Corn Nation

CBS Sports Blog Poll Week 10 - November Starts to Eliminate the Weiners

2009-11-08T23:00:36Z

Stanford is ranked????? That ought to tell you how weird a season this is.

Yes, weiners. Not losers, but those teams that just aren't going to have the guts and the depth to make it. By this time, teams should be playing their best and making statements.

- I'm ranking Navy... and not just because they did us all a favor by knocking off Notre Dame.... okay, maybe that has something to do with it. Was I thinking about Notre Dame when I picked the "weiner" headline? Yes. Yes, I was. They are weiners, especially offensive genius Charlie Weis. Come to think of it, Lou Holtz is a weiner too.

- USC didn't lose, but thinking about it further, they suck, at least by USC standards. So, despite beating Arizona State, they're dropping.

- Which of the undefeated non-BCS teams is the best? Between TCU, Cinncinati, and Boise State, I'm picking TCU.Oh... yeah, the Big East IS a BCS conference. Kind of.

- Pittsburgh higher than Miami? Yeah, for now. They'll meet up with Cincy to determine Big East leader.

- Should LSU drop further? They played Alabama pretty tough, but it's not like the SEC has any great offenses, so every game looks tough.

Rank	Team	Delta

1	Florida
2	Texas
3	Alabama
4	TCU	4
5	Boise State	1
6	Cincinnati
7	Georgia Tech	3
8	Ohio State	6
9	Pittsburgh	7
10	Miami (Florida)	5
11	Utah	2
12	Oklahoma State	7
13	Houston	5
14	LSU	5
15	Southern Cal	3
16	Arizona	4
17	Penn State	6
18	Oregon	11
19	Iowa	14
20	Wisconsin	2
21	Virginia Tech	3
22	Brigham Young	3
23	West Virginia
24	Navy
25	Stanford
Last week's ballot

Dropped Out: Oklahoma (#17), Notre Dame (#21), California (#23).

In The Deed The Glory - Nebraska Tunnel Walk Vs. OU 2009. Shown last night before the game. No...

2009-11-08T17:06:16Z

In The Deed The Glory - Nebraska Tunnel Walk Vs. OU 2009. Shown last night before the game. No wonder the crowd was amped.

Corn Flakes: Back in Black

2009-11-08T16:57:59Z

More photos » by Nati Harnik - AP

Nebraska's Prince Amukamara is getting NU back in black (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)

Browse more photos »

Is NU back? No. But those bone throwing boys in black are.

Back in black
I hit the sack [A QB sac?]
I've been too long I'm glad to be back [I bet you know I'm...] [It has been to long]
Yes, I'm let loose
From the noose
That's kept me hanging about
I've been looking at the sky
'Cause it's gettin' me high
Forget the hearse 'cause I never die
I got nine lives
Cat's eyes
Abusin' every one of them and running wild [Yes Nebraska has been abusing opponents]

Omaha.com - The Omaha World-Herald: Big Red Today - What they said

Omaha.com - The Omaha World-Herald: Big Red Today - Tom's Takes: Nebraska vs. Oklahoma

Omaha.com - The Omaha World-Herald: Big Red Today - Five things

Game notes: Helu gets back in his comfort zone

Steven M. Sipple: Tough defense makes trip to Dallas possible

Blackshirts shut down OU

NE StatePaper.com - A Master Class of Coaching

HAMAR: Huskers may have found their identity > The Independent > Sports > Huskers Hq

Scout.com: Instant Analysis - Nebraska 10, Oklahoma 3

Husker Mike's Blasphemy: Blackshirts Hold Sooners in Check

Big 12 helmet stickers: Week 10 - Big 12 - ESPN

The Nebraska defense: Hard to split this one up among so many producers who held Oklahoma to its lowest point production in the 142-game coaching tenure of Bob Stoops. Matt O’Hanlon provided a team-high 12 tackles and three interceptions, including the clincher with 27 seconds left. Ndamukong Suh was all over the field with a pass deflection, four tackles and a blocked kick. Phillip Dillard had eight tackles, including two tackles for losses, a sack and an interception. The entire defense divvied up five interceptions and 12 pass deflections by 10 different players in a stellar effort that keeps their North Division title hopes alive.

Just Good Enough - Nebraska Football

Curt McKeever: O’Hanlon finds redemption against Oklahoma

Huskers sweep Cyclones, gain revenge

Omaha.com - The Omaha World-Herald: Big Red Today - Blackshirt beauty

Green starts, but Lee gets most of the snaps
Who starts next week?

Report card: Nebraska vs. Oklahoma
Almost straight A's across the board for this one.

Nebraska's defense key in upset of No. 24 Oklahoma - NCAA College Football Recap - ESPN

Nebraska vs Oklahoma: Post Game Overreaction - Blackshirt Defense Puts a Beatdown on the Sooners!

2009-11-08T15:50:28Z

by Dave Weaver - AP

That look says it all......

View full size photo »

What a win! Nebraska's defense proved they don't need a huge offensive effort to come away with a big win. The Huskers had only seven first downs, 39 yards passing, converted one of 14 third downs and had 180 yards of total offense, but came away with five interceptions to stop the Sooners 10-3.

If you're one of those who want to see a Husker team that smashes it's opponents and puts a lot of points on the board, you're going to have to wait at least another season. If you're one that wants to see defense take over and win a game, you're going to be having a lot of fun for the rest of the season.

Over halfway through the season, it seems as if this team has finally accepted who and what it is. The defense recognized the fact that a great offense isn't just going to appear out of mid-air and decided that they'd help out. Prince Amukamara intercepted a pass and returned it to the one. First-and-one at the one??? Hey, this Husker offense can handle that, and they did, scoring on a play-action pass to tight end Ryan Hill. That was all the points that was needed as the defense continues to show why it's the best in the land.

Earlier in the week, our Q&A session indicated that Sooner quarterback Landry Jones would be accustomed to facing a tough defense, having already played against Miami and Texas. Not so fast, my friend!The Huskers only sacked Jones twice, but they harassed him all night. They harassed him straight into five interceptions. Every time it seemed that Oklahoma was about to break the game open, there was a Blackshirt getting their hands on the ball. I loved that part.

The offense did just enough to keep the defense from getting completely exhausted. Roy Helu Jr was magnificent, rushing 20 times for 138 yards. He didn't look injured or hesitant, but was the Helu we saw at the beginning of the season. Cody Green started, but was replaced by Zac Lee on that first-and-one at the one drive. Shawn Watson apparently decided that he didn't need a playmaker behind center, but a game manager. Lee ran the option with more deliberation after Pelini was seen yelling at him for a poorly executed option play in which Lee pitched the ball way too early, resulting in a turnover while the Huskers could have put more points on the board.

