Cornhuskers fans living, cheering in Minnesota were happy, for a half, against Gophers

As the battle of the backup quarterbacks unfolded between the Gophers and Nebraska on Saturday, about 100 Cornhuskers fans gathered in downtown Minneapolis in their now-weekly search for hope.

This is a depressed, angered, tormented, wounded, downtrodden and aggravated group of supporters who live in the Twin Cities and meet at Lyon's Pub in downtown Minneapolis, where the fight song is played regularly, and they can celebrate or commiserate over their favorite beverages. Huskers fans aren't used to 11 a.m. starts, so attendance was a little low at kickoff on this Saturday and the atmosphere was rather subdued.

Eventually, their emotions would be toyed with once again.

Nebraska punched first and took a 10-0 lead at halftime against a Gophers team whose offense was nonexistent through two quarters. A siren went off when Cornhuskers quarterback Chubba Purdy scored from the 1 for the first points of the game, followed by the school fight song. Folks sitting at a table next to me began wondering if interim head coach Mickey Joseph should be allowed to stay in the position if he can take down the Gophers.

The announcers mentioned twice that the Gophers had lost 32 consecutive games when trailing by at least 10 points, which went over well with this scarlet-and-cream-clad group. They yelled, "Go Big Red!" at halftime and clapped to the school's fight song. A handful of fans in Gophers gear sat silently, probably pondering another trip to the Quick Lane Bowl.

An intrepid reporter mentioned to a fan that the atmosphere was more spirited at half than at the beginning of the game.

"Well, Huskers fans have been hurt," said Monica Childs, a Nebraska grad who lives in St. Louis Park. "It takes awhile to regain trust. Scott Frost burned us."

Frost, a former Huskers star, was fired three games into his fifth season at the school, creating an uncertain future. They had it so good under Tom Osborne, who was a ridiculous 60-3 over his last five seasons with three national championships before stepping away following the 1997 campaign.

That was eight coaches ago.

Has the Huskers season affected attendance at Lyon's, co-owner Chris Rodgers was asked.

"Business has picked up since the coach was fired," he replied.

According to Rodgers, Lyon's Pub was a destination for Gophers fans before and after games at the Metrodome. The move to what is now Huntington Bank Stadium took away a great Saturday atmosphere. They decided to try life as a Nebraska bar and have been rewarded with a dedicated group.

"This one took quite a while to get going, but 10 years ago it took off with the downtown crowd," said Adrian Contreras, the Nebraska Alumni Club president. "Took off huge for us. Took off huge for Lyon's Pub. That's why we're here."

Gophers quarterback Tanner Morgan couldn't get the offense on track before being removed from the game at halftime because of an undisclosed medical issue. Purdy was replacing injured Huskers starter Casey Thompson. Chubba might be a Purdy but his passes weren't, so he split time in the second half with Logan Smothers.

Fans at the pub soon began to relive the horrors of a season gone south, as Nebraska's offense went three-and-out on six consecutive possessions despite the quarterback swap. Athan Kaliakmanis, who deserves playing time, replaced Morgan and hit a couple passes downfield to unclog the offense. Gophers coach P.J. Fleck, not having to worry about being scored upon anymore, let workhorse back Mohamed Ibrahim carry the offense.

The Gophers scored 20 unanswered points to take control of the game, allowing the five fans in Minnesota colors to celebrate. At 6-3, the Gophers are bowl eligible and might be able to avoid another Quick Lane appearance.

Nebraska is 3-6 and will not qualify for a bowl game after it loses to Michigan next week. On Saturday, as the clock ran down on a game the Cornhuskers let slip away, one Lyon's patron ordered a round of drinks and yelled, "time to hug it out!"