For This Football Game, You Had to Be There to Feel It

Huskers Blast Fresno State 43-10 in Season Opener

Randy York’s N-Sider

Official Blog of the Huskers

If you’ve ever wondered what’s the biggest difference between being inside Memorial Stadium for a Nebraska football game or watching it on television, Saturday night’s season opener was Exhibit A, B, C and the rest of the alphabet.

Following Nebraska’s Tunnel Walk, pre-game audio "pump-up" asks the question before kicking off every home football game – Can you feel it? Can you feel it? Can you feel it?

Nebraska has sold out every home game since 1962, so you better believe Husker fans feel it and Saturday night’s 43-10 win over Fresno State was another classic example of why there really is NO PLACE like Nebraska and why being inside the stadium showcases the Huskers' unique spirit and unequalled devotion.

That’s why this blog’s lead photo celebrates history with picturesque red balloons, Nebraska’s iconic representation of a vision that continues to go skyward with unity, loyalty and trust.

Shawn Eichorst Chief Architect of Celebrating, Honoring Sam Foltz’s Legacy

Saturday night was truly special for every man, woman and child who weathered a downpour to get inside Memorial Stadium, then waited patiently for something they will never forget – celebrating the late Sam Foltz’s legacy and honoring Drew Brown, his best friend, as the inaugural recipient of the Sam Foltz Memorial Scholarship.

The Foltz and Brown families waited together on the sidelines for a presentation that warmed Husker hearts, reflected Nebraska values and honored the ultimate role model for Nebraska Football. Sam was so special that young and old alike were drawn to him immediately. He was a tremendous young man who represented everything that a Nebraska student, athlete, teammate and friend should strive to be.

Those aren’t my words. They’re straight from Nebraska Director of Athletics Shawn Eichorst, pictured above next to Brown when he was introduced to a sellout crowd with heavy hearts. The Sam Foltz 27 Leadership Award became the new name for the annual Nebraska Life Skills HERO Leadership Award.

What an emotional moment for everyone, especially Brown, his family, teammates, coaches and fans. Eichorst, who co-presented the award with Dennis Leblanc, Nebraska’s executive academic administrator, was touched very deeply.

So was Brown. "Sam was a guy I would do anything to model myself after,” he said. “Being awarded something that's in his name means more than the world to me. He was my best friend. I'm never going to forget this night. I'm never going to forget that ceremony and never going to forget the crowd standing up and cheering for Sam. There are so many other guys deserving of that award. It's pretty special to me."

Who’ll Stop the Rain? Mike Riley So Rainbow Emerged as a Painted Portrait

One fan asked another if he’d seen the brilliant rainbow that hovered over Memorial Stadium. A positive nod drew a fitting metaphor, giving the fan the opportunity to theorize that the naturally painted portrait was a sign that Sam Foltz was looking down from above.

Another fan credited Mike Riley for stopping the rain that pelted 90,000 fans who had no choice but to take cover in the crowded concourses an hour before the game’s opening kickoff. Riley undoubtedly would smile at such suggestions and, in fact, credited a harvest of “a lot of good thoughtful ideas by a lot of people,” he said, indicating that Eichorst was the first to suggest a deliberate delay of game penalty to honor Foltz.

Drew Brown “brought the idea to me, too,” Riley said, “so I thought maybe there’s something there with that. The crowd responded just as I thought they would. A lot of what our team did was not orchestrated, so I’m not necessarily sure how it all got done.”

Golden Moments for Ozigbo, Newby, Bryant; Alonzo Moore Tears Up

That golden reflection coming from comfortable seats in the East Stadium’s highest perches Saturday night included five solid performances from key Nebraska offensive weapons. Maybe the 1-2-3 punch from three running backs was part of the eye in the sky. Devine Zigbo, after all, rushed for a career high 103 yards and scored two touchdowns. Starter Terrell Newby had 56 yards rushing, and freshman Trey Bryant gained 36 yards and scored a touchdown.

The tribute to Foltz motivated Ozigbo. "That was crazy,” the sophomore said. “I knew it was coming but I honestly teared up a little bit. This whole season is for Sam, so we definitely have to focus. That's one thing we talked about – finishing off strong for him."

Wide receiver Alonzo Moore agrees. “I teared up. It was tough not seeing Sam,” Moore said after catching three passes, including a 57-yard touchdown from Tommy Armstrong Jr.

Armstrong accounted for three touchdowns, adding 9-yard and 4-yard scoring runs to complement his long-range strike to Moore nine seconds into the fourth quarter, giving Nebraska a more comfortable 28-10 lead.

Healthy Togetherness, Unity Helping Huskers Establish a Solid Running Game

Riley did not necessarily think the Huskers would look the way they did Saturday night. “We want to run the ball, and we think that has to be a good part of the recipe for what we do all the time,” he said. “I think that we have to be two things – a little more versatile for the long spell of the season, and when we are versatile, we have to be effective."

Having said that, Riley admitted he had mixed emotions about the season-opener. “Obviously, there was some good football,” he said, acknowledging that a 300-yard rushing game means “some pretty good things.” Defensively, “it seemed like we made a lot of good plays,” Riley said, but “games get pretty cloudy for me when you get a punt blocked and when you have a procedure penalty that takes away a first down. There’s lots of stuff that has to change.”

Next up for Nebraska is Wyoming, which rallied to beat Northern Illinois on the road, 40-34, in a weather-delayed, triple-overtime game that carried into early Sunday morning. The Cowboys’ head coach is Craig Bohl, a former Nebraska player and Husker defensive coordinator who led North Dakota State to three consecutive NCAA Division 1 football championships in his final three seasons. Kickoff is 11 a.m. with ESPN2 providing national television coverage.

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