A series of articles by Brandon "Blankman" Cavanaugh.

Sleepless Nights

I’ve been having these sleepless nights lately. You know the type, they’re the ones you’ve had 100 times and the ones you’ll have 100 more of before everything’s said and done. The kind where you toss and turn, unable to find a comfortable position and every few minutes you spin over and stare at the big, red digital number as they stare back at you and remind you just how badly you want to be sucked into REM, but aren’t. So what do I do when I cannot manage to escape real world for my nightly rejuvenation session within the BlankCave? I think and I ponder about what is keeping me awake.

Maybe it’s how in a matter of days, a smattering of seconds when you get down to it, Nebraska will continue with another college football season. Sunrise and sunset, 7-7 to 14-0, it’s just the natural progression of things. Come August 30th, what will Barney Cotton and Bo Pelini have cooked up for those wascally wabbits we call the Pokes?

Perhaps it’s the thought of seeing Pelini’s Blackshirts break a few bones along with some old bad habits…

It could be the idea that given the right system, Jammal Lord could not only dance around, juke and jive his way into the general populace’s heart along with tossing a few more TDs and a few less picks, just for fun’s sake.

Maybe it’s the thought of Richie Incognito and the other hosses lining up between the NU SDB (That’s Single Digit Backfield) and sheer catastrophe. Know what I mean? It’s the idea that after such a maligned season and so much blame being put on the shoulders of Nebraska’s bread and butter, maybe they’ll go back to being all that and the meat and potatoes, to boot. That Richie man…I see so many good things in him. It’s not hard to believe, though. He comes from good stock.

What about that Single Digit Backfield? Will David Horne and Josh Davis be ripping their way between the tackles, stiff arming their way to Big XII honors or, dare I even dream, more? Can proper blocking truly be the difference between potential and success, or is that simply irrational thought? Will Cory Ross enter the fray and mess up my nifty new title for the boys behind center?

Is that Jack O’Holleran kid for real? What if he can do everything that people have tossed out there, what if he truly is “the man” and our #1? Do we have another Matt Davison on our hands here? LeFlore certainly won’t take this sitting down and even if he did, there’s a line of guys behind him ready to take his place.

Bernard Thomas and his golden smile, Trevor Johnson and his late season style, will this be the duo that puts the Nebraska rush end back on the map? How many heads is Patrick Kabongo going to rip off on accident at the end of a play? Man, that guy’s got so much fire, I wonder if maybe a captainship is in order…

Maybe T.J., Barrett and Super Demorrio will indeed be everything and anything in the defensive backfield. Be lucky enough to get past the front four, and then you have to deal with the Terrorizing Three. Yeah…a Blankman could get used to that idea. Bo’ll be on those boys like Lil Red on a helium pump, not to mention Jimmy “Walked Up A Hill Both Ways To Get Here” Williams.

Back up even a bit farther to the secondary. Will this new system really give them ability to make more plays? Think about it, you account for everyone except one guy and then it’s tough luck, see ya in the endzone.

What about special teams? Someone’s gotta step up and take over for the huge shoes DeJuan left, maybe someone just as good, who knows? Kyle Larson’s safe though, the kid does what he does well, too well not to be recognized for it, as a matter of fact. Makes a person wonder if David Dyches is everything Ohio State made him up to be before he shunned the NCs and came to the NEs.

Those thousands of alumni, Herbie, the athletic department budget, fund raising, keeping morale high, it’s a wonder a guy can sleep at night.

Wait…

Questions, comments and sleep aid recipes can be sent to [email protected]

===Brandon a.k.a. Blankman #71===

Return to articles.