Feist of Yutan.

Feist (6-2, 280) went through Senior Day ceremonies before the Iowa game but has elected to return for a fifth season. Injuries kept Feist out of Nebraska’s first two and final two games in 2021.

With so many roles to be filled and injuries limiting or eliminating time for others, the extra reps for players like Feist were valuable.

“We only have eight interior guys, so you’re getting a lot of reps each practice,” Feist said. “I think it was big for us to all stay healthy. I think we’re confident with the guys we have up front to be able to play versus the Big Ten teams and do well.”
The play of players like Feist, Hutmacher, Blaise Gunnerson and Garrett Nelson was encouraging to NU coach Scott Frost and his defensive coaches.

“I think that has been a highlight for us today and through spring,” Frost said. “I have seen improvement from Garrett and improvement from Caleb (Tannor) and Jimari (Butler) and Blaise. Those guys have really taken a giant leap forward.”

During the first half, when defenders weren’t allowed to finish tackles, there was plenty of pressure put on every quarterback who took snaps. Whether that’s a product of improved defensive play or even deeper concerns about the offensive line, Frost said remains to be seen.

If it’s determined that additional personnel is needed, Frost said the Huskers will make the necessary moves in the portal if the right players are available.

“We had trouble blocking them today,” Frost said. “Hopefully that is a sign that they are playing good football as opposed to we did not protect well enough.”

One of those youngsters who might be ready to make a bigger contribution is Gunnerson, a 6-6, 255-pound redshirt freshman from Carroll, Iowa. He was one of the players who was applying his share of quarterback pressure.

“I thought we had it going pretty good at the beginning,” Gunnerson said. “Had some good moves on the speed series, have to work on my power a little bit. But overall, it was a pretty good day from the pass rush perspective. I got off the ball, had a good double swipe move a couple of times.”

Hutmacher made his presence known. At 6-4, 325 pounds, the sophomore from Oacoma, South Dakota, consistently pushed the pocket with a bull rush and mucked up the run game.

Making things tough on Nebraska’s quarterbacks was something sophomore Mosai Newsom (6-4, 285) smiled about when asked about disrupting pocket protection.

“I thought it went pretty well,” Newsom said. “That’s a big thing, getting the pass rush. It’s a big part of playing D-line. A lot of the guys did a really good job, especially those outside ’backers. They were getting to the quarterback.”

Several players were impressed by how much Nelson has improved both as a player and a leader since last season.

“When I need to I will scramble,” quarterback Casey Thompson said. “But Garrett and the defensive line did a really good job today. Hopefully we will improve on blocking those guys, but it is also a good sign for the rest of the team and for our defense that we are going to have good pass rushers.”

Nelson (listed at 6-3, 245) said his offseason focus was making improvements in the pass-rushing part of his game.

“That was the biggest thing for me,” Nelson said. “Last year that last kind of peg in my game was pass rush and being faster and being quicker to get off and (quicker) off the ball. There was one big thing I focused on. (It was) definitely emphasized by coaches, (so) I’ve been working on that.

“I think statistically I gained 10 pounds of muscle and lost like 4% body fat just eating correctly, taking it serious and emphasizing those points of my game trying to get better.”

Being ready for the physical Big Ten opponents, especially in the second half of the season, is the ultimate goal for which Nelson is aiming.

“The quickness is definitely there and it has been throughout the spring,” Nelson said. “I want it to keep getting better. As we start playing in the Big Ten with those first-round tackles, I want to be able to do that against them as well just to cement myself and cement the edge guys as a true threat in the Big Ten and nationally.”

Gunnerson noticed how the edge rushers were consistently getting the job done no matter who was on either side of the ball.

“I know Garrett had a really good day pass rushing, Jamari had a really good day pass rushing,” Gunnerson said. “Days like today, when we’re straight rushing a lot, it’s really important to focus on just getting off the ball and focusing on our fundamentals. That’s the type of stuff we work on a lot.”

He also is especially appreciative of the way Nelson has taken him under his wing, even during the recruiting process.

“Garrett’s one of those guys who has kind of been by my side the entire time since I got here,” Gunnerson said. “He’s just taken the leadership role to the next level this year. He’s done a really good job of leading the troops.

“I think coach Frost recognizes him as one of the biggest leaders on the team. Garrett is one of those guys who is going to give it all every single day. He’s going to give it all in the weight room, give it all on the field, whatever we’re doing.”

Frost also is looking for leaders like Nelson to step up in other position groups, especially the defensive backfield.

