Best running back ever at NU

Dec 21, 2020
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Look I love Rex as much as the next guy but c'mon. Ameer should be getting mentioned before any Rex talk. Dude single-handedly got Bo 9 wins in 2013.

EDIT: This is not in response to the Jack Hoffman references ^^^
 

jlb321_rivals110621

All-American
Aug 8, 2014
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Look I love Rex as much as the next guy but c'mon. Ameer should be getting mentioned before any Rex talk. Dude single-handedly got Bo 9 wins in 2013.

EDIT: This is not in response to the Jack Hoffman references ^^^

Ameer’s numbers at Neb exceed Rex’s in most categories but most will tout Burkhead far far more than Abdullah for some peculiar reason. 🤷‍♂️

it's quite vexing - having a hard time coming up with a reason
 
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1NebrFan

Sophomore
Dec 3, 2004
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Ameer’s numbers at Neb exceed Rex’s in most categories but most will tout Burkhead far far more than Abdullah for some peculiar reason. 🤷‍♂️

it's quite vexing - having a hard time coming up with a reason

I'm not sure where you are hearing that MOST will tout Burkhead far more than Ameer. Ameer Avg 5.6 rushing to 5.2 for Burkhead. Ameer 39 TDs to 30 for Rex and Ameer Avg 9.5 per reception to 8.5 for Burkead. If the point of your post was to insinuate something, you should just have come out and said it. In my opinion both were equally impressive and well respected for what they accomplished.
 
Jan 10, 2020
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I'm not sure where you are hearing that MOST will tout Burkhead far more than Ameer. Ameer Avg 5.6 rushing to 5.2 for Burkhead. Ameer 39 TDs to 30 for Rex and Ameer Avg 9.5 per reception to 8.5 for Burkead. If the point of your post was to insinuate something, you should just have come out and said it. In my opinion both were equally impressive and well respected for what they accomplished.
not only is he insinuating, he edited his insinuation to lay it on even thicker

he will, of course, deny such an insinuation, opting for specifics when asking for proof

sad
 
Sep 7, 2018
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Rex ranks 6th on NU's all-time rushing chart. He has also been in the NFL about as long as any NU back in history. His on the field accomplishments come despite the fact that he is far from the most athletic back NU has had. When you factor in the good citizenship factor, its not hard, and far from vexing to see why people are promoting Rex in this string. People are always going to pull for people like Rex, and they should.
 

jlb321_rivals110621

All-American
Aug 8, 2014
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Rex ranks 6th on NU's all-time rushing chart. He has also been in the NFL about as long as any NU back in history. His on the field accomplishments come despite the fact that he is far from the most athletic back NU has had. When you factor in the good citizenship factor, its not hard, and far from vexing to see why people are promoting Rex in this string. People are always going to pull for people like Rex, and they should.

could you please let us know what factor you multiply by for "good citizenship"

Abdullah's numbers surpass Rex's in

rushing - total, yards per carry and TDs (#2 alltime rushing yards at Neb)
receiving - total, yards per reception and TDs

am interested if you apply the Rex "good citizenship factor" do his numbers exceed Abdullah's?

I'm just a dull numbers guy - interested in the more advanced analytics some are using
 
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Dec 21, 2020
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Yea lets leave any wokeness out of this Ameer vs Rex talk. You could do a lot worse than Rex, and if you're factoring in both college and pro success then maybe he has the edge. And also depends on your definition of "best". Rex's off-the-field notoriety was not tied to Lincoln, it was nationwide, which provided invaluable positive PR to the university.

To me, "best" is strictly tied to on the field ability. And if I had one drive to score a touchdown I'm taking Ameer every time, but that's my opinion.
 

Crazyhole

All-American
Jun 4, 2004
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could you please let us know what factor you multiply by for "good citizenship"

Abdullah's numbers surpass Rex's in

rushing - total, yards per carry and TDs (#2 alltime rushing yards at Neb)
receiving - total, yards per reception and TDs

am interested if you apply the Rex "good citizenship factor" do his numbers exceed Abdullah's?

I'm just a dull numbers guy - interested in the more advanced analytics some are using
You may have had a point if anyone said that Rex was better than LP or rozier. As far as I'm concerned, Rex, ameer, and Helu are all in the same category with each having individual traits that some would consider to carry more weight than others.
 

jlb321_rivals110621

All-American
Aug 8, 2014
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Yea lets leave any wokeness out of this Ameer vs Rex talk. You could do a lot worse than Rex, and if you're factoring in both college and pro success then maybe he has the edge. And also depends on your definition of "best". Rex's off-the-field notoriety was not tied to Lincoln, it was nationwide, which provided invaluable positive PR to the university.

To me, "best" is strictly tied to on the field ability. And if I had one drive to score a touchdown I'm taking Ameer every time, but that's my opinion.

for strictly play at Neb - just during Pelini's 7 years - Rex would rank 3rd behind Abdullah and Helu, Jr

1. Abdullah
2. Helu, Jr
3. Burkhead

of course this is just by production on the field that can be measured - I'm certain Rex has certain intangibles that some value more than others
 
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Jan 10, 2020
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for strictly play at Neb - just during Pelini's 7 years - Rex would rank 3rd behind Abdullah and Helu, Jr

1. Abdullah
2. Helu, Jr
3. Burkhead

of course this is just by production on the field that can be measured - I'm certain Rex has a some intangibles that some value more than others
Im not sure the insinuation is strong enough in this post just yet. Maybe an edit or two will help drive your point (that NU fans are racist) home?

As always, thanks for the time and effort spent on research. No matter how bad it gets on the field/court, we’re always #1 in your feeble brain.

