Report card: Nebraska at Oklahoma
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BY BRIAN ROSENTHAL / Lincoln Journal Star
RUNNING GAME (B)
Anyone else see Ndamukong Suh in at fullback on Quentin Castille’s touchdown run in the first quarter? Great running by Roy Helu, who made some nice cutbacks and also showed a bit of a burst, finishing with 157 yards. Another fumble by Castille, and this time right after Nebraska finally collected a turnover. Marlon Lucky was a bit dinged and had no carries after the first quarter.
PASSING GAME (D)
Dominique Franks, OU cornerback
The Sooners already rolled to an easy TD on their opening possession, but Franks is the one who set the tone with an 18-yard interception return for a score on Nebraska’s first play. He avoided a pick by Nate Swift and stepped in front of a bubble screen pass intended for Todd Peterson.
-- Curt McKeever
DeMarco Murray, OU running back
Murray made the Huskers look slow on kickoffs, returning the opening one 62 yards and another one in the second quarter 57 yards. He also scored twice in the first half.
-- Brian Christopherson
Sam Bradford, OU quarterback
You know, I could have typed this last week. Bradford showed exactly what I expected: Accuracy, poise and excellent command of the no-huddle offense. His strike to Ryan Broyles on the third play was a sign of things to come.
-- Steven M. Sipple
Roy Helu, NU sophomore I-back
Well, if you want any bright spots, how about Helu? The sophomore had some nifty runs, showing his ability to make some cuts and also displaying a bit of a burst.
-- Brian Rosenthal
Perhaps Joe Ganz had too much adrenaline. The senior quarterback often overthrew receivers, even on simple screen passes. Nate Swift didn’t provide the necessary pick on the screen pass intended for Todd Peterson, leading to one interception. Another interception was a tipped ball on a high pass intended for Lucky.
AGAINST THE RUN (C)
It looked like Nebraska might come up with a nice goal-line stand on Oklahoma’s opening series, but the Sooners came through on third down. DeMarco Murray and Chris Brown made a nice one-two punch for Oklahoma, and the Sooners ran for 193 yards. Tyler Wortman had three tackles for losses, and 11 overall.
AGAINST THE PASS (D)
I’m pretty sure there’s no need to wash Sam Bradford’s uniform. The OU quarterback wasn’t touched. Not even close. On the other end, OU receivers were open time and time again. Rickey Thenarse’s interception in the end zone was Nebraska’s first interception since the New Mexico State game. “Lousy” is how Bo Pelini described his defense’s execution.
SPECIAL TEAMS (D)
Nebraska’s kickoff coverage was horrendous. There’s no other way to put it. The Sooners opened with a 62-yard return to start the game and started two other drives in Nebraska territory in the first half after returns of 40 and 57 yards. The Huskers also didn’t threaten a weak OU kickoff coverage unit, and they certainly had plenty of chances.
GAME MANAGEMENT (F)
More personal fouls, this time leading to the ejection of Terrence Moore (although Pelini said he ejected Moore, not the officials). It made no sense to give OU the ball to start the game; Nebraska won the coin flip and deferred to the second half. Why? Not a good replay challenge on the Dreu Young fumble in the first quarter. It looked like a fumble all the way, and that cost NU a timeout.
PLAY CALLING (C)
Does the playbook get chucked when it’s 35-0 in the first quarter? Oklahoma sure had that bubble screen well-scouted. “Obviously,” Pelini said when asked about the play. Coaches probably could’ve taken out Ganz one series sooner, but at least he wasn’t asked to finish this one.
OVERALL (D)
Nebraska was out-talented, outcoached and outplayed. Any other questions? Certainly none for Nebraska players, who were made off-limits for postgame interviews. “I’m not talking about it. They’re not available,” Pelini said of his decision. “I’m the voice tonight.” Pelini wants his players to forget about this game and move on. He rallied them once after the Missouri debacle. Can he do it again?
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