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Big Red fans, how low can you go?

Posted November 16, 2007

The last time Nebraska came to Folsom Field in 2005, the Cornhuskers left with a 30-3 win and everyone was talking about how poorly behaved CU fans were at the game, particularly students.

Television cameras showed CU fans throwing things on the field at one point because they were upset with officiating and the general performance of the team.

The tables have turned in two years.

Nebraska fans long ago made a tradition out of applauding visitors to Memorial Stadium after games , wins or losses for the hometown boys.

I was impressed by this in 2004, my first season on the CU football beat. You might recall the Buffs went to Lincoln, Neb., that season and ended the Cornhuskers' 35-year run of bowl games by beating them on their home field, preventing the Huskers from becoming bowl eligible.

As the Buffs walked off the field that day after singing the fight song with their small group of supporters, several hundred Big Red fans lined the route to the visitors' locker room clapping. Pretty classy.

Of course, this was just a few hundred fans out of 75,000 and should be taken as a small sampling of the most well-mannered, but not necessarily representative of all NU fans.

That approach seems to have been forgotten by a healthy percentage of the fan base this season. Nebraska fans have been good over the years at patting themselves on the back for being good sports and quick to criticize rivals at CU and elsewhere. Now we're seeing how they react to some serious adversity. I guess it's easy to be classy when you're winning all the time.

University of Nebraska police are actually investigating death threats made to defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove. His defense has been awful this season, but death threats? Come on.

Cosgrove's son plays football for a Lincoln high school and Cosgrove was reportedly heckled during his son's game two weeks ago by the crowd chanting "Fire Cosgrove."

Some of the Nebraska players have been quoted complaining about the way they have been treated by fans on game days and by fellow students on campus this season. And there is a now-famous video of Nebraska fans giving up on their team leaving Memorial Stadium in droves at halftime of a blowout loss to Oklahoma State last month.

Now, I'm sure some of this happens with pretty much every college program in the country. I mean, when the Buffs were putting the finishing touches on their 55-10 meltdown at home against Missouri two weeks ago, there was almost no one left in the building to see it.

I've seen CU fans yell and scream and their own team at Folsom Field as well. Some pretty ugly things were shouted in their direction after losing to Montana State to start the 2006 season. I've seen similar stuff at plenty of other football stadiums and basketball arenas all over the country.

But I have to admit, it's fascinating to see this happening with the Nebraska faithful. It makes me chuckle at all those indignant e-mails I received from Husker fans after the 2005 game.

I think it's safe to say the reputation of the Big Red fan has been significantly tarnished in all this. Too bad.