Don’t lose sight of Huskers’ Black Friday win amid coaching search

IOWA CITY — Garrett Nelson began to sob.

While embraced in a postgame hug with one of his coaches, the tears streaking down his face began to smudge his eyeblack. No, these weren’t sad tears. They were ones of jubilation, exhilaration and relief.

A kid from Scottsbluff, Nelson has dreamed of moments like this since childhood. Now, in the final game of his fourth season as a Husker, Nebraska actually pulled it off.

Final: Nebraska 24, Iowa 17 for Nebraska’s first win in the rivalry since 2014.

“Long time coming,” said Nelson, who was 14 years old the last time the Huskers beat the Hawkeyes. “I’ve thought about it for a while. Wow. No words.”

This season has been an exhausting exercise in physical, mental and emotional fortitude.

Dozens of new players and staffers, a new offense, the Ireland trip that featured a loss to a bad team, losing at home to a Sun Belt team, Scott Frost’s firing after that loss, elevating Mickey Joseph as interim coach with 11 weeks to go, Erik Chinander’s firing, an interim defensive coordinator who inputted a new-yet-simpler defense, injuries at nearly every position, a new weekly schedule, winning two games, losing four more.

And through it all, Nebraska gritted it out to win the final game of the season.

“They fought every Saturday that they came out. Nobody can deny that,” Joseph said. “Because that’s what we asked them and that’s what we expected out of them. You’re talking about a high-character group.

“I love them for that. I love these coaches for that. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. They finished something that they started and that’s what we asked them to do.”

Pure pandemonium erupted at Kinnick Stadium after Nebraska thwarted Iowa’s bid for the Big Ten West title.

Ty Robinson grabbed Bill Busch and enveloped him in a bear hug. So many hugs between teammates and coaches, impossible to note them all. Quarterback Casey Thompson hopped up in the stands to see loved ones. Players, coaches and staffers alike joined in on the “Go Big Red” chants echoing throughout the mostly empty arena.

Moments before all that chaos, though, Nelson grabbed the Heroes Game Trophy and hoisted it over his head as if it weighed nothing at all, taking the small statue on parade around Kinnick for each and every Nebraska fan to see and feel.

“Made sure every Nebraska fan touched it,” Nelson said. “(They) show up through the good and bad and support us no matter what. It’s for the state, man. It’s for those guys. It’s for us. It’s for Nebraska.”

There had been oh so many close calls during the seven-year drought. Like last year. Or the year before that. Or the year before that. And the year before that.

Of the seven straight losses, only two had been in blowout fashion.

And for several minutes Friday, it appeared that Nebraska could once again be on the receiving end of a gutting, last-minute defeat at the hands of their neighboring state rival.

Nebraska held onto a 24-0 lead into the third quarter before Iowa decided to show up to the party midway through the third quarter. So, 24-0 turned into 24-7. And 24-7 turned into 24-14. Then, 24-14 became 24-17. With each new score, the black-and-gold-clad fans at Kinnick grew louder.

Nebraska’s offense went quiet in the fourth quarter, only gaining 27 yards in the final frame.

But the Husker defense stood tall when it counted.

After Rahmir Johnson’s fumble near the red zone, Nebraska’s defense affected three straight plays to force a field goal attempt. The next series? A turnover on downs. The final defensive series? An interception on fourth down from Chris Kolarevic to end the game.

Good enough to win. Good enough to get their Blackshirts back.

“That’s how we play Blackshirt football,” Nelson said. “Proud to be around those guys who work as hard if not harder than I am. We love each other. We play for each other. Big statement.”

With that, Nebraska’s season ended not with a whimper, but with a raucous victory in Iowa City.

And so ends the 2022 season for Nebraska.

With all things considered, Nebraska could have been a lot worse than 4-8 this season.

While there’s plenty in the rearview, there is so much ahead.

As was reported Friday, it seems former Carolina Panthers coach Matt Rhule has been identified as the likely man for the job, as long as the finances get squared away.

The dominos will fall after that. It’s inevitable that players will transfer out, but who and how many will likely depend on other coaches remaining within the program. Other players will transfer in. New assistants will be hired. The circle of life continues.

But the players aren’t thinking about what’s up ahead. Not just yet.

“I’m just going to celebrate this win right now,” Nelson said. “Worry about that later.”

The later will come. The news of the next head coach is somewhere in the horizon. That is inevitable, after all.

But the later doesn’t have to be now. While the unknowns remain unknowns, it’s OK to let them just enjoy this one for just a little longer. Husker Nation as a whole should.

You don’t beat Iowa every day, ya know.

And while it may get lost in the grand scheme of things, the win shouldn’t be buried before the day’s news cycle is over.