Lincoln -- Nebraska plays the second of three consecutive home games to open the 2002 season this Saturday evening when Troy State visits Lincoln for a 6 p.m. kickoff. The Huskers opened the season last weekend with a 48-10 victory over Arizona State in the Black Coaches Association Football Classic, marking the 17th straight season Nebraska has begun the year with a win.

This week?s game will mark the second consecutive year Troy State has traveled to Memorial Stadium. A year ago, Nebraska defeated the Trojans, 42-14, in TSU?s first game at the Division I-A level. The Trojans went on to finish their 2001 campaign with a 7-4 record and return 13 starters from last year?s team.

The Huskers remained in the top 10 in both major polls this week. Nebraska earned a one-spot promotion in the AP poll and is now at No. 9, while the Huskers stayed eighth in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll.

Nebraska will be gunning for its 23rd consecutive home victory against Troy State, a mark that would tie the third-longest home victory streak in school history.

This weekend?s activities also include the Nebraska Football Hall of Fame induction. Twelve new members will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on Friday evening and honored before kickoff on Saturday night. In addition to the Hall of Fame ceremonies, 2001 Heisman Trophy winner Eric Crouch will have his jersey retired at halftime of the Troy State contest.

Husker Offense, Defense, Special Teams All Score in Husker Victory
Nebraska Head Coach Frank Solich is a firm believer in having all three aspects of a team in place in order to contend for championships, and heading into this season, the offense, defense and special teams looked to be well balanced. Nebraska?s 48-10 victory over Arizona State did little to change that belief as all three areas got into the scoring column and played key roles in the NU win.

Nebraska?s offense did the work on the Huskers? two first-half scoring drives. The Huskers took the opening kickoff and drove 56 yards in 10 plays, culminated by a 40-yard Josh Brown field goal, giving NU a 3-0 edge. Early in the second quarter, a nine-play 72-yard touchdown drive was capped by Judd Davies? two-yard TD run.

The Huskers held a slim 10-3 edge at intermission, but the Husker special teams and defense quickly turned the tide at the start of the second half. On the opening kickoff of the second half, the NU kickoff coverage team pinned ASU on its own 6 and the Blackshirts forced the Sun Devils to a three-and-out. After a poor Arizona State punt, the Huskers drove 20 yards in six plays to break to a 17-3 advantage. The special teams excellence continued after Nebraska forced another ASU punt. Junior linebacker Demorrio Williams blocked a Sun Devil punt and fellow linebacker Scott Shanle scooped up the ball and returned it six yards for a score and a three-touchdown advantage.

A second blocked punt by Lannie Hopkins set up another short NU scoring drive, giving the Huskers a 34-10 edge in the fourth quarter. The Husker defense capped a strong debut to the 2002 season by getting a score of its own, as true freshman cornerback Fabian Washington returned an ASU pass 29 yards for the game?s final score, capping the 38-point victory.

• Nebraska junior quarterback Jammal Lord made an outstanding debut as a starter against Arizona State. The Bayonne, N.J., native rushed for 103 yards on 17 carries and passed for another 33 yards against the Sun Devils. Perhaps most impressive in Lord?s debut was his command and leadership of the Husker offense. Nebraska did not have a turnover in the contest and was perfect in the red zone (3-3) under Lord?s direction. Lord became the first Husker quarterback to top 100 rushing yards in his first career start in a season opener since Steve Taylor rushed for 139 yards against Florida State in 1986. For his efforts, Lord was Nebraska?s nominee for Big 12 Conference Offensive Player of the Week.
  
  
• Senior I-back Dahhran Diedrick carried 18 times for 79 yards and scored a touchdown in Saturday?s victory. Although, he was held under 100 yards for just the third time in the last nine regular-season games, Diedrick continued to show the ability to pick up tough yardage and helped key a Husker rushing attack that rolled up 283 rushing yards.
  
  
• The Nebraska offense tallied 283 rushing yards behind an offensive line that featured three first- time starters including redshirt freshman Richie Incognito, who became the first Husker O-lineman in school history to start his first career game and led Nebraska with 14 pancakes.
  
  
• Senior split end Wilson Thomas hauled in the fourth touchdown reception of his Husker career and had three catches in the game. Thomas has now had three or more catches in 10 of his last 14 games.
  
