1985 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team

The 1985 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team represented the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in the 1985 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was coached by Tom Osborne and played their home games in Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska. The season opener against Florida State was the last season opening loss until 2015.

1985 Nebraska Cornhuskers football
Fiesta Bowl, L 23–27 vs. Michigan
Conference	Big Eight Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 10
AP	No. 11
Record	9–3 (6–1 Big 8)
Head coach	Tom Osborne (13th season)
Offensive coordinator	Tom Osborne (16th season)
Offensive scheme	I formation
Defensive coordinator	Charlie McBride (5th season)
Base defense	5–2
Home stadium	Memorial Stadium
Seasons ← 1984 1986 →

1985 Big Eight Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 1 Oklahoma $	7	–	0	–	0			11	–	1	–	0
No. 11 Nebraska	6	–	1	–	0			9	–	3	–	0
Oklahoma State	4	–	3	–	0			8	–	4	–	0
Colorado	4	–	3	–	0			7	–	5	–	0
Iowa State	3	–	4	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Kansas	2	–	5	–	0			6	–	6	–	0
Kansas State	1	–	6	–	0			1	–	10	–	0
Missouri	1	–	6	–	0			1	–	10	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

Schedule

^[1]

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 7	2:30 pm	No. 17 Florida State*	No. 10	Memorial Stadium Lincoln, Nebraska	ABC	L 13–17	75,943
September 21	1:30 pm	No. 20 Illinois*	No. 18	Memorial Stadium Lincoln, Nebraska		W 52–25	76,149
September 28	1:30 pm	Oregon*	No. 16	Memorial Stadium Lincoln, Nebraska		W 63–0	75,947
October 5	1:30 pm	New Mexico*	No. 13	Memorial Stadium Lincoln, Nebraska		W 38–7	75,902
October 12	6:45 pm	at No. 5 Oklahoma State	No. 9	Lewis Field Stillwater, Oklahoma	ESPN	W 34–24	50,400
October 19	11:30 am	at Missouri	No. 7	Faurot Field Columbia, Missouri (rivalry)	Raycom	W 28–20	62,733
October 26	2:30 pm	Colorado	No. 5	Memorial Stadium Lincoln, Nebraska (rivalry)	ABC	W 17–7	76,014
November 2	1:30 pm	at Kansas State	No. 5	KSU Stadium Manhattan, Kansas (rivalry)		W 41–3	41,200
November 9	1:30 pm	Iowa State	No. 3	Memorial Stadium Lincoln, Nebraska		W 49–0	75,920
November 16	1:30 pm	Kansas	No. 2	Memorial Stadium Lincoln, Nebraska (rivalry)		W 56–6	75,863
November 23	2:30 pm	at No. 5 Oklahoma	No. 2	Oklahoma Memorial Stadium Norman, Oklahoma (rivalry)	ABC	L 7–27	75,554
January 1	12:30 pm	vs. No. 5 Michigan*	No. 7	Sun Devil Stadium Tempe, Arizona (Fiesta Bowl)	NBC	L 23–27	72,454
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

