Nebraska Football Tailgate Talk: Showdown with the Sooners

Saturday at 11 am on FOX, Nebraska football will take on No. 3 ranked Oklahoma Sooners for the 87th time. OU is favored by 22.5 points, per WynnBET. That seems like a lot, but it’s not when you consider the Huskers like leaving lots of points on the table.

Sooner or later they need to get that figured out.  All you really need to know about Oklahoma is they are ranked No. 3 for lots of reasons.

There is a lot of rivalry history, which I won’t bore you with right now. Lots of other writers can catch you up on that part of it.

The one thing ALL Husker coaches are talking about this week is the speed of the Sooners. That’s where you will most likely notice a difference. However, Huskers now have good athletes in the backfield so hopefully, if things get past the linebackers, Cam Taylor-Britt and Deonte Williams will shut things down.

The Nebraska linebackers seem to be putting it together sooner rather than later this year. They keeping the last two opponents to a combined 10-point total. How about Husker linebacker Luke Reimer garnering B1G Ten Defensive Player of the Week! The Husker Linebacker created a turnover and almost scored, and had a career-high 16 tackles. This type of defensive play will be critical on Saturday. The sooner the better!

I would also like to see the Husker offense keep putting up yardage like they did in the Buffalo (516 yards of offense) and Fordham (304 passing, 329 rushing) games. I doubt if it’s really QB Coach Mario Verduzco’s presence on the sidelines for all this success the past two games. Whether it’s Adrian Martinez feeling more comfortable knowing he had wide receiver Samori Toure out there somewhere, or whether he can finally trust the ball is coming to his hands from the center, I’m a fan of his production.

Speaking of offense, don’t expect to know any sooner than game time whether any of the injured receivers or tight ends will be playing. Husker tight end Austin Allen most likely had a concussion last game. Tight end Travis Vokolek hasn’t played a regular game yet due to a hamstring issue. Wide receiver Zavier Betts got nicked up last week, Husker receiver Omar Manning had a boot on at the last game I heard, and receiver Oliver Martin has an “undisclosed” something.

Tailgating, or a “homegate” as I call it, will be easier and much cooler than last week. If you want some  simple homegate ideas (Click here). I recommend the usual bloody mary or red beer beverages for the early hour.

Breakfast casseroles fresh out of the oven will stay hot right up until game time which is always nice. I’m including my very simple recipe for Breakfast Big Reds (think chunky cajun hashbrowns). It has a little heat but the competition is heating up so why not the food. You can thank me later.

I use bacon grease because it gives the potatoes a richer flavor. Cut up one large Vidalia onion per 5 pounds of red potatoes, cut and cubed. I sauteed the onions in the grease for a couple of minutes with a liberal sprinkling of Hot Rod’s Gaw-lic Buttah seasoning. Get yourself some! I use it on almost everything, especially seafood. (discount code CB24)

Then add in the potatoes and more seasoning and continue to fry them until tender. You may want to double the recipe depending on the size of your group. They will be gone sooner than you think (see what I did there).

If the Huskers can keep it within 14 points that is a HUGE win. I dread how much a blowout of Nebraska  could affect them in later games. I just want to get out of the game without being destroyed and with no serious injuries. I will still watch until the end, regardless. I’ll be cheering every week and as always, GO BIG RED!