Cue the ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about/you said it, not me’ response!
 

RedBaloneyPony

Redshirt
Nov 14, 2020
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for strictly play at Neb - just during Pelini's 7 years - Rex would rank 3rd behind Abdullah and Helu, Jr

1. Abdullah
2. Helu, Jr
3. Burkhead

of course this is just by production on the field that can be measured - I'm certain Rex has certain intangibles that some value more than others
Arent you from Iowa? figured you would applaud what you are insinuating.
 

redwine65

All-Conference
Jun 23, 2010
10,879
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lp, rozier, creig, green, duboise, in that order...but then I was pretty young when I'm hipp and jarvis was playing
 

NikkiSixx_rivals269993

All-Conference
Sep 14, 2013
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If you are only counting on his play on the field, really Rex was the next tier down from the great ones that came before him.

When you add up the type of guy and teammate he was, and he did have some great moments, his likability pushes him up a level for many people.

He probably makes it into the top 10-15 for me.
 

rgrachek

All-American
Dec 2, 2004
18,028
7,272
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We just did fastest player, now runners.

LP
Ahman/Kinney/Rozier
All the rest.

We had some great ones.
LP was the most physically talented overall. Next was Green. Jeff Kinney was of a different era, but was great. Roger Craig was the best NFL back we have ever had. Abdullah deserves some mention too.

But Mike Rozier was the best running back in Nebraska history. His combination of elusiveness, strength, good speed, and most of all toughness, is second to none. What he did from 1981 to 1983 will never be repeated. He wasn't Barry Sanders, but he had a lot of his characteristics.

It's kind of sad to think about it. In 1982, we had in the program:

Roger Craig
Mike Rozier
Jeff Smith
Doug Dubose

During the past 20 years, only Helu, Burkhead, and Abdullah would have fit into this group and none of the three are nearly as good as Rozier and Craig. Since Abdullah, our RB talent hasn't sniffed this level.
 
Dec 21, 2020
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During the past 20 years, only Helu, Burkhead, and Abdullah would have fit into this group and none of the three are nearly as good as Rozier and Craig. Since Abdullah, our RB talent hasn't sniffed this level.
It is pretty crazy what our running back situation has been. Take it all the way back to the end of the Osborne era. For 17 years from 98-14 we had at least one of these guys on the roster we could count on:
Alexander, Buckhalter, Diedrick, Ross, Jackson, Lucky, Helu, Burkhead, Abdullah
But for the last 6 years, we've only mustered one decent season out of Ozigbo.
 

Kakdawg

Heisman
Sep 8, 2004
35,463
15,694
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Look I love Rex as much as the next guy but c'mon. Ameer should be getting mentioned before any Rex talk. Dude single-handedly got Bo 9 wins in 2013.

EDIT: This is not in response to the Jack Hoffman references ^^^


Ameer is my number 3. Just think he was under rated. Love Ahman but think he's a bit over rated.


Holla
 

RedRhino

Sophomore
Jun 8, 2010
140
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People are sleeping on Doug Dubose. Prior to Knee injury and demons he was a beast!
 

inWV

All-Conference
Sep 22, 2007
14,208
4,873
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College career only. LP and Rozier. NFL. Ahman and Roger Craig.
That's a firm. We forget about Craig because he was supplanted by Rozier, but he was a thousand yard guy in 81 and turned into one of the best receiving backs in NFL history.
 

Trumplestiltskin

Sophomore
Sep 7, 2018
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Ken Clark was one of the best with his patience to use his blockers. I know he won’t “win” this type of competition but he is a very underrated Nebraska running back.

One of my best Husker memories was watching him out perform Barry Sanders in 1988. Winking

Great game! 42-0 at half or so! Clark took opening handoff 70 or 80 yards for a TD. Saw that one in person, luckily.
 

Huskerfan2112

All-Conference
Dec 7, 2009
2,677
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This topic should just exclude LP, Rozier, and Ahman because most people have them in the top 3. After that it gets pretty interesting, and I've got to advocate a little bit for Helu and Dubose. Regardless, the list of "next best" includes about 20 names so no matter what we've been pretty blessed.
Helu is a good choice. Never gets mentioned
 

rgrachek

All-American
Dec 2, 2004
18,028
7,272
78
We just did fastest player, now runners.

LP
Ahman/Kinney/Rozier
All the rest.

We had some great ones.
If we compensate for era, then Jeff Kinney is in the mix. He had good speed, but he was big and was a bulldozer. Feature back for 2 NC teams and a first round NFL draft pick.
 
Jul 10, 2008
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It's too early to say for sure but Grant will be number 1 by a longshot if he keeps it up. His yardage so far is better than any Nebraska running back ever.
 
Nov 28, 2016
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I agree with many listed on here that we’ve had some great ones. When I really started watching Husker football, it was Lawrence Phillips. He had the perfect blend of size, speed, power, and moves. So sad that he had so many demons.

Also Crouch. Yeah he was a QB, but let’s not kid ourselves…the Solich Offense became Option Keeper Left, Option Keeper Right, Option Keeper Up the Middle. If Crouch could have, he would have thrown a pass to himself to score TDs.
 

HuskerHusaria

All-Conference
Jun 4, 2017
7,424
2,217
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I agree with many listed on here that we’ve had some great ones. When I really started watching Husker football, it was Lawrence Phillips. He had the perfect blend of size, speed, power, and moves. So sad that he had so many demons.
So true... Vermeil loved him and tried to pick up where Tom left off. I thought I read once that LP made him cry and that wasn't normal?