1923 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team

Making things additionally rough to start the year, only nine starters from last season's title team were returning to play for the Cornhuskers.

G Packer, Bloyce G Popelar E Pospisil, Frank G Randolph, George HB Reed G Rhodes, John (So.)

This time, however, the game was to be played in Champaign instead of Lincoln, and the Cornhuskers had only two weeks of practice to prepare for this opening contest.

The game was held close, and the outcome was in doubt until the fourth quarter, when Illinois finally overpowered Nebraska and pulled away for the win.

The lopsided score does not tell the tale of the game, which was a bitter contest of near equals except for the breaks that fell in favor of the Cornhuskers.

Where Nebraska had the offense to move the ball, Kansas produced some stingy goal line stands to keep the Cornhuskers off the board for all four quarters, leaving both teams scoreless at the final whistle.

The Four Horsemen of Notre Dame were looking to exact revenge for the defeat handed them by Nebraska the previous year.

Knute Rockne finally managed to coach his team to a single fourth-quarter touchdown, but the day belonged to the Cornhuskers.

[7][10][11] Nebraska ran right out to a 26–0 lead, never seriously being challenged by Iowa State for most of the game despite a hard-fought and physical battle on the field.

In the fourth quarter, however, injuries and substitutions disrupted the rhythm of the Cornhuskers, which allowed Iowa State to come to life and put in a late 14 points.

The Nebraska win extended the futility of the Kansas State squad in the series, as they remained winless in all eight games played to date.