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BABCOCK: Huskers have mixed emotions over night games
COMMENTARY
By Mike Babcock
LINCOLN — Some on the Nebraska football team do. And some don’t.
Mike McNeill is among the former.
“I like playing at night,” said the junior tight end, who’s “not really a morning person”
Jacob Hickman is among the latter.
“I hate late games,” the senior center said. “You sit in the hotel for what seems like two days, and, I mean, you’re sitting there kind of getting stir crazy even; you just want to get started.”
Larry Asante is among the former, and the latter.
“I prefer to play a 1 o’clock game to get it over with,” the senior safety said. “But I like night games, too. It gives you more time to watch film and get the final reminders in.”
The issue of day games or night games was raised at the Cornhuskers’ weekly news conference on Monday because of their Big 12 opener at Missouri on Thursday. The game, to be televised nationally on ESPN, kicks off at about 8 p.m., leaving players to pass the day as best they can.
McNeill plans to catch up on sleep during the day. “I can sleep in a chair. I can sleep on a bus, anywhere, plane, that stuff doesn’t bother me. I’m a good sleeper,” he said.
Hickman might sleep some, too, as he usually does before night games. “You try to, I don’t know, take a nap if you can,” he said. “It’s doubtful that you’ll be able to, (so) usually watch all the other college games and just try to stay calm and conserve energy until night.”
Oops, there aren’t other college games to watch on a Thursday afternoon.
“I forgot about that,” Hickman said, “I don’t know, (then) soap operas, I guess.”
Asante, who has a new roommate on the road this week because Rickey Thenarse has been sidelined for the remainder of the season with a knee injury, usually watches games, too.
This time, “I’ll probably take a nap,” he said.
Asante will try to take a nap, anyway. “You lay in bed, but really, you don’t really sleep,” he said. “You’re constantly thinking about the game.”
The late kickoff is likely to intensify an already hostile atmosphere at Faurot Field, where Cornhusker fans traditionally haven’t exactly been well treated.
McNeill is from Kirkwood, Mo., a suburb of St. Louis, and his parents traveled to Columbia for the Nebraska game two years ago. The “fans had some things to say to them,” said McNeill.
Those things could hardly be described as complimentary.
McNeill also got less-than-complimentary messages on Facebook, comparing him to Missouri tight end Chase Coffman and “saying how much better he was than me,” McNeill said.
There have been no such messages this year. Coffman is playing in the NFL.
“So I think maybe they like me,” said McNeill.
Or maybe not.
“I think they really don’t like Nebraska,” he said. “I think this game is somewhat of a rivalry game. I don’t know if they dislike me personally.”
Hickman had beer poured on him when he took the field for pre-game warm-ups, “so I kind of stunk like beer for the rest of the game, which kind of sucked,” he said. “But it’s the kind of place you want to play. If you can shut up that kind of crowd, it’s definitely a fun thing to do.”
Nebraska hasn’t silenced the Faurot Field crowd since 2001, when Eric Crouch’s 95-yard touchdown run capped a 36-3 victory. Missouri has won the last three meetings in Columbia, scoring 41 points in each game. The Tigers also won in Lincoln a year ago, 52-17.
For the most part, Cornhusker coaches and players have downplayed the rivalry and dismissed talk of revenge, at least on the record. Still, “you definitely want to win this game for more than just the fact it’s opening the Big 12 season,” Hickman said. “But you can’t let it get to you to the point where you get emotional about it. That’s how you end up overwhelming yourself, not playing up to par.”
They’ll certainly have time to think about the game, and what’s happened in recent seasons.
Quarterback Zac Lee was asked how he would deal with the late kickoff.
“I don’t know. I’ve never done it before,” he said. “Usually, you’re in a hotel room and there’s football on or something like that. But I don’t really know what’s on daytime Thursday TV.
“I’m sure we’ll keep ourselves occupied. I’m sure we’ll be all right.”
