Huskers vs Cougars: BYU Short-Handed

Another Spring game is in the books for the Huskers, so we are going to look ahead to the Huskers first game scheduled for September 5th 2015. Do you remember the Miami Beach Bowl last December? I am sure the BYU fans do. BYU lost to Memphis 45-55 and at the conclusion of the game a bloody brawl broke out which has led to many players facing penalties for their actions in the upcoming season.

Dec 22, 2014; Miami, FL, USA; Memphis Tigers offensive lineman Sam Thomas (right) yells at Brigham Young Cougars offensive lineman De

BYU finished 8-5 last season with a disappointing finish in their December bowl game as BYU took the lead in the 4th quarter 45 to 38, but Memphis scored a TD with 45 seconds left to tie the game and send it to overtime. Both teams scored field goals in the first overtime, and in the second overtime Memphis scored a TD on the first possession leaving BYU with the only choice to answer with a TD of their own, but on BYU’s drive Memphis intercepted a pass near the endzone, ending the game.

Immediately, a frenzy of Memphis players rushed the field in celebration and it appears that a BYU lineman shoved a Memphis player from behind leading to the Memphis player throwing punches, and it all erupted from there as teams from both sides rushed in to break up or join in the fight. This was an exciting game bowl game to watch, almost as exciting as the Husker’s game but the fight put a bad taste in the mouths of both schools. Here is a good take on the BYU/Memphis brawl from Patrick Schmidt of our BYU Fansided partners. This leads me to this question, when a fight breaks out on the football field, why on earth do the players take off their helmets? And have you ever seen a Husker team, as a whole, rush out on the field for a fight? Besides a few players here and there, I have never seen a Husker vs opponent team brawl.

Sep 6, 2014; Lincoln, NE, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers mascot Herbie Husker performs during the game against the McNeese State Cowboys in the first half at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports

So how does this affect the Huskers? Well it doesn’t, but it does affect BYU when they play Nebraska. On September 5, 2015 the Cougars of Brigham Young University will travel to Lincoln for a first time ever meeting with the Nebraska Cornhuskers, but BYU will be traveling with around 10 players less than normal due to being suspended from the December bowl game brawl. Memphis quickly announced that 12 players would be hit with suspensions but as of the date of this article posting, BYU hasn’t said who would be suspended. Now we do not know which BYU players will miss the home opener, but if you watch the video then you may be able to guess on a few. If the suspended players are starters it will be a shame that poor decisions on the field leads to a fraction of a team for the first ever meeting against Nebraska.

The Huskers have the home field advantage, and since 2000 the Huskers are 15-0 on their opening games. In fact the Huskers have not lost an opening game since the 1985 (13-17) loss to Florida State. BYU is 11-4 in opening games since 2000 and may have difficulty scouting the new Husker Offense as the Huskers only revealed a vanilla version at their Spring Game. Mike Riley has faced BYU at Oregon State three times recently with BYU having won the in 2009 and 2011 matche-ups, and Oregon State won the last meeting in 2012. Also if you are curious, Oregon State is 8-7 on their opeing games of the season. In both BYU’s and Oregon States defense, they have played much better competition on their first game than the Huskers have. And for those of you who have not seen it and are still worried about Mike Riley as the Husker coach, check out this comparison between Mike Riley and Bo Pelini.