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Southern Cal has taken over the role of dynasty from the Huskers
By BLAIR KERKHOFF
The Kansas City Star
LINCOLN, Neb. | Matt Davison has played the ugly guest role Southern California assumes this weekend.
“We used to go into people’s houses assuming we were going to win,” said Davison, a split end on the 1997 national championship team. “Just like they’re coming into ours.”
When a different shade of red ruled college football, Nebraska was the uber-talented and confident program whose road show struck fear into the host.
Identities have switched. Saturday’s Nebraska-Southern Cal showdown is the nation’s biggest game not because the matchup is seen as two national championship contending teams, but because one is and the other is desperately trying to be once again.
As the first top-ranked team to visit Memorial Stadium since 1978, Southern California is college football’s elite, winners of two national championships since 2004 with no end in sight to its dominance. Nebraska’s No. 14 ranking in The Associated Press poll is the program’s highest since 2003. That was two years after the Cornhuskers handed off the baton to Southern Cal, signaling the end of one dynasty and the beginning of the next.
The final moment of the Husker dynasty can be traced to Oct. 27, 2001 — a glorious day for Nebraskans in Lincoln. No. 3 Nebraska beat No. 2 Oklahoma 20-10 in a thriller that thrust Husker quarterback Eric Crouch to the top of the Heisman Trophy watch list. At the time, it seemed like just another mega win for the Huskers, who went 8-3 against top-five opponents from 1994 to that day.
And, then, it all came crashing down.
A Nebraska loss Saturday would drop the Huskers to 0-5 against top-five teams since that late October day of 2001.
“Where we are now is a different feeling for our fans and different for the people who have been around for a long time,” Davison said.
Southern Cal, meanwhile, filled in nicely after the Huskers exited the national scene. It finished each of the previous five years ranked in the top four, played in BCS bowls, won the Pacific-10 and at least 11 games. The Trojans bring a Heisman Trophy front-runner in quarterback John David Booty, bidding to become the program’s fourth in six years, and 10 returning defensive starters, including what many believe is the nation’s best group of linebackers.
This program is, in many respects, what Nebraska fans cheered for just 10 years ago.
“They’re the modern-day dynasty,” Cornhuskers cornerback Cortney Grixby said. “Nebraska owned the ’90s. But since the millennium they’ve been the best team. For us to be the best, we have to play the best, and that’s them.”
•••
Nobody stays on top forever, and some never get there. Nebraska was king of the mountain for five years starting in 1993, and the Cornhuskers weren’t far from the top for much of the next four seasons.
The 60-3 record over that first five years and 42-9 over the next four included the three national championships, five conference titles and a grand total of four games played with the team ranked outside the top 10.
None who suits up for Nebraska on Saturday was part of that. Even the fifth-year seniors have never been part of a conference championship or BCS bowl.
They’ve never been on a team that’s won all of its home games, much less expect to blast every opponent.
“It’s important to be the kind of program that wins every home game,” Davison said. “We’ve gotten away from that.”
Southern Cal has taken over the role of dynasty from the Huskers
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The Cornhuskers came close last year. They led fifth-ranked Texas late before a fumble set up the Longhorns’ game-winning field goal. It would have been the program’s first perfect home season since 2001.
Trojans coach Pete Carroll sounds like former Nebraska coach Tom Osborne from the previous decade.
“We’re accustomed over the years to playing teams that give us their best shot, and their fans are ready to answer the call,” Carroll said. “That’s what we’ve come to expect.”
•••
What does Nebraska expect on Saturday? Kevin Kugler, co-host for a drive-time sports talk show on KOZN in Omaha, said the week’s tone for Husker diehard callers was realism wrapped in optimism.
“The realistic fan seems to think that there’s a better-than-average chance they’ll lose this game,” Kugler said. “People realize this is the No. 1 team in the country and beating them, even at home, is a difficult task.”
What gives Davison hope is Nebraska’s progress on the recruiting trail under Callahan.
“I feel like we have players good enough to win this game for the first time in five years,” Davison said. “There’s a much better chance than last year.”
Nebraska lost at Southern California 28-10 on this weekend a year ago, and it could have been worse. The Trojans took a knee instead of attempting a final-play touchdown from the shadow of Nebraska’s goal line.
Callahan took criticism for a conservative game plan that produced 36 attempts and 68 rushing yards. The Huskers threw it 17 times and seemed to be playing to keep from getting blown out.
