1894 Nebraska Bugeaters football team The 1894 Nebraska Bugeaters football team was the representative of the University of Nebraska in the 1894 college football season . The team was coached by Frank Crawford and played their home games at the " M " Street Park in Lincoln , Nebraska . Nebraska ' s football team began its history as the " Old Gold Knights " , and was also sometimes known as the " Tree Planters " , " Nebraskans " , " The Rattlesnake Boys " , " Red Stockings " , " Antelopes " or " Goldenrods " in their early years . Before the season . For the first time in program history , Nebraska started the season with a returning Head Coach . Also for the first time , a pre - season exhibition game was scheduled against Lincoln High School . As the program grew , so did the roster , having increased from 17 in the first season , to 24 this year . Game notes . Lincoln High . This exhibition game to tune up for the season was played essentially as a practice scrimmage , and the results did not count towards the season record . Grinnell . Grinnell was an established power by the time these teams met for the first time , as Grinnell had won four of the last five Iowa State championships . Few expected much of a game from Nebraska against this kind of experience , but someone forgot to tell the Bugeaters that they were supposed to lose . Nebraska fought all through the first half , and despite not scoring , also prevented Grinnell from posting points of their own , and the game was tied at 0 - 0 by halftime . After the break , it was all Nebraska , including three touchdowns by George Flippin . Doane . Possibly feeling confident after the shutout defeat of Grinnell , Nebraska was humbled quickly the following week when Doane came into Lincoln and scored once in each half to shut out the Bugeaters and cut Nebraska ' s series lead to 4 - 2 . Missouri . Nebraska opened their conference slate with a road game at Missouri . The Bugeaters improved their scoring woes from the previous game by putting up 14 points , but the Tigers did better by posting 18 and taking the win as well as the series lead over Nebraska , 2 - 1 . Omaha YMCA . While the earlier exhibition game against Lincoln High School did not count towards the season ' s official record , this match against high school students and other Omaha residents forming the Omaha YMCA squad did count . It was a one side affait in every way as the Bugeaters ran out to a fast 30 - 0 lead by the half , though the Omaha YMCA team still managed a touchdown of their own by the game ' s end . Nebraska was now 2 - 0 over the Omaha YMCA all - time . Kansas . A dispute over the officiating crew delayed the kickoff , but once underway Kansas took an early lead in their bid to remain perfect in their series with Nebraska . The Bugeaters fought back to pull ahead 8 - 6 by halftime and then kept the Jayhawks off the scoreboard in the second half while padding their lead to 12 - 6 . Nebraska ' s first win in the series brought them up to 1 - 2 all time against Kansas . University of Kansas records indicate this game was played November 22 in Lincoln . Ottawa . Nebraska padded their roster in preparation for this game , adding not only Coach Crawford as quarterback , but also another football coach as fullback . Though the game was only planned with one week notice , efforst were made to publicize the match , drawing 400 locals from the area to watch . It was not a productive game on either side of the ball , and Nebraska ' s single first half touchdown was the sum total scoring of the day . This was the only time these teams met for a football game . Iowa . Nebraska finished up the conference slate for the year with the anticipated Iowa match , but the day was owned by the Bugeaters as the players in scarlet and cream rolled up 36 unanswered points , including a touchdown by future Utah governor and United States Secretary of War George Dern , to shut out Iowa and pull ahead in the overall series , 2 - 1 - 1 . University of Iowa records indicate the final score of this game was a 14 - 12 Nebraska victory . Omaha YMCA . Unlike the previous match earlier in the year , the Omaha YMCA team made this game a challenge as these teams met in the cold of Christmas Day . The Omaha YMCA squad in fact took the lead in the first hald while keeping the Bugeaters off the board , but Nebraska answered with 10 points in the second half for the win , extending their series lead to 3 - 0 . After the season . This was Nebraska ' s first ever conference championship , but the picture changed somewhat after the close of the season , as two - year Head Coach Frank Crawford left the post to become the head football coach for the University of Texas . Crawford ' s two - year record at Nebraska stood at 9 - 4 - 1 ( . 679 ) , and the program ' s overall record was 15 - 8 - 2 ( . 640 ) .