OWH: Ranking Every Husker Loss Since 2001

[FrustratedHuskerFan]

Oh LeKevin....just fall down! Probably Nebraska ' s version of Leon Lett.

[Sargon]

You know .... if you needed something to brighten your day.....

Thanks Mav just what the doctor ordered at this 2-4 moment in time with new coaches and with negative posters and callers raining down unholy terror on normal people.

[Kernal]

I would say they have the Texas game at #1 because it completely hits their first three criteria:

 

1) how long the loss lingered;

2) how the game ended and

3) significance of the game and

 

Of often is :01 brought up? It was a game we had won and let get away by three crazy plays in the last few seconds - kick OOB, horse-collar tackle, time back on the clock - that could easily have gone our way. And it would basically be tied for the second-most significant game - with the other CCGs, behind the 2001 NCG - that we've played since then. Which would have ended our conference championship drought.

 

So perhaps we weren't expected to win. But that's the old argument - which is worse, losing a game by three scores or almost winning a game you shouldn't only to let it slip away?

 

Yes, that all makes sense. The loss just didn't linger long for me personally, though I understand why Chatelain would put it up there: it was one of those "move the needle" losses.

 

The problem with these lists is trying to determine, accomodate and then weight each criteria. If we're talking "significant" losses in a "championship" sense, then shouldn't the Oklahoma 2006 CCG loss be higher? It was far more significant than Illinois 2015, Va Tech 2009, or T Tech 2005, which are all ranked higher.

 

"How the game ended" is also somewhat arbitrary. How the 2009 CCG ended is critical; how the 2012 CCG ended is irrelevant. All lost games "ended" at some point during the game, and I'm not sure how much it matters if it was at the end of the fourth quarter or the end of the first.

 

Anyway, that list is quite the endeavor. I found myself wondering how he put it together, like, did he have to go back and read the stories for each loss to recall the zeitgeist? Did he watch the highlights? Or maybe he just looked at fan reactions to the losses via comments or emails.

[TGHusker]

I would switch #1 and # 2 around. #2 started it all and we've not been the same since. The loss to Colo 2001 was like a seismic shift in Husker land. Caught by surprised and it first the 1st great crack in our era of invincibility. One should remember that the 1999 team would have, should have been a NC team outside of 1 fumble going into the end zone against Texas. We were still a force to be dealt with after Tom retired. The 2001 team had everyone believing until one fateful Thanksgiving weekend.

[84HuskerLaw]

The Texas loss in the Big 12 title game was what drove NU to the Big Ten in many ways. Although Tom always gave 'other' reasons, that was the one for the fans which said, dump the Big 12 and get away from the conference that Texas runs for the benefit of Texas. As far as losses that 'hurt' down deep because we have to admit we are not as good as we want to be, that game probably does not rank in the top 40.

 

The 2001 CU loss and of course the Rose Bowl in which the Huskers were so soundly pounded by Miami both were the watershed games which signaled the death spiral that Frank Solich has created by failing to recruit properly. The decline of the empire unquestionably began then. By time Frank was fired, a bunch more painful losses happened under Frank. We almost had a losing season by 2002 as I recall, finishing 7-7 with a lucky win in the Shreveport Bowl. I think you can rank some of Frank's losses higher. The only reason some people have forgotten those is that many fans were really unaware, even after Frank was fired, of how bad things really were in terms of talent decline.

 

Callahan really hurt his image with many fans on the awful Texas Tech blow out by continuing to have his prized QB throw about 6 interceptions and let the Raiders run up the score. The more they scored, the madder Callahan got and more he continued to throw those interceptions. It was like Callhan deliberately ran up the score on himself - self inflicted disaster. Not sure if he thought he was punishing the team, the fans, the school, or what?

 

Pelini's worst loss was the Kansas State beat down where he threatened Bill Snyder with a physcial beating after the game. His first horrible embarrassment to the University and the team. Amazingly, he was later hired by TO despite this misbehavior which I found surprising. But Tom became very forgiving in his last few years (e.g. Lawrence Phillips, etc.).

 

These losses this year, so far, have been very very disappointing although not as surprising as some of the really bad ones cited. Frankly, no matter how much they may say it, almost all reasonable fans who are realistic and paying attention, know where NU is on the national rankings standings. We are not the superior team we once were and most know any game is going to be a big challenge and if we don't have a little good luck and play our best, we can likely lose. No big surprises lately.

[Dansker]

After looking at the list I realized that I miss the Big XII and the teams we had history with.

[BoNeyard]

I think the Texas Tech game where we lost to them at home should be on there...I remember we had sealed the deal with an INT i blieve, and our defender tried to return it, fumbles it and Tech gets ball back and scores to win the game.

 

It was 2005.

 

Also where is the Va Tech game at VT?

[ColoradoHusk]

I think the Texas Tech game where we lost to them at home should be on there...I remember we had sealed the deal with an INT i blieve, and our defender tried to return it, fumbles it and Tech gets ball back and scores to win the game.

 

It was 2005.

 

Also where is the Va Tech game at VT?