“I thought the defensive backs played well,” Frost said. “I thought Quinton Newsome had a good day and he has had a really good spring and we are going to have to count on him. He has kind of been the No. 2 guy for us for a couple years here and he needs to step up.

“Myles Farmer needs to step up in the back end and we got some new guys playing really well. But those two have got to kind of transition from following to leading, and I feel good about our talent in the back end. We are a little inexperienced and they are going to need the leadership from those two guys.”

Now, all thoughts are on summer and getting ready for fall.

“Summer conditioning starts today,” Gunnerson said after the game. “It’s really important that we all understand that and that we all can get better. We (need to) watch the film from today and we learn where we can get better. From there, just keep getting faster, stronger, more physical to compete in this Big Ten.”

Luben Runs Hard, Turns Some Heads in Game’s Second Half

By Jansen Coburn

Most fans in attendance for Nebraska’s spring game came for a sneak peek of the fall. After all, plenty of offseason changes have been made. Are things coming together?

New coaches, new players, new schemes. Many were eager to see projected starting quarterback Casey Thompson command a revamped offense coordinated by veteran offensive coordinator Mark Whipple. What they got was a teaser. Thompson attempted four passes, starters logged limited snaps and play-calling was vanilla.

But fans did get a look at younger players.

In the second half, Frost allowed younger players to get reps. “Thud” mode was over and live tackling allowed players to show what they’re made of – the perfect opportunity for a breakout player to emerge. In just two plays, that player was Trevin Luben.

Coming into the game, Luben, a 5-foot-11, 200-pound redshirt freshman, was an unfamiliar name. He’s a homegrown Husker who played his high school ball at Wahoo High School. He’d made just one appearance, against Fordham in 2021. Before the spring game, most of Luben’s contributions had gone largely unnoticed.

That isn’t to say he hasn’t accomplished much behind the scenes. He was awarded scout team special teams player of the year in 2021 and has excelled in the classroom, earning Academic All-Big Ten in 2021 and qualifying for the Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll three consecutive semesters.

In the spring game, Luben immediately turned heads with a big run on his first carry. After his second carry, he emerged as the leading rusher on the day. By the end, he tallied eight carries for 91 yards. His longest run went for 32 yards.

Expect Lots of New Names in the Third Phase

By Jansen Coburn

Six plays into the spring game, a sign of the special team woes Nebraska has endured rose from Memorial Stadium in a therapeutic chorus.

The loudest cheers of the day came from a punt off the foot of Brian Buschini. Sixty-three yards. A touchback. A beautiful sight.
Fans, perhaps some sarcastically, roared.

“I would have been clapping too if that had not been inappropriate,” coach Scott Frost said after the game.

Disjointed special teams cost Nebraska games in 2021. In response, Nebraska hired Bill Busch as full-time special teams coordinator, mined the transfer portal for specialists and is looking to fill special teams units with top athletes.

The spring game offered fans an opportunity to gauge the progress. Buschini’s punt was the first good sign.

Buschini, a sophomore, is a proven commodity. The transfer from Montana was the top punter at the FCS level in 2021. On 75 career punts, he averaged 45.8 yards.

Nebraska has also welcomed proven return man Trey Palmer out of LSU and cornerback Tommi Hill who returned four kickoffs for 79 yards last year for Arizona State. There were no returns in the spring game, so blocking, tackling and returns are still a total mystery.

But there was some actual kicking. Official stats show Buschini had seven punts for an average of 40.3 yards. He was able to down two inside the 20. On one, he launched a ball into the air that got caught by the wind and plummeted straight down as if it had hit a wall – a definite average-killer.

The place kicking was still a little rough. Chase Contreraz connected on his first field goal attempt of 26 yards but later hooked a 42-yarder wide left.

Gabe Heins shanked a PAT that was not only left of the goal post but the netting behind it. The affair left unexpecting fans ducking and dodging the careening line drive.

On the way is place kicker Timmy Bleekrode, a portal recruit out of Furman. In 2021, Bleekrode was good on 15-of-18 field goals and was 9-for-9 under 40 yards. He will join Nebraska in the fall with three years of eligibility.

One interested spring game spectator was Athletic Director Trev Alberts. As a former player, he knows the importance of special teams and likes what he sees behind the scenes.

“Watching coach Busch outside with the special teams group was great,” Alberts said in mid-April on the “Sports Nightly” radio show. “I even got to watch coach Busch have the punters and kickers doing some sprints, running and conditioning, and I thought, ‘Wow, this is great.’”

