Iowa

River Rivalry:  The Corn Bowl (officially the Heroes Game).  Our new annual Thanksgiving Friday game against Iowa.  It resulted in about the same 20-7 victory as every Friday game I can remember in the last 25 years I have been watching the Huskers finish out their season with a lackadaisical win the Friday after Thanksgiving.  Only difference?  Our opponent is now in black and yellow instead of black and gold.

Friday’s football tradition is as much a part of my family’s pastime together as the Thanksgiving meal itself.  I haven’t missed the Friday home game since I was a small child, and I was thrilled when Nebraska decided to take up the new rivalry against Legends division conference opponent Iowa through the next two years.  Based on the turnout today, I am pretty confident this new rivalry is here to stay. 

The seniors’ last home game of the year was an easy victory in the Huskers and Hawkeyes 42^nd meeting since first playing in 1891 to a crowd of 2,500 in Omaha.  Nebraska now leads the series with 27 wins, 13 losses, and 3 ties.

One of my best friends from high school, Joe, arrived at my parents’ house at 6:45 AM for a 7:00 AM departure to Lincoln.  These early games are rough!  I packed my mittens and my hat, and we made it early enough to beat the traffic and nab a garage parking spot.  We met my family at The Champions Club for our morning tailgate, and the wind picked up as the game drew near.  At 50 degrees on November 25, though, I could not complain with a tiny wind chill.

Our seats were at the near top of the North end zone, and we made the climb in plenty of time for the band’s pregame, the “Can You Feel It” song, the Husker rap, and my favorite, the Tunnel Walk.  Our view was awesome that high up, but the countdown was bittersweet as it is the last regular game of the season and of my 2011 journey.  I decided to enjoy every moment and started cheering loud as Maher kicked off and our Blackshirts started toward a near Blackout on Black Friday.

As the 21 Seniors were announced before the game, I could not help but think that we will be starting over on Defense again next year when our Blackshirts rock, Lavonte David, and buddies Alfonso Dennard, Austin Cassidy, and Lance Thorell leave Memorial Stadium for good.  Jared Crick, although sidelined most of the season with an injury, was a major influence for the Shirts this season as well.  Key players on Offense including Mike Caputo (son of a former high school DECA Advisor and friend), Tyler Legate and Brandon Kinnie will leave a hole in our offense as well.  We have some gaps to fill before next season for sure.

The Huskers got their groove back…for the most part.  “They had a never say die attitude,” said Bo.  Thank goodness.  Two interceptions in our favor, ten points up at the half, and nearly the entire game holding Iowa’s offense without a score, we commanded the field today.  Unfortunately, the penalties racked up again, some of them unfounded, and those on Iowa’s scoring drive resulting in too many freebie attempts for the Hawkeyes on the 1 yard line.  Beck’s offense looked a bit frantic, but that has been true all season.  Even Maher was a bit off; looks like last week’s shakeup at Michigan was still affecting his kickoffs on at least two attempts.  Normally our most consistent player, his rocky performance reminded Husker Nation that this team is still young and still getting comfortable, even in the last game of the season. 

The one consistent today was Burkhead.  That guy gives his whole heart every time.  On one carry, he kicked and scrambled over a defender to pick up just a couple more yards; the crowd roared.  It is that kind of hustle that makes the difference in a game like today.  Reminded me of Roy Helu, now one of the toughest RBs in the NFL (and my “value pick” on my Fantasy team for good reason).  Burkhead’s final play taking a knee sealed the record at 38 carries for the most carries in a single game by a Husker player in history.  What a classy move and a great credit to how hard he has worked this season.

Another tradition found a home in today’s game:  the gavel pass between Mortar Board chapters.  As a former Nebraska Mortar Board member, I remember our gavel pass on the field at the Missouri game.  I was pleased to see that this tradition will continue with our new conference division rival.  The Innocents Society from Nebraska found a new tradition against Iowa’s senior honorary in the Corn Bowl Trophy exchange. 

