HUSKER HEADLINES
"BLOCK"BUSTER PERFORMANCE NETS HUSKER WIN, 24-3
PORKCHOP'S LATE DASH SEALS THE DEAL FOR THE HUSKERS, 24-3
HUSKER "D"-CLAW THE TIGERS, 24-3
UNDERWEAR HALF OFF AT DILLARD'S'

BIG WED WAP-UP
I love it when I'm wrong.
As whenever I pick the Huskers to lose.
As I did last week.

My fiendish plan (he-he-he-he) worked to perfection.
I'm 0-4 when I go against the Huskers.
But more importantly, the Huskers are 4-0 in those games.

I love it when I'm wrong.

I've gone against the Huskers only 4 times in the 7 years I've been writing this column. So I will continue to use this technique judiciously, carefully and infrequently. It's an awesome power that must be used for the good of mankind... In the hands of unscrupulous and sinister people, there's no telling what could happen... I will put a lockbox on it and guard it with my Big Red soul...

THE NUMBERS GAME
0
The number of Husker turnovers Saturday
0
The number of successful third down conversions by the Husker offense
1
The number of wins the Huskers need to be bowl eligible (yes I know there's some ########## discussion about an 11 game season versus a 12 game season-forget it. The Huskers will go to a bowl game.)
1
The number of KC-135 tankers that flew over Memorial Stadium before Saturday's game
1
The place where the Huskers sit in the BTN division
1.5
The average yards per rush the Tigers had Saturday
2
The number of regular season wins that will likely be needed to secure the BTN for the Huskers
2
The number of times this season the Huskers have scored on their opening drive.
4
The number of passes completed by Joe Dailey against the Tigers
5
The number of Husker home games Husker Dan has been to this year
5
The number of times Mrs. Husker Dan has been ecstatic that Husker Dan has been out of the house for most of the day...
5.1
The average yards per rush for the Huskers Saturday
8
The number of first downs the Huskers registered in the Missouri game.
10.2
Cory Ross' per carry rushing average against the Tigers
11
The jersey number of Matt Herian who broke his leg during the game.
17
The number of tackles by Barrett Ruud Saturday
19
The number of carries Cory Ross had against the Tigers
26
The total number of passing yardage by Joe Dailey Saturday
30
The wind speed during the game Saturday
100
The decibel level of the crowd as they yelled for the Huskers
196
Cory Ross' rushing total for the game Saturday.
267
The number of consecutive sellouts at Memorial Stadium
77,616
The number of fans in the Stadium Saturday


FROM THE EMAIL BAG
Dear Husker Dan:
Here's a poem I wrote:
LAME LIMERICK
There once was a team in Nebraska,
The art of the run, they did mastah,
But they changed in mid-stream,
To a whacky new scheme,
And now they can't run and can't pasta.
Boyer Huggley
Last Gasp, TX
Dear Boyer: Oh yeah? Just try telling that to Cory Ross...

Dear Hoosker Dan:
DA YOKE
Geflornen de hagen yoder; flennen yoper nayder leeken in da Hoosker flugen. Da Tiger yaden, da quarterbacken nort de flanken loper. Wennen hester oper dane Cory Ross, da runnst ta laben in der enden zonen? Wor nan de flagen mit da yeda stacken? Danke flornen!
Yorgi Swett Loper
Fijorsten, Norway
Dear Yorgi:
You make some really good points. As to your last question, yes, I think he will, but not until next year.

Dear Husker Dan:
THE VISIT
Well, you hit another one out of the park, Husker Dan!!! You had me laughing even before clicking on the article...Just reading the title line of the HuskerPedia page was enough...I KNEW exactly what was in store and couldn't get to the article fast enough...as is always the case with your fine wit, humor and story telling/critiquing ability with each and every game. Thanks, huskerdan, for helping us keep our sanity in these most trying times...Right On, huskerdan...and WRITE On...
Larry S.
Escondido, Ca.