  
• Senior rush ends Chris Kelsay and Demoine Adams led a pass rush that tallied four sacks and hurried ASU quarterbacks on 12 other occasions. Kelsay finished the evening with 1.5 sacks for 17 yards and added four hurries, while Adams split two sacks, giving him 1.0 for nine yards on the game, in addition to a pair of hurries.
  
  
• Sophomore MLB Barrett Ruud made his first career start and led Nebraska in tackles with eight stops, including two tackles for six yards lost.
  
  
• Junior cornerback Pat Ricketts made a strong debut as the replacement for graduated All-Big 12 left corner Keyuo Craver. Ricketts had three pass breakups on the evening to go along with three unassisted tackles and was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week.
  
  
• Senior place-kicker Josh Brown was perfect on six extra-point tries and made both of his field goal attempts (40 and 42 yards). The Arizona State contest marked the 10th time in Brown?s career he has made two or more field goals in a game, but was the first time he has connected on two field goals of 40 yards or more in the same game. Brown?s efforts were rewarded as he was named Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week.
  
  
• Junior punter Kyle Larson picked up where he left off in 2001. After averaging 42.5 yards per punt last season, Larson averaged 40.8 yards on five punts in the season opener with a long of 48 yards.
  
  
• Nebraska had two blocked punts against the Sun Devils, one that was returned for a touchdown and another that set up a nine-yard Husker scoring drive. The game marked the first time since NU?s 1999 victory over Kansas State that the Huskers have had two blocked punts in the same game.
  
  
• Nebraska scored two non-offensive touchdowns in Saturday night?s victory. The Huskers have now scored via defense or special teams in five of their last eight games dating back to last season.
  
  
• The 48-10 victory over Arizona State marked Nebraska?s 17th straight victory in a season opener and its 22nd consecutive home triumph.

Nebraska Head Coach Frank Solich
Coach Frank Solich (Nebraska, 1966) is in his fifth season at the helm of the Husker program with a 43-9 school and career record (.827). With 11 wins in 2001, Solich moved into a tie for fourth on the all-time Division I list for victories in the first four seasons as a head coach. He will officially qualify to rank among his peers after this season with five years as a head coach, and with an .827 winning percentage, would rank second among active coaches in Division I-A.

Coach Solich became just the third first-year Nebraska head coach to record nine wins in his first season at the helm, joining a pair of Hall of Fame Coaches-Tom Osborne (9-2-1 in 1973) and Bob Devaney (9-2 in 1962). Solich posted a 9-4 record in his first season, despite being hit heavy with injuries. He posted the best record of any Husker second-year coach as his team posted a 12-1 record in 1999, leading NU to a Big 12 championship and No. 2 (coaches poll) and No. 3 (AP poll) final national rankings. Solich?s 21 wins in his first two years at NU bettered Devaney?s previous school record of 19 and ranked in a tie for third all time among Division I coaches in their first two years at the helm. He went 10-2 in 2000 and his 31 wins in three years bettered both Osborne and Devaney?s 28 wins in their first three years. His 42 wins in four years is also a school best.

Solich is the only Husker coach to have won 12 games in either of his first two seasons. Devaney won nine games in his first year, 10 his second year, nine in his third and 10 in his fourth, while Osborne won nine, nine, 10 and nine, respectively. Devaney won his first conference title his second year, while Osborne tied for his first title in his third year at the helm. Solich was named the 1999 Big 12 Coach of the Year by his league peers and the AP after winning the league championship in 1999, and was named coach of the year by the conference coaches a second time in 2001.

Solich has continued Nebraska's winning tradition the Husker way-by identification of athletic talent regardless of position or recruiting rank; with successful recruitment nationwide of the country's best student-athletes; developing local talent and utilizing the envious Husker walk-on program; and by providing the best athletic facilities and support available for the student-athletes.

Although defensive coordinator Charlie McBride retired after the 1999 season, the rest of Coach Osborne's staff is intact. Solich replaced himself with recruiting specialist and running backs coach Dave Gillespie, who was the recruiting coordinator at Nebraska when the Huskers signed the athletes who won back-to-back national championships in 1994 and 1995, and hired former Husker Jeff Jamrog away from New Mexico State to replace McBride in January of 2000. Counting Solich, five members of the Husker coaching staff played for Nebraska. Solich is one of 17 current Division I-A football coaches who played for and now coach their alma mater.

