Saturday, October 05, 2002
Two early losses anger Nebraska's rabid followers
By KEVIN O'HANLON
Associated Press Writer
LINCOLN, Neb. — The economy is in the dumps, a drought has farmers in a death grip and the United States may be on the brink of war. So what's everybody in Nebraska talking about these days?
College football. University of Nebraska football, to be precise.
That's not unusual in this football-crazy state, but things are different this year.
The Cornhuskers, you see, have lost TWO of their first five games of the season. That is simply unacceptable for fans of a team that has not had a losing season since 1961 and has won or shared five national championships, all since 1970.
To make matters worse, the Cornhuskers fell out of The Associated Press Top 25 last week for the first time since 1981 — before many of the players on this year's team were even born.
During their 36-14 loss to Iowa State last weekend, fans were calling a Lincoln radio station while it was airing the game and demanding to know head coach Frank Solich's home number.
“I call it the angry Husker Nation,” said Gary Sharp, host of the only statewide radio sports talk-show. “It's gotten ugly. It's never, ever been like this.”
Some blame the offense. Some blame the defense. Others fault the quarterback. Still others blame the coaches.
“We're not a good team playing poorly. We're a poor team,” said Pete Watters, co-owner of Lincoln's Zoo Bar, a few blocks from the Huskers' Memorial Stadium. “I don't think we'll go to a bowl game this year.”
That's a brash, doom-and-gloom declaration, considering the Huskers have played in a postseason game for an NCAA-record 33 straight years.
So widespread is the angst that one Lincoln TV station led its evening newscast Tuesday with the changes in the team's lineup for Saturday's home game against McNeese State.
“When they are doing bad, it's news,” said Linda VanHoosen of KLKN-TV. “It's not just a sport here.”
With no other major college football program or professional sports team in the state of 1.7 million, Nebraska football is the only game in town.
Every game at Nebraska's 74,000-seat Memorial Stadium has been sold out since 1962. One of the finest hotels in Lincoln is named The Cornhusker, and a billboard across from Memorial Stadium once trumpeted, “Welcome to the center of the football universe.”
Nebraska began playing football in 1890. It has won nearly 70 percent of its games and claimed 43 conference titles to go with the national championships.
So when the Huskers lose, people notice. Even the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff. During a visit to Offutt Air Force Base near Omaha this week, Gen. Richard Myers acknowledged the Huskers' woes by saying: “I know these are tender moments.”
Less than a year ago, things were good in Husker Nation. Nebraska was 11-0 and ranked No. 2 in the AP poll. That was before a 62-36 drubbing at the hands of Colorado the day after Thanksgiving.
Then, through a series of unlikely losses by other teams, Nebraska found itself in the Rose Bowl playing Miami for the national championship. The Huskers lost 37-14.
The team seemed to recover early this season when the Huskers started 3-0 and were ranked No. 8. But a trip to Penn State resulted in an embarrassing 40-7 defeat.
That was followed last week by Nebraska's first loss in 10 years to Big 12 opponent Iowa State, which knocked the Huskers out of the Top 25.
“All is not lost,” said Cornhusker fan Bruce Melichar, who has posted game predictions on a marquee outside his Lincoln gas station for some 30 years. “You can't be the top dog on the mountain every year — and I think most people who are reasonable are thinking that.”
• Nebraska stays with Lord at quarterback
LINCOLN, Neb. — Nebraska will stay with Jammal Lord at quarterback despite two straight losses that dropped the Cornhuskers out of the Top 25 for the first time since 1981.
Lord, a junior, was replaced by sophomore Mike Stuntz during the fourth quarter of last week's 36-14 loss at Iowa State. The defeat dropped Nebraska to 3-2 and out of the AP rankings after being a part of 348 straight polls.
Coach Frank Solich said Friday that Lord alone isn't responsible for the team's lack of offense.
“We're not as productive as we should be, and that includes a lot of different issues,” he said.
Solich said he made the decision after evaluating this week's practices and consulting with quarterbacks coach Turner Gill.
Lord has a team-best 451 yards rushing, but he has completed just over 48 percent of his passes for 448 yards. He threw four interceptions in losses to Iowa State and Penn State.
Stuntz is regarded as a better passer, but he's only 9-of-22 for 97 yards.
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Aiken 27, Belmont 6
Anderson 37, harrison 34
Batavia 44, Williamsburg 0
Bethel Tate 35, Clermont NE 0
CCD 55, Landmark Christian 28
Chaminade-Julienne 57, Purcell Marian 13
CHCA 37, Columbus Bishop Hartley 0
Clinton-Massie 33, Blanchester 0
Colerain 31, Oak Hills 13
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Dayton Dunbar 46, Western Hills 18
Dixie Heights 24, Conner 6
East Central 31, Lawrenceburg 7
Glen Este 21, Winton Woods 14
Goshen 14, Hillsboro 7
Holy Cross 36, Bellevue 6
Holy Cross 36, Bellevue 6
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Indian Hill 19, Wyoming 0
Indiana football scores
Kentucky football scores
Kettering Alter 28, Badin 14
Kings 42, Ross 13
Lakota West 33, Milford 21
Lebanon 7, Carroll 0
Lemon-Monroe 17, Talawanda 14
Lloyd 37, Newport 7
Loveland 35, Norwood 13
Madeira 29, Finneytown 0
Mason 39 , Northwest 21
Mauk sets national yards record
Meadowdale 34, Jacobs 6
Middletown 14, Fairfield 6
New Richmond 35, Western Brown 0
NewCath 48, Ludlow 0
North College Hill 44, Lockland 7
Ohio football scores
Prep football scores
Princeton 42, Lakota East 21
Reading 34, Deer Park 0
Ryle 24, Boone County 9
Scott 56, Grant Co. 6
Simon Kenton 26, Campbell County 22
St. Xavier 35, LaSalle 7
Sycamore 49, Hamilton 7
Taylor 17, Mariemont 14
Turpin 20, Amelia 12
Wilmington 6, Little Miami 0
Woodward 26, Shroder Paideia 0
Two early losses anger Nebraska's rabid followers
