1983 Kickoff Classic
NU 44 - Penn State 6
(Thanks to the Husker Press Box Big Red Anthology for the history) 

East Rutherford, New Jersey (August 29,1983) -It was sweet revenge for the Nebraska Cornhuskers as they avenged their only loss of the 1982 season in a Kickoff Classic rematch with Penn State.
     It was the inaugural Kickoff Classic game matching number one ranked Nebraska and number four ranked Penn State, but it was Nebraska putting on the classic performance.
     Nebraska scored on two of their first three possessions to grab a 14-0 first quarter lead and never looked back. The Huskers added a second quarter TD pass from Nate Mason to Todd Frain and even had the defense get in on the action in the third quarter when Mike Knox returned an interception 27 yards for a TD. Penn State was able to avoid a shut out with just 20 seconds left in the game to make the final score 44-6. It was PSU coach Joe Paterno's worst loss in his 18 year tenure.
     Mike Rozier led all rushers with 71 yards on 16 carries while QB Turner Gill had a fabulous day hitting 11 of 14 passes for 158 yards.

East Rutherford, NJ  - Aug 27, 1988.  Playing in their second pre-season match up, the second ranked Huskers used a stiff defense to defeat the number ten ranked Texas A&M Aggies 23-14 in the Kickoff Classic.
     Both teams showed their defensive might in the game's first half as A&M managed only one touchdown in the first half and the Huskers tallied only a 44 yard Chris Barrios field goal in the second period. Nebraska's offense found their legs in the second half while the defense continued to shut down A&M's multifaceted offense.
     Barrios added a second Husker field goal in the third period to pull the score to 7-6 midway through the period. The Huskers took their next drive down for pay dirt when Ken Clark dove in from 1 yard out. A failed two point conversion kept things close at 12-7 after three quarters.
     Game MVP Steve Taylor went to the air for the teams next score. Taylor connected with Todd Millikan on a 20 yard touchdown pass. The two point conversion was good and the Huskers led 19-7. A&M made things interesting when Randy Simmons scored on a two yard run with five minutes left in the game, but the game was iced when Barrios connected on a Kickoff Classic record 48 yard field goal with 7:10 left. 

East Rutherford, NJ - August 28, 1994.  The Nebraska Cornhuskers got an early start in their bid for a National Championship as they faced West Virginia in the Kickoff Classic. Nebraska scored just three points in the first period on a 32 yard Tom Seiler field goal, but opened things up in the second period to jump out to a 24-0 half time lead and take control of the season opener.
       Husker quarterback Tommie Frazier took control of the offense with touchdown runs of 25, 27 and 42 yards. He rushed for 130 yards on the day.  I-Back Lawrence Phillips added 126 of his own, while Frazier passed for 100 yards.  The Husker Blackshirts were also commanding in their performance. They limited the Mountaineers to 89 total offensive yards, only eight of those coming on the ground.  The win was dominant enough to boost the Huskers to the number one ranking in the college football polls.

1998 Eddie Robinson Classic
NU 56 - La Tech 27

Lincoln, NE - Aug 29, 1998.  I brought this one home from the game.  What an offensive show!  This was Coach Solich's debut as Head Coach, and starting debut at quarterback for Bobby Newcome.  Though severely tested by La Tech's high flying offense led by quarterback Tim Rattay and wide receiver Troy Edwards, the Huskers came through in the usual fashion.

The game featured 590 passing yards by Tech, to 462 total yards by the Huskers (289 rushing, 173 passing).  The defense rose to the occasion many times, turning Tech away several times after initially successful starts.  Many freshmen and sophomore defenders got their first start or considerable playing time during the game, as well as some fresh offensive linemen.

2001 Pigskin Classic
NU 21 - Texas Christian 7

Lincoln, NE - Aug 25, 2001.  Nebraska quarterback Eric Crouch, who became the Huskers' all-time career leader for offensive yards, guided the Huskers on three scoring drives despite heavy pressure from the TCU defense.

     The Huskers vaunted rushing attack was held in check throughout the game by a spirited Horned Frog defense. Nebraska finished with 151 yards on the ground, nearly 200 yards below the Husker rushing average last season. I-Back Thunder Collins, starting in place of suspended I-Back Dahrran Diedrick, lead all rushers with 71 yards on 14 carries. Collins added two touchdown runs including a 26 yard run in the fourth quarter.

      Nebraska remained with their power running game plan to create the game's final score. Behind runs by Crouch of 8 and 42 and an 11 yard run by Collins, the Huskers turned in a 98 yard scoring drive, capped by a 26 yard run by Collins. A two-point conversion run by Crouch made the score 21-7.

     Crouch completed 10 of 18 passes for 151 yards and 1 interception.  Crouch added 69 yards rushing on 24 carries, passing Tommie Frazier for all-time career offensive yards.

