2012 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team

The 2012 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team represented the University of Nebraska in the 2012 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by Bo Pelini and played their home games at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska. The Cornhuskers finished with 10–4 overall, 7–1 Legends, to become Big Ten Legends Division champions. In the postseason, the team was invited to the 2012 Big Ten Football Championship Game. It was their fourth division title in the last five years but the first since joining the Big Ten. They lost to Wisconsin (placed in the game due to sanctions on two other schools) and they lost to Georgia in the 2013 Capital One Bowl weeks later.

2012 Nebraska Cornhuskers football
Big Ten Legends Division champion
Big Ten Championship Game, L 31–70 vs. Wisconsin
Capital One Bowl, L 31–45 vs. Georgia
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Division	Legends Division
Ranking
Coaches	No. 23
AP	No. 25
Record	10–4 (7–1 Big Ten)
Head coach	Bo Pelini (5th season)
Offensive coordinator	Tim Beck (2nd season)
Offensive scheme	Spread
Defensive coordinator	John Papuchis (1st season)
Base defense	4–2
Home stadium	Memorial Stadium
Seasons ← 2011 2013 →

2012 Big Ten Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
Legends Division
No. 25 Nebraska xy		7	–	1					10	–	4
No. 24 Michigan		6	–	2					8	–	5
No. 17 Northwestern		5	–	3					10	–	3
Michigan State		3	–	5					7	–	6
Iowa		2	–	6					4	–	8
Minnesota		2	–	6					6	–	7
Leaders Division
No. 3 Ohio State* x		8	–	0					12	–	0
Penn State*		6	–	2					8	–	4
Wisconsin y$		4	–	4					8	–	6
Purdue		3	–	5					6	–	7
Indiana		2	–	6					4	–	8
Illinois		0	–	8					2	–	10
Championship: Wisconsin 70, Nebraska 31
$ – BCS representative as conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions * Ohio State and Penn State ineligible for conference championship game and post-season bowl games due to NCAA sanctions. Rankings from AP Poll

The Cornhuskers became known for their comebacks this year, as they came back after trailing by double digits during four conference games. These wins included a 30–27 victory over Wisconsin (Nebraska down 27–10 early in 3rd quarter), Northwestern (down 28–16 with 5 minutes to go), Michigan State (down 24–14 early in 4th quarter), and Penn State (down 20–6 at halftime). This is also the most recent season in which the Cornhuskers have won double-digit games.

No spring scrimmage game was played prior to the season, as it was canceled due to weather concerns and player conflicts.^[1] It was the first year that Nebraska did not hold a spring scrimmage since they started playing them in 1950.

Schedule

^[2]

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 1	2:30 p.m.	Southern Miss*	No. 17	Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE	ABC/ESPN2	W 49–20	85,425
September 8	6:30 p.m.	at UCLA*	No. 16	Rose Bowl Pasadena, CA	FOX	L 30–36	71,530
September 15	11:00 a.m.	Arkansas State*		Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE	ESPN2	W 42–13	85,290
September 22	2:30 p.m.	Idaho State*	No. 25	Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE	BTN	W 73–7	84,923
September 29	7:00 p.m.	Wisconsin	No. 22	Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE	ABC	W 30–27	85,962
October 6	7:00 p.m.	at No. 12 Ohio State	No. 21	Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH	ABC	L 38–63	106,102
October 20	2:30 p.m.	at Northwestern		Ryan Field Evanston, IL	ABC/ESPN2	W 29–28	47,330
October 27	7:00 p.m.	No. 20 Michigan		Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE	ESPN2	W 23–9	86,160
November 3	2:30 p.m.	at Michigan State	No. 21	Spartan Stadium East Lansing, Michigan	ABC/ESPN2	W 28–24	73,522
November 10	2:30 p.m.	Penn State	No. 18	Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE	ABC/ESPN2	W 32–23	85,527
November 17	2:30 p.m.	Minnesota	No. 16	Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE	BTN	W 38–14	85,330
November 23	11:00 a.m.	at Iowa	No. 17	Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA (Heroes Game)	ABC^[3]	W 13–7	69,805
December 1	7:17 p.m.	vs. Wisconsin	No. 14	Lucas Oil Stadium Indianapolis, IN (Big Ten Championship Game)	FOX	L 31–70	41,260
January 1, 2013	12:00 p.m.	vs. No. 6 Georgia*	No. 23	Citrus Bowl Orlando, FL (Capital One Bowl)	ABC	L 31–45	59,712
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

