1918 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team
Omaha Balloon at Nebraska
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Date: 1918-11-09
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Location: Nebraska Field • Lincoln, Nebraska
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Kansas at Nebraska
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
Total |
| Kansas |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| • Nebraska
|
2 |
12 |
6 |
0 |
20 |
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Date: 1918-11-16
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Location: Nebraska Field • Lincoln, Nebraska
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Camp Dodge at Nebraska
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Date: 1918-11-23
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Location: Nebraska Field • Lincoln, Nebraska
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Notre Dame at Nebraska
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
Total |
| Notre Dame |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Nebraska |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
-
Date: 1918-11-28
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Location: Nebraska Field • Lincoln, Nebraska
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Nebraska at Washington University
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|
The 1918 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team was the representative of the University of Nebraska in the 1918 college football season. The team was coached by William G. Kline and played their home games at Nebraska Field in Lincoln, Nebraska.
The 1918 season was one of severe upheaval not just at Nebraska, but all over the United States, in every way. World War I was reaching full swing, calling away many thousands of men to fight for their country, including of course many college football players. The United States government limited cross country travel during this time, which limited the number of teams that could be met for games, and as a result only six games would be completed this year. Amidst these unsteady times, the 1918 flu pandemic was gripping the world and taking many times more lives than the casualties of the great war in progress in Europe. It was against this backdrop that a new head coach arrived, to try to guide the Cornhuskers through the storm. The role of the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association was rolled back for 1918, and no designated conference games were held, no standings recorded, and no champion crowned. Only three starters from the previous year were back, since many others (including Nebraska's Captain-elect) were training for battle or already overseas at war.
During preparations for this game, on September 30, the MVIAA announced that for the first time ever, freshmen athletes would be permitted to participate in football games, at least in the interim time period while so many of the experienced players were called away due to the war effort or unavailable because of the influenza epidemic. Both teams implemented personnel changes to plug in the freshmen, and thus both teams were untested machines when they finally met. Nebraska looked alive when they reached the Iowa 2-yard line in the first quarter, but the Hawkeyes held strong and sent Nebraska away with no points. It was the last time the Cornhuskers posed a serious threat to Iowa, who scraped together 18 points later in the game to open Nebraska's season with a shutout loss, though the Cornhuskers still controlled the series with a 12-5-3 edge.
Due to wartime travel restrictions and the influenza outbreak of 1918, the scheduled games with Syracuse, Missouri and West Virginia were canceled. The Syracuse series would be renewed briefly in 1919, while Missouri would again be picked up in normal regional play next year as well. However, the cancellation of the West Virginia game would put off the first meeting between the Mountaineers and the Cornhuskers for 75 years, when they would finally meet in their 1994 season openers.
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