Aug 1994; E. Rutherford, NJ, USA, FILE PHOTO; Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback (15) Tommie Fraizer in action against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Meadowlands. Mandatory Credit: Photo by USA TODAY Sports
The Nebraska Cornhuskers won five National Championships, three of which came in the 1990s. However, Nebraska football has had many different quarterbacks, and it took a lot of work to develop a top-five. Numbers two and three were flipped a few times.
5. Scott Frost 1996-1997
Scott Frost started his college career at Stanford before heading back to Nebraska to play football in 1995; he had to redshirt for a year before becoming the Cornhuskers quarterback in 1996. In Frost’s second season as the starter, he led Nebraska football to a 13-0 national championship season. He became the first quarterback in school history to run (1,095) and pass (1,237) for 1,000 yards in a season. Frost finished his Nebraska career with 2, 677 passing yards and 18 touchdown passes while rushing for 1,534 yards and 28 touchdowns.
4. Jerry Tagge 1969-1971
Jerry Tagge won two national titles with Nebraska football and was an All-American in 1971. Passing for 5,069 yards for his career, Tagge ranks seventh in passing in Cornhuskers history. He also threw 32 touchdown passes. The quarterback also rushed for 672 yards and 13 touchdowns.
3. Eric Crouch 1998-2001
Eric Couch had an outstanding career and capped it in 2001 by winning the Walter Camp Player of the Year, Davey O’Brien Quarterback Award, Sporting News National Offensive Player of the Year, and the ABC/Chevrolet National Player of the Year. Crouch won the Heisman Trophy award in 2021. When Crouch was done at Nebraska, he left with 32 school records.
The quarterback was a dual threat passing for 4,481 yards and 29 touchdowns while rushing for 3,950 yards and 59 touchdowns. Crouch was one of three quarterbacks to rush for 3,00 yards and pass for 4,000 yards. He also led the Huskers to one Big 12 championship and the BCS title game in the Rose Bowl.
2. Turner Gill 1981-1983
Turner Gill went 28-2 as a starter for Nebraska football and 20-0 in Big 8 play. He made All-American as a senior and led the Cornhuskers to the cusp of the national championship, but they lost to the Miami Hurricanes. While at Nebraska, Gill passed for 3,317 yards and 34 touchdowns. He also rushed for 1,317 yards and 18 touchdowns.
1.Tommie Frazier 1992-1995
That brings us to No.1, Tommie Frazier, the most dynamic quarterback in Nebraska football history. He helped lead the Cornhuskers to back-to-back national championships in 1994 and 1995. He finished his career 33-3 as a starter.
Frazier finished his career with 3,521 yards and 43 touchdowns through the air and added 1,955 yards and 36 touchdowns on the ground. Frazier’s numbers would be even better if not for blood clots in the 1994 season. He was elected to the National College Football Hall of Fame in 2013.
Solich coached at Nebraska from 1998-2003 as the head coach. He first began as the Nebraska running backs coach from 1983-1997 and served as the Nebraska freshman had coach from 1979-1982.
The Huskers enjoyed success under his leadership, as they won a Big 12 Championship in 1999 and won three Big 12 12 North Division titles from 1999-2001. Solich was fired by then Nebraska athletic director Steve Pederson after a 9-3 season in 2003.
Since the firing, Nebraska football is never achieved the same level of success. Bo Pelini was able to help the Nebraska football program win Big 12 North Division titles from 2008-2010 as well as a Legends Division title in 2012. However, he was never able to fully achieve the success that Solich was able to bring to the table.
To add insult to injury, Solich had success at Ohio. He coached at Ohio from 2005-2020 and was able to capture four MAC East division championships in 2006, 2009, 2011, and 2016. He was the MAC Coach of The Year in 2006.
Nebraska football will be able to honor a person who played a big role in the program’s history. Moreover, they will be doing so in a proper way. This is a major announcement for Nebraska football, as they look to honor a key figure in the program’s history. It will be exciting to see him return, and be a big part of what is sure to be a fun weekend, with several recruits on hand as well.
Things are looking up for the Nebraska football program, and that includes honoring a legend. I know I will be glued to my seat for the festivities.
There were several interesting news tidbits to come out of Nebraska football practice on Tuesday. Head coach Matt Rhule covered several things in his press conference, and noted a position change in the process.
The coach indicated that former tight end AJ Rollins is playing at the defensive line position.
Rollins was part of the 2020 recruiting class, and appeared in five games as a redshirt freshman last season. He was wearing a gray jersey on Tuesday, which means that he is serving as a two-way player for this Nebraska football coaching staff, per Sam McKewon of the Omaha World-Herald.
Jalil Martin, who played defensive back last season was also in a gray jersey. He was working with the wide receivers.
Now, the coaching staff wants to possibly see if a player like Rollins could switch positions. He has the size to be a defensive end, measuring in at six-foot-six, 220 pounds. He also has speed, which works well at both the tight end and defensive end position. His length and strength could also serve as assets, as he could collapse the pocket as a defensive lineman.
It is an interesting experiment for sure, as this is another case of the coaching staff trying to figure out which position works best for a player. The tight end room is already crowded, with Thomas Fidone and Arik Gilbert headlining the position. It makes sense that they would try Rollins somewhere else for that reason as well.
This also kind of lines up with offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield’s theory. He wants to get as many athletes on the field as possible. Yes, this is not exactly an offensive move, but it shares the same theory. Having Rollins at least try defensive line is proof of that. It also shows Rollins willingness to try to help the team in any way he can.
It will be interesting to see if the defensive line idea sticks for the Nebraska football coaching staff and Rollins. It’s at least worth a shot, which is what spring ball practice is for.
There was a familiar face back at Nebraska football practice on Tuesday, as quarterback Casey Thompson was back in the fold per The Athletic’s Mitch Sherman.
Thompson was very limited according to The Athletic’s Mitch Sherman. The quarterback continues to recover from offseason shoulder surgery.
The return of Thompson in practice is a good sign, given that he is a likely candidate for the top quarterback spot this season. He threw for 2,407 yards, 17 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. His 63.1% completion percentage was just a shade under his number from 2021 when it was 63.2.
Thompson finished the season strong in 2022, throwing for five touchdowns and no interceptions. This included going 20-of-30, throwing for 278 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions in the season finale against Iowa on November 25.
Another Morning With Matt at Nebraska spring practice. Casey Thompson and Logan Smothers are with the QBs.
Thompson is delivering short throws today. He’s been cleared to use that shoulder in some limited form. pic.twitter.com/jRqmRty1ld
This is certainly a good sign for the Nebraska football program, as it allows Thompson to get in some extra work before the spring game. It would be reasonable to expect him not to go to crazy the spring, as he continues to rehab his shoulder. Nevertheless, any reps are certainly a positive sign.
The quarterback will look to lead a revamped offensive unit that includes Anthony Grant and Ajay Allen at the running back position, as well as Thomas Fidone and Arik Gilbert at the tight end position. The wide receiver room looks to be full of talent as well, which should bode well for Thompson.
In any event, this is a good step for Thompson as he looks to work his way back. It will be interesting to see what his workload is, and how the program manages that throughout the rest of spring ball. The spring game itself is set to take place on April 22.
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