47 posts tagged “college football”
The weekend is pretty much over, but it was a great weekend. Nebraska won with a few "green" players in the starting lineup on offense. Cody Green was the first QB to start as a true freshman since Tommie Frazier did it back in 1992. He's still getting to know the offense, but still they responded well to having him under center. With the 20-10 win over Baylor, the Huskers are sitting at 5-3 (2-2 Big 12) and are one game closer to being eligible for post season play. Below is a list of possible bowl games (including BCS bowls), not saying the Huskers will run the table and go to the national title game (not yet anyway). I'm hoping the Huskers make it to the Cotton Bowl since the new Cowboys stadium is down the street from my apartment.
Another great bowl game is the Alamo Bowl. I've gone down there twice (2003, 2005), great overall experience down in San Antonio. The Holiday Bowl is another possible game that the Huskers could land. I'd fly out for that one. I think Tane said the drive is not far for her to come along. She had a great time down in Waco and even had her picture taken with Herbie. This weekend the Huskers take on Oklahoma who is also sitting at 5-3. Every game in college football is important as the teams jockey for position in the polls, but this one is very important since it's a possible turning point for the program. A win vs. OU and the Huskers are 6-3 with Kansas, Kansas State and Colorado left on the list. They'd also have the Big 12 North crown to add to their trophy case and a ticket down to Arlington with a December 5th date with Texas (from the looks of things right now).
Can Nebraska win the rest of their conference games? I think so, if their offensive line holds up, their receivers hold on to the ball, the running backs learn how to run straight through the hole vs. dancing around, and the defense plays solid. Is that asking a bit much? Maybe, we'll see. I think there's plenty of magic left at Memorial Stadium for this historic rivalry meeting again.
|
AdvoCare V100 Independence |
Shreveport, La. |
Dec. 28 |
ESPN2 |
|
Pacific Life Holiday |
San Diego |
Dec. 30 |
ESPN |
|
Brut Sun |
El Paso,
Texas |
Dec. 31 |
CBS |
|
Texas |
Houston |
Dec. 31 |
ESPN |
|
Insight |
Tempe,
Ariz. |
Dec. 31 |
NFL Network |
|
Rose Bowl Game presented by Citi |
Pasadena,
Calif. |
Jan. 1 |
ABC |
|
Allstate Sugar |
New Orleans |
Jan. 1 |
FOX |
|
AT&T Cotton |
Arlington,
Texas |
Jan. 2 |
FOX |
|
Valero Alamo |
San Antonio |
Jan. 2 |
ESPN |
|
Tostitos Fiesta |
Glendale, Ariz. |
Jan. 4 |
FOX |
|
FedEx Orange |
Miami |
Jan. 5 |
FOX |
|
Citi BCS National Championship Game |
Pasadena,
Calif. |
Jan. 7 |
ABC |
ADDENDUM
BCS Fiesta Bowl
Nebraska must: Win the Big 12 Championship.
Likely opponent: Boise State or TCU
Odds: Very Poor. NU can't beat Texas in its current state.
Cotton Bowl
Nebraska must: Win out but lose to Texas in the Big 12 title game
Likely opponent: Some SEC West leftover or Fightin Kiffins
Odds: Zero. One trip to Cowboys Stadium would be enough.
Holiday Bowl
Nebraska must: Beat OU, win North, lose to UT
Likely opponent: USC
Odds: Fair. But only if Nebraska beats Oklahoma.
Alamo Bowl
Nebraska Must: Win eight games, preferably the North title.
Likely Opponent: Minnesota or Northwestern
Odds: Good. We like NU to win North, but lose to OU.
Sun Bowl
Nebraska Must: Finish at least 7-5
Likely Opponent: California, Stanford or Arizona
Odds: Fair. If NU wins 7 but loses North, here's the spot.
Insight Bowl
Nebraska Must: Finish at least 6-6
Likely Opponent: Michigan State, Michigan, Northwestern.
Odds: Poor. NU would rather play in Shreveport, wethinks.
