The greatest football player to face the Huskers in Lincoln?

[808Husker in KCMO]

Ricky Williams put on a show in 1998. An amazing display of individual talent.

[jayhawk]

Bary Sanders played there (as mentioned)....

 

Oct. 15, 1988 (at Nebraska) Newbraska won 63-42 34 rushes 189 yards 4 TDs; at the time, the 4th-most rushing yards against any Nebraska team.

 

When you consider how otherwise outmatched these guys were (Gundy and Hart Lee were good, but this team was an 11-1 NU team (also lost bowl game) that was undefeated in the Big 8 and finished ranked #10... Oklahoma State was ranked right behind the Huskers, and that was a lot of Barry (and a little of the other guys), as they only won 4 games the next year with him gone...

 

P.S. I have never seen a team fight back from 42-0 like that, they still easily lost... Their poor defense was just completely out of their depth.

 

Pretty crazy skills by Barry huh? I just like how he would always flip the ball the ref...I wish more guys would do that.

 

Me too. He seems like a class act. He sure represented himself really well in everything I ever saw... He was a .0001% er

[jayhawk]

This may be a bit of a stretch for some/most, but I'm going to go with Darian Hagan. I can't remember a player with more dominance over us. In his three years as starter, his Big 8 win/loss was 20–0–1. In 1990, CU came into our house ranked #9 while we were ranked #3. They completely dominated us in the 4th quarter. While our teams in the late 80's and early 90's weren't all that exceptional, Hagan and CU had our number. Hagan was also only the 6th QB at the time in D1 to rush for 1000 and pass for a 1000 in a season. He was the leader of CU and led them to their one and only NC.

 

While my opinion may differ, that was a well stated case for a not so obvious choice. Good points. I hate to admit it, but I did not even think of him.

[REDSTEEL]

This may be a bit of a stretch for some/most, but I'm going to go with Darian Hagan. I can't remember a player with more dominance over us. In his three years as starter, his Big 8 win/loss was 20–0–1. In 1990, CU came into our house ranked #9 while we were ranked #3. They completely dominated us in the 4th quarter. While our teams in the late 80's and early 90's weren't all that exceptional, Hagan and CU had our number. Hagan was also only the 6th QB at the time in D1 to rush for 1000 and pass for a 1000 in a season. He was the leader of CU and led them to their one and only NC.

Could argue that Jamelle Holieway was just as good along with Charles Thompson.

[junior4949]

A strong case could be make for Holieway. I chose Hagan over him because Hagan was a starter for three years, won the one and only NC in CU history, and I don't recall him ever missing a game to injury. Holieway did win a NC his true freshman year which I believe is still a record. However, he only started roughly 60% of their games that year after Troy Aikman went down to injury. While Holieway did play, he was spectacular. However, he was very injury prone his junior and senior seasons which is why Thompson came in and started for him. Thompson only played two years at OU before being busted with cocaine. In those two years, he managed to lose to Nebraska. In his loss to Nebraska, Thompson and the OU offense did something they hadn't done since 1942: put the ball in the end zone.

 

Holieway and Thompson potentially could have been as good or better than Hagan, but they weren't either due to injury or prison. This is why I gave the nod to Hagan over them. There are still people out there that claim Holieway was the greatest option QB ever. I didn't put him as the best because he just wasn't able to stay healthy.

[knapplc]

Junior, your criteria for "greatest" is pretty weak for Darian Hagan. By that criteria Trent Dilfer would be "the best" quarterback to play at several pro stadiums because he rarely got injured, won a Super Bowl for Baltimore, and started there for a couple of years. I can think of a good dozen quarterbacks who were better than Darian Hagan off the top of my head.

[junior4949]

Junior, your criteria for "greatest" is pretty weak for Darian Hagan. By that criteria Trent Dilfer would be "the best" quarterback to play at several pro stadiums because he rarely got injured, won a Super Bowl for Baltimore, and started there for a couple of years. I can think of a good dozen quarterbacks who were better than Darian Hagan off the top of my head.

