Huskers fate in ‘06 could be decided on the road

By Terry Dombkowski  |   Thursday, June 15, 2006  |  Comments( 10 )

Nebraska Cornhuskers
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As Bill Callahan enters his third season as head coach at Nebraska, the expectations for this Cornhusker team are higher than they have been in years. And while Memorial Stadium's expansion will pave the way for more than 80,000 fans to cheer on Big Red during home games in 2006, the key to this season could very well lie in the team's ability to take care of business away from Lincoln.

Nebraska is coming off a 2005 campaign that saw them finish 8-4 overall, with a 2-2 record on the road. This was a nice improvement off a 2004 season that saw the team win just once in four contests on the road, en route to a 5-6 record. Now, it certainly appears that this year's squad is much improved over the previous two. However, the road games in '06 should also be tougher tests, and a failure to perform accordingly could leave the Big Red faithful feeling blue.

The Cornhuskers start their '06 road schedule off with a bang, as they enter The Coliseum to battle USC on September 16th. This primetime game has huge implications, and it's not too far of a stretch to think that this contest could set the tone for the rest of the season. If Nebraska can go in there and play a competitive game (win or lose), it would serve to give this club a big boost of confidence. However, if for some reason the Huskers under- perform, it could be a highly damaging blow.

Three weeks later, the Huskers will begin a tough back-to-back against Iowa State and Kansas St. They will first travel to Ames on October 7th to take on the Cyclones. Iowa St. should be a very good team in '06, as they boast exciting playmakers on offense as well as tough run stoppers on defense. With that being said, the Huskers should be able to exploit a suspect Cyclone secondary. Will it be enough? That remains to be seen, but this game is sure to have an effect on the Husker's Big 12 North title hopes. The very next week will see Nebraska march into Manhattan and take on K-State. KSU Stadium has traditionally represented one of the tougher venues for opposing teams to visit. While NU appears to have the edge across the board in this one, it is definitely not a game to overlook, especially coming off what should be a tough match-up against Iowa St.

After what is sure to be an intense home game against the Texas Longhorns, the Huskers will hit the road once again, this time to Boone Pickens Stadium where they will face the Oklahoma St. Cowboys on October 28th. On paper, this game clearly favors NU. But as we all know, they don't play the games on paper. Nebraska has to avoid a letdown and take advantage of this spot.

The final road game of the season takes the Huskers to College Station, where they will hook up with Texas A&M on November 11th. Kyle Field is one of the loudest stadiums in the Big 12, and with the Aggies expecting big things in '06, this game could represent Nebraska's toughest road task of the year. Depending on how the season shakes out, this game could have a massive impact within the conference.

This season, the Nebraska Cornhuskers have all the pieces in place to take the next step under Coach Callahan. But to achieve their goal, they must come away from the road challenges with better success than in '04 and '05. What's the best that Husker fans can hope for? Well, 5-0 is a mighty tall order. If the team were able to run the table on the road, it would be a spectacular accomplishment. What about 4-1? Again, this is probably being too ambitious, but it is not out of the realm of possibilities. A record of 4-1 would have to be considered an overwhelming success. However, a road mark of 3-2 seems to be the most likely outcome, with wins at K-State, OSU, and one of the remaining three. Anything less would probably make improving upon last year's 8-4 record impossible, and that is one road that both players and fans certainly do not want to travel.

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