Reply With Quote
They should probably focus on getting a win against Washington first.
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/column...pat&id=5372985
Nebraska is already looking toward its Oct. 16 visit from Texas, a rematch of last year's Big 12 le game that left the Cornhuskers feeling aggrieved.
For decades, the Nebraska Cornhuskers have been the self-proclaimed kings of ins utional class in college football.
Their fans lead the free world in civility and decorum toward opponents -- just ask them. To hear the Big Red faithful tell it, Gandhi could have learned a few things about dignity on a football Saturday in Lincoln.
That context makes this recently released, university-produced video all the more interesting and entertaining. Suddenly, the kings of class have gone Dan Gilbert on the Texas Longhorns -- and turned Oct. 16 into the Bad Blood Game of the Year in the process.
Oh, the Huskers are more subtle than the shrill-shrieking letter writer from Cleveland. But they've rather shockingly eschewed the pretend politeness that dominates intercollegiate interaction in favor of sharp shots at a league rival. In a span of one minute and five seconds, they hung a bull's-eye on Bevo and transformed a midseason game into a midsummer crusade.
When the polished, blood-pumping video ends by flashing the date of Texas' mid-October trip to Lincoln and showing the apparent rallying cry for the season -- "Wear red. Be loud. Beat Texas." -- this rivalry officially reached a full boil. Nebraska got its provocative point across, even copying Mack Brown's slogan for Longhorns fans: "Come early, be loud, stay late, wear orange."
It's a risky move, tacitly declaring that the first five games of the year are mere prelude. But Nebraska, much more accustomed to being the hunted than the hunter and having other programs circle its name on the schedule, clearly is ready to assume the risk.
Still, the video's launch last week as part of a new promotional website, RedOutAroundtheWorld.com, was followed by an inevitable but ineffective backpedal toward pretend politeness. In response to requests for comment, Huskers assistant athletic director Michael Stephens wrote the following to ESPN.com Big 12 blogger David Ubben and myself:
"RedOutAroundtheWorld.com is an athletic department website produced in partnership with the Omaha World-Herald and UNL Communications. I think it is important to note that it is not a 'Beat Texas' site but rather a website that will be used to celebrate, thank and connect Husker fans across the world. In doing this we do hope to create some energy to help our team beat Texas but that certainly is not the sole focus. This will become much clearer when the full site goes live on August 7th."
Until Aug. 7, we can go only with what we've got -- a rare declaration of disdain from one historic football superpower toward another.
Start with the first spoken words on the video: "Nebraska -- a place of integrity, family, commitment." Straight to the value judgments -- and we all know who Big Red believes is lacking in those areas. Think any Cornhusker from athletic director Tom Osborne on down doesn't find Texas deficient in integrity after the nasty finger-pointing between the two schools during realignment mania last month?
In the heat of that crazy time, Longhorns officials circulated the viewpoint that Nebraska's flight to the Big Ten was responsible for jeopardizing the future of the Big 12. The message was constant and consistent: The entire league could crumble if the Huskers fled for the Big Ten.
That was the trigger for Texas and a whopping five other schools to enter into negotiations with the Pac-10. After using Nebraska as the catalyst for a full-on Pac-10 flirtation, the Horns reversed course and led its five potential breakaway partners back into the conference fold.
And that left the short-timer Huskers as the Big 12 bad guys. But that was only the latest skirmish between the two schools.
Last December they met in the Big 12 le game, Texas playing for a spot in the BCS National Championship Game and Nebraska playing to shock the world and win the league's BCS bid. The game stunningly went down to the final play, when a desperation Longhorns drive led to a game-winning field goal after one second was put back on the clock by game officials.
If you want to know how much that 13-12 loss stung the Huskers, all you had to do was read HuskersIllustrated.com on Sunday. At 2:06 p.m., a mere 217 days after the game was played, a thread decrying an interference penalty on the final drive was started. Among the printable sentences:
"First off, [Colt] McCoy threw it away, 2nd the receiver gave up on his route!! S sucking refs did not even give Nebraska the decency to get together and talk about picking up the flag."
(As someone replied to the original poster, "You should probably learn to chill.")
That game continued a remarkable run of futility against Texas for the Huskers. They're 4-9 against the Horns, just 1-8 since the two became conference mates in 1996. That includes a current five-game losing streak, the last three decided by a total of six points.
For a school long accustomed to crushing its peers, that's tough to take. So, too, has been the migration of conference clout from Lincoln to Austin.
Nebraska was one of the kingpins of the Big Eight when the league took in a life raft of four schools from the crumbling, corrupt Southwest Conference. But it didn't take long for the Longhorns to flex their muscles, helping block schools from signing partial academic qualifiers and helping usher in a league playoff game. In recent years the disproportionate conference revenue-sharing plan has tilted even more in favor of Texas and Oklahoma in the Big 12 South, and away from Nebraska and its overmatched brethren in the North.
So, yeah, there are a few reasons why Nebraska didn't mind hitting the eject button on any conference that included Texas. And a few reasons why the Corn People dearly want to beat Bevo on their way out the door to the Big Ten.
Tickets to that game were going on StubHub on Sunday for a minimum asking price of $205 and a max of $1,395. None of Nebraska's other six home games was generating minimums of more than $103 or maximums of more than $1,176.
So circle the date. Tune in Oct. 16. See what kind of greeting the self-proclaimed kings of class bestow upon their freshly hated rival. My guess is that Gandhi might not approve.
They should probably focus on getting a win against Washington first.
Nebraska might win, but a beatdown?
If Texas wins that game in a blowout, there will be mass suicides. Or couch burnings, now that they have to impress their Big 10 + 2 brethren.
Texas needs this for the final nail in the nebraska coffin.
Will be a great game. But I don't see our defense letting Nebraska put up more than like 10 in a worst case scenario.
I as well always thought Neb was one of the best fanbases around and had great interaction with them. However seeing how much they thought of themselves and how little they thought of everyone else during this whole thing has made me think that maybe they think a little TOO highly of themselves.
Or maybe its like the good looking chick that is a b*tch because she knows she is good looking.
You mean they didn't want to beat Texas before?
I dont see Nebraska's offense letting Nebraska put up more than 10
I don't think they were quite as motivated as they are this year.You mean they didn't want to beat Texas before?
It's good to want things.
Texas will win 38-10 to the smell of burning corn
butthurt cornholes
They're really on an ego trip over there in Lincoln.
You must have never heard of the Austin/UT press.
difference being that UT has earned the right to have the ego trip
Well, actually, both schools have a pedigree that warrants a little compe ion. Nebraska isn't like, say, Baylor--w/o any history.
This game will be pretty interesting. I went to the USC vs. Nebraska game @ the Coliseum three years ago, and the visiting/local Cornhusker faithful were nothing but class. They can make some damn good BBQ as well.
eh. Not much of a reason for cornhusker fans to be on an ego trip in 2010.
Poor guys
good times
What's Nebraska's record against Texas in the last 10 years?
No doubt that the horns have owned the Huskers in recent memory, but all TGM is saying is that the Huskers are worthy opponents with a healthy tradition that includes natty championships.
BTW, I think the Horns will win this matchup by a few scores.
I loathe the Big 10 + 2, or whatever in the they call themselves now
It should be an interesting game. I have to make Nebraska the favorites as they're playing at home and Texas has an unproven QB.
Texas has a better offense, defense and special teams
Not even close
And qb proven or unproven
Tru dat, but if Texas overcame most of Colt's shenanigans I have faith we have a good chance at overcoming Gilbert laying an egg.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