 

I'm all eyes waiting to see your list of 12 QB's who are better than Hagan, accomplished more than Hagan, and played against Nebraska in Lincoln. Like I initially stated, I'm sure he's a stretch pick for some. However, he never lost a conference game and he guided his team to their one and only NC in school history. I don't know where CU's defense was ranked back then, but CU's D did give up just shy of 18 points per game (17.6) in 1990 when they won the NC. There were only two other teams that finished the season in the top ten that gave up more points per game than they did. When Dilfer won his Super Bowl, Baltimore had the #1 defense in the NFL. They won the Super Bowl because of defense as they only gave up 152 yards which was the third lowest in history, and they forced five turnovers.

 

I realize there are better QB's than Hagan that have played college football. However, I can't think of one that played in Lincoln, Nebraska and accomplished more in their college careers than Hagan did.

[skersfan]

Tim Ratay and Culpepper lit us up pretty good if I remember correctly. If we are looking at who played the best against us, they are in the picture, but the best player to ever set foot on this field was Gale Sayers, I do not know what his stats were against us, but everytime a professional is mentioned he is at the top or near. I would say Saunders would be second.

[bshirt]

I can't remember his name but that vicious Dlineman Washington had in the early 90s was simply incredible. He threw our pancaking Olinemen around like rag dolls. Gawd, I hated that guy.

[VA Husker Fan]

Steve Emtman, yes, he belongs among the best to play in Lincoln.

[BeachBuffs]

I am going with Eric Bieniemy, 137 yards rushing 4 touchdowns all in the 4th quarter after he had fumbled 4 times previously. He made a great statement about overcomming adversity in some of the crappiest weather I have ever seen in a football game, rain and sleet all day long. Nebraska was ranked #2 in the nation that day as well, so I believe EB makes a strong case as one of the best performances in Lincoln. He may not have been the sexiest player that ever played but he stepped up when it was needed most that day. Hagan by contrast that day ended up with -1 yard in rushing.

[VA Husker Fan]

I thought the topic was the best football player to play vs. us in Lincoln, not the best performer against us in Lincoln. That's why Bieniemy hasn't been mentioned.

[BeachBuffs]

I thought the topic was the best football player to play vs. us in Lincoln, not the best performer against us in Lincoln. That's why Bieniemy hasn't been mentioned.

 

Ahh I didn't realize it was a worthless list of who's who to make it big in the NFL but played like sh#t in Memorial list, I stand corrected.

[VA Husker Fan]

I thought the topic was the best football player to play vs. us in Lincoln, not the best performer against us in Lincoln. That's why Bieniemy hasn't been mentioned.

 

Ahh I didn't realize it was a worthless list of who's who to make it big in the NFL but played like sh#t in Memorial list, I stand corrected.

What's with the 'tude?

 

I don't think making it big in the NFL is necessary, nor did many of these guys play poorly in Memorial stadium. Nor is this list worthless by any means. It's neat to think of the great opponents we faced, whether they did well or not in Lincoln.

 

A list of guys who had great performances in Lincoln would be another neat list. Start a new thread. Guys like Bieniemy and Wilder belong on that list, as well as Sanders, Grange, Selmon, etc.

[Joe_5700]

Sam Keller!! There were many games where I thought that he was the best player on the other team!!

Wha....???? Keller was fine at Nebraska. He threw for 2,400 yards, 14 TDs and 10 INTs. Three years after this kid comes here, plays his heart out, behaves like a total class act, supports his team, and becomes Joe Ganz' biggest cheerleader after his injury, people still need to throw the guy under the bus? For what?

 

I have never understood the Keller hate. The coach made a decision to play him, so what was he supposed to do, say no? Sam Keller wasn't the problem on the 2007 team, not by a long shot.

 

Knapplc, how quickly you forgot about the infamous cup throwing incident in the parking lot!