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The Nebraska Cornhuskers have gone from great to ungrateful in college football. What a comedown.
Their decision to back out of a two-game football series with Tennessee shows no appreciation for history – or the Vols’ contributions to Nebraska football.
Never mind that 27 years have passed since Tennessee gave its all for Nebraska. My guess is longtime Cornhuskers fans haven’t forgotten how UT went above and beyond in a spectacular display of ineptitude that enabled Nebraska to win a share of the 1997 national championship.
Obviously, Nebraska didn’t consult legendary Cornhuskers coach Tom Osborne in its decision. In his last game, he directed Nebraska to that memorable 42-17 rout of Tennessee in the Orange Bowl.
The resounding victory was enhanced by Tennessee’s status at the time. The Vols had lost only one regular-season game and won the SEC championship. Their depth chart was loaded with future pros, including quarterback Peyton Manning.
And Nebraska handled them with ease.
What happened next was even better for the Cornhuskers. Second to Michigan in the top-25 polls, Nebraska so thoroughly dominated Tennessee that enough voters in the coaches poll moved them ahead of the Wolverines and gave them a share of the 1997 national championship.
Current Nebraska athletic director Troy Dannen was just hired a year ago but is an Iowa native and was born in 1966. That means he was close enough and old enough to remember what was going on with Nebraska football in 1997.
Even if the Cornhuskers’ football dynasty – and Tennessee’s contributions to it – slipped his mind while administering his AD duties, one of his minions should have had the courage to step forward and remind him that Nebraska is forever indebted to Tennessee.
Or maybe, Cornhuskers football coach Matt Rhule had more to do with this decision. He…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/article/why-nebraska-canceling-tennessee-football-180737029.html
Author : Knox News | The Knoxville News-Sentinel
Publish date : 2025-02-21 18:07:00
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