This is a memoir of many of the games I've witnessed either in person or by television/radio. I've been to over one hundred home games and more than a dozen road games. I have memories from nearly all of them but these are the ones that stick out. Everything I mention below is "off the cuff". If any numbers (scores, ranking, etc...) or facts are incorrect it is merely a product of lost memory. I have not referenced anything but my brain's data. So, without further ado.... In chronological order. I attended the games in bold Italics.
1986 Oklahoma State - I believe this was my first Husker game although I'd have to get confirmation from my father. Very faint memories. This was when the seed of my fanaticism was planted.
1987 UCLA - Went with my brother and sat (stood) in the student section. I was a couple weeks away from my ninth birthday. Neil Smith, Broderick Thomas and the rest of the Huskers took down Troy Aikman and the top ten ranked Bruins.
1987 Oklahoma - "Game of the Century II". I wasn't at this game but still remember vividly. Keith Jackson and the "Sooner Magic" did it again. 17-7 loss. The first loss that actually "hurt". 1988 Oklahoma State - NU put up 42 points a few minutes into the second quarter (including 14 in the first three plays from scrimmage). Too bad for OSU that Barry Sanders couldn't play defense. 63-42 NU win.
1988 Colorado - Watched in disbelief as Buffalo running back JJ Flannigan fumbled away a for sure touchdown streaking down the field with nobody near him. Big Red went on to win 7-0. 1989 Utah - Pretty uneventful blowout against Scott Mitchell and the Utes. The reason I remember the game is because there was a weather delay due to lightning. ***Side note - "Husker Bob" died that day. I swear during that game he sat like two rows in front of me.
1990 Colorado - Nothing like sitting through a cold, wet, miserable day only to see NU squander a 12-0 fourth quarter lead by giving up four fourth quarter touchdowns to Eric Bienemy. I still say the Huskers got screwed on a Johnny Mitchell touchdown that got called back. 27-12 NU loss.
1991 Washington - Huskies came in to Memorial with a top five ranking. NU took the early lead on a Derek Brown touchdown. But Steve Emtmann and the Huskies were too much to handle. 37-21 loss.
1992 at Iowa State - After dominating back to back top ten teams (Colorado and Kansas) Tommie Frazier and the 'Skers lose 19-10 in Ames. Probably the coldest game I've ever been to. My feet were numb halfway through the first quarter. Coincidentally or not, I'm 0-3 in Ames (1992, 2002, 2004).
1993 at Kansas - Was in Lawrence sitting behind the end zone that Glen Mason's Jayhawks two point conversion attempt failed in. Breathed a sigh of relief and thanked Mason for not kicking the PAT for the tie. Funny sidenote you will laugh at, I jerked off in the car while it was parked in a huge open lot about 4 hours prior to kickoff. No joke either.
1994 Orange Bowl, Florida St - Heavy underdog NU goes toe to toe with the Seminoles. William Floyd still hasn't scored and Corey Dixon's punt return was nullified by a phantom block in the back. I think we all know how this one ended. 18-16 Seminoles. Puke.
1994 UCLA - ESPN's 'College Gameday' came to Lincoln for the first time. And the two new 'Husker Vision' big screens were unveiled. Those two perks just enhanced the day as NU beat the piss out of JJ Stokes and the Bruins.
1994 Colorado - No lucky "Hail Mary" for you Buffaloes today. NU shuts down Kordell, Salaam, and Westbrook for an easy 24-7 over the second ranked Buffs. I believe there was a stat the Colorado was combined 0 for 12 on third and fourth down conversions.
1995 Orange Bowl, Miami - I was there in all my glory. Front row of the balcony. Stadium was literally probably split 50/50. Was hanging my head at halftime with the Canes leading 17-7. However, in the end the big uglies were too much for Warren Sapp, Ray Lewis and the rest of the Hurricane defense. Greatest Husker game/memory for me. Topped off by walking through the shady Miami projects after the game. Didn't care. Big Red finally got their first title in my lifetime.
1995 at Michigan State - Lawrence Phillips shredded Nick Saban's Spartan defense to put him at the top of the Heisman list through the first two weeks. 50-10 Big Red win. Too bad LP had to beat the shit out of a woman later that night...
1995 Kansas State - Nebraska once again beat down the Pussycats and I dropped acid in the fourth quarter before heading to Pershing to see Phish....and taking more psychedelics.
