Huskers hope to recapture pride, intensity of Mizzou game
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BY STEVEN M. SIPPLE / Lincoln Journal Star
A former Nebraska coach and an ex-Husker player made impassioned speeches.
The home crowd roared to a fever pitch, and on a chilly day in late October, the 2004 Nebraska football team responded with a show of pride, emotion and intensity that had been absent too often in previous games and has been lacking since that triumph over Missouri.
"I don't think we've played to that caliber since that game," said Nebraska cornerback Fabian Washington, referring to road losses to Iowa State and Oklahoma that swept the Huskers from the Big 12 North title chase.
"It's been frustrating," Nebraska linebacker Chad Sievers said. "The college game is 50 percent — if not more — about emotion, especially nowadays because of parity. The main thing now is emotion, your mind-set going into the game, how ‘up' you are for the game.
"We need that this week."
Indeed, Nebraska has a lot riding on today's 11:10 a.m. game against league rival Colorado at Memorial Stadium.
The Huskers (5-5, 3-4 Big 12) need a triumph to extend their NCAA-record streak of 35 straight bowl appearances and their 42-year run without a losing season.
A total of 22 Nebraska seniors are intent on ending their careers in a locale that's significantly warmer than the winter chill of Lincoln.
The Huskers today could use a large dose of the energy that propelled them to a 24-3 triumph over Mizzou a month ago.
"We played with a lot of emotion in that game," Washington said. "We had to win that game, and we came out fighting like dogs."
While Nebraska has dropped two straight contests, Colorado (6-4, 3-4) has won its last two, beating Kansas on the road and Kansas State in Boulder.
If Colorado prevails today, and Iowa State falls to Missouri on Saturday, the Buffaloes will continue their season Dec. 4 in the Big 12 championship game. They've qualified for a bowl game.
"It's been a rough year for this team and for this program," said Colorado head coach Gary Barnett, referring to an offseason scandal that led to severe restrictions in the school's recruiting methods. "But this team has kept fighting."
It's also been a "trying" season for Nebraska, said first-year head coach Bill Callahan. However, a win today might ease some of the frustration that's accompanied the Huskers' transition to a revamped coaching staff.
"This is the last chance for the seniors," Sievers said in reference to his classmates. "It's supposed to be like a family atmosphere around here, and you definitely want to help your brothers go out on a high note.
"I think we have a lot of mature guys on this team, and I think they'll step up to the plate and perform."
Nebraska's primary task on defense is to put pressure on Colorado junior quarterback Joel Klatt and corral tough-running tailback Bobby Purify. The Buffaloes' offense is similar to Nebraska's in that it uses zone blocking, naked bootlegs and play-action passes, Callahan said.
Both offenses have struggled. Colorado ranks 83rd nationally in total offense, and Nebraska is 70th.
Colorado's defense, ranked 100th, is prepared for a heavy dose of Nebraska I-back Cory Ross, the Huskers' most reliable weapon of late. Ross said he recovered well from a nagging turf toe injury during last week's off week.
"We have to find a way to slow down Cory Ross, who's a tremendous football player," Barnett said. "On the other side, we've got to find a way to run the ball. They are the (No. 1) run defense in the league. Everybody has thrown the ball really well on them."
Indeed, Nebraska ranks 113th nationally in pass defense.
"But we can't get one-dimensional," Barnett said.
Nebraska, meanwhile, must find a way to generate the passion and intensity that characterized its most recent home game, against Missouri.
The Huskers this week seemed determined to avoid the fate that befell the Buffaloes last November in Boulder, when NU's 31-22 victory ended CU's hopes of becoming bowl-eligible.
It's crazy how long ago that game seems, Washington said.
Sievers wants only to look forward.
"I want to be here another month," he said. "You only get this opportunity once in a lifetime. I definitely want to go out right."
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