Nebraska – Oklahoma Preview

As i laid awake in bed last night, thinking about the big game that awaited my Nebraska Cornhuskers today, one thought continually resonated through my mind…

The history of Nebraska football will include the result of this game.

The Huskers play their final Big 12 game in the last Big 12 Championship Game ever. And they play their storied rival, the Oklahoma Sooners. Combined, the two teams have won 39 of the past 50 Big 8/12 titles. That’s a lot of history and pageantry on one field.

I’ve been getting you ready all week with stories surrounding the game, but now it’s time to dive in to what’s gonna happen tonight. Can Nebraska ride off into their Big Ten sunset trophy in hand humming the tune of the Big 12’s swansong?

Lets begin with the injuries, which unfortuantely, play a major role in tonight’s game. First off, my sources (the Internet) are telling me that Bo Pelini is ignoring my advice, and that Taylor Martinez gets the T-start tonight. T-Mart hasn’t played a good, complete game since Oklahoma St way back on October 23rd. If T-Mobile starts, don’t be surprised to see either Cody Green or “The Wildman” Zac Lee off the bench. Bo will have a quick trigger finger if T-Mart is ineffective.

Also, as has been known for a while, Niles Paul will miss this game. Despite inconsistencies throughout the year, that’s a huge loss for a big game like this. Since T-Mart’s injury, the offense has struggled to produce big plays, and Nah Niles had that potential. He will also be missed in the return game, where Oklahoma has given up touchdowns via kick returns to Missouri and Oklahoma St this year. Tim Marlowe seemed shaky at best in replacing Niles last week.

On the Oklahoma side, DeMarco Murray will play after injuring his knee against Oklahoma St last week. He didn’t return in that one. Murray is a beast when healthy, but has battled injuries throughout his career. He is 2nd in the Big 12 conference in all-purpose yards, and is a threat as a runner, a receiver, and a kick returner. His health is unknown, but a huge key to the game tonight, with Nebraska’s defense vulnerable against the run.

I think the Nebraska offense will remain relatively conservative in this game, attempting to control the game on the ground, while limiting the risk of turning the ball over. The Oklahoma defense is good enough to hold the Nebraska offense under 20 points, but won’t shut them down completely. That story can change if T-Mart is indeed the starter and is anything near 100%, which would give the Huskers a big play threat, while staying conservative.

Oklahoma’s offensive aggression will dictate this game. If they come out conseratively, it albeit ensures a close game between the two evenly matched teams. Things get interesting if they decide to come out and fling the ball around like they did last week (62 pass attempts). Their up-tempo offense could cause the Blackshirts problems just like Oklahoma St did earlier this year. Or it could more closely resemble last year’s Nebraska-Oklahoma game where Landry Jones threw 5 INT’s. The play of Landry Jones is the key to the game. The best way to disrupt him is to hit him early and often. Oklahoma has allowed only 8 sacks in their 8 conference games, good enough for #2 in the Big 12.

Nebraska can’t afford to get into a shootout like they did in Stilwater, lacking the firepower to keep up with this Sooners team. I don’t think points will come to easily to the Sooners offense though. The Blackshirts boast a secondary that would probably rank somewhere in the middle of the pack in the NFL. The key matchup will be Oklahoma WR Ryan Broyles (who ranks 2nd in all Big 12 receiving categories behind OSU’s Justin Blackmon) going up against Nebraska CB Prince Amukamara (who leads the nation in pass deflections), which should have NFL scouts drooling. Prince gave up some catches to Blackmon, but has allowed less than 1 catch a game in the other 11 games.

No matter how you shake it, these two teams are very evenly matched, and matchup strength vs. strength across the board. Oklahoma boasts the #1 passing offense (all stats are Big 12 rankings) against Nebraska’s #1 pass defense. Nebraska’s #1 rushing game must find room against Oklahoma’s #2 rush defense. The two teams are so even that they even have the same overall record since Big 12 play began: 139-53. Looks like tonight will serve as the tiebreaker.

With two teams so evenly matched, I look to the intangibles to determine the winner. The team that plays with the most heart tonight will win. I think Nebraska wants this game more from Tom Osborne, to Bo Pelini, to the players who feel slighted, to the fans who want it so bad they can taste it.

Nebraska 16, Oklahoma 13

Go Big Red!