THIS AND THAT

1.) Why do football officials always sound like Ross Perot?
"Larry, is it mah turn? Kin ah tawk now? We gotta holdin' pinalty own number fave on the offense."
2.) Does anyone care to think where the Huskers would be this year without the likes of Barrett Ruud and Cory Ross? Scary-really scary.
3.) What the blazes happened to the West Stadium scoreboard?
4.) You have to wonder about Gary Pinkel's job security.
5.) Why didn't I use sunscreen before I went to the game Saturday? Ouch....
6.) I saw something I never thought would have been possible. Der Wienerschlinger shot a hot dog completely out of the Stadium, right over the East Balcony. Amazing.
7.) How about that pep talk by McBride and Tomich before the game?
"Hi, I ahm Jared."
"Und I ahm Charlie."
"Vee're going to pump (CLAP) you up!"
Note to Coach Callahan: Hire these dudes! Immediately!!!!
8.) Matt Herian, "The Pride of Pierce, Nebraska", who sustained a broken leg Saturday, is a BIG loss for the Huskers. Although he hadn't been catching many passes lately, he was being double teamed a lot this season and when opponents did that, it freed up other players to get open.
9.) The current (November) edition of Nebraskaland magazine has a feature story about Fred Hoppe, the sculptor who did the "Husker Legacy" bronze that is located on the east side of the Stadium. Nebraskaland is another great magazine that captures the spirit of the Cornhusker State. A gift subscription anyone?
Go to: http://www.ngpc.state.ne.us/nebland/
10.) Miami, Florida State and Florida all lost Saturday! Is this a great country, or what?!!!
11.) To those of you (and you know who you are) who booed Joe Dailey as he ran out of bounds instead of ducking up field for more yardage: Our ranks are razor thin at the QB spot this year. Why risk an injury to your only "experienced" quarterback? We saw at the T-Tech game just how little depth we have at that position.
12.) Game of the week: Sooners at A&M. Were the Aggies looking ahead to Oklahoma last week in A&M's loss to Baylor? This week's game could be interesting-it's at College Station. Let's hope the Sooners come into the Husker game a little tired and banged up from a long and hard-hitting game with the Aggies. I'm thinking a triple overtime game for the Sooners... Hey, it could happen!!!!
SOONER OR LATER
Readers:
The Oklahoma game is a week from this Saturday. We can't hide from the game. We can't cancel it. The game will go on as scheduled. Husker Dan wants to know what you think of the Huskers' chances against the mighty Sooners. Will Bo & Company try to give the Huskers a worse beating than the Red Raiders gave the Huskers earlier this year at the "The Trainwreck at T-Tech"? Will Adrian Petersen run wild through the Blackshirts? Will Joe Dailey be running for his life all night long? Can the Huskers even score on the Sooners? Is there anyway the Huskers can win, or even make the game competitive? Send your comments to [email protected]. Husker Dan will post some of your responses.

HUSKER STORIES
MY BUDDY
My family was not into sports like I was. They didn’t have the money for the games or the trip to Lincoln. My buddy Matt’s dad owned a business and had season tickets. He took us to all the games. We parked in a ramp downtown and we would meet his dad after the game. His seat was, as far as I knew, not near ours. We had free rein on Husker Saturday. It was some of the best memories from my childhood. I would be at his house or he at mine 90% of the time. We lived football and were obviously HUGE Husker Fans. Matt was a very gifted athlete. He was recruited to Northwestern on a full ride. Unfortunately, Soon afterward he was shot and killed in Omaha. He never had the chance to play college ball.

When I watch, listen to or read about the Huskers, I wish Matt could be there, talk over the phone or meet me and sit next to me in Memorial stadium. He was the one person I knew that could have a very spirited conversation with me even though we shared the same views on the Huskers. We would always end up having a good time during and after every Husker game, whether we were home watching it, listening on the radio or at the game, win or loose.

Now I have a similar experience with my family and some friends still in Nebraska. I haven’t been able to make it to a game for several years, but do have plans to make a trip back to Nebraska and see a game with a very good friend still living there. I will always be a fan and would love to be in Lincoln now. Any game in Memorial Stadium is a great experience! Funny I can remember several games and I can’t ever remember the weather in a single one of them. Keep the tradition and keep the seats full, it is an amazing atmosphere. We the fans are the atmosphere! I have been to games all over the nation and there truly is no place like Nebraska. Go Big Red!

Roger

PACKAGE FROM THE BOBFATHER
I saw my first Husker game as a high school junior in 1964. At the beginning of the football season we voted to go to the NU/OU game on Thanksgiving day. (Note: The Huskers played at home in '63 and '65, not in '64.) The Huskers won that day and I was hooked. We sat in the old knothole section in the South end zone. I will never forget that day. The electricity in the stadium was awesome.