Matt O'Hanlon had three interceptions - not bad for a walk-on. He and linebacker Phillip Dillard were everywhere at once. If they weren't destroying the Sooner offense, Ndamukong Suh and Jared Crick were. O'Hanlon is the easy choice as the defensive player of the game until you consider Alex Henery. He started off a little rocky, but then became a field position, Sooner squishing machine all by hisself. Henery routinely punted the Huskers out of trouble an turned the battle of field position against the Sooners. You could say that Henery won the game in the first quarter. Oklahoma had started the game with three consecutive drives on Nebraska's side of the field, coming away with nothing (ha!). The Huskers' field position was horrible until Henery ripped off a 66-yard punt that the Huskers downed at the two-yard line. One big play, and the field position was re-arranged.

The win means that Nebraska controls it's own destiny in the Big 12 North. Win your games, you win the North. It's that simple. With this Blackshirt defense it's certainly within reach.

Nebraska Cornhuskers vs. Oklahoma Sooners - Game Thread

2009-11-08T00:00:29Z

Welcome to your game day open thread - please join us for comments and conversation about the Nebraska Cornhusker and the Oklahoma Sooners!

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If you need more incentive, accounts are free!!

Time: 7:00 pm Central

Internet-Streaming Audio: Huskers.com

Television: ABC/ESPN - Coverage Map after the jump

Radio: Affiliates

Live Stats

Opponent Blog: Crimson and Cream Machine

I would wake up screaming...... Photo by Dennis Hubbard

Next Game

Oklahoma Sooners
@ Nebraska Cornhuskers

Saturday, Nov 7, 2009, 7:00 PM CST
Memorial Stadium

Nebraska and Oklahoma - Just Old Friends Getting Together Again.....

posted by Cobby 1 day ago

2 comments | 1 rec

Q&A With An Oklahoma Sooner Expert

posted by corn blight 1 day ago

0 comments | 0 recs

posted by Husker Mike 1 day ago

4 comments | 0 recs

Complete Coverage >

Coverage Map

Nebraska Statistics

Passing

		Passing									Rushing					Sacks
	G	Rating	Comp	Att	Pct	Yds	Y/G	Y/A	TD	INT	Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD	Sack	YdsL
Cody Green	5	60.0	31	54	57.4	313	62.6	5.8	2	2	16	123	24.6	7.7	2	-	-
Zac Lee	7	93.0	118	197	59.9	1461	208.7	7.4	10	6	43	73	10.4	1.7	0	-	-

Rushing

		Rushing					Receiving
	G	Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD	Rec	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD
Rex Burkhead	5	23	118	23.6	5.1	1	8	66	13.2	8.3	1
Ben Cotton	3	0	0	0	0	1	2	10	3.3	5	0
Cody Green	5	16	123	24.6	7.7	2	0	0	0	0	0
Roy Helu Jr	8	119	668	83.5	5.6	6	16	134	16.8	8.4	0
Austin Jones	4	6	15	3.8	2.5	0	1	2	.500	2	0
Zac Lee	7	43	73	10.4	1.7	0	0	0	0	0	0
Marcus Mendoza	3	4	10	3.3	2.5	0	6	40	13.3	6.7	0
Collins Okafor	1	1	9	9	9	0	0	0	0	0	0
Niles Paul	8	2	28	3.5	14	1	28	413	51.6	14.8	3
Dontrayevous Robinson	2	28	138	69	4.9	2	3	22	11	7.3	0
Lester Ward	2	8	24	12	3	0	0	0	0	0	0

Receiving

		Receiving
	G	Rec	Yds	Y/G	AVG	TD
Antonio Bell	1	1	3	3	3	0
Chris Brooks	5	13	177	35.4	13.6	1
Rex Burkhead	5	8	66	13.2	8.3	1
Wes Cammack	1	1	2	2	2	0
Khiry Cooper	4	9	67	16.8	7.4	1
Ben Cotton	3	2	10	3.3	5	0
Curenski Gilleylen	7	16	299	42.7	18.7	1
Roy Helu Jr	8	16	134	16.8	8.4	0
Will Henry	1	1	1	1	1	0
Ryan Hill	1	1	7	7	7	0
Menelik Holt	6	15	175	29.2	11.7	1
Austin Jones	4	1	2	.500	2	0
Brandon Kinnie	2	4	32	16	8	0
Mike McNeill	7	16	182	26	11.4	3
Marcus Mendoza	3	6	40	13.3	6.7	0
Niles Paul	8	28	413	51.6	14.8	3
Kyler Reed	5	5	52	10.4	10.4	0
Dontrayevous Robinson	2	3	22	11	7.3	0
Dreu Young	2	2	61	30.5	30.5	0

Kicking

		Field Goals								PAT
	G	0-19	20-29	30-39	40-49	50+	FGM	FGA	PCT	XPM	XPA	PCT	pts
Alex Henery	8	-	-	-	-	-	11	14	80.0%	26	26	100.0%	59

Oklahoma Statistics Aren't Working....

National Thread - Open Game Thread

2009-11-07T17:13:10Z

More photos » by Dave Martin - AP

Gee, why does this picture garner so much attention? I don't know, but I do know that I'd like to see LSU beat Alabama today.

Browse more photos »

This is your thread for discussing today's game. Nebraska fans have quite a while before the big game tonight, so there's plenty of time to discuss today's games.

It's beautiful weather, ain't it? I suspect that many of us will be spending today getting ready for winter. I know I have some work to do outside, and I'm guessing you guys who drive combines are going to be in them most of the day or face losing crops.

Once you join Corn Nation, you're free to join any other SB Nation blog with the same account. SB Nation has around 220 sports sites, so that's a whole lot of access through one account.

Corn Flakes: OU is going down

2009-11-07T16:00:45Z

You want a rivalry? Then it's time for NU to step it up and play like it.

Big Red Rivalry Advantages Favor OU - Crimson And Cream Machine
I think that Nebraska's offense will struggle considerably more that Oklahoma's. Not because one defense is better than the other but because the Huskers don't have as many playmakers on offense as OU.
You can head over the C&C to argue if you want.

Steven M. Sipple: NU needs to control line of scrimmage
If NU can then, and Sipple thinks they can, he has NU winning.

Sizing up the storylines: Oklahoma
Green, Suh, special teams, and swagger.

Omaha.com - The Omaha World-Herald: Big Red Today Blog - Sports Writers - Sooners are tough to sack
Even with their O-Line struggling.

