HuskerNation

[War Wagon]

Have you guys gotten over that gut-wrenching loss yet?

Yeah, I know.... you'll never get over it and are still in the depths of depression. I know how Huskerfans are. Tough way to lose a game. Didn't watch it on TV but listened to most of the 4th quarter on the radio. Sounded like your "blackshirts" dominated the entire game until that final drive and then one busted coverage did them in. That sucked.

Well look on the brightside... I didn't even expect them to be in that game, but they showed up nicely. Looks like Pelini has gotten that program back on track.

See you bitches in Columbia in a couple weeks.

[King Crimson]

kicking FG's will bite you in the ass.

[L45B]

kicking FG's will bite you in the ass.

I had no idea.

Sincerely,
The Vest

[Cornhusker]

I've keep my mouth shut all season (and the Callahan disaster years) and been laying in the weeds and I really thought we'd take these guys to the wire. I want to see us get over the hump in a big game and I was very optimistic this was going to be it.
NU was the better team and everyone I know that was at the game said a VT fan was sure to tell them that. They were surprized by VT's fans comments after the game how "we (VT) should never have won that thing."

No, not over it yet, it will take a win over a Top 20 team to get by this one. It's been too damn long.
We had UT beat in Lincoln Callahan's last year just to fumble away a play that would have allowed NU to run the clock out.
TTech the year before; we pick off their last gasp 4th down pass only to have the guy fumble the ball back to TTech on the same play giving them a first down with a shot to win, which they did inside of 1 minute.
Last year we had Tech in OT at their place only to throw a pick that would end our chance.
Those Callahan years I really never had hope NU would be a national player.
I was hoping this game would get it started. Not much came from the win over Clemson in the Gator Bowl such as it is. That's how 2nd tier bowl games roll I guess.

Ya Whitey we'll show up in Columbia and I hope you guys are north of #20 when we do. The only thing I got for you is we have a hellva defensive front and a damn good running back.

And unlike Callahan, we'll be coached with the idea we're gonna win

[At Large]

My wife and brother were practically already celebrating when NU had the lead, but I was doubtful. The play that killed me was not the long pass play. It was the 4th and 1 on the 37 yard line a few plays before. NU's coaches chose to kick VT deep and defend, but I thought we should have either gone for it with a reverse to Niles Paul, who hadn't hardly touched the ball all day and has blazing speed OR kick a 54-yard field goal, which is in Henry's range. But no...

Yeah, it hurts, but the 94 Orange against FSU hurt much much much worse because it was the last game. If we manage to beat 2 out of 3 against MU, KU and OU (although all 3 would be nice), I'll probably forget this game.

[Cornhusker]

This probably mirrors my demeanor as well as anything on Saturday.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GuGqPKP ... dded#t=234

[Danimal]

We really pissed that one down our legs, outplayed the hokies on their hometurf only to blow our legs off, way too many missed opportunities.

What really pissed me off was that this we blew the game in the same damn way we did TTech. At the end, in their crucial drive, we blew the coverage assignment and handed them a huge play on a silver platter.

The penalties near the goalline were killers, to back ourselves all the way out of fieldgoal range is just absurd. We had way too man penalties in the second-half.

To get near the goalline twice and only get three out of it is ridiculous. We miss Castille and we need to go back to using Suh near the goalline. We used him last year, why now?

In my biased opinion Holt made the catch and it shouldve been a td.

We should've went on 4th and one late. We were in their territory, worst-case scenario they still have to drive a good 60yds to score. We were also too conservative early in the game. Didn't even try a real pass til the third series, we might have scored a sixth fieldgoal dammit.

The D played well overall, way better than last year. But we just screwed-up on that last series with that blown-coverage and on their td when we played to contain too much while he ran back and forth behind the line of scrimmage looking for a wr. The vaunted VT rushing-attack didn't do much.

After looking killer versus meh competition Zach Lee didn't do much here. Granted he had one td called-back, one not called(IMO), and another that could've been caught. But he also missed out on an easy td when VT blew coverage and had a fair amount of other shitty passes. Hope he steps it up a notch in Columbia.

I was pretty happy with our rushing-attack , Helu is becoming one of the better guys in the country.

Overall, I was frustrated as hell but I saw definite hope for the future.

VT did what VT does, they played tough redzone D and won the turnover battle. Tyrod made a couple key throws. They find a way to srape out W's, and that is what I was afraid of. Hope they can pull the minor upset on the canes.

[War Wagon]

...we'll show up in Columbia and I hope you guys are north of #20 when we do.

Doubtful that a road win over Nevada is going to vault them back into the Top 25, much less the top 20 at this point.

Not after that "horrible" win against Bowling Green, at home, no less. Just ask Van or Jon what a bad win that was, they'll tell you.

No, we'll need to beat Nevada by 50 for that to happen, and maybe not even then. Sorry.

Just maybe if we beat you guys, they'll squeak back into the Top 25, but I'm not holding my breath over either scenario happening.

Sure did want you guys to get over VT, though. Damnit.

Listening to the Husker honks on the radio while driving back from Springfield... poor guys acted as if their dog had just died. Not that I blame them. Their dog did just die.

[TheJON]

Well look on the brightside... I didn't even expect them to be in that game

Why would you not have expected Nebraska to be in the game against a Va. Tech team with such a piss poor offense?

[War Wagon]

Poor choice of words, Jon. I didn't expect them to cover, not on the road.

[War Wagon]

btw bugeater fans, nice article in the KC Star today giving your team and fanbase some love. Thought you might appreciate this.

Nebraska’s home-sellout streak a testament to fans’ loyalty

BLAIR KERKHOFF COLLEGES

A feel-good fix for Nebraska arrives not a moment too soon.

