college football

HUSKER ROAD TRIPPIN’: NEW ORLEANS

HUSKER ROAD TRIPPIN’: NEW ORLEANS

Some of my fondest childhood memories revolve around my extended family traveling to Husker football away games inside a Buick that was pulling a camper.

This was back in the halcyon 1970s a few years after the Huskers had won back-to-back national championships and it was all but impossible to score tickets to home games without paying a guy on the street named Guido $400 for a pair of seats that may turn out to be fake. One sign you’d just purchased fake tickets from a scalper: there was a photo of Guido on the ticket. Another sign your tickets were fake: you’d buy nine and all nine would read “Row 22, seat 7.”

ADRIAN MARTINEZ’ HEISMAN ACCEPTANCE SPEECH

 ADRIAN MARTINEZ’ HEISMAN ACCEPTANCE SPEECH

Although he’s only a true freshman it’s crystal clear that Husker quarterback Adrian Martinez is a very special player. How special? I don’t think it’s too early to begin working on his future Heisman Trophy acceptance speech. I’ve taken the liberty of putting together a draft of a suitable speech for Adrian.

THANKFUL IN NEBRASKA

THANKFUL IN NEBRASKA

University of Nebraska Cornhusker football fans have gone through a miserable stretch for most of the past several years. It’s been difficult because these are proud folks who expect excellence in the program. Still, I think Thanksgiving would be a good time for Husker fans to stop and count their many blessings.

Below is a partial list.

NOT SO FAST, USA TODAY

NOT SO FAST, USA TODAY

USA Today just featured an article speculating that the University of Nebraska could possibly fire Scott Frost and pay off his hefty salary to the tune of $26 million. Which got me to thinking about the plausibility of this happening. I decided that the following are more likely to occur:

* Jason Peter is named spokesperson for the Nebraska Nice campaign.

PLEASE TALK GOODER

PLEASE TALK GOODER

I’d like to issue a plea to TV football play-by-play personnel and analysts to work on their grammar game. Or, to put it into football commentator vernacular, please talk good. 

I’ve been on a crusade for several years now - mostly conducted on Twitter which is to proper grammar what the Taco Bell jingle is to Pulitzer Prize-winning non-fiction - to get football commentators to stop saying “Michigan is on their own thirty" and “Look at Notre Dame - they’re ready to make their move.” This is fifth grade English, guys. Michigan, Notre Dame, USC and even Florida State are “its” not “theys.” “Michigan is on its own thirty" is correct. Or, “The Wolverines are on their own thirty" is correct.

A MILLION LITTLE THINGS

A MILLION LITTLE THINGS

Scott Frost said something very significant at his post-game press conference last Saturday after the humiliating loss to Purdue. It didn’t resonate with many. The vast majority of fans and media chose to focus on his remarks about shaking up the depth chart.

It occurred about five minutes in when a visibly upset Frost was discussing the Huskers’ mistakes and his face turned sort of a purplish-green-mauve-chartreuse color and he kind of resembled the Incredible Hulk with veins popping and he was shaking while cutting up a Blackshirt with a scissors and there was steam coming out of his nostrils and small pieces of fire and smoldering ash from his ears and he looked like he was about to ram a huge hole into the wall with his head. Which would’ve been awful since they just finished patching all 73 holes in the athletic dept. walls put there during the Pelini era.

IT’S OK TO CRITICIZE SCOTT FROST

IT’S OK TO CRITICIZE SCOTT FROST

I need to clear something up. There seems to be some confusion over whether it’s all right to criticize the University of Nebraska football coaching staff now that the team is off to its worst start since 1945. While Scott Frost and company are probably doing some good things to lay a foundation for the future anytime a team begins a season 0-3 and plays beneath its potential, criticism is warranted.

ALL-AMERICAN MEETS KID

ALL-AMERICAN MEETS KID

In the early 1970s my big cousin Denny wrote letters to numerous Husker football players. Denny wrote to star players, scrubs and incoming freshmen. He wrote to coaches. I’m pretty sure he wrote to equipment managers and trainers and even to the mascot, a surly type who was too busy to respond. In fact roughly half the players replied with an autographed photo. The signatures on several looked eerily similar.

A GUIDE TO MEMORIAL STADIUM FOR DUMMIES

A GUIDE TO MEMORIAL STADIUM FOR DUMMIES

Attending a Husker football game at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln is an experience to be relished. It’s also not for the faint of heart. Below are some handy tips for those planning on going to their first game.

SCOTT FROST: THE SAVIOR

SCOTT FROST: THE SAVIOR

Scott Andrew Frost is the University of Nebraska’s new head football coach and expectations are high. Perhaps not since FDR’s second term have expectations for anyone been this high. The last time the hopes and dreams of so many rested on one man’s shoulders Neil Armstrong was about to step off Apollo 11 and onto the surface of the moon.