1-on-1 with DP – 93.7 The Ticket KNTK - Reactions to Nebraska vs Colorado with Tom Shatel of the Omaha World Herald- September 9th, 2024

Episode Date: September 10, 2024

Reactions to Nebraska vs Colorado with Tom Shatel of the Omaha World Herald- September 9th, 2024Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Welcome to it. It's a little bit interesting to come back in after two consecutive wins at home for the Huskers. And we'll talk about it. We'll go into the mind of our guests and ask him his thoughts and what he got from a Saturday win at home in a big ball game against Colorado. 402, 464-5-6-85. Start our hymn and Texan. You want to be part of what we're doing. You got questions.

You want to be heard. Have at it. Text in. get your questions ready, your statements, ready, your comments ready for our guest, and we'll read them and share it as a part of the conversation. You can follow us on the stream. It's Facebook, YouTube, X, and L.O. Channel 961. Well done.

Well done. Well done is what you say to the Huskers. He defined it and described it as a changing of the culture. Let's bring in Tom Chappelle, Omaha World Hero. Tom, how you doing tonight? Great. What's happening at the downtown Lincoln headquarters? We're safe at the headquarters, man.

I love it. Yeah, it was an interesting night in downtown Lincoln Saturday night. But, I mean, you know, here's the thing. Part of being down here, Tom, is being a part of the action and being the eyes and ears of the city. And it defines a lot. It lets you know, one, what the crowd is thinking, what the fan base is thinking. And then what the city is thinking. And how they're responding to it.

You firsthand, eyes on, full journey, going into this thing, we said this was a great opportunity for Nebraska to find success. I asked this question to our listeners in old school. I'll ask you now, what's different about this year's Husker team that allows them not to get caught up by mistakes and errors of teams past? Yeah, well, I think this Saturday will be a great test. Is there a hangover or, you know, the approach today from Matt Ruhle was, there's a lot to clean up and we had a lot of things. He just pointed out things that they have to do and, you know, nobody feels like they arrived because they're ranked.

No, I think what's different is, you know, I have said, talent, talent, talent equals confidence. Talent helps you win, obviously, and that brings confidence when you know, okay, we maybe have turned them all over or we may have made a mistake or give him a touchdown, but we got the quarterback.

He's going to keep coming. We got receivers. We get a running back now who delivered a broken arm to the opponent. You know, these things are different. And they're, you know, an offensive line that has moved to opponents that they had to move. It won't get tougher. I don't know.

It's going to get a lot tougher. But it's a different offensive line. And, of course, the defense is, what's different. You're a year older. And what are they bringing it? And they've got guys all over the place. I mean, you know, John Bullock is like the unsung hero of the game. You know, a rule called him out today, gave him a little love for his play on the Tommy Hill interception.

And it's just, you just feel it. You know, it's a playmaking team. And then the team that's going to sit back and wait for things to happen to them, they're going to go get it. Tom, what was the team? the moment where you recognize that defensively Nebraska had some answers. And I think on the first drop back where there's pressure on Sanders, there's that. But from the end zone deep, we haven't seen a play like that made by Tommy Hill and the reaction of the team and the fans collectively that, oh, my goodness, we've got a thing going on. This is pretty exceptional.

Yeah, that was not a good pass. And so they kind of break there. Obviously, they forced them into that kind of a move. There was nowhere else to go, and he's not going to scramble out of there. But yeah, they've, you know, when the time came to make a play, they stepped up and made it. And, you know, we've certainly seen sacks. They sacked him last year.

