It's been a long time since Nebraska met Northwestern on the college football gridiron, but fans with Nebraska football tickets will get to see the two teams with an "N" on their helmet clash this Saturday when the Huskers battle the Wildcats at Memorial Stadium.
This is only the fifth meeting all-time between the two schools, and the first regular-season meeting since 1974. The last time Nebraska and Northwestern met in college football, it was in the 2000 Alamo Bowl in San Antonio, Texas.
The end of the 2000 season was something of a letdown for Nebraska football fans. The Huskers started the year as the No. 1 team in the nation, but losses to third-ranked Oklahoma and 16th ranked Kansas State late in the year knocked the Huskers out of contention for a national title and a Big 12 Conference championship.
Northwestern, on the other hand, was coming off a solid season that saw them finish as Big Ten Conference co-champions. They made the trip to Texas to take on the Huskers, and experts were predicting a high-scoring battle between two of the top offensive units in the nation.
The experts were half right -- Nebraska more than lived up to its end of the bargain, racking up 636 yards in total offense and scoring a then-NCAA bowl record 66 points. Northwestern, meanwhile, couldn't keep up with the pace, as Nebraska scored 35 unanswered points in the game's final 31 minutes to blow out the Wildcats, 66-17.
Nebraska football fans will remember names like Eric Crouch and Dan Alexander, both of whom had big nights as part of the Huskers' blowout win over Northwestern. Alexander had a monster night, rushing for 240 yards and two touchdowns. Crouch completed just five passes, but two of those went for scores to Matt Davison. Crouch added a 50-yard touchdown of his own and scored again in the third quarter on a short run.
All in all, it was a bowl game Northwestern fans would like to forget, and they will come to Lincoln on Saturday to cheer their team on against the Huskers for the first time since Sept. 28, 1974. It's likely Northwestern fans would like to forget that game as well – the Huskers came into that matchup ranked No. 10 and pounded the Wildcats in a 49-7 outcome.
The matchup between Nebraska and Northwestern will be televised by the Big Ten Network, but you can be at the game live with Nebraska football tickets that are available now at Ticket Express -- where no Nebraska football game is ever sold out.
