Oz’s last stand

Austin Allen’s first game in Memorial Stadium was a tough pill to swallow. His final one wasn’t any easier. 
Oz, a then-junior for the Aurora Huskies, made one of the more impressive high school catches I’ve seen on the right sideline with his team down 25-21 on a 4th and 16. 
Allen came down with the ball, but his foot was right on the line and he was ruled out of bounds. It would have been a first down and goal-to-go situation. 
Sure would have been nice to have replays in the state finals then. 
It was a game Aurora led 21-13 at half, and eventually lost 32-21 to Elkhorn South. 
Black Friday 2021 had quite the similar vibe. 
Nebraska led Iowa 21-6 after a third quarter touchdown and the game seemingly in hand. Special teams miscues and late-game blunders proved to break Nebraska’s back for a ninth time as the Big Red finished with its worst record since 1957. 
Yet, though it all, Austin remains as a true description of what it means to play for Nebraska. 
Oz shared a video via social media early last week that the Iowa game would be his last as a Husker, leaning toward giving pro football a go. 
The 90-second clip was heartfelt, honest and true. 
He thanked Nebraska for giving him five years of memories he’s forever grateful for. 
“Nebraska just isn’t another stop on the map for me,” he said in the video. “This is home.”
While photos of him in high school flashed on the screen, he thanked his coaches and the relationships he’s made for turning him into the man he is now. 
“Knowing that I will never put on the scarlet and cream again breaks my heart,” Oz continued. “But I know I left everything on the field for you guys.”
Oz had a message for the fans, thanking them for showing up every Saturday, saying “Husker football runs through you.”
This fall, Oz achieved his goal of becoming a team captain, something no one can take from him. His photo will forever be in the hall of captains. 
The 2021 season and the end result will always be tied to Oz and his teammates. There’s no running from that. His 6’9” shoulders are more than large enough to handle that, however. 
“I know the wins weren’t always where we wanted, but Husker football is getting better day by day,” he said. 
It is, too. 
It’s honestly a shame that Allen won’t be around next year to see the fruits of the pathway to success he and his teammates have paved this year and the past few seasons. 
Everyone is tired of hearing the “Nebraska is so close” line but there’s no other way to describe it. 
A joke circulating around social media over the weekend that honestly may be more true than funny. 
With a win this weekend over Alabama in the SEC Championship, Georgia will enter the College Football Playoff undefeated and unoquivically No. 1. 
The teasing goes that if this Nebraska team was put into the College Football Playoff as the No. 4 team, the Huskers would lose to Georgia by a single score. 
Basically, if you’re tired of blowouts in the playoff, Nebraska will play harder than almost anyone. 
We’ve seen it all year. 
At Oklahoma. At Michigan State. Versus Michigan. Versus Ohio State. At Wisconsin. Versus Iowa. 
All ranked teams. All teams Nebraska had a lead on or a real opportunity to beat. 
Michigan and Iowa are playing for the Big Ten Championship. Nebraska had leads on both in the 4th quarter. 
Watching Michigan and Ohio State play this weekend as two top five teams was almost infuriating given that Nebraska played both as tough as any all year long. 
Wisconsin and Iowa games each featured a last-second potential game-winning drive ending with interceptions. 
Mind-boggling stuff. 
Oz shouldered all of those results, blunt and real during each of his media appearances. 
He will be remembered as an honest interview that always told it like it is. 
“That is a group of guys who have seen a lot and been through a lot. They are taking punches left and right. It means a lot for me to stand next to them and to look back and look at all the adversity that we faced and know where this thing is going in the future,” Allen said about his senior teammates. “Coach Frost is a great guy and he has great people around him. He is going to get it turned around. You just look around and smile at the guys because of the memories you have had. It all culminated today and I will keep in touch with those guys for the rest of my life, with coaches and with everybody I’ve been involved with during my five years here. Like I said I am not sad because it is over, I am happy because it happened.”
Austin leaves Lincoln after one of the best seasons any tight end has had in school history. 
A new school record for yards in a single game -- 143 reception yards against Wisconsin on seven grabs. 
A new school record for receptions in a season with 38. A new school record for yards in a season with 602. A new school record for 100-yard receiving games by a tight end in a season with two. 
Both his 38 catches and 602 receiving yards were second on the team behind Samori Toure. 
At the conclusion of the regular season, Allen led all Big Ten tight ends and ranked 13th nationally among tight ends in receiving yards. His average of 15.8 yards per reception also led all Big Ten tight ends and ranked sixth nationally among all tight ends.
His career stats won’t wow anyone. His senior year alone, however, will make waves. 
It’s enough of a splash to push Oz in giving the NFL a shot. 
“This week was big for me to talk to family, friends, coaches and people who mean a lot to me,” he said after the Iowa game. “It was in my best interest. I think now is the time. I have to try and take my shot. Yes, there are benefits to staying and getting bigger, faster, stronger. I think with how the season played out for me personally it is time to train and time to take my shot. That was the thought process behind it.”
While the Boerkircher brothers (Ian and Nate) will continue to play for the Big Red, a new addition may have been watching from the sideline Friday. 
Carlos Collazo’s first game at Memorial Stadium was much like Austin’s -- a loss in the Class B finals. 
Carlos was back on the turf Friday, this time as a visitor for the Huskers. He was accompanied by his uncle and former Husker himself, Andrew Rodriguez, and was acknowledged by Oz pregame.
Another Husky Big Red playmaker in the making? 
Time will tell. 
Until then, we’ll all watch with anticipation to see where a former basketball player from Aurora ends up. 
A spot on an NFL roster? 
Surely. Thanks for the ride, Oz. Husky Nation is ready for the next adventure. 
RICHARD RHODEN can be reached at sports@hamilton.net.