Nebraska Fans Really Seeing Red Now

The Nebraska Cornhuskers, losers of three in a row and four of their last five, were beaten by Kansas, 40-15, Saturday. Yes, Kansas. Nebraska had beaten Kansas 36 games in a row.

Coach Bill Callahan on Monday called the loss a “growing pain.”

Nebraska fans were calling it a different kind of pain.

Easy targets: Terrell Owens may be the only sports figure being criticized these days more than Callahan, formerly coach of the Oakland Raiders.

Wrote Scott Ostler in the San Francisco Chronicle: “Bill Callahan once called the Raiders the dumbest team in America. Now it’s clear that the team had the right coach.”

Trivia time: When Chuck Knox came back to the Los Angeles Rams for a second stint as coach in 1992, whom did he replace?

Pay-per-view possibility: Although Danica Patrick denied media reports that she punched Jaques Lazier after the two drivers tangled on the track at California Speedway last month, Ted Wyman of the Winnipeg (Canada) Sun wrote: “If this whole auto-racing thing doesn’t work out, she could always go a few rounds with Tonya Harding on celebrity boxing.”

Still going strong: Harding made news recently for calling 911 and claiming she had been attacked by two masked men. Turns out, according to police in Vancouver, Wash., the 34-year-old figure skater-turned-boxer had gotten into a fight with her boyfriend. The boyfriend said Harding had thrown him down and bitten his finger.

That prompted NBC’s Jay Leno to crack: “Nice to see that after all these years, Tonya has still got it.”

Light at end of tunnel: Illinois is 2-6 overall and 0-6 in the Big Ten after losing to Ohio State, 40-2, on Saturday. When the Illini lost to Penn State, 63-10, on Oct. 22, Coach Ron Zook said, “We’re going to get where we need to get.”

“Yeah,” wrote Jerry Greene of the Orlando Sentinel, “basketball season.”

Who, me? According to Sam Smith of the Chicago Tribune, new Portland Trail Blazer Coach Nate McMillan had only one question when top draft pick Martell Webster asked for some tapes of Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady and Reggie Miller: “How about some tapes of guys who play defense?”

Looking back: On this day in 1970, Tom Dempsey of New Orleans kicked an NFL-record 63-yard field goal on the final play of the game to give the Saints a 19-17 victory over the Detroit Lions. The record was equaled by Denver’s Jason Elam on Oct. 25, 1998, against Jacksonville. Dempsey, who was with the Los Angeles Rams in 1975 and ‘76, was born with no toes on his right foot and wore a modified shoe.

Trivia answer: John Robinson.

And finally: Steve Schrader of the Detroit Free Press, on the NBA dress code: “Hey, where can we get one of those ‘Stern Eye for the Street Guy’ makeovers?”

*

Larry Stewart can be reached at larry.stewart@latimes.com.