Tag: brian buschini

Nebraska announces two new Blackshirt recipients Monday

Nebraska football handed out two new Blackshirts on Monday.

Nebraska football punter Brian Buschini was one of two new Blackshirt recipients on Monday. Coach Matt Rhule explained why the punter got a Blackshirt.

Buschini and cornerback Ceyair Wright were officially recognized as members of the exclusive club. The punter has tallied 18 punts for an average of 47.6 yards per kick. His 69-yard punt against Rutgers was his longest of the season. He has also registered eight kicks inside the 20-yard line.

Wright also was a Blackshirt recipient. The USC transfer has fit in sturdily with the Nebraska defense. He has 16 tackles, one tackle for loss, one sack, one interception, and four pass deflections over the season’s first six games. With injuries to Tommi Hill, he became a vital part of the secondary.

Rhule explained why the punter got a Blackshirt at his Monday press conference. It wasn’t entirely up to him, as the defensive players also had a hand in Buschini’s selection.

“The way he’s impacted the game defensively. I had talked to Jason Peter a couple weeks ago and asked how that worked. He said at the bowl game those guys always get it. They said Coach (Mike) Riley or Coach (Sean) Callahan had done it once with a punter in the middle of the season. So I just wanted to stick with tradition, but when Marques Buford texted me at home and said, ‘coach, we need Buschini in black,’ I thought that was a tremendous message, whether it was the tackles at Purdue on the game-saving tackles during the field goals. The punts he made last week, to get hit like that, some guys get hurt and they come out to finish the game, he accelerated. I did it because it was from the players, they feel like he is part of that unit so let’s roll.”

Both Wright and Buschini embody what it means to be a Blackshirt. Their selfless play and work ethic have really shone through as Nebraska looks to become bowl-eligible for the first time since 2016.

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Brian Buschini named Big Ten Special Team Player of the Week

Brian Buschini had a gutsy performance on Saturday.

Nebraska football punter Brian Buschini was named Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week after a strong performance on Saturday against Rutgers.

He recorded five total punts with a kicking average of 50.2 yards. He put two of those punts inside the 20. On top of this, he also showed his prowess as a passer. He completed one pass to wide receiver Jaylen LIoyd for 30 yards.

In addition to his statistical efforts, Buschini got hit early in the game and was clearly fighting through it throughout the day. He managed to recover quickly and proceeded to have a productive day. He was able to power through and contribute to the win on a day when field position was key.

This is the second Nebraska football player to win a weekly honor. Freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola won Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors back in September. In the meantime, Nebraska football is off to their best start since the 2016 season with a 5-1 record. Buschini undoubtedly has played a big part in that.

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Husker punter Brian Buschini breaks down his view of fake punt play

Brian Buschini made one of the more memorable plays of the day against Rutgers.

Nebraska football punter Brian Buschini broke down his passing play in Saturday’s 14-7 win over Rutgers.

The play itself was a trick play, with the Scarlet Knights’ defense expecting a punt on fourth down. The play itself took place with just under 15 minutes in the fourth quarter. Nebraska was ahead 14-0 and needed a spark offensively. The punter was able to lob the pass to wide receiver Jaylen Lloyd, who was able to run after the catch.

The play itself accounted for 30 total yards and was a memorable moment in a game in which the defenses made their presence felt.

Buschini talked about the play and what he saw at his postgame press conference.

“When we faked it on them, we expected them to play less aggressively. I saw the two guys in the a-gap drop right before the snap so u felt like I had a split second longer to get it off and I was able to feel a little bit more calm.”

It was quite the day for the punter, who took a major hit after a blocked punt. He was wincing in pain throughout the game but managed to stay in. He provided several contributions on the day, and the pass was perhaps the most memorable.

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Punter Brian Buschini providing stability for special teams unit

Nebraska football punter Brian Buschini is leading on and off the field.

Nebraska football punter Brian Buschini is providing a leadership role as the Huskers’ special teams unit continues to struggle throughout the season, both in terms of play and injury.

The kicking unit has struggled with inconsistencies over the past couple of games. John Hohl has made one-of-five field goals but has connected on all eight of his extra points, scoring 11 points in total.

Sophomore kicker Tristan Alvano is working his way back from injury but still has contributed. If anything, he has been able to be the most consistent kicker on the roster when healthy.

Despite the special team’s bumps in the road, Buschini has provided sturdy veteran leadership. Coach Matt Rhule mentioned this during his press conference on Thursday.

For Brian, we try to be there for him, and now he’s there for those guys, he’ll bring them through the other side. Tristan (Alvano) is going through his injury, Nico (Ottomanelli) is redshirting, they’re all going through something different, but having a guy like that, seeing the way he’s playing right now is really good. You know, Rutgers, there’s no better team at blocking punts than Rutgers, so it’s a tremendous challenge for Brian to try and get the ball off before they get there.”

