FanHouse Nebraksa Football

Here's a final look at tomorrow's Cotton Bowl match-up between Auburn and Nebraska... Big Ten officials will be calling the game... The game will be played on natural grass. It was installed for the 1994 World Cup Soccer matches... The last time Auburn played in the Cotton Bowl was 1986, when it lost to Texas A&M 36-16. Both Auburn touchdowns were scored by Heisman Trophy winner Bo Jackson, who rushed for 129 yards and had 73 yards of receiving.

Nebraska is 12-4 against teams from the SEC in bowl games... Auburn is ranked 16th all-time in bowl appearances with 33... They are tied for 15th all-time in bowl victories with 17... The Tigers have been held to fewer than 20 points in four of its last five bowl games. Yet they have managed a record of 2-2 in those games... Auburn has never been shut out in a bowl game.

The Cotton Bowl will mark the fourth meeting between Auburn and Nebraska. The Cornhuskers have won all three previous meetings... The most notable was the 1964 Orange Bowl when sixth-ranked Nebraska beat fifth-ranked Auburn 13-7... The Tigers have played in bowl games for 19 of the past 25 seasons, including seven straight... This will be Auburn's third straight January bowl game... The Cotton Bowl will mark the final game for Auburn seniors. The 21 members represent coach Tommy Tuberville's biggest senior class since coming to Auburn. The group has posted a 40-10 record, the best of any senior class in Auburn history.

Nebraska comes into the game with a 9-4 record and are the North Division Champions of the Big 12... Their four losses were to Southern Cal (28-10), Texas (22-20), Oklahoma State (41-29) and Oklahoma (21-7)... Auburn is 3-5 in bowl games against the Big 12... The Tigers are 9-15-1 all time against the Big 12. However, they haven't faced a Big 12 opponent since the 1991 season, when Auburn defeated Texas 14-10... Monday's game will mark coach Tommy Tuberville's 100th game as Auburn head coach. In that time, he has a 70-29 record and will become only the fourth Auburn head man to coach 100 games.

If Auburn has its way, defensive end Quentin Groves will be spending a lot of quality time with Nebraska quarterback Zac Taylor on Monday. And thankfully, Groves will be spending more time with his teammates come next season.

Unwilling to make the mistake Stanley McClover did a year ago by leaving early for the NFL, Groves has made the decision to return for his senior campaign. Much like McClover last season, Groves has saved his best for the biggest games. One could argue that he was the difference maker in wins over Florida and Alabama.

Through the first half of the season, it didn't appear that the NFL was even an option for Groves. The All-SEC selection had made little noise heading into the Florida game. That's win head coach Tommy Tuberville gave Groves a little pep-talk.

He told him that he expected more out of him and that he was capable of better play. That low key talk changed everything for Groves. In the Florida game, he recorded three sacks and led Auburn to a 27-17 win over the second-ranked Gators.