Roster and coaching staff

2012 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class IB 8 Ameer Abdullah So WR 7 Taariq Allen RFr QB 4 Tommy Armstrong Jr. Fr OL 70 Nick Ash Jr WR 80 Kenny Bell So TE 83 Jared Blum Fr QB 9 Tyson Broekemeier RFr IB 22 Rex Burkhead (C) Sr WR 46 Sam Burtch RFr QB 15 Brion Carnes So OL 51 Brandon Chapek Jr OL 77 Seung Hoon Choi Sr WR 43 Cole Chvatal Fr FB 34 Carson Collins Fr TE 81 Ben Cotton Sr OL 68 Jake Cotton So TE 84 Sam Cotton Fr OL 67 Scott Criss Jr IB 32 Imani Cross Fr WR 87 Taylor Dixon Sr WR 18 Quincy Enunwa Jr WR 88 Tyler Evans So WR 27 Sam Foltz Fr TE 42 Trey Foster Fr IB 23 King Frazier Fr QB 17 Ryker Fyfe Fr IB/CB 5 Braylon Heard So WR 45 Lane Hovey Fr WR 85 KC Hyland Sr OL 72 Justin Jackson Sr FB 35 Andy Janovich Fr OL 50 Garret Johns Fr QB 12 Ron Kellogg III Jr OL 53 Adam Kucera RFr IB 24 Murat Kuzu RFr OL 75 Chris Long RFr TE 41 Jake Long Jr OL 61 Spencer Long Jr WR 6 Tim Marlowe Sr FB 19 Mike Marrow Jr QB 14 Bronson Marsh RFr QB 3 Taylor Martinez (C) Jr TE 89 Conor McDermott Sr OL 74 Mike Moudy So IB 29 Graham Nabity Fr IB 39 Jordan Nelson Fr OL 69 Brodrick Nickens Jr WR 21 Steven Osborne Sr OL 54 Robby Painter Fr OL 56 Mark Pelini So OL 62 Cole Pensick Jr OL 78 Givens Price RFr OL 76 Brent Qvale Jr TE 25 Kyler Reed Sr OL 65 Ryne Reeves RFr WR 44 Brandon Reilly Fr TE 36 Eddie Ridder RFr OL 63 Andrew Rodriguez Jr OL 59 Will Sailors RFr OL 71 Jeremiah Sirles Jr OL 57 Zach Sterup RFr FB 38 Graham Stoddard Sr TE 86 David Sutton RFr OL 79 Brandon Thompson Sr OL 55 Paul Thurston Fr WR 10 Jamal Turner So OL 66 Dylan Utter Fr WR 1 Jordan Westerkamp Fr OL 58 Corey Whitaker Fr QB 16 Evan Williams Fr WR 82 Tyler Wullenwaber So WR 30 Richard Wynne Jr. RFr FB 31 C.J. Zimmerer Jr	Defense Pos. # Name Class LB 33 Jared Afalava Fr DB 18 LeRoy Alexander Fr DT 70 Kenny Anderson Sr LB 8 Zaire Anderson Jr DE 9 Jason Ankrah Jr DE 47 Walker Ashburn So CB 2 Antonio Bell Sr S 39 Justin Blatchford Sr LB 28 Thomas Brown Fr DE 7 Joseph Carter Sr LB 51 Will Compton (C) Sr S 6 Corey Cooper So DT 96 Aaron Curry Fr CB 23 Daniel Davie RFr CB 31 Jase Dean Sr DE 88 Ross Dzuris Fr CB 17 Ciante Evans Jr CB 25 Joey Felici So LB 42 Sean Fisher Sr CB 30 Derek Foster So LB 38 Aaron Gabriel Fr LB 95 Jack Gangwish RFr CB 11 Andrew Green Jr DT 99 Jay Guy So CB 21 Charles Jackson Fr S 1 Harvey Jackson So CB 29 Seth Jameson Jr CB 16 Stanley Jean-Baptiste Jr LB 44 Micah Kreikemeier Sr LB 49 Matt Manninger Sr DE 46 Eric Martin Sr LB 54 Mitch McCann Fr DE 90 Greg McMullen Fr DE 34 Cameron Meredith Sr CB 32 Greg Milliken Fr CB 5 Josh Mitchell So DB 2 Alonzo Moore Fr DE 94 Avery Moss Fr DT 48 Tobi Okuyemi So S 12 Courtney Osborne Sr DT 57 Todd Peat Jr. RFr LB 40 Max Pirman RFr DT 53 Thad Randle Jr S 19 Wil Richards Jr CB 26 Anthony Ridder RFr LB 43 Trevor Roach So DT 97 Chase Rome So CB 14 Jonathan Rose So LB 15 Michael Rose Fr LB 41 David Santos RFr CB 4 Mohammed Seisay Jr LB 56 Brad Simpson Fr S 13 P.J. Smith Sr S 3 Daimion Stafford Sr LB 59 Colby Starkebaum Jr DT 55 Baker Steinkuhler (C) Sr DT 61 Jeff Uher So DT 98 Vincent Valentine Fr DE 91 Donovan Vestal So CB 26 Yusef Wade So LB 45 Alonzo Whaley Sr DB 24 Austin Williams So DT 92 Kevin Williams RFr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class PK 37 Mauro Bondi So PK 91 Colin Clare Fr PK 95 Spencer Lindsay Fr P/PK 96 Brett Maher (C) Sr LS 92 P.J. Mangieri Sr LS 97 Joseph Rotherham RFr	Head coach Bo Pelini    5th season    6th year at Nebraska    Alma mater: Ohio State Coordinators/assistant coaches Tim Beck    2nd season as OC/QB coach    5th year at Nebraska    Alma mater: UCF John Papuchis    1st season as DC coach    5th year at Nebraska    Alma mater: Virginia Tech Ron Brown    2nd season as RB coach    22nd year at Nebraska    Alma mater: Brown Barney Cotton    5th season as AHC/OL coach    6th year at Nebraska    Alma mater: Nebraska Ross Els    2nd season as LB coach    2nd year at Nebraska    Alma mater: Nebraska-Omaha Rich Fisher    2nd season as WR coach    2nd year at Nebraska    Alma mater: Colorado John Garrison    2nd season as OL/TE coach    2nd year at Nebraska    Alma mater: Nebraska Terry Joseph    1st season as Sec coach    1st year at Nebraska    Alma mater: Northwestern State Rick Kaczenski    1st season as DL coach    1st year at Nebraska    Alma mater: Notre Dame James Dobson    5th season as S&C coach    5th year at Nebraska    Alma mater: Wisconsin Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible   Injured   Redshirt Roster Last update: September 4, 2012

