It’s Frost lovefest at Huskers’ spring game
LINCOLN, Neb. – As always, Nebraska fans showed up in big numbers for the spring game. The vibe was different this time. This cool, misty Saturday was all about native son Scott Frost and his first appearance coaching in Memorial Stadium, albeit in nothing more than a scrimmage. Frost led the team for the traditional “Tunnel Walk” entrance with a rocked-up version of “Come Together” blaring as he made his way from the locker room to the field. He received a standing ovation as he walked back into the tunnel at the end, and he returned the love by raising both arms.
“Personally that was special for me, walking out of the tunnel and hearing the fans,” Frost said. “That brought back more memories than a lot of other things have. Just the smell of the stadium, with the food in there, it took me back a long time. It was a pretty special day for me.”
How much anticipation was there among one of the nation’s most passionate fan bases? Spring game tickets went on sale the first week of February and were gone in 25 hours. Asking prices on the secondary market for the $10 tickets initially ran into the hundreds of dollars. Attendance was a school spring-game record 86,818.
“It’s like Frost is the second coming of Tom Osborne. You can just sense it,” said tailgater Jess Zeiss, 47, of Omaha, who has been going to games since he was a child.
As far as the spring game went, it had the regular fare of penalties, missed assignments and botched plays. However, the Cornhuskers might have seen the future of Frost’s up-tempo spread-option offense in freshman quarterback Adrian Martinez. He ran for a gamehigh 60 yards and three touchdowns and completed 10 of 13 passes for 114 yards and a TD.
Frost spent most of the afternoon standing in the offensive backfield with his hands in his pockets. Offensive coordinator Troy Walters called the plays.
“I was kind of enjoying the day a little bit as a fan,” Frost said. “I don’t get to just watch football very often. I was coaching some but also just taking it in and enjoying the experience.”