LINCOLN, Neb. -- Five years ago, Nebraska coaches finalized a recruiting class that featured the likes of quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr., who seems to be setting career records weekly, and prolific receiver Jordan Westerkamp.As a footnote to the 2012 class, the Cornhuskers announced the addition of 18 walk-ons, a group that grew in the offseason to include 10 players who earned scholarships. Defensive end Ross Dzuris, tight end Trey Foster, quarterback Ryker Fyfe, running back Graham Nabity, receiver Brandon Reilly, linebacker Brad Simpson and center Dylan Utter remain as fifth-year seniors, contributing to a team with a chance to win 11 games for the first time at Nebraska in 15 years.Gone from the collection of former walk-ons are Andy Janovich, a rookie fullback with the Denver Broncos, receiver Lane Hovey and All-Big Ten punter Sam Foltz, who died July 23 in an auto accident after attending a kicking camp in Wisconsin.The image of Foltz shines brightly in the minds of his former teammates this week.Together, they extended a meaningful legacy as perhaps the most accomplished class of walk-ons at a school rich in walk-on tradition.When the No. 18 Huskers host Maryland on Saturday at Memorial Stadium, the seven seniors and Foltz will be honored before the home crowd as their stories -- touched by triumph and tragedy -- near a close in Lincoln.Heres a look at the highs and lows of the journey, as told by those who experienced it:An unreal feelingArmstrong, Westerkamp, Foster and linebacker Josh Banderas visited Chicago on the fourth weekend of July this year to attend the wedding of Westerkamps cousin. After the ceremony, all but Foster were set to stay in the city for Big Ten media days. But after Banderas took an early call from coach Mike Riley on July 24, they all came home to mourn Foltz. Word of the accident quickly spread that morning through other calls and by text messages to stunned teammates.Brandon Reilly: I got the text from Zack Darlington and didnt believe it was real. I turned my phone off, then turned it back on. I just thought there was no way it could be true.Dylan Utter: Brandon Reilly called me. It was an unreal feeling.Brad Simpson: I got a call from Dylan Utter. He said Foltz was in a car accident and it sounded pretty bad. There was a pause. We were both like, Is this real?Graham Nabity: I got a text from a teammate, Ty Bekta, who said something about praying for the family and for Sam -- that he had passed away. To me, it wasnt actually Sam. I had to read it a couple times, but I didnt have any emotion. I didnt know what to think. I had no idea how to respond. I was in shock.Andy Janovich: I was in disbelief.Trey Foster: I didnt know what to do, but we all knew we had to get back to Lincoln.Early signs of successFrom the impromptu prayer vigil outside Memorial Stadium hours after Foltzs death, rewind 49 months to June 2012, the unofficial moment of launch for this walk-on class. All but Hovey, from Iowa, played at Nebraska high schools. They converged for two weeks of practice before the Shrine Bowl, an annual prep all-star game in Lincoln. Immediately, the future Huskers noticed Janovich, rock solid at 6-foot-1 and 215 pounds. Turns out, they were on to something. He skipped a redshirt season. Two months ago, Janovich ran for a 28-yard touchdown on his first NFL rushing attempt.Brad Simpson: We all wanted to be Janovich. He basically motivated our whole class to play.Trey Foster: I showed up for the initial meeting, saw Janovich and remember thinking, Wait, this guy couldnt get a scholarship? I have no chance at Nebraska.Andy Janovich: I dont think its right to say I was a big motivating factor. I wouldnt say I set the bar by any means. The other guys knew what they wanted to accomplish. Whether I got a scholarship or not, that wasnt going to determine anything for those guys.Ross Dzuris: We realized about the third practice that a lot of guys in this group were pretty special.Brandon Reilly: The day after the Shrine Bowl, most of us enrolled in class. And I think early on in summer workouts, we all knew that our walk-on class might be different.Graham Nabity: We knew we could compete with anybody. Through the trenches of training in the offseason, in my opinion, it was really the walk-ons who pushed everyone through. We were willing to lead this team even if nobody knew our names.Ryker Fyfe: Me and Foltz (a former Grand Island High School teammate) figured we could hang with these guys. We went out right away on the scout team and played with something to prove. I was a quarterback, and he played receiver. And he was good, a 4.4 guy. Mainly, he just ran past people.Trey Foster: Youve got to realize, Foltz didnt come here to punt. He was a guy who was going to play safety or wide receiver and, without a doubt, he was one of the most athletic guys on the team. In the spring after our first year, Coach [Bo Pelini] talked to Sam and asked him