Husker heartache

The sun did indeed come up Saturday morning (fittingly buried by the clouds), but an ache in the stomach remained which had nothing whatsoever to do with eating too much turkey on Thanksgiving Day.
Husker Nation took another punch to the stomach in the season finale against Iowa, letting yet another opportunity to go bowling slide off into the gutter. This Husker team, fan base and in some way’s the state’s sports identity as the proud host of a once elite college football program has to face the reality yet again that progress, though visible, hasn’t shown itself in the win column.
There was no doubt a different vibe in Lincoln this season and looking back at ground zero after a free-fall that ended in the Frost firing last year, that in and of itself is progress. Coach Matt Rhule made major strides in “flipping the culture,” creating what could and should be a winning infrastructure based on better team chemistry, practice habits, training routines, nutrition, etc., etc.
Which is what made Game Day so baffling, and frustrating, and painful to watch. Despite a roster low on playmakers and experience, further riddled by injury, the Huskers looked like a team ready to knock the proverbial door down almost every time out. The defense, especially, played like it belonged in the Big 10, which except for being overmatched against Michigan gave the Huskers a legitimate chance to win every other game. 
Sitting at five wins with four games to play, it would have been a safe bet in Vegas to put more money on the Big Red snapping its bowl game skid, giving Rhule and Co. invaluable time to practice, recruit and build some momentum heading into the off-season and into next fall.
Instead, the Huskers found new ways to lose four games in a row, leaving even the most faithful fans scratching their heads. Just one more win silences the critics to a large degree, gives Rhule some credibility on the recruiting trail, and lets the Huskers and their beloved fans enjoy December football with some skin in the game. Oh, what could have been …
As it is, there is little choice but to begin putting the pieces together for what will likely be a much different team in 2024, facing a much tougher schedule. Like it or loathe it, that means embracing a transfer portal with which the Huskers whiffed badly in last year’s search for a new QB.  Though play calling and time-management were sloppy down the stretch, visible for all to see and dissect in prime time, this behind-the-scenes process is where Rhule and Co. can prove their worth.
It was a painful last month of the season to be a Husker die-hard, and yet we remain dedicated to the crimson and cream. We live in Nebraska, after all, and this is OUR team, and for now our source of shared misery.
Go Big Red!
-- Kurt Johnson