The fourth head coaches in eighteen years. After last year, there were pretty big indications that this hire wasn't going to be any different than the other three since Osborne. NU lost damn near every close game they were in. Sometimes in a head scratching fashion. And yes, by head scratching, I am referring to coaching decisions. Mediocrity. Damn it sucks. We had better learn to embrace it. Things were not heading in the right direction. This program was sliding deeper into a hole we may never get out of. Even worse than the Bo Pelini era. Maybe even worse than the Callahan era.
Then MSU happened. That was just a fluke. After all, MSU was really not a "great" team and upsets happen all the time....right? Then UCLA happened. The coaching staff almost seemed to have figured it out. They ran the ball. They stuck to a game plan to do so even after they fell down by two scores. They were damn near stubborn with the idea of forcing the run. Still, after fifteen years of the same ol', same ol', we've all learned to not trust this team. We have almost been conditioned to not do so.
All new seasons come filled with new optimism. After fifteen years, I was not expecting too much. "It'd be great to get to eight wins", I know I said on more than one occasion when asked for an assessment of the current team. I was in 'wait and see' mode on whether that was even possible. After all, the first two games were not going to tell us much, right? We looked good, not great. Enough for me to be optimistic about getting to eight wins at least. Still, does even eight wins show we are moving in the right direction?
Then....Oregon. Our test. It was here. Are they a top five team? No, but they are talented. With a lot of speed......and dangerous. They could still beat just about anyone on any given Saturday. Could we even match up with those guys?
Second quarter. 14-7. We are hanging in there....and driving. Then, thud. There it is. The turnover that will ruin the rest of the day. Time to go and mow...or at least turn the channel for awhile. This after all was going to be the same ol', same ol', right? As a die hard, I feel it is my duty to continue to watch, though. No matter how painful that might be. There is still a glimmer of hope. we are going to get the ball one more time with a few minutes left before the half. If we can get a field goal, we may at least make the final score look respectable. Three and out. Oregon with the ball back again?!?! S#*t, here we go. Here is where the wheels fall off.
Instead, something else happened. TA taking an IV on the sidelines is almost eerily symbolic of what we should expect from this team. It is different than last year. This team has a tenacity that I have not seen from a Nebraska team in quite some time. They do not quit. They compete. There is that intangible there. That one that you can not always put your finger on. For the first time in a long time, I think there is something special going on in Lincoln. And I just do not 'hope' that. I actually believe it.
Then MSU happened. That was just a fluke. After all, MSU was really not a "great" team and upsets happen all the time....right? Then UCLA happened. The coaching staff almost seemed to have figured it out. They ran the ball. They stuck to a game plan to do so even after they fell down by two scores. They were damn near stubborn with the idea of forcing the run. Still, after fifteen years of the same ol', same ol', we've all learned to not trust this team. We have almost been conditioned to not do so.
All new seasons come filled with new optimism. After fifteen years, I was not expecting too much. "It'd be great to get to eight wins", I know I said on more than one occasion when asked for an assessment of the current team. I was in 'wait and see' mode on whether that was even possible. After all, the first two games were not going to tell us much, right? We looked good, not great. Enough for me to be optimistic about getting to eight wins at least. Still, does even eight wins show we are moving in the right direction?
Then....Oregon. Our test. It was here. Are they a top five team? No, but they are talented. With a lot of speed......and dangerous. They could still beat just about anyone on any given Saturday. Could we even match up with those guys?
Second quarter. 14-7. We are hanging in there....and driving. Then, thud. There it is. The turnover that will ruin the rest of the day. Time to go and mow...or at least turn the channel for awhile. This after all was going to be the same ol', same ol', right? As a die hard, I feel it is my duty to continue to watch, though. No matter how painful that might be. There is still a glimmer of hope. we are going to get the ball one more time with a few minutes left before the half. If we can get a field goal, we may at least make the final score look respectable. Three and out. Oregon with the ball back again?!?! S#*t, here we go. Here is where the wheels fall off.
Instead, something else happened. TA taking an IV on the sidelines is almost eerily symbolic of what we should expect from this team. It is different than last year. This team has a tenacity that I have not seen from a Nebraska team in quite some time. They do not quit. They compete. There is that intangible there. That one that you can not always put your finger on. For the first time in a long time, I think there is something special going on in Lincoln. And I just do not 'hope' that. I actually believe it.
