1958 Huskers
(3-7, 1-5)Penn State W 14- 7
@Purdue L 0-28
Iowa State W 7- 6
Kansas State L 6-23
@Syracuse L 0-38
@Colorado L 16-27
Missouri-HC L 0-31
@Kansas L 7-29
Pittsburgh W 14- 6
@Oklahoma L 7-40
While far from a rousing success, the Bill Jennings era at Nebraska, from 1957 to 1961, did have its moments. A couple of the almost-forgotten ones came in his second season as head coach, when the sophomore-studded 1958 team upset a couple of traditional Eastern powers and could lay claim to the unofficial championship of Pennsylvania.
The Huskers were in the midst of a two-season stretch in which they never scored as many as three TDs in a single game. The 1957 team had averaged just 6.7 points per game in a 1-9 season. The 1958 team wouldn't do much better, at 7.1 points per game, but in these two stunning wins, the Huskers were able to score 14 and make it stand up.
Sports Illustrated, in its preseason assessment, said the Cornhuskers were “loaded with desire but not much else.” Actually, Nebraska had a couple of sophomores who would have long pro careers as defensive players, Ron McDole and Pat Fischer.
Take a moment now to revisit the 1958 Penn State and Pittsburgh games, with big moments provided by Fischer, Carroll Zaruba, Larry Naviaux and a host of others.
