Brian Rosenthal: It's only a test
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BY BRIAN ROSENTHAL / Lincoln Journal Star
The Nebraska football team travels to Los Angeles this weekend in search of something it lost during its last trip to southern California.
National respect.
That disappeared entirely after the Huskers were trampled 37-14 in the Rose Bowl to end the 2001 season. That game — one of the biggest mismatches of any national championship — came on the heels of a 62-36 loss to Colorado.
Nebraska plummeted from college football’s national landscape. Now, the Huskers have a chance to grab the country’s attention again, and this time, in a positive manner.
No. 19 Nebraska. No. 4 USC. The Coliseum. Prime-time national television. The stage is set.
“It’s big in the mind-set of the media and everything, and the fans think it’s a very big thing for the program,” Nebraska linebacker Corey McKeon said. “Everyone’s measuring it like, ‘Is this going to shoot us back into whatever?’ Yada, yada, yada.”
Actually, the national spotlight is shining brightly on USC, and USC only. Nebraska just happens to be the other team playing the mighty Trojans. Only in the state of Nebraska is this game, this matchup, drawing incredible hype.
It’s understandable. USC is USC. Nebraska, on the other hand, hasn’t played a game involving two ranked teams in nearly three years. The Huskers haven’t won such a game since 2001 (Oklahoma), and haven’t won such a road game since 2000 (Notre Dame).
Is Nebraska ready for a return to the national scene? This is a good time to find out.
Get out the measuring stick. See where the Huskers stack up against the nation’s elite in Year Three of Bill Callahan’s tenure. But make any marks in pencil only. This growth spurt is nowhere near finished.
“We want to do well,” Callahan said. “We want to measure ourselves against a great football team and a great program, and then take that into the next game, and then into conference play.”
Keep in mind, this is a test. This is only a test. It’s not a final exam. That comes beginning Sept. 30, when Kansas comes to town, and Nebraska begins its quest for a Big 12 North championship.
Remember those?
Sure, making a splash on the national scene with an upset of USC would really jump-start things for Nebraska. But it’s by no means crucial. Not this weekend.
Callahan is trying to get that message across, too.
“One game is not going to define this season,” Callahan said. “I’m not going to let it for these players.”
That’s a good approach. It’s the only approach.
These Huskers are still growing. Their most recent notch was a bowl victory. Their next notch needs to be a divisional championship, with an eye on a conference title.
Beating a Top 10 team on the road in the third week of the season? The Huskers aren’t there. Yet. Nor should we expect them to be.
This isn’t meant as doom and gloom. Just a reminder to NU fans to not go into meltdown mode Saturday night should the Huskers lose on national television.
The only bad thing that could happen for Callahan’s crew is a blowout loss. That won’t happen. Nebraska has grown past that notch. I firmly believe that.
A victory? Not likely, but certainly not impossible. I could delve into the important factors of winning the turnover battle, pressuring John David Booty, establishing a running game, protecting Zac Taylor, getting breaks, special teams ... but you know all that.
I’m as intrigued as anyone in Nebraska to see what happens Saturday. But win or lose, it does nothing to help or hurt the Huskers’ chances of winning the Big 12 North.
Nebraska disappeared from that stage long before it fell off the national scene. That needs to be the first step back.
Going deep
* Keep a close eye on Nebraska’s defensive line Saturday night. And have a roster handy. That’s all I’m going to say.
* How much has the national hype over USC affected my thinking? I had originally written “defending national champion Trojans” in an above paragraph. Talk about brainwashing.
* Really, is it that big of a shock that Cortney Grixby hasn’t grown 6 inches since the season began? Just a hunch, but I bet he still plays.
Reach Brian Rosenthal at 473-7436 or brosenthal@journalstar.com.
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