Omaha.com - The Omaha World-Herald: Big Red Today - Three things to watch
Trick plays for NU, D-Line making big plays, and which Jones will show up?

Curt McKeever: NU has to worry about its own game
The reality is that even with a loss to Oklahoma, so long as Iowa State doesn’t win out (yes, you read that correctly), all the Huskers would have to do to win the North is defeat Kansas, Kansas State and Colorado.
So you know we have that going for us, which is nice.

Living life after the pose
The LJS talks with 6 Heisman Trophy winners, 3 from NU and OU each

Offense shines, defense doesn’t in exhibition win
a 86-66 win

Nebraska/Oklahoma Line Down To 4

2009-11-07T00:23:18Z

Nebraska/Oklahoma Line Down To 4

What's going on? For the line to move this much there is a lot of money going NU's way. Who has information that they aren't sharing? Does the OU defense have the flu? Has Watson installed a super cool new offense?

College Football Predictions - Week 10

2009-11-06T23:25:23Z

Lock your doors and windows people, OU is coming to town.

Land Thieves. That's what "Sooner" means. They steal land by getting there sooner than you. To commemorate this they decided to steal their fight song "Boomer Sooner" which is a version of "Boola Boola" the fight song of Yale University. As in my new car is a version of the one that you had stolen last week.

Pictured: A typical OU alum.

Move your wallets to your front pockets, don't answer emails from people claiming to be an Oklahoman Prince wanting to transfer money into your bank accounts, they don't need your Corn Nation user name and password for a site update, get a new bike lock, buy lowjack for your macbook, stop playing GTA, and for the love of TO someone tell our skill players that giving the OU defense the ball is not a kind gesture for friendly rival.

What a boring week again. We all tied, and were 50% against the spread, even with Corn Blight making picks based on mascots.

	Last week W/L	Last Week ATS	Overall W/L	Overall ATS
Husker Mike	5-1	3-3	55-21	35-41
Corn Blight	5-1	3-3	51-25	32-44
JLew	5-1	3-3	53-23	27-49

Still we press on, mostly because it's better than working on a Friday afternoon.

Corn Blight is fortifying his house against the Crimson hoards and will be updating this with his picks later.

Oklahoma State (-7.5) @ Iowa State

Husker Mike: Both squads got walloped last week. Iowa State gets back Austen Arnaud this week, but is that enough? Sad to say, probably not. But the Cyclones will make a run at the Cowpokes. Cowpokes 28, Cyclones 24

JLew: I think OSU rolls. Then again I thought that OSU would at least have a chance against Texas. Still I think the B12 South again shows how far apart the 2 divisions are. OSU 42 ISU 17

Kansas (-3) @ Kansas State

Husker Mike: Is that spread right? Colorado should have lost to Iowa State, then did lose to Colorado and Texas Tech. Make that three in a row. Wildcats 31, Jayhawks 24

JLew: I said last week that KSU wouldn't win another game. At the start of the OU game I looked very right, the second half, not so much. I don't think either team here is very good right, but I'm going to stick with my KSU loses out pick. KU has run defense issues, while KSU has pass defense issues. Points shouldn't be a problem. KU wins with their backs against the wall, while KSU is feeling too good about an OU loss, and "winning" the B12 North. KU 34 KSU 26

Baylor (+17) @ Missouri

Husker Mike: Freshman mistakes made this game a lot closer than it should have been. Blaine Gabberts isn't a freshman. Tiggers 34, Da Bearsh 7

JLew: Is Gabbert healthy yet? Won't matter. Baylor has yet to score over 10 points in league games. Missouri 28 Baylor 10

Central Florida (+36) @ Texas

Husker Mike: It's so nice of Texas to move one of their exhibition games into November. Texas 52, UCF 10

JLew: Wow what an awesome game. If Texas doesn't go to the BCS title game they can only blame their sad, sad, non-conference schedule (with an assist from the pitiful B12 North). Texas 48 UCF 13

Texas A&M (-3.5) @ Colorado

Husker Mike: Ah, my favorite two dysfunctional Big XII teams. The Aggies looked like they were swirling the bowl two weeks ago, then shocked me with two victories. Colorado has shown brief flashes of life, beating Kansas and scoring a little bit in the 2nd half against Missouri. Bottom line is that while I'm skeptical of the Aggies...I'm even more skeptical of the Buffies. Gig 'Em 32, Buffies 26

JLew: I'm more interested in what color all the CU "fans" come out wearing. Though it's always fun to see which QB will play for CU in any given series. How will they win a cob this week? ATM 42 CU 17

Oklahoma (-6) @ Nebraska

Husker Mike: The Husker offense has gone MIA ever since Roy Helu hurt his shoulder against Missouri. They've benched receivers and quarterbacks, to no avail. But Helu has shed his green no-contact jersey this week. Is that enough? Heart says Huskers 23, Sooners 21. Head says Sooners 21, Huskers 9

JLew: If NU can't get offense going against ISU or Baylor what's OU's defense going to allow? Green could start his legend at NU well with a home win over OU in his second start, but I don't see it happening. OU 28 NU 20

Nebraska and Oklahoma - Just Old Friends Getting Together Again.....

2009-11-06T22:50:45Z

I was having lunch with my dear friend Nebraska this week when an "old friend" happened by......

Hey, Nebraska! How you doing, sweetheart! You look great! As wonderful as ever!!!

Barry! Oh, it's so good to see you!

I miss the times we had together. Wish we could see each other more often! (sees Tom Obsorne and quickly saunters off after him). Don't you ever change! (wink)

That's a little disgusting.

What?

Barry Switzer?

He's always so nice to me. He's a really sweet man. He's aged well, too (fetching). You're just jealous.

Jealous that I can't get away with that much bullshit. Amazing he's not a politician.

Oh, he's not that bad.

What are you talking about? The guy was a cheater. He cheated all of the time. He cheated so much they ran him out of college football and here you are eating candy out of his hand and pretending you're back in 1982.

He says nice things about me. He tells me how much respect he always had for me and how hard it was to win.

He's not nice to you. He was never nice to you. He ruined so many holidays.... even in 1978 when you finally had a decent Thanksgiving, he turned around and ruined New Years.

We put on some great shows together! Since the Big 12 came along it's never been the same!

Yeah, but it's been what, 12 years?Maybe you should accept the fact that time has moved on. But you can't do that, can you, because you're still in love with Oklahoma. The problem is, it's not based on reality, it's based on a concept. An idea. You're in love with what you used to have and since it's been so long, you've romanticized it to the point that no one else will ever be good enough.

