My 2 Cents
11/18/08
Kansas Games

Commentary by David Max

The Kansas game was what I perceive as the "turning the corner" game where we played well for most of the game on both sides of the ball and got a convincing win in spite of losing the turnover battle. It was the coldest game I've been to in a long time but worth sitting through the entire game with layers of clothes. Looks like us old people in our part of the south end zone had more staying power than the student section. I hope they show up against CU or get their tickets to someone that would like to go.

The Kansas game laid the foundation for the increase in confidence level to sweep the State with the win in Manhattan. It started like the Oklahoma game giving up the pick 6 but the team did not get rattled and they went to work and dominated the game on both sides of the ball. It was like de ja vue all over again piling up over 300 yards rushing and putting together trademark drives of smashmouth football. You would think the game was being played in 1995. You can feel that Nebraska is on the way back and headed in the right direction. I do not expect any kind of a letdown when we play Colorado a week from Friday and I expect to see another strong performance against another team that is struggling right now. We need to play with as much intensity as we can and not make the early mistake to give them confidence. I would like to see a game where the outcome is not in doubt from the beginning and the second and third team players get a lot of playing time while the starters pack their suntan lotion in anticipation of a trip to the Gator Bowl. A strong performance on national TV would do a lot to erase the memories of nationwide viewers from the Missouri and Oklahoma games and impress the Bowl scouts. There is a lot riding on not only winning the CU game but how we look doing it.

The Colorado game is also the last game in Memorial Stadium for the seniors that have been through quite a lot in their careers and are going out on a positive note. At the beginning of the season the vast majority of Nebraska fans would have said they would be very pleased with an 8-4 regular season record. The two blowout loses tell us there is a lot more work to be done but we are definetly heading in the right direction. We can thank the senior class for perservering and turning things around this year. Let's give them a special sendoff.

In spite of the economic downturn I think the Nebraska fan base will travel well and are hungry to go to a bowl game. I have already blocked the time on my calendar and made a commitment to the Sidetrack Band to get them booked in a venue at the bowl game site. There is also some discussion on the BBS about putting together a fund raiser to help subsidize sending the Nebraska Band as well. If that materializes we will publicize their fundraising efforts on the front page.

Looking forward to going Bowling this winter. Hope to see the rest of the Husker Nation in Florida (or Texas) in January. Also looking forward to the release of the Jim Carrey Yes Man movie with the Nebraska game crowd scene to be released on December 19th that will feature 225 Nebraska fans. That was our "bowl game" last year. Looking forward to a real one this year.

Just my 2 cents. What about yours?

GO BIG RED!!!