came back and beat him. I felt like secondary really did their job. And again, you know, John Bullock is an unsung guy who's holding down Travis Hunter. Hunter got his. They got eight or nine, ten catches, but didn't really hurt him that bad. And so I just feel like it's, it's, there are sometimes when their teammates, is learning how to win, there's a feeling, there's a chemistry, there's sort of an expectation. You could feel it changing. And that's what I think where they're at right now, that they're

growing into this team that is expecting to make plays and expected to win. Last Saturday was huge. That goes either way, you lose that game. Then, you know, you're not, season's not done, but, you know, you're taking a step back. They needed to take advantage of the atmosphere. And that was different. You know, this trying to make, as an opponent, trying to make plays, trying to move the ball,

hear the signals, you know, I'll compose yourself in that atmosphere is just ridiculous. So they had the atmosphere, they had the crowd. It took advantage. of it. And, you know, you were there too. You heard the crowd and the team kicked

kind of fed off each other. Tom, that was the thing, though, right? That we've talked about this crowd and a home crowd, and the crowds are consistent. But Saturday's crowd against Colorado was different. For a variety of reasons, 1.94 being in the building, the 94 champs being in the building,

all the hype around Dion Sanders and the buffs, and then the rivalry itself. But how important was it for that fan-based? to show up, be vocal, and then actually get fed, actually get something worth cheering about. Yes, it was different. And I heard some people after the game complaining that, well, Colorado to quit, it would not as good a win,

or they didn't score more points. And I just stole the hell out of them. I said, first of all, there's three rules of winning. One, never apologized for a win. And two, enjoy it and build off it. And three, see rules one and two. But don't ever apologize or worry about, Nebraska for years and I got caught up on this has worried too much about how the win looks,

you know, or, you know, is it, was it dominant? Was it this win or that win or did they, you know, did they outplay everybody with everything just perfect? and winning isn't always that way. It's just good to win. Nebraska's forgotten how to win, and they've forgotten maybe how to enjoy a win. That's just a few people, though.

Most of the people who are their Saturday night, enjoyed themselves immensely and loved it. And it's just everything, as I've told you last week, everything is different in this state in Lincoln and Omaha and everywhere when Nebraska win. It's a different vibe. where people read the sports section, they listen to the shows,

they buy tickets, they do this, they do that, they spend money, they just walk around a smile on her face. And I just, I felt like there was a weight lifted off of everybody. Like that's just the team,

and the coaches put the fans to. Yeah, it was the moments throughout this thing, even in the press box, where the media finds itself communicating, sometimes through body language, sometimes just through looks at each other, that, hey, this is actually happening.

This is actually happening. When did you finally exhale Saturday night, Tom, to think, you know what? I think we're good. I think we'll be able to get out of here. Well, yeah, exactly. Even in half-time, I was kind of like, okay, I think the team kind of played that way.

okay, not there yet. Sometimes things go wrong. What's going to go wrong tonight? But when I felt like it was different, it was Tommy Hill. When that happened, it just brought down the house. It felt like, okay,

Toronto is just, it's not there night. And I guess maybe I got a continuation of that thought. When Ramirez Johnson, and I made the play. It might have been the best defensive back. The defensive player the night, on one of them anyway.

But he broke up the interception and gathered in the ball and scored. I mean, it was, those things happened to everybody else, not Nebraska. Well, this time they're happening to Nebraska, and, you know, it's one of those things. Every big play meets to another.

When that's what you're doing, I've seen these things over and over. It's been a while, long while, but some teams just feed on themselves and the confidence. And it's going to be fun. They've got a lot of work to do, but a lot of pieces are in place. And defense and quarterback, I mean,

you could do a lot with it. Tom, it was interesting in your, in your comments just now that we had given Tommy Hill as little credit as possible going into this season. Like there was, like we had heard about the work, but we had heard about Tommy Hill, the athlete before. So in previous years, we'd heard, you know, maybe the best dual weight, dual player. He could, he could play on both sides of the ball.

He's that athletic. He's that talented. It really took that moment Saturday for, I think, finally for folks to say, yes, Tommy Hill is that guy. He's that player. He made a play that hadn't been made defensively in a long time. I gave him so much credit. A guy who stayed, a guy who maybe when rules showed up that first spring,

you know, I didn't know his role, I didn't know his future. And then, you know, there was a new way of doing things. And, you know, I heard he had time. I'm struggled with that, but he really fought and hung in there. And he's grown so much. And I'm so happy today. I'm usually happy to see Twitter. But today, I'm happy to see a guy who does NFL draft rankings.

