In the cold and the wind and the snow, conditions that would send even the heartier among us in search of cover, Luke Gifford was in no rush to find shelter.
The Nebraska captain and Lincoln native, the heart and soul of this defense for the past two seasons, slowed his pace as he jogged from midfield toward the locker room after the final game he’ll ever play at Memorial Stadium.
As he approached the edge of the white-dusted field, Gifford looked up into the stands above the northwest tunnel. He slowly scanned toward the north end zone, where the wind came howling over the walls all day, and where now a senior tribute video played on the jumbotron just above the final score: Nebraska 9, Michigan State 6.