Nebraska Football Tailgate: Cooking up some Badger meat

Nebraska football is back on the road up to Camp Randall in Wisconsin. I’ve never been a fan of that other red and white Adidas team.

I’m really not now. If it weren’t for some good friends I know that live there, I would start a petition for Wisconsin to be part of Canada. I don’t like them because they do what Nebraska football did and they have some beasts on the O-line. These are things that I miss.

What we do have is a Husker running back who has proved to be truly devine. Texas native Devine Ozigbo worked hard and is now on the NEW depth chart as THE running back for Nebraska. An average of 6.7 yards per carry will do that for a guy. Congratulations! Hopefully those other guys who slipped down on the depth chart are taking notice of what it takes to rise to the top. Mo Barry is another guy who has risen up. Good on him!

Other things we have are “termites” and “rot.” These are words Nebraska Head Coach Frost used to describe the lack of a solid foundation. I’m proud of him using metaphors. Just more proof we actually send our athletes to class and they earn their degrees.

Things we don’t have: Husker Linebacker Will Honas is having season ending knee surgery, no word on when Mick Stoltenberg will return either. Oh, and Tyjon Lindsey left the team too. Guess that’s what happens when weak foundations crumble, they can blow away. Props to the media department for taking that brick off the online roster already.

Wisky. Yes, I spelled that correctly. It’s the vernacular we use in Huskerland. Go ahead, I’ll wait while you look that up. (I went to class too.) Just like the alcohol, that northern red and white team  can leave a bad taste in your mouth. They are big. They are disciplined. They don’t make many mistakes. They are sound at every position. They are well coached.

Nebraska will have their hands full at 6:30 when they kick off on ABC. The weather forecast for gameday is rainy and stormy through the day. 30% chance of rain that night at Camp Randall. There hasn’t been much that has been bright and sunny for Big Red this year so why should geography change it.

The weather in Nebraska will be perfect for inside at your homegate though. Now that it’s October, rock that mixed nut selection with some candy corns to get in the spirit. I’ll be honest, I don’t think the BIG RED has a ghost of a chance of winning but that shouldn’t scare you away from throwing a nice party. With the luxury of a full bar, heat up some Apple Cider, cinnamon sticks and Fireball whiskey to keep the festivities festive.

It may be one of the last times one can grill out comfortably so grill up some sweet corn. I think the Badgers will turn up the heat on the Nebraska football team too. Nonetheless, I have a way to spin that raked over the coals corn into some side dish delish! (A lil’ bit of alliteration tossed in for my Mom.)

Grill 4 ears of corn and remove it from the cob. Mix with 1 cup of halved grape tomatoes, 1/4 cup chopped red onions, 1/4 cup chopped cilantro, 2 TBS of olive oil, 2 TBS of Red wind vinegar, and 2 TBS of champagne vinegar in a large bowl. Toss it all together and serve!

Nebraska fans are getting an education on what it takes to rebuild a program. The coaches are learning which players can’t or won’t be taught. The process will test everyone. The answers aren’t easy to come by. What I can do in the meantime is support the team, be a good fan, and a pleasant ambassador for Cornhusker tailgating. We ALWAYS win at the tailgate/homegate.

Don’t forget to thank your hosts. Be courteous Nebraska football fans. Help clean up. Leave the rest of what you brought with your hosts as a thank you. As always, GO BIG RED!