2002 Black College Association Classic
NU 48 - Arizona State 10

Lincoln, NE - Aug 24, 2002.  With Jammal Lord starting his first game at quarterback the Huskers produced a field goal on their opening drive, but still found themselves tied 3-3 at the end of the first period.   At halftime Nebraska held a slim 10-3 lead. The touchdown came following a nine play drive capped by a 2 yard Judd Davies run. Lord provided the big plays including a 33 yard scramble and an 8 yard run on a fourth-and-3 situation at the NU 32.

     A poor return on the opening kickoff put the Sun Devils in a quick hole at their own 6 yard line. Three plays later ASU was pinned on their goal line with a quarterback sack. A bad punt gave Nebraska great field position at the ASU 20.   Scott Shanle picked up the ball and rumbled in for the touchdown giving Nebraska a 24-3 lead midway through the third period.

Arizona State made their final move late in the third when Mike Williams broke loose for a 34-yard touchdown run to pull within 24-10.

     The Huskers scored on their first three drives of the 4th quarter. A 42 yard Josh Brown field goal made it 27-10, then the Husker defense set up another touchdown with a blocked punt by Lannie Hopkins that gave the Huskers the ball at the ASU nine yard line. Two plays later Dahrran Diedrick dove in for the score.  I-Back Corey Ross sprinted 35 yards for a touchdown with 2:10 left in the game. On the next play, Fabian Washington picked off an Arizona State pass and ran it in for another score to finish the scoring. 

BIG XII Championships

1996 Dr. Pepper Big XII Championship
NU 27 - Texas 37
..(Thanks to the Husker Press Box  for the history)

St. Louis, Missouri - December 7, 1996. The Nebraska Cornhuskers had clawed their way back into the hunt for the national championship as they strolled into St. Louis for the first ever Big 12 Championship game against three touchdown underdog Texas.

     Texas quarterback James Brown backed up his pre-game bravado by completing his first four passes of the game and marching the Longhorns 80 yards on their opening drive for a quick 7-0 Texas lead.  The second quarter saw both teams battle head to head. With 1:00 left Dawson kicked a 30 yard field goal to send the Longhorns to the locker room at halftime with a 20-17 lead.

     Texas added to their lead midway through the third period with Dawson's third field goal of the game, this time from 47 yards out to make the score 23-17. Nebraska finally took their first lead of the game after a 15 play drive when Evans scored on a 6 yard run. Facing a fourth down and inches at their own 28 yard line, Texas shunned conventional wisdom and decided to go for it. Brown took the snap, rolled to his left and, with Husker defenders converging, lofted the ball to tight end Derek Lewis. Holmes took the next play 11 yards for a touchdown with 1:53 left in the game. Nebraska's last gasp was halted when quarterback Scott Frost was sacked and fumbled into Texas hands.

San Antonio, TX - Dec 6, 1997.  The second ranked Huskers never gave the number 14 Texas  A&M Aggies a chance to cry "uncle" as NU scored on all seven of their first half possessions, surging to a 37-3 lead while holding A&M to minus three yards rushing before the break.
     Ahman Green rushed for 179 yards and three touchdowns for the Huskers and QB Scott Frost added 79 yards rushing, scoring twice, and passed for 201 yards.  Nebraska scored a touchdown on their first possession when Frost took it in from 6 yards out. Their next three drives were capped by Kris Brown field goals of 27, 26 and 31 yards to give Nebraska a 16-0 first quarter lead.
     Texas A&M finally produced an 11 play drive for their first touchdown midway through the fourth on a 13 yard pass from Stewart to Spiller. The conversion failed and the score stood at 47-9.  Texas A&M's leading rusher was Sirr Parker who contributed a mere 28 yards. QB Brandon  Stewart ended the game with minus 25 yards rushing but produced 227 yards passing.

2006 Dr. Pepper Big XII Championship
NU 7 - Oklahoma 21 .
   

Kansas City, MO - Dec 2, 2006.  No. 8 Oklahoma played nearly mistake-free football and Nebraska was unable to capitalize on several second-half opportunities, as the Sooners won the 2006 Big 12 title with a 21-7 victory over the No. 19 Huskers at Arrowhead Stadium on Saturday night.

     In a game dominated by both defenses, the Sooners bent throughout the night but broke only once to drop Big 12 North Champion Nebraska to 9-4 on the season. Big 12 South Champion Oklahoma improved to 10-2 on the year with the victory and earned the conference's Bowl Championship Series berth to the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 1 in Glendale, Ariz.

     Big 12 Offensive Player-of-the-Year Zac Taylor threw for 282 yards, while NU generated 84 yards on the ground despite playing from behind for more than 59 minutes. The Huskers finished with 366 yards of total offense. The Sooners managed just 307 total yards, including 265 yards through the air and just 42 yards rushing despite leading from start to finish.      

     Oklahoma's only sustained drive proved to be the back-breaker for the Huskers. OU used a 10-play, 99-yard drive midway through the 3rd quarter to stop Nebraska's comeback effort.