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 coachpam
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 coachpam
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 coachpam
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 coachpam
Holy Colorado Ryen Ruscillo!
I see that several people found my blog from the search term, ‘why do the huskers hate Colorado?’ So I will have to keep writing about the rivalry.
Today on ESPN Radio’s Scott Van Pelt Show, co-host Ryen Ruscillo said that his ‘pick game of the week to watch in person’ would be the Colorado-West Virginia game tomorrow night. We Huskers think you have lost it Ryen.
You are living in the past. The game will not be an overtime game like last year; doubtful that Colorado will hold their own after travelling 2/3 of the way across the country on a weekday. I don’t even think the Colorado media think this will be a good game. Did you forget about the Unholy Toledo vs. Colorado game?
In lieu of recommending counseling, let me offer these options to ‘spice up’ your personal life since you obviously are lacking in quality entertainment options:
– attend a chick flick on Thursday night – I recommend “The Proposal” or “Julie and Julia;”
– take a gourmet cooking class;
– how about quilting?
– maybe just stay home and read a book.
Now, next Thursday…a trip to Columbia to see the Huskers and Missouri Tigers might be a good ‘pick of the week’. Ryen, you might want to stray away from the weaker east coast games and venture into some unfamiliar territory further west.
Add comment September 30, 2009 coachpam
Typical
Some real anecdotes about Nebraska football fan behavior…
For the game on Saturday against Louisiana-Lafayette, which was an evening game, our family also had Rockies tickets. Our trip to Coors Field included listening to the beginning of the Nebraska game on a radio station that carried more crowd noise and static than announcer information. The static was so bad that I asked the Nebraska fan driving my car if he could discern anything. He of course knew the score, yard line, time of game, etc. Our children chose to tune this out with their Ipods.
Then, during the Rockies-Cardinals game, a big event since the Cardinals clinched a playoff berth with their win, our family Husker fan listened to the Nebraska game on his transistor radio. We were fortunate to get frequent updates even though one could hardly wonder why you needed an update after the first quarter when the end result was a 55-0 loss. Not bad for that 300th consecutive sellout at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln.
Earlier in the afternoon, we had texted a friend who graduated from Louisiana-Lafayette that the game would be on Colorado radio. He replied back, “Nebraska is really not very good and I would not be surprised to see an upset.” This of course infuriated some Nebraska fans living in Colorado and a flurry of Internet activity ensued to analyze La-Lafayette’s chances.
How about those Iowa Hawkeyes defeating Penn State on national television!! I think a Nebraska-Iowa bowl game would be fabulous this year. I’m getting my Iowa sweatshirt cleaned up.
More later…
Add comment September 28, 2009 coachpam
Can you count to 300?
Nebraska will play football in front of its 300th consecutive sell-out crowd this weekend causing me to think about the consistency, 300 repititions at anything and how much has changed since that first sellout in 1962. Consider for example:
1. No National Football League (NFL) team has sold out every game since 1962.
2. The Yankees have not made it to the playoffs or World Series every year since 1962 (just had to throw that in Mark Watson).
3. Who do you know who weighs the same as they did in 1962?
4. Wouldn’t you love a sales person who had consistently sold at their quota or above for the past 47 years?
5. How many times has each bank in Nebraska been sold, merged, changed owners, changed signs since 1962?
6. No one could possibly own the same television as they had in 1962. In fact, most Husker games were not even broadcast back then. See how spoiled we are now with the weekly broadcast of games in color and high definition.
7. A few people are married to the same person and living in the same house…but not many.
8. Thankfully, we have home computers now.
9. And we have the Internet so that we can get information like the game update in a split second.
10. In 1962 Sportscenter on ESPN did not exist to report the Husker updates and news and neither did women’s sports or professional lacrosse, soccer, rugby and hockey.
11. And all those games were played in the same place, Memorial Stadium…a city and university that did not find the need to build a new facility in this stadium-construction-crazed society that we have created.
