{"id":5931,"date":"2017-10-07T11:20:29","date_gmt":"2017-10-07T16:20:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thebozho.com\/?p=5931"},"modified":"2018-08-20T16:28:48","modified_gmt":"2018-08-20T21:28:48","slug":"know-your-enemy-nebraska","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thebozho.com\/know-your-enemy-nebraska\/","title":{"rendered":"Know Your Enemy: Nebraska"},"content":{"rendered":"

After last week\u2019s too close for comfort victory over the Northwestern Wildcats, the Wisconsin Badgers look to extend their record to 5-0 this week in scenic Lincoln, Nebraska, against the Nebraska Cornhuskers.<\/p>\n

Nebraska isn\u2019t the most glamorous state out there \u2014 I\u2019m pretty sure one of the seven circles of hell is driving I-80 for all eternity \u2014 but we\u2019ve dug up some fun facts about the state and school in anticipation of tonight\u2019s game, which airs at 7 p.m. on the Big Ten Network.<\/span>\n

\"Tom
Flickr<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Mr. Osborne goes to Washington<\/h2>\n

The Nebraska Cornhuskers have long been one of the great powerhouses of college football, thanks in no small part to legendary coach Tom Osborne. He led the program from 1973-1997, logging a record of 255-49-3 and leading the Huskers to three national championships. But Osborne\u2019s laurels don\u2019t end on the gridiron. The Hastings, Neb. native was also elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as a Republican, serving three terms from 2001-2007, at which point he left Washington to return to Lincoln, where he served as the University of Nebraska\u2019s athletic director until retiring in 2013.<\/span>\n

The Blackshirts<\/h2>\n

I love the Badgers, but Nebraska\u2019s defense might have the most badass nickname in college football: the Blackshirts. Though the specific date is unknown, sometime in the 1960s coach Bob Devaney started differentiating his defensive players from his offensive ones in practice by dressing his first team up in black jerseys. They serve to motivate Husker defenders into working their way up from reserves to starters \u2014 you don\u2019t just get<\/em> to be a Blackshirt; you have to earn it. After all, if Will Smith taught us anything, it\u2019s that the good guys dress in black. Remember that.<\/span>\n

Heeeeeeeeeeere\u2019s Johnny!<\/h2>\n

While the name Johnny Carson generally brings to mind the glitz and glamour of Hollywood, Carson\u2019s beginnings were humble. Born in Corning, Iowa, Carson was raised in Norfolk, Neb., and attended the University of Nebraska following a stint in the Navy. He graduated with a B.A. in Radio and Speech in 1949, and his thesis was \u201cHow to Write Comedian Jokes.\u201d Carson put his degree to good use, hosting The Tonight Show <\/em>from three decades.<\/span>\n

An unlikely hotbed for indie rock<\/h2>\n

The University of Nebraska is located in Lincoln, which is about an hour\u2019s drive from Omaha, perhaps the unlikeliest indie rock mecca in the U.S. The city is home to Saddle Creek Records, a label credited with being the birthplace of \u201cThe Omaha Sound,\u201d a brand of intimate, emotionally intense indie rock popularized by artists like Bright Eyes and Cursive.<\/p>\n

On the other end of the musical spectrum, the city is also home to the reggae-tinged alt-rock radio staple 311, who are probably best known for singles like \u201cDown\u201d and \u201cAll Mixed Up\u201d and also for having a grown man in the band who goes by the name P-Nut.<\/p>\n

311 plays Madison\u2019s Orpheum Theater on\u00a0Sunday, Oct. 15<\/a>.<\/p>\n