By Scottie Spinazola

The grading scale is skewed a bit due to starters and other higher profile newcomers playing only a sliver of the game.
Also, the “thud” format left much to be desired. That being said, here are position grades from the Husker spring game:

QUARTERBACKS – A

Texas transfer and junior quarterback Casey Thompson started the game with the first team, but only played two series and threw four passes, completing three for 31 yards. The outing did not offer much to grade, other than poise in the pocket and short-throw accuracy.

Sophomore Logan Smothers appeared to be running No. 2. After a season where he got to showcase his skills in a few games, Smothers looked rusty in the new system and ended his day 5-for-14 for 46 yards. He had a few nice throws but also a few head-scratchers.
Florida State transfer and redshirt freshman quarterback Chubba Purdy only had a few practices due to a foot injury but looked the most polished of the quarterbacks. He completed five of his 10 passes for 63 yards and added a pair of scrambles for eight yards.
Purdy’s best throw came when he hit redshirt freshman tight end AJ Rollins on a corner route. Purdy fit the ball between two defenders for 27 yards, and Rollins made a nice grab. Purdy also looked fast on his feet. He showed that his future is bright.
Others to get on the field were redshirt freshman Heinrich Haarberg, junior Matt Masker and redshirt freshman Jarrett Synek. Out of that group, Haarberg was the most efficient, going 4-for-7 for 78 yards with a 34-yard TD to redshirt freshman receiver Kamonte Grimes.

Synek had a 42-yard TD pass to redshirt freshman receiver Ty Hahn and also ran for a 16-yard TD.

Overall, it was not fancy and the real offense under Mark Whipple, the new offensive coordinator, wasn’t really on display, but the quarterbacks did what was asked of them and showed savvy and depth. It was a good collective effort.

RUNNING BACKS – A

The thud format pretty much ended any true evaluation, other than to see if the backs knew what they were supposed to do and where they were supposed to go. That said, there was some speed and pass-catching ability on display.

JUCO transfer Anthony Grant showed a good burst and decent speed with a 60-yard touchdown run. He has poise, earned at Florida State and junior college, and made a catch for 15 yards.

It appears, at the moment, there is a solid top three, with a pair of sophomores, Jaquez Yant and Ramir Johnson, and Grant. The format didn’t allow Yant or Johnson to display much.

Running back suddenly looks to be an area of depth. Remember, Gabe Ervin will also be in the mix, as will two incoming freshmen and maybe even well-traveled Markese Stepp.

Those kinds of player numbers indicate that Whipple wants to run and run it hard. Here is where the spring game did offer a glimpse of Whipple’s offense. Outlet passes and two-back sets will give the quarterbacks a big break come fall. No longer will the quarterback be the leading rusher.

RECEIVERS – B

Coach Scott Frost and Whipple said the aerial attack, as well as the bulk of the offensive playbook, would not be divulged. They weren’t kidding. Without a full display by the receivers and a secondary not attacking as it would in a real game, a higher grade here would be misleading and, frankly, unearned. That doesn’t mean these guys won’t live up to the hype.

LSU transfer Trey Palmer and senior Omar Manning all but had the day off. New Mexico State transfer Isaiah Garcia-Castaneda did have the day off. Oliver Martin grabbed one ball. Alante Brown caught none. The top receivers were not the highlight of the game, but some younger players showed well.

Young tight ends did too. Rollins and redshirt freshman tight end Nate Boerkircher finished the game with four and two catches. With arguably the top four tight ends out due to injury, the two younger Huskers stepped up.
A lot will be expected out of the tight ends in the new offensive scheme.

OFFENSIVE LINE – C+

The offensive struggles in the first half could have been because the offense was not attacking, nor showing much, but the line playing without sophomore tackles Teddy Prochazka and Turner Corcoran definitely did not help. New offensive line coach Donovan Raiola will need to get this group up to speed once fall rolls around.
The line’s pass protection is what brought down its grade. The run blocking seemed to be coming along nicely. As the game went on, the run game started to show. That might be because the thud drills were over, but still, there was some good work being done.

DEFENSIVE LINE – A

The defensive front applied constant pressure and did a good job of shedding blockers and clogging holes in the first half.

