CLASSIC LOON DROPPINGS
Nebraska 45, Missouri 38
November 8, 1997
Cleanliness is next to godliness, they always say. And Heaven knows there must have been a higher power at work at Faurot Field on Saturday that led Nebraska to an overtime win. How else but through Divine Providence can you explain Matt Davison's "immaculate" catch? Actually, I think this was the Good Lord's way of cleaning out all the non-believers -- you know, those disgusted semi-loons who washed their hands of the Huskers after Brock Olivo got a first down with about four minutes left in the game. For the rest of us, though, this spirit-cleansing Miracle in Missouri came with a high price tag: While NU's record remains squeaky-clean, the nature of this win is sure to bring out a ton of media know-it-alls who think the Big Red's season is now a big wash.
A few takes:
TWINKLETOES: All I can say is, Thank Heaven For Shevin. Davison's last-second heroics wouldn't have been possible if it weren't for No. 5's fancy footwork at the goal line. Rumor has it that after witnessing Wiggins' ball-control skills, U.S. National Soccer team coach Steve Sampson flew to Lincoln late Saturday to offer Shevin a starting spot as a striker when his club plays Mexico next week. No one on the National Team could have performed such a precision bicycle kick as No. 5 did on Saturday, that is for darned sure. They always say football (not to be confused with Sampson's form of futbol) is a game of inches, but Saturday it was a game of two very big feet -- size 7, thank you very much. With the Huskers making plays like this, you have got to wonder if they're a team of destiny, dontcha?
MOTHER RUCKER: How fitting was it that on the Tigers' final offensive possession that a pair of Missourians stuffed Corby Jones for a big loss? Mike Rucker came high while Grant Wistrom came low and made a mess out of the flashy Mizzou QB, who up until that point had the Blackshirts more befuddled than the guy from "Sling Blade" trying to take the Harvard School of Medicine Entrance Exam. But the mark of a champ, they always say, is knowing when to step up and make game-turning plays when it really counts. And while MU chewed up plenty of real estate Saturday, it was the Cornhuskers who coolly and professionally closed the deal.
FIELD OF SCHEMES: Of course, this game might have been a Husker blowout if Larry Smith had allowed Mizzou's ground crews cut the grass for the last two months at Faurot Field. What a sneaky guy ol' Smitty is! Of course, rather than complaining, Dr. Tom's staff urged their boys to try a different kind of shoe to try and navigate through the, ahem, lengthy Missouri bluegrass. But methinks they would have been better off handing out machetes before the game. Ahman Green, who runs a 4.4 forty on normal turf, ran about a 4.4 10-yard dash in this jungle. I tell ya, there ought to be a law.
SCOTT THE SNOT?: When it comes to talking about his own greatness, NU quarterback Scott Frost makes Muhammad Ali look like Bob Newhart. In the bedlam following Nebraska's come-from-behind win, an ABC sideline reporter said to No. 7: "Scott, your running really was the difference today." Without a beat, Scott replied, "Yeah, it was." Now, it's a good thing to have confidence in yourself and your abilities, but I'm starting to wonder if you put Frosty up next to Lil Red, it might be hard to tell who's noggin is more inflated. But then again, it IS refreshing to hear athletes say what they really think instead of that canned speech that has passed the "class" censors.
APOCALYPSE NOW: What a "Judgment Day" this has been. Michigan, with their speedy cornerback/wide receiver/halfback/cabana boy Charles Woodson, is sure to pick up some first-place votes following its destruction of previously unbeaten Penn State, but you can put this in your Heisman-hype hookah and smoke it: Like "Space Jam," this event called "Judgment Day" was more spectacle than substance. Penn State is a bigger pretender than Chrissy Hynde -- trust me, PSU will lose at least two more games this year and finish out of the Top Ten (which is not to be confused with the Big Ten, for all you folks over at ABC Sports). Bottom line is, No. 1 Nebraska wins, Mr. Voter. Deal with it.
THE BOTTOM LINE: A big fan of westerns, on Friday I reflected on NU's season so far and said, "Hmmmm. It's quiet. Too quiet." Looks like those words turned out to be a cowpoke prophecy. Things were almost going too good for the Big Red, you know? It's almost like the Blackshirts, after three games and only one TD allowed, forgot what it was like to play a squad that was actually fired up for the ballgame. Good thing NU woke up in time to pull off the win, but I fear they'll take it in the shorts harder than Mike Tyson in the shower when this week's polls come out. The first salvo in the season-ending War of the Words will be fired this week, fellow Loons, but here are the only three that you need to remember: Go, Big, and RED. Meanwhile, it's back to the friendly confines of Memorial Stadium next week. After a week's worth of jabs in the national media, a nice scrimmage against Dan McCarney and his underachieving Cyclones will probably be a perfect way for the Huskers to make a point to the voters. Or 70 of them, hopefully. Nebraska 70, Iowa State 6.
==STEVE==