HAS ANYONE informed Larry the Cable Guy that liquor is now taboo inside the luxury suite he owns at Nebraska's Memorial Stadium?

It's usually not a good sign when a booze ban is the biggest news to come out of a team's spring practice. But that's what made national headlines before Nebraska's Red-White Spring game, when athletic director Tom Osborne confirmed a severe case of alcohol poisoning occurred in one of the skyboxes last season.

"The person was in pretty bad shape," Osborne told the Omaha World-Herald.

The Husker Nation awaits reaction from Larry the Cable Guy, one of the country's hottest stand-up comedians and a diehard Big Red fan who purchased a suite in the north end zone.

The Cable Cornhusker probably isn't pleased. After all, when his latest tour hit Tulsa for a performance at the BOK Center in February, it was called, "Eat, Drink and Be Larry."

If you've ever caught his act live or on television, it's not difficult to imagine Larry's response going something like this: "You'd drink heavy too, if you had to watch that team play every week."

Yes, Nebraska tied Missouri for the Big 12's North Division title last season at 5-3, and finished 9-4 overall after defeating Clemson in the Gator Bowl.

Nebraska also had a three-game losing streak and gave up the most points in its storied rivalry with Oklahoma when the Sooners whipsawed the Huskers, 62-28.

Embarrassed fans were reaching for the nearest flask when first-year coach Bo Pelini pitched a game-long fit on Owen Field. That profanity-laced outburst came just weeks after a similar temper tantrum produced a pivotal penalty in a 35-30 home loss to Virginia Tech.

Ask Osborne how long four-loss seasons cut it in Lincoln. Talk about a tough crowd. Larry the Cable Guy hasn't faced anything on stage like Osborne endured his first few seasons after replacing legendary Bob Devaney.

Osborne nearly had his Hall of Fame career end before it started when he was on the brink of getting fired after three consecutive three-loss seasons. The same thing happened to Devaney, who felt intense pressure after back-to-back 6-4 records.

Nebraska's knowledgeable fans deserve their reputation as some of the nation's best. But their tolerance for losing is on par with the alcohol tolerance level of that drunk dude responsible for the new luxury suite liquor law.

After four unpleasant seasons with Bill Callahan, Husker supporters undoubtedly will give the likeable Pelini an extended honeymoon period. Unlike the often aloof Callahan, Pelini's blue-collar background and personality are a better fit for a down-to-earth, unpretentious fan base.

But the day will come when those fans will borrow the phrase that made Larry the Cable Guy famous when they tell Pelini it's time to "Git-R-Done."

Could 2009 be the season when Nebraska once again becomes Nebraska?

Goodness knows, the beleaguered North Division badly needs Nebraska to return to those glory days when it was contending and winning national titles under Devaney and Osborne.

Traditionalists also yearn for the return of the OU-Nebraska contest being one of the game's best rivalries. It lost its luster on OU's side before Bob Stoops restored it.

Pelini, who spent one season on Stoops' staff, is now on the other end. After his rocky debut last year in Norman, he gets another shot at making the series competitive when the Huskers host the Sooners on Nov. 7.

Pelini's second spring as Nebraska's head coach didn't get off to a great start. Quarterback Patrick Witt, who was supposed to contend for the starting job, quit the team.

"We made some progress through the spring," Pelini said in a teleconference. "But it became obvious that we have a long way to go."

And a short time to get there. Pelini has four months to find a quarterback to replace Joe Ganz, who signed a free-agent contract with the Washington Redskins after going undrafted last weekend.

Little-used junior Zac Lee, the leader coming out of spring ball, certainly has the bloodlines. His father, Bob Lee, was nicknamed "The General" by bombastic sportscaster Howard Cosell when he played quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons.

But the game's most important position remains tenuous enough that Pelini considered adding Greg Paulus, the former Duke basketball player who has a year of football eligibility left and is shopping himself around.

Former Miami (Fla.) starter Robert Marve, who attended the Red-White Spring Game in his search of a place to transfer, still had Nebraska on his short list as of Tuesday.

Pelini ended spring drills by giving each player a detailed plan of what to work until the start of fall camp.

"They need to follow up and stay with it and keep working to get better," Pelini said. "I think we have a mature enough group of kids who understand what's at stake, and we'll be able to get that done."

Get that done, or Git-R-Done. As long as it happens, Larry the Cable Guy and Huskers everywhere will drink to that.