Independence Bowl
Nebraska Must: Finish 6-6
Likely Opponent: Arkansas, Ole Miss or Georgia
Odds: Poor. We think Nebraska wins at least two more.
Texas Bowl
Nebraska Must: Finish 6-6
Opponent: Navy
Odds: Very poor. This spot seems made for Iowa State or Texas A&M.
It's 0442, I'm still up doing laundry and cleaning my apartment, getting everything ready for Tane's weekend visit. I can't believe that this weekend is finally here. We've talked about this trip the past couple of months and BAM! Now it's here. I just printed her itinerary, I'll place it by my keys so I don't leave it on my printer. I'm really looking forward to the visit. We're going to head down to Waco, Tx for the Nebraska (GEAUX BIG RED!) and Baylor game Saturday. Kickoff is set at 1130 which is a bit early, but it may actually work in our favor since tomorrow is Halloween. Wow, I'm glad that I printed it just now otherwise I would've driven out to the wrong airport. Whoa!
We really haven't been able to talk as much this week since she was trying to get everything in order for her trip, but we'll have a 3 day period to hang out. This is her first taste of Nebraska (or college for that matter) football, she's more into the NFL. We briefly talked about what we'd like to do after the game. I think the game will end around 1530-1600, we talked about driving down to Austin to party down on 6th street later in the evening. I know a few great places for drinks and good food. Plus my cousin lives there and we could meet up with him (and his gf) to party the night away. The only downside of this is her flight leaves at 1130 Sunday morning! GASP! Time is a factor here.
Another option we discussed was just renting movies or going out to the movies back in the metroplex. I still have to find a shirt that will fit her, not to mention I have to swing by the Halloween costume store to pick up some makeup. I'm probably going to paint my face for the game (think back to the game vs. Auburn). Yeah, that's right.... skull. My Lattimer tribute once again, but this time I'll take my time with the application. It's 0451, I should be in bed, but I still have to check on the laundry. Hmm, even after Tane lands tomorrow, Chuck was talking about heading out to Wish Lounge. Apparently, he placed us on the list to get in. I've never been there, just heard it was a decent place to party.
I'm not sure if that will be a good idea since we have to get up and hit the road by 0800 for Waco. We may just pass. Damn the luck. Speaking of luck, one great turn in my favor had to do with my days off. I only requested Friday-Saturday for Tane's trip and the game, but amended it to include Sunday and Monday. My GM was okay with this request so now I have a 96 hour liberty! Sweet! So far it's shaping up nicely. I plan on shopping for a new couch and some shelves from IKEA to move to my apartment. I love that store! Right now, it's looking like IKEA will be right along side Chipotle in having all my money. HA!
I'll be sure to post the photos and video from the weekend as I can (some will be from my iphone, the rest from my camera). I plan on taking Tane to a few places in my area to eat. Of course I have to take her out for crawfish! Mmmmmm. She's not looking forward to it, but is open to the idea. Should be fun. I need to log off, check on my laundry, finish cleaning my apartment, and go through some scales work on my guitar. Speaking of guitar, I need to return my GM's acoustic to him. He dropped it off at work for me to check out, it's a Fender. Not bad, but not made in the U.S.A. (Korean made), still, a free guitar is a great guitar (to an extent). I checked the strings (they're still good), tuned it and then strummed a few chords, it's holding a tune and has a nice sound to it. He was just going to give it to me when I told him that I played, but then I didn't stop talking about guitar and then he was excited to pick it up again. I should learn to keep my mouth shut at times.
That is all...
Geaux Big Red!
| I even wore my "redemption" t-shirt.