As Joe and I exited the stadium, we caught a glimpse of red jerseys carrying out the new Heroes trophy, a beautiful tribute to our newest rival game.  It will be interesting to see how this new rivalry develops over the years based on how competitive the two teams remain.  Rivalries are built on history, though, so it remains to be seen whether the Heroes game will be a born rivalry like the Nebraska-Oklahoma one in the days of the Big 8 or a made one like the Nebraska-Colorado one in the days of the Big 12.  Hoping for the former so that the trophy and the new traditions carry the same amount of weight that the post-Thanksgiving game has for so many Huskers like me over the years.

The win was critical to secure our 9-3 season and put us in line for a BCS bowl bid.  Now the countdown begins for the bowl decisions on Sunday, and I am anxious to book my tickets to wherever we end up.  Capital One in Orlando?  Outback in Tampa?  My bet's on Tampa against either Georgia or South Carolina, two incredible teams.  Looking forward to an exciting end to my journey wherever we end up.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

To commemorate my season following the Huskers, I made my most over-the top, incredible Christmas card EVER this year.

Knowing that my weekends were limited this season, my wellness coach advised me to utilize my long Thanksgiving weekend in Nebraska to recruit some help to complete my card vision:  a tree commemorating the best moments of my season in the form of ornaments and a poem reflecting on each week.  So, I packed up all of my supplies and shipped them off from FedEx after my workout knowing that the shipments would likely cause me to miss my flight, but I was so committed to completing the project that I would not have missed the opportunity to knock them out over a weekend.

As soon as the Iowa Game was over, I grabbed my boxes and set up shop at Grandma’s house.  Mom, Aunt Bonnie and I went to work.  The hours flew by as we punched, tied and glued nonstop the entire weekend.  Magic happened, and we finished the 100 cards just before I headed to my parents house to get ready for the show.  Incredible.  I packed up the cards and stopped by FedEx to ship them back home for addressing.  The cards were my best! Having handmade cards for years, none have topped the creativity and effort I put into my Husker cards. 

My masterpiece was highlighted by my clever poem, inspiration from my mom and the “12 Days of Christmas”.  I adapted them to the “12 Games of Huskers” and matched the rhyming, syllable length, and sequence of the original song.  See the original poem, below:

The Twelve Games of Huskers

On the first game of Huskers, Scrappy the Moc gave to me

our first Big Ten victory.

On the second game of Huskers, Fresno State gave to me

two ranks I loved.

On the third game of Huskers, Washington gave to me

3 home wins.

On the fourth game of Huskers, Wyoming gave to me

 warm-up for the curds.

On the fifth game of Huskers, Wisconsin gave to me

a loss that stings.

On the sixth game of Huskers, the Buckeyes gave to me

 3 quarters praying.

On the seventh game of Huskers, Minnesota gave to me

sideline tape for trimming.

On the eighth game of Huskers, the Spartans gave to me

Legends division king.

On the ninth game of Huskers, Northwestern gave to me

a Wildcat depantsing.

On the tenth game of Huskers, Penn State’s fans gave to me

fans who were weeping.

On the eleventh game of Huskers, Michigan gave to me

different tears for wiping.

On the twelfth game of Huskers, the Hawkeyes gave to me

Heroes trophy coming.

Wishing you a season of as much fun and memories

as the Huskers brought me this year!  Go Big Red!

Love, Kristen

On Sunday night, I am thrilled to make a guest appearance on the KMTV Action 3’s 10:30 PM Sunday night “Sports Sound-Off” with Sports Director Travis Morgan.  Make sure to tune in!!!

Michigan

Big House. Big Loss.

I have dreamed for years about my first experience in the infamous Big House.  In my dreams, the atmosphere is electric, the fans loud, and the Huskers prevail.  If only those dreams were a reality this week…

Our last regular season away game trip to Ann Arbor to face our Legends conference rival proved to be one for the ages:  our biggest loss of the season. The hype, the anticipation, and the pressure in hopes that Nebraska could salvage our season for a chance at the B1G Championship game was gone almost as quickly as my brief trip to Michigan’s campus.