And he's got Tommy Hill pretty high. And he said, most of the NFL scouts are telling me, I've got him too low. They think he's going to go away first round. So that's for later. That's for next spring. But it's good. I just love that for him.

That he's a great example of sticking with something and growing and, you know, finding your role. And now he's, he's emerging. And he's, you know, quite frankly, he's, he's going to, he's going to, he's, he's going to, he's, He's going to make a lot of plays. He's going to win some games. And, you know, I really think he'll be, he's got a great chance to be all big ten eventually. You know, and, but, you know,

it's a lot of ways to go for that too. But it's just fun to see it for him. You talk about returning, coming back and playing himself through and finding himself in a position to help this program become what it should be, what we wanted to be, et cetera. The same can be said for Nash Huttmaker

and Ty Robinson, who as much as anybody on the field Saturday night set a precedent and a tone and a standard for the level of play, because those two gentlemen may have had their best games Saturday night against Colorado. Yeah, and that's great to see. That's what you want.

You want the big games, the best games, to happen in the very biggest games, the most important games. And I've said this before, and I'm not bashful about saying this there. When Ty said last year, he's coming back. He wanted to change the program. He wanted to be part of it. He loved the culture. He's going to go to the draft next year.

He wants to come back and make a difference. And maybe it's just because of the business. positions they played, but it reminded me immediately of Grant Westram and Jason Peter. And, you know, Jason, if you're listening to this, maybe you'll disagree with me. I remember you guys coming back to make a difference. You know, you guys were both good friends and you're both linemates on a terrific black shirts team. But they're coming back, sent a message that, you know, we're going to take this. thing all the way through. We're going to make this thing a championship. And, you know, well,

we're going to deliver because it's the right way, the right thing to do. It's the right way to go out. And that's how much this program means to us. And those guys coming back reminded me of that. We're different era, different teams, right? But I feel like the sentiment was the same. And I will see if, I don't expect them to win a national championship the way those guys did. But going to a bowl game, winning a lot of games, you know, setting this program up to be something really, really good next year. The same sentiment is there. And anyway, so I'm like I said, I'm not bashful about that. I think it's a pretty good comparison.

Yeah, and through that, right, because the choice was made. And we were told, we had these conversations in the outseason that, well, these are guys that could have left. They could have, you know, put their orders in the NFL water and the pro football water. But they, for whatever reasons, and it's a variety of reasons, right reasons of why they came back. Also in that, that Isaac Gifford and Bullock had perhaps their best nights that we've seen. What are you, what do you, what would you say about the. work that those two young men have put in and the impact that they're having. It's great. It's absolutely great.

You know, people love those black shirts and they love the homegrown guys and the guys who have been in the shadows and putting in the work and, you know, they, you know, their, jerseys are dirty and bloody and, and, you know, they, they, they're, you know, jerseys are dirty and, and, uh, You know, they've got bruises everywhere and a big smile on her face. And that's the definition of the black shirt. And like I said, homegrown even better. There's a long way to go. They faced an offense with really a very one-dimensional offense.

I don't think there could be a lot of great offenses in the Big Ten. But there are certainly teams capable of scoring points. Rutgers is one of those. Illinois will see. But there's going to be a lot of smash mouth. A lot of teams running, you know, trying to run downhill on these guys. I just love the way that they've started. And there's a lot of football left.

But they're really taking the black shirts. You know, what I... for once the handing out of the black shirts was like a backdrop story. You know, nobody really paid much attention to it because it's the play on the field you pay attention to. And for years, we were worried about how they were given out black shirts and this and that. You know, now we're just worried about how they're going to play and they're playing. I mean, I haven't seen any team All the team's Big Ten yet.

