Absolutely!
I just hope that the best fan base in all of American team sports continues to support the program like they always have
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A Sobering Stat
- Thread starter treeplanter
- Start date
I just hope that the best fan base in all of American team sports continues to support the program like they always have
Ok, fair enough!!
Nope...1999 showed the collapse hadn't yet occurred. Our confidence was shattered for nearly 2 decades during the 2000 Oklahoma game, when, as #1, we raced to an easy 14-0 lead after the 1st quarter, only to be trailing 24-14 at halftime on our way to a frustrating 31-14 trouncing in Stoops' first year. Earlier in the year we'd already shown the propensity to choke against a bad Notre Dame team in the "Sea of Red" game. Later, we let K-State beat us and we never beat another truly good team until the upset of OU the following year. I think it took everything out of the players and staff to win that game...nothing was left. Then of course, Colorado and Miami demolished us and the rest is history.
BuccaneeredHusker
Recruit
How about bad recruiting, player development and strength, coaching, and play calling. No omen. No bad luck. Just someone else did it better.
We don't deserve or have a right to win just because we used to. Kids here in Florida play year round on club teams.
That is why we recruit them.
That was the best K-State team in maybe - ever, and they had been gunning for us for at least 10 years. And it took a near decapitation of EC to do it.
Everyone paying attention should have known that we'd have a drop-off in '98, even if TO had stayed. But we righted the ship in '99.
Black Friday 2001 was the turning point. It felt that way at the time, and still does today.
I do agree that the Colorado game in 2001 changed Nebraska football. But I also agree chinks in the armor started to show up in 98. I think teams started to figure out the way to beat Nebraska was to attack them and the proverbial punch them in the mouth. I dont know how it happened but we seemed to not be able to recruit and develop offensive linemen after 2000.
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During the Osborne years, even when we were bad we were good. The 1990 team finished with three losses, two of which were to co-national champions Colorado and Georgia Tech. The 1991 team finished with two losses, to co-national champions Washington and Miami.
Recently, a Minnesota fans asked me "How many Husker fans does it take to change a light bulb?" The answer is "five--one to actually change the bulb and four to stand around and talk about how good the old bulb used to be". It gets frustrating when fans of a school has had a few good seasons only recently now talk down to us.
Recently, a Minnesota fans asked me "How many Husker fans does it take to change a light bulb?" The answer is "five--one to actually change the bulb and four to stand around and talk about how good the old bulb used to be". It gets frustrating when fans of a school has had a few good seasons only recently now talk down to us.
I had a high school teammate (basketball) whose son was on the football team from 1994 to 1998 including his redshirt year. When the player visited after the 1999 season when he was a pro he told his father, the players now had no idea how much hard work you have to put in to be successful. Those guys in the 90s worked and pushed each other to the max. His son said the current players thought they were good because they had been recruited by Nebraska. They didn't realize how much work it took to be Nebraska. It was telling when Scott Frost had Wistrom and Peter talk to the current team but they obviously didn't impart to everyone what it takes.
Agreed, there was no collapse and '99 was the last great Husker team!
However, I take issue with you assertion that '00 OU shattered our confidence!
Losing to our unfortunately removed, but longstanding rival - one that we had lost many, many times to...
Losing to a blue blood opponent - even one that had been down for a decade - even one that we could not have known would go on to win the national championship
hardly qualifies as a loss so as to shatter confidence!
In short, there is NO shame in losing to the Sooners - even by a large margin
There is, however, much shame in being blown out by the likes of Colorado
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Kwajsker
Scout Team
We did not fall from relevancy because teams were no longer afraid of us. We had earned our spot at the top through years of hard work. Many changes had been made over the course of the 80s and early 90s to allow us to finally break through. Teams were afraid of us because we were so good, we weren't good because teams were afraid of us.
Losing to K-State and Texas didn't plant a seed of doubt that we never recovered from. Otherwise, losses in 1996 would have done the same.
After 98 there was a slow burn followed by some big crashes. A loss or even a down year doesn't shatter confidence for decades. Different players, different coaches, different everything. No one could say "We lost 2009 to Texas because our confidence had been shattered in 1998." That is silly.
In the same way that you can't sabotage decades with a single down year, you can't rebuild to that level of greatness in a single year, either. If we beat a really big team, like shocking Ohio State this year, it isn't going to magically rebuild our confidence and put us back on the pedestal. Yes, we need a champion's mentality. We need to believe we are going to win. But our superior scheme, talent, development, coaching, all of it is why we won before, and that is what they feared. No game destroyed that fully, unless our schemes, talent, development, and coaching were all just smoke and mirrors.
But they weren't just smoke and mirrors. We had amazing talent, cutting edge schemes, great culture and accountability, serious development of players willing to wait their turn. That's it.
Plain and simple, we just have to rebuild and rebuild and get better and get better. What else do us fans have to do but keep hoping and encouraging, supporting and being crazy, insane hooligans for our team? It isn't like we have a different one.
By Frost's 5th year we will know if he can build it up to that level by his 10th or 15th year.
Losing to K-State and Texas didn't plant a seed of doubt that we never recovered from. Otherwise, losses in 1996 would have done the same.
After 98 there was a slow burn followed by some big crashes. A loss or even a down year doesn't shatter confidence for decades. Different players, different coaches, different everything. No one could say "We lost 2009 to Texas because our confidence had been shattered in 1998." That is silly.
In the same way that you can't sabotage decades with a single down year, you can't rebuild to that level of greatness in a single year, either. If we beat a really big team, like shocking Ohio State this year, it isn't going to magically rebuild our confidence and put us back on the pedestal. Yes, we need a champion's mentality. We need to believe we are going to win. But our superior scheme, talent, development, coaching, all of it is why we won before, and that is what they feared. No game destroyed that fully, unless our schemes, talent, development, and coaching were all just smoke and mirrors.
But they weren't just smoke and mirrors. We had amazing talent, cutting edge schemes, great culture and accountability, serious development of players willing to wait their turn. That's it.
Plain and simple, we just have to rebuild and rebuild and get better and get better. What else do us fans have to do but keep hoping and encouraging, supporting and being crazy, insane hooligans for our team? It isn't like we have a different one.
By Frost's 5th year we will know if he can build it up to that level by his 10th or 15th year.
Kwajsker
Scout Team
This!
I don't doubt that recruiting, player development and strength, coaching and play calling all went down following Osborne's retirement, however, I also feel sure that a decided drop in the mentality that hung over the program also plays a part in Nebraska's subsequent downfall
I call it a partnership of Steve Pederson and Harvey Perlman.
Most sobering IMO, no bowls since 2016. Runner-up: No winning seasons since 2016.
Broken bowl streak, +30 bowl appearances in a row ..... 2004, no bowl. I thought one year hiccup. Whoops
.Thanks Callahan, Riley and Frost. I'm so tired "Next Year".
Well at least clean program (so far) .... unlike UThugs, OU, SMU, etc
There is no doubt that Nebraska football has fallen down big time and I think that we can all agree, more or less, on the physical reasons for and why this having happened - that said, who agrees with me that there are significant psychological factors also at play?