And boy, was it ever worth it. Nebraska passed its first major Big 12 Conference test, partly through guts and determination, partly through strong defense, but mainly because Zac Lee and the Cornhuskers found out that they could make big plays when they had to. And the Huskers had to do it in a place that has been their house of horrors this decade. The Cornhuskers had lost three straight in Columbia by lopsided margins, and last year the Tigers gave Nebraska one of its worst homefield beatings ever. In the days leading up to the game, Missouri fans and media milked that fact for all it was worth. Missouri owned the Big 12 North now, they said. Lee would not be able to survive the pressure the Tigers would bring, they said. And for three horrendous quarters, it looked like they were right. To win this one, the Huskers had to tie their best-ever fourth-quarter comeback, matching the 1966 Huskers, who trailed Colorado 19-7 in the final period but came back to win 21-19 in Boulder. Lee survived a baptism of fire in a deluge of near-Biblical proportions and put together a tremendous closing burst long after much of Husker Nation — including me — was seriously wondering if Shawn Watson was going to pull him and try his luck with freshman Cody Green. It was going that badly for Lee, who at one point was eight-for-23 passing and looking more and more uncertain by the minute as his offensive line started to self-destruct with the same kind of penalties that plagued it during the loss at Virginia Tech. Meanwhile, sophomore quarterback Blaine Gabbert, the one that got away from Nebraska, was gutting out a reasonably good first three quarters on what looked like a sprained right ankle. He was moving the Tigers just enough to take advantage of a self-destructive Nebraska offense and kicking game that seemed determined to put as much pressure on the NU defense as they possibly could. And the demons — or whatever they were — continued to plague Nebraska. A short Missouri kick caromed off an unsuspecting Husker to give the Tigers good field position, something that happened about the same place on the same field in 2003 when Missouri started its run of success against NU. Missouri used well-timed blitzes to disrupt the Husker running game and Lee’s passing, in much the same way they did to sophomore quarterback Turner Gill and NU back in 1981. | When Prince Amukamara dropped a likely pick-six in the second quarter, then slipped and fell on a pass play just before halftime that resulted in an unlikely touchdown for Missouri, and when Ndamukong Suh and Larry Asante dropped back-to-back interceptions that allowed the Tigers to eke out another field goal and a 12-0 lead at the end of three quarters, you had to wonder if a plague of locusts in slickers paddling up the Mighty Mo in rubber rafts to pillage the Cornhusker State was next on the docket. The Huskers seemingly were back to their old tricks — almost making big plays. But to their credit, the Huskers didn’t crack. The Blackshirts refused to buckle, Bo Pelini didn’t lose his cool and Zac Lee dropped back in the rain and tossed a perfect pass to Niles Paul streaking toward the end zone on a well-designed post pattern. Fifty-six yards and a touchdown. That was all it took to break through the barricades of frustration that Missouri had constructed. Suh, who became a frontrunner for All-American honors at defensive tackle in this game, plucked an interception out of the wet night sky and returned it to the Missouri 18. Two plays later, Paul made another big play, outfighting two Missouri defenders for a 13-yard touchdown pass. The dam burst and the demons rushed downstream like so many gallons of putrid Missouri flood water. A few moments later, Dejon Gomes jumped a short route and picked Gabbert clean, returning the interception to the Tiger 10. Moments later, Lee beat a blitz and hit a wide-open Mike McNeill with a perfect strike. Was that the superstructure of Missouri’s claim to Big 12 North dominance I saw floating downstream? There go Missouri’s talking points. Now the Show Me State has to prove that it can come back and fight through a tough stretch in its schedule to stay in contention in the North. This was potentially a big tiebreaker win for the Big Red. "We showed a lot of character when things weren't going our way in some tough conditions," Nebraska Coach Bo Pelini said. "But we made some plays, got some turnovers and I'm really proud of our guys." Despite the demons, despite the penalties, despite the lackluster offense and troubling kicking game, Nebraska broke through and grabbed a big road win that will help the Huskers gain credibility around the nation — and in their own division. |
