This year, with both Francione and Nebraska Coach Bill Callahan in a little bit of hot water, we weren't sure what to expect. Nebraska was coming off a horrendous loss to Oklahoma State at home. A&M was also coming off a tough loss in Lubbock. Nebraska's AD was fired and in College Station, A&M AD Bill Byrne was releasing some of the initial findings from the "VIP Connection" email fiasco. Many dubbed this the "Buyout Bowl" and it's believed that both coaches will probably be gone at the end of the season.
Nebraska Coach Callahan leading his players out of the locker room
Josh and I had a nice drive up to Salina, Kansas on Friday. Scott and Devin were supposed to join us, but a round of emergency dental surgery on Thursday sidelined Scott. It just wasn't the same without those two guys. Josh propped up my leg in the car and away we went. The drive through Oklahoma and Kansas is enjoyable if a little staid. It's just nice to get away and hit the open road. The drive is easy and the scenery, especially at dusk, is beautiful. I was competitive in the Hay game for once (Josh probably disputes this!) and we played a lot of word games on the way up there to pass the time.
After a full night's rest in Salina, we left a little later than planned. This wasn't a big deal, but then we heard that kickoff was earlier than we thought. Josh had to find the accelerator. We had a three hour drive ahead of us. Oh, we also lacked maps for Lincoln so we had to call and use our GPS (Gary-Positioning System). That didn't work out quite as well as we'd hoped, but the nice thing about Lincoln is that it's not a very big town and the stadium (along with the state capitol building) dominate what little skyline there is.
When Josh and I were at Nebraska in '03, all we heard about was how great Nebraska fans were. We thought at the time they were just so-so. The fans we sat with expected to win every game and didn't really know much about their team. This time it was different. It seemed like they'd been brought down to earth a little (no doube like some A&M fans in recent years). They were still excited for their team, but no one made any patronizing comments around us. We even had a couple of fans come up and visit at length with us about the two programs and the issues each faces.
For those that don't know, Nebraska has the worst handicap seating we've ever seen. You literally sit UNDER the stadium in the north endzone. Even though the stadium has recently been renovated (and some upper handicap seats added) they continue to sit wheelchair fans under the stands.
Our seats 'under' the stadium
As for the game itself, it started optimistically when A&M scored a TD on its first position. Of course, the extra point was blocked. It looked like, in the first half, it was going to be a race to the finish as both teams swapped scores and only two points seperated the two teams at the half. It was frustrating for us during the first half. After demonstrating that Nebraska couldn't stop the running game, A&M suddenly kept trying to pass (without success). Several drives were cut short. Even a Nebraska fan stopped by to ask us why we were trying to pass when we could run at will. We didn't have an answer. That's the $2.6 million Francione play-calling.
During the second half, A&M went back to the run and brought Nebraska to a halt. It was the kind of game we know Francione likes to play. They just ran the ball play after play eating chunks of yardage and lots of time. A&M held the ball over 8 and a half minutes in the third quarter and 12 minutes in the fourth. Jorvorskie Lane had four TD's and several of his longest runs, including a 31 yarder. Lane ran for 130 yards. Nebraska as a team only rushed for 130 yards. McGee ran for 167 yards and set an A&M record for rushing attempts by a QB (35). He was honored as the Big 12 Offensive Player of the week for his performance. We also got to see Brantly bring down his own 8-yard punt.
Josh above our seats after the game
The defense had its moments too. They held Nebraska scoreless in the second half, forced two fumbles and recovered a muffed punt. During a key series they kept Nebraska from scoring on a critical 3rd and 2 at the beginning of the fourth. Nebraska lost yardage on the play, went for it on fourth down and couldn't convert. That pretty much closed the door on the Huskers' offense. The Ags would leave with a 36-14 win.
All in all, Josh and I really enjoyed this game. Yes, this wasn't the same Nebraksa that used to roll over opponents, but this is a team that beat A&M at home last year by one point. To watch A&M go into Nebraska in front it's 84-thousand fans, not turn the ball over, and rush to a 22 point victory was pretty special. This was one of those games where they put it all together (albiet minus the passing game). This win also makes the Aggies bowl-eligible. When you consider that A&M hasn't won in Lincoln since the 50's, that just makes it even better.
On the field after the game
One other note: As Josh and I began our drive back towards Oklahoma City (our destination Saturday night), we listened to the post-game show on the radio. What caught our attention, other than the fact that it was still going on almost five hours after the game was over, was the nature of the complaints Husker fans had about their program. It was the same types of things we complain about with Francione: lack of emotion, not playing maybe the best players, lack of a vertical passing game, inexplicable play-calling, etc. It was uncanny.
For those that are interested, we drove 1662 miles and spent 25 hours in the car. It was a long trip, but definitely worth it.
Next up, #9 Kansas, a very good defensive team. The Ags will have their hands full.
BTHOku
Patrick
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