Nebraska Football: A Historical Kind of Husker Quarterback Battle
4. Brook Berringer
Berringer’s signature season came in 1994 when he had to step in for an injured Tommie Frazier and he showed that not only could he lead, but he was the best passing quarterback that Nebraska football had seen in a while.
Through 12 games, Berringer completed 62.3 percent of his 151 passes for 1,295 yards and 10 touchdowns. Keep in mind that he did this during a year that saw Lawrence Phillips headline the rushing charts with 1,722 yards and 16 scores.
His top receivers (Reggie Baul, Mark Gilman, Brendan Holbein and Clester Johnson) had a combined 677 yards.
Compare that to last year’s numbers when Nebraska had five players top 20 receptions (Jordan Westerkamp, Stanley Morgan, Brandon Reilly, Alonzo Moore and De’Mornay Pierson-El) for a combined 2,020 yards receiving.
Like Humm, Berringer surprised the defense a time or two, accounting for six touchdowns and 279 yards on the ground.
Many believe he would’ve been selected in the 1996 NFL Draft, likely as a true passing quarterback, nearly unheard of in recent Husker football circles. Unfortunately, he died in a plane crash two days prior to the event.
The Big Red faithful still remember him fondly and a statue of him and Dr. Tom Osborne graces the area outside Memorial Stadium’s north entrance.