John Mabry: A beautiful day for football
digg it!
Facebook
del.icio.us
Seed Newsvine
Fark It
Reddit
As the Husker players left the field Saturday, their fans were cheering, and then screaming, “Go Big Red! Go Big Red!”
The show of respect normally reserved for visitors who leave Tom Osborne Field as losers was instead turned into a substantial chorus directed at the home team.
“It’s not surprising,” said Husker quarterback Zac Taylor. “We knew that they were still proud of us.”
It was the capper to a heck of a football game. The Huskers made it so with a spirited second-half effort.
Senior defensive end Adam Carriker said the locker room was not a place to be caught hanging your head, not after an adrenalinefest like that one, not with a potential NU-UT rematch on the horizon.
“There was a player in our locker room who said he had the most fun he’s ever had in his life today,” Carriker said, politely declining to identify the excited Husker. “And he said even if he knew he was going to play the game again and lose, he’d play it again because he had so much fun ” the snow, playing the national champs, playing in front of a home crowd.
“My comment was, ‘Well, we don’t know the outcome, but we’re going to get to play them again (for the Big 12 title).’”
I went outside the Osborne Complex to see if any of the other players might spill the beans on who the player was that was so inspired by Saturday’s atmosphere.
The only player I could find was junior cornerback Andre Jones.
Turns out I had found the right man.
Jones had the time of his life Saturday. Not that the loss didn’t hurt. That’s not the point. The point is that this is why the guy came to Nebraska. It’s a little bigger deal than college football at Kentucky, where he started his collegiate career.
I know Jones took some heat for predicting a win against USC, but he is genuine in his enthusiasm for football, and I think it’s great, win or lose. Not to mention that Jones is starting to play a pretty mean corner.
The Fort Walton Beach, Fla., native said the blowing snow was what really got him going Saturday.
“I’ve never seen it before,” he said.
But he does plan to see the Longhorns again.
“I can’t wait,” he said.
Sounds like a guarantee to me, and good for him.
Tough pill for Bill
Bill Callahan wasn’t in great spirits after the game, as you might imagine.
Callahan wasn’t thrilled when a TV reporter asked if the Huskers could use the game to measure their progress. Callahan said he didn’t keep a barometer on the sideline. He also said he left his mood ring at home. He can take some comfort in knowing that he outcoached Mack Brown on Saturday. NU could have folded the way things were looking in the second quarter, but it didn’t go that way at all, and bold play-calling was a big part of the comeback.
I would have taken the first timeout a little sooner there at the end, but most of the second-half moves paid off, including the Marlon Lucky-to-Nate Swift pass call.
To his credit, Callahan refused to pin the blame for the loss on Terrence Nunn, whose fumble led to the Longhorns’ game-winning field goal. Callahan used no names, only saying that “misfortune occurred.”
And bleep happens.
End zone
* It’s way too early to make bowl travel plans, but it’s not too early to think about the possibilities. As things stand today, the Cotton Bowl (Jan. 1, Dallas) and Holiday Bowl (Dec. 28, San Diego) are the most likely destinations.
* To get ready for the 11 a.m. kickoff, Carriker said he changed his alarm setting. “I tried to get up every morning at 7 o’clock this week. I tried 6:30, 7 o’clock. Some mornings I got up at 8. I just try to get used to the schedule because if you’re used to getting up at 9 or 10 and all of a sudden you’ve got to get up at 6:30, you’re going to be all out of whack.”
* The star of the game might have been Texas offensive lineman Kasey Studdard, who saved Quan Crosby’s behind by recovering his fumble on the Horns’ game-winning drive. Studdard’s dad, Dave, played in the NFL with the Denver Broncos.
* NU’s last game against Texas ” a blowout loss in Austin in 2003 ” all but sealed the fate of Frank Solich in the eyes of Steve Pederson. I’m pretty sure Solich’s replacement won some points with the boss Saturday. If nothing else, I bet Pederson’s mood ring is looking a little more blue and a little less black these days.
Reach John Mabry at 473-7320 or jmabry@journalstar.com.
Most Commented news