On a beautiful day in Nebraska, 89,886 people (including this party of 4 from Colorado) gathered at Memorial Stadium to w
atch the Huskers lose the game on a 49-yard field goal with 4 seconds remaining on the clock. Considered in isolation, this last minute loss would be simply one of those things that happens in the ebb and flow of the 11-players-per-team chess game we call football. But when today’s loss is put in the context of the Nebraska football season so far, it becomes the 5th of the games played so far that have been decided either in overtime or in the last minute of regulation time. But for a few quirks of fate, the Huskers could now be riding high with a 6-0 win-loss record instead of the dismal-sounding 2-4 position in which they now find themselves.
However the good news is that the coaches and players are determined to continue to fight on and make the most they can out of the season. Emotions were high after the game, but at the post-game press conference Coach Riley expressed his belief that the players will “answer the bell” and come out fighting to get another win on the board next week. Defensive End Jack Gangwish delivered the same message that the players will “come out next week firing on all cylinders”.
It was reassuring to see such positive attitudes less than 30 minutes after what must have been a heart-breaking loss. During the final couple of minutes the Wisconsin place kicker hit the upright on a 39-yard field goal attempt that would have won the game for his team. Gangwish reported that at that point he almost tackled the Defensive Co-ordinator Mark Banker to the ground in his jubilation, feeling that the team had received a new life. But after Nebraska went three-and-out on their next possession with Wisconsin using all three of their timeouts, the Badgers regained the ball with 1 minute three seconds remaining on the clock and suddenly Gangwish was thrust back into the game to try to preserve the win.
Full credit is due to the Badgers for the way they then moved the ball 42 yards down the field in 59 seconds, using 6 plays and no timeouts. This time the Brazilian-born place kicker for the Badgers made no mistake with his field goal attempt, even though it was longer than the one he had so recently missed.
Make no mistake, Husker fans, your Big Red boys will bounce back stronger than ever. Meanwhile I‘m glad to report that the Beatrice Orangemen won their game Friday night and improved their record to 6-1.