A love-hate relationship

In my lifetime, I’ve definitely had a love-hate relationship with the University of Texas.
I just love to hate ‘em. Can’t stand the burnt orange. No apologies.
It probably started back in 1969 where as a youngster I watched the Texas-Arkansas football game on TV, when the Longhorns scored in the final minute or so to take a 15-14 win. President Nixon then went inside the Texas locker room to proclaim them No. 1.
Yuk! And before the bowl games. What?
Then just four years later, our family drove to Dallas and had tickets to the NU-Texas Cotton Bowl matchup on Jan. 1, a game where backup quarterback Steve Runty and sophomore running back Tony Davis led the Huskers to a 19-3 win in 30 degree weather after the game was tied at the half.
It was fun and the second half was great, but their fight song was enough to make me vomit.
Since that day Nebraska has only beaten the ‘Horns one time, in 1999, in the Big Twelve championship game in San Antonio by the score of 22-6. Big Red trails the all-time series 10-4, the last meeting in 2010 when the Texas defense held quarterback Taylor Martinez to 21 yards rushing and just 63 yards passing.
Most recently, at least in the past month or so, Nebraska has held the upper hand. How sweet was it when John Cook’s volleyball team marched in to Austin to take a 3-1 win over the “mighty” second seeded Longhorns to get to the Final 4?
And then just a couple weeks ago, Scott Frost got his guy in Texas transfer Casey Thompson, the son of former Oklahoma quarterback Charles Thompson. Unless he gets injured, Casey will be under center when the Huskers open up over in Ireland next August.
Thompson can throw the long ball with the best of them. And he’s a good enough athlete to make some things happen on his own.
So in the past month that makes it Huskers 2, ‘Horns 0.
Yep, I’m keeping score.
And then it happened. Rich texted me a post from the Texas volleyball program with an unlikely image, “Welcome Jordan Larson assistant coach.”
Immediately my mind started to race.
What? No way. Not funny one bit. Just a sick joke from inside the evil empire.
Well, needless to say I’m still in shock, and quite frankly, disappointed and a little disgusted.
While I should be happy for the former Husker (and also the best volleyball player on the planet), how can I be? How can she turn against us, against Big Red Nation and against Coach Cook?
If it was any other school. Penn State? Okay I could see that. Wisconsin? Not good, but okay, it would make sense. UCLA? You bet. Go Bruins.
But Texas is in a category all by itself, and I’m sure that’s how they like it. They like being the villain, and in fact, I think they thrive on it.
With the hiring of Jordan, they’re now laughing all the way to the back 40.
But I’m not laughing. I’ve been scarred for life.
It’s like Luke Skywalker joining forces with Darth Vader.
It’s like Spider Man suddenly going rogue.
It’s like Captain America really being a foreign spy.
Can you picture her in burnt orange? Just wait.
And can you imagine a Texas-Nebraska matchup next December in Omaha?
I’m sure somewhere the volleyball gods are laughing.

DAVE BRADLEY can be reached at advertising@hamilton.net.