Embattled Blackshirts know they need perfection today
It's a relatively small detail considering the enormity of Nebraska's challenge today.
In a departure from the norm, Husker head coach Bill Callahan failed to announce a defensive player of the week in the wake of last week's 34-27 loss to Iowa State. Callahan honored a player from offense and from special teams. But nobody from defense.
Callahan's decision to forgo honoring a defender had all the subtlety of a punch in the nose.
The message: The Nebraska defense failed to hold up its end of the bargain in Ames.
The Blackshirts understand that a fourth straight lackluster performance in a Big 12 road game today will have more severe consequences than was the case against Iowa State.
Oklahoma's offense boasts two leading Heisman Trophy candidates in quarterback Jason White and true freshman running back Adrian Peterson. The Sooners are ranked 12th nationally in total offense; the Cyclones were No. 108 entering last week's game.
"I'll say this about Oklahoma: It's one of the most dominating teams in college football right now," Callahan said.
Said Nebraska cornerback Fabian Washington: "There are not too many teams (like Oklahoma) in the nation that have everything on offense — a running back, a quarterback and good receivers. You can't try to make this team one-dimensional because they'll beat you with that one dimension.
"You just have to go out there defensively and be prepared for anything that they're going to give you."
Second-ranked Oklahoma (9-0 overall and 6-0 in the Big 12) can clinch the league's South Division with a victory. The Sooners also have designs on winning the program's eighth national championship and second in five years.
Kickoff is set for 6:10 p.m. at 81,200-seat Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla.
Nebraska (5-4 and 3-3) is tied with Iowa State atop the Big 12 North with two games remaining. The Huskers need one more win to become bowl-eligible. They'll close the regular season against Colorado Nov. 26 in Lincoln.
If Nebraska hopes to compete with Oklahoma, the Huskers will have to reverse their trend of struggling in Big 12 road games. Before losing at Iowa State, NU fell at Texas Tech (70-10) and Kansas State (45-21).
The constant in those losses was porous defense caused in part by uninspired efforts.
"Let's hope we can match Oklahoma's emotion, because it's going to take everything we have," said Nebraska defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove.
Washington said Nebraska will have no chance to win if it falls behind by 17 points in the first half, as it did against Iowa State.
"From that first gun, we have to go out and play ball," Washington said.
Nebraska took solace in the comeback it made in the second half last week. Trailing 24-7 at halftime, the Huskers scored three second-half touchdowns to make a game of it. In the final 30 minutes, quarterback Joe Dailey was 8-for-16 passing for 124 yards.
"That's the great thing about having a passing game," Callahan said. "When you are in a hole like we got ourselves into, you can snap out of it, and it can bring you back pretty quickly and more rapidly than another type of system."
Nebraska might need to lean on its passing game because its most consistent weapon, I-back Cory Ross, continues to struggle with a nagging turf toe injury. The 5-foot-6, 195-pound junior needs 63 yards to become the 27th 1,000-yard rusher in school history.
While Oklahoma ranks 17th nationally defending the run, the Sooners are No. 83 in pass defense. Last week, freshman cornerback Marcus Walker was pulled out of a planned redshirt season to help shore up a secondary that's coached by Bo Pelini, who doubles as defensive coordinator.
Pelini last season served as Nebraska's defensive coordinator before pursuing the Huskers' head coaching position. This week, he has declined to discuss the 2003 season and his feelings about the way he left Lincoln.
Pelini and Co., of course, have bigger things on their minds, such as conference and national championships.
However, it's not as if Oklahoma has been invincible this season. In the last two weeks, the Sooners defeated Oklahoma State by three points and Texas A&M by seven when the Aggies just missed completing a Hail Mary pass.
Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops said this week his team is yet to peak. Callahan is also awaiting the first time his team hits on all cylinders.
Perhaps that time is tonight.
"Anything can happen," Callahan said. "That's the great thing about college football. That's the great thing about sports."
