Oh Mickey you’re so fine.
You’re so fine, you blow my mind.
– “Mickey” lyrics
My immediate reaction after Saturday night’s 35-21 Husker win over the Indiana Hoosiers was that I was so happy for Nebraska’s interim head coach, Mickey Joseph. He assumed his new position the week before the Oklahoma game, one that Nebraska lost 49-14. We now know the Sooners might not be the powerhouse team we may have thought.
Things didn’t look too good for MJ or the Huskers after that game. With a bye the following week, Joseph retooled his team. He fired defensive coordinator Erik Chinander and named Bill Busch as his new DC. Busch in turn simplified the defense and let the Huskers play Saturday with their hair on fire.
Coach Joseph also tweaked the Husker lineup. He wanted to get players on the field who would give the Huskers the best chance of beating Indiana. And that they did. They put together two fourth-quarter drives that sealed the win for Nebraska.
In the locker room after the game, it was pandemonium – sheer happiness and joy for a team that had grown too used to losing.
So what does this win mean?
If the Huskers beat only a team or two the rest of the season, the Indiana win will be lost in yet another losing season. The Huskers will be home for the holidays for a sixth straight season.
But what if Joseph can string together another four or maybe even five wins? From the looks of the Big Ten West, winning the division may not be such a wacky idea.
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Currently, there is a six-way tie for first place in the West. Wisconsin, who just fired their longtime head coach, Paul Chryst, holds down the West cellar with an 0-2 record. Everyone else is tied at 1-1.
What was the best thing to come out of Saturday night’s game? The Huskers, instead of folding in the fourth quarter, found a way to win. The Huskers may have found their mojo in the victory. Yes, I know, the win wasn’t over a Michigan or an Ohio State, it was just Indiana.
Earlier this season, the Huskers found a way to lose to a now 1-4 Northwestern team to start the season. Then came losses to Georgia Southern and an Oklahoma team that’s been shelled the past two weeks by the likes of Kansas State and TCU.
If Nebraska can replicate Saturday night’s intensity on offense, defense and special teams, more wins are not only possible, they are very likely.
Next up is Friday night at Rutgers. This is another winnable game for Nebraska. Win this game and Mickey Joseph and the Huskers will need just three more wins to make it to a bowl game. All of a sudden, Coach Joseph’s task seems less daunting than it was just two weeks ago.
How ’Bout Them Huskers
In this week’s podcast, grandson Will and I review the Indiana game in greater depth. We also talk about what this Husker win might mean going through the rest of the season.
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