The way the Cornhuskers lost in the final seconds to Virginia Tech on Saturday, the 85,000-plus attending this week’s game against Louisiana-Lafayette will be part of two pieces of history: the 300th consecutive sellout and the largest group-therapy session on record.

The 16-15 Hokies victory came down to the same play in the fourth executed by both teams. Both involved busted coverage. Nebraska’s could have been a touchdown. Instead, it collected 35 yards and led to a field goal. The Hokies’ picked up 81 yards, and theirs eventually found the end zone.

Wail, punch a pillow and let it go. There’s a party at your house this weekend. Stiff upper lip and all that.

The milestone sellout, every home game since the 1962 season, will get the “whoopee” finger twirl treatment in some circles, to which a Husker might respond: You mock what you don’t understand.

Nebraska football culture has long been a curiosity outside of its borders. The obsession is usually explained as the state’s only major football-playing university, no pro sports or other distractions and Nebraska’s unifying force. Presto! Fans always show up, stay late and applaud the opposing team as it leaves the field.

But a historical advantage also works for the Cornhuskers. Traditionally, they win. Nebraska owns more victories since 1970 than any other program in college football. With 21 undefeated home records in the streak’s 46 full seasons, it has been easy to pass good vibes to the next generation. And the next.

But the fans turned a corner in recent years. Their loyalty was tested in ways that happened to all major powers, but not Nebraska.

Former coach Bill Callahan’s final team, in 2007, was a dreadful chapter in a spiraling tenure. Losing consecutive home games to Oklahoma State and Texas A&M by a combined 81-28 score wasn’t the biggest humiliation of the season because the Cornhuskers surrendered 76 to Kansas a few weeks later.

For the first time in the history of the sellout streak, Huskers faced the decision that has confronted dedicated fans of every team. Should I protest the program’s direction with absence?

It had happened at Oklahoma in those painful pre-Bob Stoops seasons. The sun has reflected off rows of empty bleachers at Texas, Alabama and Southern California.

Two years ago, Nebraska fans were paying more than ever for tickets, with mandatory donations for season tickets, and for what? Xavier University psychology professor Christian End, who studies fan behavior, said that in these moments, fans feel challenged, and the idea of staying home may be more troubling than supporting a losing team.

“For some, it would have been difficult to break rituals that are important to them,” End said. “Going to games, seeing family and friends, you plan for weeks and months to do those things.”

As consumer confidence sank, the sellout streak became something of a rallying point. Cornhuskers fans started talking about the importance of maintaining the streak, and thinking about their reputation.

“The fan base is known as one of the most loyal, and fans don’t want to give that up,” End said.

That feeling ultimately kept the streak alive, and longevity was assured with a series of successions. Steve Pederson was replaced by Nebraska deity Tom Osborne. And Osborne exchanged Callahan for Bo Pelini, who won over fans immediately by understanding them.

The sense that Pelini has Nebraska on the right track was evident in Saturday’s loss. It was there last season, when the Cornhuskers fell in overtime at Texas Tech and then won eight of their next nine games until the trip to Blacksburg.

Who knows where this Pelini tenure goes? Becoming a division power is the first order, and Missouri and Kansas are well-positioned for the same goals.

But this we know: Whatever happens will be witnessed by 85,000 souls, or however many tickets can be sold to a game at Memorial Stadium for years to come.

[TheJON]

Not after that "horrible" win against Bowling Green, at home, no less. Just ask Van or Jon what a bad win that was, they'll tell you.

Marshall had less problem beating Bowling Green than Mizzou did, just so you know..........

[War Wagon]

Don't confuse me with facts, Jon.

When I want your opinion, I'll beat it out of you.

<---- Look ---->, Zack Grienke just pitched another shutout.

[Van]

[Truman]

btw bugeater fans, nice article in the KC Star today giving your team and fanbase some love. Thought you might appreciate this.

Beat me to it, Wags!

Spent the afternoon Saturday texting a 'skers "in-game" to a die-hard Lincoln native and Big Red Princess caught at work and away from any meaningful sports media...

Needless to say, consoling her that night didn't suck.

[Cornhusker]

btw bugeater fans, nice article in the KC Star today giving your team and fanbase some love. Thought you might appreciate this.

Blair Kerkoff is the Big 12 honk for the KC Star isn't he?
He does a weekly interview on a local radio program here, he's pretty damn good and while he's probably slightly a Mizzou / Kansas lean, he's a good writer and knows the Big 12 pretty well. I look forward to his weekly discussion.

On another note, what's your impression of Gade DeArmond? (sp)
I know he's the Rivals Mizzou guy, but do you as a Mizzou fan enjoy his stuff? He just seems a bit too close to his wortk to see the big picture. (Translation: he sucks.)

[Truman]

Believe it or not, 'sker, Kerkhoff if a Tarhole, born and raised on Tobacco Road.

KC IS Big Eight country, and fanbases for all these schools are representative all over this town. Slight lean to the locals (gotta figure 90% of his readers pull for KU, K-State, or Mizzou), but Blair gives a pretty fair presentation of the rest of the North and the Oklahoma schools, as well as the power-houses from other Conference across the country. Hell, he's even been known to write about Texas schools on occasion.

Gabe DeArmond, proprietor of PowerMizzou.com is a homer... But he's OUR homer. Does a pretty decent job bringing us the skinny on Mizzou recruiting. But if you're looking for unbiased opinion? Not so much. BTW, Gabe is the son of Mike DeArmond, Mizzou beat writer for the Red Star. Not going to find much objectivity here, 'sker, if that's what you're after....