HuskerFanChuck

Under - It's on ABC, so if we hear it once I'll be surprised. Number of sacks on the day - 5

Quad Cities! Nice! That's where my wife went to college. But then, mine's been a lifelong Huskers fan anyway, growing up in Lincoln. She went there to get away from the rents for college. Loved the college too, though.

Over. First game of the season, and I think we'll end up cruising. Total point scored by Nebraska - 40

You realize GSG had posted this earlier.

I posted this down in basketball too, but since we've been posting so much stuff in here about the work on both the stadium and the arena, though I'd post this article here too. Regarding the surrounding development for the arena in the Haymarket, and that they're starting construction on the block right across R St. from the arena that will house apartments, shops, at least one and maybe two restaurants, and a hotel. Link is here: http://journalstar.com/business/local/private-development-around-arena-gets-started/article_f5e8a726-2fff-5501-b7c4-7bf6f569a36c.html

Good article regarding the start of some of the surrounding development, specifcally the block encompassing a hotel, shops, and apartments directly across from the arena. http://journalstar.com/business/local/private-development-around-arena-gets-started/article_f5e8a726-2fff-5501-b7c4-7bf6f569a36c.html

Nicely put, knapp. And I don't think I had ever truly thought about this before, but what you see... is the old part of town... that loosely (very loosely, in spots) bordered by Cornhusker, Hgwy 2, to a certain degree, 70th, and 9th/10th (talking about before it starts running diagonally). The areas within those bounds are the most awkward to get around. When you get to the newer areas, the traffic flow seems to be much easier, but the parochialism in many of those areas within those bounds are much tougher and nastier to get through than anything else. Most places South of Hgwy. 2 are planned well enough that you can, fairly easily, get to wherever you want to go (and certainly as you get East towards 84th, especially past 70th, it is that way as well). The areas West of 9th/10th streets that are newer are fairly easily to get around as well. The Northern areas of town have or are close to having, a much easier traffic flow as well. (Think N. 14th, and all of the construction North of Superior taking place to help flow through much of that area.) The main sticking point to getting around town tends to run through the older part of town, and the unwillingness to change those areas. There's a reason Jonathan Cook keeps getting reelected to the council, and its exactly what you targeted, knapp: as long as he's on the council, he's made the pledge to the neighborhood associations within the 27th and Sheridan Blvd. area that as long as he's on the council, 27th South of South street and, basically, North of Hgwy. 2 will not be widened. It should have been done a long time ago, but the influence within the community from that area is so strong, it likely never will.

It's horrid to get around, but going South isn't my problem. It's going East. I can basically get anywhere South as quickly as it takes me to go to Gateway. The areas surrounding O St. in East Lincoln have been, to me, the worst place in terms of surrounding arterials to get to, for a long time. O St. has gotten better over the years, especially after making it 6 lane from 48th to 70th, but getting to 48th can be a nightmare, if you don't know exactly where you're going. It's just a tough situation, and I'm not too sure anybody has any great ideas on how to make it much better.

Huskers - 42 Southern Miss - 7 Rushing - 321 Passing - 225

VERY proud of the Husker women this weekend and their performance, but even more amazing than that was all 3 DI teams from the state sweeping their first weekends! Creighton takes down a decent Wisconsin team to take the USF Invitational, and even though the level of competition wasn't quite the same, the Mavs sweep through their first weekend in only their second year of transition, and only lose one set on the weekend. Goes back to a conversation we had earlier this summer about the volleyball culture in the state that Pettit and Cook have fostered. I think that all has an effect on all the programs in the state. Fun time for women's volleyball in Nebraska!

Interesting, and likely a good, weekend for the women. While they went 1-1 on the weekend, they did so against much better competition, and showed much better this weekend. Maybe it just took that extra week of practice to get the extra team play into it for the new players, but they take the #16 team into overtime before losing 3-2, and then take a team predicted to win the Mountain West, and a 60some RPI from last year, and beat them 2-0, and controlled the ball and the flow of the play quite a bit of the game. I got to go to the New Mexico game, but we didn't get there until halftime. The team I saw this afternoon v. the team I saw several times last year just seemed like night and day. They seemed to work together as a team better, seemed to be more aggressive going after open balls, and overall just seemed more in sync than any time last year. This team has the capability to be scary good. It may not quite get to that level this year, but the talent is there, and I think this team will easily surprise some people this year. I think they may just end up at least top half of the conference, and maybe top third by the time its all done. Should be fun to watch this year. Links for the two games on huskers.com follow: http://www.huskers.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=100&ATCLID=205668660 and http://www.huskers.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=100&ATCLID=205669435 Should be some good tests this weekend. At Baylor, currently ranked #24 in the country, and at Cincinatti, a top 100 RPI team from last year. See what they can do away from home now that they've gotten their first win of the season, and had a good weekend overall. One last thing: I really tend to wonder if losing Morgan Marlborough might have helped this team overall. I tend to wonder if there was too much reliance on Morgan to do the yeoman's part of the scoring last season. Could be too that she was the only one able to get those chances off that team as well. But I didn't see the ability to work together nearly as much last year, and one wonders if that was part of it. Don't have any inside info on it, just pondering out loud. Can't wait to see them in action again! Was fun to be at today. Got to see the second goal. Nice firm shot buried in the net. Need more finishes like that, and this team will be something special to see.

Woot woot! Nicely done, ladies!

