Nebraska football: 10 best seasons by a Husker running back

LINCOLN, NE - OCTOBER 25: Running back Ameer Abdullah #8 of the Nebraska Cornhuskers runs for a touchdown during the game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Memorial Stadium on October 25, 2014 in Lincoln, Nebraska. Abdullah set a school record for career all-purpose yards. Nebraska defeated Rutgers 42-24. (Photo by Eric Francis/Getty Images) /

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Rex Burkhead was one of the best of the best of this new generation of Nebraska football running backs. The real downer about Burkhead is that he had some injury issues that derailed his senior season.

The year before, he put up a year for the ages, rushing for 1,357 yards and 15 touchdowns. He added 21 catches for 177 yards and another two touchdowns. That means he total 17 TDs on the season and had more than 1,500 total yards.

2011 was a bit of a frustrating season as Bo Pelini’s defense started falling down on the job. The record was still plenty good though as Burkhead led the offense from the ground.

Among the fantastic single season was one game in particular that stood out. The Huskers trailed Ohio State by quite a bit, they couldn’t get their offense or defense on track.

Then Burkhead busted out one of his patented runs and the game began to change. It turns out that the win was the biggest comeback in the history of Nebraska football at the time.

If there is one negative about this season, and one of the reasons it’s so low on the list, it’s because Burkhead had a ton of carries to get those yards. His 4.5 yards per carry are plenty good, but they are among the worst on this list.

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