LINCOLN, Neb. — Minutes before kickoff last Saturday at Memorial Stadium, 16-year-old Jenna Voorhees waited for Nebraska’s traditional Tunnel Walk entrance from a spot in front of the security ropes near the north end zone.
Jenna cannot walk and has used a wheelchair for about 10 years. She was diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy at age 2.
“You can imagine,” said Lisa Voorhees, Jenna’s mother who stood behind her on the turf, “navigating her life as a teenager, how challenging that can be.”
A junior at Syracuse (Neb.) High School, Jenna had never seen the Huskers play in person until last week. Her uncle, Ben Steele, who works in guest relations for the Nebraska athletic department, got pregame sideline passes for Voorhees family — Lisa and her husband Blake and their kids, Jenna and Jase, 19.
Before the gates in the northeast corner of the field opened and Nebraska players ran out, several assistant coaches jogged from the tunnel to their spots on the sideline.
On his way, Donovan Raiola noticed Jenna. Amid the buzz of more than 86,000 in attendance, he approached her and leaned down so she could hear his voice, raspy from his barking instruction daily in practice. The third-year offensive line coach shook Jenna’s hand and said he hoped that she enjoyed the game.
He told Jenna it was great to see her at the stadium. They had never met before that moment.
The Voorhees family — Lisa and her husband Blake and their kids, Jenna, 16, and Jase, 19, made the most of their sideline passes last weekend at Memorial Stadium. (Courtesy of Lisa Voorhees)
The encounter lasted five seconds. And it speaks to the thriving relationship among the Nebraska football program, its state and the fans who have officially sold out every game at Memorial Stadium since Nov. 3, 1962.
Friday night, No. 24 Illinois visits 22nd-ranked Nebraska in a game that marks the 400th consecutive sellout — an NCAA record. The streak was preserved more than once in recent losing seasons by donors who purchased hundreds of unsold tickets.
That’s how much it means to Nebraska and its fans.
“Just to be able to play in front of these people who pour their heart and soul into us and want us to win so badly,” senior defensive lineman Ty Robinson said, “I think it’s so awesome to be able to go out there and represent.”
As Raiola retreated, Jenna’s eyes widened and she flashed a smile, peering over her left shoulder at Lisa.
“She looked at me and said, ‘Mom, that was so awesome.’” Lisa said. “We thought that was the coolest thing that he did that. It meant so much to her. She was just on Cloud Nine.”
Blake Voorhees asked right away: Did Jenna realize who that was? She knew only that it was a Nebraska coach, not that it was Raiola, whose nephew, freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola, started 12-of-13 passing in the first half as Nebraska beat Northern Iowa 34-3.
Jenna’s SMA is defined as type 3. For type 1 patients without breathing support, life expectancy is less than 2 years. Jenna’s prognosis is good. She receives treatment that has halted progression of the genetic neuromuscular disorder.
She’ll have more days like last Saturday, watching Nebraska win from the accessible seats behind the north end zone.
“It was one of the best days for her,” Lisa said. “She was a Husker fan before, but when you get to experience that, it’s hard not to love them.”
Coach Matt Rhule, in his 21 months at Nebraska, has come to understand that love. He sees passion and loyalty from the Nebraska fans who continued to fill the stadium through good seasons and recent bad ones.
It’s not just the sellouts, Rhule said. Fans have told Rhule that they show up early to watch warmups and stay late to see the reserves in a game like the Huskers’ season opener against UTEP. They want to support all of the players, not just those who play most.
“That loyalty, that passion, as I’ve said since day one is something that we feel humbled by,” Rhule said. “I feel it all the time.”
Rhule said he feels a responsibility to do his part on behalf of everyone who contributes to the program.
“People in Nebraska work hard,” Rhule said. “We try to come here and have our work ethic match the work ethic of the state.”
A defining point in Rhule’s time at Nebraska came on March 13. In the hours after Trev Alberts resigned unexpectedly as athletic director, Rhule shared a video set to the words of Paul Harvey’s “So God Made a Farmer” speech.
8/31/2024 pic.twitter.com/OL7vDZ0jSn
— Matt Rhule (@CoachMattRhule) March 13, 2024
Rhule’s gesture helped to galvanize Nebraska fans six months ago. But there’s more to the story, he said this week.
“That was the video, honestly, that called to me to come here,” Rhule said.
He listened to it on repeat as he pondered the Nebraska job in November 2022. Rhule listened to it again last week before the 399th sellout at Memorial Stadium.
“We might not win every game,” Rhule said, “but we can certainly play in a way that respects and honors the work ethic of the people that came before us, the people that are in this state.”
For every fan, coach and player at Memorial Stadium on Friday night, the meaning of 400 consecutive sellouts means something a little different. Every story is unique.
Now we know what it means to Rhule. And what it means to Jenna Voorhees.
(Top photo: Dylan Widger / Imagn Images)