Solich was named Nebraska?s 26th head coach on Dec. 10, 1997, after serving as an NU assistant for 19 years. He played fullback for Hall of Fame Coach Bob Devaney, lettering in 1963-64-65. Solich was the first Husker running back to rush for 200 yards in a game and remains the only fullback to accomplish that feat. He also lettered for the NU baseball team in 1965. After serving as a local high school football coach for 14 years, Solich took over the NU freshman program and posted a 19-1 record from 1979 to 1982. He was elevated to NU?s running backs coach after four seasons, a position he held for 15 years (1983-97). He was promoted to assistant head coach in 1991 and head coach following the 1997 season. Solich earned his bachelor?s and master?s degrees from NU in 1966 and 1972, respectively.

Coaches? Game Day Assignments
Following the lead of Tom Osborne, Coach Solich is his own offensive coordinator, calling the plays from the sideline. Craig Bohl, who tutors the linebackers and is in his third season as defensive coordinator is also on the sideline, along with receivers coach Ron Brown, quarterbacks coach Turner Gill, defensive line coach Jeff Jamrog and kickers/offensive line coach Dan Young. Assisting from above in the press box are rush ends coach Nelson Barnes, defensive backs coach George Darlington, running backs coach Dave Gillespie and offensive line coach Milt Tenopir.

Extra Special Teams
Like his predecessors Bob Devaney and Tom Osborne, NU Head Coach Frank Solich has stressed the importance of the Husker special teams. Entering the 2002 campaign, Solich has mentioned on numerous occasions that this year?s kicking and coverage units had the potential to be very "special." If NU?s season-opening 48-10 win was any indication, Solich?s thoughts may prove to be quite prophetic.

Solich was quick to point out the special teams success following the Arizona State victory. "We played as well as I thought we could play in that area of the game," Solich said. "Special teams is a vital part of the game and we need to make sure we maximize our abilities in that area." Here?s a quick look at Nebraska?s special teams dominance against Arizona State.

• Place-kicking...Senior place-kicker Josh Brown hit on field goals of 40 and 42 yards, marking the first time in his career he has made a pair of 40+-yard field goals in the same game. He also hit 6-6 PATs. Brown?s performance on kickoff duties should not be left unnoticed. Seven of his nine kickoffs on the evening ended in touchbacks, while another was brought out from deep in the Sun Devil end zone. The only kick that Brown did not boot into the end zone reached ASU?s 1. Brown was named Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week for his work on Saturday.
• Blocked Kicks...Nebraska has had a history of being one of the nation?s best kick blocking units. If the season opener is any indication, that trend should continue in 2002. Demorrio Williams and Lannie Hopkins each blocked a punt in the second half of the victory, marking the first time since a 1999 win over Kansas State that the Huskers have had two blocked punts in the same game. Williams? blocked punt was returned six yards for a score by senior linebacker Scott Shanle. The last time NU had returned a blocked punt for a touchdown was at Kansas State in 2000 (Keyuo Craver).
• Kick Coverage...Nebraska regained momentum against Arizona State by pinning the Sun Devils on their own 6 on the opening kickoff of the second half as Hopkins made a hard hit on ASU?s Hakim Hill. ASU had just 16 yards in punt returns and 28 yards on kickoff returns in game one.
• Punting...NU?s Kyle Larson was one of the Big 12?s best last season, averaging 42.5 yards per punt. He had five punts for an average of 40.8 yards in the season opener.

Huskers Avoid Turnovers in Opener
In addition to special teams excellence, the Husker coaching staff regularly preaches the importance of a positive turnover margin. The Huskers were a +1 in that department in the opener, returning an interception for a score, while the Nebraska offense did not commit a turnover.

The victory over Arizona State marked the first time since 1974 (Oregon) that Nebraska did not have a turnover in its season opener. That statistic is even more impressive considering the Huskers had a new starter at quarterback in Jammal Lord and were also breaking in three new starters on the offensive front.

First-Time Starters/True Frosh
Seven Huskers earned their first career start against ASU, including four on offense (Jr. QB Jammal Lord, So. LG Mike Erickson, Sr. RG Wes Cody and RFr. LT Richie Incognito). Incognito became the third Husker offensive lineman to earn a start in his first year of competition, joining Rob Zatechka (1991) and Dominic Raiola (1998). Incognito is the first of the three to start a Husker season opener. On defense, three Huskers earned first-time starts as Nebraska opened in a nickel package, including redshirt freshman Shane Siegel as the nickel back, sophomore MLB Barrett Ruud and junior NT Ryon Bingham. Senior Troy Hassebroek earned his first regular-season start (started in 2000 Fiesta Bowl) and had NU?s first two catches of the game.