to punt a couple balls.Ross Dzuris: Thats when you realized he was going to start the next year, and there really wasnt any question about it. I was like, Wow, thats an NFL punter on our team.Trey Foster: And like that, he was done playing wide receiver.Sharing the joyJanovich, as expected, got his scholarship first -- in camp before the 2013 season. Reilly and Foltz came next in the summer of 2014, followed by Fyfe in August of that year. New coach Mike Riley delivered the news to Foster, Hovey, Dzuris and Utter in August 2015. Nabity received a scholarship last spring, and Simpson got his three months ago in addition to Logan Rath, another 2012 Shrine Bowl vet who transferred to Nebraska after one season at South Dakota State. Each time, the whole group shared in the joy.Brad Simpson: I had been waiting for those words since I got here. As soon as I told my parents, my mom started crying.Brandon Reilly: We always wondered which one of our guys was next. And so down the line, as they started coming, it was a great experience.Ross Dzuris: Some teams will make a big deal out of it, but here at Nebraska, were a lot more subtle. Its somewhat expected.Trey Foster: Every single time one of us got put on scholarship, a month would pass and wed all start joking around, telling that guy that hed changed and forgotten where he came from. But Foltz was the main guy to make sure you knew he remembered what it was like to not have school paid for -- to have to figure out student loans and finances with your parents.Walk-on visionEarly in the careers of the 2012 walk-ons, Foltz initiated a ritual. It might happen at practice or in the weight room or in a game. At any moment that required, he would make rings with his fingers and press them over his eyes.Brandon Reilly: We joked about how we always had to keep the walk-on vision. We joked about it, but it was true. Youve got to have that chip on your shoulder. We all had the mindset that we werent good enough coming out of high school, so we had to continue to prove ourselves.Mike Riley: What I have found [in walk-ons], most all of them really, really work hard to achieve their dream. These guys who got scholarships and are playing are great examples to the rest of them of what might occur. They were rewarded for a reason.Graham Nabity: Foltz was the natural guy who took things to the next level. If he ever saw a guy who was slacking off, he would call him out. He didnt care. Sam Foltz was a punter. Since when do punters have that type of leadership role, especially in the weights and the running? They just kick balls. Well, that was definitely not the case with him.Brad Simpson: In our summer workouts, he would lift with the early group, then stay after with the late group and encourage those guys. There was one time where the linebackers had to run stairs because some guys had missed a workout. Foltz ran them with us. It was awesome. Thats just the kind of guy he was.Foltzs senior legacySaturday marks a ceremonial conclusion for this group. Theyll play again next week at Iowa, then at least once more. But for the former walk-ons, every relationship began in the state of Nebraska. Foltzs parents, Gerald and Jill Foltz, have attended each game this fall, traveling on the team plane and eating meals on the road with Sams teammates this month. Nebraska figures to involve its late punter in the Senior Day ceremony. To his walk-on classmates, the presence of Foltz has remained strong, fueling their path to eight wins in 10 games.Brad Simpson: Hes always going to be in my heart. Hes just that special kid. He wasnt like anyone else, just so positive all the time. If anyone needed to talk, he was there, the most down-to-earth guy. He connected with everyone.Trey Foster: It still hurts, but I think it would hurt more if we looked back and didnt feel like we honored him every single week.Ryker Fyfe: Its hard not to feel like hes with us. When Im by myself, its something I think about all the time. Im still trying to get through and hope things get better. I know its never going to be easy. Itll always be there, and Ive definitely felt like hes watching over me. But this is the last game. I should be walking out with Sam.Brandon Reilly: Different guys have different rituals. The specialists carry his jersey. Other guys write No. 27 on their tape. Even the guys who dont, I know its still on their minds. You go through what we did, the bond we had, thats something youll never forget, especially on game day. No one loved game day more than Sam.Mike Riley: Hes one of those guys that set the bar and was a great example and had that great passion and dedicated his sports life to making it here. And he did. And so were always reminded of that. Its part of the identity, not only of Nebraska, but particularly this group.Graham Nabity: We never stopped fighting. We dont ever give up. More than anything, thats the legacy of Sam Foltz. Air Max 90 For Sale . -- If Henry Burris has his way, he will be the starting quarterback to lead the Hamilton Tiger-Cats back to the Grey Cup next year. Black Air Max 90 2018 . 