What did Troy Dannen mean by ‘new stadium’ at Nebraska?

The premise is straightforward. You ask me some questions — or vent your frustrations — about Nebraska Athletics. Any sport. I attempt to answer them.

If you want your question included in the next edition of the mailbag, find me on Twitter/X at @Amie_Just, Threads/Instagram at @_amiejust or email me at ajust@journalstar.com.

OK. Here’s the direct quote from athletic director Troy Dannen speaking with Greg Sharpe about WiFi in Memorial Stadium.

“The plan as I understand it right now is Verizon is looking at making a strong, eight-figure investment in the cellular service inside the stadium for next year.

“WiFi, we looked at, ‘Could we do anything to the WiFi system, shy of the stadium construction?’ As I understand it, anything we put in, any repairs we put in are gonna come down when the stadium is rebuilt anyway.

“I think the choice is gonna be, hopefully, we can get the cellular system up and improved a little bit. WiFi, it will be state of the art once the new stadium is done in the ’27-28 timeline. In the middle of that, part of what happened from last year to this year was also changing and getting on the university system — which we needed to do. Along with that does come a different level of security and access when we’re on the university’s system. Hopefully it’s something we’re gonna address in the new construction and in the next year, maybe cellular getting better.”

There’s a lot in there. But people really latched onto two words.

There is no need to panic. There is no need to overreact.

I asked Dannen for clarity, and he said, “It’s the same old remodel we’ve been talking about.”

“The stadium isn’t new, of course, but it should feel new in comparison.”

This isn’t different from the revised plan. Just a different phrasing than he’s used publicly before.

I agree. The Nebraska that took the court at SMU did not look like the team that took the court against Stanford and at Louisville.

In the immediate moments after the SMU loss, Nebraska coach John Cook attributed the loss to “attitude and effort.” He said that Nebraska was tipping too much rather than completing full swings and that Nebraska just didn’t respond to some of the haymakers that SMU was throwing.

Or, here’s the quote from Cook that has stuck with me since.

“Part of it is we think we’re Nebraska and we’re going to roll out here and smoke teams.”

I think that match was a turning point for Nebraska. Whatever happened or didn’t happen against SMU has appeared to light a fire for Nebraska.

Every team every year has a turning point.

Sometimes they’re positive turning points, like last season’s win over Stanford. Sometimes they’re out of your control, like two years ago when Kenzie Knuckles sustained a season-ending injury in practice. Sometimes they’re negative, like this year’s SMU loss.

Either way, Nebraska surely appears like it has learned from what happened in Dallas.

The different rules can be confusing. 

Football: Athletes can play in up to four regular season games while maintaining a redshirt. Postseason games do not count against the four-game limit.

Volleyball: Athletes cannot play a single point and preserve a redshirt.

Basketball: Athletes cannot play a single minute and preserve a redshirt.

Baseball: Athletes cannot play in a single inning and preserve a redshirt.

I hate it. I hate, hate, hate it.

A football regular season is 12 games. A volleyball regular season is around 30 games. A basketball regular season is around 30 games. A baseball regular season is around 50 games. 

So, why does the sport with fewer games (and more players) get to have their prospective redshirts play in a third of the season while athletes in other sports cannot take the playing surface for a single second while burning their redshirt? 

I think back to Caroline Jurevicius. She was the only Nebraska volleyball player who didn’t take the court for Volleyball Day in Nebraska because if she did play, in that one match, her redshirt would magically disappear.

For teams that play 30 or more games/matches, I do not see the downside in letting them play in a few contests. Or, in the case of football, a third. 

If the football rule applied for the other sports, volleyball and basketball athletes could play in around 10 games and still keep their redshirts in tact. Baseball players could play in around 16 games. 

I hate the double standard. I wish it would change. 

Laney Choboy and Lindsay Krause do this too, as do many football players. 

It’s for sweat. Some people, like myself, get very sweaty hands when working out. Wearing the towel gives them something to dry their hands with when they’re on the court.

Personally, I loathe the feeling of sweaty hands, and I’m sure they aren’t fans of it either… especially when they’re using their hands to do basically everything required of them in their sport.