Two true freshmen took the field in the season opener-split end Ross Pilkington and cornerback Fabian Washington. Washington recorded his first career interception and returned it 29 yards for a touchdown, the defense/special team?s second score of the night. The pick was the only turnover of the evening by either team.

Huskers Extend Season-Opening Success
Nebraska?s 48-10 victory over Arizona State marked the 17th straight season the Huskers have won their season opener since a 17-13 loss to Florida State in Lincoln in 1985. Nebraska improved to 82-26-5 in SEASON openers, with Saturday?s victory and Head Coach Frank Solich remained perfect in five season openers. In the last 30 years, the Huskers are 25-4-1 in season openers, 20-2 at home, losing only to FSU in 1985 and Washington State in 1977 (10-19). In all-time HOME openers, NU is 91-17-5 including 63-14-3 at Memorial Stadium. NU is 28-2 in home openers over the last 30 years. When NU opens the season on the ROAD, it is 12-13-2. Nebraska is one of four Division I-A schools in the country that won each of its season openers during the 1990s. Nebraska leads the pack with 17 straight season opening victories, followed by Florida State with 14, Kansas State with 12 and Florida with 12 straight.

NU Shines Under the Lights
Memorial Stadium is regarded as one of the toughest places in the nation for opposing teams. In recent years, opponents have had even more difficulty competing against the Huskers in night games in Lincoln.

Nebraska owns a 15-1 record all-time in night games at Memorial Stadium, beginning with a 34-17 victory over Florida State in 1986. Nebraska has now won 11 consecutive night games at home, including last week?s 48-10 defeat of Arizona State.

NU?s 38-point victory last week marked the 10th time in NU?s last 11 home night games the Huskers have won by 17 or more points. In all, 13 of Nebraska?s 15 home night victories have been by 17 points or more, with a 36-21 loss to Washington in 1991 NU?s only blemish in home contests under the lights.

Nebraska is 49-15-3 all-time under the lights. Nebraska opens the season with three consecutive home night contests, marking the first time in school history the Huskers have played three straight night games at home.

Injury Update
Nebraska?s interior defensive line took another blow against Arizona State as No. 3 nose tackle Jared Helming was lost for the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. Helming is the second Husker nose tackle in as many weeks to suffer a season-ending knee injury.

Senior nose tackle Jason Lohr tore his left ACL in Nebraska?s final major scrimmage of fall camp on Aug. 16 and is also out for the year. Lohr missed the last 10 games of last season after tearing the LCL in the same knee against Notre Dame. He was granted a medical hardship for 2001 and was looking forward to repeating his senior season in 2002. Lohr, who has not redshirted, is expected to undergo surgery within the next week.

Lohr was the second 2002 projected starter to be lost for the season, joining defensive back Willie Amos, who suffered a major knee injury that required reconstructive surgery during spring ball. Amos has a redshirt year available.

Reserve I-back Robin Miller missed the season opener with Arizona State and has been ruled out of this week?s game with Troy State. Miller underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee on Aug. 17, after injuring the knee in NU?s first fall scrimmage and is expected to miss another three weeks.

Poll Position
Nebraska opened the 2002 season ranked in the Associated Press preseason top 25 for the 33rd consecutive season. The Huskers were ranked No. 10 in this year?s AP preseason listing, the 10th consecutive season Nebraska has opened in the Top 10. The Huskers were ranked eighth in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches preseason poll. NU stands ninth and eighth, respectively, in the AP and coaches polls this week.

Nebraska?s AP preseason ranking was its lowest since opening at No. 11 in 1992, but marks the fifth straight season under Solich that Nebraska has been in the preseason top 10. Under Solich, Nebraska?s loftiest preseason ranking came in 2000, when the Huskers were listed first in both AP and coaches polls.

Nebraska is one of four Big 12 teams ranked in the top 10 of both polls, joining Oklahoma (2 AP/3 Coaches), Texas (3/2) and Colorado (7/6). Texas A&M is ranked 23rd in the Associated Press poll, while Husker non-conference opponent Penn State is ranked 23th in the coaches poll and 24th by the AP.

Three Seniors Serving as 2002 Team Captains
Three seniors were elected team captains by their teammates before the start of the season-center John Garrison, rush end Chris Kelsay and cornerback DeJuan Groce.