Buschini is having a strong season in his own right, with an average of 46.5 yards per punt. At the very least, he is having a well-rounded season both on and off the field as the Huskers look to reach that elusive bowl game.

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Senior punter Brian Buschini named to Ray Guy Award watch list for third straight year

Senior punter Brian Buschini was named to the Ray Guy Award watch list.

A Husker enters the 2024 football season with his name on an award watchlist for the third straight year. Senior punter Brian Buschini was named to the Ray Guy Award watch list.

Buschini is one of 34 punters nationally named to the preseason watch list Friday. The Ray Guy Award is presented to the nation’s top punter in the FBS. The winner will be announced during ESPN’s Home Depot College Football Awards Show in December.

In his collegiate career, the Helena, Montana native has averaged 43.7 yards per punt. Buschini has been the starter for the Huskers in the past two seasons. Last year, he averaged 40.7 yards on 57 punts, landing 20 of his 57 punts inside the opponent’s 20-yard line.

In his first season at Nebraska, he averaged 44.0 yards per punt, ranking eighth in Husker history and 25th in the nation. He delivered 16 punts of 50 yards or longer, including a 74-yard punt against Wisconsin that ranked seventh-longest in school history.

Before arriving at Nebraska, Buschini spent three seasons at Montana from 2019 to 2021. In his final season with the Grizzlies, Buschini won FCS Punter of the Year and was named first-team All-American. He averaged 46.0 yards per punt and helped Montana lead the FCS in net punting average.

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Nebraska punter named to Ray Guy Award watchlist

A Nebraska punter was named to a preseason watch list on Wednesday.

A Nebraska punter was named to a preseason watch list on Wednesday. Punter Brian Buschini was among 50 punters named to the 2023 Ray Guy Award.

The Ray Guy Award is presented yearly to the nation’s top collegiate punter. This is the second season that Buschini was named to the preseason watchlist.

Last season the Montana transfer averaged 44.0 yards per punt, which was good enough for 25th nationally. He had 16 punts that traveled longer than 50 yards.

Nebraska has never had a punter win the Ray Guy Award, which has been given every year since 2000. Last season it was won by Rutgers punter Adam Korsak, who is now kicking for the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

A photo gallery of Brian Buschini can be found below.

2022 Husker Breakdown: Special teams primed for 180-degree turn

Nebraska’s special teams have been a problem for years but read why the group plans to be much better in 2022.

Our final position group preview before the 2022 Nebraska football season kick off against Northwestern, the Huskers’ specialists were the epitome of brutality. To address the poor play, defensive analyst Bill Busch was brought into a new role as Nebraska’s special teams coordinator, a position that has not been its own separate entity for the Cornhuskers since 2016. 

Anything better than mediocre would be a big improvement from the last few years and with Busch’s hiring to go with the services of a few proven transfers, Nebraska special teams could get themselves out from under the magnifying glass.

Nebraska Transfer Named to Ray Guy Award Watch List

A Nebraska Cornhuskers transfer has been named to the Ray Guy Award watch list.

Nebraska Cornhuskers punter Brian Buschini has been named to the Ray Guy Award watch list. The award is presented to the most outstanding punter in college football.

Buschini transferred to the Cornhuskers in December. He played at Montana for two seasons. In 2021, Buschini averaged a blistering 46.0 yards per punt across 13 games. He had 28 punts of 50 yards or more.

As a result, Buschini won the FCS punter of the year.

Buschini also served as Montana’s kickoff specialist. Last season, he recorded 28 touchbacks on kickoffs.

Buschini’s skill-set should easily transfer to Nebraska. He has the ability to be one of the best punters in the nation this season.

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Iowa Hawkeyes 2022 schedule breakdown: Nebraska

What players do Iowa fans need to know about for the Hawkeyes’ regular-season finale against the Cornhuskers from inside Kinnick Stadium?

Here it is, the last game of the season! Hopefully, Iowa is standing at an 11-0 record with upsets over Ohio State and Michigan and the Cornhuskers represent their last stop before the Big Ten Championship… and then the national championship. Whether or not this is indeed the reality (we can certainly hope), Nebraska is a heck of a game to end the season on.

The Cornhuskers are an extremely interesting team with how they are portrayed in the media. Many have called Nebraska the greatest three-win team in college football history and suggesting that they were much better than their 2021 record suggested. If a few possessions swung the other way, Nebraska could have finished as one of the best teams in the conference!

At the end of the day, though, the Cornhuskers were still a 3-9 team last year, and coach Scott Frost is on the hottest of hot seats. As many have pointed out, Nebraska is a tough out. They gave multiple top teams a tough fight last year, including both Michigan and Michigan State. They feature a sturdy defense and hope the offense takes a step forward in 2022.