I get excited on Fridays. It’s countdown to Game Day.
Tomorrow the Huskers enter Big 12 action. Now, it’s on.
Sadly, I realize our in-league results could turn out to be quite painful, based upon what we’ve seen thus far. As I examine the next eight opponents, I don’t believe there’s one “gimme” on the schedule. While predictions are not my thing, I can see how the Huskers might go 4-4 from here, before making it to a minor bowl game. Of course, I’d like it to be otherwise. We all would.
Iowa State hasn’t won in Lincoln in 30 years. Just the same, a lot of things haven’t happened in 30 years. Never in our history have we given up 40 plus points in back-to-back home games. It’s clear–what happened in the past, happened in the past. This is a new team, a new coaching staff and administration. I say there are no “gimmes” because we can’t expect to win like we always did. We can only hope to win now.
The mighty Huskers have been humbled. It’s not a theory anymore. It’s fact.
From here, we dig our way out of this mess and earn respect back one HUGE HIT at a time.
I want to see some Cyclones on their butts tomorrow!
[UPDATE] Matt Hayes of Sporting News says, “In a time when 10 or more non-BCS teams could win the watered-down Big 12 North, the Huskers are no different from the other five bland, uninspiring teams in the division.”
I’ve never really taken a close look at the evolution of the Husker Tunnel Walk before; mainly, the year-to-year progression is so incremental that the changes just haven’t stood out. Granted, the 1995 team is hailed as one of the greatest college football teams of all time, but there is just no comparison between then and now in the message it sends.
1995: quiet, business-like in their demeanor. Holding hands for team unity. Gives off an aura of we’re here for one thing, football, and we’re going to kick the shit out of you. The Tunnel walk adds to the intimidation.
2007: hooting, hollering. Nothing that says team unity. It says we’re here for entertainment, not football. Intimidation factor? Still there, but from the fans, not necessarily from the players.
What is wrong with the Husker Defense? Kevin and Mike’l assembled former Blackshirts Steve Warren, Mike Minter, Jerry Murtaugh, and Christian Peter, for a roundtable discussion on 1620 The Zone’s Unpsortsmanlike Conduct.
Jeffie Husker at Doube Extra Point on the boos heard in Memorial Stadium last Saturday:
I’m sort of indifferent to the booing. I think it flies in the face of our self-applied “greatest fans in college football” label, but that ship had sailed years ago. As a fan, I believe you are entitled to voice your displeasure and booing seems a legitimate option to many. Obviously I’d prefer all 85,000 simply went home and started a blog, but booing is definitely more immediately gratifying. College football is a major spectator sport. There is no way to separate the spectators from the action. If you want fans to cheer on your greatest deeds, you should also be prepared for them to chastise your worst. I also believe that a mentally well-conditioned athlete should be rather immune to fan reactions of any sort. If you are hearing and reacting to the boos, I’d question your focus on the task at hand.
I wish Husker fans were better than that. It does nothing to help the team and can only scare away recruits. Save the whining for the bar or your own home.
It was sickening and no, there is no acceptable situation to boo the Huskers under.
“Corn Blight” at Corn Nation makes some great points in his take on the matter:
Personally, I don’t boo college players. They’re not getting paid. They’re students first, athletes later. They have a heavy workload, heavier than most students. They’re fine young men who are learning how to be adults. They need our support. All of this is completely true while simultaneously being a complete load of crap.
It’s a load of crap because these guys get treated like royalty when winning games, which is most of the time. Their college is free, and given today’s college pricing, they’re getting paid.
This whole thing about them being children, as Mike Gundy would put it, is a load of crap too. They’re not little boys. They’re old enough to join the service and die defending their country. They’re not far from starting professional careers where their bosses will fire them if they perform poorly.
All this garbage on Facebook, and on the Internet, and all the blogs, it’s garbage.
He also said it’s hard for him to go to class when he plays bad.
Oh, he defends the Huskers’ 3-1 record and says he should be having fun, but isn’t. He implies that we, the fans, demand too much.
We’re 3-1 and people are looking it like we haven’t won. They’re looking at us like Notre Dame, like we’re 0 and 4 and just having a rebuilding year. That’s not the case.”
McKeon is from Naperville, IL, near where our coach is from.
This bit of advice for the 21-year old linebacker is particularly well put:
News flash for you, son. This IS big business. Nebraska football is far, far bigger than you (or any of your teammates or coaches). Your coach makes the equivalent of 29 professors because he’s expected to perform well enough to keep the marketing machine moving.
According to the Omaha World Herald, Bill Callahan doesn’t try to protect his players from mounting criticism. He doesn’t ask them to ignore news media coverage but to handle what they read or hear with character and poise.
