To in-state Husker players such as Gangwish, losing hurts even more

[Kernal]

There's a great article in the Omaha World Herald today about in-state kids who ended up walking-on and playing on some of the "less winning" Nebraska teams. The article includes comments and perspectives of Jack Gangwish, Chad Sievers (2004) and Ben Eisenhart (2007).

Here's part of it, the rest is at this link.

At 23, [ben Eisenhart] was a fifth-year safety chasing USC tailbacks. Nebraska lost four straight in October. At Texas, a coach told Eisenhart he was playing the whole game. He was “jacked up.”

Nebraska blitzed every play. In the fourth quarter, Texas finally figured it out. Jamaal Charles rushed for 216 yards in the final 15 minutes.

“We’ve never been so sick of anything in our entire lives,” Eisenhart told reporters afterward. “Just so tired of losing and so tired of going to class and having everybody asking you questions.”

A kid from Florida or Texas or California goes through a losing season and feels terrible. But it’s different for a kid from Culbertson.

“I worked my whole life to be part of that,” Eisenhart said this week.

A majority of today’s players don’t know what it’s like to play for a whole state, Eisenhart said. To miss a tackle and feel worse for the fans than you do for yourself.

“They don’t understand how much everybody cares about it,” Eisenhart said. “Even the coaches. The coaches aren’t gonna know that. They’re from Oregon State.”

Eisenhart made a conscious decision during the disaster of 2007, something he still remembers.

“I was like, I will never have someone a year from now or 20 years from now pull up a play and say, why were you dogging here? I know that no one will ever be able to do that. Ever! I played my a$$ off every single snap.”

Reading this really makes me feel for these guys. It's one thing to come on here and complain, but it would be something else to feel all those same fan feelings but be down there on the field taking some heat and questions from everybody.

 

[True2tRA]

Man it can't be easy to feel the weight of this state on your back. The guys who aren't from here eventually figure out the good/ugly side of Husker fans over time, but those kids didn't grow up dreaming about this opportunity either, so when it's crashing down around them, I'm sure it has to be hell.

Still, I love that quote

“I was like, I will never have someone a year from now or 20 years from now pull up a play and say, why were you dogging here? I know that no one will ever be able to do that. Ever! I played my a$$ off every single snap.”

That's a kickass attitude.

 

[Kernal]

Man it can't be easy to feel the weight of this state on your back. The guys who aren't from here eventually figure out the good/ugly side of Husker fans over time, but those kids didn't grow up dreaming about this opportunity either, so when it's crashing down around them, I'm sure it has to be hell.

Still, I love that quote

“I was like, I will never have someone a year from now or 20 years from now pull up a play and say, why were you dogging here? I know that no one will ever be able to do that. Ever! I played my a$$ off every single snap.”

That's a kickass attitude.

I agree. That's making the most of it, for sure.

This part got me: How can someone from Nebraska explain how much people care about football here?

A kid from Florida or Texas or California goes through a losing season and feels terrible. But it’s different for a kid from Culbertson.

“I worked my whole life to be part of that,” Eisenhart said this week....

...

"They don’t understand how much everybody cares about it.”

 

[NUinID]

This is a great example of Dirk writing at his best as opposed to his article about ranking all the losses since 2001.

 

[Hunter94]

losing hurts everyone who cares...........not getting better as the season progresses hurts even more.

 

[Kernal]

This is a great example of Dirk writing at his best as opposed to his article about ranking all the losses since 2001.

Yeah, that 66-losses article was a bit too much beating of dead horses.

 

[In the Deed the Glory]

I want this team to turn it around for so many reasons, but one of the biggest is for guys like Gangwish and Janovich. Makes me swell with pride. Deep down, all of us that grew up in small towns in Nebraska wished to be where they are.

They ARE Nebraska.