The Nebraska Cornhuskers have always been known as a football school, in fact a powerhouse. As the third winningest college football program of all time, Nebraska has had its share of high points. You could mention the five national titles, the three Heisman Trophy winners, or the the 270 straight sell outs at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln. Nebraska has a great tradition and is usually one of the top programs in the country every year.
The Huskers have also had their troubles though. I will tell you about this decade of football in the Husker Nation!The Cornhusker team of 2001 had been rolling all of their opponents. Led by Eric Crouch, and a powerful option attack, the Huskers looked to be heading to the Rose Bowl. They had beat the defending national champs, the Oklahoma Sooners, 20-10 in Lincoln. The key play in that victory had been a trick play (Black 41 Flash Pass) where wing-back freshman Mike Stuntz came around on a reverse and threw the football to a wide open Crouch for a 61 yard pass reception. This play had solidified Eric Crouch’s Heisman, and it look like the Huskers would end the season undefeated.
Then came the Colorado game. On the day after Thanksgiving 2001, a confident red clad squad headed into Boulder ready to take care of business. The Golden Buffaloes had a suprise waiting for the Huskers! I simple trap play had the Blackshirts on their heals all day. The Huskers were in a state of misery as the clock read 62-36 at the end of the game.
The Huskers still lucked into playing the Miami Hurricanes in the Rose Bowl that year but the game was over early.
These heartbreaking games are called by some as the fall of the Nebraska program. Starting in 2002, Nebraska slipped into mediorocity and in 2003, Frank Solich was fired after commanding the Huskers to a 10-3 record.
Bill Callahan was hired in late January and with that came the change of the offense. Nebraska known for its ground game would now be running the West Coast offense and throwing the ball all over the field.
In 2004, the Huskers went 5-6 and missed a bowl game for the first time in some forty years. Records had fallen and the entire state was in shock, having no excuse this year for not putting up their Christmas lights. It had been a brutal off-season.
Starting in 2005, Callahan and company had brought in a top recruiting class. In April, 60,000 people showed up for the spring game, showing that the Husker Faithful hadn’t given up hope. Nebraska started off the season 4-0, but the offense was struggling. Nebraska lost a close on to Texas Tech, but the players had demonstrated a lot of heart. The bumps continued when the Huskers lost to Kansas, 40-15, and now all the streaks were over. In the final game of the 2005 season, Nebraska headed to Boulder where they would crush the Buffaloes 30-3. The Order had been restored on the same field where the downfall had begun.
The Huskers will be back in 2006!