USC's defense was pretty good. We think Oregon will be good. We know Ohio State will be good. But I think Nebraska's defense may be the best that I've got a long way to go to earn that. But I just love the way that they've come out. You know, last week there was, The expectation was they had to play great.

And they did. I mean, that's what you want. That's old school. You know, we're sitting up there. People in the stands are going, okay, what's going to happen next? Or, you know, where's the shoe going to drop now? And what's going to happen then? And it never did.

And so that's what you want. You know, at this stage of their careers, to it's my time, let's go. And that's what we saw. It really was impressive by Tony White and the black shirts. Tom, we'll go to break and we'll come back. We'll jump to the other side of the ball and talk about that quarterback and those running backs.

There was quite the night at Memorial Stadium. Deep hit. Tom Satel, Omaha Ward Hill, we'll be right back to 9-37 the ticket. Welcome back. One-on-one on a, on a, Monday, and again, we'll run this a couple of times this week because whenever Tom shows up, on the stream, folks show up. They want to hear Tom, break it down for him. So Tom's to tell, Omaha Ward Harold joins us.

We were talking about the offensive side of the ball. I want to jump to the other side. And I want to talk about Marcus Satterfield and what he's going, what he's trying to accomplish, kind of what the personality of this Husker offense is going to be. To your knowledge and thinking, what do you think the personality of this Husker offense, ideally is going to be as we go forward. Well, I think I've said all along, the strength is the quarterback and the receivers.

But I didn't know about Mr. Dante Dowdell. I didn't know what that was going to be all about. He has emerged as a hard running, hard running guy you don't want to get in front of. Yeah. Because that's Mr. Shacklow's saying. Right. About that deal.

Right. And so, yeah, I started that with four running backs. But as these things sometimes happen, the crowd thins itself. The people emerge. And they've got two backs. I'm so happy to see Ramirez Johnson, much like Tommy Hill. You know, Ramirez's been through everything. I'm really happy to see him getting a lot of success, starting.

It's a really good two-back, you know, a duo that they have. And now, Dowell's a guy, and I've wondered about this, Derek. Could they, when they get inside the 10, the 15, can they run it in? And they don't have to throw the fades that I hate and drive me crazy. and of course Santa Feet. So he and I are going to butt heads, but I'd rather have Dowdell butt heads, you know, with the other people. So he's able to do that.

So to me, that was a big deal when they played Marlowe last year. They couldn't run it in. Of course, that team was kind of a mess with the injuries and stuff at the end of the last year. So it's hard to judge. But I think that they could do a lot of things. I think the running game has become part of the identity. I still think because of Royola, that arm and that touch and everything else it goes with it, that's your strength.

And, you know, it's fun to watch. I just stick two games in, especially, I think, the run game was set up to really succeed last week. they were not great tacklers, not great up front and they're fast. And every time I saw you know

Santa Field tried to go wide and you know, to the throwout there and let the receiver make a play on the corner to see me on the edge the Colorado was right there.

They didn't weren't fooled at all. And at the same point, with some of the crossing routes, Colorado had those all bundled up. You were not going to outrun the buffs. But I think there's some teams in the Big Ten that Brassar can outrun. So I think the most plays are going to work in the Big Ten. They weren't going to work last week.

You know, I'm just hoping second half just trying to keep running and you'll get it in the end zone. There were some penalties and things were called back. and it was just one of those deals. But I think they didn't know how to handle a lead, big lead. What do we do now? But I think that identity is still going to be passed because that's what he likes to do anyway, and that's what the strength is.

But it's good to know they've got the running backs. And, you know, they're going to be able to spread some people out on defense. And then, you know, run those guys right out the gut. And then here we go. So there's a lot. They're going to have a lot of things going on. Tom, is it likely or possible that this running game could actually be Big Ten rock solid to get

them through those physical in a closet, Big Ten games that we know are coming. We know they're coming. Yes. But I think it helps to have a quarterback that you better pay attention to because they're not just going to line up and not Iowa style and just running and running and running. They're going to throw it. And you've got to be aware of that at all times. That's going to help. But yes, when Nebraska looks like a big 10 team at times, yes, more than ever.

