Arkansas State won?t be intimidated.
Nervous, maybe. Excited, very likely. But intimidated? It?s not even a consideration.
The Red Wolves have played in front of the 12th Man at Texas A&M. They?ve heard more than 100,000 sing Rocky Top at Tennessee?s Neyland Stadium. And they?ve come face to horn with Bevo and the Burnt Orange in Austin, Texas.
Through each experience, each time Arkansas State faces a nationally prominent football team, the basics never change.
?Once you get past the big stadiums and the jerseys, it?s just football,? ASU quarterback Corey Leonard said. ?It always comes down to who wants it more. That?s football.?
Arkansas State faces another elite program with a long history, a huge following and a top-flight tradition today at Nebraska. Kickoff is 1:10 p.m. at Memorial Stadium, where a crowd likely in excess of 85,000 ? known as the Sea of Red ? will be waiting.
Leonard, a fifth-year senior, has seen a number of hostile environments over the years. So have many of his teammates, including 10 other redshirt seniors who have teed it up at places like Auburn, Alabama, Tennessee and Texas.
Arkansas State coach Steve Roberts said the atmosphere of such venues gets his blood pumping. He welcomes the opportunity to go against the best in the game.
?I?ve never been intimidated,? Roberts added. ?Nervous? I?m nervous going into all of them. It doesn?t matter if it?s Nebraska or Mississippi Valley. I?m nervous going into all of them, but not intimidated.?
The third-largest crowd in Nebraska history poured into Memorial Stadium last Saturday to watch the No. 22-ranked Cornhuskers dismantle Florida Atlantic 49-3. Today?s game will be Nebraska?s 299th straight sellout, an NCAA record that dates to 1962.
ASU?s current players have visited places just as big and come out with their heads held high.
The Red Wolves went into Texas A&M last year as heavy underdogs and stunned more than 78,000 Aggie faithful with an 18-14 victory. The year before, Arkansas State opened the season at fourth-ranked Texas and played the Longhorns to the wire, losing 21-13 in a heated battle.
Both games brought ASU national attention. Today?s game has the same possibility if the Red Wolves can hang around against the Huskers.
Leonard remembered being impressed as a freshman when he stepped on the field at Auburn. The next year, he was throwing for 259 yards and putting panic in the stands at Texas.
Even though Texas A&M?s reputation for the 12th Man is widely known, Leonard says the atmosphere at Texas was the best he?s played in. It also gave him confidence, proof that he could play on any stage, on any level, anywhere.
Now he?s ready to show Husker Nation he can play there, too.
?I always get a little bit more excited when we play at places like this,? Leonard said. ?To me, the greatest feeling in the world is having 80,000 or 90,000 fans hate you because you have such an impact on their personality during the game. I know that every time I bust a big play or our offense is successful that they?re boiling over, and I love that. I love being able to control big crowds.?
Controlling Nebraska?s crowd won?t be easy.
The Cornhuskers are coming off a 9-4 season that included a Gator Bowl victory over Clemson. After four years of uncertainty under former coach Bill Callahan, Nebraska followers believe the program has been righted and will be a national contender soon under second-year coach Bo Pelini.
Florida Atlantic coach Howard Schnellenberger, whose career dates to the 1960s and includes a national title as head coach at Miami as well as two Super Bowl titles as an assistant with the Miami Dolphins, believes Nebraska is on the verge of something big with Pelini.
?I think it?s a team that has about the best coach that I?ve been around lately,? Schnellenberger said after last week?s game. ?I think they have some very good players, but I don?t think they?re overly talented. I think the sum of the parts is a lot greater than the individual talent they have, and that?s a compliment, it?s not to take anything away from them. They play hard, they run hard, they block hard, they tackle hard, and they?re a very physical football team.?
Whether or not Pelini meets the lofty standards and expectations at Nebraska, one thing is for sure. A massive following will be there to find out.
Arkansas State, which will be paid $750,000 to play today?s game, aims to put a dent in Nebraska?s big plans. Not letting the Sea of Red play a role is part of the Red Wolves? equation.
?You can?t let that kind of stuff like the crowd rock you,? ASU defensive end Alex Carrington said. ?You?ve still got to play football. The fans can only watch. You can?t let them get in your head. That?s where focusing and composure comes in.?
Roberts boiled his team?s approach down to a simple statement.
?I don?t think we will be overwhelmed,? he said.