Depth chart

Defense NICKEL Ciante Evans Justin Blatchford ⋅ FS Daimion Stafford Courtney Osborne ⋅ MIKE WILL Will Compton Sean Fisher Alonzo Whaley Trevor Roach David Santos ⋅ ⋅ SS P.J. Smith Harvey Jackson Corey Cooper ⋅ CB Stanley Jean-Baptiste Josh Mitchell Mohamed Seisay ⋅ DE DT DT DE Cameron Meredith Baker Steinkuler Thad Randle Eric Martin Joseph Carter Aaron Curry Chase Rome Jason Ankrah ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ CB Andrew Green Charles Jackson ⋅ Offense WR Kenny Bell Tim Marlowe ⋅ WR Jamal Turner Taariq Allen ⋅ LT LG C RG RT Brent Qvale Seung Hoon-Choi Justin Jackson Spencer Long Jeremiah Sirles Brandon Thompson Jake Cotton Cole Pensick Cole Pensick Andrew Rodriguez ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ TE Kyler Reed Ben Cotton Jake Long ⋅ WR Quincy Enunwa Steven Osborne ⋅ QB Taylor Martinez Ron Kellogg ⋅ Key reserves FB C.J Zimmerer FB Andy Janovich FB Mike Marrow Special teams PK Brett Maher P Brett Maher KR Ameer Abdullah Kenny Bell PR Ameer Abdullah LS \ RB Rex Burkhead Ameer Abdullah Braylon Heard Imani Cross