1996 Fiesta Bowl, Florida - Take your 'Fun 'n' Gun' and shove it Spurrier. Best. College. Football. Team. Ever. I was so hungover on Jim Beam the next morning that I slept through my first couple of classes before heading to school. Needless to say, I didn't get much accomplished that day. I don't think anybody (faculty) cared either. Probably the peak of Husker football.
1996 at Arizona State - All I could think while watching it was "is this really happening?". Nothing like scoring 77 on the Sun Devils the year before only to be shut out the following season. Ugly.
1996 Big 12 Championship, Texas - I'll get to Texas later. See below.
1997 at Washington - Huskers go to Seattle and lay the wood to the second ranked Huskies. Jason Peter and company beat the hell out of Brock Huard and the Washington offense. While NU had three one hundred yard rushers (Frost, Green, Mackovicka).
1997 at Missouri - I had to work (Russ's Market) during this game. I didn't really care at the time because I figured NU would roll them. It didn't turn out that way. Luckily a girl I worked with brought in an old black and white tv after halftime so I got to watch the ending on that. Unbelievable! Wiggins should've caught Frosty's pass in the first place but at least Davison saved the day...and season.
1998 Orange Bowl, Tennessee - Close for about a quarter against Peyton Manning and Vols but in the end the Huskers were too strong. The second half was a laugher as NU won their third title in four years. Went and partied downtown after the game and busted into Memorial with hundreds of other Husker fans. Smoked a bowl on the 'N' at the 50 yard line and helped take down the goal posts. Classic. And by the way, Michigan fans...you didn't share the title with Nebraska. Nebraska shared it with you. Be happy you got half.
1998 Louisiana Tech - Would somebody please cover Troy Edwards!? Oh wait, they can't. Oh well. You can set your records. We'll take the 29 point victory. 1998 Oklahoma State (Arrowhead in KC) - Nothing like drinking beer legally (yet, illegally since I was a minor) and watching a goal line stand to preserve a win. 1998 Texas - Not yet...
1998 at Kansas State - Well, Michael Bishop and his Wildcats finally got over the hump. However, I still can't believe Crouch didn't break his neck.
1999 at Iowa - I was about 100 feet away from where Crouch ran over the Hawkeye DB. I might as well have been five feet away. That's how loud it was. Great time tailgating before the game. Jack Daniels, Budweiser, and kind bud.
1999 at Texas - Once again, later...
2000 at Notre Dame - When they showed the stadium on tv I about shit my drawers. What a scene. Great game too. ND made a nice comeback on special teams. Crouch and company pulled it out in overtime .
2001 Notre Dame - I had looked forward to this game since it was scheduled in the early 90's. Fun day. Great result. Boring game.
2001 Oklahoma - Stuntz to Crouch. Need I say more? That is probably the single loudest moment I've ever heard in Memorial Stadium.
2001 at Colorado - Ouch. 62-36. Black Friday indeed. 2002 Rose Bowl, Miami - Shouldn't have been there. Probably would've been best had we not. Along with the aforementioned Colorado game, this was the precursor for a rough next seven or eight years
2002 at Penn State - Fun road trip. Terrible ass whooping. Luckily I was so drunk that I don't remember much of the game.
2004 -2007 - I've tried to erase these years from my memory but there were a few games worth mentioning.... 2004 Missouri - This was me and Angie's first date. We had a good time at the bars before the game despite the fact it was an early kickoff and we went downtown at 9:00 am. Things must've gone well considering we are now married. Oh, and Nebraska won too. Bonus.
2005 Texas Tech - Just fall down LeKevin. Just fall down.....Tough loss to swallow. 2005 Alamo Bowl, Michigan - Probably the highlight of the Callahan era. Great game. Great ending. Terrible hangover. I drank a half a bottle of Bacardi 151. Had to be to work at 6:30 am. I made it. But I had to have our courier pick me up an 'Ultimate Skillet' from Village Inn so I could function properly.
2006 at USC - Drove from Vegas to LA the day of the game. Drank damn near a whole bottle of Sailor Jerry on the ride ( I wasn't driving). Once we arrived outside the Coliseum we had to pay $80 to park in a lot. Our alternative was parking our rental car with our belongings in the middle of South Central LA. For real. It was like 'Boyz in the Hood' shit. Oh, and we had to watch the Huskers get beat down. Long trip back to Vegas.
