Huskers Have History of Bouncing Back Against A&M
14 comments so far
October 18, 2007 by
The Huskers have been needing a get well game going on two weeks now. If history is any indicator A&M is a pretty good team to be playing this week. Nebraska is playing A&M for only thirteenth time ever and after twelve games between the schools the Huskers hold a 10-2 advantage in the series. Beyond the historical edge of simply beating A&M, Nebraska has had a history of beating the Aggies after suffering a loss.
In 1969, Bob Devaney’s squad fell in the opener to #5 USC in Lincoln 31-21. A week later the Aggies came to town and Nebraska pulled out a 14-0 victory. In 1972, the top ranked Huskers lost their opener 20-17 to UCLA in Los Angeles. A week later the tenth-ranked Huskers pounded the Aggies 37-7. The Huskers closed the 1987 season with a narrow loss to Florida State in the Fiesta Bowl 31-28. In the kickoff classic for 1988, second-ranked NU beat tenth-ranked A&M 23-14 in the Meadowlands.
You could call it a get well game in 1997 when the second-ranked Huskers used a 54-15 drubbing of #14 A&M to erase an ugly 27-24 victory over a bad Colorado the week before. That game helped Nebraska claim a share of the national championship. In 1999, the Huskers needed some big plays from Bobby Newcombe to pull out a win at Kansas that followed loss to Texas in Austin. But the ninth-ranked Huskers got back to dominating form with a 37-0 shutout of the 21st ranked Aggies in Lincoln.
In an eerily similar game to this week back in 2002, the unranked Huskers lost their third game of the season to unranked Oklahoma State, a team that had not beaten Nebraska since 1961. But the Huskers kept their hopes of a decent season alive for one week at least with a 35-31 win over the Aggies before a heartbreaking home loss to Texas that contributed to the Huskers losing four of their final five games that year. In 2003, the eighteenth-ranked Huskers spanked the unranked Aggies 48-12 in Dennis Franchione’s first season after allowing 41 points to Missouri the week before.
This year the Huskers are definitely smarting, but so are the Aggies. They just lost 35-7 on the road at Texas Tech. In their only other road game of 2007, the Aggies lost 34-17 at Miami. That Miami team is also 4-3, like the Huskers.
It’s hard to be hopeful for the remainder of this season, but at least for one week the Huskers just might manage a win at home because they’ve done it before to the Aggies, even when no one thought they would. Saturday can’t come soon enough.
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Andrew Oct 18 07
For all of you that think Bill Callahan never tried to get Dr. Tom out to a practice or have him involed in the program. To me this points out that Steve P. was the reason Dr. Tom would not come around.
***Callahan said Wednesday's practice was the first one Osborne has been at since he became head coach in 2004.
"I'm just glad he could make it out today," Callahan said. "I've invited him several times to come out to practice and it was thrilling to have him out here today."
AustinHusker Oct 18 07
I think we can still be hopeful for the rest of the season. Six weeks ago if you would have told me we were worried about playing Kansas I would have said your either from Kansas or have lost your mind. No body on our schedule is more talented then Nebraska except Texas and they have their own issues. Maybe this is the year Nebraska plays spoiler. It would be nice to beat an undefeated Kansas team.
Hope springs eternal and I think we will play well this weekend.
GO BIG RED
Andrew Oct 18 07
AustinHusker,
Finally somebody I agree with. I think if they don't start playing this week they never will, the only team that can beat us is US! Well put!
Darren Oct 18 07
I agree fellas, Pederson's worst sin is that he isolated the program. His not fostering or creating a relationship between Osborne and Callahan is just horrible. I hope the two of them can collaborate.
And, the fact that Osborne had to send a written invitation to former players to make them feel welcome again is just ridiculous. Says it all, really.
Pederson seperated NU from what made it great. Mis-management to the max.
SlateKC Oct 18 07
I agree. What we have witnessed on the football field the past four weeks has been nothing more than a group of disengaged employees, going through the motions.
A classic case of mis-management.
AggieCoach.com Oct 18 07
Far be it from Coach Fran to stop this "tradition" of using the Aggies to consistently bounce back from bad losses. He is on track for 0-3 against Nebraska and is a horrible 2-13 against top Big 12 recruiting competition (UT, OU, Texas Tech, Nebraska). If you really want to feel our pain, visit www.AggieCoach.com.