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FRISCO, Texas -- Ezekiel Elliott didnt dwell for long on the moment that most made him look like a rookie with the Dallas Cowboys: his benching over two fumbles against Washington in the second game of his career.The fourth overall pick in the draft faces the Redskins again Thursday, now as the NFLs rushing leader for a team with nine straight wins rather than the player coming off a rough debut against the New York Giants in the only loss for the Cowboys (9-1).Just reps, thats all it is, the 21-year-old former Ohio State star said.Its a little more than that for someone who embraced the expectations as a lofty pick for a franchise that drafted two Hall of Fame running backs, Tony Dorsett and all-time NFL rushing leader Emmitt Smith.Elliotts physical style fits well with one of the NFLs best offensive lines. He can flip from punishing to graceful in one play while catching passes and blocking blitzes.Oh, and that breakaway speed, as seen on an 83-yard screen pass for a touchdown that sparked a sluggish offense in a win at Pittsburgh.His coach in college said hes the best player hes ever had with the ball not in his hands, coach Jason Garrett said. Hes a young player, but hes a very mature player. He picks things up quickly. And I think hes got a tremendous competitive spirit.Those traits helped Elliott handle the expectations -- one of the few things he doesnt share with fellow rookie sensation and road-game roommate Dak Prescott.The fourth-rounder from Mississippi State replaced injured quarterback Tony Romo and improbably led Dallas to the best record in the NFL, eventually taking the job from Dallas 10-year starter.Elliotts impact -- 138 yards per game from scrimmage and 10 touchdowns -- helped Prescott, too.I think its just him being himself and not letting the pressure or anything get to him, backup running back Alfred Morris said. Even the first couple of weeks, it started a little rough for him. He didnt let that bother him.Morris cant help but mention Prescott when describing Elliotts success because he went through the same thing four years ago with Robert Griffin III in Washington. The standout combo of Griffin and Morris helped the Redskins reach the playoffs.Its been fun to watch, especially him and Dak, Morris said. I know I keeep throwing Dak in there, but theyre so good together.dddddddddddd Its pretty cool to see and Im just sitting back and kind of admiring, like, man, just keep it up, keep it up, keep it up.Elliott started the season under the cloud of a domestic violence investigation in Ohio over an incident during the summer. He has been cleared legally, but not by the NFL.It hasnt affected Elliotts generally cheery demeanor in the locker room -- during the week or on game days.After the Cowboys broke the clubs regular-season record with their ninth straight win last Sunday against Baltimore, Elliott chided 14th-year tight end Jason Witten about his age yet again.It was something about the 34-year-old Witten having played football longer than Elliott had been alive.Yeah, think about it, Elliott said Tuesday , not backing down from his claim. If you count his high school, college and pro years. Im 21. Do the math.Well, it doesnt quite add up. But thats not really the point. The effect on Elliotts older teammates -- which is all of them -- is the point.Hes a totally different player from Week 2 and thats all credit to him by the way he approaches practice, the way he goes out there and just `beasts it and has fun throughout practice, receiver Dez Bryant said. We just go out there and enjoy it.Besides the sluggish start to the season, Elliott has had slow starts to games. He didnt touch the ball in the second quarter against the Ravens and had 26 yards rushing at halftime.But Elliott finished with 97 yards for his eighth straight game with at least 92 while breaking Dorsetts club rookie rushing record of 1,007 yards. He needed 25 carries (a rough-and-tumble 3.9-yard average) against the NFLs top rushing defense.The teams Ive been on and been successful, they are physical teams, said Elliott, who has 1,102 yards rushing. There are not many teams that want to do that for four quarters and thats a mentality. I think thats the championship style. I think championship teams all have that.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL---Follow Schuyler Dixon on Twitter at https://twitter.com/apschuyler Cheap NFL Gear Cheap Jerseys Store Cheap Jerseys Online Cheap Stitched Jerseys NFL Jerseys From China China NFL Hoodies Youth NFL Jerseys Wholesale Cheap NFL Womens Jerseys Camo China NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys 2019 Stitched Jerseys Cheap Jerseys From China Wholesale Jerseys 2020 Wholesale Authentic Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Outlet ' ' '