No one else..... like????

Colorado?

I can go see the mountains without seeing Buffaloes, Cobby. Please.... .Hippies?????? (makes finger in mouth motion, gagging)

Well, what about Missouri? They're doing better.

Maybe they could call me after they win a championship in something..... I had the best. The BEST. And you're expecting me to drop my standards and just accept whatever happens to come along. Has my beauty faded so much? You really know how to make a girl feel good.

Sorry.... you're right, you've got a point. How 'bout we just agree that you don't fall all over yourself whenever Oklahoma comes around..... okay?

Okay.

Hey! Nebraska, sweetheart! How you doing!

(cooing) Bobby! Oh my God! It's so good to see you!

Oh... God, why.....

Have I ever told you about the time Carl Pelini stayed at my house? And Bo used to be on my staff....

On your staff????? Oh.... Bobby tell me more! Cobby, weren't you leaving?

...

Corn Flakes: Why should NU play OU every year?

2009-11-06T15:46:05Z

Wow what a fun trip. I lost my luggage for a day and a half, and then the truck we took died on the interstate at 1:30 in the am. Anyway it seems I missed about a thousand memorial articles about OU and NU, and then ten thousand NU should play OU every year articles. So yeah nothing much. Also can everyone stop with the Suh is going too play QB jokes. It wasn't that funny to start with and now it's just old.

Life in the Red's Blog | Breakfast with Ted
So Gilmore gave opportunities to junior college transfer Brandon Kinnie and redshirt freshman Khiry Cooper. Those two, along with Paul and senior Chris Brooks (who's not played the last two weeks because of injury), will play the bulk, if not all, of the snaps against Oklahoma Saturday night.

Where have you gone Swift and Peterson?, Husker nation turns their lonely eyes to you...

Ten good minutes with Nebraska DT Jared Crick - Big 12 - ESPN
Crick is like Luigi to Suh's Mario. Suh get's all the attention, but Crick is a pretty good player 2.

Is Landry Jones The Best Quarterback In The Big 12?
I hope that I didn’t lose you at the headline but this is a legitimate question. When the post season awards are released next month you won’t see Landry Jones as the Big 12’s First Team All-Conference quarterback but the reality is that as of right now there may not be a more deserving signal caller in the conference.

Obviously C&C have not heard of a certain QB from Missouri. One that is better than Elway, and Young (Steve not Vince) combined.

NE StatePaper.com - Five Keys: Oklahoma
Field position, Survive OU's haymakers, O-line play, Something about short passes, and rolling snake eyes on gambles

EDSBS " Archive " THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL WEEK IN GRAPHS, VOLUME 2

It's coming people. Be prepared.

Omaha.com - The Omaha World-Herald: Big Red Today Blog - Lee Barfknecht - Buffs suffer blow with transfer
Tailback Darrell Scott -- considered the nation's No. 1 running back in the 2007 recruiting class -- announced he will transfer.

Like rats off a sinking Buffalo.

Q&A With An Oklahoma Sooner Expert

2009-11-06T14:00:29Z

by Sue Ogrocki - AP

OU receiver Ryan Broyles is the Sooner's most dangerous playmaker. Shutting him down will be a key for the Huskers' Blackshirt defense.

View full size photo »

No one knows more about the Sooners than someone who follows them on a regular basis, so we asked Matt at the SB Nation site Crimson and Cream Machine to answer some questions about this weekend's Oklahoma vs Nebraska game.

I took my kids trick-or-treating with the Sooners rolling over Kansas State. I came back, and it's 35-30. What happened?

I'm not sure what happened there and I was watching it. OU jumped out 21-0 and then they just took their foot off the gas, so to speak. I have a theory that Bob Stoops has enough respect for Bill Snyder that he had the offense go ultra conservative in order to prevent an absolute blowout of his former mentor but that would have only worked if the defense was able to continue doing what it did through the first fifteen minutes when the score was 21-0. However, when the OU offense went into a shell (for whatever reason) the K-State offense came to life and was unstoppable for about two quarters.

The Sooners woke back up again in the fourth quarter but not before being given a legitimate scare. Landry Jones was 10-for-10 passing in the final quarter and after he led a scoring drive to push the lead to 35-23. Brandon Banks returned the kickoff 98 yards to bring it back to a 35-30 game. Fortunately Jones and company had one more drive left in them and scored again in the fourth for the final 42-30 outcome.

In the preseason, there was quite a bit of debate whether Ndamukong Suh and Gerald McCoy was the best d-lineman in the Big XII, yet we've hardly heard much about McCoy this season. Is this because Mister Suh (as ESPN/ABC has given up trying to pronounce Ndamukong) is dominating the headlines, or is McCoy not playing up to expectations?

McCoy is in no way having a bad season and both are exceptional players. Gerald McCoy lives in the opponent's backfield. He has 12 tackles for loss but has been overshadowed a bit by defensive end Jeremy Beal who has 13.5 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks.

With 5 sacks and 11 tackles for loss, Suh has certainly lived up to his expectations this season but to think that for some reason McCoy hasn't is a bit of a stretch.

The Sooner offensive line has struggled this season. Is this due to a lack of players, inconsistent line up, or what's happening there? Would you put most of the problems with Oklahoma's offense on this unit?

I think that there are several things that you could pin Oklahoma's offensive woes upon but it all starts with the line. Before the season even started Bob Stoops said that Oklahoma's offense would only be as good as the line allowed them to be and that has certainly been true. That was also before injuries took Jermaine Gresham and Sam Bradford away from this unit as well. The line does a decent job at pass blocking but the two main struggles have been picking up blitzes and run blocking. Then there are the mental errors (false starts) and acts of desperation (holding penalties). Watching Oklahoma's offensive line really is a comedy of errors.

Keep in mind that OU's offense is scoring a respectable 33.1 points per game. Its just when you compare it to last year's pace it just isn't the same and its not what we expected this year either.

Other than Ryan Broyles, who is the most consistent receiver? Who's the most dangerous?

How about no one for an answer? Ryan Broyles is the most dangerous receiver and there really is no one else! Brandon Caleb has been solid and Adron Tennell has come on as of late but they've both struggled with the drops this season. Dejuan Miller had a breakout game against Kansas State but we'd like to see some more consistency from him. DeMarco Murray also catches passes out of the backfield and occasionally from the slot. The tight end position is pretty much non-existent so basically what we have is a quarterback's second option done by committee.

Would you like to see the Big 12 change scheduling so that Nebraska - Oklahoma play on a yearly basis, or does this ex-rivalry mean much to Sooner fans?

