2004 Nebraska-Pittsburgh football postgame notes

Courtesy of Nebraska Athletics

• Sophomore quarterback Joe Dailey completed 11-of-22 passes for 142 yards and one touchdown. Dailey also scored a rushing touchdown on a 17-yard keeper midway through the second quarter. Dailey has now accounted for 10 touchdowns this season, including seven passing and three rushing.
• Junior free safety Josh Bullocks intercepted a second-quarter Pittsburgh pass, marking his first interception of the season and the 12th of his Nebraska career. Bullocks’ 12 career interceptions tie him for second on the Nebraska career list with Bret Clark, just two behind career leader Dana Stephenson’s 14 interceptions.
• Junior cornerback Fabian Washington had a first-quarter interception he returned to the Pittsburgh 4 to set up a field goal to give Nebraska 3-0 lead. Washington’s interception was the 10th of his Nebraska career and the first of four Husker takeaways on the day. Washington’s 10 career picks rank in a tie for seventh place on the Nebraska
  career list.
• Senior linebacker Barrett Ruud made nine tackles to increase his career total to 317 tackles, just 25 tackles behind Nebraska career leader Jerry Murtaugh, who recorded 342 tackles from 1968 to 1970.
• The Nebraska defense was dominant in today’s game. In addition to four takeaways, the Huskers limited Pittsburgh to just 30 rushing yards. Today’s contest marked the fifth straight game Nebraska has held the opposition to less than 100 yards rushing, and has not allowed a rushing touchdown this season. The Huskers also have not allowed
  a long rush (20 yards or more) this season, as opponents have averaged just 41.3 yards per game (124 total rushing yards) through three contests.
• The Blackshirt defense’s four takeaways in today’s game give the Huskers 10 this season, including five against Western Illinois and one versus Southern Miss. Nebraska had a school-record 47 takeaways in 2003, including a Nebraska record 32 interceptions. This season, the Huskers now have two fumble recoveries and eight interceptions.
• Nebraska’s defense converted its four takeaways into 17 first-half points. Fabian Washington’s first-quarter interception was converted into a field goal for a 3-0 lead; Wali Muhammad’s interception and return to the Pittsburgh 2 resulted in a Cory Ross touchdown run; and Kellen Huston’s fumble recovery on the Panther 6 was converted on a
  Dailey to Ross Pilkington TD pass on the next play. Nebraska did not convert Josh Bullocks’ second-quarter interception into points.
• Tight end Matt Herian caught two passes for 26 yards. Herian’s 26 receiving yards in today’s game gives him 991 yards in his Nebraska career, leaving him just nine yards shy of becoming the 12th Husker with at least 1,000 career receiving yards. Herian now has 46 career receptions, the fifth-most career receptions by a
  Nebraska tight end.
• Junior receiver Ross Pilkington caught a career-high tying five passes for 81 yardse, including four receptions for 67 yards and a touchdown before halftime. Pilkington now has 45 career receptions to rank in a tie for 25th on the Husker career receptions list.
• Pittsburgh’s first offensive snap in Nebraska territory occurred with 47 seconds remaining in the first half. The Panthers did not have an offensive snap beyond their own 17-yard line in the first quarter.
• Nebraska’s victory was its second straight in a road opener and Nebraska’s 18th in its past 22 road openers.
• Today’s victory allowed Nebraska to complete nonconference play with a winning record for the 23rd straight season, dating back to a 2-2 non-league record in 1981.
• Three Huskers made their first career start in today’s game, including freshman cornerback Cortney Grixby, sophomore defensive end Jay Moore and redshirt freshman I-back Tierre Green.
• Nebraska passed for 142 yards in today’s game and has passed for 562 yards in the first three games of the season. Nebraska’s 562 passing yards in the first three games of the 2004 season is its most in a three-game season-opening stretch since 1993, when the Huskers recorded 577 yards.