2006 at Texas A&M - I was actually in Houston for a wedding the same day as this game. Found a bar at the resort we were at just in enough time to watch the ending. It was cheery watching Purify pull that ball down in the end zone like it was a bucket of fried chicken.
2007 season - Fuck that 2008 Colorado - So flipping hammered at this game. Wasn't looking good for Big Red until Alex Henery's 57 yard field goal to take the lead. Suh's interception and obliteration of Cody Hawkins were gravy. 2009 at Virginia Tech - Did. That. Really. Just. Fucking. Happen???
2009 Iowa State - This game was like a bad dream. Honestly. For a moment I thought I actually was having a nightmare. 8 turnovers. 4 inside the ISU 5 yard line. Niles Paul literally dropping the ball as he's running for pay dirt. I lost $200 on this game. I had bet the Huskers at -13.5 game back in August. NU should've won by 30. Instead they lost by two. Minus eight turnovers. Once in a lifetime event.
2009 Oklahoma - Best day of the year. The drinks were flowing before the game. Had a good vibe going. Walking to Memorial I look down on the ground and happen to see cash. I picked it up quickly and it was $15. Nothing like free money. So then as Ang and I are going into the stadium we decided to actually see the 'Tunnel Walk' in person. It was my first and only time to ever do so. It did not disappoint. Bad ass! Talk about goose bumps. The game didn't suck either. Great night. And now to... Texas Oh my goodness. How much more can a man take? If NU doesn't win on Oct. 16th I may go postal. Vince Young's 2003 squad is the only squad that won convincingly. Yet for whatever reason, every time NU matches up with UT, the Horns seemingly catch all the breaks late. 1996 (St. Louis) - Gotta give Mackovic credit for his gutsy fourth down call late to seal it. Priest Holmes was a beast. DeAngelo Evans was almost as good. Too bad Terrell Farley decided to drive drunk and run from the cops a week before this game. Huskers would've played for the title against Florida had they won. So you could conceivably say that NU would've won four straight titles had gotten by the Longhorns. 1998 - Halloween night. Ricky Williams and the Longhorns come into Lincoln and end their home winning streak. Major Applewhite leads Texas down the field late, aided by a pass interference call, and throws a touchdown with less than thirty seconds to go. Halloween party afterwards was memorable (I was Spider-Man = )). But the loss soured the mood. 1999 - Once again another national title shot ruined by the Longhorns. Fumbles by Crouch and Buckhalter deep in Texas territory were killers. Buckhalter's was at the goal line. Can't seem to catch a break against the Horns. NU takes rematch in Big 12 Championship game. But by then the damage was done. 2002 - The boys from Austin do it again. A 200+ yard rushing performance by Jammal Lord is all for naught during another tough loss against UT. With seconds left, trailing by three and inside the Texas five after a great punt return by Dejuan Groce, Lord is picked off in the end zone by Nathan Vashar. Preserving yet another late Longhorn victory. 2006 - This is getting fucking old. After a comeback to take the lead highlighted by an amazing Brandon Jackson touchdown and a TD pass thrown by Marlon Lucky to Nate Swift, all was well. The snow began to fall. All NU needed was one more 1st down to milk the clock. Terrence Nunn had a first down catch in his grasp, only to fumble the ball before being down. Texas scooped it up and kicked a go ahead field goal to win the game. Hooked again. 2007 - Okay by this point in the 2007 season I, and most other Husker fans, were probably numb to the losing and looking forward to Callahan being canned. However, after leading the heavily favored Longhorns for three quarters the Husker team gave everybody a glimmer of happiness....until they allowed Jamal Charles to rush for like 650 yards in the fourth quarter and eventually go on to win. My goodness... 2009 (Arlington) - What more needs to be said that already hasn't? This was gut wrenching. Out of all the tough losses NU has endured over the years, I probably took this the hardest. Needless to say I was pretty fired up on liquor. I might have killed Colt McCoy had I seen him in person after he played off his dip shit play at the end of the game by saying "I knew we had a second left". Fuck you Colt. You had no idea what was going on after all the hits you took. Chalk it up as you getting lucky and the fact that the Big 12 licks Texas' taint. Hope you enjoyed my stroll down memory lane. I know I did. Go Big Red, Aaron 7/9/09
