Let's stop and look at where Nebraska football is right now on October 15, 2010. The Huskers are ranked in the top five in both polls. The Blackshirts are one of the most feared defenses in college football, and the offense is led by a redshirt freshman who's one of the most explosive in college football. Coming up on Saturday is a matchup with the Texas Longhorns, and the Huskers are favored by nine points.
What a difference three years makes...and frankly, it's hard to believe it's only been three years in comparison. On this date in 2007, the entire state was reeling from a 45-14 loss to Oklahoma State that frankly wasn't as close as the score made it appear. And on that date, the man responsible for putting Nebraska football in that position was summoned to Harvey Perlman's office and dismissed. Several more debacles ensued on the football field (including a loss to a Dan Hawkins' coached Colorado team), and the Clusterfool was dismantled.
Several members of the 2007 squad are a part of the 2010 team. Rickey Thenarse starts at safety and Roy Helu is the starting I-back. Both were among the more productive players in 2007. But this squad looks nothing like that 2010 bunch. In 2007, Bill Callahan couldn't throw the ball enough. Last week, Martinez only threw 7 passes. In 2007, the Husker defense gave up 172 points in the final three games. Last season, the Blackshirts only gave up 146 points in all 14 games.It's amazing the changes that have taken place the last three years. Nebraska is on it's way to the Big Ten conference, and the future of the Big XII looks cloudy. Interest in Nebraska football is on an increase, and plans are now underway to add another 5,000 seats to Memorial Stadium to bring crowd sizes to 90,000. Things are looking good now; it's good to be a Husker fan.
And what happened to that individual whose termination started the turnaround three years ago? Well, he returned back to the job he had prior to accepting the job at Nebraska, reuniting himself with his original top choice to coach the Huskers. Dream team, right? Maybe not. History seems to be repeating itself there as well.
Been there, done that. Don't want to go there again.