Husker vs. Hokies

As I sat at work late last night accruing some overtime hours, I pulled out a pad of paper with the intentions of writing my predictions for today's big game. I ended up coming home with nothing but a blank piece of paper, short of a few scribbled out sentences. It would be easy to blame my writer's block on an inability to focus between answering phone calls and helping to solve the city's usual Friday night parties and general alcohol-related silliness. In reality, though, I suspect that blank piece of paper is due to the fact that I simply can't get a good read on how the Huskers will fare today.

All of the major elements are in place for an exciting game tonight. The Memorial Stadium lights will be on and the crowd will be jacked. The national media is in town to cover the Huskers for the first time this season. A real powerhouse football team in Virgina Tech is here to give rookie head coach Bo Pelini his first shot at making a statement as to how far his team has come towards rebuilding national prominence, and more importantly confidence within the program. The Huskers have had a couple weeks off to prepare for the Hokies after coming off their best game of this early season. Anticipation is high, and Husker-mania is at a fever pitch across the plains of Nebraska. It's a great college-football atmosphere at its very best!

Still, I just can't seem to get a strong feeling either way. In breaking the game down and looking at pure numbers, it seems the Huskers and Hokies are pretty evenly matched. Neither team is ranked in the top 25, but both are supposedly somewhere between #26 and #29. Both defenses are very good, though I'd give a slight edge to the Hokies simply based on experience. On the other side of the ball, the edge goes to Nebraska's offense as they have a fantastic rushing threat and a big-play-capable corps of receivers. The Tech offense really only offers a threat with their mobile quarterback. Contain him (which admittedly is no small feat), and they haven't much else on which to rely. As far as special teams, well, you may have heard the term "Beamerball." This refers to Tech's head coach Frank Beamer's style of special teams play. My understanding is that it is an honor to play on special teams in Blacksburg, which means there is always a huge threat of a game-changing play when Beamerball is being played.

So where does all of this analysis leave me? Stuck, for lack of a better term. Maybe it's because I was so confident last year that the S'kers would be good in their fourth year under Bill Callahan, and I was burned far too many times after thinking Nebraska would and should beat everyone that crossed their path. Yes, I'm hesitant to get overly confident in this first year of rebuilding our beloved football program.

So here's what I'm going to do:

I'm gonna throw all this analysis crap out the window, and in the spirit of true Husker fanaticism, predict a big ol' homegrown, smash-mouth, knock-'em-on-their-butts, gratifying win tonight. That's right - the Huskers will come out of their traditional tunnel-walk so jacked up and ready to knock somebodies head off, the Hokies won't ever get into a rythm. They will be scared, nervous, and flat. Forget Beamerball, people, we have Boball. The Huskers get it done tonight and Bo begins to resurrect the Nebraska football program with a big win. Final score: Huskers 30, Hokies 12.

GO BIG RED!!

Huskers 38, Aggies 7

Tonight's game was exactly what I had hoped for in terms of a complete football game. It was incredibly fun to watch, as the S'kers dominated every facet of the game. The defense was stellar, and the offense was clicking on every cylinder enroute to a season-best 330 yards rushing, and 553 yards overall. They didn't score as much as I had originally thought they might, but for good reason. Head coach Bo Pelini was smart in putting in his backup quarterback at the beginning of the fourth quarter, and even his third-string quarterback in the latter stages of the game. Both got some quality playing time and precious experience. As good as the defense was playing, it was a great move, and I was thrilled to see both players take some snaps.

As I mentioned, the defense was amazing. They played tonight like the defense all of Husker Nation has dreamed about since the announcement of Bo Pelini as head coach at Nebraska. They pitched a three-quarter shut out, and I believe it could have been a complete shut out had the offense not fumbled the ball and given the Aggies first-and-goal from the three yard line. It was a beautiful thing!

So, the Huskers now go into their bye-week very confident. It would appear as though the possibilities are there that this team can at least compete with some of the marquee teams in the nation. I feel good about our chances against Virginia Tech in a couple of weeks, especially since the Hokies have to come to our house. They may not be as good as in recent years, but Coach Beamer always has his guys ready to play, and I'm betting they will give the Huskers their biggest test yet. I'll make my usual prediction closer to game time, and after I chew on and digest the season so far.

Meanwhile, how 'bout those lady Huskers??? The Nebraska volleyball team is still unbeaten, and played their final non-conference match today. They are shocking the nation as they take their undefeated status and #2 national ranking into conference play next week.

Yes, life is good in Big Red Country right now.

GO BIG RED!!

