Football season is over and I'm working through my emotions

I often find myself asking why I chose to stay in a state where the air is physically abusive to my skin to go to school.

I curse the wind as it penetrates each layer of clothing I stacked on as if the chill was invited up my spine.

I am brutally honest about how much I hate winter and being cold makes me mean. Yet, attending the University of Nebraska-Lincoln is not something I regret choosing to do.

UNL has my heart. And well, so do my Husker football players. (So far, three or four actually know of my existence, but that's okay.)

Yesterday was the last home game of this year's season. We beat Michigan State 9-6.

We are officially 4-7 this season. We need to upset Iowa for a shot at a low-level bowl game.

It has been disgustingly cold the past two games. We will have eight 11 a.m. games this season.

Yet, the stadium was always full. Memorial Stadium holds approximately 90,000 people and every home game has had over 84,000 attendees.

Thousands and thousands of people have come together all season long to support the Huskers. Even for the first game against Akron with a monsoon that canceled the game. Even with an 0-6 record. Even with windchills in the single digits and snow coming at us.

We truly do "stick together through all kinds of weather."

But any team can fill seats if it has to.

What I love about my fellow Huskers is that we trust the process.

Huskers are known for being kind and just plain nice.

We don't like it when referees have bad calls, but we won't take issue with opposing fans.

I have welcomed visitors to games since my first year in the student section. What I love is that when I shout out my "welcome to Lincoln," I am rarely the first to have greeted them.

Nebraska is not for everyone, ask our tourism department.

But Nebraska is for me.

Nebraska is for those of us that want to come together to support a tradition of excellence, toughness and progress.

This state and this football program has brought together fans across all walks of life and that brings me hope.

Each week we welcome the pilots of whatever aircraft makes an appearance for the flyover during the national anthem. We thank someone new each week for watching over the empty chair representing a POW.

I look forward to meeting up with a certain fan that always makes an appearance to tell us in the student section to get hyped up (normally at the wrong time). I know the marching band's introduction for pre-game by heart. The band's hype video is one of my favorite videos each week,

The Huskers have had a rough season. We didn't start well, we've lost members of our student body and we haven't been given the best weather or timing for games.

But I can still count on the fans to come out and support the school and sport they love.

So, I guess, it's all worth the air hurting my face.