Reach Steven M. Sipple at 473-7440 or ssipple@journalstar.com.
In a departure from the norm, Husker head coach Bill Callahan failed to announce a defensive player of the week in the wake of last week's 34-27 loss to Iowa State. Callahan honored a player from offense and from special teams. But nobody from defense.
Callahan's decision to forgo honoring a defender had all the subtlety of a punch in the nose.
The message: The Nebraska defense failed to hold up its end of the bargain in Ames.
The Blackshirts understand that a fourth straight lackluster performance in a Big 12 road game today will have more severe consequences than was the case against Iowa State.
Oklahoma's offense boasts two leading Heisman Trophy candidates in quarterback Jason White and true freshman running back Adrian Peterson. The Sooners are ranked 12th nationally in total offense; the Cyclones were No. 108 entering last week's game.
"I'll say this about Oklahoma: It's one of the most dominating teams in college football right now," Callahan said.
Said Nebraska cornerback Fabian Washington: "There are not too many teams (like Oklahoma) in the nation that have everything on offense — a running back, a quarterback and good receivers. You can't try to make this team one-dimensional because they'll beat you with that one dimension.
"You just have to go out there defensively and be prepared for anything that they're going to give you."
Second-ranked Oklahoma (9-0 overall and 6-0 in the Big 12) can clinch the league's South Division with a victory. The Sooners also have designs on winning the program's eighth national championship and second in five years.
Kickoff is set for 6:10 p.m. at 81,200-seat Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla.
Nebraska (5-4 and 3-3) is tied with Iowa State atop the Big 12 North with two games remaining. The Huskers need one more win to become bowl-eligible. They'll close the regular season against Colorado Nov. 26 in Lincoln.
If Nebraska hopes to compete with Oklahoma, the Huskers will have to reverse their trend of struggling in Big 12 road games. Before losing at Iowa State, NU fell at Texas Tech (70-10) and Kansas State (45-21).
The constant in those losses was porous defense caused in part by uninspired efforts.
"Let's hope we can match Oklahoma's emotion, because it's going to take everything we have," said Nebraska defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove.
Washington said Nebraska will have no chance to win if it falls behind by 17 points in the first half, as it did against Iowa State.
"From that first gun, we have to go out and play ball," Washington said.
Nebraska took solace in the comeback it made in the second half last week. Trailing 24-7 at halftime, the Huskers scored three second-half touchdowns to make a game of it. In the final 30 minutes, quarterback Joe Dailey was 8-for-16 passing for 124 yards.
"That's the great thing about having a passing game," Callahan said. "When you are in a hole like we got ourselves into, you can snap out of it, and it can bring you back pretty quickly and more rapidly than another type of system."
Nebraska might need to lean on its passing game because its most consistent weapon, I-back Cory Ross, continues to struggle with a nagging turf toe injury. The 5-foot-6, 195-pound junior needs 63 yards to become the 27th 1,000-yard rusher in school history.
While Oklahoma ranks 17th nationally defending the run, the Sooners are No. 83 in pass defense. Last week, freshman cornerback Marcus Walker was pulled out of a planned redshirt season to help shore up a secondary that's coached by Bo Pelini, who doubles as defensive coordinator.
Pelini last season served as Nebraska's defensive coordinator before pursuing the Huskers' head coaching position. This week, he has declined to discuss the 2003 season and his feelings about the way he left Lincoln.
Pelini and Co., of course, have bigger things on their minds, such as conference and national championships.
However, it's not as if Oklahoma has been invincible this season. In the last two weeks, the Sooners defeated Oklahoma State by three points and Texas A&M by seven when the Aggies just missed completing a Hail Mary pass.
Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops said this week his team is yet to peak. Callahan is also awaiting the first time his team hits on all cylinders.
Perhaps that time is tonight.
"Anything can happen," Callahan said. "That's the great thing about college football. That's the great thing about sports."
Reach Steven M. Sipple at 473-7440 or ssipple@journalstar.com.
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