NebWrap June 16, 2003 NEBWRAP Trojans-Huskers, Poppin' Japan, Hospitality Sweet By Jim D. Berryman MissingNebraska.com Editor This is NebWrap, a new weekly column on MissingNebraska.com. It’s a wrap-up of some of the things going on in Nebraska and a look at what’s to come. Let’s rap about Nebraska… NU-USC in ’05 & ‘06 Save me a burger and beer at the big Husker-Trojan tailgate party on September 16, 2006. Yes, the USC Trojans are coming to town. No need to rush into those plans. Plenty of time has to pass before September of 2006 rolls around. Big 12 officials released tentative football schedules for the conference schools last week and while there are still many blanks to fill, there are some interesting games to look forward to. The team I wish Nebraska could play every season is Oklahoma. Your next chance to see the Sooners in Lincoln will be October 29, 2005. Sure the two storied programs will meet the year before in Norman, but it just doesn’t seem right that all that time will have passed between Eric Crouch’s stunning touchdown pass reception game vs. OU in Lincoln in 2001 and October of 2005. Just as the Sooners come back on the Husker schedule in 2004, not having Texas show up in Lincoln for a few years will be nice. The Longhorns have had Nebraska’s number lately. In addition, Oklahoma St. and Texas A&M will be off for two years vs. Nebraska. Other highlights on the upcoming Husker football schedules, a road trip to Pitt on September 18, 2004. The Panthers return to Lincoln on Sept. 17, 2005. The Nebraska-Southern Cal series starts Sept. 16, 2005 in Los Angeles and returns to Lincoln on Sept. 15, 2006. Nebraska and Colorado will continue to face off on the Friday after Thanksgiving or sometime over the Thanksgiving weekend. Other than that, not much else but the predictable rotating home and away games with the likes of Kansas, Kansas St., Iowa St., Colorado, Missouri and the rest. There are many holes to fill too. A number of dates remain open with no opponent listed. NU officials are quoted saying it is a “top priority” to get these dates filled. Here’s hoping Big East UConn can use a bit of money that a game or series with Nebraska would bring. This after getting snubbed and drubbed by the “snatching up the Big East teams” ACC. A Nebraska-UConn rotating series at UConn’s new stadium in East Hartford and Memorial Stadium in Lincoln would be a way for UConn to get that exposure and provides a fun and new road trip for Husker fans. How often do you see the Big Red caravan winding through the highways of New England in the fall? In my opinion, no where near enough! Complete schedules to come on MissingNebraska.com, or I’m sure they’re available through the Huskers.com web site. -- Nebraska Pops Japan Next time you’re in Japan and you see a line around the block for a movie, the people may not be waiting only to see a flick. It may be the popcorn they’re after. According to a story in the Lincoln Journal-Star, Preferred Popcorn, a Chapman-based company only around for about 5 years, has signed a lucrative deal with an exclusive Japanese theater chain. Preferred Popcorn’s gourmet popcorn is in demand in Japan and it is served at only upscale movie theaters. Chairman Norm Krug is quoted saying his company ships three million pounds of popcorn to Japan annually. Think I may have to order a bag or two of this to see what all the fuss is about. -- Tour de Nebraska Lance Armstrong wasn’t there, but 150 bicyclists made the trek across Nebraska for Tour de Nebraska last weekend. After a grueling day on the Nebraska’s backcountry roads, the group spent the night in Dannebrog and were treated to pizza, ice cream, and humor from local folklorist Roger Welsch. And in typical Nebraska fashion, the town of Dannebrog rolled out the carpet for the cyclists, offering their homes when rain moved in and put a damper on the evening’s festivities. The trek took cyclists all over Nebraska, winding up in Aurora. -- Deadly Deshler Twister Tornadoes continue to cut through the Nebraska prairie. On Sunday, June 22, one person was killed when a tornado ripped through Deshler, Nebraska. Several others were injured. Parts of the town sustained major damage. Makes you think. I often say to myself that I could never comfortably live in areas of California where earthquakes are prevalent. I always wonder if I would be at the wrong place at the wrong time when an earthquake struck. However, tornadoes seem to do more damage on a regular basis, and while the devastation is not as widespread as a major earthquake, they are often more deadly. Even though I’ve never seen a tornado in person so to speak, I remember taking cover on a few instances in Nebraska in tornado warnings…even once here in Connecticut. I felt silly doing it, but realize it was the right thing to do. You just never know I guess. That’s a wrap for NebWrap. Feedback/Suggest A Topic Previous NebWrap Columns: 06-16-03: Stompin' Weekend NebWrap 06-09-03: Give Me A "C" NebWrap