Fargo

It was a big day in Fargo, with the hometown Bison trampling the Big 10 (11)'s Golden Gophers of Minnesota. I'd rather think about this game than my team's game today, another in a string of humiliating and arguably emasculating losses by the Nebraska Cornhuskers, to the likes of Missouri, Oklahoma State, and Texas A&M. If it were Texas, Oklahoma, and Colorado, that's one thing, but these guys? Nebraska can only take pride in still being in today's game at halftime, being down by a score of 16-14. Then the second half played out like their prior two entire games, as they ultimately lost 36-14. Against Oklahoma State, with venerable three-time national championship coach Tom Osborne and his 1997 champs looking on for homecoming, the Cornhuskers returned to their status as Bug-Eaters (their original designation) as Oklahoma State utterly skunked them and led at halftime, 38-0. For forty years (longer than I can remember), something like this was unthinkable. I read in the ESPN article about North Dakota State's victory today that Craig Bohl is their head coach. He is mentioned as a candidate for Nebraska's opening as Bill Callahan's seat is on fire it's so hot. However, if memory servers, Coach Bohl was on hand as defensive coordinator for an infamous 62-36 loss at Colorado in which not even Eric Crouch in his Heisman prime could save us from a complete defensive collapse. That year they still somehow backed into the BCS National Title Game but that 37-14 defeat by Miami was the beginning of the end. I was thinking Coach Callahan had reversed Nebraska's obvious inability to recruit that first surfaced under Coach Frank Solich, post-Tom Osborne, but now it looks like we are stuck in a combined recruiting and coaching vacuum.

So, why am I paying attention to college football in Fargo, anyway? Well, utlimately it's because I owe a promised post to my dear aunt, uncle and cousin who call Fargo home. We got to spend a lovely weekend with them during our trip this past summer, just at the beginning of July, which is the time to visit. Fargo has been known to dip into the 30s in the winter. The MINUS 30s, that is.

Here is a picture of me with Julia and my cousin Matthew, aunt Vel Rae, and uncle Keith. Currently, Vel Rae is recuperating from bypass surgery, and Keith from cataract surgery, while Matthew is a recent cancer survivor. Matthew is an active and excellent actor and director in community theater, while Vel Rae is a retired Food and Nutritions professor. and Keith is the retired City Planner for the city of Fargo. He was on TV plenty back during the Red River flood of 1997.