Roster and coaching staff

1985 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class G Dan Bailey So TE 87 Tom Banderas So WB Vance Behrens So QB 12 Clete Blakeman So G 70 Brian Blankenship Sr WB 33 Dana Brinson Fr G 58 Dave Bryan Jr OT 73 Todd Carpenter Jr FB 24 Dan Casterline Jr QB 7 McCathorn Clayton So C 54 Mark Cooper Jr TE Mark Diaz Jr OT 59 Jim Dittmer Sr IB 22 Doug DuBose Jr OT 77 Jim Ernest RFr TE 80 Todd Frain Sr G 67 Ron Galois Jr SE 86 Jason Gamble So WB Pernell Gatson Jr OT Derrick Green So TE Mike Hall So QB 86 Hendley Hawkins So FB 36 Mike Hedlund So FB 48 Micah Heibel So G 75 Mike Hoefler Jr WB Jim Holscher So OT 64 Brad Johnson Jr IB 6 Keith Jones So FB 49 Ken Kaelin Jr IB 40 Jon Kelley So SE Jeff Krantz C 68 Bill Lewis Sr OT 57 Keven Lightner So WB 23 Roger Lindstrom Sr OT 77 Bill Macias So OT 72 Rob Maggard Jr G 61 John McCormick So IB 21 Paul Miles Sr TE 43 Todd Millikan Fr QB 16 Jerry Mlinar Jr TE 90 Brian Moore Sr WB 8 Ray Nelson Jr C 63 John Nichols So C 56 Jack Noel Sr SE Mike Otte G 74 Stan Parker Jr FB 26 Tom Rathman Sr OT 65 Tim Roth Sr OT 78 Tim Rother So G 62 Jim Schaaf So SE 85 Robb Schnitzler Jr C 53 Jeff Sellentin Jr WB 2 Von Sheppard So SE 88 Rod Smith So QB 10 Jeff Taylor So QB 11 Steve Taylor Fr QB 14 Travis Turner Sr OT 69 Tom Welter Jr	Defense Pos. # Name Class CB 42 Mike Carl Jr S 45 Chris Carr Jr CB 28 John Custard So LB 46 Chad Daffer Sr CB 32 Brian Davis Jr LB 48 LeRoy Etienne Fr LB 38 Steve Forch Jr DE Paul Gangwish Sr DT 52 Danny Groskurth So LB 39 Blake Henning So S 15 Scott Hill So LB 91 Tony Holloway Jr DE 55 Jeff Jamrog So DT 98 Lee Jones So LB 44 Mike Knox Sr CB 17 Cleo Miller Jr LB 41 Marc Munford Jr MG 95 Danny Noonan Jr DE Harlan Opie So CB 9 Woody Paige Sr DT 97 Tony Palmer So LB 35 Kevin Parsons Jr CB 18 Brian Pokorny Sr MG 34 Todd Proffitt Sr DE 84 Gregg Reeves Sr DT 93 Rod Reynolds Sr MG 66 Phil Rogers Sr CB 3 Gary Schneider Jr LB 51 Pat Shaw Jr LB 99 Ken Shead Sr S 19 Bryan Siebler Jr DT 96 Jim Skow Sr DE 81 Brad Smith Sr DT 92 Neil Smith So DT 76 Chris Spachman Jr S Matt Strasburger Jr S 29 Dan Thayer Jr DE 82 Broderick Thomas Fr DE 89 Scott Tucker Sr DE 83 Brad Tyrer Jr CB 27 Dennis Watkins Sr LB 37 Doug Welniak So	Special teams Pos. # Name Class MON 31 Gene Chealey So PK 1 Dale Klein Jr MON 4 Guy Rozier Sr P/PK 13 Craig Schnitzler So MON 11 Jeff Tomjack So MON 43 Brian Washington So P/PK 47 Dan Wingard Sr	Head coach Tom Osborne    13th season    22nd year at Nebraska    Alma mater: Nebraska Coordinators/assistant coaches Charlie McBride    5th season as DC/LB coach    9th year at Nebraska    Alma mater: Colorado Cletus Fischer    OL coach    26th year at Nebraska    Alma mater: Nebraska John Melton    13th season as LB coach    24th year at Nebraska    Alma mater: Wyoming Boyd Epley    17th season as S&C coach    17th year at Nebraska    Alma mater: Nebraska George Darlington    DE coach    13th year at Nebraska    Alma mater: Rutgers Milt Tenopir    12th season as OL coach    12th year at Nebraska    Alma mater: Sterling Gene Huey    9th season as WR coach    9th year at Nebraska    Alma mater: Wyoming Frank Solich    3rd season as RB coach    7th year at Nebraska    Alma mater: Nebraska Jack Pierce    7th year at Nebraska Bob Thornton    5th season as Sec coach    5th year at Nebraska    Alma mater: Nebraska Dan Young    3rd season as OL/K coach    3rd year at Nebraska    Alma mater: Reed Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible   Injured   Redshirt Roster Last update: 2011-01-17

