Sound Familiar?

[DJR313]

Found something from the archives that seemed pretty relevant to the sentiment after Saturday evening.

 

 

Official recap

All in all, Nebraska's 45-10 loss to unranked Oklahoma may have been the worst afternoon in the modern history of Cornhusker football.

The 10th-ranked (AP) Huskers went into the nationally-televised game (CBS) on the day after Thanksgiving as the nation's top rushing team at 362.2 yards per game and needed just 170 yards to win a third-straight NCAA title. NU managed a season-low 118, to go with season lows of 10 points and 229 total-offense yards. I-back Leodis Flowers was held to 13 rushing yards on nine carries, and came up 60 yards short of a 1,000 yard season.

The Huskers went into the game ranked third in the NCAA in scoring defense (10.2 points per game) and sixth in total defense (250.2 yards per game), but yielded their most points in 22 years (the seventh-most ever) and gave up 396 total-offense yards. NU had given up just 18 turnovers, including a mere four interceptions, in its first nine games, but turned the ball over to the Sooners eight times, including four interceptions, each figure one under the school single-game records.

"I have to say it was one of our poorer performances in my 28 years at Nebraska," Husker Coach Tom Osborne said. "I'm totally embarrassed. I have to take the blame for that performance."

Adding to the Huskers' gloom was the loss of starting quarterback Mickey Joseph six minutes into the game. The junior had just picked up 13 yards on third-and-8 from the NU 33, but was hit out of bounds on the Oklahoma sidelines at the end of the play, slid into an aluminum bench, and suffered a severe laceration to his lower right leg. His calf muscles were cut to the bone, and he required a one-and-a-half hour surgery that night in Lincoln to repair the damage.

The Huskers started well, taking a 3-0 lead on a 30-yard Gregg Barrios field goal with 2:24 left in the first quarter. It was his 14th field goal of the season, setting a school record, and made him the top kick scorer in NU history at 204 points, breaking the old record of 203 set by Rich Sanger from 1971-73. Barrios later added a PAT to finish with 205, the fourth-best overall total in Husker annals. He finished the season with a school-record 87 points via kicking.

After Barrios' field goal, though, it was all Oklahoma as the Sooners scored three unanswered touchdowns to take a 21-3 halftime lead on a 36-yard pass from freshman quarterback Cale Gundy to Adrian Cooper, a 1-yard run by Gundy, and a 9-yard run by Mike McKinley.

Nebraska made one more effort to get back in the game right after the second-half kickoff. Linebacker Mike Croel forced a Gundy fumble on the second play of the half and cornerback Tyrone Legette pounced on it at the Sooner 35.

The Huskers took just five plays to score, the big play a 24-yard Mike Grant-to-Jon Bostick pass which carried to the Sooner 5 on third and 4. Two plays later, Flowers went over from the 2 to get the Huskers back within 21-10, but it was all downhill from there.

McKinley scored two more times on runs of 7 and 48 yards to give OU a 35-10 lead after three quarters, then Sooner strong safety Greg DeQuasie picked off a Grant pass on the second play of the fourth quarter and returned it 43 yards for a 42-10 lead. Sooner kicker R.D. Lashar then became the top kick scorer in Big Eight history (320 points) when he kicked a 24-yard field goal with nine seconds left.

The loss left Florida Citrus Bowl-bound Nebraska and Oklahoma tied for second at 5-2 in the final Big Eight standings. NU headed for Orlando at 9-2 overall, while the Sooners finished 8-3.

 

Bottom line is this:

• This isn't new.
  
• This program is closer to the pinnacle than it was 5 years ago, and trending in the proper direction.
  
• Bo may have the right pieces in place on his staff to make a run.
  
• Bo may have the right players in his pipeline to make this happen.
  

I like to be fairly objective about things, and I feel like this program is on the verge of crossing over the hump. Last Saturday night was a major disappointment, but I think what the key is how the team responds next year. A loss like that could light a fire under the program, and I think it just might. Bring on the Dawgs come Jan 1, I think they are going to be in for one heckuva fight.

[IvabigN]

hmmmm a man with thought and perspective- are you sure you're a Nebraska fan?

[HuskerfaninOkieland]

I like to be fairly objective about things, and I feel like this program is on the verge of crossing over the hump. Last Saturday night was a major disappointment, but I think what the key is how the team responds next year. A loss like that could light a fire under the program, and I think it just might. Bring on the Dawgs come Jan 1, I think they are going to be in for one heckuva fight.

 

I hope you're right because my gut instinct tells me it will a repeat of last years Cap One Bowl

[Count 'Bility]

Excellent find OP. Cue the "Nebraska doesnt get blown out-45 points is not 70" crowd.

[NUinID]

I remember that game OU was not very good at all that year. It was just as ugly as this last game. Nebraska then went out and got there ars handed to them by Georgia Tech in the Citrus Bowl.

[The Dude]

Nebraska dowsn't get bloen out. 4d5 points isn't 7d.

[LumberJackSker]

i just wish it didnt take blow out losses to light a fire under this team

[funhusker]

Nebraska dowsn't get bloen out. 4d5 points isn't 7d.

It took me much longer than I care to admit +abunch....

[Landlord]

But but but Tom Osborne didn't get beat this bad ever. It's entirely about how many points you get beat by....

[IvabigN]

Bo doesn't recruit 5 star players like callahan did, Bo sucks

[MichiganDad3]

Excellent find OP. Cue the "Nebraska doesnt get blown out-45 points is not 70" crowd.

Cue me then. 70 is much worse than 45, and to make it worse this team gave up over 60 twice. I can stomach 45 if it is a close game, but two epic beat downs surrendering over 60 points is unacceptable.

[HuskerShark]

Excellent find OP. Cue the "Nebraska doesnt get blown out-45 points is not 70" crowd.

Cue me then. 70 is much worse than 45, and to make it worse this team gave up over 60 twice. I can stomach 45 if it is a close game, but two epic beat downs surrendering over 60 points is unacceptable.

 

That was 45 back in the day when our defense was one of the best in the nation, and offenses were nowhere near as dynamic and explosive as they are now. Yes, 63 and 70 are friggin' terrible, but that article gives a LOT of perspective to the situation. That was arguably the best coach in college football history who got beat by 35 and had to explain it to the media. And if I remember right, he had a lot of success later on.

 

What year is that from anyways? I'm not old enough to have experienced that.

[clyde40]

Nebraska is a joke and will never be relavent again :leghump:

 

 

 

 

 

But seriously good find even though most people will say there is no connection.

[shyndy]

Didnt we start changing our defense after that season? I know somewhere in those few years we changed to the 4-3 from 52, but I don't remember exactly when.

[JJ Husker]

Good, relevant find on the OP. I agree with your basic premise but have a small issue with a couple of the particulars. I don't think you can make the point that we are not that far off from being elite based on two seemingly similar blowout losses from different eras. I remember that game very well due to the freakish injury to Mickey Joseph. A couple things to keep in mind; That was an average to bit down season for us and we were ranked number ten and expected to win that game. If it were the same situation today, that would now be considered the best we have been in quite some time. Yes Tom had his share of ugly wins and unexpected big losses; that is relevant and worthy to claim that maybe we are not that far removed. But you can't say a blowout loss means we are comparable to those teams/years because we have not also had the large amount of successes. Those are the key.