Nebraska's Mick Stoltenberg, No. 44, greets fans after the Huskers' 25-24 victory over Purdue in 2017.
This article was originally published in September of 2018. It has been updated to reflect recent results.
* * *
Nebraska and Purdue faced off as conference opponents for the first time in 2013.
But that wasn’t their first meeting. That came in 1958 — the only game between them before the Huskers joined the Big Ten.
“Nebraska was a 28-0 victim of Purdue University,” Wally Provost wrote in the Sept. 28, 1958, edition of The World-Herald. “But that score may be the most deceptive figure in the Husker football history book today.”
The Huskers were surely at a disadvantage, fielding just 24 players, including some who "saw only several minutes of action.” On the opposite side, Purdue countered with “29 linemen and 16 backs.”
The loss dropped Nebraska to 1-1, and NU finished the season 3-7, part of six straight losing seasons until Bob Devaney was hired prior to the 1962 campaign.
So how have the matchups gone since Nebraska joined the Big Ten? They include a Halloween shootout and a Husker comeback.
1958
“Nebraska was a 28-0 victim of Purdue University,” Wally Provost wrote in the Sept. 28, 1958, edition of The World-Herald. “But that score may be the most deceptive figure in the Husker football history book today.” The Huskers fielded just 24 players, some who didn't see much playing time. Purdue, however, used "29 linemen and 16 backs" to wear Nebraska down.
2013
It wasn’t the prettiest game — a combined 15 penalties, 14 punts, five turnovers and at least that many injury timeouts. But the Huskers steadily pulled away to a 44-7 victory. Randy Gregory, who was once committed to Purdue, had his name chanted by the crowd after a dominant performance with a fumble recovery that led to a touchdown and two sacks, one of which led to a safety.
2014
This was a Blackshirt showcase in a 35-14 Nebraska victory. Purdue’s offense had caught fire in recent weeks but was forced to punt seven times and turned the ball over on downs five times. Quarterback Austin Appleby completed 18 of 46 passes and tossed two interceptions. The Boilermakers converted 3 of 22 third and fourth downs.
2015
“Rock bottom,” was mentioned by staff writer Sam McKewon in the Nov. 1, 2015, edition of The World-Herald. The Huskers had five turnovers, missed several tackles and had four penalties on extra-point tries. That Boilermaker squad had previously won just one Big Ten game in nearly three seasons.
2016
Nebraska trailed 14-10 heading into halftime but outscored the Boilermakers 17-0 after the break. The Huskers won 27-14 and improved their record to 7-0. They steadily wore down Purdue, running for 74 of 157 yards in the fourth quarter. The receiving corps did most of the damage. Brandon Reilly, De’Mornay Pierson-El, Stanley Morgan and Alonzo Moore each posted a play longer than 20 yards.
2017
Everything seemed to be going Purdue’s way. The Huskers had 95 penalty yards, "nonexistent run blocking and shoddy tackling on defense,” as McKewon wrote. But Tanner Lee had 431 passing yards and two fourth-quarter touchdowns that left NU celebrating a 25-24 come-from-behind victory. “Never, never, never, never, never quit!” then-coach Mike Riley told his players in the locker room. “Never! That was beautiful! That can set a tone for who this team is!” It didn't. The Huskers lost their final four games and Riley was fired after the season.
2018
“We look like one of the most undisciplined teams in the country, and it kills me,” Scott Frost said after the game. The Huskers committed 11 penalties for 136 yards, including a defensive holding that negated a key interception.
Notes
» Nebraska has outscored Purdue 204-184 in seven games, an average victory of 29.1-26.3.
» Purdue does not have a player from Nebraska on its roster. Nebraska has two players from Indiana — junior linebacker Collin Miller and sophomore tight end Kurt Rafdal.
» Nebraska is 13-4-1 all-time on Nov. 2. The last time? A victory over Northwestern in 2013 thanks to Jordan Westerkamp's Hail Mary catch.
You can see every Nebraska football game, from 1890 to today, in The World-Herald’s extensive Husker History database. Also included? When NU last appeared at every spot in the AP Top 25, an overview of every coach, data on the sellout streak and so much more.
Nebraska football's record every day of the year
How does Nebraska fare all time every day of the year? Well, it's usually pretty good. Enjoy classic photos, along with several statistics, of the Huskers' history everyday of the calendar. Is a day not listed? That just means NU hasn't played. And be sure to give Husker History a follow on Twitter for even more tidbits about the Huskers.
The Huskers are 1-0 all time on Aug. 24. The lone game? A 48-10 win over Arizona State in 2002.
The Huskers are 1-0 all time on Aug. 25, a 21-7 victory over TCU in 2001. NU allowed just six first downs and 186 yards.
The Huskers are 1-0 on Aug. 27, a 23-14 win over No. 10 Texas A&M in 1988. Gregg Barrios, a sophomore kicker out of Omaha Creighton Prep, made three field goals.
The Huskers have more wins (1) than points allowed (0) all time on Aug. 28. Nebraska beat No. 24 West Virginia 31-0 in 1994.
The Huskers are 2-0 on Aug. 29, including a 44-6 win over No. 4 Penn State at Giants Stadium in 1983.