The quarterbacks were rarely comfortable. The tackles were able to apply pressure and the ends would contain. Junior outside linebacker Garret Nelson found a home in the quarterback’s personal space. In the middle, the most notable player was sophomore Nash Hutmacher, who, at 6-foot-4, 325 pounds, was a disrupting presence. Sophomore Ty Robinson, at 6-6, 305, was also a handful. Some bad news for Nebraska came about 11 days after the game when junior Casey Rogers (6-5, 295) announced he was entering the portal. That makes depth even more of a concern, giving more weight to Frost saying that if the right lineman is available, NU would be active in the portal.

LINEBACKERS – A

This group had nine of the top 10 leading tacklers in the game. That’s a hollow stat, considering that for a half, a touch was considered a tackle, but it shows the ’backers were in the right spots and shedding some blocks.
The leader of the group was a bigger and faster Nelson, who finished with two tackles and two sacks.
Redshirt freshman outside linebacker Jimari Butler could be a factor going forward. He had six tackles, a sack, a tackle for loss and one quarterback hurry, and his speed was evident.

DEFENSIVE BACKS – C+

Because of the format in the first half, it’s hard to get a read on this position. Here is how Frost put it: “I thought the DBs played well. Quinton Newsome had a good day, he had a really good spring, and we are going to have to count on him. He’s been the No. 2 guy for us a couple years here and he needs to step up. Myles Farmer needs to step up in the backend. Those two need to transition from following to leading.”

There is lots of talent and length at the corner and safety spots, but it was difficult to tell from the spring game how ready they are.

SPECIAL TEAMS

A work in progress. A 63-yard punt received the first loud roar of the day. Other than that, there was little to see here, thus the non-grade. It’s no secret that special teams need dramatic improvement.

Spring Game Offers Grand Stage for Attracting Prospects

By Scottie Spinazola

Glorified “thud” drills standing in for the spring game may not have impressed some long-time Husker fans, but a certain set of other visitors didn’t seem to mind.

As potential recruits for the 2023, 2024 and 2025 classes filed into Memorial Stadium April 9, what they saw were 55,000 fans enjoying football on a sunny day in April.

That doesn’t happen everywhere.

The athletic department used the moment to show off the football team’s newest additions – the 2022 class – with highlight videos on the big screen.

The stadium roared. The throng of visiting prospects took note.

One of them was five-star quarterback Dylan Raiola, currently going into his junior season at Chandler High in Arizona after playing his sophomore season at Burleson High in Texas.

Raiola, at 6-foot-3 and 225 pounds, is the No. 1-ranked recruit nationally for 2024 and is being pursued by every school confident enough to throw its hat into the ring.

The name is familiar to Husker fans, of course. Dylan is the son of former Husker great Dominic Raiola and nephew of Nebraska offensive line coach Donovan Raiola. Dylan and Donovan did connect on the field and shared some laughs as the youngster showed off his best offensive lineman impression.

Athletic Director Trev Alberts and Raiola seemed chummy as they walked down the tunnel and onto the field from the same gate the players use. The fans roared.

Later, Raiola could be seen talking with fans, posing for pictures and even holding someone’s baby.

Another player who drew plenty of eyeballs was Ochaun Mathis, a 6-5, 235-pound edge rusher who was twice named All-Big 12 at TCU but is now looking for a new team.

For most of the pregame festivities, Mathis stood at midfield and soaked in the atmosphere. An occasional visit from Alberts resulted in shared laughs and smiles.

After the game, coach Scott Frost said that indeed the Huskers would be looking to add pieces to the defensive line “if the right ones are available.” Presumably, Mathis fits that definition well.

Charles Fryar Listened to Osborne and Became All-Big Eight

By Shane G. Gilster

Charles Fryar had planned to follow in cousin Irving Fryar’s footsteps to play wingback at Nebraska. Irving is still considered the best true receiver to ever play for the Huskers. He was an All-American in 1983 and the first overall pick in the 1984 NFL Draft.

Charles didn’t get recruiting attention just because of his famous cousin. He made a name for himself at Burlington City High School in New Jersey.

As a senior, he excelled on both sides of the ball. He was an all-state and All-American tailback rushing for 1,600 yards and scoring 32 touchdowns. On defense he intercepted nine passes as a safety.

Schools like Penn State, UCLA, Colorado, Texas and Oklahoma all were interested in Fryar, but it came down to Iowa State and Nebraska.

“I had three shoe boxes full of handwritten letters,” Fryar said about his recruitment. “If I would have had the grades, I would have been more highly recruited, but a lot of schools backed away because of my grades.”

ISU went all out and made a last-ditch effort to win Fryar over with assistant coach Dave Campo sleeping outside Fryar’s home the night before signing day.