What about the Oprah Winfrey show, Zac?
“I don’t know,” Lee said, “maybe.”
Mike Babcock of Lincoln is a freelance writer who covers the Huskers.
Mike McNeill is among the former.
“I like playing at night,” said the junior tight end, who’s “not really a morning person”
Jacob Hickman is among the latter.
Larry Asante is among the former, and the latter.
“I prefer to play a 1 o’clock game to get it over with,” the senior safety said. “But I like night games, too. It gives you more time to watch film and get the final reminders in.”
The issue of day games or night games was raised at the Cornhuskers’ weekly news conference on Monday because of their Big 12 opener at Missouri on Thursday. The game, to be televised nationally on ESPN, kicks off at about 8 p.m., leaving players to pass the day as best they can.
McNeill plans to catch up on sleep during the day. “I can sleep in a chair. I can sleep on a bus, anywhere, plane, that stuff doesn’t bother me. I’m a good sleeper,” he said.
Hickman might sleep some, too, as he usually does before night games. “You try to, I don’t know, take a nap if you can,” he said. “It’s doubtful that you’ll be able to, (so) usually watch all the other college games and just try to stay calm and conserve energy until night.”
Oops, there aren’t other college games to watch on a Thursday afternoon.
“I forgot about that,” Hickman said, “I don’t know, (then) soap operas, I guess.”
Asante, who has a new roommate on the road this week because Rickey Thenarse has been sidelined for the remainder of the season with a knee injury, usually watches games, too.
This time, “I’ll probably take a nap,” he said.
Asante will try to take a nap, anyway. “You lay in bed, but really, you don’t really sleep,” he said. “You’re constantly thinking about the game.”
The late kickoff is likely to intensify an already hostile atmosphere at Faurot Field, where Cornhusker fans traditionally haven’t exactly been well treated.
McNeill is from Kirkwood, Mo., a suburb of St. Louis, and his parents traveled to Columbia for the Nebraska game two years ago. The “fans had some things to say to them,” said McNeill.
Those things could hardly be described as complimentary.
McNeill also got less-than-complimentary messages on Facebook, comparing him to Missouri tight end Chase Coffman and “saying how much better he was than me,” McNeill said.
There have been no such messages this year. Coffman is playing in the NFL.
“So I think maybe they like me,” said McNeill.
Or maybe not.
“I think they really don’t like Nebraska,” he said. “I think this game is somewhat of a rivalry game. I don’t know if they dislike me personally.”
Hickman had beer poured on him when he took the field for pre-game warm-ups, “so I kind of stunk like beer for the rest of the game, which kind of sucked,” he said. “But it’s the kind of place you want to play. If you can shut up that kind of crowd, it’s definitely a fun thing to do.”
Nebraska hasn’t silenced the Faurot Field crowd since 2001, when Eric Crouch’s 95-yard touchdown run capped a 36-3 victory. Missouri has won the last three meetings in Columbia, scoring 41 points in each game. The Tigers also won in Lincoln a year ago, 52-17.
For the most part, Cornhusker coaches and players have downplayed the rivalry and dismissed talk of revenge, at least on the record. Still, “you definitely want to win this game for more than just the fact it’s opening the Big 12 season,” Hickman said. “But you can’t let it get to you to the point where you get emotional about it. That’s how you end up overwhelming yourself, not playing up to par.”
They’ll certainly have time to think about the game, and what’s happened in recent seasons.
Quarterback Zac Lee was asked how he would deal with the late kickoff.
“I don’t know. I’ve never done it before,” he said. “Usually, you’re in a hotel room and there’s football on or something like that. But I don’t really know what’s on daytime Thursday TV.
“I’m sure we’ll keep ourselves occupied. I’m sure we’ll be all right.”
What about the Oprah Winfrey show, Zac?
“I don’t know,” Lee said, “maybe.”
Mike Babcock of Lincoln is a freelance writer who covers the Huskers.
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