DUBLIN — Casey Thompson interjected at the end of Garrett Nelson’s sorrowful soundbite.
Sitting at the postgame podium after Nebraska’s 31-28 loss to Northwestern, Nelson couldn’t fight the disappointment.
He said he found it difficult to imagine the Huskers still becoming the team they’ve envisioned all offseason after losing Saturday’s game. He had no “magic answer†for Nebraska’s run defense, except to point out that NU’s failings belonged on his shoulders — he’s the captain, after all. And he wore that blame with a dejected demeanor — stoic face, soft-spoken words.
“As a leader, you’ve got to keep everybody’s heads up,†Nelson said. “I’m not doing a good job myself right now.â€
Then Thompson chimed in: “We’re gonna be fine.â€
Therein lies the difference between the new and old Huskers.
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Thompson feels the brunt of Saturday’s gut-wrenching loss. Nelson feels the pressure from the 20 before it.
Nebraska has now lost 21 games by one score under coach Scott Frost, who faced multiple questions about his job security on Saturday. Frost added 15 transfers this offseason to upgrade his talent, but also to inject a winning attitude into a locker room that has lost too often, particularly when they felt they shouldn’t have.
Note where the transfers came from. LSU (Trey Palmer), TCU (Ochaun Mathis), Alabama (Stephon Wynn and Kaine Williams). Thompson and Marcus Washington played for 5-7 Texas last year, but the Longhorns won 65% of their games from 2019-2020.
With success comes perspective. Thompson saw Saturday’s loss as a manageable obstacle. Nelson searched for the same viewpoint — and struggled to find it.
Nebraska needs to bridge that gap in order to rebound from a disappointing opener.
Frost sees that responsibility as his. And after so many underwhelming results, he knows he can’t fix it with one speech.
“It’s not gonna be one message,†Frost said. “It’s gonna have to be several. We've lost too many close games and these guys need something to believe in.
“We need to believe in ourselves as a team. “I think they do. I don’t think there’s a guy in our locker room who didn’t think we were gonna come in and win this game today. And I’m sure they’ll think the same thing next week.â€