Nervous, maybe. Excited, very likely. But intimidated? It?s not even a consideration.
The Red Wolves have played in front of the 12th Man at Texas A&M. They?ve heard more than 100,000 sing Rocky Top at Tennessee?s Neyland Stadium. And they?ve come face to horn with Bevo and the Burnt Orange in Austin, Texas.
Through each experience, each time Arkansas State faces a nationally prominent football team, the basics never change.
?Once you get past the big stadiums and the jerseys, it?s just football,? ASU quarterback Corey Leonard said. ?It always comes down to who wants it more. That?s football.?
Arkansas State faces another elite program with a long history, a huge following and a top-flight tradition today at Nebraska. Kickoff is 1:10 p.m. at Memorial Stadium, where a crowd likely in excess of 85,000 ? known as the Sea of Red ? will be waiting.
Leonard, a fifth-year senior, has seen a number of hostile environments over the years. So have many of his teammates, including 10 other redshirt seniors who have teed it up at places like Auburn, Alabama, Tennessee and Texas.
Arkansas State coach Steve Roberts said the atmosphere of such venues gets his blood pumping. He welcomes the opportunity to go against the best in the game.
?I?ve never been intimidated,? Roberts added. ?Nervous? I?m nervous going into all of them. It doesn?t matter if it?s Nebraska or Mississippi Valley. I?m nervous going into all of them, but not intimidated.?
The third-largest crowd in Nebraska history poured into Memorial Stadium last Saturday to watch the No. 22-ranked Cornhuskers dismantle Florida Atlantic 49-3. Today?s game will be Nebraska?s 299th straight sellout, an NCAA record that dates to 1962.
ASU?s current players have visited places just as big and come out with their heads held high.
The Red Wolves went into Texas A&M last year as heavy underdogs and stunned more than 78,000 Aggie faithful with an 18-14 victory. The year before, Arkansas State opened the season at fourth-ranked Texas and played the Longhorns to the wire, losing 21-13 in a heated battle.
Both games brought ASU national attention. Today?s game has the same possibility if the Red Wolves can hang around against the Huskers.
Leonard remembered being impressed as a freshman when he stepped on the field at Auburn. The next year, he was throwing for 259 yards and putting panic in the stands at Texas.
Even though Texas A&M?s reputation for the 12th Man is widely known, Leonard says the atmosphere at Texas was the best he?s played in. It also gave him confidence, proof that he could play on any stage, on any level, anywhere.
Now he?s ready to show Husker Nation he can play there, too.
?I always get a little bit more excited when we play at places like this,? Leonard said. ?To me, the greatest feeling in the world is having 80,000 or 90,000 fans hate you because you have such an impact on their personality during the game. I know that every time I bust a big play or our offense is successful that they?re boiling over, and I love that. I love being able to control big crowds.?
Controlling Nebraska?s crowd won?t be easy.
The Cornhuskers are coming off a 9-4 season that included a Gator Bowl victory over Clemson. After four years of uncertainty under former coach Bill Callahan, Nebraska followers believe the program has been righted and will be a national contender soon under second-year coach Bo Pelini.
Florida Atlantic coach Howard Schnellenberger, whose career dates to the 1960s and includes a national title as head coach at Miami as well as two Super Bowl titles as an assistant with the Miami Dolphins, believes Nebraska is on the verge of something big with Pelini.
?I think it?s a team that has about the best coach that I?ve been around lately,? Schnellenberger said after last week?s game. ?I think they have some very good players, but I don?t think they?re overly talented. I think the sum of the parts is a lot greater than the individual talent they have, and that?s a compliment, it?s not to take anything away from them. They play hard, they run hard, they block hard, they tackle hard, and they?re a very physical football team.?
Whether or not Pelini meets the lofty standards and expectations at Nebraska, one thing is for sure. A massive following will be there to find out.
Arkansas State, which will be paid $750,000 to play today?s game, aims to put a dent in Nebraska?s big plans. Not letting the Sea of Red play a role is part of the Red Wolves? equation.
?You can?t let that kind of stuff like the crowd rock you,? ASU defensive end Alex Carrington said. ?You?ve still got to play football. The fans can only watch. You can?t let them get in your head. That?s where focusing and composure comes in.?
Roberts boiled his team?s approach down to a simple statement.
?I don?t think we will be overwhelmed,? he said.