“Players are human beings. They read the papers,” he said. “Good, bad or indifferent, you’re going to read it. You’re going to read good things about yourself and you’re going to read bad things, and it’s all how you handle it.
“If it affects you negatively or affects you dramatically, then don’t read it. If you can read it and not let it affect you, then God bless you.”
“People have their right, they have their opinion, and I respect that,” Callahan said. “In America, people expect excellence and that’s what we’re trying to achieve. And when you don’t achieve that, it’s tough. You’ve got to endure that.”
“I’m not naive,” he said. “I know there’s criticism out there - and I’m sure I’m at the heart of it. I’m just going to go back to work and prepare our football team better and continue on with the year.”
The coach is self aware. This is a good thing.
In all seriousness, I think Callahan is a smart guy. The problem is he may be too smart for our own good. Football is emotional. And Nebraskans are totally emotional about Husker football. It would therefore be wise for BC to get fired up. To cut the spin and breathe fire. Say, “I will NOT ACCEPT ANOTHER PEFORMANCE LIKE THIS from the Blackshirts.” And mean it.
Okay, so he’s a robot. What’re you gonna do? If you’re a Husker fan you’re going to also examine his ability to hire well, his leadership and communications skills, his decision making, planning, creativity, professional judgement and all the other things a CEO, or head coach in this case, must master.
Husker fans are the stakeholders in this enterprise known as Husker Nation. While booing (in whatever form it might take) might tarnish the Husker brand, it’s a reflection of the problems on the field. As always, it’s critical to address the problem, not the symptom. In this case, I think Callahan is trying to do that and for that I give him credit.
A reminder for our regular readers and an introduction to new and future readers on a HuskerZone.com policy.
Given the state of affairs with Nebraska football, and personal opinions - positive or negative - I just wanted to remind everyone to keep things civil. Everything is fine thus far on the site and I commend all of our regular commenters and readers for keeping it so. Periodically, it needs to be mentioned and that is all this is.
I am also reiterating our (Bugeater and I) official stance regarding criticism directed at players based on recent events here and at other places around the country. Mike Gundy at Oklahoma State had a legitimate beef with a reporter regarding a story written about their quarterback. Husker fans at the game on Saturday had audible booing heard over the audio feed on both radio and pay-per-view tv. At Notre Dame, there was also booing and attacking of players on message boards.
To wit, the HuskerZone.com policy/stance on this is as follows:
1. First and foremost, we are fans. We run this site purely as an outreach of that; hence our tagline, By Husker Fans for Husker Fans. We do not have a corporate sponsor (although we would accept one), and all Bugeater and I get for our time is the small amount of change that comes in from the advertising.
2. We will never call out a specific player for shortcomings on the field. We may speak in generalities or give examples in specific plays, but we won’t hold a single player accountable in our blogging/reporting, nor will we personally attack an individual. It isn’t fair to the players, who are both students and athletes, and do not receive a paycheck for what they do.
3. This does not apply to praise. If an individual player warrants praise, we will do so publicly and give them the recognition they deserve.
4. For off-the field news matters, we will report as such, but will not offer negative commentary directed at the player.
5. Coaches do not get a free pass. They get a paycheck and thus, have earned both criticism and praise in the public arena.
6. University administration are also fair game.
7. We do not censor comments. We have automated systems which detect comment abuse and will delete and retroactively delete comments based on abuse patterns, automated systems which may hold new commenters in a queue before their comments are displayed, and we will delete comments that blatantly go against our policy stated above (in 4 years, I think we have deleted exactly 1 comment due to this).
Yesterday, while listening to the game on the radio feed provided by Huskers.com, I took note of some of the sponsors. Good old Dorothy Lynch from Columbus was there with a spot. Fan community site, NUFans.com, also ran a spot that drove me to their site.
Upon closer inspection, NUFans.com turns out to be a well done “ad” for Lincoln-based insurer Ameritas. The site features an active message board and great photos (like the one above) of game day action. I like how Ameritas is giving the community something of value. It’s terrific for their brand as well, since people will easily associate them with the team and the community.
Callahan was again was upbeat and positive after a game that very well could have had fans calling for his job. They might anyway. Nevertheless, he said he’ll keep preaching perspective.
“There are all types of wins,” Callahan said. “I’m just proud of the fact our kids found a way to get this one done today.”
“It’s a step forward because it’s a win. These wins are hard to come by in this day and age of the way people are playing football. I think we see that across the country.
“You would always love things to go a little better, and they didn’t. But you’ve got to be able to deal with that through the course and duration of the game. The game is different. I’ve been saying that - and it kind of falls on deaf ears.”
In other words, we fans and members of the press just don’t understand how much parity has crept into college football over the last decade. And it’s unrealistic to think the Huskers will ever be dominant again. We got the win. Be happy.
This mindless babble is BC adding injury to insult. No way around it.