Like many fans I grew up on the Oklahoma/Nebraska rivalry and would love to see it return to yearly game, and I would want it put back in its rightful Thanksgiving weekend spot. I know there has been some talk about pursuing this but I just don't see how it would work out for the benefit of the conference. And as well all know if it doesn't benefit the conference it most likely isn't going to happen.

Prediction?

I don't see this being anything like last year's game. With two dominating defenses I think that it will be a close game decided by special teams and turnovers. I favor Oklahoma in that because our freshman quarterback has played in every game this season and started five of them while yours is just making his second start. OU will be able to pressure him more than Baylor did which will put him under fire for the first time this season. Landry Jones has already been up against Texas and Miami defenses and while the Huskers will bring tons of pressure it will be something that Jones has already experienced on multiple occasions.

OU 17 - Nebraska 10

"Vince & Kevin's OU Prediction Show" previews the NU/OU game and that "Suko" guy who's pretty...

2009-11-06T02:14:50Z

"Vince & Kevin's OU Prediction Show" previews the NU/OU game and that "Suko" guy who's pretty awesome. Vince and Kevin think a "little double team" should neutralize that Suko guy.

(HT: Kevin Kugler with 1620 the Zone in Omaha)

Cornflakes - Dear Unity Council: Run, Not Walk, Onto the Field!

2009-11-05T19:42:22Z

Wow, I miss jlew doing these darned things. He comes up with way better imagery than I do. When the hell is he coming back?????

One thing of note I haven't seen mentioned anywhere else - a message to the Unity Council:

Please do not engage in any silliness during the tunnel walk this Saturday against Oklahoma. We do not need to see you walk out arm-in-arm to make some bloody statement about how you're all together and we're somehow against you. Please just round out onto the field while making frenzied attempts to let the fans know that you love us and we'll love you right back.

Okay? Okay.

Now that I got that off my chest, onto selected links of interest - otherwise known as Cornflakes:

What to watch for in the Big 12, Week 10 - Big 12 - ESPN

4. Will Bo Pelini and Shawn Watson chance starting Cody Green against Oklahoma’s blitz-heavy defense? Brent Venables is one of the savviest defensive coordinators in the conference with a vast collection of defenses he likes to employ. His unit might be like sharks smelling fresh blood as it faces Green in his second career start. Consider that Colt McCoy said that he saw blitzes when playing against Oklahoma earlier this season he had never seen before. And that was in his 45th career college start, when he was knocked to the ground 14 times in the first half of that game and struggled through his most troublesome game of the season against the Sooners. Imagine the challenge facing that defense will provide for the inexperienced Green.

Here's an idea. Don't throw the ball. Seriously. I vote we go heavy set, run the ball right at the middle of their line the entire game. And then use play-action. - CB

Bottom line for OU-Nebraska: Line play the key
Sooners quarterback Landry Jones was asked early in the week if he thought his guys up front realized the magnitude of the task at hand. Jones, with a wry smile, replied, "I hope so." His response provoked laughter, but this week's challenge for the offensive line is no laughing matter as the Sooners strive to finish strong.

Well... they can finish strong, but this weekend they'll hopefully play weak. Maybe the Huskers can take out another quarterback along the way - CB.

Bring back OU-Nebraska, every year
It's Oklahoma-Nebraska week, so you know what that means.Saccharine overload.Welcome to college football's lovefest. The series that's more mushy than a Valentine card. More syrupy than a cherry Dr Pepper.

In Perspective: Nebraska vs Oklahoma - Where The Game Will Be Won Or Lost

2009-11-05T15:00:33Z

by Dave Weaver - AP

Against Oklahoma - Calm Pelini, good. Screaming, angry, vein-popping Pelini, bad.

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There seems to be a prevalent attitude from Husker fans that this game is a loss, and might well end up in a blow-out. I don't see it that way. Both teams have struggled on offense against lesser foes. Now both offenses must face the best defenses in the nation. Neither team should score a lot of points.

I see a low-scoring four-quarter game won by the team that can make one or two big plays, whether they come on offense, defense, or special teams. This is one of those games where the cliche' "mistake-free football" is adequately applied.

	Nebraska		Oklahoma
	National	Big 12	National	Big 12
3rd Down Conversions	36	3	49	7
Red Zone Conversions (Score %)	93	11	9	2

Turnover Margin	89	10	28	4
Sacks	10	3	6	2
Tackles for Loss	23	4	4	1
Sacks Allowed	24	4	13	3
Punting (Avg)	69	7	19	2
Punt Returns	40	6	13	1
Kickoff Returns	61	6	63	7
Penalties (Yds/G)	99	7	118	11

- Field position is always key in low-scoring games. Oklahoma has an edge in both punting and in punt returns. Oklahoma's punter Tress Way is tied for 20th in the nation with a 43.11 yard per punt average. Way has had eight punts downed inside the 20 and has nine for 50+ yards. He is the best punter Oklahoma has had under Bob Stoops.

Alex Henery isn't too far behind Way with a 40.39 yard average, but he's ranked 64th nationally (which shows how close the rankings are). His average might be skewed by the fact that 17 of his 38 punts have been downed inside the 20.

- The Sooners are one of the best punt return teams in the nation. Dominique Franks comes to Lincoln ranked fourth nationally with a 17 yard average. Franks took over return duties after Ryan Broyles was injured against Miami. Broyles is back, returning punts in the last two games and is currently 23rd nationally with a 12 yard average.

Niles Paul is ranked 37th with a 9.18 yard average.

- Nebraska is respectable in third down conversions - better than you thought, right? Oklahoma, not so great. One key to picking up third downs is the ability to get tough running yardage when it's needed.This is where it's evident that the Sooner line has struggled.

When rushing, Nebraska is ranked 22nd in the nation on in third down situations with 1-3 yards to go, picking up an average of 4.73 yards. The Sooners are an abysmal 86th, with only a 2.77 yard average.

- Nebraska's struggles in red zone conversions have been well-documented. It won't get any easier this weekend as Oklahoma is third in the nation in opponent's red zone conversions, although if it makes you feel any better, Nebraska is fourth in the same category.

If there was a more telling tale in the statistics, Nebraska has scored on 100% of their red zone trips in their wins. In their losses, that percentage dropped to 50%. Going one-for-four against Iowa State certainly didn't help in that department, but think about that for a minute. Given the Huskers ability to keep opponents from scoring, all the Huskers need to do is get something on the board when they get into the red zone and they should be fine.

Oklahoma has scored touchdowns on their last eight trips in the red zone - against Kansas and Kansas State.