Texas Tech 2005 was #14. LeKevin Smith intercepted the ball, ran for about 1-2 seconds, and then fumbled. Tech got the ball back and scored 4 plays later.

 

At V-Tech 2006 was #16.

[junior4949]

The Texas loss in the Big 12 title game was what drove NU to the Big Ten in many ways. Although Tom always gave 'other' reasons, that was the one for the fans which said, dump the Big 12 and get away from the conference that Texas runs for the benefit of Texas. As far as losses that 'hurt' down deep because we have to admit we are not as good as we want to be, that game probably does not rank in the top 40.

 

The 2001 CU loss and of course the Rose Bowl in which the Huskers were so soundly pounded by Miami both were the watershed games which signaled the death spiral that Frank Solich has created by failing to recruit properly. The decline of the empire unquestionably began then. By time Frank was fired, a bunch more painful losses happened under Frank. We almost had a losing season by 2002 as I recall, finishing 7-7 with a lucky win in the Shreveport Bowl. I think you can rank some of Frank's losses higher. The only reason some people have forgotten those is that many fans were really unaware, even after Frank was fired, of how bad things really were in terms of talent decline.

 

Callahan really hurt his image with many fans on the awful Texas Tech blow out by continuing to have his prized QB throw about 6 interceptions and let the Raiders run up the score. The more they scored, the madder Callahan got and more he continued to throw those interceptions. It was like Callhan deliberately ran up the score on himself - self inflicted disaster. Not sure if he thought he was punishing the team, the fans, the school, or what?

 

Pelini's worst loss was the Kansas State beat down where he threatened Bill Snyder with a physcial beating after the game. His first horrible embarrassment to the University and the team. Amazingly, he was later hired by TO despite this misbehavior which I found surprising. But Tom became very forgiving in his last few years (e.g. Lawrence Phillips, etc.).

 

These losses this year, so far, have been very very disappointing although not as surprising as some of the really bad ones cited. Frankly, no matter how much they may say it, almost all reasonable fans who are realistic and paying attention, know where NU is on the national rankings standings. We are not the superior team we once were and most know any game is going to be a big challenge and if we don't have a little good luck and play our best, we can likely lose. No big surprises lately.

 

Sometimes, it gets a little difficult to assess talent. If we use NFL draft status as an indicator, Solich really didn't do too bad. When looking at former Nebraska players drafted in the first three rounds of the NFL, Frank inherited 5 players from TO. Clownahan inherited 8 players from Frank. Bo inherited just 2. It will be interesting to see how many Riley inherited.

[JJ Husker]

No way Colorado 2001 is not number 1 on that list. It should be 1A, 1B, & 1C. That definitely signaled the beginning (or really the end of an era) of a new dynamic for Husker football. I was at that game and it changed my football soul. Had never experienced anything close to that at a Husker game before. It was gut wrenching to say the least. Unfortunately, ever since then, that feeling has been all too common of an occurrence. That one game is why, to this day, I am extremely careful in selecting games I will attend in person. I never, ever, want to experience a game like that in person again. If I think we're going to get prison raped, count me out for attending, don't need to be there.

[VA Husker Fan]

I would have the 01 season championship game vs Miami higher than #12. It confirmed what we were afraid to admit at the time after the CU game, that we didn't belong. We got manhandled and between that and the CU game, couldn't recover. Being a national championship game makes it magnitudes ahead on factor 3 from any other game.

 

The :01 second game hurt and lingered but has zero ineptitude factor. We outplayed unbeaten Texas. Suh became a legend. We were angry but proud. I can't put that at #1 over the 01 CU game.

[Hujan]

Watched 3 of those top-10 in person. They still give me shudders, though I have to say that 2006 loss to Texas was still kinda fun in hindsight. The sleet/snowfall that seemed to start right after BJax's TD was amazing. Still wish Terrance Nunn would have gone down after he picked up the first down, though.

[ColoradoHusk]

Watched 3 of those top-10 in person. They still give me shudders, though I have to say that 2006 loss to Texas was still kinda fun in hindsight. The sleet/snowfall that seemed to start right after BJax's TD was amazing. Still wish Terrance Nunn would have gone down after he picked up the first down, though.

I don't blame T-Nunn at all. It wasn't like he was running free and then fumbled. He caught the ball, turned around to ensure the first down, got popped by the defender and fumbled. Good play call, good play execution, even better play by the defense.

[Redux]

I did this a while back for Bo's Losses.

 

http://www.huskerboard.com/index.php?/topic/65889-ranking-the-losses-under-bo/?hl=%2Branking+%2Bthe+%2Blosses

 

That was pre 2013 though, so it would likely change quite a bit if I were to redo it.

[Count 'Bility]

I might put the '96 loss to Arizona State on there somewhere. A 17-0 shutout that knocked us off the pedestal of 90s dominance. I remember how sad that was.

 

well for one, its since 2001.

 

2. That loss was shocking. But it didnt merely knock us off the pedestal. We were one win for playing for another title 3 months later. And won it all the next year. It was actually just a slight blip in an era.