Kelsay is the second member of his family to serve as a Nebraska football captain, joining his brother, Chad, a captain on Solich?s first team in 1998. The Kelsays are the fifth brother combination in school history to serve as team captains, joining Mike (1983) and Andy Keeler (1988), Erik (1991) and Zach Wiegert (1994), Christian (1995) and Jason Peter (1997) and Grant (1997) and Tracey Wistrom (2001).

The 2002 campaign marks the first season Nebraska has had only three captains since the 1987 campaign. The Huskers had five captains a year ago and six in 2000.

Jammal Lord Makes Strong Debut at Quarterback
Junior Jammal Lord is charged with the difficult task of replacing departed Heisman Trophy winner Eric Crouch as the Husker signal caller. Against Arizona State, Lord made a strong debut leading the Huskers to a 48-10 victory. Lord rushed for 103 yards in the game and directed a Husker offense that did not have a turnover in a season opener for the first time in 28 years. Lord?s play in his first career start stacks up well against several other prominent Husker quarterbacks (see left column).

Lord follows Crouch, who compiled a 35-7 record as NU?s starter from 1999 to 2001, the most wins by any Husker quarterback. Lord is the eighth Husker (since 1946) to take over for a three-year starter at quarterback, following in the footsteps of Don Erway (1954), Bob Churchich (1964), Dave Humm (1972), Craig Sundberg (1984), Vince Ferragamo (1975), Gerry Gdowski (1989) and Scott Frost (1996). All but one of the seven previous replacements posted nine wins in their first year as a starter.

When comparing Lord with the 2002 Heisman winner, Lord has a definite size advantage, as Crouch stood 6-1, 200 and Lord is 6-2, 220. Coach Solich said that Lord has great scrambling abilities.

"One thing he does as well as any quarterback I can recall at Nebraska," Solich said, "is once a play breaks down, he makes something out of it. When scrambling, he instinctively will dump the ball off to someone running free."

Lord showed that scrambling ability early against Arizona State. On the first play of Nebraska?s third drive, Lord was pressured by the ASU defense, but broke out of the pocket and turned the play into a 33-yard gain. Later in that drive with NU facing a fourth-and-3, Lord scrambled for an eight-yard gain, keeping alive a drive that ended in a Husker touchdown.

Husker quarterbacks coach Turner Gill was very impressed by his pupil?s performance against Arizona State.

"I was even more impressed with Jammal?s play after watching the game film," Gill said. "He was in several adverse situations and made some nice plays out of them. I was very, very impressed with the way he performed under difficult circumstances."

Diedrick Continuing Husker Running Back Legacy
Senior I-back Dahrran Diedrick is the latest in a long line of outstanding Husker running backs. Diedrick was the Big 12?s leading rusher a year ago with 1,299 yards and was a first-team All-Big 12 preseason pick in 2002 by the league?s media.

Last week, Diedrick was one of 42 players named to the preseason watch list for the Doak Walker Award, given annually to the nation's top running back. Diedrick was also named first-team preseason All-Big 12 by Football News and Athlon, who also listed him as a second-team preseason All-America pick. The Scarborough, Ontario, Canada native was also listed by Lindy?s and The Sporting News as one of the nation?s top 10 running backs entering the season.

Diedrick, who ranks 24th on Nebraska?s all-time rushing list, opened the 2002 season with 18 carries for 79 yards and a touchdown. Diedrick, who scored 15 touchdowns last season, rushed for 100 or more yards in seven of his 11 regular-season appearances and scored two or more touchdowns in five games. If Diedrick were to duplicate his yardage total of 2001, he would move into the top five on NU?s career rushing chart.

Senior Rush End Kelsay Leading Blackshirt Defense
Senior rush end Chris Kelsay joined Diedrick as a preaseaon All-Big 12 pick by the league?s media. In addition to his first-team all-league notice by the conference media, Kelsay was a first-team All-Big 12 pick by The Sporting News, who listed him as the nation?s No. 5 defensive end. Kelsay, a senior from Auburn, Neb., is also on preseason watch lists for the Rotary Lombardi Award and the Bronko Nagurski Award.

Kelsay recorded 52 total tackles as a junior, including a team-best 17 tackles for losses totaling 58 yards and five sacks. He got his 2002 season off to a quick start against Arizona State with 1.5 sacks for 17 yards and four quarterback hurries. Kelsay now has 7.5 sacks and 22 tackles for loss in his Husker career.

