“We’re not necessarily trying to beat the program up,” Foreman said. “What people don’t understand is we want them to win as much as anyone, because once they do, once they get that feeling of winning at the highest level, you won’t ever want to let it go.”

Ralph Brown was a starting corner in 1997. He played in the NFL for a decade and is now a commentator for Fox Sports West. And those years in the ’90s, he said, were special. Former players hang onto that.

“Those times in the ’90s, they shaped my life,” he said. “It was a special time for the players, the way we played the game, the brotherhood, the standard we had, all the fun times we had traveling and winning.”

But since 1997, Nebraska has one conference title (in 1999). The program is on its fourth coach and soon-to-be fourth athletic director in 20 years.

Part of what players talk about when they mention “bringing back” the 1990s is that consistency at the top. Osborne was the head coach 25 years, and he had assistants who were with him nearly as long.

Defensive coordinator Charlie McBride was at NU for 23 years, but Nebraska hasn’t had that staff consistency since coach Frank Solich was fired.