2009 Game by Game (updated 11-12-09)
Florida Atlantic: Did not play. Arkansas State: Did not play. Virginia Tech: Started game at after moving to WILL linebacker during week of practice... recorded five stops, including four assists... added a tackle for loss. Louisiana-Lafayette: Made three solo tackles... added first solo sack of career with a five-yard loss. Missouri: Came off bench to record three tackles... also added first pass breakup of season. Texas Tech: Had best game of his career with personal-best 12 tackles, including eight solo stops as NU held TTU to 259 total yards... his 12 tackles were one more season total entering game... added four TFL to match his career total before this season... was part of 13 team TFL on the day. Iowa State: Game captain... recorded 12 tackles for second straight game to lead team... five stops were solos. Baylor: Made five tackles including four assists... despite not playing first two games of season, already set personal career high with 40 tackles on year. Oklahoma: Continued strong play with eight tackles, including five solo stops, while posting two TFLs for 18 yards... added second sack of the season with 13-yard stop... also posted an interception and 9-yard return.

2009 Outlook
Linebacker Phillip Dillard battled injuries throughout the 2008 campaign, but assisted in helping Nebraska make major defensive improvements. The 6-1, 240-pound Dillard is the most experienced linebacker at a position where a number of young players are expected to step forward this fall. Dillard battled for playing time throughout the spring at Mike linebacker and will enter fall camp as one of many contenders for a starting linebacker job this fall.

Dillard has 33 games of playing experience under his belt heading into 2009, including eight starts. The Oklahoma native has shown flashes of outstanding play throughout his career, but has had to work his way through a series of injuries. Dillard is on track to earn his undergraduate degree in sociology in December, and is one of 11 Husker seniors expected to complete their studies by the end of the fall semester.

Dillard started five of the first eight games before suffering his injury against Baylor. He made 38 tackles, including 28 in the first four games of the season while fully healthy. He added two tackles for loss and shared a sack against San Jose State. Dillard made four tackles in the opener against Western Michigan, then had eight stops against San Jose State. He had a career-high 11 tackles against Virginia Tech, and made four stops against Missouri before being injured. He was limited the following two games, then made four unassisted tackles against Baylor before suffering another injury.

2008 (Junior)
Before missing the final four games of the regular season, Dillard emerged as a leader in the linebacking corps and ranked among the team leaders in tackles. His play assisted an NU defense that finished second in the Big 12 in total defense and improved its per game average by 126 yards per game. Dillard returned for limited action in the Gator Bowl.

2007 (Sophomore)
Dillard played in all 12 games at the Mike linebacker spot, splitting time with senior Corey McKeon. Dillard started against Missouri and Oklahoma State and finished the year with 37 tackles, including 22 solo stops. Dillard had five games with four or more tackles, including a career-high six tackles each against Wake Forest and Ball State. He added five tackles at Missouri and had four tackles against both Kansas and Iowa State. He recorded his lone tackle for loss of the year against Oklahoma State.

2006 (Redshirt)
Dillard showed great promise early against Louisiana Tech, making four tackles, including three solo stops, before going down with an ACL injury. He spent the remainder of the season going through rehabilitation and received a medical redshirt.

2005 (Freshman)
Dillard played in 11 games as a true freshman in 2005, including a start against Missouri, and finished with 11 tackles. One of 13 Husker true freshmen to see action, Dillard missed only the matchup with Pittsburgh. He had a pair of solo tackles in his collegiate debut against Maine, including a tackle for loss. He added a pair of tackles against Wake Forest.

He was strong at the close of the year, compiling seven tackles in the final four games. He capped the regular season with a season-high three tackles in the 30-3 win at Colorado, then added two solo stops in the Alamo Bowl win over Michigan.

Before Nebraska (Jenks HS)
Dillard was one of the nation’s top linebacker prospects after earning Oklahoma all-state honors for two consecutive seasons at Jenks High School, a Tulsa prep powerhouse. Dillard led his team to a Class 6A state-runner-up finish in 2004, when he had more than 120 tackles, including 75 solo stops and three sacks, along with seven pass breakups.

In his final two seasons playing for Coach Allen Trimble, Dillard totaled more than 200 tackles. He also caught four passes as a senior, three of which went for touchdowns. In addition to his all-state honors from nearly every media outlet, Dillard was named the Jim Thorpe Association Oklahoma Defensive Player of the Year as a junior in 2003. Dillard was one of seven 2005 Nebraska recruits who played in the U.S. Army All-American game in San Antonio. Dillard helped the West squad to a 35-3 victory with an interception.

Rivals.com ranked Dillard among the nation’s top five prospects in Oklahoma and among the top five linebackers in the country in 2005. Dillard chose the Huskers after also receiving scholarship offers from Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Kansas State and Texas A&M, among others.

Personal
Dillard's guardians are Tyrone and Ronda Lynne, and Phillip was born on Dec. 10, 1986. He is a sociology major, and has volunteered his time with the Read to Succeed Book Drive and Nebraska’s local hospital visits.

Dillard's Career Statistics

Single-Game Bests:
Tackles-12 vs. Texas Tech, 2009
Solo Tackles-8 vs. Texas Tech, 2009
Tackles for Loss-4 vs. Texas Tech, 2009