The upcoming Big XII title game between the Huskers and 'Horns (oh how I love the way the Red Clad Loon writes that moniker out---"Whorns") calls to mind the memory of postgame Cotton Bowl 1974 when this Old Husker Fan was blowin' his horn for Marching Big Red down in Dallas. But first--every fan's got his opinion, and here's mine--about the 2009 title match.
No surprise here---the game will be between a team that is overbalanced--us--with an outstanding defense and average to below-average offense--against an outfit--Texas--that is above-average on both sides of the ball. With that, it's possible that we could see a game very similar to Nebraska-Oklahoma 1973, when our guys went down 27-0 in Norman and didn't even take one snap in their half of the field.
Of course, the wild card here is Bo Pelini's fire and the Horns' psyche. I love what Bo said this week about underdog this-and-that---it's all B.S. and "...we're going down there to win a football game. End of story." This guy does not back down--and as I said at the beginning of this blog last summer, that attitude is right down the line Devaney-esque. That's exactly how the Bobfather would approach this game.
On the 'Horn side, as my work friend Marty notes, it's Big XII title or bust. They've got all the pressure--we don't. And for their #12--it's no tickie, no shurkie for the Heisman. If McCoy doesn't have a good game he's done. If he has a good game, well--he can do the Jay Berwanger lookalike pose.
(Jay B was of course the model for the Heisman statue, because he was the first winner. He came from Dubuque, and I got to hear his story more than once during my radio days there. But I digress.)
Back to the game--Colt may be the Real McCoy. He of course has his good buddy, Jordan Shipley, to bail him out, and that's not a small matter. Our guys will have to cover him real well. But then again--we've got two all-conference D-backs, right? Yes we do--Prince and the Assassin.
So, what the heck--I think we rock & shock the world and the great Lone Star Republic. Huskers 17, Horns 10. (Don't ask me where the Husker TDs come from--I don't know. But they'll happen somehow. Maybe Suh takes a fumble and an INT back.)
Speaking of---y'know, it's not out of the question that if--as Chris Fowler calls him---Big Mister Suh--has a monster game, HE elbows his way into the top rung of Heisman-ism. Would THAT be sweet??!!!
All right--now to some fun stuff. Following that 1973 season that I noted earlier--which of course was Tom Osborne's first season as Husker head coach--the team, with a record of 8-2-1, was invited to the Cotton Bowl to play Texas. I don't recall if we were the underdogs or not--but there was a lot of excitement over playing the 'Horns. (According to records on Huskerpedia, we were ranked 12th, Texas was #8).
Jan 1, 1974 was a raw, ugly day in Big D. There were a few snow flurries along with some sleet. This was great fun for us northern guys to watch as the Texas drivers all looked like Bevo on skates while they were trying to drive on the freeway. The Cotton Bowl parade was a freeze-fest--our instruments never got warm. No telling what the sound was like--although the Husker fans at the parade had probably had breakfast with everyone's favorite pal, Jack Daniels--so who knew or cared if "No Place Like Nebraska" or "Hail Varsity" was in tune or not.
Then to the game. Weather didn't warm up any. It was gray, windy, and cold the whole time. PERFECT HUSKER WEATHER!!! Our guys were savage on D--Steve Manstedt made a huge play by catching a fumble in midair and taking it back well over 80 yards to set up a TD. We also returned a field goal effort that was well short--handled it like a kickoff and Bob Thornton brought it back about 40 yards to set up another drive. Final score was 19-3 Big Red.
We band members were jacked after the game. We were blaring fight songs, yelling, carrying on---EVERYONE like hooking the 'Horns.
Then came the capper. The 'Horns' pathway out of the stadium took them right by us hornblowers having a great time. And we were ready. The trumpet section--I believe inspired by Steve Erickson, although there were any number of other guys who could have done the same thing---had got us all lathered up (I love that Callahan term) to play "The Eyes of Texas" in a minor key. Doing that, the rollicking ditty (which is really "I've Been Workin' On The Railroad") becomes a funeral dirge.
We played that downer-type tune loud as we could while the 'Horns were filing off the field. They were whipped and they knew it. Several of them had tears in their eyes. A few tried half-heartedly to show the Hook 'em finger sign.
And then---and then---as one of the players walked by, being serenaded by the band---he gave us the one-finger salute. The middle finger. The bird. The Bronx Cheer.
When we saw that, we cheered and played even louder. The BAND had gotten inside the Texas heads--following, of course, the beat-down that the guys had accomplished on the field. It was great.
I don't know how things will go Saturday night in "Jerryworld". But if we pull this one out, I hope that the alternative "Eyes of Texas" song is rendered somewhere afterward. That would only be appropriate.
Go Big Red!!!
The Old Husker Fan
Thursday, December 3, 2009
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