Nebraska Football Tailgate Week 3: Early morning Huskies-Huskers dogfight

Nebraska football is taking on the Northern Illinois Huskies in an early kickoff, which makes tailgating a challenge (but not impossible!)

It came down to the wire in Oregon but the Ducks flew away with the victory over Nebraska football. I’d call it a game of the good, the bad and the ugly.

The good was the fight in the Huskers and the defense playing better in the second half. The bad was the first half score-fest on Big Red, and the ugly was how it ended as a result of another interception on Tanner Lee, not to mention the injuries to Safety Joshua Kalu and running back Tre Bryant. But onward and hopefully upward!

If you’ve read my articles you know I’m NOT a fan of morning games mostly because it cuts down on the tailgating. Huskers take on Northern Illinois at 11 am CDT on Saturday.

The game is televised on Fox Sports 1. Weather forecast says a sunny high of 88 Saturday, a gametime temperature of 79 degrees. Winds are to be nice at 12 mph but if you linger to long after the game, know that a thunderstorm is predicted around 6 pm.

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Huskies to watch are senior receiver Chad Beebe and sophomore C J Brown, sophomore running back Marcus Jones and Senior linebacker Bobby Jones. The Huskies starting quarterback is out with a sprained elbow so Daniel Santacatarina will be behind center.

Is it me or does that name sound more like an island in the Florida Keys than a QB? Regardless, the Huskers should not overlook Northern Illinois. They kept it close with Boston College before losing 23-20 already this year.

The must have items for a Husker morning tailgate are coffee, OJ, and Bloody Mary beverages. I suggest Champagne for Mimosas and all different kinds of “creamers” for the coffee ranging from RumChata to the multitude of flavored Bailey’s. Keep plenty of water on hand as the sun will warm things up early so hydration is the key.

I also am not a fan of morning tailgates just because the menu options seem limited. My spin on this week’s Husker tailgate is a breakfast taco. Use pancakes as the shell and place cooked sausage or bacon, and scrambled eggs and cheese inside.

I serve it as a make your own breakfast taco bar but if you have plenty of help, make them up ahead of time and wrap them in butcher paper to keep warm. If you’re feeling adventurous, add in the little tator tots spiced with some Slap Ya Mama sauce. The cajun spice also pulls double duty for spicing up Bloody Mary’s!

I’m looking for the Huskers to continue to get on track. I’m looking for Tanner Lee to make better decisions and end the turnovers (although cherry and apple turnovers are great for a morning tailgate). I’m calling it a 38-20 Big Red victory. Use the time after the game to go shopping and get that much awaited Cornhusker suit from my friend Cheston at the Pinnacle Bank Arena store.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t share my jello shot for this week. I was struggling with a theme that had a Huskies flair but that Santacatarina name put me in a Carribbean Rum mood. Did you know Malibu Rum makes more than just coconut flavored rum?

Check out all their selections here. Malibu Sundae Creme is a chocolate flavored rum. I paired it with raspberry jello. Mix 1 cup boiling water with the jello until it’s dissolved. Add in 3/4 c rum and pour into shot cups and  chill. The raspberry is the stronger flavor but the hint of chocolate is tasty!

Get to bed early on Friday so you’re ready to go early Saturday morning to set up your tailgate and to cheer the Huskers on to victory. Be courteous fans and drive carefully. Most of all GO BIG RED!