The Last Word
Congratulations to the Huskers on their huge win over Arizona in the Holiday Bowl. It makes for a sweet-tasting off season.
This will be my last blog as the Husker Football Spouse as I am re-focusing my interests in 2010 on published writing projects (for a fee). Thanks to my readers. Writing about the quirks of Nebraska football provided many humorous moments and thoughts during the past two years.
My closing thoughts on Nebraska football: it’s not how you play the game – it’s whether you win or lose and by how many points you win by.
You can stay in contact with me on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and at my business blog http://blog.smartgrowth.com, which is linked to my other blogs as well.
Add comment January 2, 2010 coachpam
Husker congrats
Just heard it on ESPN radio so it must be true. Ndamukong Suh will be the most successful NFL player from among the Heisman candidates.
Let’s hope the voters have the courage to break the pattern of picking nice-looking offensive players.
Add comment December 8, 2009 coachpam
Tie game – Nebraska and Texas football
Sittin’ here with a glass of red wine, a sly grin on my face and pride in my heart. Nebraska takes Texas down to the .01 second mark in the Big 12 Championship. I consider it a tie. A 13-12 loss could be heart breaking…but…some random thoughts…
– My son’s piano teacher arrived today yelling, “PU on TU (Texas)” after he saw our Go Big Red sign in the front window. He tells me, “I root for any team playing Texas.” A common sentiment in these Colorado parts…
– As the Huskers entered the fourth quarter, my only gesture would have been toward Bristol, CT, where all the ESPN stars had predicted a Texas run-away-game. Na-na-na-nana-na. I hope you all picked Texas and the point spread in your gambling exploits for the week.
– Sorry Colt McCoy…think you lost the Heisman today. And so did Tim Tebow. That running back from Alabama looks pretty good.
– However, can you say SUH? Yes. Ndamaka Suh is deserving of the Heisman Trophy next Saturday. He single handedly put the Nebraska-Texas game away. Even Mark Kiszla of the Denver Post is a Suh supporter and it’s hard to get someone from Colorado to give two glances at a Nebraska player. See his column from the Dec. 4 Post: http://www.denverpost.com/kiszla/ci_13922770
– Yes, break the trend. Give the Heisman to a defensive player.
– This was the best defensive college football game of the season for 2009, and what do I know?!.
– And Texas will thank Nebraska for this preview of Alabama’s defense. The two schools are considered the best defensive teams in the country.
– No reason for Nebraska to fear the Big 12 South next year. They’re ready for anyone.
– Memo to Texas…you lucked out with your schedule because I’m not sure about the level of competition you faced this year…and you still got to the BCS Championship. Maybe this poll and BCS systems needs to be examined.
– Lucky for me, an Iowa girl, I think we dodged a Nebraska-Iowa bowl game and the need to contact Arapahoe County Child Protectice Services to ensure the welfare of my children.
Ahh…the Nebraska football fan in my house and the Nebraska football spouse will sleep well tonight. I’m getting my footbowling picks ready for another season.
Add comment December 6, 2009 coachpam
Lunch with CU’s Dan Hawkins
Took a break Saturday from high school Ultimate Frisbee in Boulder, CO, and went to lunch at Pei Wei. Since it was crowded, I picked the only table in the restaurant and looked up to see CU Football Coach Dan Hawkins at the table next to me. If I had lifted my arm to the right, I would have karate-chopped him in the neck.
Note, that this occurrence is on the same day that the Denver Post headlines that Hawkins job is under review. And the day after ESPN radio played the top five worst predictions of the college football year. “I guarantee 10 wins, no excuses,” Hawkins told the CU Football Patrons.
Well I am here tell you that Dan looked sad at lunch. I did not ruin his lunch with his wife and relatives by peppering him with questions, but this is what I noticed:
– distracted eyes…barely kept in the conversation and looking down;
– constant texting;
– picking at his food, and since he and I ordered the same thing, I know the food was good.
In general, he looked like I feel when my heart is in my stomach.
If I had talked to him, I would have told him I like his ‘character.’ (Many Nebraska fans would not have liked this.) Noticeably, no one came up and talked to him, and I was glad that people let him be in public without pestering him. I commend he and his family for going out to such public locales during this time.
Of course, this chance meeting was ironic six days before the Nerbaska-Colorado showdown. With Nebraska’s win over Kansas State and the Big 12 Championship, the media will calm down over the Friday game. However, both teams still want to win badly. It could mean alot to Hawkins’ job, I think.
And I am wondering about the prospect of an Iowa-Nebraska bowl game match-up.
Add comment November 22, 2009 coachpam
8 Days to the Nebraska vs. Colorado game
Some of you may be counting down the days until Thanksgiving but I can assure you if you live in Nebraska or Colorado, you are preparing to be stuffed with the annual showdown between the Huskers and Buffaloes. Just 8 days until the interstate rivalry game.
As the spouse of a devout Husker fan living in Colorado, let me share some of the emotions for this game, which every fan keeps one eye on during the college football season.
For the Buffaloes, even though their 2009 record is dismal, they truly believe they could pull the season off and Dan Hawkins’ job with a win over Nebraska. In fact, if their record this year ended at 1-11 with the one win being over Nebraska, they would still consider it a good year.
Emotions are high given that Hawkins promised 10 wins and has delivered 3. The opinions about whether he should keep his job are about 50-50. While they are focused on their November 21 game against Oklahoma State, which lost their star quarterback, Colorado still has one eye on the November 27 showdown.
Meanwhile, Nebraska must gut it out against Kansas State this week. But even with a win and the Big 12 North title, they will not rest before the Buffalo game. Husker fans, especially those who live in Colorado, would like nothing shorter than a mauling. In fact, if Nebraska does not win by a lopsided score, Husker fans will consider the game a loss.
