Nebraska football players give boy battling brain cancer a chance to score spring TD

Spring football games are supposed to be the result of several weeks of practice, a chance for college football fans to see their favorite team in a controlled scrimmage.

The events, such as Penn State’s Blue and White game, are heavy on fan activities. Autograph and photo sessions are standard fare.

Nebraska took it one step further on Saturday. The Red team brought out 7-year-old Jack Hoffman to run a play that is taking the Internet by storm.

Jack Hoffman takes the field with the Husker football team in the fourth quarter Nebraska's spring NCAA college football game at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Neb., on Saturday, April 6, 2013. Hoffman, for whom Team Jack is named, suffers from pediatric brain cancer. (AP Photo/The Omaha World-Herald/Ryan Soderlin) MAGS OUT; ALL NEBRASKA LOCAL BROADCAST, TV OUT

Hoffman is fighting brain cancer. Last year running back Rex Burkhead, who is preparing for the NFL draft, befriended the boy and became the captain of the support network known as “Team Jack.”

On Saturday, wearing a miniature Burkhead No. 22 uniform, Hoffman entered the scrimmage to run a fourth-and-1 play. Hoffman took a handoff from quarterback Taylor Martinez and used a wall of blockers to scamper 69 yards for a touchdown.

His run was applauded by more than 60,000 Husker fans at Memorial Stadium. A video of the play has generated more than 500,000 hits on YouTube.

Hoffman was diagnosed with cancer in April 2011. He has had two surgeries and is in the midst of a 60-week chemotherapy regimen.

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