Game #3: Huskers vs. Aggies

Tomorrow's game, in this amateur Husker football writer's book, is a very big game for the Nebraska football team. New Mexico State will be in town to battle the Huskers at the old stadium, and dare I say, the Huskers had better be ready. Ready in the sense that this will be the final time to fine-tune the basics of good football. Tackling, blocking, rushing, discipline, communication, clock control, to name a few. Performing these traits successfully are what make a football team good. Adding an element of instinct to these traits is what begins to separate the good from the great. I'm not looking for great, yet. I'm looking for good, which I have seen flashes of in the first two games, but not consistently.

Here's a glimpse of the immediate future; Nebraska hosts New Mexico State tomorrow, then they have a bye-week. The following week, Virgina Tech pays a visit, followed by Missouri. Despite Tech's opening-day loss to East Carolina (who, by the way, seems to be making a living out of upsetting top 20 teams so far this year), they are very talented and will not give the Huskers an easy game. And, need I say a word about Heisman-candidate Chase Daniels and Missouri? If Nebraska does not play well tomorrow, the confidence factor will take a big hit going into the bye-week and preparations for Virginia Tech. And that's a long two weeks to ponder whether you're really good enough to compete with the big boys.

The Huskers MUST start quick tomorrow, and not let up until the game is far out of reach for the Aggies. Scoring on the first four or five possessions is essential, and a fat lead come half-time must be in order. The defense needs to finish the deal, too. Strong tackling, strong secondary play, and everyone swarming the ball. Tomorrow's Husker football needs to be complete in every aspect of the game.

And I predict it will. Not completely mistake-free, mind you, but it will be the best game we've seen this year. Based on stories out of practice this week, the S'kers have worked diligently on tackling to the ground and prolonged intensity. I'm guessing (and hoping) we will see the fruits of their labor tomorrow. Kickoff is set for 6:00 p.m., and I predict by the time darkness has swept across the Nebraska sky and the dust has settled inside Memorial Stadium, the Huskers will have prevailed big with a 58-17 drubbing of the Aggies of New Mexico State. May the football gods be with us all if they don't....I'll get back to you after Saturday on that one.

GO BIG RED!!

Wow - so here it is Wednesday already and I haven't posted a thing about the Husker's weekend. In fact, I couldn't even squeeze in time to post a prediction before last Saturday's game. Good grief. If I would have predicted, however, I would have wrote that the Huskers would shore up there communication issues and other defensive issues en route to a 56-17 thrashing of San Jose State. I would have been wrong. Gulp.

What actually took place was lots and lots of pure sloppiness. The S'kers walked away from the mess on Saturday with a 35-12 win, but I would say the game was closer than the score indicates. In fact, the score was still 14-12 with twelve minutes left in the game. And seven of those points came from a defensive touchdown. The offense struggled mightily to find any sort of rhythm, and finally got going after Niles Paul returned a punt 85 yards for a touchdown. It was the spark the Huskers needed to finally put the game away, but it was never-the-less far too close for any sort of comfort in Big Red Country.

For some reason, though, I'm still not horribly worried. Maybe it's because I'm not allowing myself to have too many expectations for this season, even though I think head coach Bo Pelini might just be the second coming of Christ. He's still a first-year head coach, as are most of the Nebraska coaches. I think Pelini and company will continue to work hard to tune the Big Red Machine, and we will continue to see improvement from week to week. Quarterback Joe Ganz is a fantastic football player, and maybe even a better leader, and he'll have his team back on track soon. I look for some real signs of improvement this week, though again, there will still be mistakes. New Mexico State comes calling on Saturday, and since I have the next few days off while my wife travels to her brother's wedding, I will be sure to make time to post my prediction before game time. Until then....and always....

GO BIG RED!!

Communication

Mandi and I had an appointment with a doctor this morning in order to diagnose some problems Mandi has been experiencing over the course of the last couple of weeks. Before I get too far into what happened, allow me to set the background a bit. You see, these problems Mandi has had are of the "female" version, if you will, and have been what we consider pretty scary. She's been in a lot of pain, along with other symptoms which led us to believe something was really not right. So, she had an appointment with a mid-wife at the care clinic we have used for our pregnancies, and that was on Tuesday of this week. Mandi came away from there feeling as though the mid-wife whom she saw (who was not our regular one) didn't take her very seriously, or at least acted like what Mandi has been experiencing just wasn't that big of a deal. Never the less, she ordered an ultra-sound for Mandi, to be done on Wednesday. Mandi had the ultra-sound done, and got those results back yesterday. The nurse with whom Mandi spoke yesterday sounded pretty serious, alarmed even, as she revealed the results. She told Mandi she needed to make an appointment with the doctor either Thursday afternoon, or this morning. Mandi opted for this morning so we could get work schedules and child care arranged, and that's where we found ourselves this morning.

