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Nebraska Lets Sooners Doom Themselves E-mail
Written by Allen Kenney   
Saturday, 07 November 2009 23:48

Nebraska barely had to show up Saturday night to score its ugly upset over Oklahoma, as the Sooner offense did everything within their power to hand the game to the 'Huskers.

(The contrast in this game and the 2008 contest between these two teams embodies either how much the style of play has changed in the Big 12 or how much the league has regressed this season.)

That's not entirely fair, because the NU defense certainly had a hand in forcing OU's numerous offensive gaffes. Ndamukong Suh and Jared Crick harassed OU redshirt freshman Landry Jones all night, leading to a host of errant throws that often ended up in 'Husker hands. The Cornhuskers' defensive backs, led by safety Matt O'Hanlon, played ballhawking coverage all night and made the Sooners pay for Jones' errant throws.

Still, aside from running the clock, Nebraska's offense contributed next to nothing in the 10-3 win. OU outgained the ' Huskers 325 yards to 180 yards for the game, with NU throwing for a total of 39 yards. Nebraska converted just one of 14 third down attempts. Nebraska scored the only touchdown on a one-yard drive in the second quarter. (At that point, Homerism's associate E$ turned me and said, "If Nebraska gets another score, I don't like OU's chances." Turned out that they didn't even need that other field goal.)

There was no real mystery to OU's awful offensive output, though. Five interceptions and three missed field goals are what three-point games are made of.

There's a reason why freshmen start at quarterback for perennial powerhouse teams about as often as Bob Stoops smiles anymore.  Despite the occasional flashes of brilliance, consistency is not their strongest suit. That kind of erratic play tends to rear its head on the road in particular, as OU fans witnessed tonight.

For Landry Jones, that's a game to grow on. With another road game looming in Lubbock, Sooner Nation is hoping he grows up quickly.

Other thoughts from a wild day on the college football gridiron:

*Oregon's loss is Boise's loss, too. I really don't see Boise making a BCS bowl at this point.

*If you're Brian Kelly, does Notre Dame really look like a step up?

*Matt Barkley will likely turn out to be an outstanding quarterback for USC, but it now looks like the talk of his preternatural maturity was overblown.

*Something to consider about the struggles of young quarterbacks: At this point in the season, defensive coordinators have  accrued a decent amount of film on the youngsters. They're no longer unknown quantities. People have a better idea of what they can and can't do. In that respect, the "advantage" of being new erodes as the season wears on.

*Julio Jones' explosive catch-and-run touchdown in Alabama's big win over LSU showed off why he's such a big key for the Crimson Tide offense, even when he's not filling out the stat sheet.

*Why not Ricky Dobbs for the Heisman?

*The Houston-Tulsa game is the first push for either Homerism or The Skinny in two seasons of Picks Trying Not to Suck.

Comments (6)Add Comment
What A @#$% Disappointment
written by www.sunsstufft.com, November 08, 2009
As a proud Sooner fan since the early 1970's, the dismal numbers from this evening's defeat will be etched in my brain for years to come. Imagine seeing 10 - 3, five interceptions or three missed field goals wherever you go. The thought of it gives me the willies - just like that famous Johnny Rogers run only nastier.
I actually had thoughts of a bowl game - nothing big - if everyone ahead of us just faded away. So we have the fun of watching Notre Dame, Iowa, Oregon and several others vanquished only to face the same fate. Now the Top 25 will likely be out of reach.
Oh - the agony!!!
At least I wasn't in Vegas - my pockets would have been emptied with no mercy and a nasty point spread.
Running Game?
written by michael.felderjr, November 08, 2009
Allen,
I was miffed at the turnovers but like a wise man said, only three things happen when you throw the football and two of 'em are bad. What happened to the OU running game? It is like they've morphed into this TTU air raid full time scheme. Is the O-line that bad or is the play calling just shotty?

Personally I look at you guys as see 2 backs that gained 1,000 yards behind a great o-line and neither of them will get 1,000 yards this year. The easiest thing for an inexperienced offensive lineman to do is run block. An inexperienced qb's best friend is a solid run game. I know Ndamukong Suh and Crick were monsters last night but down only seven did the Sooners have to toss the ball around 58 times?
...
written by AK, November 08, 2009
Hey guys,

Thanks for the feedback. Lots of stuff going on with this game.

Suns - To be honest, as soon as I saw that point spread posted last Sunday night, I got the sinking feeling OU was going to lose. Those guys are awfully smart, and a play on OU was WAY too obvious. Watching the line during the week, money was coming in about 3:1 on OU and yet the spread kept going down. I spent all week trying to warn my friends not to hammer OU too hard, but my guess is Sooner Nation handed over a nice chunk of change to Vegas this weekend.

Michael - I understand where you're coming from re: the run game. I couldn't believe that Jones chucked it around nearly 60 times by the end of the game.

On the other hand, it is becoming painfully obvious that this team just can't run the ball with any consistency. This year, OU is 85th in yards per rush attempt at 3.81. Last year, OU was netting 4.72 per attempt.

Against NU, OU averaged 2.74 ypc. If you're not getting even three yards an attempt, it's tough to rely on the run to move the ball consistently. It becomes doubly hard when you're facing long-yardage situations on second and third down consistently.
Consistency
written by michael.felderjr, November 09, 2009
AK,

I think that's an attitude and commitment thing. The running game is something your team and staff has to buy into. True the under-3 yards a carry was tough but with the way that defense was playing you take your six or your 17 yard drive, get a punt and flip the field by playing good defense. What you do not do is throw interceptions.

I'll put it this way, if Alabama turned the ball over the way OU has done, or if they dropped McElroy back 40-60 times a game they wouldn't be #2. LSU, Tennessee and S. Carolina have bottled them up for almost entire games. It may be blasphemous but I think that OU has every bit of the talent that Bama has, and Murray and Brown are a better running back tandem than Bama has. They don't equal Ingram but together they are better than he and his back up.

I think its just a matter of philosophy. When you're team is fighting to stay alive style points don't count, just get the ugly, field position win.
Also...
written by michael.felderjr, November 09, 2009
I know you quoted the fact that they averaged 2.46 yards per carry but that is including Landry Jones' sack numbers. Look at what Murray and Brown averaged. 3.4 and 4.6 yards respectively. And those weren't inflated by long rushes, they had 14 (Murray) and 11 (Brown) yard longs. Just another thought.
rushing yards
written by AK, November 11, 2009
Michael-

Good points about the mentality and impact of sacks. I'm working on numbers analysis of OU's play-calling from the Nebraska game that might be insightful.

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Last Updated on Sunday, 08 November 2009 19:15
 

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