October looms large on Husker schedule
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BY BRIAN ROSENTHAL / Lincoln Journal Star
Last season, Nebraska dubbed a key stretch on its football schedule as a November to remember.
This year, the Huskers have an October to … to …
Uh, well, let’s just say it’s a big month.
Big. Key. Critical. Pick any such adjective. It probably still can’t fully describe how coach Bill Callahan feels about his team’s upcoming task.
“We’ve mentioned that several times,” Callahan said of his team’s October stretch of three road games in four weeks. “At the beginning of the year, we pointed out that this would be a very crucial stretch in terms of consistency, winning on the road.”
Tonight, No. 22 Nebraska plays at Iowa State. Next week, the Huskers travel to Kansas State. Defending national champion Texas visits Lincoln on Oct. 21.
October closes with a trip to Oklahoma State. And November begins with a clear view of whether the Huskers will still be eyeing their first Big 12 North championship in seven years.
“It’s basically our whole season,” Nebraska junior safety Ben Eisenhart said. “That’s what it comes down to. We’ve got to do it here.”
That’s not to say November games against Missouri, Texas A&M and Colorado will be any less challenging. But unless Nebraska carefully navigates itself through this month’s potential land mines, those November games may become mere side notes to a what-could-have-been season.
“Anybody who knows the schedule looks at it and says, ‘This is where we’ve got to play,’ ” said Eisenhart, noting he first realized the daunting portion of the 2006 schedule sometime during last season.
“This is it. This is the big stretch of October.”
Callahan said he first presented his team with the October challenge in spring ball. Then again in training camp. Then again this past week.
So consider the Huskers well-versed on the task at hand.
“They have a pretty good education of where we’re at in terms of the schedule,” Callahan said, “and the significance of playing on the road and coming away with a positive game.”
Why is everyone viewing October as such a challenge? After all, the three road games aren’t exactly against the Chicago Bears. In fact, it’s probable the Huskers will be favorites in each of the road games. They’re favored by a touchdown today in Ames, Iowa.
Here’s the kicker, though. Since their last appearance in a Big 12 Conference championship game in 1999, the Huskers are 10-14 in road conference games. They’re 2-6 on the road in two years under Callahan, winning last season at Baylor and Colorado.
“We have to prove that we can go on the road and win in the Big 12,” Nebraska quarterback Zac Taylor said. “(Today) is the first step toward doing that.”
Another reason this October stretch can be perceived as a tricky test: Recent history against the opponents involved.
Nebraska has lost its last two games at Iowa State. The Huskers have lost their last four games at Kansas State.
In Big 12 play, Nebraska has lost both times it has hosted Texas at Memorial Stadium. Even the Huskers’ track record in Stillwater is spotty. They’ve played there only once since the Big 12 was formed. Nebraska lost, 24-21, in 2002.
“Anytime you go on the road in the Big 12, it’s a struggle,” Nebraska senior defensive end Jay Moore said. “It’s going to be huge.”
Nebraska’s had only one other such October road stretch in recent seasons. In 2000, the Huskers played on the road in three of four weeks, winning at Iowa State and at Texas Tech and losing at Oklahoma, which won the national championship that season. The Huskers’ lone October home game was a victory against Baylor.
Despite going 3-1 that October, the Huskers did not win the North title. Unlike 2000, this year’s October schedule features two North opponents. In what could be another whirlwind race to the North title, winning against divisional foes is crucial.
“They understand the importance of the divisional race,” Callahan said of his players.
In particular, Callahan points to today’s game against Iowa State, a game many coaches, media members and fans circled last summer as a key divisional clash that could determine the North champion.
“It could have ramifications down the line, as all these games do,” Callahan said. “They (Nebraska’s players) understand the importance. They understand the road mentality it’s going to take to go up there against a hostile crowd. I think they’ve framed the picture pretty well.”
Nebraska, picked in the preseason to win the Big 12 North, is 4-1 overall and 1-0 in the Big 12. Iowa State is 3-2 and 0-1. A Nebraska victory would essentially give the Huskers a three-game lead over the Cyclones, when counting the head-to-head tiebreaker.
“This is a big game,” Taylor said. “They’ve got a great team. This is huge for us. It will be huge if we can start 2-0 going into the game we have after that (at Kansas State). But it’s going to take all we’ve got to pull one out.”
Nebraska learned that last week against Kansas. The Huskers were favored to win soundly at home but struggled to beat the Jayhawks 39-32 in overtime.
“We seem to get everybody’s best shot when we play them,” Taylor said. “That’s what we saw from Kansas last week. People say they saw Kansas struggling going into our game, but that wasn’t the same team we saw on film when they stepped on the field against us.”
Likewise, the Huskers aren’t expecting to see the same Iowa State team that nearly lost to Division I-AA Northern Iowa. Or the same Kansas State team that’s scored one touchdown in its last 32 possessions.
“It just makes you work harder in practice,” Taylor said. “You’re aware of the fact you can’t have a letdown, or you’re going to get beat.
“We just have to stay on top of our game at all times.”
Reach Brian Rosenthal at 473-7436 or brosenthal@journalstar.com.
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