Road Wins Just aren't Good Enough

In case you haven't figured it out, each week following a Husker game has a theme. After USC, it was the panic and the pathetic Husker running game. After Troy, it was how much tickets to Glendale, Arizona were and who to bring with to the National Title game. After Kansas it was how bad the DB's were. You get my drift.

This week however, a disturbing new pattern has hit Husker land. Listen to any talk radio program in this town for any length of time, and you will hear them. All afternoon yesterday...caller after caller...time after time. Let me paraphrase a typical caller:

"Hi Kevin/Matt/Jim/Trav, I'm a huge Husker fan, and I'm happy with the win and all (tobacco spit), but I just question why we're not stepping on people's throats. We're so much better than this. How come we only beat Josh Freeman (they like to think it was one person), by 18 points? If we play like this, we're going to get killed by the good teams. I'll hang up and listen to your reply as I brand this cow" ( I made that last part up. They usually don't hang up)

As I've stated one, two or a million times, Husker fan is set aside from regular sports fans..not because of who he is, but who he THINKS he is. In this case, he thinks he is back in 1995, beating teams by 50 points a game running a freakish 1950's offense while using nothing but unknown farm boys and street thugs from either coast. Husker fan is enamored with the fact that it wasn't just good enough to win a 1/2 National title or two a decade ago...but that they were the greatest dynasty in the history of sports. They were not just a great team, but an all-time team...thanks of course to the loyalty of the greatest fans in college football.* (*check the sign if you don't believe them)

But is this justified? SHOULD they be pounding the likes of KSU and Iowa State on the road? They're 6-1. They're in first place in the north. Shouldn't they be pounding teams to make them feel better? Do style points still matter? Is it wrong to demand more when you're 6-1? Well, they would if they were that damn good...which you and I both know they aren't.

Bill Callahan, in his first few recruiting class, put together some decent athletes for his college debut. (who wouldn't say "yes" to John Blake as he's rummaging through your mom's kitchen pantry for cookies on a recruiting visit, while he asks if you want to play in front of 80,000 people?) He's got four good-but-not-great backs. He's got a tough QB who isn't spectacular, but is capable of using his Trent Dilfer-esque skills in keeping the offense going. He's got a decent-but-not-great offensive line. His front four isn't bad, and has a great player in Carriker. Overall...a nice little team that takes care of business.

So why is Husker fan so pissed off?

Again, this all goes back to Husker fan's most basic need, which as I've said a thousand times, is for YOU to know how great HE is. How can you do that if you're only putting up 21 points against KSU? How can you know how great he is if you're only scoring 28 points on a pathetic ISU defense? As you can tell we're dealing some very serious issues here. At least the Corn people are going Don Quixote at the right time. Isn't it better to demand your team pound others by 50 points when you're sitting at 6-1 instead of 3-3? Makes sense to me.

Unfortunately, there are some problems that lay ahead. I'm not sure if you know this, but I have heard rumors that Texas is pretty good. Their defense is as fast as you will see, and the offense is quick and balanced. The early forecast is for 50 degrees and rainy conditions in Lincoln on Saturday...so perhaps that boring molasses offense Clownahan runs will be good for something after all? Of course I see an easy Texas victory coming on Saturday, but that's not to say things can't go wrong for the Horns. (See my game breakdown coming in the next few days.) I may have to let the weekend draw a bit closer in order to make that accurate of a prediction.

The Huskers have feasted on a buffet of struggling teams and stagnant offenses. Will 80,000 pasty farmers be able to will them to victory? Tune in tomorrow.