1-on-1 with DP – 93.7 The Ticket KNTK - Husker Football expectations entering 2026: May 7th, 2026, 12:25pm

Episode Date: May 7, 2026

What to expect from the Husker Football program as the season draws closer. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Sponsored by the Downtown Lincoln Foundation on 93-7 the ticket. D.P. here on 93-7. The ticket is myself, Jake Falkman and Austin Orman, in with you. D.P. again, is out there covering Big Ten softball, the Big Ten softball tournament, currently going on at the University of Maryland. Again, the first game lasting a little bit longer. So Nebraska, Michigan, probably not going to tip off here, or I could say first pitch here at 12th. 30, but we will still. Can you imagine if we did a jump ball for softball to determine home and away? Did your two most athletic players in the pitcher circle and have the home plate empire come out, toss it up, whoever snags the ball out of the air, gets their pick of Homer away?

I don't mind it. I mean, I think there are elements of every sport that we can combine and make the ultimate sport at some point. That's a summer topic. Sorry, back on task. Yeah, we're going to do a quick segment here because we've got the royals coming up as well. also want to time that out for us. But really just a preview to our major segment, which is going to last quite a bit of time once we get back, but a half an hour is Nebraska's most important three-game stretch here in the schedule. I say most important because toughest is a different question.

I think certainly, you know, that stretch with Indiana and Oregon, you know, back in that with Washington would probably be the toughest. But that's not what I'm looking for. And maybe you think you can win those games, too. and I'm not saying Nebraska can't, but given where we believe Nebraska to be, you know, there are going to be some things and what you talk about potentially,

whatever that is, right? If you think Nebraska is going to be fighting for a bowl game, then what part of this is going to be the most crucial to make a bowl game? If you think they're fighting for eight, nine wins, what portion of that? And if you think they're going to be fighting for undefeated, then maybe you would pick the toughest three part of this schedule, you know, three games in this schedule. But

to me, I've really, I dialed in early on what I thought was going to be the most pivotal game of the season. And then I just kind of looked a little bit more into it. And I had a little bit debate in my own mind about the very next week, maybe being the most pivotal of the season. So I thought, you know what? Let's go ahead and do three green stretch because I think that this is going to be very important. But then I had my own debate as well about if that was going to be the case. So I'll just go ahead and read off the schedule so we can get ready for. the segment coming up. Nebraska, of course, starting off with the Ohio Bobcats, who have a new coach coming in, but nonetheless coming off a good season last year.

Then they'll have Bowling Green, who did not have as a good season out there in the Mac. Then North Dakota, of course, up for a feisty fight, and at least they were last time they came to Lincoln. That will be your non-con. Yep, no Tennessee this year. North Dakota wraps it up there. Then you jump into conference play at Michigan State. Maryland at home, Indiana at home, at Oregon, Washington at home, at Illinois, at Rutgers, against Ohio State at home. And then at Iowa, of course, it always comes down to Iowa, doesn't it? So whatever Nebraska's, whatever Nebraska's goals are, it'll come down to that.

Somebody asked me the other day, we did a topic of who is most responsible for Nebraska football, kind of being in the current situation they're in. and you know, you go back to the Steve Peterson's and the, you know, maybe Bill Byrne leaving Todd, Todd Euler mentioned that and, or maybe you kind of go into later in the Sean I course and stuff. You know, Kirk Ferrence has a pretty good argument of why Nebraska is where they are. Think about if Nebraska won 10 of the last 11 against Iowa, as opposed to losing 10 out of the last 11 against Iowa.

A lot of different talks around here. So who do you blame more and who would Iowa fans give more credit to? Is it Kirk Ferrence for being the head football coach? or is it Gary Barta for sticking with him? Yeah. Iowa wasn't necessarily this when Nebraska got to the Big Ten. No. You know, they were fine.

You know, but Kirk had some stinkers in his resume. I'm going to look it up so I don't speak out a turn. But if you go back to, uh, I've got the wrong time. Here we go. You look at Kirk Ferrence's tenure. He started out one in 10, three and nine, seven and five, 11 and 2, 10 and 3, 10 and 2, 7 and 5. Then you go 6 and 6 and 6 with a bull appearance.

6 and 6, 9 and 4, 11 and 2, 8 and 2, 8 and 2, 2011. 7 and 6, 4 and 8, 8 and 5, 7 and 6, 12 and 2 in 2015, and then he's really sustained it from there. But he wasn't that far removed from just being mediocre before Nebraska came into the conference. A couple really good years there early on, a pop-up year right when Nebraska joins the Big 10. So maybe I do underrate where Kirk Farrantz was.

But I think the way the Kirk Farrantz came down from the 10 and 3, 10 and 2 to 7 and 5, 6 and 6, 6 and 6, you know, you credit him for sticking with Kirk Farrantz there because Barta came to Iowa there in 2006. He gets there and Ferrence is mediocre, but sees the 3. So he says, nope, I'm not making the move. And then Kirk Farrant kind of takes off sticks with him through 8 and 4, 7, and 5, 4 and 8, 8, 8, and 4, 6. seven and five regular seasons. And then you get the payoff with the Rose Bowl curb stopping by Stanford. Is there any lesson in there for keeping around a seven and six coach that might be in there well, Kirk Ferrence went seven and five with a bowl win one time before he went 11 and two,

10 and three and 10 and two. And then he had the seven and five, six and six and six. So I am not going to say that is a one to one comparison. It certainly is not. Let's go ahead and take a break on our on on the brick and mortar. of Kansas City baseball coming up. They've got the Guardians already won the series looking to get another win as they've been

pretty hot as of late. I got to win the four game set. So I've got to win the series today. Yeah. Avoid the split. Oh, that's right. That's right. That's right. It is a four game. My mind was thrown off there. You're right. Yeah. Avoid the split today. So we'll see that. That's coming up next year on 93-7 the ticket. But on one-on-one, you can jump on Facebook,

YouTube, Twitter, any of our socials and continue to listen to us. Of course, the Ticket app, the Allo channel, all different ways to listen to us. We'll talk about the most important three-game stretch for Nebraska football coming up. Then this next year coming up here on one-on-one.