1899 Nebraska Bugeaters football team

The 1899 Nebraska Bugeaters football team represented the University of Nebraska in the 1899 college football season. The team was coached by first-year head coach Alonzo Edwin Branch and played their home games at Antelope Field in Lincoln, Nebraska. They competed as an independent.

1899 Nebraska Bugeaters football
Conference	Independent
Record	1–7–1
Head coach	Alonzo Edwin Branch (1st season)
Home stadium	Antelope Field

1899 Midwestern college football independents records

	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
Kansas			–					10	–	0	–	0
North Dakota			–					6	–	0	–	0
Detroit College			–					5	–	0	–	0
Lincoln (MO)			–					1	–	0	–	0
Ohio State			–					9	–	0	–	1
Iowa			–					8	–	0	–	1
Washington University			–					5	–	1	–	0
Missouri			–					9	–	2	–	0
Chicago P&S			–					4	–	1	–	0
Mount Union			–					5	–	1	–	1
Indiana			–					6	–	2	–	0
South Dakota Agricultural			–					3	–	1	–	0
Wabash			–					1	–	0	–	1
Cincinnati			–					5	–	2	–	0
Drake			–					5	–	2	–	0
Heidelberg			–					5	–	2	–	0
Buchtel			–					2	–	1	–	0
Doane			–					2	–	1	–	0
Northern Illinois State			–					1	–	0	–	2
Notre Dame			–					6	–	3	–	1
Central Michigan			–					3	–	2	–	0
Fairmount			–					2	–	1	–	2
Carthage			–					3	–	2	–	1
Western Reserve			–					5	–	4	–	0
Wittenberg			–					5	–	4	–	0
Iowa State			–					5	–	4	–	1
Rush Medical			–					3	–	3	–	1
Ohio			–					2	–	2	–	0
Ohio Wesleyan			–					5	–	5	–	0
Haskell			–					4	–	5	–	0
Lake Forest			–					4	–	6	–	2
Kansas State			–					2	–	3	–	0
Michigan Agricultural			–					2	–	4	–	1
Iowa State Normal			–					1	–	3	–	2
Washburn			–					2	–	5	–	2
Butler			–					1	–	3	–	0
Miami (OH)			–					1	–	5	–	0
Nebraska			–					1	–	7	–	1
North Dakota Agricultural			–					0	–	1	–	0
Baldwin–Wallace			–					0	–	4	–	0

Following the departure of Fielding H. Yost following the 1898 season, Nebraska hired Branch, a recent graduate of Williams College with little football coaching experience. In his only season as head coach, Branch led Nebraska to its first losing season, and only sub-.500 record in its first 38 years of football.

This was NU's final season as the "Bugeaters", as the university officially changed its nickname to "Cornhuskers" in 1900.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	Result	Source
September 30		at Lincoln High School	Lincoln, NE	W 6–0 (exhibition)
October 6		at Iowa State	State Field Ames, IA	L 0–33
October 14		Kansas City Medics	Antelope Field Lincoln, NE	T 6–6
October 21		Missouri	Antelope Field Lincoln, NE (rivalry)	L 0–11
October 28		at Kansas City Medics	Exposition Park Kansas City, MO	L 0–24
November 4	3:00 p.m.	vs. Iowa	Ames Avenue Park Omaha, NE (rivalry)	L 0–30
November 11		at Drake	Des Moines, IA	W 12–6
November 18		Kansas	Antelope Field Lincoln, NE (rivalry)	L 20–36
November 24		at South Dakota	Vermillion, SD	L 5–6
November 30	3:30 p.m.	vs. Grinnell	Ames Avenue Park Omaha, NE	L 0–12

Coaching staff

Coach	Position	First year	Alma mater
Alonzo Edwin Branch	Head coach	1899	Williams
Jack Best	Trainer	1890	Nebraska
Austin John Collett	Manager	1899	Nebraska