“I took my official visit to Ames, Iowa, and I liked it there,” Fryar said. “I had a great relationship with coach Campo. He was honest, and Iowa State had an All-American receiver (Tracy Henderson) who was a 1,000-yard receiver in 1983. They wanted me to play wide receiver and said they are going to get me the ball 15 times a game.”

But in the end, family won Fryar over to Nebraska.

“Irving would come back to New Jersey and help Nebraska recruit me. Irving told me that I was going to go to Nebraska, and that is that. He didn’t want to hear about any other school,” said Fryar, who was the first in his family to go to college. “My mom asked me if I thought I was one of the best players in the country and I said, ‘yes’ and she said, ‘Who is the best team in the country?’ And at the time Nebraska was rated No. 1 in the nation in 1983.”

Fryar signed with the Huskers and, because of his grades, walked-on. NU coach Tom Osborne didn’t want to risk losing Fryar to a junior college where he could end up getting recruited by other schools. So Osborne promised him that if he got his grades up in the first semester, he would be put on scholarship soon after.

Fryar would redshirt that 1984 season to work on his grades and he earned his scholarship. Then the following year, Osborne approached him about moving from wingback to cornerback. He told Fryar that if he would make the switch, he would likely be at the top of the depth chart to begin the 1986 season.

Fryar then went to the office of defensive backs coach George Darlington, who showed him how much money the top NFL cornerbacks were making and that he could help Fryar reach that level someday.

“I went back to my room and busted out in tears,” Fryar said. “I called home and told my mom to call coach Campo and tell him I was coming to Iowa State. My mom asked me what was wrong and I told her that they (NU coaches) took the ball out of my hands and moved me to defensive back. My mom calmed me down and told me if I can’t be the best receiver they got then be the best cornerback they got.”

So Fryar made the transition to defense and played on the 1985 freshman team. He led the 5-0 squad in tackles showcasing the ability that Osborne thought he had to be a cornerback.

Staying true to his word, when fall practice began in 1986, Osborne penciled Fryar’s name in atop the depth chart at one of the cornerback spots.

Fryar didn’t let Osborne down as he was fifth on the team and first in the secondary in total tackles (52) and tied for the team lead in interceptions (3). He tied the school single-season mark for pass breakups with eight.

“It was a hard and easy transition to cornerback,” Fryar said. “My first introduction to bump and run coverage was in practice against Ray Nelson. He spun me like a top but the next time I backed up and read him. I studied film and watched the top cornerbacks in the NFL. I went film crazy and would study the receivers in order pick up on their signs and when they would get the ball. I would remember their tendencies and things I used to do when I played offense.”

Fryar and the Husker defense went up against some of the nation’s best receivers: Keith Jackson of Oklahoma, Hart Lee Dykes of Oklahoma State and Willie Anderson of UCLA, to name a few. But the toughest were a pair of wideouts from South Carolina – Sterling Sharpe and Ryan Bethea. Fryar and his teammates had to deal with them in 1986 and again in 1987.

“Sharpe could do whatever he wanted to against us,” Fryar said. “They also had Bethea who was a big, physical receiver. One time he was blocking me and took me all the way to the bench.”

But the Huskers would beat the Gamecocks in both of those games and kept NU in the national title race until later in the year when they faced their nemesis, the Oklahoma Sooners.

“Whenever we played Oklahoma, we were wound up too tight,” Fryar said. “That was one of coach Osborne’s Achilles’ heels because he was trying to keep Nebraska’s and his image. He wanted us to play a certain way. When we played Oklahoma, they played loose and were allowed to celebrate. If we got an interception, we had to give the ball to the referee and get back into the huddle. We couldn’t even high-five after a good play.

“In 1986 we had Oklahoma beat but they came back to win because we tightened up,” Fryar said. “If you look at Oklahoma, you saw Keith Jackson and Jamelle Holieway smiling and having fun and we are the ones up 17-7 in the fourth quarter and aren’t acting like that.”

Fryar felt both the ’86 and ’87 teams had the ability to win the national championship.

“We reminisce as teammates and how we could have won a game with just two or three plays and then we would play for the national title,” Fryar said. “Our 1986 team was the best when I was there. We had a top defense. There was no way we shouldn’t have won the national championship. I always say that if Doug DuBose wouldn’t have gotten hurt, we would have won it. He was the type of player they had at Oklahoma; you need a couple of those types of players who could talk the talk and walk the walk. Broderick (Thomas) was like that, myself, Dana Brinson, LeRoy Etienne; but we could never show it.”

