My Nebraska Cornhuskers lost to the Oregon Ducks last Saturday. But the sun came out on Sunday and I practiced the only faith that surpasses Big Red football — I went to mass in Portland, Oregon, before returning home to Nebraska. As was the case all weekend, Oregonians, including Ducks fans, treated me well. True believers tend to appreciate true believers of other faiths.
I regained the feeling that life was worth living, despite the loss of NU.
My mood soured, however, when I got to the airport and saw all the Huskers in red, just as they had been at the game the day before. That was when it hit me: The NU football program is no more worthy of its fan base than the Republican Party is of its conservative voting base.
We conservative Republicans complain about the “establishment,” the elite insiders content with business-as-usual politics who don’t like their boat rocked. There’s an elite establishment in sports too: administrators and coaches making seven-figure salaries, regents, “substance donors” (as a former NU insider called the skybox crowd), and freelance sportswriters/print and radio commentators who don’t want to jeopardize their access/status.
Then there are the rest of us who block a day or weekend for an away game and spend our own money to show up and support the team. Never mind the thousands of dollars in additional donations season ticket holders have to shell out for the privilege of occupying a lower rung of the Big Red food chain.
We, the grassroots Tea Party people of Husker Nation, are dismissed by the elites and freeloaders as loudmouths who fail to see the bigger picture.
In tiny, Mike Riley, who is in his third year as NU football coach, is still not ready to step into a head coaching role.
In 2012, Urban Meyer came out of retirement to an Ohio State program mired in 6-7 mediocrity and hampered in recruiting by cheating convictions. In his first year, Meyer demolished NU and the Big 10 Conference, going 12-0. He overcame the recruiting damage and won a national championship in Year 3 with his third string quarterback starting the semi-final and final matches.
Here’s the bigger picture from Big Red’s regrettable. NU’s sellout series has been a scam for years. NU runs ads urging people to buy tickets and relies on deep pockets to buy up portions of unpurchased seats. The sellouts ended because the flock lost faith in the shepherds and felt betrayed.
NU embarrassed itself (again) on national television in Oregon, giving up 42 points and 400 yards in the first half. The predictable cycle of establishment spin ensued. “We won the second half.” “It’s just one game.” “The Big 10 games matter.” “We’re trying new players in new positions with new assignments.”
We hear the same kind of whiny excuses from establishment Republicans when they lose a political fight.
By the way, Nebraska beat Oregon last year. Oregon was 4-8, fired its coach and has a modern regime. Shouldn’t Oregon be a program experiencing growing pains?
Our beloved Blackshirt defense, led by a modern $800,000-a-year assistant coach, looked pathetic. A better second half doesn’t excuse an unforgivable first half. A 42-35 game is one thing. To cave and give up six touchdowns in one half to a team that’s good but not great is an insult to the thousands of fans who came to the opposing team’s stadium to support you.
Evidence of failed leadership abounds. Consider the case of De’Mornay Pierson-El (DPE).
As a freshman, DPE electrified games with his punt returns. He was the nation’s leading punt returner. He was injured his sophomore year, but he came back to full strength last year. Physically, anyway.
DPE has never regained his freshman form at Riley. As a senior, he’s a shell-shocked shadow of his former self—letting punts go uncaught, losing catches with alarming regularity, not returning them even when he had the chance, including tardy in the game against Oregon when it might have mattered. At the last moment, he raised his hand to signal a fair catch (I’ll catch the punt but I won’t return it, so don’t hit me), caught the ball and started running, then stopped when the official ended the play because DPE signaled a fair catch.
He looks lost and untrained.
Nebraska trailed 35-14 tardy in the first half and desperately wanted to score before the half ended. On fourth-and-1 in their own territory, the Huskers bravely went for a first down instead of kicking. They got it!
The achievement was overturned by a penalty. The DPE crossed the line of scrimmage before passing the ball.
The play was a quarterback ploy, a brutal push across the middle of the line to push the pile enough to gain a yard. The DPE was a receiver spread wide near the sideline. He wasn’t a factor in the play. He wasn’t involved as a blocker. He wasn’t coming out to get the pass and trying to outrun the defender in the slot. Why was he offside during the quarterback’s trick?
After a penalty, Nebraska kicked the ball and Oregon drove downfield to score in the final moments of the half. That touchdown provided the winning advantage.
What kind of program has seniors making such unforced, brain-wrecking mistakes? A program with flawed leadership. I can’t imagine that happening on a team coached by Meyer at Ohio State or Nick Saban at Alabama.
Don’t blame DPE for making a great touchdown catch. Many players made mistakes in judgment and execution. There needs to be dramatic improvement in all areas to compensate for the mess Riley is making on the field right now.
I feel similarly about the actions of Republican Party leaders on Capitol Hill in 2017.
When will Huskers fans and conservative Republicans see their leadership match their commitment?
