By Wendell Barnhouse | wendell@big12sports.com
Big 12 Sports.com Correspondent
Bob Stoops remembers the good ol' days of the Oklahoma-Nebraska rivalry. In the days of the old Big Eight Conference, the rivals met near the end of each season. Almost always a trip to the Orange Bowl was on the line, often a national championship.
"I think there's no question it's changed," he said of the series that's held two out of every four years due to the Big 12's divisional set up. "It's different. You think back in the old Big Eight days. For so many years it was Oklahoma and Nebraska at the top of the league and battling at the end of the season every year.
"There's no denying the difference now that it's changed and you don't play every year, and you're not in the same division. All of that has changed it to some degree."
This year the change includes the fact that both the No. 20 Sooners and the Cornhuskers take uncommon 5-3 records into Saturday night's game in Lincoln. Oklahoma is 3-1 in Big 12 play and the Cornhuskers are 2-2. Nebraska still has a chance to win the Big 12 North while Oklahoma will need a series of unlikely upsets to claim the South Division title.
None of that will matter much when these old rivals meet. Both defenses are hard edged and will be on the prowl for quarterback sacks. Oklahoma's Landry Jones leads Division I-A freshmen with 17 touchdown passes but will need to avoid the pass rush of Ndamakong Suh and company.
Nebraska freshman quarterback Cody Green might make his second start of the season. Last week he joined Tommie Frazier as the only freshman to start for the Cornhuskers.
"He's a confident young man with a lot of poise. Things are going to happen. You're going to make mistakes," Nebraska coach Bo Pelini said of Green. "At the end of the day, I thought he handled it well. It's not like he lacks confidence. I don't think he'll crawl into a shell. He's not that kind of kid."
If Kansas State loses earlier Saturday, the Cornhuskers will take the field knowing that a victory would put them in first place in the North. So this regionally televised game has significant implications for Nebraska.
Stoops is a coach who wants his players to understand and embrace history and tradition. On Monday the Sooners viewed film clips of past Oklahoma-Nebraska battles that had an impact on the national championship.
"There's a lot of amazing tradition and history," Stoops said. "I always wonder if our freshmen, sophomores and guys who haven't been around very long have a true understanding of the tradition of that (Nebraska) program."
Saturday's games All times Central
Oklahoma at Nebraska Need to know: 7 p.m., Memorial Stadium, ABC. Records: Oklahoma 5-3, 3-1; Nebraska 5-3, 2-2. Scouting Oklahoma: The Sooners' offense has settled down under the leadership of redshirt freshman quarterback Landry Jones. Receiver Ryan Broyles has become a productive, big-play receiver. The running game has yet to become dominant as the offensive line continues to struggle with consistency. The defense can be stifling but at times has failed to come up with big stops. Scouting Nebraska: The Cornhuskers still have a shot at winning the North Division but they need to start building momentum by defending their home field. Freshman Cody Green made his first start at quarterback last week at Baylor and figures to again be running the offense. Nebraska's defense has played at a championship level and needs to keep the Sooners' offense from making this a shootout. This and that: OU quarterback Landry Jones has 17 touchdown passes, more than any freshman in Division I-A. ... Stretching back to last season, the Sooners haven't allowed a point in the first quarter in 10 consecutive games. Over that span, Oklahoma has outscored its opponents 79-0 in the opening period. ... Since the Big 12 was formed, Oklahoma has a 5-2 edge against Nebraska that features home-and-home games two out of every four years.
UCF at Texas Need to know: 11 a.m., Royal/Memorial Stadium, FSN. Records: UCF 5-3, Texas 8-0 Scouting UCF: The Knights' offense relies on running back Brynn Harvey to move the ball on the ground. UCF's passing game rarely stretches the defense with down field passes. The Knights' front seven, led by defensive tackle Torrell Troup and linebackers Cory Hogue and Lawrence Young, is solid. Scouting Texas: The second-ranked Longhorns emerged from their rugged four-game stretch of October Big 12 games in perfect position to win the South Division and earn a spot in the national championship game. Texas leads the nation with nine non-offensive touchdowns and its defense is becoming dominant. Quarterback Colt McCoy and the running game appear to be gaining momentum. This and that: This is a rare November non-conference game for Texas. The game was moved to this date to allow television to carry the Texas Tech at Texas game on Sept. 19. ... Texas played at UCF in 2007 and needed to recover an onside kick to preserve a 35-32 victory. ... UCF won a Conference USA game last Saturday by scoring two touchdowns in the last eight minutes to edge Marshall, 21-20. ... In the last five games, Texas has allowed 103 rushing yards on a128 attempts (0.8 yards per carry).
