Dave Feit's Greatest Huskers by the Numbers: 16

Dave Feit is counting down the days until the start of the 2025 season by naming the best Husker to wear each uniform number, as well as one of his personal favorites at that number. For more information about the series, click here. To see more entries, click here.

Greatest Husker to wear 16: Maurice Purify, Wide Receiver, 2006-2007

Honorable Mention: none

Also worn by: Janiran Bonner, Chris Drennan, Tim Fischer, Ladas Hubka, Stanley Jean-Baptiste, Elijah Jeudy, Gary Larsen, George Lucas, Tom McClelland, Jay Runty, Eric Stokes, Mike Stuntz, Erwin Swiney, Noah Vedral

Dave's Fave: Stanley Jean-Baptiste, Cornerback, 2010-2013

In 2001, Nebraska played for the national championship. The Huskers lost 37-14 to Miami in the Rose Bowl. A month earlier, they lost 62-36 to Colorado.

In 2002, Nebraska went 7-7, its first non-winning season since 1961. After the season, some of Frank Solich's assistants were fired, and others retired. In December, longtime Athletic Director Bill Byrne resigned to become the AD at Texas A&M. His replacement - Steve Pederson - was hired just 18 days later. At the time, Pederson was viewed as a can't-miss, home-run hire. His background was impeccable: Nebraska native (North Platte), UNL alumnus, former Husker recruiting coordinator and later the associate AD and director of football operations under Tom Osborne. His résumé at Pittsburgh, where he led a revival in the football and basketball programs, was impressive. When Pederson received Osborne's endorsement, it was a done deal.

Steve Pederson announces Frank Solich's firing in 2003. | Nebraska Athletics

In 2003, Nebraska hired several new assistants, including a relatively unknown linebackers coach from the Green Bay Packers named Mark "Bo" Pelini as defensive coordinator. The results were immediate. NU started the 2003 season 5-0, with the Blackshirts allowing just 8 points per game.

Then came a 17-point loss at unranked Missouri. Three weeks later, a 24-point loss at #16 Texas (the Huskers were ranked 12th). On Senior Day, 18th-ranked Nebraska lost by 29 points to unranked Kansas State. Yes, the Wildcats went on to win the Big 12 Conference championship, but at the time it was the worst home loss since 1958. Nebraska beat Colorado to finish the regular season at 9-3.

On the surface, 9-3 looked really good.* But in that moment, it was easy to see the Huskers slipping away from the standard Devaney and Osborne had set. The nine wins came against teams that were a collective 51-61 (.455). The three losses - by an average of 23 points - were to teams that were 28-12 (.700). Solich was 16-12 in his last 28 games. His teams had just one win over a ranked team in their last nine tries.

*9-3 looks especially with the hindsight of the last 20+ years.

At the end of the 2003 regular season Steve Pederson fired Frank Solich. Solich was 58-19 (.753) in six seasons as Nebraska's head coach. The decision was divisive then and still remains hotly contested. Solich's record, his time and ties to the program, and giving more time to his revamped staff were all cited as reasons why he should have been retained. Pederson famously said he would "refuse to let Nebraska gravitate to mediocrity. We will not surrender the Big 12 Conference to Oklahoma and Texas."

Maurce Purify vs. Kansas in 2006. | Nebraska Athletics

Had Pederson been able to replace Solich with a better, more successful coach, those words would have been prophetic. Instead, Pederson conducted a disaster of a coaching search. After 41 grueling days, numerous rejections and an embarrassing episode where a booster's private jet sat on an Arkansas runway while Houston Nutt negotiated a raise, Pederson hired Bill Callahan.

Callahan, who took the Oakland Raiders to a Super Bowl, gave Pederson many of the things he wanted in a coach: a modern, pro-style offense, NFL experience, and a focus on recruiting top-end talent.

He just didn't bring the wins.

Callahan - who never meshed with Nebraska fans or Husker legends - went 27-22 (.551) in four seasons. The transition from Solich's run-based I-formation offense to the West Coast offense was square peg in a round hole rough. Quarterback Joe Dailey did his best but completed just 49.4% of his throws in 2004 with more interceptions (19) than touchdowns (17). The 2004 Huskers went 5-6, their first losing season since 1961, and snapping a streak of bowl games that dated to 1969.

In 2005, Callahan signed one of the highest-ranked recruiting classes in school history. ESPN's Tom Lemming (a personal friend of Callahan) said NU's class was "Number 1, without a doubt." Rivals ranked the Huskers class fifth. Ndamukong Suh, Zac Taylor, Marlon Lucky, Phillip Dillard and others were in that class. The 2005 Huskers finished 8-4. After a thrilling win over Michigan in the Alamo Bowl, they ended the year ranked 24th.

The 2006 season was the pinnacle of the Bill Callahan era at Nebraska. Zac Taylor was the quarterback he had been waiting for, and the wide receiver corps was deep and talented. Terrence Nunn, Nate Swift, Todd Peterson and Frantz Hardy all had big-play potential.

