Adam Carriker had been thinking all week what his final game at Memorial Stadium would be like.
The senior defensive end for Nebraska made sure he savored everything, from the pre-game introductions to halftime warm-ups to singing the fight song with the student section afterward.
Carriker was one of 18 Cornhusker seniors who will never again play a college football game in Lincoln, but he made his last one a performance to remember.
"It meant a lot to me because I've been here for five years, put a lot into the program, been through a lot," Carriker said. "It was an emotional day for me."
A successful one, too. The Kennewick, Wash., native was NU's second-leading tackler in Nebraska's 37-14 win over Colorado, recording seven stops. Among those, Carriker had two sacks for minus-18 yards and another tackle for a one-yard loss.
"I thought he dominated the football game," said Nebraska Coach Bill Callahan. "He just made play after play. So it was great to see him go out on a real positive note. And how successful a note is that, having the day that he did?"
The day was a highlight for the entire Nebraska defense, which started six seniors, including all four members of the defensive line.
The Blackshirts held the Buffaloes to just 297 yards of total offense, the second-fewest total Nebraska has allowed this season against a Big 12 Conference opponent. The Huskers also rebounded from recent second-half struggles to shut out CU in the final half, save for a 45-yard touchdown dash by Colorado running back Mell Holliday to help his team tie the game at 14-14 early in the third quarter.
Callahan said NU coaches strongly emphasized solid second-half play during the bye week, and he added he was happy to see his club seize momentum and put the game out of reach, unlike in the Nov. 11 game at Texas A&M.
"We couldn't just give up and just call it a wrap because anything could have happened," said Nebraska junior cornerback Andre Jones. "We had to meet up to our highest standards. That's something we hadn't done all season was come out in the second half and just kept pounding and pounding, and that's what we did."
Indeed, after NU sophomore kicker Jordan Congdon pooch-punted to the Colorado 1-yard line early in the fourth quarter, the Husker defense responded immediately by gobbling up Holliday in the end zone for a safety, Nebraska's first since earning one against Kansas last season.
NU senior defensive end Jay Moore said it was hard to believe he'd never play in Memorial Stadium again, but he added he considered it an honor to play alongside fellow seniors who stuck with the program amid a myriad of changes during the past five years.
"Not a whole lot of us are real vocal guys," Moore said of the seniors on defense. "We're not rah-rah guys, but you know what? We'll lead by example and try to get the job done."
NU Defensive Coordinator Kevin Cosgrove said it has been that senior leadership that has helped keep the Blackshirts focused for this season and for a seemingly low-stakes game against Colorado.
"The main thing is the kids compete and they play hard and they believe," Cosgrove said. "And that's what gets you through games like this because Colorado had nothing to lose. We knew we had to play well in order to win this game."
Of course, the Huskers still have two more games to play, starting with this weekend's Big 12 Championship game against Oklahoma in Kansas City. But many Nebraska seniors said this game would certainly be one to remember.
"Leaving here your last home game on a win, beating Colorado, it couldn't be any better," Moore said. "I can't complain whatsoever."