Game summaries

Southern Miss

Southern Miss Golden Eagles at #17 Nebraska Cornhuskers

1 2 3 4 Total Southern Miss 7 10 0 3 20 • #17 Nebraska 14 14 14 7 49 Date: September 1 Location: Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, NE Game start: 2:36 p.m. CST Elapsed time: 3:13 Game attendance: 85,425 Game weather: Sunny, 88 °F (31 °C), Wind NE 5 mph (8.0 km/h) Referee: Ed Ardito TV announcers (ABC/ESPN2): Mike Patrick, Ed Cunningham, Jeannine Edwards Source:^[4]

 

The Huskers started the 2012 football season off with a home win against Southern Miss. The Huskers are now 3–1 against the Golden Eagles with the only loss being from the last time these teams faced each other in 2004. This game started a three game home-away-home series with additional meetings in 2013 and 2015. The 2013 meeting was scheduled to be played at Southern Miss, but the game was moved to Lincoln as an attempt to earn more money. Southern Miss also thought about scheduling the game in New Orleans or Kansas City before deciding to give Nebraska an eighth home game in 2013.

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP USM Nebraska 1 14:54 4 69 1:18 Nebraska Rex Burkhead rush over left end for 57 yards; Brett Maher kick 0 7 1 10:13 10 85 3:19 Nebraska Taylor Martinez pass complete to Kenny Bell for 26 yards; Maher kick 0 14 1 6:54 1 100 0:19 USM Tracy Lampley kickoff return for 100 yards; Corey Acosta kick 7 14 2 6:48 11 73 4:52 USM Chris Campbell pass complete to Sullivan for 24 yards; Acosta kick 14 14 2 12:58 11 59 3:42 Nebraska Martinez pass complete to Jake Long for 9 yards; Maher kick 14 21 2 4:54 11 49 3:17 USM Acosta 45-yard field goal 17 21 2 1:37 5 77 0:39 Nebraska Martinez pass complete to Steven Osborne for 29 yards; Maher kick 17 28 3 10:11 7 77 2:35 Nebraska Martinez pass complete to Kyler Reed for 18 yards; Maher kick 17 35 3 5:18 6 63 2:34 Nebraska Braylon Heard rush up middle for 10 yards; Maher kick 17 42 4 2:44 10 55 4:41 USM Acosta 37-yard field goal 20 42 4 13:03 10 75 5:16 Nebraska Martinez pass complete to Ameer Abdullah for 11 yards; Maher kick 20 49 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 20 49

UCLA

#16 Nebraska Cornhuskers at UCLA Bruins

1 2 3 4 Total #16 Nebraska 14 10 3 3 30 • UCLA 7 17 3 9 36 Date: September 8 Location: Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California Game start: 4:50 PST Elapsed time: 3:40 Game attendance: 71,530 Game weather: Light Haze, 90 °F (32 °C), Wind WSW 8 mph (13 km/h) Referee: Dan Capron TV announcers (FOX): Gus Johnson, Charles Davis, Julie Alexandria Source:^[5]

The Huskers went on the road for the first time in their second game of the season to face UCLA in Pasadena, California. The two teams have faced each other previously ten times, with the Huskers having six wins to UCLA’s four coming into the game. The last time these teams faced each other was in Lincoln in 1994 where the Huskers defeated UCLA 49–21. This game started a home and home series that will be concluded during the 2013 season. With this win UCLA is 4–2 at home against the Cornhuskers.

