LINCOLN, Neb. -- Flashing red lights don’t always accompany the moments that define a football season.
Last year at Nebraska, they did -- in the form of a BYU Hail Mary to ruin coach Mike Riley’s debut and a last-minute toppling of unbeaten Michigan State, followed by an impromptu party inside Memorial Stadium.
Often, though, the defining times occur within a more subtle context. Perhaps it’s a slow leak of confidence or an injury on the practice field or an awakening of young talent in the film or meeting rooms.
Or maybe, Saturday at Nebraska, it happened on an overcast morning in the middle of the offseason, when Greg McMullen addressed the Cornhuskers before their annual Red-White scrimmage, confirming fears that his leave of absence from spring practice would turn permanent.