Oklahoma or Texas?

Most of the Husker players and coaches have said publicly that it doesn’t matter which school provides the opposition in next Saturday’s Big 12 Championship Game.

Those same Huskers will also tell you publicly they drink nothing but milk, watch only The History Channel, and brush and floss after every meal.

I’m not buying it.

These guys want another shot at those Longhorns, the bunch that snuck out of Lincoln with a nail-biter of a win Oct. 21.

“It doesn’t really matter,” said kicker Jordan Congdon.

Then the truth came out.

“It would be nice to play Texas again.”

Congdon then slipped back into diplomatic mode with, “Both teams are going to be tough no matter who we play.”

I asked Maurice Purify the question a few weeks ago, and he said he definitely wanted to see Texas again.

Nebraska’s chances of winning the Big 12 title appear to be stronger if Texas is the opponent in Kansas City, Mo.

For one thing, a Husker win in that scenario would provide poetic justice for those who remember all too well what happened in the first Big 12 title game in 1996.

The Longhorns looked a little lost Friday at home against Texas A&M, and they lost their star quarterback, Colt McCoy, to injury. For how long remains to be seen.

Oklahoma, with a win today at Oklahoma State, would be on a roll, and could possibly go into K.C. with star running back Adrian Peterson back in the lineup.

“Obviously, we’re familiar with Texas,” said offensive coordinator Jay Norvell.

Athletic director Steve Pederson said he would be watching today’s OU-OSU game but added that he had no opinion on a possible opponent.

“Whoever you play in the championship game,” he said, “is going to be a heck of a team.”

Norvell said there are some guys in the football offices who will be pulling for Oklahoma State today.

“We’ve probably got a bunch of graduate assistants who would really like Texas to be the team,” he said, “because we’ve already got them broken down.”

Roddick true to NU

Tennis star Andy Roddick was born in Omaha and also spent some of his formative years in Austin, Texas. But there is no question about where Roddick’s allegiance lies.

He’s all Husker, as evidenced by the Blackshirt sweat shirt he was wearing on the sideline Saturday.

With no tennis tournaments to worry about until January, Roddick spent part of his holiday weekend rooting on his favorite football team (and posing for photos with cheerleaders, fans and anyone else who could find a way to get close.)

“I watch (the Huskers) on my computer when I’m away, in China or Italy or somewhere,” he said. “They don’t watch much college football over there. As long as it’s not in the middle of the night before a match, I’ll be watching.”

Roddick said he was born a Husker fan.

“Ever since I can remember,” he said. “My dad’s psychotic about it, along with the rest of my family.”

Senior slip

The Senior Day sendoff before the game didn’t go as smoothly as planned. Some of the 19 Husker seniors were not introduced at the end of the festivities. One of them was fullback Dane Todd.

“The last few of us kind of got cut off there at the end,” Todd said, “but that’s OK. It doesn’t matter. It’s no big deal.”

Actually, it is, but it was nice of Todd to shrug it off. Todd also said it was no big deal that he finished the regular season without a carry. He has never had a rushing attempt as a Husker.

“If there was a situation where they were going to give it to me,” he said, “I’d rather have somebody else get in there and take a snap.”

On the emotions of Senior Day, Todd added: “I think I really realized it was going to be my last (home) game right when we came out for warmups. I just kind of looked around. I realized it was something I would never see again.”

End zone

* Anyone who watched Friday’s game could have thrown a flag for unnecessary roughness. The game had no rhythm. I counted 27 breaks in the action for penalties, turnovers and replay stoppages.

* I am not a football coach. Far from it. But when you see the backup quarterback lining up for a field-goal attempt, don’t you have to take a timeout to regroup?

* The walk back to the office from the stadium was an interesting one. Let’s just say it’s not a good combination when a Husker victory meets Happy Hour on a Friday evening.

Reach John Mabry at 473-7320 or jmabry@journalstar.com.