1907 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team
Encyclopedia
The 1907 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team was the representative of the University of Nebraska in the 1907 college football season
. The team was coached by William C. "King" Cole and played their home games at Antelope Field in Lincoln, Nebraska
.
New head coach Cole started strong with a shutout downing of Peru State, the first time these teams met, without allowing the visiting team even a single first down in the game.
South Dakota seemed at first to have the key to holding off Nebraska, but once the Cornhuskers managed to find the end zone, the Coyote defense lost their containment of the Cornhuskers. Nebraska's lead in the series was now 4-1.
It had been two years since Grinnell appeared in Lincoln, but it was more of the same for them upon their return. Nebraska failed to capitalize on several Grinnell miscues in the first half, but eventually the Cornhuskers pulled away for the clear win to extend their series lead to 5-2.
The now-annual grudge match, where Nebraska continuously seemed to find futility in their repeated attempts to knock off Minnesota, was a repeat of the last several contests. Things were looking up for the Cornhuskers when they capitalized on a Golden Gopher error to score first, but a couple of field goals by Minnesota reversed the lead and yet again sent Nebraska home with a loss, seriously lagging in the series 1-6.
Colorado arrived in Lincoln with designs to avenge some earlier losses to the Cornhuskers, but were sent home disappointed after being handed a 22-8 decision resulting in part from several Colorado mistakes during the game. Nebraska's lead in the series was extended to 5-1.
Nebraska survived a scare after the Cyclones were at one point leading the Cornhuskers 9-4 in the second half. Both teams made mistakes, but it was Nebraska with more points when time expired. Iowa State fell further behind in the series, 3-6. This game is under dispute, as Iowa State claims they won by a final score of 13-10. This is because on a late-game field goal attempt, the ball hit the ground well short of the uprights, but bounced through.
The game with Kansas was the only conference match for Nebraska this year, since the Cornhuskers had only recently rejoined a conference and were unable to schedule the other conference teams on the relatively short notice. This one win, however, was enough for Nebraska to claim a share of the conference title, and improved their record over the Jayhawks to 8-6.
Nebraska suddenly found their machine to be well-oiled and effective, traveling to Denver to meet the Pioneers for the second time, and recording a convincing 63-0 shutout victory to celebrate the 100th Nebraska program victory, also moving up to 2-0 against Denver.
The Cornhuskers demolished Doane in every way, shutting them out 85-0. This was the highest score and margin of victory ever in the history of Antelope Field, and the second-highest score and margin of victory in program history at that time, second only to the 1905 smashing of Creighton in Omaha, 102-0. Nebraska was now 11-2 over Doane in the longest still-active series in Nebraska's history at that time.
Nebraska closed out 1907 facing St Louis for the first and only time, no small task considering the Billikens had gone undefeated in the previous season. The Cornhuskers made it within the 2-yard line, and on another attempt within inches of the end zone, but were unable to convert and avoid the season-ending shutout loss.
1907 college football season
The 1907 college football season saw the increased use of the forward pass, which had been legalized the year before. Football remained a dangerous game, despite the "debrutalization" reforms, and an unprecedented eleven players were killed , while 98 others were seriously injured. However, there...
. The team was coached by William C. "King" Cole and played their home games at Antelope Field in Lincoln, Nebraska
Lincoln, Nebraska
The City of Lincoln is the capital and the second-most populous city of the US state of Nebraska. Lincoln is also the county seat of Lancaster County and the home of the University of Nebraska. Lincoln's 2010 Census population was 258,379....
.
Before the season
Nebraska's 11th head coach took over in the same year that Nebraska once again joined a conference, though only one conference game was played this year.Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 28* | Peru State Peru State College Peru State College is a public four-year institution located in the rural city of Peru, Nebraska, in the Midwest region of the United States. Founded by members of the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1865, making it the first and oldest institution in Nebraska, it would undergo several name changes... |
Antelope Field • Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln, Nebraska The City of Lincoln is the capital and the second-most populous city of the US state of Nebraska. Lincoln is also the county seat of Lancaster County and the home of the University of Nebraska. Lincoln's 2010 Census population was 258,379.... |
W 53-0 | - |
| October 5* | South Dakota | Antelope Field • Lincoln, Nebraska | W 39-0 | - |
| October 12* | Grinnell Grinnell College Grinnell College is a private liberal arts college in Grinnell, Iowa, U.S. known for its strong tradition of social activism. It was founded in 1846, when a group of pioneer New England Congregationalists established the Trustees of Iowa College.... |
Antelope Field • Lincoln, Nebraska | W 30-4 | - |
| October 19* | at Minnesota | Northrop Field • Minneapolis, Minnesota | L 5-8 | - |
| October 26* | Colorado Colorado Buffaloes football The Colorado Buffaloes football program represents the University of Colorado at Boulder in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level. The team is currently a member of the Pacific-12 Conference, having previously been a charter member of the Big 12 Conference. Before joining the Big 12,... |
