 Another Callahan Classic Quick slants, quick outs and a few runs worth 4 yards a pop allowed the Huskers to march the ball down the field with authority. Maurice Purify and Nate Swift were integral components to what looked like the beginnings of a great college football game, and once the Huskers took a 10 – 7 lead at the beginning of the 2nd quarter, there was possibly some confusion amongst the fans as to what decade it might actually be. At that point, the confusion took on a different dimension. Bill Callahan resorted to his vintage style of breaking what's fixed, and abandoned the same quit hitting style that had Big Red in position to fight for four quarters – they forced the issue with the run and made Purify and Swift minimal offensive threats. By halftime, it had become painfully obvious to the Nebraska faithful that 10 points and multiple failed possessions weren't going to stave off Pete Carroll and the mighty Trojans. Regardless of the Huskers putting 31 points on the board, the game had lost all sense of symmetry by the 3rd quarter. The 10 points Nebraska had earned before the half would burn a brand into the scoreboard, as USC continued to march up and down the field. Before Nebraska could put together another scoring drive, they were facing a deficit of 32 points. By that point, they could only offer an effort to make the score somewhat respectable - which they were able to do, despite USC's overall dominance during the 60 minutes. Final score: USC 49 – Nebraska 31. How I see it So, again: What was Bill Callahan thinking? There's no question that Callahan has successfully begun the rebuilding process in Lincoln, but has yet to secure a signature win for the Huskers. He seemed a little confused on Saturday night, as if he hadn't planned on his team ever holding a lead vs. the Trojans - that if, in fact, they ever held a lead, it would probably come with 12 seconds left in the 4th quarter, capping off the greatest comeback and upset in college football history. Perhaps he was busy writing the storybook ending in his head, or perhaps Bill Callahan just isn't the greatest head coach when it comes to coaching in games of great magnitude. Super Bowl XXXVII, anyone? If holding a lead set off Callahan's internal alarm to focus on preserving the lead against USC, then he succeeded in attempting to do so. Unfortunately, the best way to preserve a lead is by continuing to score, and Callahan seemed to leave that variable out of his equation. To answer the question posed, how about another question: What was Bill Callahan thinking? Who knows?
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