The rekindling of the Nebraska-Colorado rivalry this week will draw up some old memories for Husker fans, most of which will be fond considering NU’s lopsided 48-18-2 record in the series.

But the game will also have some special meaning for several players with ties to the Centennial State, as a total of seven Huskers were either born or attended high school in Colorado.

Safety JoJo Domann (Colorado Springs); tight end Jack Stoll (Lone Tree); defensive back Eli Sullivan (Longmont); linebacker Jacob Weinmaster (Loveland); and defensive lineman Tate Wilderman (Parker) are all Colorado natives.

Defensive backs Eric Lee (Valor Christian) and Avery Anderson (Pine Creek) both moved to the state and played high school ball there.

“It’s definitely special,” Lee said of Saturday’s game. “I know a lot of those guys on the opposite end and have a great amount of respect for Coach (Mike) MacIntyre and his program, so I’m just excited to go out there against those guys that some of them I played high school ball with.”

Players like Lee, Domann, Anderson, and Wilderman were all high-profile recruits coming out of Colorado, and there’s no doubt that their decision to play for the old rival to the East didn’t exactly go over so well with some of their friends and family.

“I got a little backlash coming to Nebraska, coming to Lincoln from Colorado,” Domann said. “That stuff doesn’t really get to me. I came here to play football, play big-time football and win championships.

“That’s why I came here… I wanted to play big-time football, at a big-time university; to see if I could prove myself on the big stage. That’s why I’m here in Lincoln.”

Added Stoll: “Ever since I committed (to Nebraska) I got some of that, oh yeah. It will be nice to kind of finally settle some scores and come out on top on Saturday.”

Quarterback Adrian Martinez is a California native with no direct family ties to Colorado, but he was also at one point a top target of MacIntyre and the Buffaloes. Like Domann, though, Martinez said his interest in CU didn’t last long.

“Yeah, they offered me pretty early on,” Martinez said. “I’m not sure if they have the same offensive coordinator there now, what exactly their situation is, but definitely a place I looked at a little bit… I didn’t really hold onto it for too long. Didn’t feel like it was a good fit for me.”

Those Huskers who spent the majority of their youth growing up in Buffalo Country certainly remember watching Colorado and Nebraska square off in the annual Black Friday showdown as former Big 12 Conference foes.

Most of the players point to the unforgettable 2008 game in Lincoln – when Alex Henery drilled a game-winning 57-yard field goal and Ndamukong Suh provided the exclamation point with a clinching pick-six – as their favorite moment of the rivalry.

Others like Lee aren’t quite as picky.

“I don’t really have a favorite,” Lee said. “Whenever Nebraska wins, that’s the best memory.”

- Robin Washut

It won’t be just players who will have personal connections to Colorado on Saturday.

Offensive coordinator Troy Walters coached three seasons in Boulder from 2013-15, where he served as wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator.

In his time with the Buffaloes, Walters’ receivers posted the top three single-season reception totals in CU history and the top two receiving yard totals.

While a lot has changed both for him and Colorado since then, Walters said Saturday’s reunion still has some special meaning.

“Yeah, it does. It does,” Walters said. “I coached three years with Coach Mac and that staff. Great man and great tradition at Colorado. This rivalry goes way back. Growing up as a kid I used to watch it, so it’s a special game for many reasons.

“But what it comes down to is us executing on offense and making sure we’re prepared and going out and playing hard and not getting caught up in all the hype of everything outside of the white lines and going out and taking care of business.”

Walters said the Buffaloes' offense now really didn’t have many similarities to what they ran when he was at CU, as they were much more up-tempo now than before.

He said there was only one player still on Colorado’s roster that he recruited, senior receiver Jay MacIntyre.

“Most of those guys have graduated,” Walters said. “I think there are a few redshirt seniors, about 12-14 guys that were there when I was there. But most of the roster is new guys.”

- Robin Washut

Saturday was not an ideal situation for a true freshman making his first collegiate start, but at the end of the day quarterbacks coach Mario Verduzco said Adrian Martinez gained some valuable experience despite the fact the Huskers didn’t play a game.

“He was probably more relaxed than I was I think,” Verduzco said. “You know, he felt really good. He did. Then obviously what happened, then when I got a chance to talk to him on Monday we were talking about looking forward to Colorado and how he felt and so on and so forth, and I think he feels even more relaxed, because I think he’s kind of got that all out of the way.

“The hotel business and what we do pregame and what we do in the hotel and all that sort of stuff, so I think he even feels more relaxed this week, but we’ll find out.”

As for himself, Verduzco said just getting the chance to see a game atmosphere in Lincoln on Saturday was special.

“Well I’m upstairs but it was awesome, man. I mean, that was wild,” Verduzco said. “Even coming from the hotel and all of the fans and just everything about Nebraska football was just absolutely amazing. So yeah for me it was just pretty awesome.”

- Sean Callahan

Coming out of high school, true freshman Cameron Jurgens was listed as an athlete and that seems to have been a pretty accurate classification for him.

Last week Frost said on his radio show that Jurgens was one of the most powerful players on the team and will be a “phenomenal player” for them. The only question is if he will stay at tight end or end up getting snatched up by another position coach.

“It’s a daily battle, it’s a daily battle," tight ends coach Sean Beckton said. "The offensive line coach, the defensive line coach are messing with the kid every single day, but I’m trying to keep him in my room for as long as I can. He wants to help the football team in any kind of way.

"That’s the kind of kid he is and we’re going to utilize him, we’re going to figure out where’s the best place to play him to help the football team and roll from there. He’s aware of his situation right now.”

According to Beckton, Jurgens’ powerful build is what gives him the ability to project at several different positions.

“He’s just naturally gifted as far as his lower-body strength,” Beckton said. “He plays with such leverage that when he explodes into you and strikes you those guys go backwards. I’m really excited to see what he’s going to do with this football team in the future down the road for us right now.”

- Nate Clouse

One change to this year’s Tunnel Walk introduction that got somewhat lost amid the flashing lights and smoke machines was the absence of a broadcasted “Husker Prayer” before the team left the locker room.

While it wasn’t shown on the jumbo screens, the annual pre-game prayer was still a focal point of Nebraska’s routine - even if Tanner Farmer wasn’t exactly prepared to do the honors on Saturday night.

“(Head coach Scott Frost) said I had the Husker Prayer before (the game), and I was kind of a little scared there for a second,” Farmer joked.

“I was like, ‘Oh crap, I didn’t prepare for this.’ But that was an honor to be able to do that, and hopefully I get more chances in the future to do that. That was nice.”

- Robin Washut

***Walters said the strength of Colorado’s defense was its front seven, particularly a “stout” defensive front. He said they want to stop the run first and make offenses one dimensional, which is why it would be critical for the Huskers to establish the run early.

***Walters said another key would be NU’s receivers winning one-on-one battles on the football, as they would likely get some man-coverage opportunities that they would have to take advantage.

***Balance will also be key for Nebraska’s offense on Saturday, as Walters said they could not expect to drop back 40-50 times with a true freshman quarterback and expect to be successful.

***After two very good practices to start the week, Walters said Wednesday was “OK.” He said the Huskers didn’t really build on the progress they made over the first two days, but overall it was still a good day. Walters said now it would all be about mental preparation leading into Saturday.

***Beckton said Jack Stoll was operating at a “complete level” with his mental grasp of the offense. Beckton said any time he’s up late in the office Stoll is there watching film or studying the playbook.

***Running backs coach Ryan Held said he always considered Colorado and Kansas State as Nebraska’s top rivals when he was a player. He said Nebraska won nearly all of those meetings in his career, but the games were always tough and very competitive.