Steven M. Sipple: Nebraska shows plenty of fight in hard loss
AUSTIN, Texas — The snapshots in your head capture the Nebraska football team’s emotions on a day that was full of promise in the beginning for the Huskers, but brutally discouraging in the end.
You saw Nebraska players and coaches wildly celebrating on the sideline after the Huskers — three-touchdown underdogs to 17th-ranked Texas — forged a two-touchdown lead early in the third quarter. So many of us had buried Big Red. On too many weekends this season, NU showed little passion and energy.
Turns out there’s abundant life left in those legs. On this day, the passion returned in full force.
Yet so did many of Nebraska’s shortcomings, and once again they would be the Huskers’ undoing. The camera doesn’t lie, nor does the scoreboard.
So, the most lasting snapshots in your head from a gorgeous Saturday in a vibrant city included Sam Keller breaking down in tears after a 28-25 loss, his left shoulder in a sling and his availability for the rest of the season in doubt. There was Marlon Lucky biting his lower lip as he walked off the field after a strong performance, but one that couldn’t touch the fireworks his Texas counterpart, Jamaal Charles, had just set off.
It’s a brutal sport, friends. This game drove home that point, that is if you saw the physical pain on Keller’s face and heard the emotional pain in Bill Callahan’s voice.
In the end, it was another brutal day in Nebraska’s brutal season. You could rightfully criticize the Huskers’ defense for once again collapsing to a startling degree — Charles ran for 216 yards and three touchdowns in the fourth quarter alone — and you could also skewer the Husker head coach for becoming conservative on offense early in the fourth quarter when his team needed him to go for the throat.
Let’s face it, though, we should also acknowledge the fight Nebraska showed to the end. Callahan hasn’t lost this team. That was as clear as the impossibly blue Texas sky. Maybe that realization was the news of the day, for the Huskers’ effort and energy have been lacking for so much of the past six weeks.
The Husker defense seemed to be energized by a plan that called for blitzes more than 75 percent of the time. NU showed little-to-no respect for Texas quarterback Colt McCoy.
Meanwhile, Nebraska’s offense established the run effectively, which set up some big pass plays. All of a sudden, Lucky was speeding around corners and even bursting through seams in the middle. Talk about an upset. What’s more, the offensive line knocked down defenders for a change.
No, this isn’t vintage Texas. Perhaps these were just average teams scratching and clawing for a victory that really didn’t mean all that much in the big picture. Yet, if you bleed Nebraska red, the beauty in the brutality was the Huskers’ effort. They played as if the game meant everything.
In Nebraska’s case, that was something of an upset. It was not the upset the Huskers wanted, but an upset all the same.
It was an upset because many of us expected Nebraska to get pummeled Saturday and show little fight in defeat. Instead, the Huskers were the aggressors early. They took the fight to the Longhorns. They had the Hookems on their heels.
Callahan comes off as cold and impersonal at times. You wonder sometimes if he can light a fire in his teams. You didn’t wonder Saturday.
Nebraska offensive coordinator Shawn Watson had tears in his eyes afterward.
“When you really care about each other, you play for each other,” Watson said. “These kids are awesome.”
Said Callahan: “The kids left everything they had on the field. I think we can build off that.”
But can they? Nebraska has lost four straight games and now is 4-5 overall and 1-4 in the Big 12. You wonder how many more times this team can climb off the mat for more punishment. If Saturday were an indication, the Huskers have plenty of punches left to throw.
Yet, there are no moral victories. That’s why it was disappointing that Callahan didn’t try harder to seize a crucial opportunity early in the fourth quarter. With his team leading 17-15, safety Larry Asante blitzed McCoy, forcing an errant throw that defensive end Zach Potter snatched out of the air.
Nebraska took over at the Texas 41-yard line. Time to strike through the air, right? Maybe shoot for the end zone. Take control of the game. Nope. Lucky ran into the middle of the line for no gain and then to the right side of the line for 2 yards. On third down, Keller misfired on a deep pass intended for Todd Peterson.
You know the rest of the story. Nebraska couldn’t contain Charles in the final quarter. McCoy also heated up. The Longhorns gained 261 yards in the fourth quarter. The Huskers couldn’t dissect the zone read and their tackling problems resurfaced late.
So, back to those snapshots: Nebraska defenders swarming around ballcarriers for most of three quarters and showing fight that’s too often been absent.
But in the end, tears from an injured starting quarterback and the prideful voices of an embattled head coach and his players.
“We’re just so tired of losing,” said senior safety Ben Eisenhart. “We’re so tired of going to class and having everybody ask questions.”
They had a resounding answer to one of our questions. For sure, Nebraska still has ample life, and plenty of passion — an encouraging sign under the circumstances.