Antelope Field • Lincoln, Nebraska | W 22-8 | - |
| November 2* | Antelope Field • Lincoln, Nebraska | W 10-9 | - | |
| November 9 | at | Lawrence, Kansas Lawrence, Kansas Lawrence is the sixth largest city in the U.S. State of Kansas and the county seat of Douglas County. Located in northeastern Kansas, Lawrence is the anchor city of the Lawrence, Kansas, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Douglas County... |
W 16-6 | - |
| November 16* | at Denver Denver Pioneers The Denver Pioneers are the sports teams of the University of Denver. They play in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I, with most teams participating in the Sun Belt Conference. The Western Athletic Conference will become Denver's primary sports conference on July 1, 2012.The... |
Denver, Colorado Denver, Colorado The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains... |
W 63-0 | - |
| November 23* | Doane Doane College Doane College is a private liberal arts college in Crete, Nebraska, United States, with additional campuses located in Lincoln and Grand Island.-History:... |
Antelope Field • Lincoln, Nebraska | W 85-0 | - |
| November 28* | at Saint Louis Saint Louis University Saint Louis University is a private, co-educational Jesuit university located in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1818 by the Most Reverend Louis Guillaume Valentin Dubourg SLU is the oldest university west of the Mississippi River. It is one of 28 member institutions of the... |
St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St... |
L 0-34 | - |
| *Non-Conference Game. | ||||
Roster
Baekley PLAYER Barkley PLAYER Beltzer, Oren E Bentley, Orlando QB Birkner, Hugo HB Burleigh PLAYER Chaloupka, William RT Collins, Sydney C Cooke, Harold QB Ewing, Henry Harry W. Ewing Harry W. "Buck" Ewing was an American football player, coach of football and basketball, and college athletics administrator. He was a 1909 graduate of University of Nebraska where he played football... LG Frum, Sidney RG Harte, Louis RG Harvey, James E Johnson, Frank E Kroger, Ernest FB Matters, Thomas LT Miller, A.H. RT Minor, Harry HB Patton E Perrin, Dale C Price PLAYER Weller, John HB |
||||||
Coaching staff
| Name | Title | First year in this position |
Years at Nebraska | Alma Mater |
| William C. "King" Cole | |Head Coach | 1906 | 1906–1910 | Marietta Marietta College Marietta College is a co-educational private college in Marietta, Ohio, USA, which was the first permanent settlement of the Northwest Territory. The school offers 42 majors along with a large number of minors, all of which are grounded in a strong liberal arts foundation... |
| Jack Best | |Trainer | 1890 | 1890–1922 |
Peru State
|
New head coach Cole started strong with a shutout downing of Peru State, the first time these teams met, without allowing the visiting team even a single first down in the game.
South Dakota
|
South Dakota seemed at first to have the key to holding off Nebraska, but once the Cornhuskers managed to find the end zone, the Coyote defense lost their containment of the Cornhuskers. Nebraska's lead in the series was now 4-1.
Grinnell
|
It had been two years since Grinnell appeared in Lincoln, but it was more of the same for them upon their return. Nebraska failed to capitalize on several Grinnell miscues in the first half, but eventually the Cornhuskers pulled away for the clear win to extend their series lead to 5-2.
Minnesota
|
The now-annual grudge match, where Nebraska continuously seemed to find futility in their repeated attempts to knock off Minnesota, was a repeat of the last several contests. Things were looking up for the Cornhuskers when they capitalized on a Golden Gopher error to score first, but a couple of field goals by Minnesota reversed the lead and yet again sent Nebraska home with a loss, seriously lagging in the series 1-6.
Colorado
|
Colorado arrived in Lincoln with designs to avenge some earlier losses to the Cornhuskers, but were sent home disappointed after being handed a 22-8 decision resulting in part from several Colorado mistakes during the game. Nebraska's lead in the series was extended to 5-1.
Iowa State
|
Nebraska survived a scare after the Cyclones were at one point leading the Cornhuskers 9-4 in the second half. Both teams made mistakes, but it was Nebraska with more points when time expired. Iowa State fell further behind in the series, 3-6. This game is under dispute, as Iowa State claims they won by a final score of 13-10. This is because on a late-game field goal attempt, the ball hit the ground well short of the uprights, but bounced through.
Kansas
|
The game with Kansas was the only conference match for Nebraska this year, since the Cornhuskers had only recently rejoined a conference and were unable to schedule the other conference teams on the relatively short notice. This one win, however, was enough for Nebraska to claim a share of the conference title, and improved their record over the Jayhawks to 8-6.
Denver
|
Nebraska suddenly found their machine to be well-oiled and effective, traveling to Denver to meet the Pioneers for the second time, and recording a convincing 63-0 shutout victory to celebrate the 100th Nebraska program victory, also moving up to 2-0 against Denver.
Doane
|
The Cornhuskers demolished Doane in every way, shutting them out 85-0. This was the highest score and margin of victory ever in the history of Antelope Field, and the second-highest score and margin of victory in program history at that time, second only to the 1905 smashing of Creighton in Omaha, 102-0. Nebraska was now 11-2 over Doane in the longest still-active series in Nebraska's history at that time.
Saint Louis
|
Nebraska closed out 1907 facing St Louis for the first and only time, no small task considering the Billikens had gone undefeated in the previous season. The Cornhuskers made it within the 2-yard line, and on another attempt within inches of the end zone, but were unable to convert and avoid the season-ending shutout loss.