Plainly Stated, It's Nebraska

Osborne won't change, either. He'll keep saying he looks ahead only to the next game while he's looking ahead three to Oklahoma. He'll follow his theory that a good football team must avoid emotional peaks and valleys. In fact, Osborne's idea of a gripping speech to his players is, "We're better than they are. Now go out there and shove it down their throats."

After the game Osborne and his wife Nancy enjoyed a quiet dinner out. "When do you celebrate?" she asked. "Well, I celebrate when I start walking off the field after the game," he answered. "And by the time I get to the locker room I'm done."

And what about 1976, the season Nebraska is now rebuilding for? Osborne says, "There's a chance we'll be pretty good." Which is like saying there's a chance you'll need an overcoat in Lincoln this winter. But Osborne's observation means the people in Weeping Water and McCool Junction can smile again. And the rest of the Big Eight can shudder and fight off the cold chills.