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP Nebraska UCLA 1 9:14 1 27 0:06 UCLA Joseph Fauria 27-yard pass from Brett Hundley (K. Fairbairn kick) 0 7 1 9:08 6 75 2:08 Nebraska Ameer Abdullah 6-yard run (Brett Maher kick) 7 7 1 3:08 2 96 0:44 Nebraska T. Martinez 92-yard run (Maher kick) 14 7 2 2:24 12 58 4:59 UCLA Fairbairn 35-yard field goal 14 10 2 10:48 6 58 2:53 UCLA Joseph Fauria 4-yard pass from Hundley (Fairbairn kick) 14 17 2 7:55 7 87 2:54 Nebraska Abdullah 17-yard run (Maher kick) 21 17 2 5:01 4 80 1:12 UCLA Steven Manfro 49-yard pass from Hundley (Fairbairn kick) 21 24 2 0:40 5 25 0:40 Nebraska Maher 54-yard field goal 24 24 3 14:56 9 24 3:06 UCLA Fairbairn 22-yard field goal 24 27 3 10:18 9 36 2:40 Nebraska Maher 43-yard field goal 27 27 4 8:51 1 -5 0:13 UCLA Martinez rush for -5 yards; Datone Jones safety 27 29 4 3:07 3 16 1:03 UCLA Johnathan Franklin 9-yard pass from Hundley (Fairbairn kick) 27 36 4 2:04 5 13 0:28 Nebraska Maher 40-yard field goal 30 36 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 30 36

Arkansas State

Arkansas State Red Wolves at Nebraska Cornhuskers

1 2 3 4 Total Arkansas State 0 3 10 0 13 • Nebraska 14 14 0 14 42 Date: September 15 Location: Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, NE Game start: 11:01 a.m. CST Elapsed time: 3:13 Game attendance: 85,920 Game weather: Sunny, 67 °F (19 °C), Wind S 5 mph (8.0 km/h) Referee: Mike Cannon TV announcers (ESPN2): Beth Mowins, Joey Galloway, Lewis Johnson Source:^[6]

The third game of the season brought the Huskers home to Lincoln to face Arkansas State, led by head coach Gus Malzahn, for the second time in history. The Huskers defeated the Red Wolves in 2009 with a score of 38–9. During the first half of the game Pelini began feeling ill. At halftime he was sent to a local hospital for a series of precautionary tests that ultimately revealed no major health concerns. Defensive coordinator John Papuchis took over head coaching duties in the second half in Pelini's absence.^[7]

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP ASU Nebraska 1 12:47 9 51 2:58 Nebraska Ameer Abdullah rush up middle for 1 yard; Brett Maher kick 0 7 1 2:36 5 67 2:12 Nebraska Taylor Martinez pass complete to Kenny Bell for 42 yards; Maher kick 0 14 2 0:24 9 59 2:31 ASU Brian Davis 31-yard field goal 3 14 2 12:53 6 72 3:24 Nebraska Martinez pass complete to Bell for 25 yards; Maher kick 3 21 2 5:35 10 75 5:00 Nebraska Abdullah rush over left tackle for 2 yards; Maher kick 3 28 3 10:44 2 -11 0:43 ASU Martinez sacked for loss of 14 yards to the Nebraska 1 by Shervarius Jackson, fumble by Martinez, recovered by Jackson, Qushaun Lee for 1-yard touchdown; Davis kick 10 28 3 5:12 4 0 1:00 ASU Davis 32-yard field goal 13 28 4 4:12 12 57 6:22 Nebraska Imani Cross rush up middle for 2 yards; Maher kick 13 35 4 10:29 4 43 1:28 Nebraska Martinez rush over right end for 18 yards; Maher kick 13 42 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 13 42

Idaho State

Idaho State Bengals at #25 Nebraska Corhuskers

1 2 3 4 Total Idaho State 0 0 0 7 7 • #25 Nebraska 35 10 21 7 73 Date: September 22 Location: Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, NE Game start: 2:42 p.m. CST Elapsed time: 3:17 Game attendance: 84,923 Game weather: Sunny, 59 °F (15 °C), Wind NE 8 mph (13 km/h) Referee: Dave Witvoet TV announcers (BTN): Tom Werme, Kelly Stouffer, Damon Benning Source:^[8]

The fourth and final game before conference play paired the Huskers against Idaho St. for their first meeting in history. The Bengals are from the Big Sky Conference.

