Storming the field after a big win.
Prominent voices in the Husker media have suggested that if Nebraska beats Colorado on Saturday, the fans should storm the field.
It’s a controversial topic that stirs a lot of passionate debate.
On one side is the “let the kids be kids” crowd who view a field storm* as a fun part of a big win.
*Quick pause to note that for our purposes we’re talking about going out onto the field and celebrating. No tearing down the goalposts, no being rude or obnoxious to the opponents. Just kids celebrating.
On the other side is the “act like you’ve been there before” crowd, who feel that such celebrations should be reserved for specific types of wins (Top 10 wins, big upsets, etc.)
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To the best of my knowledge and research, Husker fans have stormed the Memorial Stadium turf on nine occasions. If I missed any, please let me know.
The first was Halloween day in 1959. Oklahoma – who was an absolute, unstoppable juggernaut – came into Lincoln ranked #19, but riding a 74-game winning streak in conference games. Nebraska had not beaten the Sooners in 17 years. Bill Jennings entered the game with a record of 6-20 as Nebraska’s head coach.
Somehow, unranked Nebraska won, 25-21. It remains the greatest upset in school history.
The goalposts were torn down, with portions ending up in the lawn at the Governor’s Mansion. Classes were canceled the following Monday.
That is an unquestionably worthy field storming.
There are three other field storms that are in the no-doubt category (listed chronologically):
You may have noticed that these three games regularly turn up on the lists for “loudest games at Memorial Stadium”.
That’s not a coincidence. Games worthy of a field storm often have an unmistakable energy.
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The next set of field storms are deeper cuts. They’re not games that fans typically think of as monumental wins in program history. But in the moment, I can understand how tearing the goalposts down seemed like a good idea.
All three are against Oklahoma. And in all three, the Huskers were the higher-ranked team.
So far, the staunch “only storm for big games” people can easily defend these games by noting that they were against a hated rival and helped NU win the conference – even if the Huskers were expected to win.
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But these last two games… Well, I’d love to hear what the “only storm for big games” folks justify these. Other than “because it was Oklahoma, and force of habit kicked in*”, I’m not sure what they have – and I was there for one of them.
*Something I’m just realizing: Nebraska fans stormed the field after every home win over Oklahoma from 1978 through 1995. Now, I’m a little mad we didn’t make an effort to tear down the goalposts after the 69-7 win in 1997.
To my fellow Gen X’ers and our Boomer parents: I wouldn’t suggest playing the “act like you’ve been there before” card on somebody (potentially) storming the field against a mediocre team. It will backfire.
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There was a stretch in my Husker fandom when I was a big “act like you’ve been there before” guy. I can remember thinking “We’re Nebraska. We don’t do that”.
But times change.
I remember having lunch with one of my cousins after he had graduated from UNL. We were talking about going to Husker games as students. I told him about my experiences in the 1990s (32-0 at home during my four and a half years at UNL). He told me about being a student during the Mike Riley / Scott Frost era where, aside from 2016, NU was a mediocre to bad team.
So, as we’re talking about (potentially) storming the field at some point in future, I can look at it through my experiences. I don’t see myself storming the field for anything short of a home playoff win.
But let’s think about a hypothetical UNL student who came to Lincoln in the fall of 2020. The first year, he couldn’t get into the stadium. Since then, he’s seen a grand total of ten wins at Memorial Stadium, only two (Northern Illinois and Northwestern in 2023) against teams who went to a bowl game.
Are we really going to tell this kid and buddies to not (safely) enjoy the best atmospheres and wins of his college experience? Just because we were fortunate enough to go to school when NU had a Hall of Fame coach, a well-oiled machine of a program, and NFL talent everywhere? “Go ahead and celebrate the win – but just not too much. That team didn’t win enough games last year for a full victory party”.
Or are we going realize that there is an entire generation of fans who have never experienced the intoxicating high of a big win (even if those of us older than 35 need to put “big win” in air quotes and chase it with a gigantic asterisk)?
Those moments of jubilation and celebration – shared with your buddies and complete strangers – are some of the best parts of being a fan. That high is what keeps us coming back throughout the rough times.
I don’t know when the students will storm the field for the first time since 1995. Maybe it’s Saturday night. Maybe it’s a year or two from now. But whenever it happens, I’m not going to shake my fist and yell at the clouds – even if I think the opponent isn’t “worthy” of all the fuss.
Instead, I’m going to enjoy the moment and know that a new generation of Husker fans – fans who will be tasked with maintaining the history and traditions of the program – are making core memories as they take selfies on the 50-yard line.
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