Depth chart

Defense FS Bryan Sielber Chris Carr Dan Thayer INSDIE INSDIE Marc Munford Mike Knox Chad Daffer Kevin Parsons Steve Forch LeRoy Etienne MONSTER Brian Washingtion Guy Rozier Jeff Tomjack CB Cleo Miller Dennis Watkins Brian Pokorny. DE DT NT DT DE Brad Smith Jim Skow Danny Noonan Chris Spachman Scott Tucker Greg Reeves Lee Jones Todd Proffitt Neil Smith Tony Holloway Brad Tyrer Rod Reynolds Phil Rogers Tony Palmer Broderick Thomas CB Brian Davis Mike Carl Gary Schneider. Offense WR Robb Schnitzler Rod Smith Hendley Hawkins LT LG C RG RT Tim Roth Brian Blankenship Bill Lewis John McCormick Tom Welter Rob Maggard Stan Parker Mark Cooper Ron Galois Brad Johnson Keven Lightner Mike Hoefler Jeff Sellentin Dan Bailey Todd Carpenter TE Todd Frain Tom Banderas Todd Millikan WR Von Sheppard Roger Lindstorm Dana Brinson QB McCathron Clayton Travis Turner Steve Taylor ⋅ RB Doug Dubose Paul Miles Keith Jones Jon Kelley FB Tom Rathman Ken Kaelin Dan Casterline Special teams PK Dale Klein P Dan Wingard

Game summaries

Florida State

#17 Florida State at #10 Nebraska [box score]

1 2 3 4 Total • #17 Florida State 7 10 0 0 17 #10 Nebraska 7 6 0 0 13 Date: 1985-09-07 Location: Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska Game attendance: 75,943

Both teams started out evenly with a 7-7 tie after the first quarter, but Florida State led the Cornhuskers by 4 at the half and no one scored during the rest of this scorcher, as the mercury in Lincoln reached 93 °F (34 °C) and 133 °F (56 °C) on the field. This was the last season opener Nebraska would lose until 2015.

Illinois

Illinois at #18 Nebraska [box score]

1 2 3 4 Total Illinois 0 10 0 15 25 • #18 Nebraska 14 10 21 7 52 Date: 1985-09-21 Location: Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska Game attendance: 76,149

Although Illinois started out behind 0-17, they came within 7 points of a tie before Nebraska ran away, as the Cornhuskers at one point scored 28 straight in a game whose outcome never was seriously in doubt.

Oregon

Oregon at #16 Nebraska [box score]

1 2 3 4 Total Oregon 0 0 0 0 0 • #16 Nebraska 14 28 14 7 63 Date: 1985-09-28 Location: Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska Game attendance: 75,947 Source: ^[2]

Scoring summary 1 6:08 NEB Rathman 1-yard run (Klein kick) NEB 7-0 1 1:04 NEB Kaelin 3-yard run (Klein kick) NEB 14-0 2 7:32 NEB Turner 1-yard run (Klein kick) NEB 21-0 2 6:28 NEB Miles 46-yard run (Klein kick) NEB 28-0 2 3:17 NEB Jones 25-yard run (Klein kick) NEB 35-0 2 0:41 NEB Miles 1-yard run (Klein kick) NEB 42-0 3 10:58 NEB Sheppard 8-yard run (Klein kick) NEB 49-0 3 4:15 NEB Sheppard 27-yard run (Klein kick) NEB 56-0 4 9:54 NEB Casterline 4-yard run (Cheloha kick) NEB 63-0

Oregon was rendered helpless in Lincoln as Nebraska punched in four touchdowns late in the 2nd quarter and rolled to a 63-0 shutout in Lincoln. The Ducks only crossed the center of the field twice and were unable to scrape up even 1/3 of the total time of possession.

New Mexico

New Mexico at #13 Nebraska [box score]

1 2 3 4 Total New Mexico 7 0 0 0 7 • #13 Nebraska 7 7 10 14 38 Date: 1985-10-05 Location: Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska Game attendance: 75,902

Nebraska closed out the non-conference season against a New Mexico team that was not intimidated in Lincoln. The Lobos scored first and acquired 379 total yards of offense while winning the time of possession battle, but could not turn those accomplishments into scores as they also allowed nine sacks, four interceptions and lost a fumble.