But Maurice Purify was clearly the star of the WR room. Big, fast and strong, he was one of the most physically gifted receivers Nebraska has ever had. Purify was great on deep routes, short routes and his specialty: the jump ball. His 9-yard catch of a Zac Taylor throw at Texas A&M capped a huge comeback and helped the Huskers win the Big 12 North Division crown in 2006. Purify was second team All-Big 12 in 2005.*

*Of the five numbers in this countdown without a first-team all-conference pick or NU Hall of Fame player, 16 is the most surprising, given that 62 players have worn it to date.

For what it's worth, the first team All-Big 12 wide receivers in 2006 were Adarius Bowman (Oklahoma State), Joel Filani (Texas Tech) and Limas Sweed (Texas).

In 2007, the Callahan era collapsed. Arizona State transfer Sam Keller couldn't replace Zac Taylor. Keller struggled to move the offense before he was injured and replaced by Joe Ganz. Ganz showed a strong command of the offense. NU averaged 54 points in the three games he started at the end of the season. Mo Purify had 814 receiving yards, then the third most in school history (now out of the top 10). He also added nine touchdown receptions, tied for second all-time (currently fifth).

Unfortunately, Kevin Cosgrove's defense struggled mightily.

The 2007 defense (I cannot in good conscious refer to them as "Blackshirts") allowed 37.9 points per game - still the most in school history. From October 1st to the end of the season, NU allowed 46 points per game, including an embarrassing 45-14 homecoming loss to Oklahoma State (in front of the 1997 championship team), 76 points at Kansas - the most ever allowed - and 65 in a season-ending loss to Colorado. Horrific.

Maurice Purify goes high for the game-winning catch against Texas A&M in 2006. | Nebraska Athletics

Steve Pederson was fired after the Okie State loss and was replaced on an interim basis by Tom Osborne. Callahan - who once called Osborne a "crusty old [expletive]" - was fired after Colorado game.

In just two seasons in Lincoln, Maurice Purify accumulated the sixth-most receptions in school history (currently 14th) and fourth-most receiving yards (currently 12th). Just imagine what he could have done with another season or two.

***

Position changes are a natural part of football. Just because a player is recruited to play a specific position, there is no guarantee he won't finish his career somewhere else - even on the opposite side of the ball.

Some position changes are done because a player doesn't have the "it" to be successful at his initial spot. Or, more positively, a coach sees a trait or skill set that would be best utilized somewhere else. Sometimes, a position change is simply about getting a talented, athletic player on the field in any way possible.

I'm not sure which (if any) of those applied to Stanley Jean-Baptiste, who started his Cornhusker career as a wide receiver but moved over to defense after his redshirt freshman season.

Regardless of the why, it turned out to be an excellent move.

After the position change, he played in 36 games - with 19 starts - breaking up 22 passes and intercepting seven. It didn't take long for Jean-Baptiste to make in impact.

Stanley Jean-Baptiste picks off a Michigan pass in 2012. | Bruce Thorson-Imagn Images

In the 2011 Ohio State game, he intercepted a pass in a tie game with 6:29 left in the fourth quarter. Four plays later, Rex Burkhead scored the winning touchdown. The win - Nebraska's first conference win as a member of the Big Ten - was the largest comeback in school history.

After the game, Jean-Baptiste received some praise from head coach Bo Pelini, who said, "We had a (expletive) wide receiver playing cornerback." Husker play-by-play announcer Greg Sharpe noted that Jean-Baptiste used his receiver skills to make "a great over-the-shoulder catch."*

*The first part of that audio clip is a little more noteworthy. It featured Pelini going on an expletive-laced tirade against two reporters from the Omaha World-Herald, students who did not return after halftime (Nebraska trailed 20-6), and the Homecoming crowd on hand for 315th consecutive sellout:

"It took everything in my power to not say, '(expletive) you, fans. (expletive) all of you.' (expletive) 'em," Pelini continued: "Our crowd. What a bunch of (expletive) fair-weather (expletive)—they can all kiss my ass out the (expletive) door. 'Cause the day is (expletive) coming now. We'll see what they can do when I'm (expletive) gone. I'm so (expletive) pissed off."

The audio, recorded without Pelini's knowledge in 2011, was released to Deadspin in 2013 two days after a disappointing 41-21 loss to UCLA. The identity of the person who leaded the audio - infamously dubbed the "weasel tipster" by Steve Sipple of the Lincoln Journal Star - has never been made public.

Stanley Jean-Baptiste carries the ball after intercepting a Minnesota pass in 2012. | Bruce Thorson-Imagn Images

In 2012, Jean-Baptiste tied a school record with five pass breakups during a one-point win at Northwestern. Against Minnesota, he returned an interception 48 yards for a touchdown.

Jean-Baptiste started his senior season with interceptions in four straight games. The first - against Wyoming legend (and likely NFL Hall of Fame quarterback) Josh Allen - was the first interception Allen had thrown in 183 attempts. The following week against Southern Miss, SJB would get his second career pick-six.

Stanley Jean-Baptiste finished his Husker career as a second-team All-Big 12 selection in 2013. He was drafted in the second round by the New Orleans Saints.

More from Nebraska on SI

Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI, subscribing to HuskerMax on YouTube, and visiting HuskerMax.com daily.