HUSKER
HEADLINES:
NATIVE SON SHINES, BUT HUSKERS "BOWL" OVER 'CATS 27-25
BIG
WED WAP-UP
CONFESSIONS OF A SPORTS WRITER
Husker Dan has a confession to make.
I've been to every Husker home game this season except Wake Forest
and have stayed until the final out in every game. I saw the Husker-Pitt-iful
game; witnessed the Huskers' double OT win over Iowa State; saw Le
Kevin's fumble that helped T-Tech's last minute win. I was there when
Zac Taylor's late 4th quarter pass to a wide-open Nate Swift sailed
over his head and sealed the win for the Sooners.
THE LAST STRAW
But with about 5 minutes to go in the game in Lincoln Saturday, with
the Huskers clinging to a shaky 24-22 lead over the K-State Mildcats,
and right after Harrison Beck's pass was intercepted and returned
to the Husker 9 yard line, Husker Dan and his long time football buddy,
Bill, made a critical decision.
We had had enough. We headed for the exits.
EXIT STRATEGY
Can you believe it? We headed for the freakin' exit and in doing so,
missed out on one of the most exciting football finishes in Husker
history. We missed the Blackshirts holding the 'Cats to just a field
goal after Beck's interception. We missed Beck's 21 yard pass to Swift
and the subsequent roughing the passer penalty that helped the Huskers
get into field goal position. We missed all the excitement that led
to Jordan Congdon's kick that sailed through the middle of the uprights
in the North end zone, and of course, didn't see the ensuing celebration
and the drama of the Blackshirts' last stand.
ETERNITY
By the time we had reached our car, we heard, "And Congdon will
tee it up...". Bill and I looked at each other and realized that
the only possible way Jordan Congdon would be kicking off was if the
Huskers had just scored! As we listened to Jim Rose's PBP, the final
minute and five seconds of the game seemed to take an hour.
We could not believe it. The Huskers had rallied. They ("we")
are going bowling. We are assured of having a winning regular season.
Unbelievable.
I should have known better. This is a gang that is seldom out of a
game. What this team lacks in talent, it makes up for in guts and
determination. Time after time, the Huskers shot themselves in the
foot, often escaping certain disaster, but some how, some way this
team found a way to win.
SEARCHING FOR YUENGLING
I should have known better, especially since Dame Fortune had smiled
on me earlier in the game, when a big gust of wind tore my fashionable
Yuengling baseball cap from my head, tossing it (the cap) completely
out of the Stadium. I raced from my perch in the East Stadium (the
last row at the top), down the stairs and through one of the entrances.
There, lying about a foot from the Stadium's foundation, was my cap,
none the worse for wear. I made the long climb back up to my seat,
thinking I was going to die in the process.
LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION
To be sure, K-State is not a very good football team. Had this game
been played in Manhattan, the Huskers probably would have lost. But
it was played in Lincoln. The crowd was in the game. With every good
play, Husker fans cheered wildly and with every Husker error (ant
there were plenty of them), the crowd collectively groaned.
FROM THE EMAIL BAG:
HUSKER DAN;
Do you still feel that this Husker staff is one of the best in the
nation? A lucky win over a very poor K-State team, a loss to lowly
KU, tell me again how great Bill C., is with his potty mouth and gestures,
how long will you give this guy?
The coach at Notre Dame has less talent and is winning as a first
year Head Coach---CU could be a disaster!!! I'm not alone, look at
the money not raised for the new program!!!
Henry R.
Texas
PS. I still pull for the players but can't pull for the coaching staff.
Henry:
Time will tell how good (or bad) this staff is. My only concern is
that BC be given time (3-4 years total) to get the players he needs
to fit his system. If he and his staff are not given enough time,
NU will go into a tailspin that they won't climb out of for many years.
The talent level BC inherited was not good.
BTW, since you've labeled Saturday's win "lucky", do you
call the Huskers' loss to Texas Tech, unlucky? Yes, the Huskers didn't
play a good game at Lawrence. This team has lived on the edge all
year. Last year, KU was in the game up until the final play and that
game was played in Lincoln.
Regarding Callahan's "hillbilly" remark, I don't approve
of what he said at Norman last year, but Husker fans who were at the
game, saw Sooner fans verbally taunting Husker players and coaches.
And if that wasn't bad enough, they reported Okie fans pouring urine
on Husker fans. If the Sooner fans did that to Callahan and his team,
I could certainly understand his remark. Again, I'm not approving
of his behavior, but I can understand why he may have lost his cool.
This year's "Gesture-gate" is much ado about nothing. Had
the officials thought his gesture warranted a penalty, he would have
been tagged with one, but he wasn't.
As I said, Bill Callahan should be given 3-4 years to see if he can,
indeed, restore the Husker program to national prominence. If there
isn't significant improvement by then, the A.D. and Chancellor will
have some tough decisions to make.
Regarding the talent at Notre Dame: Do you really think the talent
at Lincoln is better than that in South Bend? You must be kidding!
ND has always been able to recruit-it's Notre Dame, for crying out
loud.
The Huskers will be big underdogs at Boulder. The only way the Huskers
can make a game of it, and maybe win it, will be if all three phases
of the Husker team show up for all four quarters. There have been
glimpses of brilliance this fall, but not on a consistent basis. If
the Husker team that played Saturday in Lincoln shows up at CU, the
results won't be good for the Big Red.
Regarding the lack of donations for the Tom & Nancy Osborne Sports
Complex: Look, when any football program doesn't win as often as the
alumni and fans want, it's only natural that fund raising will suffer.
BTW, have you contributed yet?
As far as your comment about rooting for the players but not the coaches,
don't look now, but the players have embraced the coaching staff and
are playing their guts out for them and their fellow players. To root
for the players but not the coaches is absolutely silly.
Thanks for writing.
If you'd like to give Husker Dan a piece of your mind or if you would
like him speak at your next Husker event (Husker Dan lives in the
Omaha area), you may email him
here. For past Husker Dan columns click
here.
H U S K E R D A N