Curt McKeever: Anxiety is high for this one
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The heck with engine sludge buildup — it’s worth it to go get your car’s oil changed just because of what goes on in the customer waiting area.
For instance, the other day I learned Customer A spent $100 to fill his truck’s gas tank. Guess his clients can kiss those free-delivery deals goodbye.
Meanwhile, Customers B & C were discussing the unbelievable devastation in New Orleans when one guy brings up the possibility of another disaster that could be considered Category 5. What if, he asked, the Nebraska football team struggles to dispose of Maine during tonight’s season opener?
Neither man was considering the ramifications of a Husker loss. That’d have been too outlandish to think a NCAA Division I-AA school, even though it won at Mississippi State last year, could beat NU in Memorial Stadium. But the fact they were questioning whether tonight’s game would be anything other than a rout says a lot about the anxiety level of Big Red followers.
“We couldn’t be more anxious to play a game,” Bill Callahan said.
A year ago, Callahan was “juiced” for his Nebraska debut. That feeling likely hasn’t changed, but it would be overly brash of him to be brimming with confidence entering the second year of his project.
The uncertainties surrounding this team seem numerous enough that the phone operators at Time Warner Cable probably should be expecting a run of last-minute orders for tonight’s pay-per-view telecast.
It wasn’t that long ago that most people would have scoffed at forking over their entertainment money for such an offering. Now, there’s a lot more Curious Georges needing to have their fixes satisfied.
They want to see how new quarterback Zac Taylor — who shredded the light defensive pressure he saw in the spring game so well that incumbent Joe Dailey saw enough writing on the wall to smartly pack his bags for North Carolina — handles the volatility of Maine’s blitz package.
How sure does senior left tackle Cornealius Fuamatu-Thomas seem while playing in just his second game at the I-A level?
Is left guard Greg Austin over the chronic knee problems that have limited his impact?
Can Taylor have a field day in his Husker debut throwing to a depleted receiving corps still missing its best possession weapon, tight end Matt Herian? (He should.)
Will a defensive line that’s supposedly deeper be able to apply pressure through means other than sheer strength (because it’ll need more than brawn to be effective in the Big 12)?
What do these new guys starting at linebacker bring to the table? Corey McKeon has played in one game; Steve Octavien is one of seven defensive newcomers appearing on the two-deep chart (include I-back-turned-cornerback Tierre Green when you’re looking that up).
How can a secondary with three new starters be a step up from from the one last season that had a pair of NFL Draft picks and still was mostly responsible for opponents averaging 267.6 passing yards per game?
Do the Huskers have any difference-makers on special teams that can give the offense an occasional break from the increased challenges that come with 80-yard drives?
Can Year Two under Callahan be anything close to what Oklahoma football was in Year Two under Bob Stoops? If you’ve forgotten, that was in 2000 — and two years after going 5-6 the Sooners were national champions.
“The mind-set, the attitude, our work ethic, was totally different,” Stoops said earlier this week of his second squad. “They were anxious to change. They were tired of losing. I can’t put my finger on any one thing (that brought everything together). It’s just a process and fortunately it happened quickly for us.”
Nebraska fans should consider that a pipe dream for this season. But if it comforts you any, even Stoops is wondering about how his well-established program will respond to that 55-19 whipping from USC at last season’s Orange Bowl.
“I’m not much of a nervous guy,” he said, “but it’s funny how you get anxious for that first game.”
Catching bits of Thursday night’s Oregon-Houston contest reminded me of how the Cougars originally wanted the Huskers as their opponent. Naturally, I tried to imagine if Nebraska would have faced a second-half deficit in a charged-up environment with the same kind of cool that Oregon displayed while rallying for a 38-24 win.
It’ll be at least seven weeks now before the Huskers could be in that situation, which is probably just as well. They’ve got enough other questions to answer beginning tonight. Yes, even against a I-AA team that clearly needs to be left feeling like it was in way over its head.
“Everybody knows the first game is one that everybody gears up for and looks at for the longest amount of time,” Maine coach Jack Cosgrove said. “It’s the one that you start off with in the winter program, and goes through spring practice and the summer sessions. We have no doubt in our minds that Nebraska has the utmost of preparation, respect for what we accomplished last year. And to be honest with you, that’s kind of frightening.”
Reach Curt McKeever at 473-7441 or cmckeever@journalstar.com.
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