Sept. 27, 2001

The Desert Husker • Bill Marks

Desert Husker Lite

Hello fellow Husker fans. Things are mighty busy this week and unfortunately I'm a little strapped for time (and cash...damn greyhound races!), so this week's column is going to be "Desert Husker Lite" - half the information, half the entertainment, but just as inane.

This week was a somewhat historical one in journalistic circles. After about 20 years of writing a weekly column for USA Today, Larry King is hanging up his pen (probably not literally...he'll most likely just put in a desk drawer or a cup of some sort.) In honor of King, and the aforementioned lack of time, this week's DH column will adopt his standard "dot-dot" format...

The Rice game (and if you've never played The Rice Game, it's a lot of fun and is available at most toy stores and hobby shops) was obviously the Cornhuskers' most complete effort to date. Eric Crouch was on top of his game, the receivers looked sharp and the defense put in another solid performance...Rice quarterback Kyle Herm wasn't that fast and didn't throw very well, but boy was he short. It was nice to see a player on the field representing the Lollipop Guild...If one listens to Warren Swain calling a Husker game, one gets the impression that football is an extremely confusing sport. Maybe his view from the broadcast booth is mostly obstructed, or he lost a contact lens a while back and is just too vain to wear his glasses, whatever the reason, Warren seems constantly baffled by the happenings on the field. And what's with the advertisements a half-second after the Big Red scores a TD? Give us a little time to cheer before singing the praises of the National Soy Bean Council...I hate to see Willie Amos out with an injury. With two interceptions in the first three games, Amos was showing signs of being a breakout star. Hopefully he'll be back on the field by the time the Huskers play Iowa State...Nebraska is far ahead of Missouri in terms of talent, but it will be worth watching to see how this young group of Huskers adjusts to playing on the road...Don't be surprised if Kansas State escapes Owen Field with a huge win over the Sooners this weekend. The Wildcat defense has been stellar and quarterback Ell Robinson is starting to justify the hype that began last season. The Sooners have an awesome defense and are probably the better team, but may be looking ahead to the following week's tilt with Texas...I leave you with this piece of wisdom: it takes a big man to admit he's wrong, but it takes an even bigger man to eat a 72-ounce steak.

See you next week.

Bill Marks, a.k.a. the Desert Husker, is a professional business writer and consultant living in Chandler, Ariz. He is a longtime Husker fan and can be contacted at [email protected].