Spring Game 2018 It has… been awhile. I have to say, I’m sincerely flattered by the requests for a new comic over the last 18 months. It means a lot that this became a thing that a few of you looked forward to, and I’m sorry if it went away abruptly. The truth is, some life changes combined with the most boring-ass football staff in forever to make this comic (a) tough to find time for and (b) pretty dry on content. I mean, good lord, Mike Riley. The missionary position of football coaches. But now, things feel different. There is excitement, a story, hope, ridiculously overly optimistic blind faith — all the things that make being a fan of this team actually fun. I love caring too much and believing too much. I like dreaming of way too many national titles and getting way ahead of myself. That’s the way I fell in love with this program. My goal is never to win the Big Ten West it’s to win every game forever and ever. That’s it. And I don’t know if Scott Frost will make good on it, but it feels like he could, and that’s enough. And everyone’s undying faith in him, and the fact that none of our quarterbacks have played college football, and the idea that our AD’s last name is “Moos”? Well, that means there’s enough fun stuff to make fun of again. So let’s do it. It’s been awhile since I wrote a comic. It’s been a while since Husker football seemed this fun. It’s good to be back. https://imgur.com/gallery/Sn4UzTO

Game Week: Oregon (2016) I know everyone gets all amped up about the Big Ten and “REAL FOOTBALL” and… Purdue… or whatever. But the annual Non-Conference Game That Doesn’t Suck is my favorite. From Virginia Tech to UCLA to Miami, we’ve had some good ones. And now, freaking Oregon?! When we booked this I sort of thought it was like a Washington Generals vs. Harlem Globetrotters situation. But now Oregon sucks a little more and we might not (maybe?) and now it’s interesting. This is gonna be fun as hell. Enjoy their weird-ass uniforms and fast-ass offense. And hopefully we win so I can travel back to 2013 and give myself a heart attack by explaining how in 3 short years we somehow beat Oregon. This week in the Tunnel, we have a Special Teams Coach? And he has a mustache. And so does our new defensive star. Let’s all go for a ride. [mobile link] TWOS: Oregon (2016)

Game Week: Fresno State (2016) I’m a man of routine. I get up on the morning of the first game every year and enjoy a stream of Husker pump-up videos while my wife laughs at me, placates me, makes me coffee, and tells me she’s glad that my favorite thing is back. I buy a new Husker shirt every year before the first game. I promise myself before every season to be a reasonable fan. Hey, some routines are easy to break. And, for the last six years, TWOS has been part of this routine. The first game comes. I write some jokes. I debate, more recently, whether this is worth doing (which is why I cut it down to non-weekly posts last year). But lord help me, TWOS has become as much a part of my ritual and routine as pump-up videos and prognostication. And every once in a while, I get the sense that TWOS is a part of your routine, too. I get tweets and notes and emails that ask if it’s coming back, and it really does mean something to me that TWOS matters to any of you. That THIS is part of your routine. I hope it’s the part that makes you laugh your silly ass off. It’s great to be back. It’s always great when football season is back, right? Right. So let’s party. And G B Mother Fuckin’ R. [mobile link to imgur]

Game Week: Iowa (2015) Ya’ll. It is 1 a.m. and I just finished the comic you’re about to read so I will spare you a long preamble. All that needs to be said is this: let’s go fuck up Iowa’s shit next Friday. [mobile link for the teenz] TWOS: Iowa 2015

Game Week: Wisconsin (2015) In every bar in Husker Nation there is a poster. Sometimes normal-sized, sometimes the size of an entire wall. It’s a schedule poster, hand-drawn or pilfered from the nearest Valentino’s. And I’ve begun noticing a very sad, sad pastime in Husker Nation related to these posters.

See, the manager of the bar likes to mark the scores on the schedule poster. The first week, it’s usually carefully written, with the Huskers’ score in red and Directional Tech’s score in black. You can feel the enthusiasm in the calligraphy. But the enthusiasm wanes, as evidenced by lettering that gets sloppier, more hastily-written. And then, it just stops. At whatever the “Oh fuck this” game of the season is. Wisconsin in 2014. Minnesota in 2013. Ohio State in 2012. And… Illinois in 2015. Those 2015 schedule posters hanging in Husker bars will never again know the taste of Sharpie ink. Even if we win the rest of our games, the Sharpie’s are sheathed for the season. We are past “oh fuck this.” Welcome to “Well this oughtta be interesting” territory. Which is kind of nice, you know? The thing I liked about this season before it started was the lack of expectations and the absence of angst. Everybody was in “Let’s see what happens” mode. Then we snatched defeat from the jaws of victory in 3 of our first 5 games. And we went from “I don’t know what to think” to “I’m going to need to drink heavily during all of these games.” That’s a fun place to be. There’s nothing to lose now. All that’s left is to figure out how to start winning. A really great place to start? With Wisconsin. Because in case you’ve forgotten… fuck Wisconsin. This week in the Tunnel, Mike Riley is pulling out all the stops. I mean, all of them. [mobile link, for the TEENZ] TWOS: Wisconsin (15)