Early in the fourth quarter of Saturday's game, the crowd erupted.
But this wasn't the typical gameday noise of Memorial Stadium. It wasn't a loud roar of encouragement after another Nebraska touchdown or an attempt by the crowd to wreak havoc on the opponent's play-calling abilities at the line of scrimmage. No, this was nothing of the sort.
These were fans booing the home team. Or, more specifically, it was the sound of a crowd fed up with an inadequate Cornhusker defense.
On two straight plays, fans let their disapproval be heard. Loud and clear.
Ball State was leading 31-28 and beginning a drive on its own four-yard line. On the first play, 5-foot-6 MiQuale Lewis broke free for a 23-yard run. The booing began.
On the very next play, Cardinal quarterback Nate Davis connected with 5-foot-10 wide receiver Dante Love for a 51-yard completion. Two plays, 74 yards. Again, the booing commenced.
Three plays later, the Cardinals scored a touchdown to build their lead to 37-28.
Nebraska escaped with a 41-40 win, but the booing was a telling sign that all is not OK in Husker Nation.
It's not OK when the Blackshirts give up 610 yards of offense - the fourth-most ever by an NU opponent - to a school from the Mid-American Conference that hasn't had a winning season since 1996. It's not OK when the Huskers make a sophomore quarterback look like a Heisman Trophy candidate. And it's not OK to play like this in what was supposed to be a game of redemption after giving up 49 points to Southern California the week before.
Not that the booing is going to make any difference. Kevin Cosgrove apparently wasn't even paying attention.
"I'm not worried about the crowd," NU's defensive coordinator said. "Were they bad? I didn't hear them."
Cosgrove's headphones must be soundproof because Nebraska's players certainly heard. Marlon Lucky, Maurice Purify, Bo Ruud and Barry Turner all said they heard.
It was something Purify said he'd never heard before inside Memorial Stadium. Not from the fans dubbed "the best in college football" by ESPN's Lee Corso because of their courtesy to opposing teams and knowledge of the game.
In his postgame press conference, NU Coach Bill Callahan was asked whether beating Ball State by one point was a step forward or backward for his team.
"It's a step forward because it's a win," said Callahan, noting the increased parity in college football.
Maybe that's why fans were booing. In Callahan's fourth year in Lincoln, he's calling a one-point win over Ball State a step forward.
Husker fans are used to a tradition of contending for national championships, and labeling Saturday's win as a step in the right direction certainly doesn't sound like the talk of a coach building toward a national title any time soon.
As for the increased parity in college football, that may be true. But would Ball State go to USC, LSU or Oklahoma, score 40 points against any of those teams and nearly pull off an upset? Not likely.
The Sooners traveled to previously undefeated Tulsa on Friday night and trampled the Golden Hurricane 62-21. If Oklahoma had won by one point, would Coach Bob Stoops have called it a step forward? Again, not likely.
After Ball State kicker Jake Hogue missed a potential game-winning 55-yard field goal with 12 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Husker players ran into the bowels of North Stadium toward their locker room. Nebraska fans didn't boo. They cheered, perhaps forgetting for a few moments that the Huskers could easily be 1-3 (remember Wake Forest) instead of 3-1.
But there is always next week. If the Huskers get outplayed at home by a reeling Iowa State squad, expect more booing.
And if that happens, this season could get ugly.
BEN GOULDSMITH IS A SENIOR NEWS-EDITORIAL MAJOR. REACH HIM AT BENGOULDSMITH@DAILYNEBRASKAN.COM.
