2016 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team

2016 Nebraska Cornhuskers football
Conference	Big Ten Conference West Division
2016 record	0–0 (0–0 Big Ten)
Head coach	Mike Riley (2nd year)
Offensive coordinator	Danny Langsdorf (2nd year)
Offensive scheme	Multiple
Defensive coordinator	Mark Banker (2nd year)
Base defense	4–3
Home stadium	Memorial Stadium (Capacity: 87,091)

2016 Big Ten football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
East Division
Indiana		0	–	0					0	–	0
Maryland		0	–	0					0	–	0
Michigan		0	–	0					0	–	0
Michigan State		0	–	0					0	–	0
Ohio State		0	–	0					0	–	0
Penn State		0	–	0					0	–	0
Rutgers		0	–	0					0	–	0
West Division
Illinois		0	–	0					0	–	0
Iowa		0	–	0					0	–	0
Minnesota		0	–	0					0	–	0
Nebraska		0	–	0					0	–	0
Northwestern		0	–	0					0	–	0
Purdue		0	–	0					0	–	0
Wisconsin		0	–	0					0	–	0
Championship: December 3, 2016
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions Rankings from AP Poll

The 2016 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team will represent the University of Nebraska in the 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team will be coached by second year head coach Mike Riley and play their home games at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska. They are members of the West Division of the Big Ten Conference.

Previous season and offseason

Main article: 2015 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team

In the 2015 Nebraska Cornhuskers football season, the team finished 5-7 in the regular season, their 39-38 win over playoff team Michigan State being the most notable. The Cornhuskers went to the Foster Farms Bowl, despite being not bowl eligible, and beat UCLA 37-29. The team finished 4th in the Big Ten West division at the end of the season.

Departures

The offensive line had 7 departures, prompting heavy recruiting of offensive line players out of high school. Departures included:

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Notes
Maliek Collins	#7	DT	6'2	300	Junior	Kansas City, MO	Left early for NFL Draft
Greg McMullen	#90	DT	6'5	300	Junior	Akron, OH	Retired from football
Vincent Valentine	#98	DT	6'3	320	Junior	Edwardsville, IL	Left early for NFL Draft
Taariq Allen	#7	WR	6'3	200	Senior	Weston, MA	Graduated
Tyson Broekemeier	#9	QB/P	6'1	200	Senior	Aurora, NE	Graduated
Sam Burtch	#9	WR	6'3	200	Senior	Murdock, NE	Graduated
Jamal Turner	#10	WR	6'1	190	Senior	Arlington, TX	Graduated
Johnathan Rose	#14	CB	6'1	195	Senior	Leeds, AL	Dismissed from team
Joe Keels	#19	DE	6'3	265	Senior	Kenosha, WI	Graduated
Anthony Ridder	#22	DB	6'2	205	Senior	West Point, NE	Graduated
Daniel Davie	#23	CB	6'1	190	Senior	Beatrice, NE	Graduated
Byerson Cockrell	#28	DB	6'0	185	Senior	Columbus, MS	Graduated
Imani Cross	#32	IB	6'1	240	Senior	Gainesville, GA	Graduated
Andy Janovich	#35	FB	6'1	230	Senior	Gretna, NE	Graduated
Zach Sterup	#57	OL	6'8	320	Senior	Hastings, NE	Graduated
Matt Finnin	#59	OL	6'7	305	Senior	Crete, IL	Graduated
Ryne Reeves	#65	OL	6'3	300	Senior	Crete, NE	Graduated
Chongo Kondolo	#70	OL	6'4	300	Senior	Carrollton, TX	Graduated
Alex Lewis	#71	OL	6'6	290	Senior	Tempe, AZ	Graduated
Chris Long	#75	OL	6'4	300	Senior	Blair, NE	Graduated
Givens Price	#78	OL	6'4	310	Senior	Houston, TX	Graduated
David Sutton	#86	TE	6'3	255	Senior	Lincoln, NE	Graduated
Jack Gangwish	#95	DE	6'2	265	Senior	Wood River, NE	Graduated

