Time to Chow Down on a Runza and Talk Cornhusker Football 

Okay, you're probably wondering what the hell is a runza. Well, a runza is a yeast dough bread pocket filled with beef, pork, cabbage or sauerkraut, onions, various seasonings and whatever else is left in the fridge that hasn't yet turned into a middle school science project. It's German, which makes sense since people with German heritage make up 42% of Nebraska. How's that for a stat?

Anyway, if you're a Husker fan you're already drooling and planning a run to the mother state to get a runza fix.

Herbie Husker awaits

But enough about the culinary arts. Let's talk football. Specifically Nebraska Cornhusker football and their upcoming game with the UCLA Bruins at Tom Osborne Field at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln.

Originally known as the Bugeaters, Nebraska has a truckload of conference trophies and five or so national championships, and is the winningest college program in the last fifty years. So these boys know how to play football and their fans take their Saturdays very very seriously.

With that in mind, we've invited North Platte, Nebraska native and alum, Jeff Castle, to provide his personal insight and perspective into Cornhusker football.

But first, a little Q&A with Jeff.

Time for Q&A with Jeff

WWW:  Jeff, growing up in Nebraska can be tough. How'd you survive?
JEFF:  Eating lots of runzas and, of course, following Husker football.

WWW:  How often do you get back to Lincoln for games?
JEFF:  I get back for one game a year. This season I'll be there for the Nov. 2 Northwestern game.

Jeff with fellow Huskers in Madison, WI

WWW: How about road games?
JEFF:   I've been to all of the old Big 8 schools and over half of the Big Ten schools. This year I'm headed to West Lafayette to see the Huskers play the Purdue Boilermakers. Plus I've been to most of the bowl games like the 2001 Rose Bowl in Pasadena.


WWW: Other then growing up in Nebraska, why the love for Husker football?
JEFF:  My dad worked at the University agricultural experiment station and we were able to get Nebraska football tickets. So I've been going to Husker games since I was five years old. And every game has been a sellout since 1962. Nothing like it in America.

WWW:  What's your best memory of Husker football?
JEFF:   My single best memory was actually a Nebraska loss, 18-14 to Florida State in 1980. NU was up 14-3 at halftime but the Seminoles cashed in on three turnovers to take an 18-14 lead. The Huskers had one last drive which took them down to the FSU 3 yard line with just 12 seconds left. But our quarterback fumbled and FSU recovered. After the final play, the fans gave both teams a standing ovation that lasted at least 15 minutes for a great game played. Tremendous sportsmanship was on display that afternoon. I'll never forget it.

Kim & Jeff at the Capital One Bowl

WWW:  So, is your wife a Husker fan, too?
JEFF:  You bet. Kim's a Nebraska gal and, in fact, we met in Lawrence, Kansas at the Nebraska-Kansas football game. So I guess you could say that Husker football brought us together.
WWW: Ahhh. That's so sweet.

WWW:  Last question. What's for lunch?
JEFF:  A runza, of course!


Okay, enough preamble. Let's get Jeff's take on the UCLA-Nebraska contest.

Jeff's Take.

The Huskers look to avenge last year's 36-33 loss in Pasadena. But this year we have them at Memorial Stadium where they will be greeted by the "Sea of Red," 92,000+ screaming fans all decked out in red.

This game may very well come down to the play of the quarterbacks. UCLA's Brett Hundley accounted for 337 offensive yards of the Bruin's 647 total yards. He has a great arm and is pretty accurate. Which explains why he's being touted as an early Heisman candidate.

Nebraska senior qb Taylor Martinez grew up in Los Angeles but was recruited by UCLA as a safety. So he jumped at the Huskers offer of qb and the rest is history. He's a dual threat quarterback so that adds a whole other dimension to his skill set.

Both teams are replacing their starters at running back but I think the Huskers have the edge with proven rb Ameer Abdullah who ran for 1000+ yards in 2012. Behind him is a kid that's considered the hammer, Imani Cross from Gainesville, GA, who usually comes in on short yardage downs. At 225+ lbs, he's quite the load.

Both defenses had pretty good showings last week. Despite playing 14 freshmen, the Bruins took care of business with Nevada. Meanwhile, the Blackshirts looked pretty stout holding Southern Miss to just 284 total yards. In fact, until midway in the 4th quarter, the Golden Eagles only had four rushing yards, finishing with just 62 on the ground.

My Prediction

Let's be honest. I'm a dyed in the RED Husker fan and there's no way I'm going to pick the Bruins to win. But, here's the facts. Nebraska is tough to beat at home. Turnovers could be the key and both defenses are pretty young. So I expect a high scoring affair.

But based on Nebraska playing at home along with a pretty seasoned quarterback in Martinez AND the game starting at 9:00 am Pacific time, look for the Huskers to win a close one in a shootout.

Nebraska 42  -  UCLA 38

Be sure to check back on Friday for our winning picks for the weekend plus George the Cat's BIG PICK of THE WEEK.

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