BOULDER, Colo.– Ninety minutes before Friday’s game, the stadium still without fans, the locker door opened and Bill Callahan emerged into the cold air alone.

He stood just outside the door for several minutes, hands in pockets, a distant stare before an empty field.

What was going through that mind? Perhaps the latest twist he could add to this Husker soap opera.

For when the game started at CU’s Folsom Field, Callahan’s West Coast offense was not to be seen during the first two series. The Huskers were suddenly running the zone read.

Mixing elements of the spread offense with the West Coast, Nebraska jumped ahead early, only to have a fantastic collapse in a game fit for PlayStation.

It was weird, a game in 24-degree weather with no sense to it. In other words, it was a typical Nebraska football game in this 2007 season to flush down the toilet.

The final result: A 65-51 Colorado win, giving the 5-7 Huskers their second losing season in Callahan’s four years as coach.

Before Callahan, the Huskers hadn’t had a losing season since 1961.

Cameras surrounded Callahan as he walked off the field and ABC television tried to interview him. He declined.

In the postgame interview room, Callahan said he wished he could’ve given fans a better season. He then heaped praise on his players’ resiliency.

“I told them I love them. I love each and every one of them,” Callahan said. “They’re great kids. You learn a lot of life lessons going through a season like this. By gosh, they gave everything they could and it wasn’t enough. As a coaching staff, you do the best you can. I told them all these are lessons you’ll learn now and take forever.”

What we have now is an anxious fan base, awaiting the big answer to the big question: What becomes of Callahan, who many figure is as good as gone?

He’ll meet with interim athletic director Tom Osborne this morning.

During the game, Osborne played host to some key donors. He was not available for comment.

Afterward, Osborne was scheduled to attend a reception with about 180 donors at Millennium Harvest House, an upscale hotel in Boulder.

Randy York, associate athletic director for communications, said there was no established timetable for Osborne’s Saturday. One source said news of a press conference could be revealed as early as 6:30 a.m.

“We’re not dumb. A new AD comes in. You know there’s a possibility there’s going to be changes,” said Husker senior cornerback Cortney Grixby. “Like Coach (Callahan) said, ‘We’re all men and this is a business.’ It was out of his hands to make the decision. We just wanted to come out here and play our best.”

Callahan said he did not want to speculate about his meeting with Osborne.

“I’m going to wake up tomorrow and deal with whatever we deal with and carry on,” he said. “I’m sure Coach Osborne has a lot of things he’d like to talk about. We’ll sit down and visit about them.”

In the early stages of Friday’s game, it appeared Callahan might head into that meeting with the team’s sixth win, which would have qualified Nebraska for a bowl game.

The Buffs darted to a 17-7 lead, scoring on their first three possessions. But then CU fell victim to Nebraska junior quarterback Joe Ganz’s hot hand.

Ganz, making only his third start but coming off a 510-yard passing performance against Kansas State, had 274 yards passing in the first half. He threw for two touchdowns and rushed for two more.

Despite some woeful play by the defense, it was 35-24 Nebraska at halftime.

Then the wheels fell off. The Huskers, wearing all-white uniforms for the first time since the 2002 Independence Bowl, could muster just 40 yards in the third quarter after having 393 in the first half.

Ganz finally looked mortal, throwing interceptions on two consecutive passes. The first was returned for a touchdown. Colorado scored just four plays after the second one to take a 38-35 lead.

“The interceptions let them back in the game and gave them life,” Ganz said.

The problems continued for Nebraska — dropped passes, penalties, a blocked punt, a defense without answers.

Friday marked the sixth time this season an opponent has scored at least 40 points against Nebraska. The Huskers gave up 455 points (almost 38 a game) in 12 contests this season.

The previous worst Husker scoring defense was in 2002. But that unit was great in comparison, giving up 335 points in 14 games.

Friday was also the second time this season Nebraska has given up more than 50 points in a game. The last time that happened to the Huskers was when they were coached by a guy named Potsy – George “Potsy” Clark in 1945.

If Callahan’s tenure is over at Nebraska, he will leave with a 27-22 record.

“They’ve been great years. I have no regrets being here at Nebraska,” Callahan said. “Like I said, I signed an extension to be here, and to retire here hopefully.”

The words came out sincere, but the words might not be able to make up for one of the worst seasons in modern Husker history.

When CU’s Hugh Charles scored from 2 yards to make it 58-35 with 4:16 left, many of the Husker fans looked for the nearest exit.

Time to get out of this cold. Time to get out of this season.

Reach Brian Christopherson at 473-7439 or bchristopherson@journalstar.com.