Until yesterday Tom Rice, a fifth-year senior walk on from Lincoln, hadn’t played a down on the Memorial Stadium turf. Now, after not only playing, but contributing to the Husker win yesterday, Rice will have that special memory and the feeling it evokes forever.

So, Consgrove made a good decision there, putting Rice in on Senior Day.

The Independent has Zach Potter’s take:

“You saw a lot of guys get in the game that haven’t really played,” Potter said. “Like Tom Rice, a fifth-year senior. He’d never played a down. We were really loose out there, and that made it a lot of fun to play.”

“It was like watching Rudy, but it was a lot earlier in the game.”

According to a pre-game story in Lincoln’s paper, Rice made a motivational speech to the team after losing to Missou.

“I got up and said, ‘I don’t know if you guys realize this, but there are a million-and-a-half people who care about this program. And they want to see you do well, ” Rice said, describing his heartfelt speech to teammates.

“A lot of people within this state live and die with this program. They’d give so much to be a part of it, and they want so much for us to do well.”

Rice didn’t even get to suit up for the Mizzou game. He drove himself to Columbia and sat in the stands. Yet, he had the wherewithal to stand and address the team the next day at practice. I love it when our moral fiber shows.