In '69, I was fighting in Vietnam as an Army Ranger. In our unit was a young man, Ron Wiedeman, from Scottsbluff. I was from South Sioux City, so this placed us about as far apart geographically as we could be from where we grew up. He was just as rabid for Big Red as I. One evening as we both were in our base camp we decided to write Coach Devaney. All we asked was where and how to get a press guide. Guys from many states chided us for wasting our time writing. About 2 weeks later we both received packages from the University, our very own press guides. I had a letter from the Coach and thanking us for our service. We went ballistic. No one else could believe what had happened. Now remember, this was when the two time national champion senior class was sophomores. My wife would tape games and send them to me and Ron. Sometimes, the tapes would be 10 days old, but we would still listen and scream like crazy men. You just can't believe what this did for morale. I treasure the letter and press guide even today.

GO BIG RED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SGM (R) Norm Breece
Dakota City, NE

Readers: All of you have a Husker memory or story you need to share with Husker Pride Worldwide. Your story might be about the first Husker game you ever saw; it could be about the last Husker game you shared with a loved one, or maybe it's a story of what you had to do in order to get Husker tickets. It could be a funny story or just a memorable one. Whatever memory you have, send them to [email protected] and Husker Dan will post the best ones in his column.

HUSKER DAN SEZ

Eleven years ago, the Huskers with Tommie Frazier and the team that was a year away from contending for a national championship, went to frigid Ames, Iowa and lost, to the Cyclones for the first time since 1978, 19-10. The '92 Husker team was loaded with talent, but was in transition, especially on defense, and it hadn't yet had a chance to gel.

NO OFFENSE, PLEASE
Remarkably, Saturday's contest is between two teams that both have a chance to win the BTN division this year. So there is a lot at stake. Both offenses have had their problems this season, but the Huskers do have one advantage. They have shown they can score in bunches, especially against lower division teams. But the 'Clones have had a tough time scoring against anybody. Okay, so they scored 48 points on Northern Illinois, and edged Baylor 26-25 two weeks ago, but neither the Huskers or 'Clones could be mistaken for a "Scoring Explosion" team.

Against Missouri, the Blackshirts seemed to have recaptured their intensity of old, playing with the energy, effort and enthusiasm we've been used to seeing in years past.

THE SECRET
The key to this game is (shhhhhhhh) are you ready for this? Turnovers. The team (are you ready for this again?) that makes fewer turnovers will likely win the game!!!!! I'm not kidding. I'm not making this up. Look it up!!

BEST IN SHOW
Seriously, if the Huskers play their best game and the Cyclones play their best, the Huskers will be 6-3. But you never know which Husker team is going to show up. Will it be the one that self destructs, or the one that plays mistake free football? Stay tuned.

COTTON-PICKING
Forget the advantage of Barney Cotton's knowledge of the Husker playbook. There is no more option at NU. He doesn't know the playbook. Shoot, some of our own players don't know the playbook!

SUNLIGHT AND VAMPIRES
This is still a dangerous game for the Huskers. First of all, this is an away game (okay, so it's only about 4 and a half hours from Lincoln by bus), but it's also on natural turf. Those two facts usually put the Huskers in a catatonic state (right next to Montana). "Away" and "natural turf" are to the Huskers what sunlight and crucifixes are to a vampire. We seem to not know what we're doing. Our only road win this season has been against Pitt, er Pittsburgh (who, by the way, is 5-2).

Having said that, the Huskers are very capable of winning this one and should win it, but don't look for a high scoring game. If both offenses took the field against no defense, it might take all four downs to punch one in.

HUSKERS' O. D.
The Huskers have shown they can win with their defense. They have shown they can win on special teams. And they have even shown they can win with an anemic offense.

The question remains, can the Huskers ever put those three facets together in one game for 60 minutes? If they do, the Huskers can win all but one of their remaining regular season games.

I'm thinking (hoping?) that this week, the Big Red will really show they ain't dead. Not yet. Not in Ames. Not this time.

The Husker "O" and "D" and special teams are going to get untracked. Dailey will run for a TD and we will have a maximum of one turnover on offense. The "D" will get three, and the Huskers will get their sixth win of the season.

HUSKERS 21
'CLOWNS 10