Nebraska Football: The Huskers' Defining Moment Is Now

The Husker hype has been silenced.

Just one week after a thunderously explosive performance against an athletically overmatched Kansas State team, the Huskers failed their first true test at home against the Texas Longhorns, a team full of dynamic athletes, especially on defense.

And when it rains, it pours.

Nebraska's four dropped touchdown passes, combined with uncharacteristically bad tackling, destroyed Nebraska's chances at an undefeated season. 

How could Nebraska, in such an important, emotionally charged game, a game in which Nebraska was expected to gain redemption, play so thoroughly rotten?

Let's face it, fellow Husker fans. Texas is Nebraska's kryptonite.

They have been since the berth of the Big XII Conference. The Longhorns are now 9-1 against the Huskers since that fateful milestone.

But now, after that nauseating 20-13 loss, the 16th ranked Huskers have a tremendous opportunity. If the Huskers can find a way to get back on track the next two weeks against two very dangerous opponents, 14th ranked Oklahoma State and 11th ranked Missouri, they would be in good position to finish 11-1 and coast to the Big 12 Title game against the presumably undefeated Oklahoma Sooners.

The toughest post-October opponent for the Huskers is Texas A&M, a game sandwiched between two opponents Nebraska should beat, Kansas and Colorado (never count out the Buffs when they play the Huskers, but Nebraska is hands down a better, more athletic team this year). The Aggies have lost to both Oklahoma State and Missouri.

But the next two games are must-wins if Nebraska hopes to even make it to the Big XII Championship game, and both of these teams are better than Texas on paper.

This week, Nebraska focuses on the dynamic, red-hot Oklahoma State Cowboys. The Cowboys feature an explosive offensive attack led by OC Dana Holgorsen, the mastermind behind the Air Raid attack featured at Houston in 2009. The headliners are receiver Justin Blackmon and running back Kendall Hunter. 

Blackmon has been unstoppable this season, compiling almost 1000 yards and 12 touchdowns through the first six games and Hunter has been OSU's most consistent, versatile weapon. Quarterback Brandon Weeden has also compiled huge numbers in the system, but has been prone to interceptions thus far.

This bodes well for a Husker secondary that, until proved otherwise, is still the best in the nation. The Huskers will likely be the first secondary OSU has seen all year that can athletically match up with OSU's passing attack.

Because of that, look for the Cowboys to run the ball much more in this game. Kendall Hunter, a small and slippery but deceptively tough runner, may be the X factor in the outcome of this game.

The Huskers have the defense to stop this offense in its tracks, but sure tackling will be of extreme importance. I  cannot stress that enough. The Huskers were able to stop Daniel Thomas in his tracks thanks to solid tackling, good gap assignments and a huge game from linebacker Lavonte David. 

But the Wildcats don't have half the passing game that OSU has, which is why communication will also be key. The defense, instead of keying in on Hunter like they did Thomas, will have to be wary of both the run and the pass on every single play. In addition, Kendall Hunter's small size and shifty running style will make him tougher to tackle than Thomas was.

Nebraska will need another big game from Lavonte David, who this week should get help from a supposedly healthy Will Compton. Compton's veteran presence and knowledge of the defense should help stabilize the Blackshirts.

The most exciting individual match-up to watch outside of the epic chess match between Holgorsen and the Pelinis will be Blackmon against Nebraska cornerback Prince Amukamara. Most teams have shied away from Amukamara's side, but expect Weeden to target his go-to receiver as much as always, even with Amukamara draped over him.  Blackmon is good enough to produce despite matching up against an elite defender like Amukamara.

It's very possible that Holgorsen develops a plan to get Blackmon away from Amukamara, which is where guys like Alfonzo Dennard, Eric Hagg and Dejon Gomes come in. The secondary will have to neutralize the danger Blackmon poses while also keeping their eyes on OSU's other speedy receivers, such as Hubert Anyiam. 

If Dennard, Nebraska's corner opposite Amukamara, who is also developing elite status, is forced to cover Blackmon, the size difference between the two may pose a problem. However, Weeden's relative lack of accuracy, combined with Dennard's exceptional leaping ability, settles that issue a little bit.

The X factor for Nebraska's offense will be, predictably, Taylor Martinez. Martinez was not responsible for Nebraska's loss to Texas, as he got very little help from his line, receivers or backs, but he still did not have a good game.

I expect the ice cold Martinez to bounce back against a less athletic, more vulnerable defense this week. After an embarrassing game against South Dakota State, Martinez rebounded with a record-setting day against Kansas State. He has the opportunity to do the same this week.

While Oklahoma State's defense is much better than Kansas State's, it's still not as good as a Texas defense that, frankly, got lucky at times, as it usually does against the Huskers (hence the designation of "kryptonite"). I like Martinez to have a good game against the Cowboys. Still, it would not surprise me to see another bad offensive game, as the Cowboy defense, under coordinator Bill Young, seemed to find itself last Saturday in a dominating win over Texas Tech.

Martinez will have to make crisp throws and accurate reads, as well as limit his mistakes against a defense that harassed A&M quarterback Jerrod Johnson into four interceptions and will likely be coming after Martinez all game long.  Defensive end Ugo Chinasa and linebacker Orie Lemon are OSU's best defensive players and could have big days if Nebraska's offensive line does not do well.

The Husker running game must get rolling in this game if the Huskers are to have a chance of beating the Cowboys. Rex Burkhead and Roy Helu Jr. will both have to have big games to slow down the OSU pass rush and give Martinez room to get the zone read going.

Nebraska's biggest tasks will be, first, ball security, and second, a fast start.

The Huskers MUST get their fumblitis figured out. An early fumble by Roy Helu Jr. and subsequent Texas touchdown took the  crowd out of the game on Saturday and set the tone for the entire mistake-filled game. 

Nebraska has a history of starting slow and battling back, only to fall short at the end because they dug themselves into too deep a hole. These factors, I'm  convinced, will ultimately decide the outcome of the game.

One thing to remember is that Nebraska has played extremely well on the road this year, beating the Washington Huskies and Kansas State Wildcats by a combined 104-34 on the legs of its lightning quick redshirt freshman quarterback despite both stadiums being very loud and hostile.

In summary, the Husker offense, depending on ball security, pass protection and pass completions, should be able to move the ball against a defense that has given up at least 28 points in four of their six wins despite being relatively untested (with the exception of Texas A&M, to whom they yielded 35 points). But will the offense rebound from a horrible performance replete with boneheaded errors?

The defense has shown the discipline, tackling ability and athleticism to match-up well with an explosive Oklahoma State offense. But will the Blackshirts decide to tackle this week?

Look for the Huskers to come out carrying their head coach's angry demeanor. I expect the Blackshirts to be ferocious.

In my recap of the Texas-Nebraska game, I stated that I couldn't see Nebraska pulling out the win against Oklahoma State, but now I have to have faith in Nebraska's progress under Bo Pelini and I predict Pelini will have his troops rallied and eek out a win in the Cornhuskers' most important game to date, 27-23.

Now is Nebraska's defining moment. The next two games will be Pelini's most important in his third year as Nebraska head coach, Nebraska's final year in the Big XII.

You wanna go out with a bang, Huskers? Here's your chance.