Clip of the Nebraska 'road race' shows how close Lincoln's community is

College sports are about more than just the games. Connections are formed, passion grows, and groups of people that would most likely never meet become a community.

Over the weekend, the Nebraska Cornhuskers hosted their annual Football Road Run, where the community of Lincoln can come together, meet players and coaches, partake in football-adjacent activities, and race in a fun run.

All of the money raised through the event goes to fighting pediatric brain cancer; a pretty darn good cause if you ask me.

At the event, a couple of players and coaches took turns speaking to the crowd, including senior defensive back Derek Brach and defensive lineman Riley Van Poppel.

"As you all know, we lost a member of our Nebraska football family this past year," Branch said. "It's a reminder of why we show up, why we keep fighting, and why we do events like this."

Branch was, of course, referring to Jack Hoffman, who passed away in 2024 after a lengthy battle with brain cancer. Greg Sharpe, another former Nebraska player, also passed away last year following a fight with cancer.

"They come out and support us every Saturday, no matter what they're going through or what they're fighting for," Van Poppel said. "Their fight is a lot bigger than ours, we're playing a game and they're fighting for something a lot bigger."

"So, just always wanna give back, and give them more than they give us," Vap Poppel concluded.

Hoffman's tie to the Cornhuskers? As an 8-year-old, Hoffman caught a touchdown in the 2013 Nebraska Spring Game, making the entire fanbase fall in love with him and his story.

This year, Aiden Gehring won the 5K race. Gehring lost his sister to her fight with brain cancer just five years ago.

The event was hosted by the Team Jack Foundation, which was started to raise money for the research of pediatric brain cancer. This year's event was the first Road Run held by Nebraska since Hoffman passed away.