WOW! 47 years of consistency is pretty amazing. Congratulations Huskers fans!
Add comment September 25, 2009 coachpam
Stirring up things in Colorado
With the first week of the season done and a big win and a ho-hum game this week, just a couple comments.
Probably the most interesting news about Nebraska football is happening in Boulder, CO, where U of Colorado spent the week sulking over their loss to Colorado State. They better watch out because they could easily lose it to Toledo tonight, a game they should easily win.
The irony of the CSU loss is that Dan Hawkins promised the Buffs Fan Club 10 wins or his job last week at the kick-off luncheon. Oh, Dan! I just checked www.coachesonthehotseat.com and Dan is number 2 on the list of those expected to lose their job this year. To be honest, I think Dan has much more integrity that the previous Rick Nuheisel and Gary Barnett, and I do think that you can have integrity and be successful in Boulder.
So Nebraska fans are wearing their red shirts a little more boldly here in Colorado and counting down the days to November 27 (just 77 days until the Colorado-Nebraska showdown).
The good news for CU is that with the Rockies run for the playoffs, CU and the Denver Broncos are outside the radar screen.
Congrats to Vivian Stringer for her induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame. Previously on Facebook I left a review of her biography…a must read for all women and girls.
1 comment September 11, 2009 coachpam
‘Twas the week before Labor Day
…And all through the state,
Every creature is stirring…
Because this is the week before the first Husker football game, which is nearly an official state holiday. Hotels, restaurants and the Nebraska faithful are preparing. And every fan is scrambling for their favorite red-wear.
Two new quarterbacks, Zac Lee as start and Cody Green as backup, will make their debut this fall. Can you imagine starting your first college football game at Memorial Stadium? I hope he has a good sports psychologist. Here’s a few techniques for first-time quarterbacks:
– establish a pre-game routine that creates focus and allows you to block out the Red world – maybe he should pretend to be the starting quarterback for San Diego State;
– stay away from the fans before the game;
– don’t read the newspaper or listen to the radio and television news;
– breathe.
The quarterbacks won’t feel any pressure, NOT. The Omaha World Herald poll shows that 82% of its readers think Nebraska will win the Big 12 North, ahead of Missouri and Kansas. Hmmm. No bias in this poll.
And then the online Sports Network predicted a 38-21 Husker win over Florida Atlantic this week. A win is probable; however, Florida Atlantic gives everyone fits.
And lastly, a reminiscence about Nebraska football. Twenty-two years ago Saturday my husband Doug and I married at the same time as a Husker football game. Several good friends and family grinned and bore it to show up at the wedding. Many others just attended the reception that night. Can you believe that my spouse would give up a game to get married? The game was actually against Utah State and everyone figured it would be the best game of the year to miss.
Add comment September 2, 2009 coachpam
Husker Football Prediction
Since all the sports analysts are completing their college football predictions this week, here is mine for the Huskers, not that I consider myself a sports analyst…really closer to being a psychic. Note that Sports Illustrated picked the Huskers to finish 8-4 with a Holiday Bowl berth. Read my predictions then write a comment with yours.
Sept. 5 Florida Atlantic win but it will be harder than it seems today.
Sept. 12 Arkansas State win
Sept. 19 Virginia Tech win
Sept. 26 Louisiana-Lafayette win big (sorry to my friend Brandon who graduated from here)
Oct. 8 Missouri lose but closer than expected
Oct. 17 Texas Tech lose again
Oct. 24 Iowa State win but closer than you think
Oct. 31 Baylor win but again closer than you think
Nov. 7 Oklahoma lose
Nov. 14 Kansas win
Nov. 21 Kansas State win
Nov. 27 Colorado win big and Dan Hawkins will coach his final CU game (but I am not biased)
That’s a 9-3 record and I predict a bid to the Cotton Bowl. What do you think?
By the way, I did not consult any players, coaches, sports analysts, my husband or any family members before making these preductions.
Add comment August 25, 2009 coachpam
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