WACO, Texas — About 100 soldiers from Nebraska stationed at nearby Fort Hood enjoyed the NU victory Saturday over Baylor.

The U.S. Army and Air Force personnel were bused to Waco, served a pregame meal and supplied with game tickets from the North Texas Nebraskans alumni chapter in the Dallas area.

The soldiers, dressed in civilian clothing, mingled among about 300 NU fans at the NTN tailgate party near Floyd Casey Stadium before kickoff. Then they joined some 15,000 Husker fans in the stadium to give Nebraska a rare advantage with the crowd in a road game.

“They're amazed,” said Bob Van Horn, past president and longtime board member with the North Texans. “They're up here truly having a good time.”

Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman stopped by, among other dignitaries.

The North Texans arranged a fundraiser through a Web site established in September to sponsor the soldiers' trip.

Among the first contributors, Van Horn said, was Bryan Roark. He contributed $1,000. Roark's sons, Craig and Chad Roark, played at Nebraska this decade, though both offensive linemen transferred from the school before their eligibility expired.

Bryan Roark, 46, died of a heart attack on Oct. 24 at his home in Ada, Okla.

The elder Roark maintained a relationship with many Nebraska fans after Craig and Chad left school in Lincoln.

A sign at the pregame party memorialized Bryan Roark.

“He felt strongly about Nebraskans,” Van Horn said.

Lots of red in Waco

When Baylor emerged from the tunnel to start the game, it was greeted by a sea of red-clad Nebraska fans.

The Husker faithful took over the south end of the stadium, and were the more boisterous half of the 31,702 fans in attendance at Floyd Casey Stadium.

When Baylor wide receiver David Gettis was asked if it bothered him that the Bears were possibly outnumbered in their own house, he said “not at all,” but did acknowledge it felt like a road game at times.

“I enjoy playing on the road more than playing at home anyway,” Gettis said. “I love playing against adversity, and I know my teammates agree with me.”

Jackson having fun

Former Nebraska linebacker Julius Jackson was in attendance at the North Texas Nebraskans event.

Jackson, who played at NU from 1996 to 1999, said he has stayed involved with the chapter for the past few years.

“A lot of fun,” Jackson said. “I like being out and getting to come to things like this.”

He said he would have felt better about Saturday if the Huskers had defeated Iowa State and Texas Tech before the visit.

Jackson said he manages a law firm in Dallas. He played professionally with the Oakland Raiders and in the XFL before retiring from the game.

Feast for senses

It's central Texas, so no surprise it was all about the barbecue Saturday morning.

BBQ smokers of all sizes littered the Baylor tailgate area along Dutton Avenue outside of Floyd Casey Stadium. It made for quite an aroma wafting in the air two hours before kickoff.

The cooks were there much earlier, though, to get their chicken, ribs or brisket started. How early? One cook said his truck pulled his smoker onto the grass around 6 a.m.

The bear bails

Beware: Live Bear.

Holding court behind the south end zone in the first half was Baylor's live mascot. He climbed into his tub a few times, did some tricks for treats and even posed briefly for pictures with the Nebraska dance team during a timeout.

Alas, 30 minutes of football must have been enough. He or she was loaded into its trailer at halftime and called it a day.

Fan fest

The Baylor “Touchdown Alley” offered a little something different from the usual fan zone experience during pregame activities.

The university campus rec had a rock-climbing wall for kids, including two pre-teen sisters in Husker shirts who raced to the top to see who could ring bells first. In harnesses, climbers then could descend down gracefully from their 40-foot climb.

— Mitch Sherman, Rich Kaipust

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