Because I like these backs and they got the big tough guy. They've got a good line that I think is just going to get better. But they're going to face bigger challenges than they've had the first two weeks also. How does this team plan for Northern Iowa coming off the high that is all the hype, all the buildup, record crowd, national championship team showing up crowd on a Saturday night, extra juice, literally in Fing. figuratively in the building, and then here comes Northern Iowa. How does Matt Rule keep this team ready, sharp, prepared to come in and put a thumping on Northern Iowa? Yeah, that's the, that's the leadership comes in. Now, you know, the coaching is kind of done by now.

I mean, in-game coaching, sure, but this is where the leaders and the team take over during season. and they've got to make sure everybody's on the same page and they're all, nobody's taking a day off. But it's a funny thing about winning. The more you win, the more you want to win. It becomes addictive. It becomes like I have to have it. And so I think that crowd, I think something started last Saturday night,

and I think that crowd is going to be like that again, not Colorado, you know, mania, you know, not, we're not going to get all the werewolves again, which was a full moon. But I think people are going to come back and they're going to be ready to go. I've been told by, excuse me, a couple of students that they expect the student crowd to be as good or better this week. People are turned on. They have to have it again.

And that was so brilliant about that kind of win with the white show. I mean, I'm watching that stuff up in the sky. I mean, I'm an old guy. I don't know what the hell it is. It's drones. I said, how do they

do that? It was drones. And so, I mean, I'm like going, I've never seen anything like that. People were, people across the country the next day, couldn't believe it. They thought that was the greatest thing they'd ever seen. I mean, you've got Kirk Herbstreet way in it and saying this is the best thing I've ever seen. So it's a deal where you got Will Compton doing his thing.

He's the hype man, and he did a great job with that. This is what I'm going to write about later this week. They've got to bring in the younger audience and hit those students back. I think eventually give them a better seat. They can be more part of a game. But I put them right behind the visitors bench. That's what I do. But that's hard to move people around in a stadium like that.

But for now, let's just get them in a stadium and set a level of expectation, not only for the show they're going to see, but also how they're going to operate. or get involved with the game and be loud. So I thought last week set a standard. Now, would it be that every week? Probably not, but I think it can be different.

It can be a lot better than it's been. And, you know, winning and that stuff go hand in hand. But, I mean, there was so much going on. And Bud Crawford, I mean, oh, my God, there. I just thought to myself, they've got to bring him out for some, one of these deals. When they actually did it, I was stunned. I said, I know he wanted to do it.

I didn't know Nebraska would ask him. And they just held in. It was the greatest thing I've ever seen. I mean, that guy, nobody loves Nebraska more than that guy. And he's an icon that all the young people look up to, those players look up to him. And today to hear Rule talk about, you know, how easy he wants to get him. And that he, but it was like, well, we'll, they didn't want to, he didn't want to address the team. You know, I think he was like imposing or being out of place.

And Rill said, no, no, no, I want you to address the change. And he did. And it was incredible, apparently. And, you know, nobody was having more fun than the champ. He would just see it all in space. wearing a special jersey and the belt. And then what a, what a badass move. It's just a boss move for Nebraska.

And that situation in that game to make, energize everybody. The crowd recognized immediately. And you had the 94 guys rolling around out there, you know, getting people pumped up and, you know, Tom and Frank and Charlie McBride. It's just one after another. And it was awesome. It was just, you know, for now, while, whenever I see Bud Crawford,

I always know what he did to make himself a legend, but I will always remember that night where he wrote the team out. I probably, that's be the person that comes to my mind. Maybe that's wrong, but I think it's awesome. He thinks it's pretty awesome, too. There's that. And next week, you know, it's the Hall of Fame inductees. coming through, especially with our own black shirt, Terrell Farley.

