Big XII Roundtable: Getting Personal

The lead author over at CornNation is this week's host of the Big XII Roundtable...

1. What did you learn, if anything, about your team on opening weekend? More specifically, did you see anything that brought complete elation or utter disappointment?
It looks like the Husker offensive line is closer to the level of dominance that we took for granted in the previous three decades. They wore down Nevada and plowed the field for the Husker I-backs. That's elation. Also bringing elation is watching Kevin Cosgrove mix up defenses more on Saturday than he has the previous three years in Lincoln. You almost needed a scorecard and DVR to track what he was doing.

2. 20 years from now, someone will ask you "Where Were You When Appalachian State beat Michigoon?". Describe what you were doing at the time, your reaction.
Sitting in Memorial Stadium, early in the 1st quarter, the PA announcer came on and announced "Final Score from Ann Arbor: Michigan 32 ... Appalachian State ... ... ... 34!" The place erupted, and I just laughed at the overrated Weasels.

3. Given the big event of this past weekend, what's the worst you've ever felt about your team?
My first thought was to bring up 70-10, but I'd rather not. Then I thought about the aftermath of the Kansas 40-15 trouncing in 2005. Neither of those were the worst, as I figured that if things didn't start to improve, changes would be made in Lincoln. And sure enough...things started to improve shortly thereafter. No, the low point has to be the January 1st, 1991, when Nebraska was drubbed by Georgia Tech in the Citrus Bowl. That followed a 45-10 drubbing by Oklahoma to end the regular season and a 27-12 loss to Colorado in last home game of the season. Nebraska finished third in the Big 8, and the future wasn't looking good at all. Tom Osborne felt the same way, I think, and began to rethink his offensive and defensive schemes, recruiting more speed, and the rest is history. A 60-3 run in the mid 90's was inconceivable after that 91 Citrus Bowl.

4. Take a classic - like Homer's Odyssey, Lord of the Flies, Little Women, or, heck, even the latest Simpsons Movie and tell me how it relates to your team this season.
Wow. I'm not even sure how to begin to answer this one. Not enough time, not enough mind altering chemicals. So I'm not even going to try.

5. It wasn't just by accident you got here. Somewhere, some time, there was someone who influenced you to become a fan of your team. Tell that story.
It would have to be my parents. They've had Husker season tickets since before I was born, and in the fall, Saturday's were Husker football. At first, I had to relegate myself to listening to Lyle Bremser on the radio. Once or twice a year, the games were on TV. And every so often, I'd actually get to go as well. The 1978 Nebraska-Oklahoma game was my second game, I believe, and the first one I really remember. It was pretty darn cold that day. I could recite the offensive line from memory and I remember using my binoculars to tell my Dad who the linemen in the game were. He was impressed. I was in heaven; it was a great game. My sister, who didn't really want to be there and was freezing, asked my Dad "what time is it?" as Billy Sims and the Sooners were driving the field late in the fourth quarter. To this date, we all still kid her about this...

Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week:

Todd Reesing, Kansas...20 for 29 and 4 touchdowns in his first start against the defending MAC champions. When Kansas puts 52 points on the board against a bowl team from the year before...that's worthy of an honor.

Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week:
Cornelius "Pig" Brown, Missouri... 3 turnovers, 1 returned 100 yards for a touchdown, and an interception on the goal line to seal a 40-34 victory over Illinois.