The Huskers have won all four of their games on Aug. 30 by an average score of 44.5-13.
The Huskers have defeated all four of their foes on Aug. 31.
Baylor, Troy, Nevada and Southern Miss have challenged the Huskers on Sept. 1. All went home with losses.
The Huskers have one all-time loss on Sept. 2 — 20-3 against top-ranked Alabama in 1978. NU has since won three games on that date.
The Huskers are undefeated on Sept. 3, outscoring opponents a combined 171-37.
The Huskers have had no problem with their four all-time opponents on Sept. 4. NU has won by an average of 43.8 points.
The Huskers won their first four games on Sept. 5 against Utah State, Utah, UAB and Florida Atlantic, but lost to BYU in 2015.
The Huskers have played four games on Sept. 6. None may be more memorable than the 34-17 win over No. 11 Florida State in 1986.
The Huskers lost their first game on Sept. 7 — against Florida State in 1985 — but have since recovered to win four of their last five.
The Huskers' history on Sept. 8 includes two games against UCLA. Nebraska beat the No. 10 Bruins 40-13 in 1973, but UCLA got revenge in 2012.
The Huskers are 5-2 on Sept. 9, including a 2017 loss to Oregon. Nebraska beat No. 23 Notre Dame 27-24 in 2000.
After falling to No. 5 UCLA in 1988, the Huskers have won three straight games on Sept. 10 — against Wake Forest, Fresno State and Wyoming.
The Huskers are 5-1-1 on Sept. 11, including a 42-7 victory over the Hawkeyes in 1982. The tie was against LSU in 1976.
The Huskers have allowed single digits in each of their last four games on Sept. 12. They have a 6-1 overall record.
The Huskers are undefeated on Sept. 13. Only two of those games were decided by single digits, a 10-7 victory over LSU in 1975 and an 18-10 win against Penn State in 2003.
The Huskers are 4-2 on Sept. 14, including a 71-14 win over Colorado State in 1991 and a 61-7 victory against Oregon in 1974.
The Huskers were 3-1 on Sept. 15, including a 49-31 loss against No. 1 USC in 2007, until losing to Troy in 2018.
The Huskers won their first five games on Sept. 16, but have since lost the last two — in 2006 against No. 4 USC and in 2017 against Northern Illinois.
Nebraska lost 6-0 to Hawaii in 1955. The Huskers have since won eight straight on Sept. 17, including over No. 4 Alabama, No. 13 UCLA and No. 22 Oregon.
Eight teams have challenged the Huskers on Sept. 18. Eight have fallen.
Close your eyes. Sept. 19 has been rough to the Huskers, who are 2-5-1 on the date. The tie was against No. 3 USC in 1970.
The Huskers beat No. 2 Washington 27-14 in 1997, part of an 8-1 overall record on Sept. 20.
Nebraska is 4-4 on Sept. 21. That includes the Huskers' 19-0 loss to Arizona State in 1996, which snapped a winning streak that stretched nearly 1,000 days.
The Huskers were 8-0 on Sept. 22 before losing to Michigan in 2018.
The Huskers are undefeated all time on Sept. 23. Four of those games were shutouts. All but one were decided by 29-plus points.
The last time the Huskers lost on Sept. 24? 1960 against Minnesota. Nebraska has since won seven straight.
The Huskers' first game on Sept. 25 was a 19-15 win over Iowa State in 1948. NU is 8-2 overall.
Since a six-point loss to No. 3 Penn State in 1981, the Huskers are 5-0 on Sept. 26, including a 35-28 victory over No. 12 Arizona State in 1987.
The Huskers are 7-3 on Sept. 27, including a 21-7 win against No. 11 Penn State in 1980.
Nebraska has three wins by 50-plus points on Sept. 28, but the Huskers also have four losses by 20-plus points.
A loss to Purdue snapped the Huskers' five game winning streak on Sept. 29, which included Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa State, Missouri and Oregon State.
Nebraska went 0-1-3 in its first four games on Sept. 30. The Huskers have since won seven straight, with only two decided by single digits.
The Huskers are 13-4 all time on Oct. 1. That includes a 27-20, double OT win over No. 23 Iowa State in 2005.
The Huskers are 11-2-1 on Oct. 2, including seven straight wins dating back to 1954. One of those was a 14-8 victory over Kansas in 2004.
The Huskers have five shutout victories on Oct. 3, boosting their record to 12-3 on the date.
Of Nebraska's last six opponents on Oct. 4, four have been ranked. NU has one win in those games, a 56-26 victory over No. 17 Kansas State in 1997.
The Huskers haven't lost on Oct. 5 since 1940, going 9-0 in that span with three wins over Kansas State.
So the last two games Nebraska has played on Oct. 6 haven't gone so well ... But the Huskers also won 100-0 on Oct. 6, 1917, so that probably makes up for it.
The Huskers were a perfect 15-0 on Oct. 7 until a loss to Wisconsin in 2017.
Remember the last time the Huskers played on Oct. 8? Taylor Martinez led a huge comeback to topple Ohio State.
Remember the last time the Huskers played on Oct. 9? Maybe try not to.