LUBBOCK, Texas - One of the oddest places on the planet witnessed one of the most unlikely overtime games in Nebraska history.
The tiny contingent of Husker fans brave enough to make the trip to West Texas should have taken a picture of the scoreboard. Following a scintillating end to regulation, the Cornhuskers and No. 7 Texas Tech were tied, 31-31.
It was a sight that national prognosticators and diehard Nebraska fans alike couldn't - and didn't - predict.
Matters got even stranger in overtime. Following a Tech touchdown, the Huskers managed to block the extra point, momentarily silencing a wild home crowd known for transforming its school fight song into musical expletives.
A Nebraska touchdown would have almost certainly sealed the Huskers' first win against a top 10 opponent in 11 tries. Instead, they got a game-ending turnover and more 'what if's.'
Make no mistake, NU played its best football of the season in Texas. And it's not even close. The visitors dominated the time of possession more effectively than perhaps any Tech opponent in its high-offense era, ran more efficiently and looked generally to be on par with one of the nation's best teams.
Oh, and they did so in their first road game of the season.
Unlike Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel, Tech's elite passer, Graham Harrell, repeatedly stated how impressed he was with the Huskers after the nail-biting finish.
"That's an unbelievable job by the Nebraska offense," Harrell said. "There's no question about it."
Odd. In a game nobody expected Nebraska to contend in, it received its highest praise of the season.
Texas Tech, by the way, is a legitimate top 10 team. The city of Lubbock is undergoing a massive renovation project, and its football team has enjoyed a similar makeover.
Not so long ago are the times of sparse crowds, blowout losses and futility against Nebraska.
Texas Tech Coach Mike Leach reminded reporters after the game that the "madness continues" in a wacky series with the Huskers.
The coach went into detail about the last four games in that span - during which his team has gone 3-1 - spending two minutes, 29 seconds to do so.
That's a long time, even for the boisterous BYU alum.
"It becomes a screwy slugfest where you literally take the stats that the winner or loser should have," Leach said. "You just throw them up in the air and everybody grabs one."
He even mentioned the fumble his team forced against former NU defensive lineman Le Kevin Smith after the senior had intercepted a pass late in the teams' 2005 matchup - a Tech win.
Ironic. After Red Raider cornerback Jamar Wall intercepted a throw on Nebraska's final drive of the game Saturday, he stepped out of bounds.
"I really did think about (trying to make a return,)" Wall said. "But that's OK."
Everything turned out OK for Tech, which continues to climb the national polls in one of its best years in school history.
The Huskers were just a few plays and untimely penalties away from an historic upset. This game may signal great things to come for NU in the Bo Pelini era. It could be a fluke for a program still trying to rediscover its tradition of being nationally relevant.
And nobody saw it coming.
EVANBLAND@DAILYNEBRASKAN.COM
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