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Harsh reality sets in for the Huskers

Disaster in the desert.

On Jan. 2, Sun Devil Stadium was the scene of one of the biggest triumphs in Nebraska's storied football history.

Less than 10 months later, it was one of Nebraska's biggest disappointments.

The Cornhuskers probably left their dreams of a third consecutive national title on Frank Kush Field.

With the loss, the Huskers haven't absolutely shut themselves out of the chase for the national championship. National titles are won by teams with a loss, even two losses.

But the team no longer has destiny in its own hands.

Clearly the Huskers have more immediate concerns than worrying about the title.

Reality has intruded.

There is the little matter of finding an offense. On Saturday night, Nebraska was a team in disarray.

1Offensive mistakes

Six of the Sun Devils' points were directly attributable to offensive miscues. Two came when a pitch from quarterback Scott Frost to Ahman Green went awry in the Huskers' end zone. Another two came when Frost, apparently not ready in the shotgun, saw the ball fly past him into the end zone.

In the first half the Huskers managed only 81 yards, were 1 for 7 in passing and averaged only 2.6 yards per carry.

Meanwhile the defense which was supposed to carry the team in the early games saw itself shredded for a total of 239 yards in the first half.

The tone of the game was set early when Sun Devil quarterback Jake Plummer marched his team down the field with nicely varied passing and running plays.

Then one play after he was sacked for a three-yard loss, Plummer lived up to his hype. Chased out of pocket, Plummer found his favorite receiver, Keith Poole, alone in the end zone.

The Huskers would never recover. As the first minutes ticked away in the second half, Nebraska already had trailed for as long as the team did the entire 1995 season.

What were dreams now seemed like crazed delusions.

They were hammered by a team that they had crushed last year by a score of 77-28.

No one gave the Sun Devils a chance. Even ASU Coach Bruce Snyder slipped in a pre-game interview. When asked about the Sun Devils' bowl chances, Snyder replied, "Well, if you throw out Nebraska, we have to win seven of 10 games.

The Sun Devils' bowl chances look pretty good this Sunday.

As shattering as the loss is to Husker faithful, remember that the Huskers have bowl chances too.

Even after the desert debacle.

It's time for goals to be scaled back. Starting with Colorado State next week. Nebraska no longer has to worry about the scale of its domination. It simply needs to worry about eking out wins.

If it ekes out enough of them, there are plenty of good times ahead. How about trying to earn the right to play in the first-ever playoff game in St. Louis?

There's still hope

Remember that the winner of the Big 12 claims a place in the Bowl Alliance. We're talking major bowls here, the kind that the Sun Devils were dreaming about before the unthinkable happened.

For the rest of the season, Nebraska needs to avoid lifting its eyes to dizzying heights of achievement. It needs to concentrate on the little things.

Did the Sun Devils expose the 1996 Huskers as a fraud? Or did the Huskers crack under the unbearable weight of unreasonable expectations? This team has a lot of history yet to write.

That starts next week with the game against Colorado State. Will this team collapse now that its self-image is shattered. Or will it regroup and prove that there was some grit under the hype.

Whatever the season holds, one thing is certain. It will include drama.

The days of complete and utter domination are past.

It's time for Nebraska to get real.

Originally published on or about: 09-22-1996