Wisconsin

Wisconsin Badgers at Nebraska Cornhuskers

1 2 3 4 Total Wisconsin 14 6 7 0 27 • #22 Nebraska 3 7 17 3 30 Date: September 29 Location: Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, NE Game start: 7:12 p.m. CST Elapsed time: 3:28 Game attendance: 85,962 Game weather: Clear, 73 °F (23 °C), Wind SSE 0–9 mph (0–14 km/h) Referee: Bill LeMonnier TV announcers (ABC): Brad Nessler, Todd Blackledge, Holly Rowe Source:^[9]

 

Nebraska began its second season of Big Ten conference play with a home game against Wisconsin, the team that defeated them 48–17 in their first Big Ten conference game in 2011. The all-time series coming into the game was tied 3–3 with Nebraska having last hosted Wisconsin in 1973. This game also was marked as "The Quick and The Red" as both schools went against tradition and wore alternate uniforms created by Adidas. Nebraska wore a black helmet, normally white, an all red uniform with black stripes on both shoulders and down the side of the leg, and a black "N" on the front instead of the number. Wisconsin wore a red helmet, normally white, with a traditional "W" on it, all white uniform, shoulders covered in red, red stripes down side of legs with a red "W" where the numbers normally are.^[10]

Ohio State

No. 21 Nebraska Cornhuskers at No. 12 Ohio State Buckeyes

1 2 3 4 Total No. 21 Nebraska 14 10 7 7 38 • No. 12 Ohio State 7 28 14 14 63 Date: October 6 Location: Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio Game start: 7:13 p.m. CST Elapsed time: 3:33 Game attendance: 106,102 Game weather: Partly cloudy, 52 °F (11 °C), wind NW at 9 mph (14 km/h) Referee: Todd Geerlings TV announcers (ABC): Brad Nessler, Todd Blackledge, Holly Rowe Source:^[11]

The Huskers traveled to Columbus to face Ohio State, who were playing their first season under new head coach Urban Meyer. In 2011, Nebraska defeated the Buckeyes, 34–27, on the strength of a historic second-half comeback after being down 27–6. This game marked the Huskers' first visit to Columbus since 1956. There would be no comeback in this one, as the Buckeyes, after trailing 14-7 after the first quarter, pulled away by halftime to win 63-38.

Northwestern

Nebraska Cornhuskers at Northwestern Wildcats

1 2 3 4 Total • Nebraska 3 7 6 13 29 Northwestern 7 7 7 7 28 Date: October 20 Location: Ryan Field (stadium), Evanston, Illinois Game start: 2:35 p.m. CST Elapsed time: 3:39 Game attendance: 47,330 Game weather: Partly cloudy, 57 °F (14 °C), Wind NW 9 mph (14 km/h) Referee: Dennis Lipski TV announcers (ABC/ESPN2): Bob Wischusen, Danny Kanell, Maria Taylor Source:^[12]

Nebraska came into the game leading the all time series 3 wins to 2 losses. This game was the Huskers first game in Evanston since 1931.

Michigan

#20 Michigan Wolverines at Nebraska Cornhuskers

1 2 3 4 Total #20 Michigan 0 6 3 0 9 • Nebraska 0 7 9 7 23 Date: October 27 Location: Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, NE Game start: 7:01 p.m. CST Elapsed time: 3:15 Game attendance: 86,160 Game weather: Cloudy, 41 °F (5 °C), Wind SW 13 mph (21 km/h) Referee: Dan Capron TV announcers (ESPN2): Mark Jones, Brock Huard, Jessica Mendoza Source:^[13]

Michigan came into the game leading the all time series at 4–2–1. This was the Wolverine's first trip to Lincoln since a 6–6 tie in 1911.

Michigan State

#21 Nebraska Cornhuskers at Michigan State Spartans

1 2 3 4 Total • #21 Nebraska 7 7 0 14 28 Michigan State 7 7 3 7 24 Date: November 3 Location: Spartan Stadium, East Lansing, Michigan Game start: 3:30 p.m. EST Elapsed time: 3:52 Game attendance: 73,522 Game weather: Cloudy, 38 °F (3 °C), Wind NW 6 mph (9.7 km/h) Referee: Bill LeMonnier TV announcers (ABC/ESPN2): Sean McDonough, Chris Spielman, Quint Kessenich Source:^[14]

Nebraska came into the game having never lost to the Spartans, leading the all time series 6–0. This was the Huskers first visit to East Lansing since spoiling Nick Saban's first game, a 50–10 Nebraska win in 1995.

