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On a weekend marked by Halloween celebrations, Oklahoma State left the Cornhuskers seeing orange.
As with any Nebraska loss, Husker fans can deal with it in two ways - blame the Big Red for poor play or credit the opponent for good execution.
Yes, NU was lousy in all three phases of the game Saturday, with the exception of the first quarter. Nebraska capitalized on two Cowboy turnovers to take a 16-0 lead early in the second quarter but mustered only one more meaningful touchdown for the rest of the game.
The Huskers' defensive relapse was reminiscent of the Kansas game, this time allowing 496 yards of total offense after holding OSU to 27 yards in the first quarter.
And NU continues to have kickoff problems, allowing the Cowboys to get back into the game thanks in part to a 39-yard kickoff return just before halftime.
In short, it wasn't a good day for Husker fans.
But this loss isn't as bad as it seems. In fact, it might be the best thing that could have happened to Nebraska.
First of all, the Huskers aren't as bad as they looked Saturday. Every team has a game or two when things just don't fall its way. NU had one of those against Kansas and won in overtime, and the Blackshirts rebounded from that dreadful defensive performance by holding Iowa State to 14 points the following week.
The other fact to keep in mind is Nebraska is in no worse situation to capture the Big 12 North Division than it was last week. With Missouri losing 26-10 at home to Oklahoma, the teams remain tied for first place, setting up a virtual winner-take-all game in Lincoln next weekend for the North title.
If the Huskers have a hard time getting up for that one, they don't deserve to play in the Big 12 championship game.
"We just have to step up and start taking control of our own destiny, our own fate," NU senior safety Andrew Shanle said. "Right now, we have all the pressure in the world on us to go in every week and finish out the season."
After the game, Nebraska Coach Bill Callahan said he was unhappy with every phase of his team's play but prefaced those comments by reminding the media that losing to Oklahoma State didn't change much besides national rankings and bowl game possibilities.
"Our goals are still intact," Callahan said. "We still have an excellent opportunity to capture the North."
With that thought in mind, this loss is much easier to forget than last week's game against Texas or a defeat to Missouri next week would be.
And, to help Husker fans out there do just that, I thought I'd share a few observations from Boone Pickens Stadium, named after the billionaire OSU alum who donated $165 million to Cowboy athletics in January.
n Half an hour before game time, the stadium was still relatively vacant, a stark contrast to Saturdays at Memorial Stadium. 40,108 people eventually showed up, but patches of empty seats went unfilled for the entire game.
n Because of issues with getting a sufficient number of press credentials, I bought a ticket and sat among Cowboy fans for much of the game. Most of them seemed more excited about the upcoming men's basketball season than the action on the field.
Having been bombarded by Old West culture for the past two days, it seemed fitting to summarize what happened to the Huskers in a way that OSU's mascot, Pistol Pete, would understand.
The Big Red Express was corralled by a group of bandits in Stillwater, Okla., on Saturday, robbing it of its dignity after a brief shootout with gunslinger Zac Taylor. Still, the folks at Nebraska can circle the wagons and ride to the top of the wild, wild North. Tune in next week to see if the Huskers ride off into the sunset when those varmints from Missouri come to town.
