There were smiling faces in a lot of places after Saturday's win over Nevada.
Kevin Dixon was smiling. After catching an interception in his first game as a Husker, what 300-pound interior lineman wouldn't be?
"It took forever to get down," Dixon said.
Carl Nicks was smiling. The offensive line spent the afternoon dominating the line of scrimmage, opening mile-wide gaps for the running game and giving Sam Keller (and Joe Ganz, later in the game) all the time they needed.
Adi Kunalic was smiling. Few true freshman placekickers have enjoyed the unbridled adoration of 84,000 fans the way Kunalic did. After booting a 46-yard field goal and driving the ensuing kickoff past the end zone, Kunalic acknowledged the crowd as he trotted off the field to a standing ovation.
And maybe most importantly, Marlon Lucky was smiling. And his family - outfitted in an even mix of Nos. 20 and 5 Lucky jerseys - were smiling. Lucky's 233 yards were a career high, a Callahan era high, and one of the highlight performances of the weekend across the college football landscape.
But more important than his stats was Lucky's smile. Personal struggles dating back to last season and a life-threatening hospitalization in February were tall hurdles for the junior to overcome.
Callahan was pleased with his featured back's performance but stopped short of calling his on-field play a triumph over a difficult offseason. When asked if Lucky could have had a better start to the season given the obstacles he had faced, the coach shifted focus back to the sum of the team's parts.
"Again, I'm really happy for him and our team," Callahan said. "But I think it's a compliment for those guys up front, and again, I think that the profile's changed up front. I think you saw those guys work and come off the ball. … I thought it was excellent."
That excellence made the fans smile. Coaches and players are always looking for ways to improve, but no fan could have left Memorial Stadium without a good feeling for this team's potential.
Nebraska's 52-10 win was the most lopsided season-opening victory under Callahan and came against a team better than any other in recent years. Nevada may be from the Western Athletic Conference, but the Wolf Pack have gone bowling the past two seasons and took Miami to the wire last December in the MPC Computers Bowl.
Seven true freshmen and several more newcomers made their debuts, though none were as warmly received as Kunalic. Quentin Castille had a big day behind Lucky, picking up 78 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The youth sprinkled in among talented veterans is an encouraging sign for Nebraska's future.
One person not smiling was Callahan. Happy as he may have been, an opening weekend win doesn't mean much when it comes against Nevada. Not with the goals this Husker program has in mind. Callahan's coaching mentality had him pointing out the positives of the team's overall performance, but the coach made a cautionary note.
"We still have a lot of work to do," Callahan said. "That first quarter was a little nip-and-tuck there, and I wanted to make sure we answered that pick when they scored."
But by Monday's Big 12 Conference coaches' teleconference, Callahan had time to review the statistics and put them into perspective. After the first week of play, Nebraska leads the nation with 413 rushing yards. Boise State was the next best team, 42 yards behind the Huskers.
"You know what? If you would have told me that was going to happen, I would have told you you were crazy," Callahan said. "I never thought in a million years that we would have had the numbers that we had. I was kind of astounded afterwards that the numbers were that high."
Time - and a matchup with USC - will tell where Nebraska stands in relation to the top. But there weren't many reasons to frown Saturday, and the Huskers seem to have the pieces in place to take the big step they believe they're capable of.
And that should make NU Athletic Director Steve Pederson smile.
Jonathan Crowl is a senior English major. Reach him at jonathancrowl@dailynebraskan.com.
