Nebraska Football: Husker Tailgate Week 12, Senior Day and last home game

Time for some more Nebraska football tailgating fun, and we wanted to do something special for Senior Day.

The Nebraska Cornhuskers are 9-2. That’s a great thing. Tommy Armstrong is injured again. That’s a bad thing. Senior Day for a LOT of guys, 30 to be exact. And just as the season started with Sam Foltz being remembered, he will be remembered again along with the other seniors.

The game temperature will be sunny, (thank goodness) but it will be a chilly 29 degrees at 9 am, 37 degrees for kickoff, and up to 46 degrees by the end of the game. This is a time fans are happy to be sitting in the sun. Game will be televised on ESPNews.

In case you don’t know who this year’s seniors are, here’s the list:

Tommy Armstrong, Josh Banderas, Ty Betka, Cethan Carter, Sam Cotton, Ross Dzuris, Sam Foltz, Trey Foster, Ryker Fyfe, Nathan Gerry, Sam Hahn, Charles Jackson, Garrent Johns, Spencer Lindsay, Kevin Maurice, Mitch McCann, Alonzo Moore, Graham Nabity, Jordan Nelson, Terrell Newby, Robby Painter, Logan Rath, Brandon Reilly, Michael Rose-Ivey, Brad Simpson, Jamie Sutcliffe, Dylan Utter, Jordan Westerkamp, Corey Whitaker, and Tanner Zlab.

The bad news is that Maryland runs the same kind of offense as Ohio State. The good news is that their QB Hills may be dinged up too. Speculation is that the Terrapins will throw the kitchen sink into the playbook and try to get Nebraska out of it’s comfort zone.

The Terps have part of the offensive line in one place and in another there is motion in the backfield, they have reverse pass, they basically will do anything to score.

The injury du’ jour for Tommy is a hamstring. This is not good news. Like reaching into the bag and they forgot to put the fries in kind of bad news. Hamstrings are weird. You might feel fine but you can’t take off and go.

I see him starting because it’s senior day and he’s a warrior. The problem is can he be productive. We MUST have him on a short week in Iowa the day after Thanksgiving.

This is going to be a time for bundling up in the pregame. Bring a little stadium blanket to sit on. Put those chemical heat packs in your gloves and shoes.

Layer up, and realize that it’s one last time to hang out with your Husker buddies before a bowl game. (let’s face it, we’re all still going to be nursing a food coma, be in our jammies and on the couch for the Iowa game) I’m going to miss Nathan Gerry and Jordan Westerkamp the most but thinking I may see them on Sundays.

Early morning tailgates involve the typical breakfast fare. There are a ga-jillion casserole recipes out there on the web. Get inventive. Try a breakfast taco bar. Whip up scrambled eggs, have plenty of sausage, ham, bacon, sliced green onions, avocado chunks and cheese around. Let people make their own as they go. Simple and easy.

Plus, it’s easier to keep the ingredients warm in the individual pans too. Always a bonus on a chilly day! If you want an alternative, make the Big Red Sliders which are ham, eggs, and swiss in a biscuit.

With the cooler temperatures on tap for the game, having a little something to keep the internal fires going may be a necessity. The typical Bloody Marys, mimosas and red beers are always nice.

But given the EARLY tailgate hours, I’m more a fan of the mixers that can go in either a hot chocolate or a coffee. Bailey’s has the original Irish cream flavor but also has Pumpkin Spice, Espresso Cream, Salted Caramel, Chocolate Cherry, and Vanilla Cinnamon.

Any one of those are tasty in both. I also enjoy Hot Sex liquor. It has a chai flavor and not a lot of sugar. And who doesn’t giggle when they hear “I’m bringing Hot Sex to the tailgate”?

This season has been quite the ride. Hopefully the Huskers are saving the best for last. I doubt that Minnesota will beat Wisconsin giving Big Red a shot at the division title but hey, why not. Thing is, this year is WAY better than last year.

And I think it’s going to be even better next year. In the meantime, get your layers on. Get your food and drink ready. If you have recipes you would like to share hit me up on Twitter @Kelian_NE.  Get to the stadium earlier than normal to cheer for the seniors and as always, GO BIG RED!