College football begins in less than a month. Wow. I still haven’t been consoled or reconciled with the outcome of last season. We started the first more-than-half of the season at 5-3. Not bad. I had attended three of those games, once with my folks, once with my brother, and once with my wife. My college roommate and his wife and son joined us at two of the games. We had a great time (and a great view, sitting in the first row of a section. They try to put us folks who have trouble walking down the narrow aisles in the wider first row. This isn’t the lowest row in the stadium … I’m talking about the first row of a section, where a section could start halfway up the side of the stadium. Anyway, I’m belaboring the point … ).
We were 5-3. We were WITHIN ONE GAME of being bowl eligible. We ended up at 5-7. Yuck.
You know, I’ve counted the numbers. I’ve found the spreadsheets with all the data. In the first forty years of my life (1961 to 2001), we had the best record in college football — the most wins, the highest winning percentage, etc. And the years immediately following 2001 weren’t too bad … a few bowl games … but then we started having LOSING records.
We Nebraska folks are patient and can be tenaciously long-suffering. We still applaud the opponents as they leave the field. We can do that because we’ve already been to the top. The view is beautiful up there. We know what it’s like to reach perfection. For a time. Then it’s someone else’s turn (I never understood why we needed to take turns. 🙂
Eventually, after a fall from grace, the subject (I) want to get back on top. We’ve made a living off of losing one-score games. Three of our last four games last season were lost by a field goal. It’s time for a change.
And I think we have one coming. New QB — hot prospect whose father was an All-American player at Nebraska (Dominic Raiola, who played Center I believe). Dylan Raiola is his name. And from what I’ve heard, it’s a name that you’ll remember for years in the future. We’ve got a cadre of speedy receivers to accompany the QB, and we have good potential at RB.
This reminds me of when Tommie Frazier was coming up; this reminds me of when Eric Crouch took the reins; this reminds me of Turner Gill (with Mike Rozier, Roger Craig, Irving Fryar, and Tom Rathman. Wow what a team!).
So we’ll see. We’re starting off the season ranked 25th. What, are you kidding me? We haven’t proved that we’re a real team. Remember all the hype that surrounded Colorado last year with their “Prime” coach and coach’s kids. They did beat us (barely) but they ended up having a lousy season. We play them again this year. It’ll be fun to see how it turns out.
“Sons of Old Nebraska, if someone should ask ya, we’re the Scarlet and the Cream.”
Go Big Red!