BY DIRK CHATELAIN
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
NORMAN, Okla. - Fans were launching oranges like footballs. Ruf/Neks were firing guns like cowboys. Oklahoma was scoring. Nebraska wasn't.
Husker coach Bill Callahan responded with an obscenity that raised eyebrows around the country and temporarily stained the famed Oklahoma-Nebraska rivalry.
"F- hillbillies," Callahan said walking off the field after a 30-3 Husker loss at OU last November.
A year later in the land of red dirt, Callahan's blast hardly raises a stir on the Oklahoma campus. More than a dozen OU fans and players were asked about the comment Monday; less than half even remembered it. The opinion is mixed among those who recall the hillbilly comment.
"A lot of people thought, 'Look who's talking,'" said University of Oklahoma student Jay Murdock.
The people who live and die with the crimson and cream aren't much different than those 400 miles up the road, one student said. Meanwhile, others laugh about it.
"I don't care. I think it's funny," said OU student Jason Lindsey, who, by the way, agrees with Callahan about the hillbillies.
But Callahan's jab demonstrated his lack of knowledge of the rivalry, according to Murdock. NU-OU isn't like Texas-Oklahoma, he said. The two Big Reds don't hate each other.
"It just showed everybody he knew nothing about the tradition of OU-Nebraska," said Murdock, a life-long Sooner fan, who said crowds on each side have been throwing oranges for decades.
Callahan's expletive culminated a testy final minute between powerhouse Oklahoma and ailing Nebraska.
OU, a four-touchdown favorite, led 30-0 after three quarters, but Sooner coach Bob Stoops had voters and computers on his mind. Stoops kept his starters in the game until the final minute in an effort to stay ahead of undefeated Auburn in the BCS poll.
Considering the imbalance on the scoreboard, Lindsey said, Callahan was understandably upset.
"They were getting beat up pretty good," he said.
On third-and-eight at the Nebraska 17 with less than a minute to play, OU quarterback Jason White threw a pass into the end zone.
The Huskers held, then moved quickly down the field, called time out and attempted a field goal in the waning seconds, ruining OU's shutout hopes.
As Callahan walked off the field, Sooner fans pelted the turf with oranges, just as NU and OU fans had done when the two rivals battled for Big Eight titles years ago.
A Daily Oklahoman reporter heard Callahan's comment and printed it.
Two days later, Callahan was asked about the incident and further criticized Oklahoma game management. His apology came in July at Big 12 Media Days when he said he didn't mean to offend Oklahomans.
The topic resurfaced Monday during the Big 12 coaches' teleconference. Callahan didn't bite.
"Let me just tell you this: I already addressed that topic down at the (Big 12) media day," he said. "And I addressed it clearly, clearly, at that time."
Stoops said after practice Monday that Callahan's dig, combined with other "unfortunate circumstances," were an aberration in an otherwise respectful rivalry. Before the 2004 game, Husker Darren DeLone had collided with a Sooner Ruf/Nek on the sideline, inciting criminal charges against the offensive lineman.
"Let's put it behind us," Stoops said. "It's two good programs here. Let's focus on what's been so good for so long."
Peterson says he will play
Oklahoma running back Adrian Peterson, who finished second in the Heisman Trophy race a year ago as a freshman, said Monday after practice he'll play Saturday at Nebraska.
The dynamic back injured an ankle Oct. 1 against Kansas State and was ineffective in sparse carries against Texas and Kansas. Peterson sat out Saturday in a double-overtime win over Baylor.
Link:
http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_pg=38&u_sid=2052075
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
NORMAN, Okla. - Fans were launching oranges like footballs. Ruf/Neks were firing guns like cowboys. Oklahoma was scoring. Nebraska wasn't.
Husker coach Bill Callahan responded with an obscenity that raised eyebrows around the country and temporarily stained the famed Oklahoma-Nebraska rivalry.
"F- hillbillies," Callahan said walking off the field after a 30-3 Husker loss at OU last November.
A year later in the land of red dirt, Callahan's blast hardly raises a stir on the Oklahoma campus. More than a dozen OU fans and players were asked about the comment Monday; less than half even remembered it. The opinion is mixed among those who recall the hillbilly comment.
"A lot of people thought, 'Look who's talking,'" said University of Oklahoma student Jay Murdock.
The people who live and die with the crimson and cream aren't much different than those 400 miles up the road, one student said. Meanwhile, others laugh about it.
"I don't care. I think it's funny," said OU student Jason Lindsey, who, by the way, agrees with Callahan about the hillbillies.
But Callahan's jab demonstrated his lack of knowledge of the rivalry, according to Murdock. NU-OU isn't like Texas-Oklahoma, he said. The two Big Reds don't hate each other.
"It just showed everybody he knew nothing about the tradition of OU-Nebraska," said Murdock, a life-long Sooner fan, who said crowds on each side have been throwing oranges for decades.
Callahan's expletive culminated a testy final minute between powerhouse Oklahoma and ailing Nebraska.
OU, a four-touchdown favorite, led 30-0 after three quarters, but Sooner coach Bob Stoops had voters and computers on his mind. Stoops kept his starters in the game until the final minute in an effort to stay ahead of undefeated Auburn in the BCS poll.
Considering the imbalance on the scoreboard, Lindsey said, Callahan was understandably upset.
"They were getting beat up pretty good," he said.
On third-and-eight at the Nebraska 17 with less than a minute to play, OU quarterback Jason White threw a pass into the end zone.
The Huskers held, then moved quickly down the field, called time out and attempted a field goal in the waning seconds, ruining OU's shutout hopes.
As Callahan walked off the field, Sooner fans pelted the turf with oranges, just as NU and OU fans had done when the two rivals battled for Big Eight titles years ago.
A Daily Oklahoman reporter heard Callahan's comment and printed it.
Two days later, Callahan was asked about the incident and further criticized Oklahoma game management. His apology came in July at Big 12 Media Days when he said he didn't mean to offend Oklahomans.
The topic resurfaced Monday during the Big 12 coaches' teleconference. Callahan didn't bite.
"Let me just tell you this: I already addressed that topic down at the (Big 12) media day," he said. "And I addressed it clearly, clearly, at that time."
Stoops said after practice Monday that Callahan's dig, combined with other "unfortunate circumstances," were an aberration in an otherwise respectful rivalry. Before the 2004 game, Husker Darren DeLone had collided with a Sooner Ruf/Nek on the sideline, inciting criminal charges against the offensive lineman.
"Let's put it behind us," Stoops said. "It's two good programs here. Let's focus on what's been so good for so long."
Peterson says he will play
Oklahoma running back Adrian Peterson, who finished second in the Heisman Trophy race a year ago as a freshman, said Monday after practice he'll play Saturday at Nebraska.
The dynamic back injured an ankle Oct. 1 against Kansas State and was ineffective in sparse carries against Texas and Kansas. Peterson sat out Saturday in a double-overtime win over Baylor.
Link:
http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_pg=38&u_sid=2052075
