Nebraska-Oklahoma: Cornhuskers Let Sooners Doom Themselves

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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.

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 ball-hawking 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 and scored their 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 their field goal.)

There was no real mystery to OU's awful offensive output, though. Just point to five interceptions and three missed field goals and a three-point offensive output is easily explained.

There's a reason why freshmen start at quarterback for perennial powerhouse teams about as often as Bob Stoops smiles nowadays. 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 against NU.

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.

The contrast between 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.

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