The 24 HOUR RULE: Let’s ****in’ GO!!

Just a few random thoughts going into Sparty Saturday:

Eight games.

Five against currently ranked teams – Ohio St, Michigan, Michigan St., Iowa, Wisconsin

Three against unranked teams – Purdue, Minnesota, Northwestern (not exactly a group we’ve dominated against in recent years)

Four wins needed for bowl eligibility.

Five losses starts the screaming for a new coaching search in earnest.

What pressure?

The thing is, I’m hungrier now for something more than 6-6 and the Purina Pinstripe State Farm Trojan Hefty Grass Bag Bowl. If the Huskers are 3-1, I would have said a 9-win season is on the table right now and I’m not ready to back off of eight. But we can’t keep doing it the way we have been and hope to get close to that even if we 1) have reduced the mistakes some and 2) found a way to overcome (or almost overcome) the ones we are making.

Let it be said I believe the coaches are doing everything they can to make it happen and if you think your frustration levels are at DefCon 2, I can assure you theirs are probably at nuclear winter every time a kick sails left or a lineman twitches for five when a school band trumpet blows.

But because flaming jackwagons like me are always here to help, and in honor of Crouch and Frosty, please do the (#)7 following things until told otherwise by us, the fans:

• Go for it on 4th down whenever in opposing territory until further notice
• Slide & get out of bounds, we need him healthy, but let Adrian cook. I’m liking the decision making this year
• As soon as Cerni is healthy, insert him firmly as the #2 punter on the depth chart (see Oklahoma)
• Resist any urge to return Cam to the punt return unit
• New O-line rule: If you miss an assignment, obliterate the next guy in an opposing jersey you see. Then see Austin for a teaching moment
• I love “Run the damn ball!”, but the WR room (Toure, Manning, Betts, Martin, Allen, Vokolec & probably their next 3-4 backups) are on another level of talent than the RB room right now. I’m not saying stop running but I’m fine with a more pass-heavy split. Also, run with the receivers more too.
• Resist any and all urges to get cute on kickoffs

No problem, right?? You are all very welcome and we are always here to help!

Photo by James Black/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Final thought – after last week’s game, once we’d gotten over the disappointment of coming so close and falling short against the Sooners, I realized something. It had been years since I’d had some moments in a big game to just unleash multiple heartfelt “LET’S F***IN’ GO!!” after a big play and mean it as high fives were tossed around.

(One of the biggest disappointments was being locked and loaded all afternoon for the Huskers to tie it up, so I could unleash “The Russian’s cut! And it’s a bad cut! And it’s Rocky Balboa coming after Iven Drago!!” Had to settle for a fourth quarter “Rocky’s cut and he’s bleeding. But he’s on his feet!” Ok, I’m babbling now. But I’m not joking.)

So three things I want for tonight’s game:

1. A win, duh. Nothing against Sparty fans but I’ve been reading some stuff on their boards and they seem to think this is some 42-14 walkover. No moral victories today, don’t care we’re the underdog, we need scoreboard.
2. This one’s slim after great road showings by the fans in Champaign and Norman, but Mel called out his peeps to limit the Husker presence to the 2500 allotted tickets. That ain’t happening but I hope that triggered enough die-hards who might’ve been sitting it out to load up and road trip to East Lansing to the tune of at least 10 or 15,000.
3. The boys are playing their hearts out. The least I can do is rip mine out of my chest cheering it on. It’s gameday and I can hear Andy Dufresne in my head going, “Remember, Red, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things and no good thing ever dies.” Well, in that case..

“LET’S F**KIN* GO!!!!!”

Photo by Josh Wolfe/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Now pardon the shit out of me while I put on my bomber jacket and furry boots and find a Russian mountain to run up. GBR