Nebraska Football: Tailgate ideas for Week 5 vs. Northwestern

We have you set for this week’s Nebraska Football tailgate.

It was bad to the bone. It was ugly. It was painful. The bright spots were the old wing back formations that made progress  down the field and the use of a fullback that brought a moment of hope. And then, we got in our own way again. Don’t put all the blame on Husker QB Adrian Martinez. He didn’t have receivers running the right routes and he had no safety blanket of RB Maurice Washington. Plus, he didn’t have an O-line as much as he had an OMG!-line.

I miss the vertical threat of a Stanley Morgan. I miss how Devine Ozigbo would make our O Line look good. But mostly I miss DREW BROWN!

More from Husker Corner

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• Travis Hunter injury uproar has some Nebraska football fans reminding Colorado about Adrian Martinez
• Nebraska Football: Freshman RB in line for big playing time
• Nebraska Cornhuskers News: Heinrich Haarberg has believer in Rhule, more
• Nebraska Football: Matt Rhule faces tough decision between Heinrich Haarberg and Jeff Sims

To be fair, that other team last week was really good. I mean REALLY good in ALL phases of the game. Nebraska is still looking for consistency in any area. The half-full in me wants to say our inconsistency is our consistency. I’m not jumping ship though. There’s a reason they gave Coach Frost 7 years. It’s gonna take at least 3-4 to even have a chance. Ohio State Coach Day walked into a fully stocked locker room. Coach Frost walked into one that had been boarded up and abandoned.

But on to Homecoming week for Nebraska and the game against those pesky Wildcats. *note to self, bring blood pressure medicine to game* You know these Cats. They always linger and Nebraska has ripped the defeat from the jaws of victory before with them. 6 of 8 games have been decided by 3 or fewer points. I do like Coach Pat Fitzgerald. He tends to do a lot with very little. I won’t be at ease with this one until the final seconds tick off the clock.

Despite Northwester looking inept offensively lately, (they even pulled their QB in the 4th quarter) they kept Wisconsin to a tight score last week (24-15). They have a good run defense too which isn’t good news given the state of our running game lately. Huskers better beware of lineman Alex Miller and Defensive Dnd Joe Gaziano who lead purple felines in sacks. Behind them are a core of good linebackers Chris Bergin, Paddy Fisher and safety Travis Whillock.

Our own bright spot Linebacker Mo Barry was awarded the Brooke Berringer Memorial Scholarship this week. Way to go MO!

News from the Nebraska Offensive Coordinator Troy Walters is he’s working on getting Martinez to trust his receivers. We all know trust in a relationship is as elusive as converting on 3rd and long. Good luck with that. Once again, Kade Warner is “day to day” and Jaron Woodyard might as well be on a milk carton. Time for JD Spielman and Wan’Dale Robinson to step up. Look for the Huskers to throw in the I-Formation more as well.

Nebraska plays at 3 pm and will be broadcast on FOX. Plan on bringing that poncho just in case the scattered showers appear as predicted.

As for what’s on the menu this week, I’ll be honest, I’m in the mood for some fall comfort food. Nothing more comforting than a bit of Macaroni & Cheese. This recipe was tweaked here and there but it’s my favorite because of the creaminess of it. You can cook it up in foil cupcake holders or just in a big pan for keeping warm at the tailgate.

Melt 4 TBS butter in a saucepan over low. Constantly stir in 1/4 cup flour and cook 1 minute. Add 3/4 c milk and a bottle of lager beer while stirring. Cook until thickened. Remove from heat and add in 2 cups shredded cheddar, 5 deli slices of Havarti cheese, 1/3 of a Velveeta loaf cubed until melty. Stir in 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper (or some cajun spice). Stir in 8-10 ounces cooked and cooled elbow macaroni and bake at 350 until cheese bubbles.

Fall means cooler temps, apple picking, pumpkins and Halloween are right around the corner. Toss candy corns into a bowl of peanuts for a little extra flavor. Put a pumpkin on the table for decoration. Save the apples for the jello shots though.

Another comfort food is PB&J for me. Since Skrewball (peanut butter flavor) whiskey was so popular last week mixed with grape jello, this week I’m mixing it up with Jolly Rancher Green Apple. Use 1 cup of warm water to mix up the gelatin and then pour in 3/4 of the peanut butter flavored whiskey. ENJOY!

Don’t forget to thank your tailgate hosts. Two weeks in a row can be daunting. Send me your photos of your tailgate at @kelian_NE or your favorite recipes. In the meantime, GO BIG RED!

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