Penn State

Penn State Nittany Lions at #18 Nebraska Cornhuskers

1 2 3 4 Total Penn State 7 13 3 0 23 • #18 Nebraska 3 3 14 12 32 Date: November 10 Location: Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, NE Game start: 2:35 p.m. CST Elapsed time: 3:33 Game attendance: 85,527 Game weather: Sunny, 76 °F (24 °C), Wind S 11–35 mph (18–56 km/h) Referee: John O'Neill TV announcers (ABC/ESPN2): Sean McDonough, Chris Spielman, Quint Kessenich Source:^[15]

This was Penn State's first trip to Lincoln since 2003 where the all time series between the two coming into the game was 7–6, with Nebraska having the advantage.

Minnesota

Minnesota Golden Gophers at #16 Nebraska Cornhuskers

1 2 3 4 Total Minnesota 0 0 0 14 14 • #16 Nebraska 10 14 14 0 38 Date: November 17 Location: Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, NE Game start: 2:43 p.m. CST Elapsed time: 3:14 Game attendance: 85,330 Game weather: Sunny, 62 °F (17 °C), Wind S 14–28 mph (23–45 km/h) Referee: Alex Camp TV announcers (BTN): Eric Collins, Derek Rackley Source:^[16]

 

Celebrating Tom Osborne during pre-game

The Golden Gophers lead the all time series 29–21–2, but have not won a game in Lincoln since 1960. The last Minnesota team to play at Nebraska was the victim of a 56–0 loss in 1990. The win ensured Nebraska's first unbeaten home season since 2001.

Iowa

#17 Nebraska Cornhuskers at Iowa Hawkeyes

1 2 3 4 Total • #17 Nebraska 3 0 10 0 13 Iowa 7 0 0 0 7 Date: November 23 Location: Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, Iowa Game start: 11:07 a.m. CST Elapsed time: 3:05 Game attendance: 69,805 Game weather: Mostly Sunny, 31 °F (−1 °C), Wind NW 26 mph (42 km/h) Referee: Dan Capron TV announcers (ABC): Mike Patrick, Ed Cunningham, Jeannine Edwards Source:^[17]

Nebraska leads the all-time series 27–12–3. The last Husker team to visit Iowa City opened the 1999 season with a 42–7 victory.

Wisconsin (Big Ten Championship Game)

#14 Nebraska Cornhuskers vs. Wisconsin Badgers

1 2 3 4 Total #14 Nebraska 10 0 7 14 31 • Wisconsin 21 21 21 7 70 Date: December 1 Location: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN Game start: 8:20 p.m. EST Elapsed time: 3:28 Game attendance: 41,260 Game weather: Indoors Referee: John O'Neill TV announcers (FOX): Gus Johnson, Charles Davis, Julie Alexandria, Petros Papadakis Source:^[18]

This game marked Nebraska's only appearance in the Big Ten Championship game. Nebraska's last appearance in a conference championship game was in 2010 their last season in the Big XII conference. Nebraska defeated Wisconsin 30–27 in the regular season. Wisconsin won the game and received the conference berth in the 2013 Rose Bowl.

Capital One Bowl

#23 Nebraska Cornhuskers vs. #6 Georgia Bulldogs

1 2 3 4 Total • #6 Georgia 16 7 8 14 45 #23 Nebraska 14 10 7 0 31 Date: January 1 Location: Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium, Orlando, Fl Game start: 1:08 p.m. EST Elapsed time: 3:33 Game attendance: 59,712 Game weather: Partly Cloudy, 75 °F (24 °C), Wind SSW 11 mph (18 km/h) Referee: Mike Defee TV announcers (ABC): Rece Davis, Jesse Palmer, David Pollack, Samantha Steele Source:^[19]

See also: 2013 Capital One Bowl

Rankings

See also: 2012 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
— = Not ranked. RV = Received votes.