We went into the office expecting the worst in terms of further diagnosis, and then treatment options. What we got seemed to be yet another opinion that what Mandi was experiencing wasn't a big deal, and the doctor ultimately made Mandi feel like she was kind of stupid for even being in his office. My hunch is that he didn't mean to make her feel that way, but the way he came across was horrible, to say the least. In the end, Mandi broke down in tears and told the doctor that what she was going through was not normal, she didn't deserve to live like she has been, and she wanted some answers. The doctor went on the defense and again, acted like everything he was saying was correct and we had no business being upset. He really believed he had done nothing wrong, whatsoever.

Now, I sincerely believe this doctor never intended to come across the way he did, and I sincerely believe his goal was to ultimately fix the problem. But he failed miserably in his compassion for Mandi and her ailments. Two thoughts surfaced in my mind during and after this entire experience. First, how realistic is it to expect a male doctor, even if he's the most knowledgeable in the world of the inner-workings of the female anatomy, to feel compassion and have understanding for a female patient experiencing these kinds of issues? I mean, really. Any male reading this care to comment? Men just don't get it, and we never will. It's just like childbirth - as a father who was there for every last second of my wife's pregnancies, I can say I experienced the birthing process just as much as I could. I studied the process, I watched the process unfold before my very eyes, and it was the most incredible thing I've ever witnessed, and the most incredible thing I ever will witness. But in the end, I don't have a clue what it was like to birth my children. Not a clue from Mandi's perspective. How in the world could I? On the same front, is it fair to a female patient to expect a male doctor to really "get" what she is going through? I don't know - I'm still on the fence, but I'm leaning towards the not so fair side.

Second, and I'll be frank. The interpersonal communication skills of the doctor whom we saw this morning flat sucked. He was horrible. He simply showed zero compassion, and it seems to me his profession would mandate some sort of skill in this area. He's charged with seeing people at the not-so-great moments in their lives, at least some of the time, and this poor bastard couldn't muster an ounce of compassion, or so it seemed. Maybe the compassion was there, and he just didn't know how to show it. At any rate, it really got me thinking about my own communication skills on a whole bunch of fronts. With my kids. With my wife. With my family. With the people who I talk to on the phone at the 9-1-1 Center. As a supervisor at the same center, with my staff. How do I come across? Am I effectively communicating what I want to say? Do I sound professional? Do I sound compassionate, empathetic, interested, caring? I can't say I was happy with the appointment this morning, but I can at least say it forced me to analyze my own communication efforts.

The Bucket List

Mandi and I had a rare opportunity last night to watch a movie together after the kids were tucked into bed, and after going through the list of pay-per-view options, we settled on The Bucket List. We had both heard good things about the movie, and two of our favorite actors (Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman) star in it, so we figured it wouldn't be a bad choice.

And a bad choice it was not. I've written frequently in the past on the subject of death because I find it fascinating on several fronts, the most interesting of which is how vastly different the topic is viewed from person to person. One would be hard-pressed to find the same views and/or understanding of death in talking to any number or group of people. The Bucket List approaches the subject of death, and how a person might react in learning his or hers living days are numbered. It's a serious subject, but spun with Nicholsen's sense of humor and Freeman's philosophical personality, I found myself laughing out loud several times. I found myself at the end of the movie with a smile on my face, yet the wheels of thought spinning wildly. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and would highly recommend it.

Calling All Home Buyers!

Hey all - I know this might be a long shot, but in the world of home selling, sometimes long shots prove to work out quite nicely. My wife's folks have been desperately trying to sell their home for nearly a year-and-a-half now, as they are preparing to move to Oklahoma where my father-in-law is now employed. As it stands now, he is flying down for two weeks of work, then back home for two weeks, etc. This arrangement is taking its toll on both of them, as you can imagine. They have an amazing acreage south of Lincoln, but the current housing market has made it very difficult to sell. They have had some potential buyers, but for various reasons, it has not worked out. I have included a link below to the website on which their house is listed. If you know of anyone who might be interested or looking at buying an acreage near Lincoln, please have them check this out and make an appointment with them. Here's the link:

http://www.frontierrealty.helpusell.com

Under the "find a property" heading, there's an option to enter an mls number. That number is 10064066. Enter the number, then click search now, and enjoy the pictures. And thank you for any sending this on to whoever you might know!

