LINCOLN, Neb.—For Nebraska fans, the Cornhuskers’ return to Lubbock this week has stirred bad memories of that 70-10 beating at Texas Tech four years ago.
The players themselves have shorter memories. They’re seeking atonement for last week’s 52-17 loss to Missouri that ranked as the program’s worst at home since 1955.
“When you get hit in the mouth like we did, it is embarrassing,” receiver Todd Peterson said. “No one wants to lose 52-17 like we did on our home field. On Sunday, you heard guys whispering, ‘That was embarrassing. I never want to feel this way again.’ It’s good to hear that, because when guys are taking it to heart, they’re going to do something about it.”
The Huskers (3-2, 0-1 Big 12) will be playing Texas Tech (5-0, 1-0) in their first road game after opening with five straight at home.
“You just have to get ready for a hostile environment,” defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh said. “This is our true test to see if we hit adversity when we’re by ourselves and we don’t have our fans behind us.”
As much as the players prefer focusing on the present, they’ve been unable to avoid questions about the 2004 game at Tech that stands as the most lopsided loss in program history.
As that game unfolded, it went from being must-see TV to must-flee TV for folks partial to the Cornhuskers.
Potter, a senior at Omaha Creighton Prep in 2004, said he couldn’t bear watching as things unraveled.
“I watched until it got out of hand, and then I changed the channel,” he said. “I wasn’t part of the program then, so I’m not sure what happened.”
Quarterback Joe Ganz and receiver Todd Peterson were part of the program, and they’re still at a loss to figure out how things went so wrong.
Ganz and Peterson were first-year players on the scout team. Ganz was visiting friends in his home state of Illinois that weekend. Like Potter, he quit watching in the second half.
“We decided to drive back that night,” he said.
Peterson said he watched the game at his brother’s apartment “in utter disbelief.”
“At that point, I don’t remember ever seeing a Nebraska football team get beat like that,” he said. “I don’t remember a lot of specific plays. I just remember that it went downhill fast late.”
The Huskers were down 21-10 early in the third quarter, but backup quarterback Beau Davis turned over the ball on five straight possessions, and Texas Tech said thanks by scoring five straight touchdowns.
Nebraska players say what happened in Lubbock four years ago is not an issue now.
“We have a new coaching staff and a lot of new players. We can’t focus on the past,” Potter said. “We’re going to go down there and play our best. Right now, the score is 0-0.”
