Bleed Husker Red?

Time to prove it.

©2023 Kenneth Jarecke/Contact Press Images

I refuse to believe that the same fanbase that set a worldwide attendance record on a Wednesday would meltdown over a rough loss on a Thursday. But, if you give them the chance, that’s what the people on social media would have you thinking.

The message boards, the hashtag Husker posts on X, and many of the sports journalists, are flooding us with dire predictions and scholarly advice on what’s wrong with the football team and what needs to be done to fix it.

Ignore these buffoons, brainiacs that they are. The record setting fanbase, we can legitimately say that, as they’ve sold out the stadium for over sixty years and filled it to capacity for a volleyball game last week, has not abandoned this team or the new coaching staff after a single game.

The buffoons are a tiny, yet very vocal minority. This is how they get attention. And now they are invested in this negatively. For them to look smart, they need the Huskers to lose. Instead of supporting the team and looking forward to their success, they see this as an opportunity for themselves to shine. They’re chomping at the bit to say “I told you so” at the expense of enjoying the program they claim to support. How sad is that?

So ignore them. This goes for the buffoons with press tags as well. This is where they live. Journalists rarely get noticed for saying smart things. They know this. That’s why they stir the sh*t, and not in a good way. Like the person who pumps out your septic tank. Heck, they don’t even know what a septic tank is, let alone how to noodle a catfish. Are you going to give credence to a ignorant person like that?

Ignore both the amateur and professional self-proclaimed experts. Everybody has to eat, and these vampires feed on negative energy.

To ignore them is to starve them.

So let’s stop talking about buffoons and start thinking about Nebraska’s next opponent, the University of Colorado Buffaloes. Apologies to all the dads who just had their game-weak pun stolen (that right there is my version of a two point conversion).

©2023 Kenneth Jarecke/Contact Press Images

Colorado, under the guidance of first year head coach Deion Sanders had a great win this weekend. They beat a ranked team on the road, put up a ton of stats, and filled a highlight reel or two. I was cheering for them during the game and give them my heartfelt congratulations. Bravo!

But you don’t need me to tell you how great they are, they’ll tell you themselves.

Personally, I could not be more happy for them, or for us.

You see, college teams often take on the personality of their head coach. I think that’s what’s happening here with both Nebraska and Colorado. On one hand, you have an average athlete who as a walk-on at Penn State earned his way onto the team, and on the other you have a world class athlete who never really had to work hard to earn a spot on any team, at any level.

The two teams reflect this. Rhule has walk-ons contributing at a high-level, and Sanders has a legitimate Heisman candidate who looks like a reincarnation of himself.

One team looks like they’re happy to grab their lunch buckets and go work for a living, the other approaches the game like a party. There’s fun and satisfaction to be had with both methods, but when it comes to football it’s the grind, not the shine that wins in the long run.

“The U”, I’m looking at you.

Who would you rather coach this week, the team that shows grit and potential that lost in a heartbreaking manner and realizes they only have themselves to blame, or the team that thinks they’re already great?

Here’s a few reasons Nebraska will beat Colorado this Saturday.

Sanders can’t afford to give his team a reality check. They wouldn’t believe him anyway and they’re fueled by hype. It’s their tackling fuel.

Rhule’s team, well, they’re pissed and motivated. They blame themselves, not the coaches, not the fans, not the refs (although those two calls were responsible for a fourteen point swing…), just themselves. They know that the mistakes they made cost them the Minnesota game. They also know those mistakes can and will be fixed.

The Huskers had Saturday off. They all watched Colorado live. They saw Colorado’s strengths and weaknesses in real time. Before they even watched the game film they already knew what they needed to do to beat them, which is to run the ball. If you and I can see that, don’t you think they can?

They’ll pound that Colorado defense. I don’t think the Buffalos have the character, tenacity or conditioning to survive the day. I don’t think it’s part of Sander’s coaching philosophy, because it wasn’t part of his philosophy as a player. Even if it is, there’s no way he instilled it into his players at this point.

Remember what Rhule needed to make it at Penn State. That’s a life lesson. Life lessons are not easily forgotten, and Sanders never got that one.

Everybody knows Nebraska has to run and Colorado has to pass. So, I’ll happily trade Colorado passing yards for Husker rushing yards, in an even swap. I’ll even let them call the number. You want another five hundred yards passing? You got it. Knock yourself out.

This isn’t one of those games where player matchups is a big deal, at least on the Husker side of the ball. The only thing that matters is running between the tackles. The only thing to avoid is passing in Travis Hunter’s direction. So just don’t do it. We’re an Adidas team, not a Nike team anyway.

However, I would run at the guy all day long. As Sander’s mini-me, I’m guessing he’s not real fond of tackling.

Traditionally, Colorado fans are, what’s the word… stupid. They lack both common manners and football knowledge. Not a great way to go through life. Don’t be like them. Just like a team takes on the personality of their coach, fans take on personalities as well.

Omaha is not Philadelphia, we’re better than that (though I do have my suspicions about Beatrice).

Nebraska fans are reasonable, honest, and stoic. They get that from their environment. The state nurtured their upbringing which means there’s a certain amount of practicality to them. They don’t get too high or too low, the Platte is always going to flood, Harley’s can be rebuilt, beer is not going to drink itself and the weather will change, just give it another twenty minutes.

Osborne embodied these values, except maybe the beer drinking. The state fashioned him, as it did us. When it comes to important things like football and raising kids, we are of like mind. It’s our version of the circle of life. We are all in this together.

We’re much better than whatever the sad folks are yacking about on the socials.

©2023 Kenneth Jarecke/Contact Press Images

We’re smart enough not to listen to the opinions of people who never have, nor ever will.

When it comes to football, I know this century hasn’t been too kind to us, but let’s not forget who we are and the values that come along with it. That’s the only way this ship is righted.

Okay, maybe that’s not the best Nebraska metaphor for us midwesterners. Let me explain, a ship is like a big wagon that travels on top of the water. That’s why the covered wagons that pioneers used to cross our state were called “prairie schooners”.

Now, do you remember what pioneers liked to eat? Right, they ate buffalos. They ate them for breakfast, lunch, dinner and every snack in-between. They just loved to eat buffaloes.

On this holiday weekend, let us remember our heritage, and honor our legacy. Never forget that, just like corn is meant to be husked, buffalos are meant to be eaten.

We’re Nebraskans, and we know how to do both.