The Reason Why they Invented Whisky

Despite giving up 610(!!!!!) yards to Ball State, Nebraska won on a missed field goal. At home.

All those questions swirling through Memorial Stadium this past week following the USC trouncing? Consider them answered.

Very, very frightfully answered.

Typically on Saturdays I get up and hang my Blackshirts flag. I didn't do that today, opting instead for Herbie and telling myself Nebraska would have to earn the Jolly Suh back from me.

They didn't. In fact, I'm seriously considering flying it upside down as we've been sacked, plundered, totally conquered. Asking Nebraska to defend the pass or the run is like the choice between dying at the end of plank or the edge of a cutlass. Neither is particularly pretty.

Last week it was the run, this week it was the pass...and the run. Everything really. Ball State outgained Nebraska by 70 yards on the ground, had fewer turnovers and more first downs which is truly shocking when you consider that their first four scoring drives of the second half, all touchdowns, took all of 17 plays and encompassed 295 yards. It's tough to move the chains when you're blowing right by them.

Luckily, the people in charge have been made aware of our defensive deficiencies. "It's obvious we have to amend some things," Coach Callahan said after the game. It was also obvious to some people midway through the 19th century that maybe our Constitution needed to be amended to get rid of that whole slavery thing. Of course it took a Civil War to do that and we can only hope that's not what's in store at Nebraska but at this point I'm beginning to question our constitution.

Scroll through the post-game comments from Callahan. Does it sound like his defense just got shredded at home for the second straight week? Does it feel like there's a problem here? In my mind, that's the problem and I've felt that way for quite some time.

Two years ago, after the 40-15 beat down at the wings of the Kansas Jayhawks, I wrote the following:

"In my mind, the root of the problem lies in Callahan’s demeanor. Despite the teeth-gnashing and vitriol echoing out of the Cornhusker State this week, I honestly believe that Husker fans would be willing to deal with some “growing pains,” if effort and improvement were apparent. But not only are they absent on the field, they’re absent in the head coach as well.

There is no sense of urgency with Callahan, it doesn’t feel like losing tastes horrible to the guy, but it does to the rest of the state resulting in an almost unbearable tension. Bill faces everything with that big-city grin, and non sequiturs that essentially say, “we’ll have to get better at that” but leave no indication that there is a plan in place to achieve it."

A couple of years and some shiny recruiting rankings later does anything feel different? I can't say that every Nebraska loss doesn't hurt Callahan as much as it does you or me. (Keeping in mind that this was a win). I doubt the guy could've reached this level of coaching if that was the case, but I can say that I've never felt like a Nebraska loss has hurt Callahan as much as it has you or me and that is perhaps the most frightening realization in year four. Are we in this together?

It will be weeks before we can come close to trying to answer that question. The Sea of Red is roiling. I was amazed as I followed the game day thread on HuskerExtra, before it crashed under the shear number of "Fire Coz" comments, at how many people by the 4th quarter were calling for a loss in hopes that it would force something, anything, to happen with our football program.

Instead we got a win and another week of utter tumult. Sad as it is to say, the crutch I used to limp through last week was a comparison to other programs of our stature. It could be worse I kept saying. We could be Auburn or Tennessee or Florida State or, gasp, Notre Dame.

Now I know that we are. Just another powerhouse impostor trying to roll the stone of tradition up the hill. You can call that overreaction while mired in the agony of defeat--I mean thrill of victory--and that's fine.

I'll be more than happy to amend this next week.