- With eight turnovers against Iowa State, turnover margin is a pretty useless statistics this season if for no more reason that it's an anomaly. I should probably replace it with interceptions and fumbles, but i keep it in place for consistency's sake.

Since you asked..... Oklahoma is ninth in interceptions with 13 on the season. Nebraska is 63rd with only seven. In fumbles recovered, Oklahoma is 55th with ten, while Nebraska is 73rd with seven.

- If you thought Nebraska was bad in the penalty department, well, take a look at Oklahoma. They're nearly last in the nation (tied with Texas Tech, while both are ahead of Arizona State).

It'd be great if the Husker home crowd could help them out in their quest to be dead last.

Big 12 Roundtable - Down the Stretch We Come

2009-11-05T12:15:12Z

This is the latest installment of the 2009 edition of the SB Nation Big 12 Roundtable. Our hosts this week are the folks at Iowa State's Clone Chronicles.

1. Other than Texas most likely winning the South, and Baylor likely going o-fer in the conference, there's a lot of uncertainty with teams jockeying for position in the Big 12. As the teams head into this 3 or 4 game stretch, what concerns do you have about your team? What would be considered a good season, and what would be considered a bad season? If you've already decided it's a good season or bad season regardless of what happens down the stretch, what's the storyline you're looking for as we head into the final month of the regular season?

Anybody who's watched the Huskers in their televised games knows the concerns revolve around the offense..or lack thereof. At the end of the Baylor game, Nebraska was down to their fifth string I-back, a true freshman quarterback, and playing a redshirt freshman and sophomore juco transfer at wide receiver. That's a whole lot of inexperience on the field. But Nebraska's record is 5-3, which is where they were at this point last year. Finishing strong like last season would be the litmus test at this point. Road games at Kansas and Colorado look like they might be winnable, as the Jayhawks and Buffaloes have their own problems. Kansas State is much improved in recent weeks, but the game is in Lincoln. Win those three games, and the Huskers might still win the North division, and that would make it a good season. Maybe not as good as we would have hoped a few weeks ago, but still pretty good.

2. We haven't had a chance to talk a lot of about of the individual players. Some have performed as expected, others have had breakout seasons, while others haven't had the greatest season in 2009. By now, you're probably seen a handful of other Big 12 teams play. Pick one player on each side of the ball from another Big 12 team that you've been the most impressed with, and what about them has caught your attention.

Missouri's Danario Alexander has caught my eye throughout the season after a couple of injury plagued seasons. He's got the complete package; he's got great hands, great size, and great speed. Whenever he catches the ball, it has the potential to become highlight reel material. He's a sure early-round NFL draft pick in my book. I had to stop and think about a defensive player, but I'm going to go with Missouri's Sean Weatherspoon. He's definitely the leader of the Missouri defense. He even looks tough in his Snuggie.

3. What is your take on the Big 12 TV situation? It seems like every week, we have at least one Big 12 game that gets zero TV coverage, while many games are on stations that not every cable company/satellite carrier picks up (like Fox College Sports and Versus). As a Big 12 fan, do you think a change of some sort is needed, or are you happy with the coverage? Does it hurt the Big 12 that not every game is televised?

Fox College Sports is probably the worst deal of all; as far as I know, it's only available via satellite sports packages. Those games might as well not be televised for all practical purposes. But I actually like the Versus package. Even with DirecTV being complete morons for dropping Versus, Versus still appears in 20 million more homes than the Big Ten Network, NFL Network, or ESPNU. When you consider that FSN frequently pre-empts Big XII games for baseball (in September) and the NHL and NBA in many markets outside of Big XII territory, the Big XII could do far worse. I don't know what the solution is, but unless the Big XII can talk TBS to come back to carry the Big XII, I'd stick with Versus. And no, when you consider how poorly the Big Ten and NFL Networks are doing in households, the last thing the Big XII should do is consider starting their own network. (Some might argue that's what Fox College Sports is...)

4. Let's say you had a friend that's been living under a rock the past few months, and they want to know how your team's season has gone. You only want to spend a few minutes on it, you don't want to get into the game-by-game details, so you decide to play the song that best describes your team's season thus far. What song are you playing?

Wow...this one's out of left field. I finally settled on "Black Hole Sun" by Soundgarden. Let's face it, this season seems to be black, between the outstanding play from the Blackshirts and the horrible play by the offense over the last few games. (Not to mention all of the rain down at Missouri...)

5. Power Rank the teams! If you find it too difficult, or don't want to participate, rank the teams based on your projected Bowl Selection Order (just make sure you designate what you are doing. Also keep in mind that K-State is the only team in the conference with 2 FCS wins, so they need to get to 7 in order to be bowl eligible)

Texas
Oklahoma
Texas Tech
Kansas State
Oklahoma State
Nebraska
Missouri
Texas A&M
Iowa State
Kansas
Colorado
Baylor

Kansas State gets a bump-up by making it a game against Oklahoma in the 2nd half. Nebraska's defense keeps them above much of the rest of the North division.

Big 12 Cob of the Week: Todd Reesing, Big Leads, And Colorado's Downward Spiral - Pick The Ultimate Suckage!

2009-11-04T20:42:03Z

More photos » by J.D. Pooley - AP

Darrell Scott - can you blame him for wanting to transfer? No. When the ship's on fire, it's every rat for himself, ain't it?

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Boy, it's getting tough to pick these. Normally you have your good teams and your bad teams, but this year we have half-good and half-bad teams and they trade positions every quarter. Everyone but Texas that is. Texas has done one thing really well so far this season and that's crush the hopes out of everyone else in the South.

The Big 12 North is still fun for everyone! Everyone's still special and everyone still has a chance to be a winner! Unless you're Colorado..... I think.

Husker Mike:

Todd Reesing - Earlier this season, Mark Mangino touted Reesing as a darkhorse Heisman candidate. Against Texas Tech, Reesing played his way onto the bench. Suddenly, he has the running ability of Dan Marino and the passing ability of former Husker quarterback Mickey Joseph. In Kansas' spread offense, a quarterback who can't run and can't throw isn't very productive ... and suddenly Kansas is staring bleakly into the future. Mangino went out of his way today to name Reesing as the starter for this week, which tells you just how Cobbish Reesing has become.

Oklahoma and Missouri second halves: Hey, I admit it. I didn't pay any attention to the Sooners or Tigers in the second half. They had huge halftime leads against opponents they should have crushed, so why not watch other games? (Or in the case of the Sooners, take the kids out trick-or-treating...) Imagine my surprise to check back and find that both teams mailed it in the second half, and let both Colorado and Kansas State back into the game.) Is that a trick? Or a Cob?

