4TH QUARTER MELTDOWN DOOMS HUSKERS 28-25

BIG WED WAP-UP
Had the Huskers played the entire season with the same sense of urgency and intensity it showed for the first three quarters of the game Saturday in Austin, the Huskers likely would still be in the hunt for at least a Big 12 North title and not the mess they find themselves in. To be sure, the Huskers are fighting for their football lives-and the collective lives of their coaching staff.

It begs the question, why did it take the ninth game of the season to produce this kind of effort? While much improved, the change might be too little and too late.
Too bad.
And as the Huskers enter their last three games(it's probably unnecessary to say regular season games), they have the opportunity to salvage the season by winning all (gasp!) or maybe two games. The question is, where are the wins? K-State at home (maybe), at Kansas (you gotta be kidding) or at Colorado (doubtful).

The reality is that it is very likely the Huskers will finish the season with a 4-8 record.

And to make matters worse, Nebraska just lost two more starters for the season-quarterback Sam Keller and linebacker Lance Brandenburgh. Because both are seniors, their careers at Nebraska are over. Both players have given all they have in a season that has been filled with disappointment and turmoil. After Saturday's game, a tearful Sam Keller embraced his family. He knew it was over. Sam had only one year to play for the Huskers and now, it's over. Husker fans should pause for a moment to thank these two players for the outstanding effort while at Nebraska.
JUST THE FACTS, MA'AM
Listen up, Husker fans: This is the first time since 1948 (Husker Dan was in kindergarten) that a Husker team went winless in the month of October. And not since 1961 have the Huskers suffered four losses in a row. And to top it off, the 4-5 Huskers rank dead last in rushing defense. That's right, out of 119 D-1 schools, Nebraska is dead last. The Huskers are ranked behind such powerhouses as Troy, Nevada, Ball State, Army, Navy, Turner Gill's Buffalo Bulls and little Frankie Solich's Ohio Bobcats. Sigh.

But Husker fans know there are worse things than their football team this year.
20 THINGS NEBRASKA FOOTBALL IS BETTER THAN
1.) The Titanic (although there are some similarities)
2.) Roseanne Barr singing the national anthem
3.) Donald Trump's comb-over
4.) Drew Barrymore
5.) Lindsay Lohan
6.) Any Kenny G album
7.) Any Warren Swain broadcast
8.) Lima beans
9.) Rece Davis, Lou Holtz, Mark May football updates
10.) The 2007 Golden Domers
11.) Britney Spears
12.) "Rocky IV & V"
13.) "Saw IV"
14.) Howard Schnellenberger
15.) Elevator music
16.) The Baylor Bears
17.) 1958 Edsel
18.) Soccer
19.) Fargo in January (or any month, for that matter)
20.) Any Husker Dan column
JOKE DEPARTMENT
Mark Mangino, head coach of the Kansas Jayhawks and who is large enough to have his own area code, got lost one day while driving near Kansas City. So Mangino rolls down the window and asks a guy standing on the corner, "Excuse me, but how do I get to 435?"
"Stop eating," he replied.
FROM THE EMAIL BAG
Husker Dan:
I have been following the struggles of the boys back home and I feel for them. They need to keep their heads up, turn off TV, turn off the radio, don’t read the papers, stay out of town and do nothing but spend time on campus, be together and play some football.

Tough times are just that… tough. What makes a unit (think “team”) is they way they respond to tough – spread out or pull in. I think these kids need to pull in and push all the talk and pressure out. That won’t make the D better, it won’t make the passes get caught, but it will make them resilient and unified. At the end of this season, however it ends up, most likely some of these kids will be gone from college football forever. They need to have something to take with them – friends, fun, memories and the history of the loyal Husker fans.

I wish the Husker Nation Naysayers would leave these kids alone and let them be. What is done is done. Being over here and watching all the media and the news about our mission and how we are doing (according to them) I know how the kids feel. Watching my unit and units around me go through losses and struggles – we have pulled in. We are pushing the media out (mentally) and I know we are wining this thing over here. But, like football… sometimes it takes more than a season or two, or a coach or two to get the job done.
GBR… from Iraq .
Capt. Jonathan Harvey
All the Way...and then some!
Dear Husker Dan:
I just returned from the homeland and thought I'd drop you a note. I've been a Husker fan for nearly 65 years. Through good seasons and bad, I've seen the teams and coaches give their all for the Big Red fans. I was in high school at Fremont High when Bill Jennings struggled through five years at 15 - 34 - 1. I was a young man raising a family and starting a career when Bob Devaney put the Husker Nation in the national picture winning national titles in '70 and '71 with a 101 - 20 - 2 record in his eleven years as head coach.
I was settled in nicely to life while Dr. Tom continued to reign supreme as one of the winningest coaches in football history with his 255 - 49 - 3 record. I continued on during the ups and downs of the Solich era.

But now the mighty Huskers have fallen on hard times. Four and five isn't looking real good right now, and frankly I don't see another W in the schedule (I hope I'm wrong!). But every Saturday I'll get up and put on my Husker cap, shirt, watch, socks and shoes. I'll walk out to the fence and proudly hang my Husker flag. I'll sit in front of the TV or radio or computer while my Huskers play ball, and win or loose I'll cheer and scream and maybe even cry over the win or loss. But what I will never do is boo my team! I'll never tell anyone, especially members of the team and coaching staff that "they suck!"
Am I disappointed with this season? Yes. But what I'm most disappointed in is some of the fans that I listened too while I was in Big Red country last week. What these young men need right now is our loyalty. They need a pat on the back that says "you'll get 'em next time."
When I read some of the stories of how the fans have been treating the players (and from what I observed while there), I must say I was embarrassed to be a Husker fan for the first time ever.
Come on Husker fans. This is the time when you show what you're really made of. Anyone can be a fan when your team's on top. Now is the time that we must simply suck it up and support our team and coaching staff. Let's show the football world what we are made of. We'll get'em next year.
A loyal Husker fan,
Jerry F.
Edgartown, Massachusetts
MOVIE REVIEWS
"WE ARE MARSHALL"
If you are upset about the current state of the Husker football program, I urge you to rent, or buy "We Are Marshall". It is an excellent movie about all the right reasons to be a college football fan. It is a great movie.
"THE COMEBACKS"
This is a sophomoric satirical look at sports movies. Most of the gags don't work, but there are several very funny moments. It's a no brainer-no deep message here. There's enough cheesecake for the guys to make it interesting. It's entertaining, but not a keeper. Had the movie been made by the Zucker brothers ("Airplane!") it might have been a classic.
MORE FROM HUSKER DAN'S ARMY
Last week I issued a challenge to the other Nebraska Alumni organizations throughout the country to donate money to Husker Dan's Army. We need your help!

I'm issuing another call to duty. To recap, for every $100 that Nebraska fans donate, we will send a Husker Care Package filled with Husker memorabilia (T-shirts, caps, media guides etc.) to any soldier on our list who is serving in the military in the Middle East. In addition, HuskerVision, under the direction of Shot Kleen, will send game DVDs of each Husker football game.

You can donate any amount you wish. Please make your checks payable to:
HUSKER DAN'S ARMY
Northeast Kansans For Nebraska
Bob Elliott
3405 SW Atwood Avenue
Topeka, KS 66614

We need your help now. Our men and women in the military don't ask for much. Let's show them how much we care for them. Thanks!