Fans on both sides of Nebraska-Colorado rivalry reflect

Saturday’s game will create new memories for fans, adding to the collection of gamedays to look back on.

Nebraska’s fan memories of the rivalry largely came from dominating Colorado. Nebraska leads the series against Colorado 49–21–2 and holds the longest winning streak (1968–1985) and largest victory from 1981 (59-0).

Mike Price, 45, of Lincoln, recalls his first time watching Colorado play in Lincoln on a spooky night that many Husker fans remember as the loudest game in Memorial Stadium — Halloween ‘92, No. 8 vs. No. 8. In a matchup that was expected to be a slug-fest, Nebraska outscored 52-7.

The then 13-year-old boy had to ask the fans around him what was happening because he couldn’t hear the public announcer over the cheering. The energy in the stadium was almost overwhelming to him. Something he can still feel today.

Price remembers Nebraska’s previous Big Eight rivalry with Oklahoma but feels the Colorado rivalry is more bitter and volatile.

“It felt personal,” Price said.

With the rivalry’s future uncertain, Price wants Saturday’s game to end like the Big 12 rivalry ended in 2010: with a win for Nebraska.

“This is one of those teams where you don’t want to leave it open-ended for them to be able to talk trash on you the rest of the time,” Price said.

Kurt Glathar, a center for the Huskers from 1978-1982, called Colorado a very capable team.

“I don’t think we were ever intimated by them, but we knew we were going to get a really good game,” Glathar said.

Glathar remembers the hostile environment of Folsom Field when he played there in 1982 when Colorado fans would throw things at anything red, such as frozen oranges – a nod to the Orange Bowl, which the Big Eight champion would play in.

Many Colorado fans felt the rivalry was the most important game to the program, including Cameron Lujan, 38, of Omaha, who grew up in the Cornhusker State as a Buffaloes fan.

“Colorado could go 1-10 and the one win I want is Nebraska,” Lujan said.

Barnaby Richards, 49, of Boulder, attended Colorado in 1994 and witnessed Nebraska dominate during his undergrad years. He would return to Boulder to watch No. 1 Nebraska’s nine-game win streak end, being outscored 62-36 by No. 15 Colorado during a game in 2001.

“That was the end of the run for Nebraska,” Richards said.

He stormed Folsom Field after the game, knocking the goalpost down while wearing a lab coat with the letters “FU NU.”

John Lee, 51, of Arvada, Colorado, remembers the “many heartbreaks in Boulder” for the wins the Huskers had against the Buffaloes at Folsom Field but called the 2001 game the “greatest football game I’ve ever attended.

Whether rooting for the Huskers or the Buffaloes, fans from both teams said they will miss the rivalry and hope it returns someday.