Other Huskers on Preseason Watch Lists for National Awards
Husker linebackers Scott Shanle and Barrett Ruud are two of the 67 preseason candidates for The Butkus Award. Ruud was Nebraska?s leading tackler in the season opener with eight stops against Arizona State. Shanle also made a big impact by returning a blocked punt for a touchdown to give NU a 24-3 advantage in the third quarter.

Senior cornerback DeJuan Groce was named to the watch list for the Jim Thorpe Award, presented to the nation's top defensive back. Groce is the leader of a youthful Husker secondary and NU?s top punt return threat. Groce ranks fourth on Nebraska?s all-time pass breakup list with 33.

Senior center John Garrison has been named to the preseason watch list for the Outland Trophy and the Rimington Award, given annually to the nation's top center. The award is named in honor of former Husker Dave Rimington, a two-time Outland Trophy winner. Garrison is the leader of a re-tooled offensive line that paved the way to 283 rushing yards against Arizona State.

Thomas Among Nebraska?s Career Receiving Leaders
Senior split end Wilson Thomas will be relied on as a go-to-player in the Husker offensive attack this season. Thomas opened the season by catching his fourth career TD, a nine-yarder from Jammal Lord in the third quarter. For the game, Thomas had three receptions for eight yards.

A year ago, Thomas established himself as one of the Big 12?s premier receivers, catching 37 passes for 616 yards and three touchdowns. Thomas? 37 receptions were the most by any Husker since All-American Irving Fryar caught 40 balls in 1983, and the sixth-most ever by a Husker. Thomas? 616 receiving yards ranked as the fifth-best single-season total in school history and was a record for Husker split ends.

Thomas caught three or more passes in nine games last season, including six each against Oklahoma and Kansas State, and added his 10th career three-catch game against Arizona State. He capped the 2001 regular season with a career-best 109 receiving yards against Colorado, including a career-long 78-yard reception.

The 6-6, 215-pound Thomas, has spent his past two offseasons playing for Coach Barry Collier?s Husker basketball team. Last season Thomas averaged 4.6 points and 3.8 rebounds in 16 games, including a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds against Missouri in Lincoln.

Huskers Face 13-Game Schedule in 2002
The Aug. 24 start to the 2002 season was the earliest ever for a Nebraska football season and also began the longest regular season in Husker football history, as NU is scheduled to play 13 games in 2002. Nebraska has played 12 games on several occasions, but 2002 marks the first time the Huskers have 13 scheduled regular-season games. The Huskers could play as many as 15 games in 2002, with the possibility of a Big 12 Championship Game and bowl appearance.

Three home games kick off the 2002 season, before the Huskers begin one of the nation?s toughest road schedules with a Sept. 14 date at Penn State. Two weeks later, NU opens Big 12 Conference action on the road at Iowa State. The Huskers also visit Oklahoma State, Texas A&M and Kansas State during conference action, with visits from 2001 Big 12 title game participants Texas and Colorado highlighting the Huskers? home schedule.

Nebraska Leads Big 12 with 45 Players in NFL Camp
Nebraska remains among the nation?s leaders in supplying talent to the National Football League. In fact, the Huskers have a Big 12-best 45 players on NFL preseason rosters in 2002, leading second-place Colorado (37), followed by Texas A&M (35), Oklahoma (30), Kansas State (27) and Texas (25). A full listing can be found in the left margin of page eight.

Among Nebraska?s notable alumni on NFL rosters are 10-year veteran offensive guard Will Shields of the Kansas City Chiefs, who has appeared in seven consecutive Pro Bowls. Green Bay?s Ahman Green finished fourth in the NFL in rushing last season with 1,387 yards, while St. Louis defensive end Grant Wistrom has been a key component in a Ram defense that has helped the team to the Super Bowl in two of the last three years.

Since 1994, Nebraska has had 53 players selected in the NFL Draft, the third-most of any school in the nation and tops among Big 12 Conference schools.

Eight members of the 2001 Husker team are rookies in NFL camps this fall. Those on NFL rosters at the start of training camp included Jamie Burrow (N.Y. Jets), Keyuo Craver (New Orleans), Eric Crouch (St. Louis), Toniu Fonoti (San Diego), Jeremy Slechta (Philadelphia), Erwin Swiney (Green Bay), Dave Volk (Chicago) and Tracey Wistrom (Tampa Bay).