Strange, Strange Senior Day

[HuskerfaninOkieland]

Sipple

 

Joe Ganz signed autographs before the game was finished, Nebraska’s lead was so commanding. Cortney Grixby smiled and waved to adoring fans as he left the field. Bo Ruud thanked reporters after he was through answering their questions.

 

You know something strange is occurring when players are thanking reporters.

 

How’s Nebraska 73, Kansas State 31 for strange?

 

The football gods issued a moratorium Saturday on the general ugliness that permeated Nebraska’s season in recent weeks. Good for the gods. Good for Huskerville. It needed a break from the gloom. This turned out to be a feel-good day for the Huskers, a day the ugly storm dissipated, if only for a few hours, just in time for Senior Day.

 

Perfect.

 

Seems those football gods have a sense of humor. How else can you explain Nebraska’s response to its 76-39 loss last week at Kansas? How else can you explain the Huskers converting a fourth-and-20 during a season in which they so often struggled on third-and-short?

 

“You get one of those days where everything clicks, it’s a great feeling,” said embattled Nebraska coach Bill Callahan, who bolted off the field quickly after the game with his two patrolmen at his side, evidently with no interest whatsoever in singing the fight song with his players in front of the student section.

 

He was asked what he was thinking as he left the Memorial Stadium field, most likely for the final time.

 

“I thought about a lot of things,” he said. “I’ll keep that private.”

 

If you don’t have anything nice to say, well, perhaps let your agent say it for you.

 

The football gods couldn’t wash away all the ill feelings. For instance, Callahan and Co. couldn’t escape the inevitable question, “Well, where has this team been during the previous five weeks of predominantly nightmarish losses?” (Nobody could shed much light on that question).

 

Yes, this was all fairly bizarre. Nebraska accumulates 702 yards of total offense, prevails by a six-touchdown margin against a bitter rival, gives the seniors a wonderful memory, and yet it’s acceptable if you’re feeling bewildered, if not somewhat cheated, in the wake of the day’s events.

 

Nebraska on Saturday looked like the team many of us thought we would see throughout the season — one that could pile up yards and outscore opponents while the defense retooled its front four for better days ahead. The Huskers took out their frustrations, especially in the second half, on a K-State squad that had won by 20 points at Texas and beaten a decent Colorado outfit by 27.

 

The Wildcats played poorly Saturday. They were flat and unfocused. But, still, they’re a decent team. News flash: Huskers bludgeon decent team. Stop the presses. Seriously.

 

Nebraska played amazingly well at times, especially Joe Ganz. Let the second-guessing begin: Should Joe have been starting all along? You have to wonder after watching him throw for 400-plus yards in back-to-back games, in his first two career starts. All he did Saturday was rifle seven TD passes. The kid has a fiery persona, command of the offense and a stronger right arm than I thought. Players respond to him. Fans adore him.

 

He has opened up a whole new world for Nebraska — the vertical passing game.

 

“He has a great feel for it,” said offensive coordinator Shawn Watson, who also noted that Kansas and K-State’s coverages had something to do with the Huskers’ successes in that area.

 

Meanwhile, Nebraska defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove said the Huskers were quiet in the locker room before the game. They showed plenty of emotion on defense once they took the field, a trait that’s been sadly lacking. NU never let Josh Freeman find his rhythm and sacked him four times.

 

A rare kudo goes to Coz.

 

“I’m just really happy for the kids,” Cosgrove said. “They needed it. Well, we all needed it.”

 

Yes, the football gods work in strange ways.

 

Good for seniors such as Ruud, who played through the pain of a knee injury; Grixby, so often maligned during his career as an undersized cornerback; and Maurice Purify, who has admirably overcome a slew of personal issues to generate excitement when the ball’s in his enormous hands.

 

Great to see Beau Davis calmly leading a late scoring drive.

 

One has to credit Callahan for somehow keeping his team focused enough to remain in bowl contention. Yes, Nebraska can beat the Buffs on Nov. 23 — that is, if the Huskers show up in the manner they did Saturday.

 

Watson became choked up as he discussed the players’ character, integrity and toughness throughout the tumult.

 

Said Ganz: “It’s been really tough. It’s been an emotional drain.“

 

At the end of the day, Nebraska, with a record of 5-6 overall and 2-5 in the Big 12, remains an average team, albeit one with plenty of fight. In some ways, Saturday made perfect sense, because this is precisely how average teams operate. They typically stumble through seasons experiencing wild mood swings. Every so often, they rise up and pull off the unexpected.

 

And who could have predicted Saturday’s final score?