Welcome to installment No. 4 of ‘The Cob’s Archive Dive’, where each week, I’ll share Associated Press headlines and excerpts from past articles printed in the Falls City Journal. Whether you are 20 years old or 80, hopefully you’ll find a piece of Husker football history that takes you back to the sights and sounds of gameday years ago.
On this day in Cornhusker Football History:
September 18, 1970 – Headline: ‘Husker-USC Clash is Top Game of the Week’
Prestige and a superb chance to improve Nebraska’s early-season football rating will be at stake for the Cornhuskers Saturday night in a clash with Southern California’s Trojans at the Los Angeles Coliseum. The only game of the weekend to match teams in the top 10, it automatically becomes a national headliner. Southern Cal was rated 3rd and Nebraska 9th in this week’s AP Poll. “USC may be the best team we’ve ever faced since coming to Nebraska,” said coach Bob Devaney. “We’ll really get tested and will have to play very well.” When one reflects on some of the powerhouses Nebraska has been called upon to deal with in eight Devaney years, the comment takes on an ominous note.
(Regardless of what your thoughts are now and the CFP, top 10 matchups in the early season are one of the best parts of college football. Texas versus Ohio State and Oklahoma versus Michigan are headliners going into the 2026 season. It’s why it was a mistake for Nebraska to drop the Tennessee game.)
August 25, 1980 – Headline ‘QBs Shine in 1st NU Scrimmage’
The University of Nebraska went through its first full-scale scrimmage of fall drills Saturday with coach Tom Osborne generally pleased with the results. “The scrimmage was fairly good but not good enough to stop practicing,” Osborne said. He thought the play of quarterbacks Jeff Quinn, Mark Mauer, and Nate Mason were impressive. Between the three they went 15 of 23 passing and gained attention for several good gains on the ground. Sophomore Ricky Simmons turned in a 71-yard punt return for a touchdown and returned another punt 32 yards. The only regular missing the scrimmage was wingback Anthony Steels with a sore neck.
(If Rhule needs to study anything from Husker history, he needs to look at quarterback competition. It was something that always played a big role in Osborne’s teams finding success.)
August 17, 1990 – Headline: ‘Few Similarities in NU’s QBs’
Mike Grant and Mickey Joseph, a pair of right-handed juniors, share the No 1 quarterback spot for Nebraska despite little game experience. And they both dream of leading the Cornhuskers to great things the next two seasons. Their similarities end there, Joseph – at 5’11”, 180 pounds is talkative, quick-to-grin Marrero, LA, speedster who seems to enjoy his meetings with the media. He’s also the quickest quarterback to ever play at Nebraska with 4.42 speed in the 40-yard dash, according to his coaches. Grant is a 6’2”, 210 pounder from Tampa, FL. He’s quiet, serious and ducks the limelight as often as he is allowed. He also possesses what Husker coaches say may be one of the strongest arms among Nebraska quarterbacks for more than a decade.
(Again, Nebraska has had competition at quarterback for years. It always makes the eventual starter better. Even though multiple people think Colandrea starting in 2026 is a given, Lateef and Kaelin will make him work for it. The battle for number two will be one to watch.)
August 26, 2000 – Headline: For First Time, Huskers Name 6 Captains
The Nebraska football team has twice selected 5 captains – in 1995 and 1998. Until Friday, the Huskers had never named six. “There are a lot of leaders on this team,” offensive tackle Jason Schwab said. “There could have been at least 10 (captains).” Nebraska head coach Frank Solich said he liked the idea of having three captains on both offense and defense. This season offensive captains are Schwab, guard Russ Hochstein, and I-back Dan Alexander. Rush end Kyle Vanden Bosch, tackle Loren Kaiser, and middle linebacker Carlos Polk received defensive honors. Solich said, “The six are excellent choices.”
(Captains play a bigger role than many people may think. It’s not just a popularity contest, leadership is key and the attitude of the captains often carries over to the team. Nebraska’s most successful teams had strong demanding leaders who set the tone and expectations. While QB Tommy Frazier had a strong personality and could lead, he was never elected captain. It took players like Zach Wiegert (OT), Rob Zatechka (OT), Aaron Grahm (C), and Mark Gilman (TE) to keep Tommy under control and pointed in the right direction.)
Be sure to look for next week’s edition as the ‘Cob’ dives into each week’s headlines of the season as they once appeared in the Falls City Journal.
GO BIG RED!! SIMPLE, FAST VIOLENT!!
All headlines and excerpts were gathered from Associated Press articles, and most but not all were published in the Falls City Journal. Home – Falls City Journal – Falls City, NE
Photographs were gathered from multiple sources.
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