Archive for October 2009
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
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
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
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
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
Bring on Texas Tech and more Husker good ideas
Two days away until Nebraska plays Texas Tech and Nebraska is favored by a touchdown or more. My observation is that Husker fans take great pride in being favored by large margins. Even more so, they like winning by a large margin.
I, on the other hand, feel that at this point in the season a tough game that they pull out (maybe like last week’s) would be good. Winning by low margins can build character, like the Army would say. And more importantly, it keeps the team sharp for the last half of the season.
So while more Husker fans can not just count wins and losses (they must count big wins, wins and losses), I think they could benefit most from a close game. In the end what most Husker fans want is a prestigious bowl game, preferably a BCS game, and they need to continually progress their game as the Big 12 season winds up and finishes out. A hard-fought, close game helps the team to maintain an edge through November 26 or maybe December 5 (Big 12 championship).
A few more Husker notes:
Hello, Husker fans…you’re still in the baseball season so don’t lose sight of the fact that former NU baseball player Joba Chamberlain is pitching for the Yankees in the MLB playoffs.
You know you have a significant college football program when there is one encyclopedia devoted to your team…go to www.huskerpedia.com.
Add comment October 15, 2009
Sighhhhhhhhh!!
That gentle breeze going west to east is the collective sigh of Nebraska fans everywhere after the Huskers pulled out a win in the last one and one-half quarters against Missouri.
I was a late arriver to the televised game because of a meeting; two minutes after I walked in the door they scored the first time so I was ordered to remain in the family room to witness the come-from-behind victory.
1 comment October 9, 2009
Thursday night football
Today I checked the back of my Denver Post where they list the schedules and media for college football teams. Nebraska plays Missouri tonight on national television and I needed to know what time.
It seems that in the Denver Post to get a listing you must be a Colorado-based university or be located nearby, like Wyoming. Because the schedules for Colorado, Colorado State, Northern Colorado, Air Force, etc. and Wyoming are readily available. You have to dig to find the Nebraska game within the ESPN listings.
Why is Nebraska not a favorite within Colorado? I know of many transplanted Nebraskans…some anecdotal evidence…
—When we hang our Husker flag in front of our house, neighbors stop and tell us they too are Huskers and were afraid to tell anyone. I’d say 10 to 20% of our neighborhood has Nebraska roots.
—When we wear our Husker shirts to the grocery store, it’s good for three to six high-fives.
—When Wyoming added Nebraska to its schedule for 2010, they actually discussed playing the game in Denver at Invesco Field, which holds 90,000 people, because of the number of transplanted Nebraskans and Wyoming-ans here.
Hmmm…is the Denver Post just making it difficult for Nebraskans to keep in touch with their team. Don’t you think we should be one of the five colleges whose schedule they list?
1 comment October 8, 2009
Off Week – What’s a Fan to Do?
Some suggestions for how to spend your fall weekend since the Huskers have an ‘off’ week…
1. Watch the TiVO versions of the previous three games taking extra time to analyze the key plays in slow motion.
2. Experiment with recipes for new red, alcoholic beverages.
3. Drive to Lincoln in ‘easier’ traffic and then visit Memorial Stadium to see what it is like when there is not a home game.
4. Sit in the plentiful seating of the downtown bars on Saturday and imagine what it would be like to be packed in like sardines to watch the game on the big screen television.
5. Study the bowl game schedule for December and January and try to figure out who will go to each game, especially the Huskers. (Do you know they are already talking about Iowa playing in the BCS title game if they beat Ohio State?)
6. Drive to Boulder with a case of kleenex tissues to mop up all the crying from Colorado U’s 1-3 start. Didn’t Dan Hawkins guarantee 10 Buffalo wins this year?
7. Work on the harvest.
8. Put on your Husker shirt and watch the other Big 12 teams hoping to gather some key insights for future Nebraska games.
9. Work ahead so that you can get in front of the television early next Thursday for the Missouri-Husker game.
Add comment October 3, 2009
