It’s an uncomfortable time to be a Husker football fan, isn’t it?
It's difficult to know exactly what's coming in a given game — or in the case of Nebraska's 28-21 win against Rutgers on Friday night — a given half.Â
That said, I believe it’s important for those who care about the program to keep watching every game, every development — good, bad and in between.
If I were an ardent Nebraska fan, I think it would be important to continue to size up the program, through good times and bad, if only because by doing so, you might enjoy a resurgence that much more, if indeed a resurgence is to occur down the road.Â
Oh, I get it. Many Nebraska fans are skeptical that a resurgence is coming. They're skeptical NU ever again will regularly be a top-10 team or become even a regular in the Top 25. The fact it’s uncertain is part of the essence of sport, part of what makes it beautiful and intense — you never know exactly what’s going to happen.Â
Can third-year Nebraska coach Scott Frost pull the Husker program out of a tailspin that essentially began in earnest the minute Bo Pelini was fired a couple of days after his team won at Iowa to close the 2014 regular season?
I’m wildly interested in the next few years, in part because it’s unclear if Frost can pull it off.
If you were a Nebraska fan watching the first half Friday night, your skepticism only grew. The Huskers had 255 yards of total offense, but only seven points. They trailed 14-7 basically because they committed seven penalties and three turnovers — all by quarterback Adrian Martinez (two fumbles and an interception).Â
You probably didn't like their chances against a Rutgers team that's played with a hard edge this season and seemingly had a little more motivation to win this game. The Scarlet Knights (3-6) are a much-improved team under first-year head coach Greg Schiano. They're playing with a lot more pride.Â
As for Nebraska, well, it can be agonizingly unpredictable.Â
So, of course, the Huskers, averaging 5.6 points in the second half entering the night, outscored the Scarlet Knights 21-7 in the second half to improve their record to 3-5.Â
Martinez recovered from his mistake-marred first half to lead second-half touchdown drives that covered 90, 96 and 92 yards. Incredible.Â
You talk about playing with a sense of pride. Martinez was a warrior. Really, the entire team fit that description in the final 30 minutes. It was a wild mood swing that produced a hard-fought win.Â
Criticize Frost's play-calling all you want — yeah, he struggles sometimes — but Nebraska on this night rolled up 620 yards of total offense, including 365 on the ground. Talk about a flex. Meanwhile, Rutgers managed only 252 yards of total offense.Â
Nebraska finished with nine penalties, but seven were in the first half.Â
Nebraska's special teams were a disaster much of the night, especially kickoff coverage. When Aron Cruickshank sped 98 yards to give Rutgers a 21-14 lead with 8:53 left in the third quarter, you wondered if Frost's crew might wilt.Â
It didn't wilt. Even after Martinez's second interception, Nebraska kept coming, its run game picking up steam as Rutgers tired visibly.
You wondered how Nebraska would react to this trip. It was cold, barren, dark. Just as you'd expect in December in Jersey.
The season has been quite a grind in general for Nebraska, starting with a 52-17 loss at Ohio State. Nebraska fans (and media) worked awfully hard to find positives in a blowout. That wasn't a great sign.Â
Then came Nebraska's 21-13 loss to a Northwestern program that nobody knew at the time would enjoy such a strong response to last season’s 3-9 finish. Martinez was benched late in the game. Thus began an interesting season for Mario Verduzco’s quarterback room.
Nebraska’s defense was the impetus to a 30-23 victory against Penn State, a win to which the Huskers reacted poorly. Illinois came to Lincoln the next week and hammered out a 41-23 triumph. That would be an Illinois program that just fired head coach Lovie Smith.
Martinez reestablished himself as the starter in a 26-20 loss to Iowa before again playing well in a 37-27 win against Purdue. Two pretty good games for Nebraska in general. But then came an embarrassing 24-17 home loss to a Minnesota team that hadn’t played in 22 days and was down 33 players.
My heavens, this season has been a slog for Nebraska.
It's been a season that tested the patience and resolve of its most devoted fans.
It’s been a season that may have ended in cold and (mostly) empty SHI Stadium.
We’ll see in coming days if Nebraska wants to play in a bowl game.
If it does want to play, some Husker fans may be afraid to watch.
I’ll be happy to watch. Excited to watch. Can Frost lead NU’s program from the darkness?Â
For now, he needs to get some sleep. He looked tired late Friday night after his team's wild win.Â
Hope Nebraska fans had patience and courage to watch it. All of it. It was worth the pain.Â
Photos: Nebraska outlasts Rutgers to earn third win of season
Rutgers receiver Christian Dremel comes down with the ball between Nebraska defensive backs Deontai Williams (left) and Cam Taylor-Britt last December in Piscataway, New Jersey.