Kansas at Kansas State Need to know: 11:30 a.m., Bill Snyder Family Stadium, Versus. Records: Kansas 5-3, 1-3; Kansas State 5-4, 3-2. Scouting Kansas: The Jayhawks have lost three consecutive games and senior quarterback Todd Reesing was benched near the end of last Saturday's loss at Texas Tech. In his last three games, Reesing has seven turnovers that have led to five opponent touchdowns. If Reesing regains his mojo, he and the KU receivers could do some business against a Kansas State secondary that sometimes struggles. Scouting Kansas State: The Wildcats can take a big step toward winning the North Division by beating their in-state rival. The offense has an impressive performance in last Saturday's loss at Oklahoma, ringing up 30 points on the Sooners' stout defense. Running back Daniel Thomas and wide receiver/kick returner Brandon Banks have been the big play guys. Kansas State's defense has struggled at times and has allowed 20 touchdown passes. This and that: Kansas State coach Bill Snyder beat Kansas 12 of the last 13 times before taking his three-year break from coaching. ... The Wildcats have produced 13 turnovers with a plus-7 turnover margin and six interceptions in five Big 12 games. ... Kansas has won four of the last five games in the Sunflower State showdown. ... Kansas has 24 sacks in eight games. Last season in 13 games the Jayhawks had 29 sacks.
Texas A&M at Colorado Need to know: 12:30 p.m., Folsom Field, Fox College Sports. Records: Texas A&M 5-3, 2-2; Colorado 2-6, 1-3. Scouting Texas A&M: The Aggies can become bowl eligible with another victory and they'll be trying to match their season-opening three-game winning streak. The offense relied on quarterback Jerrod Johnson to start the season but the running game has started to percolate; A&M has gained 588 yards rushing in its last two games. The defense the last two weeks has had two of its better performances. Scouting Colorado: The Buffaloes are coming off a disappointing effort in a 36-17 Folsom Field loss to Missouri. Colorado's running game has produced 46 yards the last two weeks and has been over 100 yards in just three games this season. Sophomore quarterback Tyler Hansen lost three fumbles and was sacked eight times against the Tigers. After looking strong in two Big 12 games, the run defense has allowed a total of 388 yards in the last two games. This and that: Sophomore tailback Darrell Scott announced he was transferring and freshman defensive end Nick Kasa is out for the season due to injuries. They were Colorado's top recruits the last two years. ... Texas A&M has won in Boulder once (1997) in the Big 12 era. ... Hansen had 216 rushing yards - a Colorado record for a freshman quarterback - in last year's 24-17 loss to the Aggies.
Baylor at Missouri Need to know: 1 p.m., Memorial Stadium. Records: Baylor 3-5, 0-4; Missouri 5-3, 1-3. Scouting Baylor: The Bears are in serious need of an offensive boost. Baylor has scored 34 points in its four Big 12 losses and is averaging 290 yards in total offense in Conference play. Quarterbacks Blake Szymanski and Nick Florence have struggled with consistency and the running game has been bottled up. The inability to move the ball has put too much of a burden on a defense that had one of its best efforts of the season last week, holding Nebraska to 273 total yards. Scouting Missouri: The Tigers are coming off their best game in a month, a 36-17 triumph at Colorado. Missouri's offense finally got production (184 yards) from its running game. Sophomore quarterback Blaine Gabbert has nearly recovered from the sprained ankle he suffered in the Big 12 opener. The defense should be able to duplicate its effort against Colorado when it allowed just 176 total yards. This and that: Baylor is 10th in the Big 12 in rushing defense and last in third down conversions. ... The Bears have allowed 14 sacks and have sacked the opposing QB just 12 times. ... After producing eight sacks in its previous five games, Missouri's defense had eight sacks against Colorado.
Oklahoma State at Iowa State Need to know: 2:30 p.m., Jack Trice Stadium, ABC Records: Oklahoma State, 6-2, 3-1; Iowa State 5-4, 2-3. Scouting Oklahoma State: The Cowboys have had to overcome adversity and bounce back several times this season; they need to show their resolve again. Quarterback Zac Robinson had four interceptions in last Saturday's disappointing loss to Texas. He and the Oklahoma State offense might have more success against an Iowa State defense that's solid but nowhere near as tough as the Longhorns' unit. Scouting Iowa State: The Cyclones welcome quarterback Austen Arnaud and running back Alexander Robinson back to the starting lineup. With those two healthy, Iowa State's running game will give the Cyclones the ability to run the football. Iowa State's defense has forced 13 turnovers in its last three games but allowed 501 yards last week in the loss at Texas A&M. This and that: Oklahoma State leads the Big 12 in fewest sacks allowed and Iowa State is second. They've combined to allow 10 sacks in their 17 games. ... Iowa State has allowed 18 touchdown passes; only Kansas State has allowed more among Big 12 teams. ... The Cyclones' 200 yards rushing per game leads the Big 12. ... Oklahoma State has won six of its last nine road games. ... Oklahoma State has been in the Associated Press top 25 for 22 consecutive weeks, the school's longest streak since 26 consecutive weeks in 1987-88.