My best friend in Chicago, Ranee, and our friend from Los Angeles, Jess, loaded up Ranee’s car on Friday afternoon for the 4-hour drive into Ann Arbor.  Our drive started off as rocky as the Huskers on the field when we had to pull off the road 20 minutes after our departure to fix the loose undercarriage.  A roll of duct tape, a few lottery tickets, and some assistance from the Indiana gas station locals put us right back on track. 

We arrived at the Red Roof Inn around 8:30 PM and met up with my sister, Amy, who flew in from Raleigh earlier in the day.  We stocked up for our tailgate pregame at the local grocery store complete with hot tea bags from the bar manager’s personal stock and honey from McDonalds for my hot toddys designed to cure my sinus infection brought on by too many weekends traveling.  We called a cab and made instant friends with our cab driver, and we decided that he would be our personal chauffeur all weekend.  Our Husker crew hit downtown to meet up with friends from LA at the Brown Jug, a popular Michigan student bar where the drinks flowed aplenty!  Our cabbie picked us up, and we turned in for a quick nap before our long day of football.

The Sirius tunnel walk helped to start our morning off right, and we caught the bus to our tailgate at the golf course next to the stadium.  As we walked up the hill to meet Amy’s best friend, Lisa, and her husband, Tarek, at their prime tailgate spot, I was in awe of the sheer number of maize and blue tents and flags spanning miles upon miles across the golf course.  We were welcomed with open arms, and Tarek’s friend, Jonny, had quite the setup!  Full grills, a fire pit, flat screens, and more coolers than I could count.  I have never seen so many sets of cornholes in my life.  I played a few sets with Lisa’s mom to keep warm, as it was absolutely freezing that day.  Thank goodness I brought my long Eskimo coat!  We were positioned in the 2^nd row right under the end zone “M,” the perfect spot for our inaugural trip to Michigan.

Pregame flew by, and we headed across the street to the stadium just in time for some peppermint hot cocoa and kickoff.  As we entered the Big House, I was in awe yet again.  Despite the advice I received from friends near and far about the cozy Wolverine home, I was shocked by how small the stadium seemed in person.  Beaver Stadium, where I sat just a week earlier, seemed at least twice the size, but I quickly realized why when we took our seats in the corner of the end zone 62 rows up:  the seats are 3 inches smaller per seat!  We were thankful for the closeness given the chill in the air, and we cozied in with all 113,718 of our closest friends for a long ride.

With a 3 ½ point spread for Michigan with home field advantage, the game was a draw…that is until Denard Robinson got the ball.  The Robinson-led offense did whatever they wanted against Nebraska’s D.  First down after first down, it seemed like Lavonte David was the only Blackshirt who showed up on Saturday.  A 54-yard bomb pass from Martinez to Kinnie in the 2^nd quarter for a touchdown followed quickly by Maher’s 51-yard field goal tied the game at 10, and it looked like our ‘Skers might turn the game around.  We made friends with a couple of Michigan fans behind us, and I guaranteed them Maher would make it at that distance.  I beamed when he did.  Robinson ran it in for another TD before the half leaving the Huskers behind 17-10 going into the lockers.  It was within reach.

Michigan’s Marching Band put on the most odd halftime show I have ever witnessed.  As the big screens finally gained power, the images across the screen confused and stunned the crowd.  A compilation of the most viral YouTube videos of the last year, the band played and danced to the dancing gerbil and “double rainbow” accompanied by a rainbow flag corps display across the field.  The ENTIRE stadium united in stunned disbelief; was this really happening?!?!  The final formation spelled out their sole purpose:  MMB [Michigan Marching Band] Goes Viral.  The feeling of stunned disbelief was unfortunately a preview for the entire second half.

