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At least for a day, the No.3 Oklahoma v Nebraska has lived up to the bill of being one of college football’s historic rivalries. In the end, the Sooners survived a scare with a 23-16 victory over the Cornhuskers on the 50th anniversary of the game of the century.
Oklahoma’s offensive performance ranks among the worst since Lincoln Riley took over as offensive coordinator, let alone when he took over as head coach. The 23 points are the lowest the Sooners have scored since they tied the total in a 33-23 loss to No.15 Houston to open the 2016 season. Quarterback Spencer Rattler completed 24 of 34 assists for 214 passing yards and one passing and ground touchdown. Running backs Eric Gray and Kennedy Brooks totaled 159 yards on 29 rushing attempts.
The Nebraska offense fought fiercely against a talented Oklahoma defense. Huskers QB Adrian Martinez completed 19 of 25 passes for 289 passing yards and 34 rushing yards while facing pressure all day from an Oklahoma defense that placed in the top 15 at the level. national for bags. His only interception was an arm kick on a fourth down that immobilized the Sooners in their 5-yard line. Nebraska is actually averaging 6.1 yards per game compared to Oklahoma’s 5.9, a shock to one of college football’s best offenses.
Oklahoma’s win takes the Sooners 3-0 to enter the Big 12, although both FBS wins have been shaky at best. Before beating the Cornhuskers, Oklahoma beat Tulane by a 45-40 margin. West Virginia and road tests against Kansas State face Oklahoma as it enters the Big 12. For Nebraska, the last three games – even with a loss on the road – give hope. that the cap for this team is higher than a season opener loss to Illinois would suggest.
The win gives Oklahoma a 46-38-3 advantage in the all-time series, including wins in nine of the last 10 games. Here are the takeaways from the Sooners’ narrow victory over Nebraska.
1. Oklahoma’s problems are no accident
The final numbers don’t look horrible, but the breach was a real concern for the first few weeks. The Sooners averaged nearly 7 yards per game last season. Against Nebraska, it was only 5.9 yards per game. Four of Oklahoma’s nine records stalled after five games or less. For some reason, this became a boom or bust offense for Riley.
Nebraska relied on deep zone coverage to keep the game in front and limit the big plays. Instead of trying to challenge him at all times, the Sooners made Rattler quick and decisive. Even in its second season, it can be an inconsistent plan. Prior to December 2020, a team coached by Riley had never been held below 30 points. Now the Sooners have been limited to 27 points or less in three of their last four games against the Power Five competition.
2. Martinez still has juice
The quarterback has been a revolving door in Nebraska since Scott Frost arrived, but Martinez still clearly gives them the best chance of winning. Even in the face of pressure from the aggressive Oklahoma front, his cunning kept Nebraska on schedule. The veteran tallied 323 of Nebraska’s 384 total yards, a number maintained by Oklahoma sacking him four times. Still, his cunning helped Nebraska convert on six third downs and a fourth attempt.
Martinez is by no means a perfect quarterback. His tendency to hang on to the ball and never say die can put Nebraska behind the chains. Still, the ‘Huskers don’t have a lot of sparks offensively. They need Martinez to be that.
3. Reverse depth will hold OU
Any team in America would take Eric Gray and Kennedy Brooks as their two best running backs. But over the course of three games, the stock market’s lack of depth behind the top pair appears to be impacting Riley’s playcall. The pair combined for 29 races – 15 for Gray, 14 for Brooks – despite great success against the Nebraska front. Six rushes arrived on Oklahoma’s last record as it tried to bleed the clock. It’s hard to interpret the lack of use as anything except that Riley cares about the safety of her only two purse holders. Rattler has shown problems managing games when he has to fill all roles. If Oklahoma doesn’t feel comfortable relying on the running game at all times, that will put Rattler in a position to fail every week. Oklahoma must find options.
4. Rivalries never die
Even though these teams haven’t played in over a decade, the fight was still there. Oklahoma faced the Nebraska players in midfield in warm-ups. The crowd forced a pair of false starts on the Cornhuskers’ first two games. All the pomp and circumstances before the game really seemed to play a part in the close game.
That said, Oklahoma cannot afford to sit on its laurels as it enters conference. Having a slow start to the season is one thing. It also happened in 2020. But if the slow play continues in the conference play, the Sooners can embrace their chance to play for a goodbye to the national championship.
The only good news? Ohio State and Clemson already have losses on the schedule.
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