So we'll talk about that as well, the group that's going in to this version of the Hall of Fame. We'll talk about that when we come back to break. DP, Tom Chetal, we'll be right back on the ticket. Final segment with Tom Chattal, O'Haw World Herald. We appreciate you, Tom, for breaking it down for us going through it. This is a really cool thing that Nebraska has figured out how does. add value to the game experience. And you talked about the young people becoming involved. And then the connection. Last week, 94 championship team is in town. They're being honored

in the tribute this week, Hall of Famer. And one of the things, even on a personal note, he's one of my favorite human beings. Troll Farley, the black shirt, finally getting his honor. And this is quite the group. How big is it to have this honor and to go into the Husker Hall of Fame? It's, you know, nobody does football like the state of Nebraska. And whether you're Huster or Division II, one of the state schools, or whomever, and an official, anybody that was involved with football, it means everything. It's an incredible honor. I wish there was a better, I wish there was a visible.

Hall of Fame. I wish we could create a Nebraska football Hall of Fame sort of like a small museum somewhere where you could come in and, you know, year-round. And the problem with Hall of Fames is they cost money, right? People, you have to have somebody turn the lights on and off and all that stuff. You have to pay the light bill. But I think if you put it in that where the wait room used to be, somewhere in that North Stadium area. I wish you could do it in the South Stadium. That's where the coach's offices used to be.

It's a bunch of computer people running around. I mean, I don't know what they're doing there, but put them somewhere else and put the museum there. But whatever, trail farley, my goodness, he changed the game. at Nebraska. He was such a different guy out there. You know, this hybrid, this linebacker was like a safety,

but he could rush the passer, and he could do all this stuff. He intercepted pet. And he was incredible, and he really sort of changed. You know, Charmingman Bryant had a great time with him. I mean, he was outstanding. So I'm really glad to see him getting his.

Yeah, it means everything. And I just, yeah, it's always good to see those guys out there. And, you know, it's, you know, you have the National Hall of Fame, you know, Frank So much just made that. But the state one means every bit as much. You've got all kinds of people who have football, they don't care of it. eight man or the, you know, Carney and

the Shadron or whatever. They just love football. And so it's a great tribute, not only for those guys, but for the passion of football. It's really superbly odd to me that there is no actual Hall of Fame for the football program.

And that's odd to me. I wish there was. I love that stuff. I love memories. You walk in to the main doors, and there's orange bull jackets and trophies. Right. But they need to be something bigger. And if we want to include the Chadrons and the Midlands and the Hastings

college people, that's fine, too. I think there should be a place where the story of Nebraska football is told, where you come in and there's like a video kiosks or whatever they're called. Yeah. Or where we could stand and maybe hit a certain, hit the screen. And Corey Schlesinger's run with Akevalka's call is pops up. Yeah. And you can see the different helmets, uniforms, trophies.

You know what I mean? There's room to do it. We just got to get it organized. And I've talked with Bill Bryant, the PA voice in the press box. A long-time PA man, the son of the old Fox. He's got so much stuff from the Fox's stash over the years. Stuff he's collected. I mean, he's got everything.

And so you can really have a great display. Tom, I think you have just launched my next mission. Hey, I'll join you. I've been working on it myself. It's just, there's probably Nebraska's changed ADs so much. I don't even know who to ask half the time. But there are people, there's enough money and interest and resource in this town. Right.

To put it done properly. All right, Tom Chappelle, Chappelle. Let's circle tonight as the day you and I put our, our heads together in our mission. I'm ready. All right, brother. Appreciate you. It is a big week. It's beat Northern Iowa Week. Tom Chattel, Omaha, World. Thank you, kind, sir. We'll do it again next Monday. Thanks, Dave. Don't go anywhere that don't put our Mornay Pearson. Oh, coming up. Long night. Ticket.