The One Where the Streak Ends!
As you all know, I enjoy my college football, but it pretty much ends on the second Friday in October when basketball practice starts. I attended every game I could in college, and I enjoy a good Saturday of college football, but it certainly doesn't devastate me when Kansas loses. But the last two years, I've had a real rooting interest in the season besides beating Missouri -- I wanted Kansas to end the 36-year losing streak to Nebraska. It was the second-longest streak in the nation behind Navy-Notre Dame. The last time Kansas beat Nebraska (1968), we weren't even a glimmer in our parents' eyes yet.
Last year, it almost happened, just like we almost won all of our games except Oklahoma. Kansas lost at Nebraska 14-6. This year, the game was at Memorial Stadium, and I really hoped Kansas could win. However, in the last few games, Kansas has struggled to score even a touchdown, so I didn't have a lot of hope.
But it happened! Kansas won, 40-15, the most points Kansas has ever scored against Nebraska, in front of a record crowd of 51,000. I listened to the game on my internet radio, which I have tried not to do this season because it bothered Ross last season. But he was kind enough today to watch his Longhorns destroying Baylor on mute so I could listen to my game. I really thought it was over when Nebraska brought it to 17-15 when Kansas fumbled the ball inside the Nebraska 20. Nebraska could have tied, after trailing 17-2, but missed the two-point conversion. But Kansas immediately came back and scored and clinched the game in the fourth quarter when it returned an interception for a touchdown. OK, the team received a penalty for excessive celebration, but I'll take it. Like Bob said, "Come on, you can't penalize. They haven't beaten them since 1968!"
I haven't seen it, but I'm sure the fans tore down the goalposts. Good for them. I'm glad the streak is over.
I called Mindy to tell her the news and we once again relived the time Kansas almost beat Nebraska when we were in school. We went to school during the Terry Allen years, which were pretty terrible. It was a lot of sitting in the rain and snow watching K-State, Nebraska, Texas, Oklahoma... beat the crap out of our football team. Mindy and I have a pretty good joke about the Nebraska game because it fell on Halloween that year and I had yet to buy my costume. Now, Mindy doesn't really like football that much, and I hate to shop, so we always joke that it was the time that I made her late for a football game because I wanted to shop. When we heard that Kansas was still winning in the second quarter, we were shocked. We hurried to the stadium, where our friends were saving us seats. (At Kansas games, you can leave at halftime, drink into the third quarter and return to your same great seats -- not that I ever did that...) When we got there, Kansas scored again, and one of our best friends shoved his girlfriend (now wife) out of the way to hug his best friend. Mindy and I still die of laughter thinking of that poor girl falling into the guy behind her so her boyfriend could hug someone else.
That's our Nebraska story. Nebraska came back to win, 31-17. Thankfully, everyone at Memorial Stadium today has a better one.
Last year, it almost happened, just like we almost won all of our games except Oklahoma. Kansas lost at Nebraska 14-6. This year, the game was at Memorial Stadium, and I really hoped Kansas could win. However, in the last few games, Kansas has struggled to score even a touchdown, so I didn't have a lot of hope.
But it happened! Kansas won, 40-15, the most points Kansas has ever scored against Nebraska, in front of a record crowd of 51,000. I listened to the game on my internet radio, which I have tried not to do this season because it bothered Ross last season. But he was kind enough today to watch his Longhorns destroying Baylor on mute so I could listen to my game. I really thought it was over when Nebraska brought it to 17-15 when Kansas fumbled the ball inside the Nebraska 20. Nebraska could have tied, after trailing 17-2, but missed the two-point conversion. But Kansas immediately came back and scored and clinched the game in the fourth quarter when it returned an interception for a touchdown. OK, the team received a penalty for excessive celebration, but I'll take it. Like Bob said, "Come on, you can't penalize. They haven't beaten them since 1968!"
I haven't seen it, but I'm sure the fans tore down the goalposts. Good for them. I'm glad the streak is over.
I called Mindy to tell her the news and we once again relived the time Kansas almost beat Nebraska when we were in school. We went to school during the Terry Allen years, which were pretty terrible. It was a lot of sitting in the rain and snow watching K-State, Nebraska, Texas, Oklahoma... beat the crap out of our football team. Mindy and I have a pretty good joke about the Nebraska game because it fell on Halloween that year and I had yet to buy my costume. Now, Mindy doesn't really like football that much, and I hate to shop, so we always joke that it was the time that I made her late for a football game because I wanted to shop. When we heard that Kansas was still winning in the second quarter, we were shocked. We hurried to the stadium, where our friends were saving us seats. (At Kansas games, you can leave at halftime, drink into the third quarter and return to your same great seats -- not that I ever did that...) When we got there, Kansas scored again, and one of our best friends shoved his girlfriend (now wife) out of the way to hug his best friend. Mindy and I still die of laughter thinking of that poor girl falling into the guy behind her so her boyfriend could hug someone else.
That's our Nebraska story. Nebraska came back to win, 31-17. Thankfully, everyone at Memorial Stadium today has a better one.
posted by Rachel at
4:29 PM
1 Comments:
At first I thought "I'm a little scared about what this means for our basketball season. I mean, we can't be good at both football and basketball! That never happends!"
And then I stopped myself. Kansas will NEVER be considered GOOD at football. Decent, yes. Even breaking streaks, yeah! But never really GOOD. So I breathed a sigh of relief and went on with my day.
By
Monica, at 3:06 PM
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