Transfers

Name	Number	Pos.	Destination
Lane Hovey	#13	WR	Montana
Garrett McKay	#33	LB	unknown
Trai Mosley	#2	CB	Central Arkansas
Garrett Poppen	#54	LB	Nebraska–Kearney
Jordan Stevenson	#2	RB	Navarro JC
Adrienne Talan	#13	LB	Navarro JC
Kevin Williams	#92	DT	Michigan State
Paul Thurston	#55	C	TBD (Grad. transfer)

Coaching departures

Name	Pos.	Destination	Replacement
Hank Hughes	DL Coach	unknown	John Parrella

Incoming transfers

Name	Number	Pos.	Previous School	Year
Tanner Lee*	#13	QB	Tulane	Junior
Keyan Williams**	#9	WR	Fresno State	Sophomore

*Player is not eligible to play in 2016 season due to transfer regulations
**Son of Nebraska WR coach Keith Williams

2016 Recruiting class

Position key

Back	B		Center	C		Cornerback	CB		Defensive back	DB
Defensive end	DE		Defensive lineman	DL		Defensive tackle	DT		End	E
Fullback	FB		Guard	G		Halfback	HB		Kicker	K
Kickoff returner	KR		Offensive tackle	OT		Offensive lineman	OL		Linebacker	LB
Long snapper	LS		Punter	P		Punt returner	PR		Quarterback	QB
Running back	RB		Safety	S		Tight end	TE		Wide receiver	WR

Nebraska Football 2016 Recruiting Class

Name	Home town	High school / college	Height	Weight	40‡	Commit date
Quayshon Alexander LB	Wayne, NJ	De Paul Catholic	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	230 lb (100 kg)	-	Jun 19, 2015
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 80
DiCaprio Bootle CB	Miami, FL	Miami Killian HS	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	-	Jun 16, 2015
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 75
Bryan Brokop OT	New Lenox, IL	Lincoln Way West	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	273 lb (124 kg)	-	Sep 27, 2014
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 79
Tre Bryant RB	Saint Louis, MO	Christian Brothers College HS	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	198 lb (90 kg)	4.53	Nov 8, 2015
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 75
Tony Butler CB	Lakewood, OH	St. Edward	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	-	Jan 20, 2016
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 79
Marquel Dismuke S	Calabasas, CA	Calabasas	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	-	Jun 15, 2015
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 83
JoJo Domann DB	Colorado Springs, CO	Pine Creek	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	-	Jun 26, 2015
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 77
David Engelhaupt TE	Norfolk, NE	Norfolk Catholic	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	235 lb (107 kg)	-	Feb 2, 2016
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN: N/A   ESPN grade: N/A
Matt Farniok OT	Sioux Falls, SD	Washington	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	297 lb (135 kg)	-	Jan 27, 2016
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 81
Lamar Jackson DB	Elk Grove, CA	Franklin	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	205.5 lb (93.2 kg)	-	Feb 2, 2016
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 84
Pernell Jefferson LB	New Orleans, LA	Warren Easton	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	235 lb (107 kg)	-	Jan 23, 2016
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 74
Caleb Lightbourn P/PK	Camas, WA	Camas	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	214 lb (97 kg)	-	Nov 28, 2015
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 74
Collin Miller LB	Fishers, IN	Hamilton Southeastern	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	-	Jan 24, 2016
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 72
Patrick O'Brien QB	San Juan Capistrano, CA	San Juan Hills	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	-	May 1, 2015
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 79
John Raridon OG	West Des Moines, IA	Valley	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	258 lb (117 kg)	-	Sep 28, 2015
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 83
Greg Simmons LB	Fort Pierce, FL	Fort Pierce	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	-	Jun 25, 2015
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 79
JD Spielman WR	Eden Prairie, MN	Eden Prairie	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	-	Aug 15, 2015
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 78
Ben Stille DL	Ashland, NE	Ashland-Greenwood	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	235 lb (107 kg)	-	Jun 13, 2015
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 76
Jack Stoll TE	Aurora, CO	Regis Jesuit	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	-	Jun 24, 2015
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 79
Boe Wilson OG	Lee's Summit, MO	Lee's Summit	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	290 lb (130 kg)	-	Jul 6, 2015
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 78
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 28   Rivals: 25  247Sports: 24  ESPN: 26
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources:

