Ah, Nebraska. I came in late October, the thermometer tickled the 80s, the flowers are still blooming and I left with a sunburn. Doubters of global warming take note. Speaking of which, the first stop in Lincoln was the alleged boyhood home of one Richard Bruce “Dick” Cheney, expert driver, war hero, health nut, expert marksman, etc. This is just a few hundred feet from the home of my wife’s uncle.

That’s not the only piece of Lincoln political real estate history situated in stunningly close proximity to a relation’s house. My mother-in-law lives within oratory-listening distance of William Jennings Bryan’s old crib. My history is a bit rusty, but I believe he bought the place by pawning the solid gold cross he received as payment for his role in the Scopes trial.

Saturday was game day. Naturally, I wore a giant foam corn thing on my head. I haven’t taken it off since.

Kickoff at Memorial Stadium, as seen from Section 39, Row 89, Seat 12.

And a Husker touchdown. Things were really rolling. Hey, it was the return of Tom Osborne. What could go wrong? (Kathleen asked whether Florida fans release balloons following touchdowns at The Swamp. Uh, no. It’s illegal in Florida.)

Sadly, the Huskers completely folded in the second half, and Texas A&M quarterback Stephen McGee ran for 848 yards on 223 carries. Here’s the Nebraska defense preparing to get out of his way again.

It should be noted that I did, in fact, wear an orange Gators T-shirt to the game, confident I would be the only visible Florida fan in the stadium. On the way out, however, I was stopped and high-fived by a man wearing a blue UF polo shirt and matching blue Florida hat. The Gator Nation, indeed.

So that’s a wee tiny little bit of Nebraska for you.