2006 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team The 2006 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team represented the University of Nebraska – Lincoln in the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season . The team was coached by Bill Callahan and played their home games at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln , Nebraska . Before the season . While the Huskers lost talented running back Cory Ross and defensive back Daniel Bullocks , they did retain offensive lynchpin Zac Taylor ( QB ) and talented kicker Jordon Congdon . The team also hoped to play I - back Marlon Lucky ( who excelled on kick returns as a freshman ) as their starting running back . Terrence Nunn , the top kick - returner in the Big 12 last season , also returned and was intended to be the Huskers ' featured receiver . On defense , the Blackshirts include DE Adam Carriker , among others . The Ruud name returned to Lincoln , with Bo Ruud playing weakside linebacker . Game notes . Kansas State . Nebraska won their 800th football game with a win over Kansas State on October 14 , 2006 . Only four teams have won 800 or more games : Michigan , Notre Dame , Texas , and now Nebraska . Texas . The Cornhuskers entered the game against the 2006 Texas Longhorn football team ranked 16 in both human polls and 19 in the computer rankings , for a total BCS ranking of 17th . Coming into the game , Texas was the third winningest program in college football , with 800 wins . Nebraska was fourth , having won their 800th game the previous weekend vs Kansas State . Only four teams have won 800 or more games : Michigan , Notre Dame , Texas , and now Nebraska . The game marked the first time for Texas to face a 800 - win program since Texas broke through the 800 win barrier . The 2006 football season also marked the first time for four 800 - win programs to face off against each other , with Notre Dame and Michigan having played each other earlier in the season . In terms of winning percentage , Texas ranked third at 71 . 52 % while Nebraska ranked seventh at 70 . 57 % . The Cornhuskers claimed five national championships on top of Texas ' four . The environment at Lincoln has been considered one of the most hostile for an opposing team , due in part to the noise of the crowd . Austin American - Statesman columnist Kirk Bohls predicted that Nebraska might pull off an upset against the Longhorns . Among the reasons he gave were that " Texas isn ' t a great running team ( only a good one ) . . " that " Texas ' pass defense is very suspect . . . " and that Longhorn kicker Greg Johnson had only kicked one field goal all year . Bohls also speculated that Nebraska might have more motivation because " Texas has had Nebraska ' s number for a while . . . [ Texas ] knocked off the Huskers in the inaugural Big 12 football championship game at St . Louis to deprive Nebraska of a shot at another national title in 1996 . " In 1998 , freshman quarterback Major Applewhite led the Longhorns to a victory over the seventh ranked Cornhuskers , snapping their 47 - home game winning streak . they also ended the Cornhuskers new streak at 26 in 2002 . Coming into the 2006 game , Texas was the only team in the Big Twelve Conference with a winning record vs . Nebraska , with a 6 – 4 lead . Texas leads the series 5 – 1 since the formation of the Big 12 , and they are 4 – 1 against Nebraska since Mack Brown came to Texas . Prior to the game , the betting line in Las Vegas casinos was Texas by 5½ points . The game set a new stadium attendance record crowd of 85 , 187 , the 280th consecutive sell - out at Nebraska . The game featured 36 - degree temperatures , winds out of the north at 20 miles per hour , rain , and snow flurries Texas got the ball to start the game and Quan Cosby returned the kick - off to within the Nebraska 10 yard line . The Longhorns were unable to score a touchdown and had to settle for a field goal . Nebraska scored a first quarter touchdown . Texas scored 14 points in the second quarter , but kicker Greg Johsnon had one of the two extra points blocked , so the score at half - time had Texas ahead 16 to 7 . Johnson also missed 2 field goals during the game . Neither team scored in the third quarter . In the fourth quarter , Nebraska took a 20 – 19 lead with 4 minutes 54 seconds left in the game . After Texas was forced to punt , Nebraska only had to run out the clock to ensure victory . Nebraska ran a passing play on third down and NU receiver Terrence Nunn was able to pick up the first down but fumbled the ball . The fumble was recovered by Texas safety Marcus Griffin at the Nebraska 44 yard - line with 2 : 17 left . Colt McCoy led the Longhorns through the snow flurries to the Nebraska 5 . With less than a minute remaining , and the Horns facing fourth down , Texas needed a field - goal to win . Johnson had already missed three kicks ( 2 field goals and an extra point ) and he told Coach Brown late in the game that his leg was tightening up . Brown looked to walk - on Sophomore Ryan Bailey to give the Longhorns the win . Bailey had made only 10 kicks as a high - school kicker from Anderson High School in Austin , Texas and he had never attempted a kick for the Longhorns . The trip at Nebraska was only the second time he had ever been included in the travel roster , which is limited to 64 players . Before the kick , Brown told him " You ' re the luckiest guy in the world . You ' ve got a chance to be Dusty Mangum on your first kick . " Mangum had scored the game winning field goal as time expired to lift the Longhorns to victory over the Michigan Wolverines in the 2005 Rose Bowl . Before Bailey could attempt the kick , Nebraska coach attempted to ice the kicker by using his coach ' s challenge to have the officials review the preceding third down play . The play was reviewed and allowed to stand as an incomplete pass , as called on the field . Brown gave Bailey a swat on the helmet and Bailey jogged onto the field and calmly made the kick . Nebraska had time for two shots at the end - zone but both passes were broken up , and Texas won the game by 2 points , 22 – 20 . The win was Texas ' 16th straight road game victory , extending a school record , and 19th consecutive win in conference play . The latter streak is the second longest in the country , following the conference game winning - steak of USC . The game was the first time for Colt McCoy to lead the Longhorns to a come - from - behind victory in the fourth quarter . The Longhorns had several injuries during the game . Defensive starters Derek Lokey and Robert Killebrew both had to leave the game due to leg injuries . Cornerback Tarell Brown was seen limping badly after the game and kicker / punter Greg Johnson aggravated a previous injury on his fourth - quarter field goal . Former Longhorn quarterback Vince Young was on the sidelines for the first time since going to the NFL and he went to the Longhorn locker - room afterwards to congratulate the team on the win . Representatives from the Fiesta Bowl , the game that normally takes the Big 12 Conference champion , were also on hand . There has been media speculation that Nebraska and Texas will win their respective conference divisions to play again in the Big 12 Conference Championship . This possibility was echoed in post - game interviews as both teams voiced respect for the other . Texas coach Mack Brown said , " Nebraska is back , For them to keep coming back and back and back – they made big plays throughout the game to put themselves in a position to win . " He continued , " As soon as they back away from it , they ' ll see that their program is back on track , one of the best in the country . And they ' ll be excited about a chance to go play somebody in ( the Big 12 championship game ) . Hopefully , if we can keep playing , it might be us . " Nebraska cornerback Cortney Grixby said of Texas , " They kept their composure . That ' s the mark of a champion . And that ' s what they are . " Oklahoma . Called " The Battle of the Big Reds " , the rivalry between the University of Oklahoma and Nebraska University was one of the most heated contests of the old Big Eight Conference . Played every Thanksgiving weekend for 71 years ( from 1927 to 1998 ) , this contest produced many memorable games ; including the Game of the Century in 1971 . The rivalry has cooled somewhat since the creation of the Big 12 as Bill Callahan ' s Nebraska Cornhuskers and Stoops ' s Oklahoma Sooners now split a home - and - home two of every four years . This is only the fourth time that the teams have met at a neutral site . The last time was the 1979 Orange Bowl where the Sooners won 31 – 24 . Oklahoma holds the lead in the all - time series 42 to 37 with 3 ties and has never lost to Nebraska on neutral turf ( one 7 – 7 tie in 1919 in Omaha ) . Bob Stoops is 3 – 1 against Nebraska and has a two game winning streak ; Callahan has never beaten Oklahoma . This is the first time the two teams have met in the Big 12 Championship Game to determine the Big 12 Conference champion . Nebraska played in the championship game three of the first four years , winning in 1997 and ' 99 , but had not made it back since . Oklahoma missed the first four games but represented the south four of the next six years , topping the conference in 2000 , ' 02 , and ' 04 . Oklahoma has both the most appearances in the championship game ( 5 ) and conference titles ( 3 ) of any team in the Big 12 . Nebraska received the ball to start the game but Maurice Purify fumbled on the first play from scrimmage . Oklahoma recovered the ball at the Nebraska 2 and scored a touchdown to take the lead 7 – 0 with 48 seconds expired off the clock . It was the fastest score in Big 12 Championship Game history . With 5 : 35 left in the first quarter , Oklahoma executed a touchdown pass to Malcolm Kelly to go up 14 – 0 . With 4 : 37 left in the first half , Nebraska ' s Zac Taylor threw a touchdown pass and the extra point shaved Oklahoma ' s lead to 14 – 7 , which was still the score as the game went to half - time . At the start of the half , Oklahoma started with the ball but were unable to advance , as Nebraska recorded their first quarterback sack of the game and caused Oklahoma to go three - and - out and punt . Later in the third quarter , Oklahoma used 11 plays , 3 minutes and 21 seconds , to go 99 yards and score a touchdown with 1 : 25 left in the third quarter . With 8 : 53 left in the game , Nebraska threw what was almost a touchdown pass , but Nick Harris made a diving catch to intercept the ball in the end - zone for a touchback . Neither team scored in the fourth quarter , so Oklahoma won the game 21 – 7 . It was their fourth Big 12 Conference football championship , which is the most for any team in the conference ( Nebraska and Texas each have two ) . Auburn ( Cotton Bowl Classic ) . If Nebraska had won the Big 12 Conference Championship Game , they would have gone to the Fiesta Bowl . Since they lost , they went to the Cotton Bowl Classic ; the Big 12 Conference announced before the Championship Game that the loser would receive a Cotton Bowl Classic invitation . The Cotton Bowl Classic was played on New Year ' s Day . After the season . After the acrimonious firing of Frank Solich in 2003 for what Nebraska Athletic Director Steve Pederson perceived as a failure to recruit top players , Nebraska hired Callahan , who promptly introduced the West Coast offense , a marked shift from Nebraska ' s traditional I - formation option attack . The offense took time to register with the players as the Huskers struggled to adapt , posting a 5 – 6 season in 2004 , Nebraska ' s first losing season in over 40 years . However , in 2005 the Huskers started fast , going 4 – 0 to start the season before being defeated at home by Texas Tech 34 – 31 . After a rebound win over a weak Baylor squad , the next few games were some that Huskers fans would want to forget : a 41 – 24 loss away to Missouri , a home loss to Oklahoma , and a crushing road defeat at Kansas , which had not defeated Nebraska since 1968 . However , the season ended on a higher note , as the Huskers dominated the Colorado 30 – 3 in Boulder . NFL and Pro Players . The following Nebraska players who participated in the 2006 season later moved on to the next level and joined a professional or semi - pro team as draftees or free agents .