N-Sider First-and-10: Poignant Game Day Photos

Huskers Nipped by Cats

T.O. Chokes Up at Reunion

Randy York N-Sider

Official Blog of the Huskers

We all know what’s inscribed in Memorial Stadium’s west side entrance: Not the victory, but the action; not the goal but the game; in the deed the glory. Today, the N-Sider goes for a first-and-10, so we can remind Big Red fans everywhere that there’s still no place like Nebraska, even when the Huskers lose another heartbreaker, 30-28, to Northwestern. Please take a few moments and help us move the chains with poignant game day photos through the lens of two talented Huskers.com photographers – Scott Bruhn and Nate Olsen. These photos are so good, all they need are captions.

We lead with Big Red mascot Herbie Husker welcoming Nebraska senior captain Jack Gangwish (above) to a stadium that has been sold out since 1962. Gangwish, a Wood River, Neb., native, works hard on the field, gives everything he has and continues to be a classy leader in the midst of five losses by a combined 15 points this season. This N-Sider begins with the Unity Walk because it's a tradition and a guidepost for Husker fans as well as for players, coaches and staff members. Here are nine more relevant photos from game day Saturday:

What I like most on tough-loss days is the sheer joy that young people experience on game day. The young are and always will be an important part of Nebraska's game day atmosphere. 

Brandon Reilly (No. 87) caught four passes Saturday for 83 yards, including a 37-yard late fourth-quarter catch that gave Nebraska a chance to pull even. The junior wide receiver from Lincoln also caught a 10-yard touchdown pass from Tommy Armstrong Jr. in the second quarter. 

Wouldn't it be fun to get inside Tom Osborne's head during a moment like the one above? Never one for pomp and circumstance, the Hall-of-Fame coach didn't invent Nebraska's unparalled Tunnel Walk. He just went along with the HuskerVision creation and did more than his share of getting it off the launch pad and sustaining its importance.

Saturday was a challenge for quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr. (No. 4). He completed 24 of 48 passes for 291 yards and a touchdown, but would like to have back the 72-yard second-quarter pick 6 interception return. "We play for these seniors," he said. "We want to fight to the end."

Congratulations to Ross Dzuris (No. 88 above). Stripping the ball from Northwestern's quarterback, Dzuris shared a 4-yard safety/sack with Gangwish late in the first quarter. Dzuris is a junior defensive end from Plattsmouth, Neb. The safety is Nebraska's first since Randy Gregory's sack for a safety at Purdue two years ago.

This looks like a shot for posterity. It appears so extraordinary that I had to focus my eyes to see if a legend in a red coat is doing what so many around him are doing: holding up an arm to signify No. 1 while the P.A. announcer introduces Nebraska's 1995 national champions as the best college football team of all time. Let the record show, however, that Tom Osborne is not making that signal, even if it looks like he is. Rest assured, there's no trickery or image integration...just the extended arm of a shorter person right behind Coach Osborne.

One of Nebraska's greatest football virtues is packing the house and giving unparalled support to the home team and total respect to teams that visit Memorial Stadium. In this particular shot, all eyes are focused on the action, and only one fan is climbing the stairs away from the action. Big Red fans are loyal, loud and respectful like no other fan base.

Nebraska's Nate Gerry (No. 25 above) is a junior safety from Sioux Falls, S.D. He delivered one of the game's most explosive plays, tackling Northwestern quarterback Clayton Thorson for a sack that resulted in a 9-yard loss. It was the first solo sack of Gerry's career. 

We end this photo blog with the same player who walked into his work place with a Herbie Husker greeting. Gangwish is experiencing the full range of college football emotions and is concentrating on helping his teammates recover from another near miss. "Football is a crazy game," Gangwish said in the postgame press conference. "Lots of ups and downs. It's kind of a roller coaster ride and we're on it right now in full force. We have great players. They know what's important. They're mature guys. We'll stay together. We'll keep this thing going. We'll stay positive. We'll get back and have a great week of practice and get ready for Purdue."

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