Sizing up the Cotton Bowl's storylines
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BY STEVEN M. SIPPLE / Lincoln Journal Star
It was a month ago that Nebraska was stung 21-7 by Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship Game. Husker head coach Bill Callahan was uncharacteristically morose in defeat, placing the loss entirely on his shoulders. Callahan has been upbeat of late, and there has been little to no talk of a hangover effect in the Husker camp.
To be sure, Nebraska’s exceptional senior leadership — Zac Taylor, Adam Carriker, Greg Austin and company — essentially ensures that the Huskers will rebound well today. Meanwhile, Auburn seeks to rebound from a dismal performance in last January’s Capital One Bowl, in which Wisconsin jumped to a 17-0 lead and prevailed 24-10, piling up 548 yards in the process. Ouch. The bad taste lingers, Tiger players say.
Zac’s last hurrah: Would the football gods really allow Taylor to finish his college career with two straight subpar outings? That would hardly seem fair, considering everything the gifted quarterback has meant to Nebraska’s program.
OK, it’s worth asking at least one more time: Where would the Huskers be right now without Taylor, who owns nearly every school passing record and possesses a wealth of positive intangibles? His importance to the program as a player and person is hard to put into perspective. Here’s hoping the unassuming Oklahoman (who tossed three picks in the Big 12 title game) ends his two-season stay at Nebraska with a performance befitting a Big 12 offensive player of the year.
On the run: Auburn offensive coordinator Al Borges introduced Tiger running back Kenny Irons to the media last week, saying, “We’re going to run his legs off in a few days.”
Maybe Borges was bluffing. After all, Nebraska shut down Oklahoma’s running attack (42 yards on 28 attempts), and Auburn attacks with a similar power-oriented style. If the Huskers shut down the Tigers’ run game, can quarterback Brandon Cox replicate OU quarterback Paul Thompson’s passing wizardry? Doubtful.
Meanwhile, Nebraska can offset Auburn’s blistering speed on defense with a strong inside running game. The Huskers are going to need their banged up I-backs to play through pain.
That’s the ticket: Online marketplaces have reported Cotton Bowl tickets going for as little as $10 apiece, a bargain considering all but about 3,500 of the 68,252 Cotton Bowl stadium seats have a face value of $90.
It’s also a bargain considering the intriguing matchup. Indeed, this contest is too close to call. It’s two very good teams from power conferences that use similar styles on offense. And it’s not as though there’s nothing on the line.
Nebraska, for instance, is gunning to end a six-game skid against top-10 opponents that dates to 2001. The Huskers are 0-4 in such contests under third-year coach Callahan. “We’ve got to beat a big-time team to be a big-time team,” said NU junior linebacker Corey McKeon. Yeah, that’s the ticket.
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