Aye. I think both of them have the potential to be something pretty special for the team, and certainly over a full four years, might produce stellar careers.

Interesting article. I think Cook takes the right attitude in these early season games. While there's something to be taken away, and you'd certainly like to be on the winning end rather than the losing end, it probably tells you more about how your team is performing and gelling early in the season than anything else. Good test early on. Interesting tidbit late in the article talking about playing in Omaha, and Cook mentioning it may be the last time they play over there, considering they want to host regionals at the BOB. Thought that tradition of a big match still being played at CLink or PBA would continue, but it sounds like that may end, at least for a while. Hadn't realized they'd played quite that many games over at the CLink, but the article says 21 since it opened. Course, that would include the one regional and two final fours that have been held over there, so I suppose that begins to make sense in that context. Anyhow, link is here: http://journalstar.com/sports/huskers/volleyball/nu-volleyball-notebook-top-ranked-ucla-coming-to-lincoln/article_485d11fc-d0c3-56af-bde9-838ec27df9d7.html

And from the pics you've shown, it does look fantastic. Hopefully, the cooler weather is giving it a chance to set a little better, and they can get back to the home field for their games. Hadn't seen any announcements yet about this weekend. Edit: Looks like this came out today. The games this weekend will be down at the Husker Soccer Field, but it appears there is no seating on the track, and that fans have to sit in the South grandstands. Pathways will be provided from field level. Will be interesting. Sure they're glad to be back down on campus. Here's the link: http://www.huskers.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=100&ATCLID=205654211 Also didn't realize they were without Romero either. Being without one of your more experienced players I'm sure is making at least somewhat of a difference for them. Be good to get her back, but I hope she can help her U-20 national team as well.

Yeah, when you lose arguably one of the best players to come through here since Cooper's death in the offseason, it's going to be tough to overcome. I'd agree that we're on the right path, but agree with you, knapp, that it's also disheartening to see how far the team has fallen in comparison to the late 90's/early 00's. I think Walker, even now, will be given some time to rebuild this a bit. Considering the five players he brought in from Toro this past year, and the potential they have in the next few years, and considering what Walker had built, and he's the only coach the program has known... I don't see anything happening after this season. If some progress isn't seen over the process of this season and on into next season... that could start to call into question his ability to bring the program back. But I think you let it develop for this year and next, and evaluate at that time. The only way I see anything happening after this season is if it gets really bad, and we win say less than 5 games this season. That might turn heads enough to at least bring out the question. But beyond that... and I think Walker still has the ability to build this team even yet this year. Neither one of those games were they overmatched, and we outshot the other team in both games. So the chances are there, just have to build the quality chances, and find the finishers on the team. We'll see where they're at two to three weeks from now. Will give us a better notion, I believe, of where this team might be headed. This weekend will be tough. I'd be thrilled to see them competitve and win at least one of the two.

I wonder how many people here will be old enough to get that one. ROFL Yeah, be interesting to see who gets that. Certainly from the golden, and best, era of that show, imho.

Pat, you ignorant slut.

Interesting. Always nice to have another option, though I'll probably still stick to Husker Network, considering they'll still have a lot more inside coverage than these guys will. The fan stuff is fun, but can get a bit exasperating after a little too much overanalysis and handwringing over minute details. Might be interesting for a listen once or twice, but we'll have to see.

Nice! Thanks again. I figured that was likely one of the earlier maps, but thought I'd at least ask.

Aye, very nice work knapp. Thanks for the update! Always fun to see different views. See the arena every day on the trek into downtown, but it's always nice to see the different angles and views. Was amazing the day we were exiting downtown, and I saw the trusses had been put up. They worked pretty fast on a lot of that, but I think a lot of that was already constructed on the ground, and lifted into place, as I recall. Knapp, the map you used, out of curiousity, is that a newer map, or an older map? I noticed that one still had the Breslow Ice Center next to O St. Did the guy you talked to happen to mention anything new in regards to the Ice Center? Last I had heard, it was to be on the other side of the tracks, but there hasn't been an update in a while anywhere that I can find.

Tough opening weekend. Loss to Oklahoma on Friday, 2-1. Sounds like they played a tough match away from home, and had their chances. The gut punch was probably more the loss on Sunday to Drake, 1-0, at home. No two ways around it, those are the games you have to win. Hopefully, that gets them fired up, and they go on a run after this. Have to see how they respond. Play a couple good teams in Virginia Tech and New Mexico. Finished last year 21 and 68, respectively, in RPI. This weekend will show a lot about what kind of fortitude this young team has. Had intended to go on Sunday, but didn't get there. WIll probably try and make it on Friday for the game, then see about possibly going Sunday. Links from Huskers.com for last weekends games are here: http://www.huskers.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=38&SPID=26&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=205612752&DB_OEM_ID=100 and here: http://www.huskers.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=38&SPID=26&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=205623024&DB_OEM_ID=100 One things of note I will give for both games, and probably a good indication that bounces just may not have gone their way is that the Huskers outshot both the Sooners and the Bulldogs. But you still need to find a way to finish, and it doesn't look like the team has found that touch yet.

If I had a +1 left, I'd a done it. Nice story, knapp. Things really do look differently when you're at the helm. Been there enough times to know that myself.

In terms of my Purdue pick, I've got a buddy here in town that went to Purdue. Graduated with my wife from Lincoln East. So that pick was really more for him than anything, though they actually do look to be improved.

Legends: Nebraska Leaders: Purdue Championship: Nebraska