It was another sold out stadium this weekend for the University of Nebraska football team. That’s not a surprise, though, as the Huskers’ home sellout streak of 361 games reaches back to 1962.
What is a surprise is that Saturday’s sellout game was for the annual spring football game. Memorial Stadium in Lincoln was sold out just 90 minutes after tickets were placed on sale. Nebraska’s football fans are legendary, but what would motivate over 86,000 people to show-up for a spring football game in Nebraska coming off last year’s 4-8 disappointing season?
Hope springs eternal for Big Red this year. Their new head football coach’s last team finished an incredible 13-0 in 2017.
Scott Frost, a former Husker quarterback in the 1990’s, has come home again. Nebraska fans can feel the magic already, because his last coaching job at the University of Central Florida was the ultimate turnaround job.
Frost took over the reins at UCF after the Knights posted a winless record in 2015. After posting a first year mark of 6-7 in 2016, Frost coached his UCF team to an unblemished 13-0 record in 2017, a New Year’s Day Peach Bowl victory over SEC power Auburn, and a #6 final ranking in the AP college football poll. Frost earned numerous Coach-of-the-Year awards to boot.
Meanwhile, in the land of corn within America’s heartland, Nebraska’s Big Red continued to struggle under nice-guy coach, Mike Riley. Riley came to Lincoln as a mature, patient, and successful winner at Oregon State and was given ample opportunity to spark the Cornhuskers. At the end of Riley’s three seasons, Nebraska sported a less-than-satisfying 17-17 record.
Football fans in Nebraska, legendary for both their knowledge of the game and the exceptional sportsmanship shown to visiting fans, knew who they wanted to coach their football team. They were ready to roll-out the BIG RED carpet to secure one of their own as the next head football coach.
Saturday’s spring game in Lincoln marked the first time that Scott Frost had run onto the field at Memorial Stadium since he was a player. The cheers from the massive crowd were as much for their new head coach as they were for the Nebraska football team.
Big Red Nation has been starved for a turnaround and wants another chance to compete for a national championship. Nebraska’s last national title came in 1997 when their newest head football coach was the quarterback of that undefeated squad.
Scott Frost, the new head football coach of the Huskers, bleeds Nebraska red, has proven himself as a winner and talented leader and, to many, is hoped to be a miracle worker as well.
Scott Frost, at least for now, can do no wrong in Lincoln. All eyes are on the new leader of Big Red football.
Get ready, Nebraska. Showtime starts in just four months!