Just a fool for a pretty face.

That was pretty impressive.  Of course, it was only the first game, and it was only Florida Atlantic.  Of course, the first several minutes dredged up some old memories, and  scraped open some old wounds, but even when it looked as if it might be a lot more exciting game than many Husker fans wanted there was an offensive spectacle that was chewing up yardage, and shredding the defense.

Something odd happened about eight minutes into the game.  The defense started playing with passion, anger, and a smothering, attacking attitude.  It was a ferocious, terrifying horror movie performance, and the memories began to come from a different time.  A time when season openers were a fashion show, where players who rarely saw the field after September would parade onto the field in the second half to play a game they loved in front of stadium filled with people who loved them.

Sometime in the second half today, the quarterback leading the offense down the field to score was from Grand Island, and the crowd went wild.  It was one part of a 784 yard, 55 to 7 thrashing.  And the crowd went wild.  Ameer Abdullah ran around, over and through the defense crashing and bruising and burning for 232 yards on 21 attempts, and the crowd went mad with delight.

It was a day filled with magic, as proven by the extraordinary catch made by Jordan Westerkamp. Who, in the merest fraction of a second before stepping, out of bounds caught a tipped behind his back.  It was an amazing catch, almost supernatural, and the crowd went insane with joy.

It is only the first game and there are all sorts of things that can go wrong, and it is foolish to get too excited about a team that has only won a single game.  Today, though, it was easy to find a lot to be excited about, a lot to be impressed with, and a lot of things that could make a person dream big dreams.  So, forgive me my enthusiasm, and allow me to say Go Big Red.

In the somewhat vaugue, beautiful words of Bob Dylan.

"It's unbelievable, it's fancy free,
So interchangeable, so delightful to see,
Turn your back, wash your hands,
There's always someone who understands
It don't matter no more what you got to say,
It's unbelievable it could go down this way."