It’s about pride.

Us Husker fans have been through the gauntlet the past few seasons. Time after time again, as Frost and the team have let us down in backbreaking fashion, we’ve defended the state of affairs by arguing for patience.

As if staring loss after loss down the throat for ~~three~~ four seasons wasn’t enough, we’ve faced ridicule and judgement from our peers. We’ve been the laughing (corn) stock of the B1G and college football at large, reduced to being the butt of many Frost-themed jokes about our team’s inevitable demise while tempted by a damning realization that Nebraska Football may never again be what it once was.

In the face of the tremendous adversity we’ve faced, we’ve continued to beg for patience. Scott Frost, previous AP Coach of the Year and prodigal son of the state of Nebraska, was destined for greatness! How could such a touted coaching candidate fail to live up to his expectations in such incredible fashion? No, things were bound to turn a corner. We had no choice but to believe it, and we rebuked criticism with this belief each time the laughter picked up…

But this season, we’ve faced the most strenuous test of all. Not only were we to cast aside criticism and remain steadfast in support for our chosen hero, but we were to do so in the midst of the most gut wrenching losses we’ve seen in years in a season in which the *floor* of expectations was six wins.

For many of us, this was simply too much to ask. Frost had his chances, and he failed to capitalize on them. A more measured, rational voice in our heads begged us to consider the cold reality we had shunned for so many years: we needed to move on.

But for others like myself, an unapologetic, optimistic corner of our fanbase, we’ve continued to press on with faith in Frost. In many aspects, progress *is* clear to see. We’ve turned one of the most ineffective receiving corps in college football into a real (albeit inconsistent) threat. We’ve developed one of the best defensive units Nebraska has seen in, perhaps, more than a decade. Though this progress has not been measured in wins, it has been measured in PF vs. PA… I guess?

Despite these measured of progress, we should acknowledge that rationalism is not equivalent with cynicism and it has a place in this discussion. This is *Nebraska Cornhusker Football*. Three wins in Year 4? Not good enough. At the end of the day, our progress is measured in one way: W’s and L’s. We simply don’t have enough of the former.

So, how does such a sizable portion of the our great fanbase continue to defend Frost?

It’s about pride.

Call it delusional. Call it silly. Call it crazy. Call it fanatical. Call it whatever you want. Those adjectives describe us Nebraska fans. Flipping the switch and giving up on Frost is a *hard* pill to swallow. In many of our social circles, we’ve spent 3.5 years defending the man with every fiber in our being. We genuinely believed things would arrive where wished them to go.

We’re not ready to fire Frost because of the progress we see… but more importantly, we’re not ready to fire Frost because it would take some real guts for us to do so.

… To admit we were wrong. To others, but more importantly, to ourselves.

Whether you believe Trev Albert’s recent decision was the right one or believe that Nebraska Football has fallen from grace and damned itself to mediocrity by lowering its expectations, we all share something in common. We love this program, and this university, with an amount of pride and passion that many will never understand.

It’s that pride that causes us to think and believe the craziest of things.

The coming 365 days will be some of the most impactful to our program we’ve yet seen. Whatever you believe, let’s cherish the pride that unites us rather than the opinion that divides us.

One team. One heartbeat. GBR.

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