Reality sets in.....

We are in for a long one folks. You know, I usually post my post-game review on Mondays. But this weekend's loss was so eye-opening, so revealing and disgust-inspiring that I couldn't bring myself to write about it yesterday. I found myself getting so upset that I thought I wouldn't be able to properly articulate just what I was feeling. I trolled around every Husker site I could find, getting a feel for the pulse of Husker Nation coming off our most embarrassing loss in recent memory. Sure, there have been a lot of low spots in Callahan's tenure here, and in the 2002 season as well. But in terms of pure disappointment, the 41-6 undressing that Mizzou handed us on Saturday night in Columbia was definitely right up there.

We've covered the defense, we've talked about the inability of the running game to develop, and quite frankly, it just depresses me to discuss it further. What was particularly disheartening, and it has been discussed thoroughly by Nebraska fans and media the past couple of weeks, was the seemingly complete absence of any fire or competitive spirit shown by the Huskers.

I can tolerate a loss. Do I like them? No, nobody does. But when we are beaten by a superior team, I can accept it knowing that it just wasn't in the cards. And make no mistake, Missouri IS the better team. They have a better offense (one that has an actual running game), and their defense came to play on a night when a no-show by the Husker offense was the last thing we needed.

One thing I cannot tolerate? The disgusting lack of heart I saw displayed. I don't give a shit if your down by 100 points, you go out and you fight it's tied in the last minute of a title game, and that should never change. What I saw was a disgrace, an insult to every Husker who has passed through Lincoln, and it was hard to take in. You could see it in the faces of the Nebraska defenders, the sad, pathetic look of a unit that would rather have been anywhere else than on that field representing their state and their school. Have some damn pride! You play for Nebraska for Christ's sake, I'd give my left nut to be in your position, and they played with the intensity of a JV high school team on a Tuesday afternoon.

And as far as Callahan goes, I'm a little sick of his "our goals are still intact, we're still in this hunt" talk. Have you been watching the same team we have Bill? Have you seen them getting out-performed in nearly every category? Have you seen them giving up in the third quarter? Oh, you haven't? My question is, how far up your ass does your head have to be to block out just how horrible your team is playing? For those of you who don't know, Callahan gets paid over 4,000 dollars a day to coach Nebraska. When I read that in the OWH, I was taken aback. Surely someone who gets paid that much would realize just how poorly his team is executing. Or maybe someone being paid that much could create some semblance of a running game.

I don't know, maybe all of that is too much to ask of Callahan. But I know one thing that isn't. When your team steps on the field, they should at least play with the intensity and heart that is expected of a Big Red football player. They should have some pride pulling that jersey over their pads, having the "N" on the side of the helmet. Because nothing I saw on Saturday made it seem that way. And all the other shit aside, THAT is what Callahan should be most concerned about. Because while Husker fans may be known for their impatience for losses, they have even less for people who don't leave everything on the field. That may or may not be Callahan's doing. But it is his job to fix it. Now.

GBR