Tigers 41, Huskers 6

Agonizing is the only word I can find to describe Saturday's Husker debacle in Columbia, Missouri. I've been following Nebraska football for many years now, and have witnessed my share of heartbreaking losses and unexpected upsets. But I have never experienced the kind of emotion I felt after Saturday's game. It wasn't just a stinging loss, or a heartbreaking one. Even terming it an ugly loss doesn't quite do it. This one cut right to the very soul of Husker Nation. It hurt, and it hurt bad. The mediocrity, which athletic director Steve Pederson promised to avoid in hiring Bill Callahan and company to coach the football program, has emerged. And it does not feel good in the least. Yes, Nebraska Football has officially become mediocre, and even that would be a kind term.

I have been told to quit living in the past, as the Huskers aren't what they were in the '90's and they never again will be that good. The term parody gets thrown around quite a bit these days in Husker Nation. I know losing is part of sports, part of the game, part of what makes the world go 'round. I can accept this, and I have done so. What I can't accept, especially when it comes to the Huskers, are the kinds of losses experienced on Saturday night. It was a complete and thorough breakdown, from the coaches and the gameplan to the players and the execution. At no time was Nebraska even in the game, much less making it competitive. I can handle getting beat by a better team - and Missouri was definitely the better team - but to be embarrassed? That's a tough pill to swallow. To slip into mediocrity and beyond? Ouch.

The Tiger defense was circling the drain coming into Saturday night's game, as they ranked near the bottom most categories. Yet Nebraska never made it into the end zone in making Missouri's defense look like a pretty good unit. Did I mention embarrassing? And to think I had a good feeling coming into this highly-anticipated season. As I peruse the rest of the schedule, it would not surprise me if Nebraska is unable to win again, assuming we continue to play as we did Saturday. I mentioned in my prediction post last week that Saturday's game would give me a clue as to how the rest of the season might play out, and I certainly hoped for some reason to be excited. Instead, I'm scared to death. Never-the-less......

GO BIG RED!!!