Curenski Gilleylen streaked past his defender, caught the pass and ran for his life.
It was the receiver’s first-ever game in front of the home crowd. The 80,149 Nebraska fans in attendance erupted in celebration.
And it was only a practice.
“People are so passionate about the football here, it’s ridiculous that they’ll probably sell out for a practice,” Gilleylen said. “It’s ridiculous, and it’s probably one of the reasons a lot of our people are here.”
Gilleylen’s 77-yard touchdown catch was the only highlight of last year’s brief and methodically run Red-White Spring Game.
Coaches stood on the field for the entire game, calling plays from ten yards behind the offense. Quarterbacks wore green jerseys and were left untouched by the defense.
Yet a school-record crowd showed up, just to catch a glimpse of Bo Pelini’s coaching debut. NU had the highest spring game attendance in the nation.
So why do people care so much about a glorified practice?
For most Husker fans, the un-televised “game” serves as the only opportunity for people without season tickets to take in a game at Memorial Stadium. For all, it’s a welcome intermission to the nine-month off-season.
“I think it’s phenomenal. It’s great for these guys, it’s great for the program, and it really, really helps us out in recruiting,” linebackers coach Mike Ekeler said.
For most football programs around the nation, spring scrimmages aren’t considered very important.
Iowa cancelled its Spring Game this year so FieldTurf could be installed in Kinnick Stadium.
The public uproar that would result from cancelling the Red-White game for a season would be incomprehensible.
Earlier this month, Texas played its annual Orange-White Scrimmage on a 90-yard field because of construction and drew a crowd of 40,000 fans.
In 2006, all of NU’s North Stadium section was closed for construction, and over 57,000 fans still managed to pile into Memorial Stadium.
Michigan also broke in a new head coach last year, but because of stadium construction they played their spring game at a local high school. The game was only open to donors and the media.
Last weekend, in an event hailed by a local newspaper as “a day like no other in Michigan spring football history,” an estimated 50,000 fans attended the Wolverines’ spring game at The Big House.
They filled half of the stadium.
Following their 12-1 season highlighted by a win in the Orange Bowl, Kansas could only get 7,500 fans to show up for their spring game.
The game was held on a Monday night, and fans that attended the free game also received free t-shirts and posters.
Unless a meaningful coaching change takes place at a top program, as was the case with Alabama’s record 92,000-plus turnout for coach Nick Saban’s debut in 2007, spring games are sparsely attended.
Last year, the Los Angeles Times compiled the spring attendance records for every team in Division I. The average attendance for a spring game in 2008 was 14,331. More than 50 schools had an attendance of less than 10,000 fans.
Spring games are not a big deal in a game-play sense. The games are truly practices and lack the energy and competitive spirit of a regular season contest.
Players switch teams during the game, and in NU’s case, the coaches can stand on the field and direct the game as they please.
Remember the score of last year’s Red-White game? I didn’t think so.
Most schools seem to understand that these games are relatively meaningless in the long run, but Nebraska doesn’t.
To this school, and this entire state, the simple scrimmage means so much more.
The athletic department likes to boast that Husker fans are the nation’s best.
Saturday’s Spring Game will be evidence enough.
MAX OLSON IS A FRESHMAN NEWS-EDITORIAL MAJOR. REACH HIM AT MAXOLSON@DAILYNEBRASKAN.COM.