Jlew:

Missing. Probably drunk at a convention somewhere where the weather is nicer than where you are.

Corn Blight:

I'm not sure what's worse - rats leaving the sinking ship at Colorado or Oklahoma State's egg-laying against Texas. A lot was expected of Oklahoma State this season - starting out highly ranked and going into November highly tanked (hyuk!), but why is this different than any other Cowboy season? (insert Mike Gundy "not a man" joke here).

Colorado, on the other hand..... did anyone see the whole thing falling apart? A number of sites mentioned how painful it was to watch Dan Hawkin's press conference last week, but the real beginning of the end has to be this week's announcement that potential savior greatest recruit ever running back Darrell Scott is leaving the program.

Colorado is finding new depths this season. By the end of it, they may have surpassed Kansas State last season with the Ron Prince's firing and secret contract. What'll be funnier is if the CU faithful start to howl about bringing back Bill McCartney....... Ooops, they already have!

Poll

Your Pick for Big 12 Cob of the Week?

Under the Hood: Nebraska vs Oklahoma Statistical Comparison

2009-11-04T14:15:15Z

More photos » by Orlin Wagner - AP

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What's your perception about Oklahoma? Juggernaut? Wounded and vulnerable? Or does it matter?

Husker fans would have put the Sooners in 'juggernaut' category before this season began, writing this game off as a loss. That perception probably hasn't changed much due to our laggard offense, even though Oklahoma isn't the same team they were at the start of the season.

This game features two of the best defenses in the nation, and when I say best, I don't mean "in the top 20" in defensive categories, I mean number one and two in a lot of categories. That should lead to a very interesting game.

Offensive Statistics

	Nebraska	Oklahoma
Rush YPG	146.13 (62/7)	146.50 (60/6)
Rush YPC	4.51 (42/2)	3.91 (77/8)
Rush TDS	13 (53/8)	12 (63/9)

Pass YPG	221.8 (57/8)	277.4 (20/4)
Pass YPA	7.1 (62/7)	7.4 (47/5)
Pass TDS	12 (58/8)	19 (11/3)
Pass Efficiency	128.14 (62/8)	140.63 (33/5)

Total Offense	367.9 (69/9)	423.9 (30/4)

Defensive Statistics

	Nebraska	Oklahoma
Rush YPG	95 (10/3)	80 (3/2)
Rush YPC	2.65 (7/3)	2.56 (3/2)
Rush TDS	5 (12/3)	4 (8/2)

Pass YPG	171.4 (13/1)	197.3 (37/3)
Pass YPA	5.6 (11/3)	5.5 (9/2)
Pass TDS	3 (1/1)	7 (15/2)

Total Defense	266.4 (8/2)	277.3 (11/3)
Scoring Defense	11.3 (4/1)	12.6 (8/2)

Nebraska vs. Oklahoma Opponent Positional Ranks

Total Offense Rank	Nebraska Opponent	Total Defense Rank	Total Offense Rank	Oklahoma	Total Defense Rank
9	Florida Atlantic	110	11	BYU	51
87	Arkansas State	44	-	Idaho State	-
73	@Virginia Tech	29	54	Tulsa	46
81	UL-Lafayette	97	55	Miami	52
64	@Missouri	32	84	Baylor	85
4	Texas Tech	59	31	Texas	3
57	Iowa State	90	10	Kansas	47
84	@Baylor	85	75	Kansas State	43
57.38	Average	68.25	45.71	Average	46.71

Idaho State not FCS, so not included.

- I was surprised to see that Oklahoma is struggling at running the ball more than we are. Given how much angst has gone into screaming about Shawn Watson's playcalling, both teams suffer from the same basic problem - weak offensive lines.

- If we looked further, we'd find that both teams have the deck literally stacked against them when it comes to the run. Both teams have faced heavy defensive fronts all year, forcing both offenses into a passing game.

- Which leads directly to the biggest difference between these two teams - Oklahoma has figured out how to score touchdowns in the passing game. There is a seven touchdown differential between these offenses. To put it bluntly, that means that Menelik Holt would have caught the ball in the end zone against Virginia Tech, Niles Paul would have held onto the ball and scored against Iowa State, and then we'd have five more against Texas Tech. We'd be undefeated! (Okay, fine.... we'd have beaten Virginia Tech and Iowa State, but we wouldn't be in the position we're in now).

- Gosh, did I just say that the offense has problems on both the offensive line and receiving corps? Why... yes, I did. Does that exonerate Shawn Watson? Not entirely. The "towards the bottom half of the conference" yards per catch is endemic of Watson's "throw to the sideline"

- Defense.... people don't like defensive games anymore, do they? Boring watching two teams beat the crap out of each other, apparently. Well, I hope this game is boring for everyone in the fact that it needs to be low scoring because that gives Nebraska a chance. Oklahoma can score. Nebraska can not.... or at least has not.

- If you're holding hope that this is the game the offense breaks out..... I admire your faith. Join us for the game thread!

Revisiting the Oklahoma Sooners

2009-11-04T11:00:39Z

More photos » by Donna McWilliam - AP

Fear the Stache! (AP Photo/Donna McWilliam)

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We're resurfacing the preseason preview of the Oklahoma Sooners. The biggest change is that both Sam Bradford and Jermaine Gresham are out for the season with injuries. Think that had an impact on the Sooners? Well, they've lost three games this season ... by a total of five frickin' points. So even with Landry Jones ("Fear the Stache!") now at the helm, the Sooners are still a potent bunch. Invincible, obviously not.

The offensive line has struggled, leading to reduced production from DeMarco Murray and the shoulder injury to Bradford. The inexperience at receiver is starting to settle out, but Kansas State scoring 30 last week probably raises some eyebrows.

So what did we say back in the heat of summertime about the Sooners? While the Sooners aren't as potent as last season, I think the poll results probably still would hold.

Under Bob Stoops, Oklahoma has established themselves as the dominant team in the Big XII conference in this decade, with six conference championships in the last nine years. Yes, Texas got a national championship this decade as well, and the Sooners haven't done so well in bowl games, losing the last five BCS bowl games.

Losing those games hurts, no doubt...but any Sooner fan would take the 2000's over the 1990's, when the Sooners stumbled and bumbled and nearly became irrelevent.

Last season seemed like another Stoops-era team. Won the Big XII championship game, then lost to Florida 24-14 in the BCS Championship Game. From that squad, 14 starters return, ensuring that once again, the Sooners will be challenging for Big XII superiority once again.

