Cowboys 45, Huskers 14

The past day-and-a-half have been pretty miserable as I've tried to compose myself enough to figure out what to say this morning after the ugliness that was Husker football on Saturday. If you don't already know, Oklahoma State came into Memorial Stadium and made Nebraska look silly as they sliced and diced their way to a 38-0 half-time lead, and went on to blow the Huskers out of their own house. To say it was ugly, actually, is to make it better than it really was. It was beyond anything that I've ever witnessed in all my years has a Husker fan. It was indescribable. What the loss did was force me to ask some tough questions about the state of Nebraska football. Could it be that life amongst the nation's college football elite is a thing of the past for the Huskers? The term parity has been thrown around quite a bit lately in these parts. Parity: functional equality. Any given team can beat any given team on any given day in any given situation on any given grounds. Parity. There is certainly a good argument for parity in college football, and particularly Nebraska football. As my good friend and Kansas native Jeff Clinger pointed out the other day, who would have thought the Kansas Jayhawks would be 6-0 at this point in the season, and the mighty Huskers a struggling 4-3?

But I digress, and you know what? I'm going to step away from all of those questions and thoughts and grumblings and frustrations for a moment. There are so many things wrong with the Husker football program right now, and I'm tired of trying to pick it all apart and figure it all out. Instead, I'm going to travel a different direction with this topic. I was on my way home from dropping my son off at school this rainy morning, and as usual, had the radio tuned to ESPN Radio. Colin Cowherd had just begun his morning show, and was discussing the New England Patriots' win over the Dallas Cowboys yesterday. He marveled at how fantastic Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and the New England offense is, and how we will be praising this team as one of football's greatest in years to come. He also addressed the critics who say New England is overrated, and who blame the media for over-hyping the Patriots.

During his spin on the critics, Cowherd went into our culture's tendency and desire to try and find something negative in everything good. We pick apart anything and everything, and fail to appreciate the greatness in something or someone. Cowherd cited television as one of the areas we are so critical of, instead of realizing all of the fantastic programming available. 'If you can't find something worth watching out of over six-hundred channels, that's a "you" problem, not a t.v. problem,' he said. Cowherd really got my attention when he started in on religion as one of the areas we pick apart. Instead of worrying about what's right and what's not right, can't we just appreciate the smiles on people's faces and how good a preacher makes someone feel during and after a worship service? He suggested we appreciate things for what they are, rather than for what they are not.

Back to football - Cowherd suggested instead of finding things wrong with the Patriots, that we simply marvel at the offensive masterpiece they have created. Of course, there is no masterpiece right now at Nebraska, and not much at which to marvel. Still, there are some things we can appreciate. Freshman running-back sensation Quentin Castille is making some pretty big plays, and was a blast to watch on Saturday. Quarterback Sam Keller, though he's stumbled a few times lately, is still fun to watch when he zings a pass. The big offensive line is beginning to gel and holds a pretty bright future once they perfect their technique.

Don't get me wrong. I would love to see the Huskers winning, and see the program going in a different direction. As I mentioned, there are many, many things wrong with life in Husker Nation right now. With just five games left, though, I think it's time I start looking at what is bright and promising. Texas A&M comes to Lincoln next week, which is another chance to perfect our running game and work on the defensive techniques. Maybe, just maybe, the Huskers can get a win.

GO BIG RED!!