1 2 3 4 - Final
Nebraska 0 0 0 27 - 27
Missouri 0 9 3 0 - 12
2nd quarter
MU - TEAM safety, 14:01
MU - Blaine Gabbert 1 run (Grant Ressel kick), 0:00
3rd quarter
MU - Grant Ressel 33 field goal, 1:26
4th quarter
NU - Niles Paul, 56 pass from Zac Lee
(Alex Henery kick), 13:56
NU - Niles Paul, 13 pass from Zac Lee
(pass failed), 12:59
NU - Mike McNeill, 8 pass from Zac Lee
(Alex Henery kick), 10:34
NU - Roy Helu Jr., 5 run (Alex Henery kick), 00:56
NU MU
FIRST DOWNS................... 14 15
RUSHES-YARDS (NET)............ 33-105 35-91
PASSING YDS (NET)............. 158 134
Passes Att-Comp-Int......... 33-14-0 43-17-2
TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS..... 66-263 78-225
Fumble Returns-Yards.......... 0-0 0-0
Punt Returns-Yards............ 4--5 4-63
Kickoff Returns-Yards......... 1-2 5-82
Interception Returns-Yards.... 2-40 0-0
Punts (Number-Avg)............ 8-39.4 8-44.6
Fumbles-Lost.................. 5-2 2-1
Penalties-Yards............... 12-108 8-100
Possession Time............... 29:32 30:28
Third-Down Conversions........ 8 of 17 5 of 18
Fourth-Down Conversions....... 0 of 1 1 of 2
Red-Zone Scores-Chances....... 3-3 2-2
Sacks By: Number-Yards........ 2-15 1-7
RUSHING
NU: Helu Jr., Roy 18-88; Burkhead, Rex 5-34;
Lee, Zac 8-7; TEAM 2-minus 24.
MU: Washington, Der 20-80; Moore, De'Vion 6-9;
Gabbert, Blaine 9-2.
PASSING
NU: Lee, Zac 14-33-0-158.
MU: Gabbert, Blaine 17-43-2-134.
RECEIVING
NU: Paul, Niles 6-102; Gilleylen, C. 3-14;
Holt, Menelik 2-26; McNeill, Mike 1-8;
Reed, Kyler 1-4; Burkhead, Rex 1-4.
MU: Alexander, Dana 6-43; Perry, Jared 4-68;
Washington, Der 3-10; Jackson, Jerrel 2-11;
Moore, De'Vion 1-4; Kemp, Wes 1-minus 2.
Attendance: 65,826
Huskers memorable moments (not all great ones) sitting at no. 12, 10, and 7. Of course the Nebraska-Oklahoma rivalry would have to be listed in the top 10 (so far). Number 7, was of course the famous "Black 41 Flash Reverse" that helped Nebraska defeat Oklahoma.
There is no place like Nebraska.
I woke up roughly 60 minutes ago and went through my "morning" routine of checking email, reading articles, updating my cheers on facebook and being meowed at by the fat cat. But like in my title, I'm really stoked. I purchased (or will purchase) 3 sets of tickets, 2 of the events are this month. First, I won my tickets to watch the Celtics vs. Mavericks (Go Celts!) on the 12th. Second, I'm waiting on the good word for my ticket to the Slipknot concert on the 22nd. Finally, I bought a few tickets to the annual Red/White spring scrimmage up in Lincoln.
I haven't been to the spring game since 2005 and I'm overdue. The sights and sounds of Memorial Stadium in the spring are unmatched. Last season the event sold out. The university managed to sell 80,149 seats to watch the game. Basically, it looks like a regular season game. There's so many fans dressed in the scarlet and cream. I miss being in Lincoln for the games and even the scrimmage. Lincoln, is a great town. It's a college football town. The spirit of college football lives there. The fans are quite knowledgable about the team and the sport.
What I love about college football, the loyalties lie to the program, the school, and most of all the state. It's not about contracts, player shifts, it's about the pride in the program. Tom Osborne knew this, that's why he's a coaching legend within the state (also to the college football world). I think with Tom as the A.D. and Bo as the head coach, the program is in good hands.
GEAUX BIG RED!
My Groups
-
Let's Talk Politics Updated: 1 hour ago
-
Vox Mobile Updated: 2 hours ago
-
Voxaholic Updated: 2 hours ago
Neighborhood
Explore friends, family, friends & family, or entire neighborhood.
