Rock bottom
-
ANR
Husker Nation watched with a mix of nostalgia and gloom Saturday as a once proud rivalry played out again in Lincoln, demonstrating in real time just how far both teams have evolved, in different directions.
OU/NU was college football at its finest back in the day, when the annual showdown was as much a part of the Thanksgiving tradition as turkey with all the trimmings. I, like many of you, have fond memories of watching that annual showdown with extended family glued to the tube, most especially the 1971 Game of the Century. Even 51 years later, if old enough to crawl, we remember where we were and how we felt as that game unfolded.
Those memories are fun to relive from time to time, but the sad reality on Saturday was that those glory days are in fact a distant memory for Husker fans. We had way more than our share of wins and conference/national titles during Coach Osborne’s reign, perhaps gaining a false sense of normalcy.
Last week’s transition into the post Scott Frost era was a difficult pill to swallow, but a necessary one. For whatever reason, the marriage made in football heaven just wasn’t, and everyone, including our own native son Husker hero, had to face reality. Scott Frost will land on his feet, eventually, but his tenure here needed to end.
And so a transitional Mickey Joseph era began, with the toughest of draws in Week 1, oh by the way on the biggest of stages. OU/NU on paper didn’t look good, but watching these two teams go head to head showed just how big the gap has grown. The Huskers were overmatched in every facet of the game and though the pesky Sooners look like a playoff contender, our Big Red lacked confidence, strength in the trenches and depth.
It’s going to take a reboot to somehow get this beloved program back on track. Sooner faithful had that same feeling back in 1997 when their Big Red was humiliated on the same field, but soon after a Bob Stoops hire turned the tide in Norman. Here’s hoping AD Trev Alberts can write a similar script in Lincoln.
Through it all, Husker Nation has endured, shifting the celebrations to focus on tradition, culture and camaraderie rather than victories. Hopefully, we’ll look back one day soon on Saturday as rock bottom.
-- Kurt Johnson