Walk-on recruits

Name	Home town	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Chafin, Ty WR	Burwell, NE	Burwell	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	200 lb (91 kg)
	Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN: N/A
Hamik, Creighton LB	Kearney, NE	Kearney Catholic	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	210 lb (95 kg)
	Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN: N/A
Hass, Tanner ATH	West Point, NE	Guardian Angels CC	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	195 lb (88 kg)
	Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN: N/A
Hohenstein, Branden LB	Jackson, NE	Bishop Heelan	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	205 lb (93 kg)
	Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN: N/A
Honas, Todd WR	Aurora, NE	Aurora	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	200 lb (91 kg)
	Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN: N/A
Hunt, Tavlin LB	Lincoln, NE	North Star	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	215 lb (98 kg)
	Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN: N/A
Jordan, Grant LB	Omaha, NE	Westside	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	205 lb (93 kg)
	Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN: N/A
Jordan, Spencer FB	Omaha, NE	Westside	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	215 lb (98 kg)
	Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN: N/A
Sullivan, Eli DB	Longmont, CO	Longmont	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	190 lb (86 kg)
	Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources:

National signing day was on Wednesday, February 3, 2016.

Returning starters

Offense

Player	Class	Position
Tommy Armstrong Jr.	Senior	Quarterback
Terrell Newby	Senior	Running back
Jordan Westerkamp	Senior	Wide receiver
Brandon Reilly	Senior	Wide receiver
Cethan Carter	Senior	Tight end
Dylan Utter	Senior	Guard
Nick Gates	Sophomore	Offensive tackle
Ryker Fyfe	Senior	Quarterback
Devine Ozigbo	Sophomore	Running back
De'Mornay Pierson-El	Junior	Wide receiver
Stanley Morgan Jr.	Sophomore	Wide receiver
Sam Cotton	Senior	Tight end
Reference:

Defense

Player	Class	Position
Mick Stoltenberg	Sophomore	Defensive tackle
Kevin Maurice	Senior	Defensive tackle
Freedom Akinmoladun	Sophomore	Defensive end
Dedrick Young	Sophomore	Linebacker
Josh Banderas	Senior	Linebacker
Marcus Newby	Junior	Linebacker
Joshua Kalu	Junior	Cornerback
Chris Jones	Junior	Cornerback
Aaron Williams	Sophomore	Strong safety
Nate Gerry	Senior	Free safety
Ross Dzuris	Senior	Defensive end
Michael Rose-Ivey	Senior	Linebacker
Chris Weber	Junior	Linebacker
Tyrin Ferguson	Sophomore	Linebacker
Luke Gifford	Sophomore	Linebacker
Boaz Joseph	Junior	Cornerback
Kieron Williams	Junior	Free safety
Antonio Reed	Sophomore	Free safety
Reference:

Special teams

Player	Class	Position
Drew Brown	Junior	Kicker
Sam Foltz	Senior	Punter
Reference:

Spring practice

2016 Red—White Spring Game

1 2 3 4 Total • White 8 8 5 25 46 Red 11 12 10 8 41 Location: Lincoln, Nebraska Game start: 1:00 PM Game attendance: 72,992 Television network: BTN2Go Sources:

