John Mabry: NU needs to keep 2002 a distant memory
digg it!
Facebook
del.icio.us
Seed Newsvine
Fark It
Reddit
BY JOHN MABRY / Lincoln Journal Star
Time to play Match The Quotes With The Husker Debacle.
First, here are a few post-game comments from the contest in question:
Frank Solich: “We’ll either splinter apart, or we’ll come together. There’s probably no middle ground on that end of it.”
Chris Kelsay: “As a player, as a team captain, yes, I’m embarrassed.”
Marilyn Byrne, wife of athletic director Bill Byrne: “He isn’t going to want to do an interview — not a good idea.”
So, for a year’s supply of Rice-A-Roni, which game was the subject of those three remarks?
A. Colorado 62, Nebraska 36, on Nov. 23, 2001, in Boulder, Colo.
B. Penn State 40, Nebraska 7, on Sept. 14, 2002, in State College, Pa.
C. Iowa State 36, Nebraska 14, on Sept. 28, 2002, in Ames, Iowa.
D. Kansas State 49, Nebraska 13, on Nov. 16, 2002, in Manhattan, Kan.
I know you folks are sharp enough to figure out where we’re going with this.
The correct answer is C.
You know that Solich comment about splintering apart or coming together? Well, I still have a couple of slivers of wood in my rear from the 2002 season.
It wasn’t a lot of fun, and I’m certainly not going to suggest that this season is shaping up like that season. Not at all.
The 2006 Huskers are 4-1 and have enough going for them to think a long-awaited return to the Big 12 title game is a real possibility.
It’s just that the Huskers really need to make sure that another ’02 is not a possibility. After last week’s Kansas scare, they need to prove they’re on the right track, that the win against Michigan in the Alamo Bowl was not a fluke.
Iowa State is not NU’s No. 1 rival, but there always seems to be a lot riding — at least from a state-of the-program standpoint — on these meetings with the Cyclones.
The loss in 2002 came on the heels of a blowout defeat at Penn State and prompted talk of coaching changes, changes that eventually would come.
Funny, but I bet a lot of the same folks who were appalled by Solich’s firing three years ago were calling for his head after that disaster in Ames.
I bet a lot of the same folks who were singing Bill Callahan’s praises after the Alamo Bowl win last season were ready to help him move out last weekend. And if NU loses tonight ... heaven help my e-mail inbox.
Solich, apparently providing comic inspiration for Larry The Cable Guy, always talked about how the team didn’t “get it done” in this game or that game.
After the 2002 game in Ames — one of several lowlights in a 7-7 season — Solich took the phrase to a new level, saying, “We have to get the whole thing done better.”
If you’ll turn to page 77 of your Solich-to-Callahan translation handbook, that means, “We need to implement improvement in all phases and all facets.”
Either way, today is a big day in Ames.
The Huskers are ranked No. 22, and as long as you’re ranked, you can say you’re a good football team.
Four years ago, a 20th-ranked NU football team went to Ames and laid a big, fat egg. The Huskers were knocked from the polls for the first time since 1981.
The season ended with major coaching changes on the defensive side and a loss to Mississippi in the Independence Bowl with new athletic director Steve Pederson looking on from the press box in Shreveport, La.
Nothing against the town, but I don’t think Shreveport is high on Pederson’s list of possible bowl destinations this year.
Maybe I’ll ask him. With a win tonight, I’m sure he’ll be happy to do interviews.
With a loss?
Not a good idea.
Reach John Mabry at 473-7320 or jmabry@journalstar.com.
Most Commented news