Where does all this bad blood come from? Nebraska still hasn’t forgotten the year that Colorado dominated the conference under Bill McCarthy in the early 1990′s. In fact, most fans like my husband can still recount several key plays in the Nebraska-Colorado game that year. And then there’s some games that Rick Neuheisal and Gary Barnett coached.
So stay tuned…it’s an interesting week to live in Colorado and be a Nebraska fan.
Add comment November 19, 2009 coachpam
The Red Sea
The room was full of red and white balloons and streamers AND red and black shirts. 22 televisions adorned the walls of the back room at the Fox and Hound. And we were not even within 545 miles of Memorial Stadium or Lincoln, NE. It’s football Saturday in Colorado, and all 6 Fox and Hound restaurants are full of Husker football fans at 10 am in the morning.
Nebraska vs. Baylor, a chance for redemption after two straight losses for the Husker football team. Forgetting about the past two games, Husker fans line up to enjoy this ‘two-meal’ extravaganza. The restaurant will serve breakfast and lunch due to the starting time.
A few notes about a Husker game room in Colorado:
– Each viewing site sports an NU host whose primary job requirement is to yell ‘Gooooo Bigggggg Reddddd’ without a megaphone at every opportune moment.
– The well-tuned crowd knows to follow with a short, curt ‘Go Big Red’ accompanied by a handclap.
– Husker fans have enough confidence to regularly play the fight song even during official play reviews.
– When the Nebraska fight song played after an interception, I commented that Nebraskans were looking for any reason to celebrate. The reply, ‘you would too after the last two weeks.’
– When an official play review resulted in Nebraska keeping the ball on a possible fumble, the crowd concurred that this week there would be a reversal of fortune.
– I asked for the Iowa game to appear on one televison (of the 22) and was told that ‘this is the Husker room…no other games are allowed.’
– When Nebraska’s special team scored the first touchdown and I clarified that it was not an offensive touchdown, the response was, ‘we will take them however we can get them,’ obviously bruised from last weeks 8-turnover loss against Iowa State.
– When I check the Iowa game in the other room at the Fox and Hound and the Hawks were behind 7-0, Nebraska fans told me, ‘It’s early,” similar to my responses when Nebraska starts out behind.
– Favorite sign of the game, Hei-Suh-Man.
– In addition to offensive yards and scores, Nebraskans measure success in quarterback sacks, yards lost on the play, interceptions, and tipped passes.
– The Baylor Stadium featured as many Nebraska fans this week as those from Baylor. A bad year in Waco for college football.
– Meanwhile, I walk off my 3 coffees with Bailey’s by regularly walking to the front room to check the Iowa game. I’m starting to feel like a Nebraska fan when I dread ESPN’s comments about Iowa almost losing. However, they are now 9-0 now.
– And everyone in the Husker room is constantly aware of the Colorado-Missouri score cheering on Missouri during every television score update.
Next up, Oklahoma. Geeeeeesh!!!!
Add comment October 31, 2009 coachpam
Husker fans should cheer on Iowa too
An open letter to Husker football fans…Dear friends,
Late Saturday night, the Iowa Hawkeyes won one of the most exicting college football games of the day. I hope you were watching. It’s good for Nebraska to cheer on Iowa; here’s why.
Besides the fact that your states adjoin, you will both benefit by taking a mutual interest in upper Midwest teams. Sports talk radio spends enormous amounts of time focusing on teams in the southeast and on the Pacific coast. Why? Because of the large number of listeners in those markets. Does that mean that a Midwestern team can not go to the BCS title game? Fans of both Nebraska and Iowa should care that the playing field is level.
While Iowa football does not count success in national championships (shared one in 1958) or sold out stadiums (streak of less than 100 games), this year might be the year to look across the border. Something special might happen.
The big game to monitor will be the November 14 Iowa-Ohio State game in Columbus. And if there is a team that I dislike as much as the University of Colorado Buffaloes, it is The Ohio State University (why do they need to capitalize the T in The?).
Black and gold all the way. No one said you can’t be a fan of two teams. And let’s show the nation that you can be less than 500 miles from the ocean and still be relevant.
Add comment October 26, 2009 coachpam
Iowa girl talks
You can take the girl out of Iowa but you can not take Iowa out of the girl. It’s a little tense in our house today. Iowa State fans watched the ISU-Huskers game upstairs while Nebraska fans watched downstairs.
See, my husband Doug grew up in Nebraska and I grew up in Iowa. I can root for the Huskers and even enjoy their national prominence except when the Huskers play an Iowa team. Then, the golden fever strikes.
While I don’t own any Iowa State garb, I did steer away from red clothes today going for Gold.
What can I say? I think even I could have caught some of those Nebraska dropped balls on offense. You have to give credit to:
— Nebraska defense for keeping it a low-scoring game
— Iowa State defense for taking advantage of opportunities
— Iowa State coaches for keeping their heads.
Hopefully Colorado will lose today today because the worst day in a Husker fan’s fall is the day that Nebraska loses and Colorado wins. You know here in Colorado the media is hyping that a Colorado win could put them in a tie for first place. The Nebraska-Colorado game on Nov. 27 is certainly setting up to be serious.
Now, let’s wath some real football during the Iowa game.
Add comment October 24, 2009 coachpam
More Arghhhh!!
The worst possible day for a Husker football fan – the day after a Nebraska loss and a Colorado win.
Add comment October 18, 2009 coachpam
Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
The sound inside a Husker home after today’s loss to Texas Tech:
END
P.S. How about those Iowa Hawkeyes!
Add comment October 17, 2009 coachpam
| Previous Posts |