And So It Begins.....Again

As we begin to put the finishing touches on what has been a very fast-paced and busy summer, I must admit I am glad to be getting back into more of a regular routine. I love summer, what with all the grilling, fishing, camping, swimming, and spending time with friends outdoors and enjoying the warm weather and sunshine. And, I can't really complain too much about summer of '08, except that I didn't do nearly as much of the aforementioned list of activities and I would have liked. But, I don't suppose I ever would get to do as much as I'd like. I'm sure there's a reason for that, one which only God knows.

One regret I do have, however, is that I really fell hard out of my workout routine. Much of this was due to working third shift, as I often went in to work earlier in the evening to rake in the overtime hours and ultimately pay the bills. I had tried at one point to come home from work and go for an early morning run, but most often the kids were up and at 'em too soon, so that didn't work so well. Mandi's routine was such that she slept until nine or so in the morning, which I felt I owed her since she was often at home in the evening by herself with baths and other such parenting duties. Heck, the least I could do was let her wake up on her own accord, without the assistance of an alarm clock, right? By the time I got to bed, it was usually around ten o' clock and I wouldn't get up until supper time, around sixish. By the time I'd either go to work early or take care of a few to-do's, well, you get the picture. Where in the world is the time for a workout??

So it felt particularly good to get a good workout in this afternoon with Mandi. We went through one of our workout videos, which is equivalent to walking/running four miles. It was a little tougher than I remember, but I suppose that's par-for-the-course since I had fallen out of a routine. While we never stopped eating properly, the lack of exercise has taken it's toll on my energy level, and I've put on about ten pounds over the summer. Well, I'm back at it and I aim to reverse the gain, and keep on going to erase this belly of mine. My goal is two-fold - as I've mentioned in the past, I would dearly love to be in shape enough to run the Lincoln Marathon next May, and I would also love to reveal the coveted six-pack hidden within the confines of my abdomen. Now, I realize such a revelation will take some extra work outside of merely running, and I am prepared to accept such work. Bring it on!

I'll keep ya posted on the progress as the weeks press on.

All Huskers, All Weekend

It was a big weekend for Husker athletics, as the season opened for both the football team and the volleyball team. I normally begin these recaps with the football team, as I am a much bigger fan of football than volleyball. However, I'm feeling some serious love for the Lady Huskers this weekend, so I shall begin with them. As mentioned in my last post, the Ladies opened their season at the Qwest Center in Omaha and the Runza/AVCA Showcase tournament. Second-ranked Stanford was the Huskers first opponent, and it was all Nebraska as they dispatched the Cardinal in three games on Friday night. Nobody would have predicted such an amazing feat. The Huskers looked confident and energized, and appeared to be having the time of their lives! Next came the fourth-ranked Trojans of USC on Sunday for the tournament title. No problems there, either, as the Huskers won that match three games to one. It was quite the showcase, as the tournament name suggested, and it was all Huskers! Oh, and by the way, they returned home on Monday at the Coliseum to host Oral Roberts University. If anyone was concerned about a letdown, worry no more. The Huskers easily prevailed three-games-to-none, and remain undefeated as they vaulted to the #2 ranking in the nation. Nice work, Ladies!

As for the football team on Saturday, they defeated Western Michigan 47-24. The game was about what I expected for opening day. Not super pretty, but the Huskers definitely showed glimpses of brilliance on both sides of the ball. That intensity I discussed in my previous post was there, which was what I most wanted to see on Saturday. The defense came up with four sacks, after totaling thirteen all of last season. Hard tackling, flying to the football, and knocking people around was a beautiful thing to witness after the debacle from last year. The second-half was a bit less intense, though I suspect that was due to some miscommunication, as well as some intelligent coaching on the Western Michigan side.

There are some who have griped about the Husker's lack of a running game on Saturday, but I'm not so quick to complain. The Broncos were stacking the box and challenging quarterback Joe Ganz to test their secondary, which he did to the tune of 4 touchdowns and some 350 yards passing. Ganz did throw a couple of interceptions, one of which wasn't really his fault as it bounced off a player's hands. At any rate, with the successes of the passing game, we didn't need to necessarily run the ball. Our offense took what their defense was giving us, and we won the ball game handily. I suspect we'll see plenty of rushing in the weeks to come, especially with some talented running backs carrying the football. (I'm still not sold on starter Marlon Lucky, but we'll see how he responds to the new coaching staff.)

And so we move on to preparations for game #2. The Spartans of San Jose State come calling this Saturday, and I believe we'll see even more intensity this week. More predictions coming on Friday, and until then....

GO BIG RED!!!