Scoring summary 1 Red Terrell Newby 23-yard run Red 1–0 1 Red Devine Ozigbo 22-yard run Red 2–0 1 Red Three consecutive first downs Red 3–0 1 Red Terrell Newby 1-yard touchdown run (Drew Brown kick) Red 10–0 1 White Three and out Red 10–2 1 White Stop before 40-yard line (forced punt) Red 10–3 1 White Stop before 40-yard line (forced punt) Red 10–4 1 White Stop before 40 yard line (forced punt) Red 10–5 1 White Three and out Red 10–7 1 White Stop before 40-yard line (forced punt) Red 10–8 1 Red Fourth down conversion Red 11–8 2 White Red team (Drew Brown) missed 50 yard field goal, hit crossbar Red 11–11 2 Red Tommy Armstrong Jr. 44-yard run Red 12–11 2 Red Mikale Wilbon 6-yard touchdown run (Drew Brown kick) Red 19–11 2 White Freedom Akinmoladun and Carlos Davis sack of Ryker Fyfe Red 19–13 2 White Stop before 40-yard line (forced punt) Red 19–14 2 Red Ryker Fyfe 25-yard pass to Sam Cotton Red 20–14 2 White Fourth down stop Red 20–16 2 Red Drew Brown 47-yard field goal Red 23–16 3 Red Three consecutive first downs Red 24–16 3 Red Tommy Armstrong Jr. 37-yard touchdown run Red 31–16 3 White Three and out Red 31–18 3 White Stop before 40-yard line (forced punt) Red 31–19 3 Red Ryker Fyfe 22-yard pass to Wyatt Mazour Red 32–19 3 White Fourth down stop Red 32–21 3 Red Three consecutive first downs Red 33–21 4 White Fourth down stop Red 33–23 4 White Joel Lopez sack of Patrick O'Brien Red 33–25 4 White Stop before 40-yard line (forced punt) Red 33–26 4 White Fourth down stop Red 33–28 4 White Fourth down stop Red 33–30 4 White Fourth down stop Red 33–30 4 White Stop before 40-yard line (forced punt) Red 33–31 4 White Three and out Tied 33–33 4 Red Fourth down conversion Red 34–33 4 Red Austin Rose 23-yard run Red 35–33 4 Red Austin Rose 7-yard touchdown run Red 41–33 4 White Fourth down stop Red 41–35 4 White Three and out Red 41–38 4 White Fourth down stop Red 41–40 4 White Stop before 40-yard line (forced punt) Tied 41–41 4 White Kyle Kasun interception as time expired White 46–41

72,992 fans attended the Nebraska spring game, continuing the streak of 60,000+ in attendance for Nebraska spring games since 2008. At the end of the game, Kyle Kasun intercepted the ball as the time expired, allowing the white team to win. The final score was White 46–41. Tommy Armstrong Jr., Ryker Fyfe and Patrick O'Brien all started at quarterback for team Red.

Schedule

Nebraska announced its 2016 football schedule on July 11, 2013. The 2016 schedule consists of 7 home and 5 away games in the regular season. The Cornhuskers will host Big Ten opponents Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, and Purdue, and will travel to Indiana, Iowa, Northwestern, Ohio State, and Wisconsin.

The team will host all three of the non–conference games which are against the Fresno State Bulldogs and the Wyoming Cowboys both from the Mountain West Conference, and the Oregon Ducks from the Pac-12 Conference (PAC-12). This will be Nebraska's 7th game against Oregon, and head coach Mike Riley's 13th overall game against Oregon, as he previously coached for Oregon rival Oregon State.

Date	Time	Opponent#	Rank#	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 3	7:00 PM	Fresno State*		Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE	BTN
September 10		Wyoming*		Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE
September 17		Oregon*		Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE
September 24	6:30 PM	at Northwestern		Ryan Field • Evanston, IL	BTN
October 1	2:30 PM	Illinois		Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE
October 15	2:30 PM	at Indiana		Memorial Stadium • Bloomington, IN
October 22		Purdue		Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE
October 29	6:00 PM	at Wisconsin		Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI (Freedom Trophy)	ABC, ESPN, -or- ESPN2
November 5	7:00 PM	at Ohio State		Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH	ABC, ESPN, -or- ESPN2
November 12	6:30 PM	Minnesota		Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE ($5 Bits of Broken Chair Trophy)	BTN
November 19		Maryland		Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE
November 25		at Iowa		Kinnick Stadium • Iowa City, IA (Heroes Game)
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Central Time.

Schedule Source:

Rankings

Further information: 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. ( ) = First place votes.

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Final
AP
Coaches'
CFP	Not released															Not released