What’s different this time? For starters, Nebraska has a quarterback, Sam Keller, who had some success against the Trojans, at least for a half. Playing for Arizona State in 2005, Keller put Southern California on its heels and helped the Sun Devils to a 21-3 halftime lead. He raised his arms in triumph as he disappeared into the tunnel.
The second half became a nightmare as Keller threw four of his five interceptions and the Trojans rallied for a 38-28 triumph.
“I don’t look at it like redemption at all,” Keller said. “It’s such a distant, far-off memory that it doesn’t even come up in my head anymore.”
But memories aren’t always a bad thing at Nebraska.
“To get to the way it used to be,” Davison said, “we have to win a game like this. That’s how it starts.”
Saturday marks another chance for Nebraska to get its first major victory since beating No. 2 Oklahoma in 2001. The Huskers have lost their last four games against top-five teams. From the 1994 to 1997 seasons, they rattled off six straight wins over top-five teams and did it by an average margin of 18 points.
1994-2001: 8-3 record
Oct. 29, 1994: No. 3 Nebraska 24, No. 2 Colorado 7
Jan. 1, 1995: No. 1 Nebraska 24, No. 3 Miami 17
Jan. 2, 1996: No. 1 Nebraska 62, No. 2 Florida 24
Nov. 29, 1996: No. 4 Nebraska 17, No. 5 Coloardo 12
Sept. 20, 1997: No. 7 Nebraska 27, No. 2 Washington 14
Jan. 2, 1998: No. 2 Nebraska 42, No. 3 Tennessee 17
Nov. 14, 1998: No. 2 Kansas State 40, No. 11 Nebraska 30
Dec. 30, 1998: No. 5 Arizona 23, No. 14 Nebraska 20
Nov. 13, 1999: No. 7 Nebraska 41, No. 5 K-State 15
Oct. 28, 2000: No. 3 Oklahoma 31, No. 1 Nebraska 14
Oct. 27, 2001: No. 3 Nebraska 20, No. 2 Oklahoma 10
Since then: 0-4 record
Jan. 3, 2002: No. 1 Miami 37, No. 4 Nebraska 14
Nov. 13, 2004: No. 2 Oklahoma 30, NR Nebraska 3
Sept. 16, 2006: No. 4 USC 28, No. 19 Nebraska 10
Oct. 21, 2006: No. 5 Texas 22, No. 17 Nebraska 20
Southern Cal has taken over the role of dynasty from the Huskers
By BLAIR KERKHOFF
The Kansas City Star
LINCOLN, Neb. | Matt Davison has played the ugly guest role Southern California assumes this weekend.
“We used to go into people’s houses assuming we were going to win,” said Davison, a split end on the 1997 national championship team. “Just like they’re coming into ours.”
When a different shade of red ruled college football, Nebraska was the uber-talented and confident program whose road show struck fear into the host.
Identities have switched. Saturday’s Nebraska-Southern Cal showdown is the nation’s biggest game not because the matchup is seen as two national championship contending teams, but because one is and the other is desperately trying to be once again.
As the first top-ranked team to visit Memorial Stadium since 1978, Southern California is college football’s elite, winners of two national championships since 2004 with no end in sight to its dominance. Nebraska’s No. 14 ranking in The Associated Press poll is the program’s highest since 2003. That was two years after the Cornhuskers handed off the baton to Southern Cal, signaling the end of one dynasty and the beginning of the next.
The final moment of the Husker dynasty can be traced to Oct. 27, 2001 — a glorious day for Nebraskans in Lincoln. No. 3 Nebraska beat No. 2 Oklahoma 20-10 in a thriller that thrust Husker quarterback Eric Crouch to the top of the Heisman Trophy watch list. At the time, it seemed like just another mega win for the Huskers, who went 8-3 against top-five opponents from 1994 to that day.
And, then, it all came crashing down.
A Nebraska loss Saturday would drop the Huskers to 0-5 against top-five teams since that late October day of 2001.
“Where we are now is a different feeling for our fans and different for the people who have been around for a long time,” Davison said.
Southern Cal, meanwhile, filled in nicely after the Huskers exited the national scene. It finished each of the previous five years ranked in the top four, played in BCS bowls, won the Pacific-10 and at least 11 games. The Trojans bring a Heisman Trophy front-runner in quarterback John David Booty, bidding to become the program’s fourth in six years, and 10 returning defensive starters, including what many believe is the nation’s best group of linebackers.
This program is, in many respects, what Nebraska fans cheered for just 10 years ago.
“They’re the modern-day dynasty,” Cornhuskers cornerback Cortney Grixby said. “Nebraska owned the ’90s. But since the millennium they’ve been the best team. For us to be the best, we have to play the best, and that’s them.”