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Final
AP	17	16	RV	25	22	21	RV	RV	RV	21	18	16	17	14	23	25
Coaches	16	14	24	22	20	20	RV	RV	RV	21	16	14	14	13	21	23
Harris	Not released						RV	RV	RV	21	16	14	14	13	18	Not released
BCS	Not released							—	—	20	16	14	14	12	16	Not released

References

1. "Weather 1, Huskers 0: Spring game canceled".
2. Nebraska Cornhuskers Schedule - 2012, Huskers.com, Retrieved January 5, 2012
3. "ESPN Selects Four Additional Big Ten College Football Games for ABC". ESPN Media Zone. May 3, 2012. Retrieved May 3, 2012.
4. "Scoring Summary (Final), 2012 Nebraska Football, Southern Miss vs #17 Nebraska (Sep 01, 2012 at Lincoln, Neb.)" (PDF). Huskers.com. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
5. "Scoring Summary (Final), 2012 Nebraska Football, #16 Nebraska vs UCLA (Sep 08, 2012 at Pasadena, CA)" (PDF). Huskers.com. Retrieved September 10, 2012.
6. "Scoring Summary (Final) 2012 Nebraska Football Arkansas State vs Nebraska (Sep 15, 2012 at Lincoln, Neb.)" (PDF). Huskers.com. Retrieved September 15, 2012.
7. McKewon, Sam (September 15, 2012). "Nebraska coach Bo Pelini out of hospital, eyes return". The Omaha World Herald. Retrieved January 10, 2014.
8. "Scoring Summary (Final) 2012 Nebraska Football Idaho State vs #25 Nebraska (Sep 22, 2012 at Lincoln, Neb.)" (PDF). Huskers.com. Retrieved September 22, 2012.
9. "Scoring Summary (Final) 2012 Nebraska Football, Wisconsin vs #22 Nebraska (Sep 29, 2012 at Lincoln, Neb.)" (PDF). Husker.com. Retrieved October 1, 2012.
10. Gaines, Cork (August 15, 2012). "Nebraska And Wisconsin Will Wear Wild Uniforms For Their 'Rivalry' Game". Business Insider. Retrieved June 24, 2013.
11. "Scoring Summary (Final) 2012 Nebraska Football #20 Nebraska vs #12 Ohio State (Oct 06, 2012 at Columbus, Ohio)" (PDF). Husker.com. Retrieved October 11, 2012.
12. "Scoring Summary (Final) 2012 Northwestern Football, Nebraska vs Northwestern (Oct 20, 2012 at Evanston, Ill.)" (PDF). Huskers.com. Retrieved October 23, 2012.
13. "Scoring Summary (Final) 2012 Nebraska Football, #20 Michigan vs Nebraska (Oct 27, 2012 at Lincoln, Neb.)" (PDF). Huskers.com. Retrieved October 29, 2012.
14. "Scoring Summary (Final) 2012 Michigan State Football #21 Nebraska vs Michigan State (Nov 03, 2012 at East Lansing, Mich.)". msuspartans.com. Retrieved November 4, 2012.
15. "Scoring Summary (Final) 2012 Nebraska Football, Penn State vs #18 Nebraska (Nov 10, 2012 at Lincoln, Neb.)" (PDF). Huskers.com. Retrieved November 13, 2012.
16. "Scoring Summary (Final) 2012 Nebraska Football, Minnesota vs #16 Nebraska (Nov 17, 2012 at Lincoln, Neb.)" (PDF). Huskers.com. Retrieved November 19, 2012.
17. "Scoring Summary (Final) 2012 Nebraska Football #14 Nebraska vs Iowa Hawkeyes (Nov 23, 2012 at Iowa City, Iowa)" (PDF). Huskers.com. Retrieved November 23, 2012.
18. "Scoring Summary (Final)2012 Wisconsin Football #12 Nebraska vs Wisconsin (Dec. 1, 2012 at Indianapolis, Ind.)" (PDF). HuskerMax.com. Retrieved December 2, 2012.
19. "Scoring Summary (Final)2012 Nebraska Football #7 Georgia Bulldogs vs #16 Nebraska (Jan 1, 2013 at Orlando, Fla.).)" (PDF). huskers.com. Retrieved January 1, 2013.