Roster

Bell, Johnny HB Benedict, Raymond HB Brew, Fred T Carver, Fred FB Cortelyou, Spencer E Crandall, Harry QB Dasenbrock, John G Drain, Ralph QB Gordon, Anthony FB Hunter, Fred HB Kingsbury, Raymond FB Koehler, John C Pearse, Arthur RT Ploughead RG Reasoner, Ira T Ringer, John LG Tukey, Harry QB Tyson C Wallace LT Westover, John LT Williams, Charles Erwin HB

Game summaries

At Lincoln High

Nebraska at Lincoln High

1 2 Total • Nebraska 6 Lincoln High 0 Date: September 30 Location: Lincoln, NE

Nebraska met the Lincoln High School football team in a pre-season exhibition game for the second time. It is unclear whether the score was the result of a tightly contested game, or an act of sportsmanship by the university team against high schoolers.

At Iowa State

Nebraska at Iowa State

1 2 Total Nebraska 0 0 0 • Iowa State 28 5 33 Date: October 6 Location: State Field, Ames, IA

Nebraska suffered its worst-ever defeat to open the 1899 season, trailing 28–0 at halftime and losing 33–0. Iowa State had begun preparation for the football season prior to that start of the school year, a practice not commonplace at the time.

Kansas City Medics

Kansas City Medics at Nebraska

1 2 Total Kansas City Medics 0 6 6 Nebraska 0 6 6 Date: October 14 Location: Antelope Field, Lincoln, NE

After allowing 33 points to Iowa State the week prior, Nebraska's defense held the Kansas City Medics off the scoreboard in a scoreless first half. A second-half touchdown from each team culminated in a 6–6 tie.

Missouri

Missouri at Nebraska

1 2 Total • Missouri 11 Nebraska 0 Date: October 21 Location: Antelope Field, Lincoln, NE

See also: Missouri–Nebraska football rivalry

Despite a valiant defensive performance, Nebraska's offensive woes continued in an 11–0 loss, the second of five times NU was shut out in 1899.

At Kansas City Medics

Nebraska at Kansas City Medics

1 2 Total Nebraska 0 0 0 • KC Medics 12 12 24 Date: October 28 Location: Kansas City, MO

After playing to a 6–6 tie weeks earlier, Nebraska could not keep pace with the Kansas City Medics in their second meeting.

Iowa

Iowa vs. Nebraska

1 2 Total • Iowa 30 Nebraska 0 Date: November 4 Location: Omaha, NE

See also: Iowa–Nebraska football rivalry

Nebraska was shut out for the third consecutive week by Iowa in Omaha.

At Drake

Nebraska at Drake

1 2 Total • Nebraska 6 6 12 Drake 0 6 6 Date: November 11 Location: Des Moines, IA

Nebraska defeated Drake 12–6 in what would be the first and only college football head coaching win for Branch (after a brief stint at Miami (OH), he ended his career with a record of 1–11–1).

Kansas

Kansas at Nebraska

1 2 Total • Kansas 24 12 36 Nebraska 5 15 20 Date: November 18 Location: Antelope Field, Lincoln, NE

See also: Kansas–Nebraska football rivalry

Despite a strong second-half performance against Kansas in Lincoln, Nebraska was unable to overcome a 24–5 deficit. The team's performance was so poor that rumors began to spread suggesting team captain and starting halfback Charles Williams may quit the team.

At South Dakota

Nebraska at South Dakota

1 2 Total Nebraska 5 0 5 • South Dakota 0 6 6 Date: November 24 Location: Vermillion, SD

Nebraska led 5–0 in its first-ever game against South Dakota, but were unable to capitalize on scoring opportunities in the first half. A second-half touchdown gave South Dakota a 6–5 victory. Team captain Charles Williams left the NU program following the game.

Grinnell

Grinnell vs. Nebraska

1 2 Total • Grinnell 12 Nebraska 0 Date: November 30 Location: Omaha, NE

Grinnell became the fifth team to shut out Nebraska in 1899, defeating the Bugeaters 12–0 on a muddy, wet afternoon in Omaha.