AUGUST 2024 | 5
HUSKERS PREVIEW
Nebraska’s sideline switch has competitive advantage
Temperatures for Nebraska’s game against Illinois on Aug. 28, 2021, neared 100 degrees. JOURNAL STAR FILE PHOTO
NATE HEAD Lincoln Journal Star A gameday at Memorial Stadium can get sweaty. Don’t let the “fall” fool you— it can get hot in Lincoln in August and even Septem- ber. Before heading to the stadium, many folks check real-feel temperature readings,
which factor in variables such as humidity. We’re still waiting on smartphones to gauge the Husker-feel, which is the unof- ficial measurement of the fans’ collective temperature. Put it this way: if the real- feel is 92 degrees when Nebraska plays UTEP in its Aug. 31 season opener, it’ll feel more like 104 if the Huskers trail at any point in the second half. Last season’s drubbing to Michigan comes to mind in this conversation — the real-feel temperature ticked up to 96 degrees (on Sept. 30!) and felt even hotter in the stands as the even- tual national champions out- classed the Huskers.
the west sideline o cial earlier this month in an email sent out to season-ticket hold- ers. The message highlighted the “com- petitive advantage” of being on the east, which includes both the heat and the con- cealing of signals. Of course, Michigan is relevant in this piece of the story, too, considering its cen- tral involvement in the sign-stealing scan- dal that rocked college football last season. Opposing coaches who sit in the press box at Memorial Stadium theoretically have a straight-on view of the Husker coaches and players who are signaling to players on the field. Those will be much more di cult to identify this season. “We want to do everything possible to support our coaches and team and put us in a position to succeed,” the email read in part. The move will take some getting used to. After all, the Huskers have set up shop on the east side since 1962 under Bob Dev- aney. That streak was briefly interrupted in 2020 when Scott Frost moved his team to the west sideline when only select people could watch the games in person. “It’s real easy with us signaling in, to be able to see the east sideline from the coaches’ box,” Frost said at the time. “I wanted to make sure we could do everything we could to protect our signals, particularly when there’s less chaos in the stadium.” Like with any break from tradition, there will be logistical considerations to settle. Chief among them is the simple fact that there is more space on the east sideline, which is necessary to accommodate Ne- braska’s large group. On the other hand, the move west will restore fluidity to the Tunnel Walk, which moved to the north- east tunnel last season. Add it all up, and it’s a correct step taken by Rhule, who will certainly enjoy cranking down the Husker-feel, you know, if things happen to get tough. Nate Head is the sports editor of the Journal Star. On Twitter @NateHead_LJS.
After that game, Jim Harbaugh called up his old playing buddy Trev Alberts, both of whom are now in
new roles, and sug- gested Nebraska move its gameday setup to the side of the stadium that eventually gets covered by shade. Here’s guess- ing Alberts had already heard from Matt Rhule. After all, the new Husker coach had just stood on blazing turf for three hours. It’s notable that
Harbaugh estimated the di erence in temper- ature was 30 to 40 degrees cooler for his group. The vi- sual was somewhat ironic. The visiting Wolverines, cool and com- fortable in the shade, while the home Huskers squinted, shielded their eyes and took turns getting sprayed by misting fans. Nebraska Athletics made the move to
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