Offensively, it all starts with quarterback Sam Bradford, who took home the Heisman Trophy as a sophomore last season. Completed nearly 68% of his passes for 50 (yes, FIFTY) touchdowns and only eight interceptions. He set an NCAA record for pass efficiency at 180.8. In summary: he's good. Especially at home ... or at least within the state of Oklahoma, where he's undefeated in his college career.

Junior DeMarco Murray and senior Chris Brown represent the best running back tandem in the Big XII conference. Murray was all-Big XII last season...yet Brown outgained him in yards: 1220 for Brown versus 1002 yards for Murray. (Murray's season ended due to a knee injury suffered on the opening kickoff of the Big XII Championship game, allowing Brown to pass Murray up.)

Graduation hit the rest of the Sooners offense hard; gone are wide receivers Juaquin Iglesias and Manuel Johnson. Sophomore Ryan Broyles enters 2009 as the leading candidate to start; he set an OU record for freshman receiving yards. Broyles lit up Cincinnati for 141 yards and finished the season as the Sooners #3 receiver. Senior all-Big XII tight end Jermaine Gresham will be Bradford's favorite target. The 6'6" 261 freak is simply too fast for linebackers to cover and too big for the secondary to bring down. Defensive coordinators will lose a lot of hair trying to figure out what to do with Gresham.

Up front, the Sooners lose four of five offensive linemen, only returning senior all-Big XII left tackle Trent Williams. Three of the departing starters (Phil Loadholt, Duke Robinson, and Jon Cooper) were all-Big XII in 2008. The anticipated replacements were all highly regarded recruits, but are generally light on experience with the exception of senior left guard Brian Simmons, who played in every game and started twice in 2008. We'll find out in 2009 just how much of Bradford's numbers in 2008 can be attributed to the fortress protecting him up front.

On defense, the Sooners are absolutely loaded. On the defensive line, junior all-Big XII defensive end Jeremy Beal, junior all-American defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, and senior all-Big XII (in 2007) defensive end Auston English all return. English sprained his knee against the Huskers last season, causing him to miss the next three games and relegating him to merely honorable mention all-conference in 2008. Junior defensive tackle Adrian Taylor started all 14 games last season to round out the defensive line.

Depth at linebacker is much the same story. Last year's Big XII Defensive freshman of the year and all-Big XII in 2008, sophomore Travis Lewis returns, as does senior Keenan Clayton, who was honorable mention all-Big XII last season. The heart of the defense, senior middle linebacker Ryan Reynolds returns after suffering a torn ACL in the Texas game. The Sooner defense never seemed to recover from the loss of Reynolds last season.

In the secondary, both senior cornerbacks Brian Jackson and Dominque Franks return. Franks, a second-team all-Big XII selection last season, jumped on the wide receiver screen pass from Joe Ganz to Nate Swift and easily scored on the pick-six before anybody in Husker gear realized what had happened. The Sooners will need to break in new safeties to replace all-Big XII Nic Harris and Lendy Holmes. Most teams would kill to only have those question marks going into the season.

Last year's Sooner defense forced three turnovers on Nebraska's first five offensive plays to jump to a 28-0 lead barely six minutes into the game. With almost all of that defense returning in 2009, it's going to make it even more difficult to pull off an upset in Lincoln. While Nebraska's defense looks to be able to match up better with the Sooner offense this season, the Husker offense is going to need to progress rapidly to get Nebraska into the game against this group of Sooners. Pulling off that upset is going to be quite the challenge.

Poll

What's your prediction when the Husker/Sooner Rivalry resumes in November?

Remember how Arizona State paid NU back in 1996? Nebraska shocks the world with a huge win.

24 votes

Nebraska pulls out a close win in another classic

61 votes

22%

Sooner Magic bites the Huskers again, and the Sooners break Husker hearts in a squeaker.

146 votes

64%

It'll take longer than 6 minutes this year, but it's still another Sooner blowout.

426 votes

657 votes | Poll has closed

For Husker Fans This Season Will Be About Work Ethic

2009-11-04T01:10:32Z

More photos » by Dave Weaver - AP

The Husker defense will have this team in every game this season. Whether we win them or not - they'll be tough to watch.

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(I'm going to take a moment here to give myself the Phil Steele treatment. Steele is better than anyone at telling people about his predictions that turn out well. He says it so often, you believe it. I've taken note..... Ha!)

I told all y'all all the way back in April that the 2009 Cornhuskers might resemble Virginia Tech this season and it looks like it's come true. Our offense has struggled, partially due to injuries, partially due to a lack of playmakers, and partially due to youth (okay, Baylor can be attributed to the youth movement).

The Husker defense, however, has performed very well. The Blackshirts are fourth in the nation in scoring defense, tenth in rushing defense, 13th in pass defense (despite all those long plays we keep complaining about), and eighth in total defense.

Great defense, weak offense - if that doesn't sound like Virginia Tech... what does? Perhaps special teams play provides more evidence. The Huskers are tied for fourth in the nation at blocking punts and kicks. Eric Martin's punt block against Baylor and subsequent touchdown return by Justin Blatchford proved that the defense is capable of putting points on the board.

In order to do that, the defense must improve in gaining turnovers. Forget turnover margin for a moment, the Iowa State game blew that statistic as a useful comparison the rest of the season. Let's look instead at interceptions, where the Blackshirts are tied for 63rd, and forced fumbles, where they're tied for 30th. The Blackshirts played well enough against Baylor

So the Huskers resemble Virginia Tech - who cares? Well, since joining the ACC in 2004, the Hokies have won three out of five conference titles. That's not such bad company to be in, is it? I'm guessing most of you would say no.

What is bothersome to Husker fans is we're accustomed to blowing out teams with a dominating offense. Hate to be blunt about it, but that's not going to happen this season regardless of who's playing quarterback or what plays Shawn Watson calls. It should be obvious by now that we just don't have the players.

The good news is that our defense will keep us in every game this season. If they can make some plays like they did against Baylor, the Blackshirts just might be responsible for some wins, and that includes this upcoming game against the Oklahoma Sooners.

It's the uncertainty of the rest of the season that has most of us on edge. If the rest of the season were a metaphor for a single play so far, it would be Niles Paul's long catch and subsequent fumble against Iowa State. That single play resulted in a roller coaster ride between "big play touchdown" and "OMG $%$$)#($#)(*!!!!!!!" and that's what we're going to experience the rest of this season (although you hope that each game ends up more like the Missouri game of course).

Bottom line - the rest of this season is going to be hard to watch. The question is - why should this bother die-hard fans from a state known for its work ethic?