Oklahoma State

#9 Nebraska at #5 Oklahoma State [box score]

1 2 3 4 Total • #9 Nebraska 0 17 3 14 34 #5 Oklahoma State 0 3 14 7 24 Date: 1985-10-12 Location: Lewis Field, Stillwater, Oklahoma Game attendance: 50,400

Nebraska pulled off the upset of Oklahoma State in Stillwater, as The Cowboys' passing attack was no match for the Cornhuskers' rushing attack when it was hampered by OSU's two lost fumbles and two thrown interceptions. Nebraska continued their unbeaten streak over Oklahoma State that began in 1961.

Missouri

#7 Nebraska at Missouri [box score]

1 2 3 4 Total • #7 Nebraska 6 9 3 10 28 Missouri 7 0 6 7 20 Date: 1985-10-19 Location: Faurot Field, Columbia, Missouri Game attendance: 62,733

21 of Nebraska's 28 points came off of the foot of PK Dale Klein, who not only tied the NCAA record of seven field goals in a game, but also became the first player to make seven straight in a game while also running his Nebraska field goal record streak up to nine.

Colorado

Colorado at #5 Nebraska [box score]

1 2 3 4 Total Colorado 7 0 0 0 7 • #5 Nebraska 0 7 7 3 17 Date: 1985-10-26 Location: Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska Game attendance: 76,014

Scoring summary 1 10:49 COL Craig Keenan 2-yard run (Larry Eckel kick) COL 7-0 2 9:21 NEB Doug DuBose 1-yard run (Dale Klein kick) Tied 7-7 3 14:37 NEB Tom Rathman 84-yard run (Dale Klein kick) NEB 14-7 4 5:26 NEB Dale Klein 32-yard field goal NEB 17-7

Colorado, playing without its 1st and 2nd string quarterbacks, still managed to hold Nebraska to a 7-7 halftime tie before a long touchdown run at the end of the 3rd quarter allowed the Cornhuskers to pull away.

Kansas State

#5 Nebraska at Kansas State [box score]

1 2 3 4 Total • #5 Nebraska 7 17 3 14 41 Kansas State 3 0 0 0 3 Date: 1985-11-02 Location: KSU Stadium, Manhattan, Kansas Game attendance: 41,200

Kansas State managed to prevent any single Nebraska runner from exceeding 100 yards, and even though Nebraska only completed six passes, it made no difference as the Wildcats were held to just a 1st-quarter field goal while the Cornhuskers had little trouble putting up 41 points. Nebraska PK Dale Klein set a Nebraska and personal record when he kicked a 50-yard field goal, his 12th of the season.

Iowa State

Iowa State at #3 Nebraska [box score]

1 2 3 4 Total Iowa State 0 0 0 0 0 • #3 Nebraska 7 14 21 7 49 Date: 1985-11-09 Location: Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska Game attendance: 75,920

The #3 Cornhuskers romped in Lincoln as the Blackshirts extended their touchdown prevention streak to 11 quarters. Nebraska IB Doug DuBose entered record territory, becoming the 10th Nebraska player to post 2,000 yards, became the third (after Jarvis Redwine and Mike Rozier) to have two 1,000 yard seasons, and was the first Cornhusker to do so before their senior season.

Kansas

Kansas at #2 Nebraska [box score]

1 2 3 4 Total Kansas 3 0 3 0 6 • #2 Nebraska 10 28 11 7 56 Date: 1985-11-16 Location: Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska Game attendance: 75,863

Despite a 0-6 turnover margin deficit, #2 Nebraska rolled the Kansas Jayhawks up in a 56-6 drubbing that saw the Cornhusker defense extend their touchdown-free series to 15 quarters. Without the five lost fumbles and one interception given up by Nebraska, the blowout of Kansas would have been far worse.

