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DallasFlier · #**410** (**permalink**) 04-21-2009, 02:14 PM

Thought this was worth sharing.... nice piece and interesting perspective on the Huskers from the (Tide) folks at the Tuscaloosa News....

Quote:

The sea of red stretched as far as the eye could see and the area surrounding the stadium was abuzz, albeit more casually than in the fall. This was the biggest event this community will host until the regular season starts more than four months from now, even though it's mostly just for show.

Only I wasn't in Tuscaloosa, but Lincoln, Neb.

You can tell a lot about a city or town just by driving its streets. Here, you have to pass Old Dairy Road and then a couple of large silos (the food kind, the military ones left with the Air Force Base in the 1960s) to get to Cornhusker Highway. A glance to the south, toward the heart of the city, and one can't miss the large structure resembling a gateway.

Memorial Stadium doesn't have its name on the facade, just "Nebraska" and the five national championships _ 1970, 1971, 1994, 1995, 1997. The stands beyond each end zone extend higher than the sideline seats, and the announcer proudly proclaims it hosts "The greatest fans in all of college football."

Granted, just about every school boasts that, but it had a slightly different meaning Saturday because if any program has the one-up on Alabama for its spring football game it's Nebraska.

Just a handful of empty seats were keeping this from being a sellout, and unlike the Capstone, Cornhuskers fans paid to get in.

Seats sold for $10, and scalpers were getting at least $25 for decent seats. Despite rain in the area, only 7,000 tickets remained unsold the night before, most of which were snapped up in walk-up sales.

The announced crowd of 77,670 wasn't exaggerated (in comparison, this weekend's NCAA Gymnastics meet didn't even drawn 10,000 through the first two days and appeared destined to be the worst-attended ever). It came just short of last year's record 80,149, and marked the sixth straight year the Red-White Game attracted at least 54,000 fans.

All to watch an offseason practice.

Just to hear the answer, I asked someone on the way in what was the appeal. He looked at me as if I was an idiot.

"Well, it's the Huskers!" the fan boldly pronounced in a thick Midwestern accent.

Enough said.

It probably shouldn't surprise anyone. Nebraska's NCAA-record sellout streak, which dates back to 1962, is up to 297 games, with no signs of being snapped. The nearest pro teams in Kansas City are about a three-hour drive, while Lincoln's buildings and children alike have been named after football heroes.

Yes, they love the College World Series in nearby Omaha, the volleyball problem, and, fresh of its third NCAA title since 2004, Coach Bill Straub's bowling team was honored on the field after the first quarter.

But this is football country, only here it's known as "The Power of Red."

The tailgating started early and the streets were clogged with traffic. A prominent pregame video boasted of the program's largest figures and greatest successes. There were even mascots roaming the sideline (although the bobbing Lil' Red is a little creepy).

Yes, there are numerous similarities to Alabama, even though the teams haven't played since 1978. They're the unequaled kings of spring, each will play Virginia Tech this season (Alabama at the Georgia Dome on Sept. 5, while Nebraska visits on Sept. 19), and both have won a national championship by beating the other in a bowl game (Alabama 1965, Nebraska 1971).

It's probably just a matter of time until they collide again.

http://walsh.tuscaloosanews.com/defa...p?item=2365613

I did get a bit of a chuckle about the reference to the "thick Midwestern accent" since Omaha is the call-center capital of the country, precisely because of the LACK of accents in the midwest - as opposed to the deep south, known for its heavy accents.