Matthew Mast Oct 18 07
You talk about Pederson not fostering a relationship between Clownahan and Osborne. How much of that was the result of Clownahan not wanting the old regime stepping on his toes? I personally think A LOT.
zE Oct 18 07
O.k., aTm beat Okie St., the team that just sliced thru our D like it was melted butter.(I have never see a D go SO much in the opposite direction of the ball as last weekend's version of the 'Blackshirts').
aTm has a good D, but their O is almost painful to watch: they call that thing they run the 'option', but I think it looks like cow phooey.
Their D will probably hold us to less than 25 points, but their O--even as ugly as it is--will score about 34 on our beyond porous D. aTm is the Auburn of the Big XII.
Unfortunately: aTm 34, NE 24.
donfl Oct 18 07
To belileve that the Big Red can get healthy vs
TAM based on history is naive at best. These past teams were "in" every game they played. These were not teams that got blown out before the half ended. I hated it when we lost by a field goal, which is what always happened to TO, at least we were in a position to win. This team is BAD and we are looking at a season where we could easily lose the rest of the games on our schedule. As much as I loved TO I have this gut feeling that he will not pull the plug on BC, and offer the job to Bo Pellini, who by the way even though he was an Ohioan learned real quickly to bleed Red.
Jason Oct 18 07
Matthew, thanks for your comments. But, could you take it easy on the "Clownahan" references? It's fine to dislike him, but let's respect the office, as they say.
BTW, I think your point is valid. Following a legend like TO is no easy task. It's even harder if he's showing up at practice a lot, etc.
But, I think TO's distance probably had more to do with his relationship with Pederson than Callahan.
(BC mentioned this week that he was glad to see TO at practice and said he had invited him numerous times before.)
Greg Morrow Oct 18 07
Nice reassuring words, Steve.
Just not feeling it, right about now.
Doing "battle" defending the current program all off season and now this, has left me a little "slap happy." I'm not going to spew, but if I can't think of anything good to say....
I want to say something positive, too!
Andrew Oct 18 07
Jason, Darren,
I think it has gotten past the point of trying to say anything positive about Callahan, NE fans already have there mind made up (good thing the desiding will not be up to them) and Callahan can do no right, they want change just for change sake. We will eventually become the Alabama of the North while NE fans just smile while it happens. Poor poor us, and poor next coach, I wonder what they will say if and when he does not work out?
ze Oct 18 07
I don't think Calli is the least bit intimidated by OZ--he was in the pros for what, 8 years, 10 years, went to the Superbowl, has had all kinds of celebitards and infamous coaches--Walsh, Madden, Gruden-- at practices before.
I'm sure he's upset about how the team is performing and a little embarrassed, but not intimidated. The guy has his dignity though.
Let's face it, if Calli was winning, OZ wouldn't be here, and we wouldn't be having these endless debates about Husker 'tradition', the friggin' walkon program, blah, blah, blah. It would just be the same ol' people whining from the start that they just don't like Callahan, his looks, the WCO--they want 'smash mouth' back, even though nobody in cfb runs straight up 'smash mouth' fb anymore, yet Calli DOES do a lot of 'smash mouth' in his version of the WCO.
Calli and OZ are different people with different fb concepts, so why should it have been that important that they hadn't 'had tea' alot before now. OZ was in congress for god's sake!
Husker Fan just wants 'feel good' right now-in a regressive way--and OZ is the perfect remedy.
To say that Calli hasn't understood NE tradition and most of the other irrational arguments rgdg him and NE FB is just more of Husker Fan whining that He is not getting His win 'fix'.
Winning is the only real tradition at NE or anywhere: 'just win baby'. As the Bobfather said, Husker Fan is with you all the way--win or tie. That goes for Any Fan, anywhere. Geez, just yesterday Red Sox Fan wanted Francona's head for pitching Wakefield in game 4 vs the Tribe(they lost) and in less than 24 hrs RedSox Fan is singing the praises of the same Francona(they won game 5).
So Calli no win, Calli no have job; Calli very smart 'cause he'll make 3 mil for doing nothing at NE after this year.
Scott Oct 19 07
So who from A&M is going to have THEIR career day on Saturday? I don't want to sound pessimistic but it seems like with most of the teams we have played so far this year there is always one or two guys that have career days against NU.
I'm going to cheer for the Big Red on Saturday but I don't think that "defense" can get things turned around this quick. I think A&M wins this game fairly easily unless they bring their D game.
But geez, if only NU could.......