A day that started with a glorious look at the past ended abruptly with the reality of the present.
Before Saturday's game, Nebraska's 1997 national championship team trotted onto the field at Memorial Stadium. After a video tribute celebrating the team's 10-year reunion, players from the '97 Cornhusker squad greeted current players on the sideline.
The good vibes flowing through the 287th consecutive sellout crowd at Memorial Stadium vanished quickly once the game began.
After Nebraska went three-and-out on its first drive, Oklahoma State scored a touchdown on its first possession for a 7-0 lead with 11 minutes, 34 seconds left in the first quarter.
The Cowboys scored a field goal and another touchdown by the end of the first quarter to go up 17-0. Three more touchdowns in the second quarter made it 38-0 by halftime.
"That first half was just horrible," NU senior linebacker Bo Ruud said. "Worst half I can ever remember playing. That was just terrible. There's no excuse for that. It was just horrible."
Some Husker fans apparently agreed, as they were already heading for the exits by the middle of the second quarter.
Although the Cowboys went on to win 45-14, the damage had been done by halftime.
Oklahoma State went into the break with 357 total yards of offense to Nebraska's 101. The Cowboys converted on 5-of-6 third downs and scored all four times they entered the red zone in the first half.
The Huskers, meanwhile, were 2-of-9 on third downs and 0-for-1 in the red zone.
"I was kind of shocked," NU senior offensive lineman Carl Nicks said. "The offense was doing horrible and the defense was doing what they were doing. I couldn't believe it. I still can't believe it."
By the time the Huskers were trailing 17-0 in the first quarter, NU Coach Bill Callahan said he could sense his players were "a little tense; they were nervous."
Nebraska outscored Oklahoma State 14-7 in the second half, but the Cowboys were using a scaled-back offense and a lineup full of reserves by the fourth quarter.
Saturday wasn't the first time the Huskers have struggled early in a game. In fact, it marked the third straight contest in which they let an opponent score first and jump to an early lead.
In Missouri's 41-6 win over the Huskers on Oct. 6, the Tigers scored the first two touchdowns of the contest for a 14-0 advantage in the first quarter.
The week before, Iowa State grabbed a 10-0 lead in the second quarter before the Huskers rallied for a 35-17 victory in Lincoln.
And maybe the most troubling statistic: Nebraska has trailed at some point in the first half of all seven games this season.
"We just have been starting games out really, really badly, and I think that's the biggest problem," Ruud said. "When you start out so bad, it's hard to build on anything. As the day happened, things went from bad to worse in a hurry."
BENGOULDSMITH@DAILYNEBRASKAN.COM
