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Oregon Football: 5 overreactions from Ducks’ win over Nebraska

By Justin Dottavio

EUGENE, OR - SEPTEMBER 02: Running back Royce Freeman #21 of the Oregon Ducks scores a touchdown in the second quarter of the game against the Southern Utah Thunderbirds at Autzen Stadium on September 2, 2017 in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)
EUGENE, OR - SEPTEMBER 02: Running back Royce Freeman #21 of the Oregon Ducks scores a touchdown in the second quarter of the game against the Southern Utah Thunderbirds at Autzen Stadium on September 2, 2017 in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images) /
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LINCOLN, NE – SEPTEMBER 02: Head coach Mike Riley of the Nebraska Cornhuskers and head coach Blake Anderson of the Arkansas State Red Wolves meet before the game at Memorial Stadium on September 2, 2017 in Lincoln, Nebraska. (Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images)
LINCOLN, NE – SEPTEMBER 02: Head coach Mike Riley of the Nebraska Cornhuskers and head coach Blake Anderson of the Arkansas State Red Wolves meet before the game at Memorial Stadium on September 2, 2017 in Lincoln, Nebraska. (Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images) /

2. No one under 30 knows what a Blackshirt even is

Back in my day (I guess this is still my day, but you know what I mean), the Cornhuskers’ defensive players were dubbed the Blackshirts and they were tenacious.

Nebraska was a dominant program of the 1960s through the early part of the 2000s. Bob Devaney’s two titles in 1970 and 1971 gave way to Tom Osborne who had an amazing 30-year run as the head coach of the Huskers. Osborne coached in national title games in 1983, 1991 and 1993 with close losses in all, before winning in 1994, 1995 and 1997. He retired before the 1998 season and Frank Solich, his longtime running back coach, led Nebraska to a national title appearance in 2001.

Frank Solich was fired after the 2003 season in which the Huskers were 10-3. Take that in for a moment. Bill Callahan became the head coach and had no success. Then came Bo Pelini who who won nine and 10 games multiple times and was fired more for his profane and abusive language and being unlikeable rather than anything else.

Pelini returned Nebraska to a Blackshirt-type defense but Riley hasn’t been as blue-collar and hard-nosed as we all remember from the 1990s. Riley’s defenses have been giving up 30-plus points in two games already and I’m not sure if kids today even know about the Blackshirts, because the defense hasn’t been that dominant since the early 2000s.

Scott Frost is aware of the Blackshirt culture and that his hurry up offense will need a strong defense behind it. He can recruit to Nebraska better than anyone and has inroads in Florida now with his tenure in Orlando at UCF. I can see Frost returning the Husker defense to dominant and returning the pride in the Blackshirts.

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