[Mick]

That was the excuse we always used to get when we lost to SJS, and frankly I got a little tired of it.

IMHO, good teams don't lose to inferior teams because they can't get excited about the game. They suck it up and do what they have to in order to win.

JPRI, that's great to say, it feels like a truism.  But in point of fact, it is not uncommon for very strong teams to hit emotional lows when they play against teams they view as inferior.  And the double whammy happens when you get a team that is conversely sky-high, that feels it has something to prove...like a 5-7 Huskers team that would be 9-3 save for last plays.  And factor in a true frosh quarterback and -- let's just say it --  a coaching gap, and a whole lotta factors were pointing to Nebraska.

[Mick]

That was the excuse we always used to get when we lost to SJS, and frankly I got a little tired of it.

IMHO, good teams don't lose to inferior teams because they can't get excited about the game. They suck it up and do what they have to in order to win.

JPRI, that's great to say, it feels like a truism.  But in point of fact, it is not uncommon for very strong teams to hit emotional lows when they play against teams they view as inferior.  And the double whammy happens when you get a team that is conversely sky-high, that feels it has something to prove...like a 5-7 Huskers team that would be 9-3 save for last plays.  And factor in a true frosh quarterback and -- let's just say it --  a coaching gap, and a whole lotta factors were pointing to Nebraska.