Reach Steven M. Sipple at 473-7440 or ssipple@journalstar.com.
You saw Nebraska players and coaches wildly celebrating on the sideline after the Huskers — three-touchdown underdogs to 17th-ranked Texas — forged a two-touchdown lead early in the third quarter. So many of us had buried Big Red. On too many weekends this season, NU showed little passion and energy.
Turns out there’s abundant life left in those legs. On this day, the passion returned in full force.
Yet so did many of Nebraska’s shortcomings, and once again they would be the Huskers’ undoing. The camera doesn’t lie, nor does the scoreboard.
So, the most lasting snapshots in your head from a gorgeous Saturday in a vibrant city included Sam Keller breaking down in tears after a 28-25 loss, his left shoulder in a sling and his availability for the rest of the season in doubt. There was Marlon Lucky biting his lower lip as he walked off the field after a strong performance, but one that couldn’t touch the fireworks his Texas counterpart, Jamaal Charles, had just set off.
It’s a brutal sport, friends. This game drove home that point, that is if you saw the physical pain on Keller’s face and heard the emotional pain in Bill Callahan’s voice.
In the end, it was another brutal day in Nebraska’s brutal season. You could rightfully criticize the Huskers’ defense for once again collapsing to a startling degree — Charles ran for 216 yards and three touchdowns in the fourth quarter alone — and you could also skewer the Husker head coach for becoming conservative on offense early in the fourth quarter when his team needed him to go for the throat.
Let’s face it, though, we should also acknowledge the fight Nebraska showed to the end. Callahan hasn’t lost this team. That was as clear as the impossibly blue Texas sky. Maybe that realization was the news of the day, for the Huskers’ effort and energy have been lacking for so much of the past six weeks.
The Husker defense seemed to be energized by a plan that called for blitzes more than 75 percent of the time. NU showed little-to-no respect for Texas quarterback Colt McCoy.
Meanwhile, Nebraska’s offense established the run effectively, which set up some big pass plays. All of a sudden, Lucky was speeding around corners and even bursting through seams in the middle. Talk about an upset. What’s more, the offensive line knocked down defenders for a change.
No, this isn’t vintage Texas. Perhaps these were just average teams scratching and clawing for a victory that really didn’t mean all that much in the big picture. Yet, if you bleed Nebraska red, the beauty in the brutality was the Huskers’ effort. They played as if the game meant everything.
In Nebraska’s case, that was something of an upset. It was not the upset the Huskers wanted, but an upset all the same.
It was an upset because many of us expected Nebraska to get pummeled Saturday and show little fight in defeat. Instead, the Huskers were the aggressors early. They took the fight to the Longhorns. They had the Hookems on their heels.
Callahan comes off as cold and impersonal at times. You wonder sometimes if he can light a fire in his teams. You didn’t wonder Saturday.
Nebraska offensive coordinator Shawn Watson had tears in his eyes afterward.
“When you really care about each other, you play for each other,” Watson said. “These kids are awesome.”
Said Callahan: “The kids left everything they had on the field. I think we can build off that.”
But can they? Nebraska has lost four straight games and now is 4-5 overall and 1-4 in the Big 12. You wonder how many more times this team can climb off the mat for more punishment. If Saturday were an indication, the Huskers have plenty of punches left to throw.
Yet, there are no moral victories. That’s why it was disappointing that Callahan didn’t try harder to seize a crucial opportunity early in the fourth quarter. With his team leading 17-15, safety Larry Asante blitzed McCoy, forcing an errant throw that defensive end Zach Potter snatched out of the air.
Nebraska took over at the Texas 41-yard line. Time to strike through the air, right? Maybe shoot for the end zone. Take control of the game. Nope. Lucky ran into the middle of the line for no gain and then to the right side of the line for 2 yards. On third down, Keller misfired on a deep pass intended for Todd Peterson.
You know the rest of the story. Nebraska couldn’t contain Charles in the final quarter. McCoy also heated up. The Longhorns gained 261 yards in the fourth quarter. The Huskers couldn’t dissect the zone read and their tackling problems resurfaced late.
So, back to those snapshots: Nebraska defenders swarming around ballcarriers for most of three quarters and showing fight that’s too often been absent.
But in the end, tears from an injured starting quarterback and the prideful voices of an embattled head coach and his players.
“We’re just so tired of losing,” said senior safety Ben Eisenhart. “We’re so tired of going to class and having everybody ask questions.”
They had a resounding answer to one of our questions. For sure, Nebraska still has ample life, and plenty of passion — an encouraging sign under the circumstances.
Reach Steven M. Sipple at 473-7440 or ssipple@journalstar.com.
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