Aggies 36, Huskers 14

Did y'all think I forgot about the Huskers, or wrote them off as so many others have already done? I will admit, my faith in a positive close to what's left of the football season is all but gone, but that's certainly not why there was no prediction post last week, or post-game comments at the beginning of this week. I'll get to all of that in a minute.

First, just a couple of comments on the Lady Huskers. Since I last talked about the volleyball team after a sweep of Iowa State, the Huskers have faced Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas, and Hawaii, all of whom they swept three games to none. The Huskers had an amazing two-month run in which not a single game was lost. Fast forward to last night, and the highly-anticipated matchup with the fifth-ranked Longhorns of Texas University. This game had all the hype as #1 Nebraska took their show on the road to a sold-out arena, and a very hostile environment in Austin.

I will admit that I don't know a whole bunch about the technical game of volleyball, so the few times I've been afforded the opportunity to watch the Huskers this season, I've merely watched them score more points than their opponent. I really have no idea how high the level of play has been, because I don't understand the intricacies of the game itself. That said, even I could sense how tight the Huskers played last night. They were punched, and they didn't quite seem to know how to punch back. The Longhorns came to play last night, and right away put the Huskers in a position they have not been in a long time. In fact, I would go so far as to say the Huskers were not ever really that close. Texas dominated, the crowd was very much a factor, and Nebraska left Austin with a strong dose of their own medicine having been swept three games to none. They come home to face Missouri on Saturday, and we can only hope they will come out firing on all cylinders. Given Coach Cook's track record in similar situations, my guess is he'll have his squad ready to play. In fact, I almost feel sorry for Missouri, as they may be the target of the Huskers' frustrations.

On to football, "and the hits just keep on comin'...."

As I mentioned, I did not have a chance to post my usual Friday night prediction last week prior to the Huskers' game against Texas A&M. Had I the opportunity, however, I wold have guessed that Nebraska would pull out a win. I would have told you that of the five teams remaining on the Huskers' schedule, A&M would be the weakest, and the Huskers could statistically go toe-to-toe with them. I would have told you that all of the goings-on in the NU athletic department last week would be turned into motivation for the Huskers to come out on Saturday and play for pride in representing their tradition-rich program.

I would have been wrong. I was wrong. At least to an extent.

Saturday's Big Red performance solidified for me a glaring issue with the current Husker football program. Coach Callahan is bad. Really bad. I have supported him and his attempts to get this thing turned around, but the last few weeks have made it increasingly difficult to understand his coaching decisions. His squad is loaded with big-time talent, yet the play-calling is confusing, at best, as Callahan seems less and less interested in exploiting the strengths of this team. I try not to be overly-critical, and I probably fail, but it is frustrating when the guys who are not getting it done on the field are consistently given the starting nod. Yet when the backups come in, they continue to show flashes of brilliance far and above those who are starting. Or when a defensive scheme is working wonders against an opponent, said scheme is suddenly and inexplicably abandoned for one that doesn't work. I have to think this is more a coaching fault than player fault.

Anyway, looking ahead, Nebraska has four games to go; at Texas, at Kansas, vs. Kansas State, and at Colorado. Three of the four games are on the road, and all of them against top-25 ranked opponents. I've seen no reason over the course of the last month to believe that Nebraska stands a chance to win a single game from here on out. That said, I can only hope the Huskers can put behind them what has transpired thus far, and just play football. There's no reason to play tight, or cautiously, as there is nothing left for which to play except pride. And pride can be a dangerous weapon. Might as well let it all hang out, Big Red, and hope for an upset or two. Maybe in the process, they can win back some of those big-time recruits who have wavered from their oral commitments over the last couple of weeks.

As far as this Saturday, I'm going to give you my prediction a bit early. The Longhorns have a bunch yet to play for after dropping a game to Kansas State a few weeks ago. They are slowly climbing back into the BCS picture, and stubbing another toe against Nebraska would be embarrassing. The Big Red will collide with the Burnt Orange in Austin on Saturday, but it won't be much of a collision. Texas rolls; Longhorns 45, Huskers 10.

Times are tough in Husker Nation right now. But these are the times in which we grow. These are the times in which we learn. These are the times that help make winning that much sweeter. And these are the times that help the Big Red Faithful appreciate the values on which our beloved program was built. It might be awhile, but the Huskers will be back. Mark my words, the Huskers will be back.

GO BIG RED!!!