22 BIG 12
Words from the Big 12 Writers from around the conference weigh in on their teams
NEBRASKA CORNHUSKERS
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Nebraska's Prince Amukamara (21) intercepts a pass intended for Oklahoma's Adron Tennell in the first half of their game in Lincoln, Neb., last Saturday. The Huskers intercepted five of Oklahoma quarterback Landry Jones passes in their 10-3 victory.
Defense key in 10-3 upset
By Max Olson The Daily Nebraskan
LINCOLN, Neb. — Marvin Sanders approached reporters with wide eyes and a shell-shocked look on his face seven weeks ago.
The Nebraska defensive backs coach hao a hard time explaining how a wide receiver had burnedNU's defense for 81 yards to set up a game-winning touchdown and a 16-15 Virginia Tech win.
The masterpiece that Sanders' defensive backs put together Saturday night merited such attention. Nebraska's cornerbacks and safeties gave Oklahoma fits all night long with tight, physical coverage and a ball-hawking mentality.
On Saturday, following Nebraska's second prime-time, nationally televised game of the season, things were much different.
"I saw our secondary attacking the
football instead of playing it safe," Pelini said. "That's the hurdle we we've been trying to cross, and we crossed it tonight."
Pelini prepared an aggressive scheme that put an emphasis on not letting Oklahoma quarterback Landry Jones get in a rhythm, and Sanders' unit responded with a confidence that hasn't been seen from Nebraska's secondary in a long time.
A variety of blitz packages forced Jones to make quick decisions and caused plenty of errant passes — the freshman threw 32 incomplete passes on the night.
Nebraska's bend-but-don't-break defense gave up 325 total yards, but was able to shut down Oklahoma when the Sooners got into scoring position thanks to its defensive backs' abilities to blanket receivers. Pelini's increased blitzing paid off handsomely on third-down plays as well — the Sooners went 5-for-18 on the night and had to settle for field goal attempts on four
The secondary's performance was a far cry from its first year under Sanders. Last year, Nebraska's defensive backs were so busy thinking about what their assignments were on a play that they produced a mere six interceptions. The Huskers ranked 89th in the nation in pass defense and allowed 46 passes of 20 or more yards.
drives.
On Saturday, Sanders' secondary - comprised of nearly all the same players as last season - produced seven pass breakups and four interceptions.
"We felt we were good enough athletically to be aggressive with their receivers, and our goal this week was to come out swinging on every play," Sanders said.
Safety Larry Asante, who collected eight tackles and a pass breakup against Oklahoma, attributed the physical play to a stronger knowledge of Sanders' game plan this season.
Nebraska within reach of North title
By Spencer Schubert The Daily Nebraskan
LINCOLN, Neb. — After Kansas State knocked off Kansas last Saturday in the battle of the Sunflower State, a lot of heads lowered in Cornhusker Country.
The Wildcats upended their in-state rival Kansas 17-10 to capture the Governor's Cup while Nebraska had a game looming against its rival Oklahoma. Some Husker fans expected Nebraska to get blown out for the second straight year.
When the final whistle blew, the Huskers also shocked more than just their fans, winning 10-3.
Nebraska coach Bo Pelini couldn't have been happier.
That "attitude" is what Nebraska will need to end up in the Big 12 Conference title game in Dallas at the end of the year.
"I'm just proud of this whole football team," Pelini said. "I'm proud of how they played. I'm proud of the effort and the attitude they brought to the game."
After Saturday, K-State coach Bill Snyder and his Wildcats are in position to represent the North in Dallas, but they won't do it without a fight from Nebraska.
After what was expected to be an inevitable loss to Oklahoma, Nebraska was supposed to bow out of the North race.
But the upset over the Sooners, paired with the Kansas State win, makes the North a two-team race.
As a whole, the Big 12 is in shambles. Texas is the only undefeated team left in the conference and has all but punched their ticket to the BCS title game, making the South relatively irrelevant until December.
Which brings us to the messed up world that is the North.
Somehow, Colorado finds itself third in the division ahead of Iowa State, Kansas and Missouri, even though Colorado is 3-6 on the year. The Buffaloes found a way to edge Texas A&M 35-34 Saturday, giving them a 2-3 conference record.
The Jayhawks and Tigers are out of serious contention with 1-4 conference marks, while the Cyclones sit at 2-4 in Big 12 play. This leaves Nebraska (3-2) and K-State (4-2) as the only two teams left with a ticket to Dallas on the table.
THE WAVE NOVEMBER 13,2009
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN