Huskers Prevail; Bo Keeps His Job

This was the scene at Kinnick Stadium before overtime. (©Huskers on Instagram)

The Friday after Thanksgiving Day is not only "Black Friday." In Nebraska, it is a tradition that means watching the Huskers play football.

First it was Nebraska and Oklahoma, which instantly brings up mentions of the "Game of the Century" back in 1971 and classic games in the late 70s into the 80s. Then, it was Nebraska and Colorado who battled in the 90s in a forced rivalry. Today, it is Nebraska's neighbor to the east, the Iowa Hawkeyes, who are in the crosshairs of Cornhusker fans as the teams battle for the Heroes Trophy in the "Heroes Game" (sponsored by Hy-Vee).

I have written about Nebraska football before. In fact, I have even written about the demise of Shawn Watson before he was fired. This time, the game between Nebraska and Iowa drew additional attention as some Husker fans called for the firing of head coach Bo Pelini. Calls of "Fire Bo" and "Bo Must Go" were routine on Twitter in the days leading up to Saturday's game.

Through the first quarter and deep into the first half, it looked like Pelini and his movers would have a busy Saturday. But a late second quarter touchdown pulled Nebraska to within 10-7. When the Huskers fell behind 24-7, even radio announcers Adrian Fiala and Matt Davison were having trouble putting a good spin on the situation. But a long run by Ameer Abdullah, two punt returns for touchdowns by De’Mornay Pierson-El and a touchdown catch in overtime – yes, it went to overtime – by Kenny Bell helped the Huskers pull out a 37-34 win.

Nebraska secures its seventh straight nine-win season under Pelini and now appears headed to a bowl game in either Nashville or Santa Clarita, California. But it will hardly stop the talk: should Bo Pelini be the Husker coach? (See more photos on the Huskers' Instagram account.)

Back In The Saddle

My race number included the number 16
– fitting since I last raced 16 years ago.
So I took the plunge today and ventured back into the side of bicycle racing I had not experienced since 1993. The decision to race Saturday in the Twin Bing Classic originated with Craig Harding, Team Type 1's regional team director, and was finalized when my brother-in-law, Jon Brooks, told me "you should do it!"

So there I was, early Saturday morning, getting things ready to go. Harding and Nancy Stirek picked me up (thanks!) and we made the 90-minute-or-so drive north to Climbing Hill, Iowa.

My expectations for the race were pretty simple: finish, don't crash and have fun. The Category "B" race was only 42 miles, but advertised as "having plenty of hills." Geez, they weren't kidding. The climb out of town to the finish line (about 3 km) was a gradual uphill with a steep kicker (10 percent, perhaps?). I knew getting dropped right off the bat would mean starting the climb at the front and slowly going backwards.

Two funny things happened before the race. First, the registration folks were thoroughly impressed with my pre-printed athlete waiver (thanks PDF Pen!) - which nearly caused them to forget to collect my $20 check. The other "classic Sean" moment came as we were getting ready to line up. The 72(!) people in the field were staged, then lined up on the road. I told Craig to hang way back (I think he was a little nervous about doing so, particularly since I hadn't been at this for some time) and then we'd dash up to the front. And that's precisely what I did - riding through the grass, around a mailbox and to "pole position" for the start before you could say, "Boo." Mission accomplished.

That first climb, though, was a leg-breaker. Or more precisely, gut-wrenching. I was warmed up - or so I thought - but didn't feel good at all. I was pretty "blocked" and went from front of the line to right at the back once over the top. It was going to be a long day. It got longer when the group I was chasing missed a right-hand turn. Five miles later, we figured out we were going the wrong way.

From there, we chased back to get back on course. It wasn't long before we hit more hills and I was off the back again. UGH. Roller after roller put the hurt on, but it was getting warmer (probably up to about 50 degrees) so that was nice. Eventually, I caught the remnants of my group and worked together with them as we got back to town.

Heading out for a second lap of the course was pretty much out the window, though, as I didn't want the race officials to be there until 4 or 5 p.m. waiting for "Mr. Slow" to make it around again. So I did my good deed for the day and told the officials I was "retiring" and headed back to the car. (Click here to see the official results.)

I met a lot of great people and it was kind of nice to be a little incognito at a bike race (as much as I can lay low). Of course I'm a little tired, but have some great memories.

It was pretty chilly at the start.

Kitted up and ready to go.
(Yes, I need a Louis Garneau helmet.)

Check out the lead vehicle for the "A" race.