Michigan came out of the half on fire.  An immediate touchdown set the stage for the rest of the game, The Wolverines didn't waste many chances against Nebraska, turning a close game into a rout with 21 straight points after it was tied in the 2^nd quarter at 10 allowing just one more touchdown from Nebraska before closing out with two more TDs in the fourth quarter.  There were a few moments of hope in the second half, but those were pretty much squashed when our worst penalty of the game was met with a roar from the field of blue.  Just just when it looked as if Nebraska might get some momentum in the game, shutting down Michigan on consecutive drives, Wil Richards was called for roughing the kicker on a punt and the Wolverines put the game out of reach. Nebraska led in one aspect of the game, though:  turnovers.  Bell’s fumble on the kickoff was one of 3 that we literally handed to Michigan.  As I said after the Wisconsin game, you cannot win football games when you make that many mistakes.  Today just wasn’t our day.

As the game verdict became clear, a new image appeared on the big screens:  the Michigan “M” smashing into a corn on the cob and popping the corn.  The Wolverines LOVED that, so much so that they replayed it three times!  “Welcome to the Big House” lingered on the screens, and the crowd began shouting “Beat Ohio” as they gained momentum against my poor Big Red.  Ranee and Jess headed back to our tailgate early, and Amy and I hung our heads at the end of the game as we exited the Big House past the columns and across Stadium and Main back to our golf course tailgate.  The Michigan fans could not have been more gracious, though, as they all thanked us for making the trip and wished us luck in the rest of the season.

The postgame party nearly made us forget the loss as our Michigan friends welcomed us with open arms.  “Hail to the Victors” caused dance parties to erupt across the field and the Jamaican hat on Ranee’s head kept me laughing all afternoon.  Our fire pit was the hit of the party as the temperature continued to drop. 

We walked down Main Street downtown and took the long way to The Arena after a few failed attempts at closed bars.  The Arena was packed, and we settled in for dinner, drinks, and a Nebraska Hail Varsity sing along led by Lisa. 

By the time night drew near, we decided it was time for some live music and dancing and headed on to the next watering hole.  I danced all night in my stocking cap before our cab driver took us to Jimmy Johns and back to our hotel.  Despite the massive loss earlier in the day and my lost bet to my coworker Bob, we had an absolutely incredible time.  Can’t wait to come back for redemption in two years.

Morning came all too soon, and we hit the road early to get back to Chicago.  Along the way, we got the gambling itch and decided to make a stop at Four Winds Casino in Indiana.  Our luck was about as good as the Huskers, as $40 each into the Wheel of Fortune slots left all 3 of us empty handed within about 15 minutes of our arrival.  We tried our hands at the Blackjack table and could not believe our eyes as our dealer hit 21 after 21 with 4 and 5 cards each hand.  It was like I was watching Denard Robinson passing against us all over again!  Another $60 in the hole, and I decided to call it a day.  Apparently lady luck was not on our sides all weekend long.  At least the duct tape from Friday was holding up!

Exhausted and run down on the drive home, I could not help but reflect on the past 11 weeks as I head into Nebraska’s last regular season game at home against Iowa.  Three losses puts us out of reach for the B1G Championship, a game I thought was ours for the winning at the start of the season.  Although I’m disappointed I won’t be driving to Indiana next weekend, I must admit that my friends and my bed in Chicago are thrilled to have me home for a weekend. 

We started the season ranked #10 in the BCS and head into our final game ranked #21 in the BCS.  Not at all how I thought the season would go, but the reality of the B1G shakeup week to week has bore down on the Big Red.  This is our new reality, and we better start getting used to it, as we are here to stay.

I arrived home to a lovely surprise from my college friend, Adrienne, who stayed at my place over the weekend: flowers, wine, and snacks!  What a wonderful homecoming after an exhausting weekend.

With one more game, I now find myself hoping for a decent bowl game.  Outback?  Holiday?  Anything but the Sun Bowl.  I find myself more committed than ever to finishing my journey with the Huskers wherever we end up.  Just hoping it is somewhere sunny. J