•••
Nobody stays on top forever, and some never get there. Nebraska was king of the mountain for five years starting in 1993, and the Cornhuskers weren’t far from the top for much of the next four seasons.
The 60-3 record over that first five years and 42-9 over the next four included the three national championships, five conference titles and a grand total of four games played with the team ranked outside the top 10.
None who suits up for Nebraska on Saturday was part of that. Even the fifth-year seniors have never been part of a conference championship or BCS bowl.
They’ve never been on a team that’s won all of its home games, much less expect to blast every opponent.
“It’s important to be the kind of program that wins every home game,” Davison said. “We’ve gotten away from that.”
Southern Cal has taken over the role of dynasty from the Huskers
< Previous page
The Cornhuskers came close last year. They led fifth-ranked Texas late before a fumble set up the Longhorns’ game-winning field goal. It would have been the program’s first perfect home season since 2001.
Trojans coach Pete Carroll sounds like former Nebraska coach Tom Osborne from the previous decade.
“We’re accustomed over the years to playing teams that give us their best shot, and their fans are ready to answer the call,” Carroll said. “That’s what we’ve come to expect.”
•••
What does Nebraska expect on Saturday? Kevin Kugler, co-host for a drive-time sports talk show on KOZN in Omaha, said the week’s tone for Husker diehard callers was realism wrapped in optimism.
“The realistic fan seems to think that there’s a better-than-average chance they’ll lose this game,” Kugler said. “People realize this is the No. 1 team in the country and beating them, even at home, is a difficult task.”
What gives Davison hope is Nebraska’s progress on the recruiting trail under Callahan.
“I feel like we have players good enough to win this game for the first time in five years,” Davison said. “There’s a much better chance than last year.”
Nebraska lost at Southern California 28-10 on this weekend a year ago, and it could have been worse. The Trojans took a knee instead of attempting a final-play touchdown from the shadow of Nebraska’s goal line.
Callahan took criticism for a conservative game plan that produced 36 attempts and 68 rushing yards. The Huskers threw it 17 times and seemed to be playing to keep from getting blown out.
What’s different this time? For starters, Nebraska has a quarterback, Sam Keller, who had some success against the Trojans, at least for a half. Playing for Arizona State in 2005, Keller put Southern California on its heels and helped the Sun Devils to a 21-3 halftime lead. He raised his arms in triumph as he disappeared into the tunnel.
The second half became a nightmare as Keller threw four of his five interceptions and the Trojans rallied for a 38-28 triumph.
“I don’t look at it like redemption at all,” Keller said. “It’s such a distant, far-off memory that it doesn’t even come up in my head anymore.”
But memories aren’t always a bad thing at Nebraska.
“To get to the way it used to be,” Davison said, “we have to win a game like this. That’s how it starts.”
Saturday marks another chance for Nebraska to get its first major victory since beating No. 2 Oklahoma in 2001. The Huskers have lost their last four games against top-five teams. From the 1994 to 1997 seasons, they rattled off six straight wins over top-five teams and did it by an average margin of 18 points.
1994-2001: 8-3 record
Oct. 29, 1994: No. 3 Nebraska 24, No. 2 Colorado 7
Jan. 1, 1995: No. 1 Nebraska 24, No. 3 Miami 17
Jan. 2, 1996: No. 1 Nebraska 62, No. 2 Florida 24
Nov. 29, 1996: No. 4 Nebraska 17, No. 5 Coloardo 12
Sept. 20, 1997: No. 7 Nebraska 27, No. 2 Washington 14
Jan. 2, 1998: No. 2 Nebraska 42, No. 3 Tennessee 17
Nov. 14, 1998: No. 2 Kansas State 40, No. 11 Nebraska 30
Dec. 30, 1998: No. 5 Arizona 23, No. 14 Nebraska 20
Nov. 13, 1999: No. 7 Nebraska 41, No. 5 K-State 15
Oct. 28, 2000: No. 3 Oklahoma 31, No. 1 Nebraska 14
Oct. 27, 2001: No. 3 Nebraska 20, No. 2 Oklahoma 10
Since then: 0-4 record
Jan. 3, 2002: No. 1 Miami 37, No. 4 Nebraska 14
Nov. 13, 2004: No. 2 Oklahoma 30, NR Nebraska 3
Sept. 16, 2006: No. 4 USC 28, No. 19 Nebraska 10
Oct. 21, 2006: No. 5 Texas 22, No. 17 Nebraska 20