The 1987 season was also one when the big prize got away. The Huskers entered the season ranked No. 2 behind Oklahoma, but Fryar and the Blackshirt defense didn’t look national championship caliber in their nonconference games against UCLA, Arizona State and South Carolina. NU gave up an average of 27 points per game but they still won. It wasn’t until their game in Stillwater against No. 12 Oklahoma State that the Blackshirts finally put it all together in a 35-0 statement win over the undefeated Cowboys.
Fryar preserved the shutout with a second quarter interception. The Cowboys drove to the NU 2-yard line. Fryar was one-on-one against OSU receiver Ronnie Williams. The 5-foot-10 Fryar outleaped the 6-4 Williams for the ball in the corner of the end zone.
Fryar said the Blackshirts were fired up for the game against the Cowboys. OSU coach Pat Jones said his team could score 50 points on anybody. Then the night before the game, heated words were exchanged when both teams went to the same movie theater.

Thurman Thomas, a Heisman Trophy candidate and the nation’s leading rusher who entered the game with an average of 140 yards per game, was quoted as saying, “You all don’t have one man on the defense that can stop me one-on-one.”

“We held Thomas to seven yards that day and I said after the game that Thurman’s number 34 means 3 plus 4 equals 7,” Fryar said, laughing.

Nebraska was on track to have its first undefeated regular season since 1983 and was looking to play Miami in the Orange Bowl for the national championship. But in a battle of No. 1 and No. 2, the top-ranked Huskers lost to the Sooners 17-7. Fryar had a season-high eight tackles in that game and was a second-team All-Big Eight selection.

The Huskers were once again ranked No. 2 entering Fryar’s senior season in 1988. After a disappointing loss to UCLA in the second game of the season, NU got back on track and faced Oklahoma State once again. This time the No. 10 Cowboys didn’t have Thomas but had someone better – Barry Sanders.

“Oklahoma State was the best offense I faced at Nebraska because Barry Sanders alone was an offense in itself,” Fryar said. “In the game in Lincoln, I hit Barry one time on the thigh and everything went numb so I was thinking I flipped him over or he went down, but I looked up and he was still running and shaking. He was unbelievable.”

Amazingly Nebraska led 35-0 after the first quarter and won the game in a shootout, 63-42, but Sanders rushed for 189 yards on 35 carries, the fourth-highest total allowed by a Nebraska team.

For the second year in a row, Fryar once again made a game-changing interception against the Cowboys. With NU up 7-0, he picked off an OSU pass and returned it 86 yards for a touchdown.

Fryar, who was a first team All-Big Eight cornerback, finally beat Oklahoma and got his Big Eight championship that season, but NU ended the season with a disappointing loss against Miami in the Orange Bowl. The Blackshirts played well in a 23-3 loss, with Fryar recording two interceptions and seven tackles. NBC named him NU’s most valuable player in the game.

Despite his performance against the Hurricanes, Fryar was undrafted but signed as a free agent with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was on the team for one year before the Steelers sent him to the World Football League.

“When I went to the NFL, I had the wrong impression on what it would be like,” said Fryar who left NU tied for the school record in career pass breakups. “I was coming from Nebraska, a top college football program, and thought I would get a lot of playing time. I was a Blackshirt and big-headed. I got away from the things I was accustomed to doing. Instead of watching film and staying in Pittsburgh, I would go home because New Jersey was close by.”

Fryar played for the Barcelona Dragons for three years and then after the World League folded, went to the Canadian Football League with the Sacramento Gold Miners for one season.

“I tore my hamstring and that was it,” said Fryar of his professional football career. “So I came back to Nebraska, graduated in 2000 with a degree in human resources and got into coaching as an undergrad assistant with Frank Solich for two and a half years.”
Fryar has stayed in the coaching profession, going back to New Jersey and coaching at Burlington City High School where his sons played football.

“I didn’t pressure my kids to play football but they wanted to play and had to live in my shadow at Burlington City High School,” said the 56-year old Fryar. “My son, Tyree, played at Chadron State as a safety and made the Omaha World-Herald All-Nebraska Division II First Team. My other son, Christian, played ball in California.”

Fryar is now at Nottingham High School where he coaches football and teaches special education. He is hopeful to someday return to the college ranks.

“I want to get in contact with Trev Alberts and see if there is something NU can do to help former Huskers get back into the coaching profession,” Fryar said.