Oklahoma

#2 Nebraska at #5 Oklahoma [box score]

1 2 3 4 Total #2 Nebraska 0 0 0 7 7 • #5 Oklahoma 14 3 10 0 27 Date: 1985-11-23 Location: Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, Norman, Oklahoma Game start: 2:30 PM CST Game attendance: 75,554 TV announcers (ABC): Keith Jackson, Frank Broyles, and Tim Brant

Scoring summary 1 11:21 OU Keith Jackson 88-yard run (Tim Lashar kick) OU 7-0 1 5:52 OU Jamelle Holieway 43-yard run (Lashar kick) OU 14-0 2 1:18 OU Lashar 37-yard field goal OU 17-0 3 9:19 OU Lashar 33-yard field goal OU 20-0 3 2:26 OU Holieway 17-yard run (Lashar kick) OU 27-0 4 0:26 NEB Chris Spachman 76-yard fumble return (Klein kick) OU 27-7

Oklahoma completely shut down Nebraska's offensive machine, as the Cornhuskers' only score came on a 76-yard fumble return for a touchdown with just 26 seconds left to play, very narrowly avoiding what would have been Nebraska's first shutout in 147 games. There were only 19 total passes and 5 completions in the entire game, and although Nebraska had not previously allowed more than 157 ground yards this season, the vaunted Oklahoma wishbone attack netted the Sooners 423 yards.

Michigan

#7 Nebraska vs #5 Michigan [box score]

1 2 3 4 Total #7 Nebraska 0 14 0 9 23 • #5 Michigan 3 0 24 0 27 Date: 1986-01-01 Location: Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona Game attendance: 72,454

Although Nebraska led 14-3 going into halftime, turnover-free Michigan cashed in on each of several Cornhusker mistakes in the third quarter to run off 24 points and pull away, handing Nebraska its second consecutive defeat to a #5 team.

Rankings

See also: 1985 NCAA Division I-A football rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	Final
AP	9	10	18	18	16	13	9	7	5	5	3	2	2	8	7	7	11
Coaches	4	4	14	17	14	10	9	6	3	3	2	2	2	8	6	6	10

After the season

Awards

^[3]

Award	Name(s)
All-America 1st team	Bill Lewis, Jim Skow
All-America 2nd team	Doug DuBose
All-America 3rd team	Tom Rathman
All-America honorable mention	Tim Roth, Brian Blankenship
All-Big 8 1st team	Brian Blankenship, Bill Lewis, Doug DuBose, Tom Rathman, Dale Klein, Jim Skow
All-Big 8 2nd team	Danny Noonan, Brian Washington, Tim Roth, Dan Wingard, Chris Spachman, Marc Munford

NFL and pro players

The following Nebraska players who participated in the 1985 season later moved on to the next level and joined a professional team as draftees or free agents.^[4]

Name	Team
Brian Blankenship	Pittsburgh Steelers
Dana Brinson	San Diego Chargers
Brian Davis	Washington Redskins
Doug DuBose	San Francisco 49ers
LeRoy Etienne	San Francisco 49ers
Todd Frain	Washington Redskins
Keith Jones	Cleveland Browns
Mike Knox	Denver Broncos
Bill Lewis	Los Angeles Raiders
Paul Miles	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Marc Munford	Denver Broncos
Danny Noonan	Dallas Cowboys
Tom Rathman	San Francisco 49ers
Tim Rother	Los Angeles Raiders
Von Sheppard	Coventry Jets
Jim Skow	Cincinnati Bengals
Neil Smith	Kansas City Chiefs
Steve Taylor	Edmonton Eskimos
Broderick Thomas	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Brian Washington	Cleveland Browns
Dennis Watkins	Philadelphia Eagles
Tom Welter	St. Louis Cardinals

References

1. "Football - 1985 Schedule/Results". University of Nebraska–Lincoln Athletics Department. Retrieved May 31, 2009.
2. Eugene Register-Guard. 1985 Sept 29.
3. 1985 Husker Honors
4. "All Time NFL Huskers". from the original on August 15, 2009. Retrieved May 31, 2009.