You want a rivalry? Then it's time for NU to step it up and play like it.

Big Red Rivalry Advantages Favor OU - Crimson And Cream Machine
I think that Nebraska's offense will struggle considerably more that Oklahoma's. Not because one defense is better than the other but because the Huskers don't have as many playmakers on offense as OU.
You can head over the C&C to argue if you want.

Steven M. Sipple: NU needs to control line of scrimmage
If NU can then, and Sipple thinks they can, he has NU winning.

Sizing up the storylines: Oklahoma
Green, Suh, special teams, and swagger.

Omaha.com - The Omaha World-Herald: Big Red Today Blog - Sports Writers - Sooners are tough to sack
Even with their O-Line struggling.

Omaha.com - The Omaha World-Herald: Big Red Today - Three things to watch
Trick plays for NU, D-Line making big plays, and which Jones will show up?

Curt McKeever: NU has to worry about its own game
The reality is that even with a loss to Oklahoma, so long as Iowa State doesn’t win out (yes, you read that correctly), all the Huskers would have to do to win the North is defeat Kansas, Kansas State and Colorado.
So you know we have that going for us, which is nice.

Living life after the pose
The LJS talks with 6 Heisman Trophy winners, 3 from NU and OU each

Offense shines, defense doesn’t in exhibition win
a 86-66 win

Wow what a fun trip. I lost my luggage for a day and a half, and then the truck we took died on the interstate at 1:30 in the am. Anyway it seems I missed about a thousand memorial articles about OU and NU, and then ten thousand NU should play OU every year articles. So yeah nothing much. Also can everyone stop with the Suh is going too play QB jokes. It wasn't that funny to start with and now it's just old.

Life in the Red's Blog | Breakfast with Ted
So Gilmore gave opportunities to junior college transfer Brandon Kinnie and redshirt freshman Khiry Cooper. Those two, along with Paul and senior Chris Brooks (who's not played the last two weeks because of injury), will play the bulk, if not all, of the snaps against Oklahoma Saturday night.

Where have you gone Swift and Peterson?, Husker nation turns their lonely eyes to you...

Ten good minutes with Nebraska DT Jared Crick - Big 12 - ESPN
Crick is like Luigi to Suh's Mario. Suh get's all the attention, but Crick is a pretty good player 2.

Is Landry Jones The Best Quarterback In The Big 12?
I hope that I didn’t lose you at the headline but this is a legitimate question. When the post season awards are released next month you won’t see Landry Jones as the Big 12’s First Team All-Conference quarterback but the reality is that as of right now there may not be a more deserving signal caller in the conference.

Obviously C&C have not heard of a certain QB from Missouri. One that is better than Elway, and Young (Steve not Vince) combined.

NE StatePaper.com - Five Keys: Oklahoma
Field position, Survive OU's haymakers, O-line play, Something about short passes, and rolling snake eyes on gambles

EDSBS " Archive " THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL WEEK IN GRAPHS, VOLUME 2

It's coming people. Be prepared.

Omaha.com - The Omaha World-Herald: Big Red Today Blog - Lee Barfknecht - Buffs suffer blow with transfer
Tailback Darrell Scott -- considered the nation's No. 1 running back in the 2007 recruiting class -- announced he will transfer.

Like rats off a sinking Buffalo.

Wow, I miss jlew doing these darned things. He comes up with way better imagery than I do. When the hell is he coming back?????

One thing of note I haven't seen mentioned anywhere else - a message to the Unity Council:

Please do not engage in any silliness during the tunnel walk this Saturday against Oklahoma. We do not need to see you walk out arm-in-arm to make some bloody statement about how you're all together and we're somehow against you. Please just round out onto the field while making frenzied attempts to let the fans know that you love us and we'll love you right back.

Okay? Okay.

Now that I got that off my chest, onto selected links of interest - otherwise known as Cornflakes:

What to watch for in the Big 12, Week 10 - Big 12 - ESPN

4. Will Bo Pelini and Shawn Watson chance starting Cody Green against Oklahoma’s blitz-heavy defense? Brent Venables is one of the savviest defensive coordinators in the conference with a vast collection of defenses he likes to employ. His unit might be like sharks smelling fresh blood as it faces Green in his second career start. Consider that Colt McCoy said that he saw blitzes when playing against Oklahoma earlier this season he had never seen before. And that was in his 45th career college start, when he was knocked to the ground 14 times in the first half of that game and struggled through his most troublesome game of the season against the Sooners. Imagine the challenge facing that defense will provide for the inexperienced Green.

 

Here's an idea. Don't throw the ball. Seriously. I vote we go heavy set, run the ball right at the middle of their line the entire game. And then use play-action. - CB

Bottom line for OU-Nebraska: Line play the key
Sooners quarterback Landry Jones was asked early in the week if he thought his guys up front realized the magnitude of the task at hand. Jones, with a wry smile, replied, "I hope so." His response provoked laughter, but this week's challenge for the offensive line is no laughing matter as the Sooners strive to finish strong.

Well... they can finish strong, but this weekend they'll hopefully play weak. Maybe the Huskers can take out another quarterback along the way - CB.

Bring back OU-Nebraska, every year
It's Oklahoma-Nebraska week, so you know what that means.Saccharine overload.Welcome to college football's lovefest. The series that's more mushy than a Valentine card. More syrupy than a cherry Dr Pepper.

More on this one later - CB.

Helu healthier, OU’s offensive line is impressive
Also on today’s report, defensive coordinator Carl Pelini talks about how he spends a lot of time breaking down the line play of his opponents. When it comes to the play of redshirt freshmen Landry Jones, Pelini points out there is a reason, the Sooners are still an explosive offensive team…the offensive line.

When will people learn? When? When will they learn that if they want a real opinion on an opponent that they don't listen to coaches. Not just Nebraska coaches, any coaches. Anywhere. Except maybe Mike Leach. And he gets in trouble for speaking the truth. That's why no one else does it. - CB

An area to watch Saturday
The Sooner offense obviously could have problems of its own, especially in the trenches. Notice the Oklahoma depth chart shows Ben Habern, a redshirt freshman, as the starting center. At left guard, the Sooner depth chart lists senior Brody Eldridge, who actually started four games at tight end and one at center this season. He played three seasons at fullback. At right guard, OU starts sophomore Stephen Good.

Hmmmm..... OU's offensive line is good, yet they're starting a guy who played tight end at left guard? That's one incredible dude!

Tom Shatel is not really on twitter.
4. Apparently, someone has created a Twitter account in my name, complete with matching photo. I would just like to state for the record that I had nothing to do with that. I do not tweet, I have never tweeted nor shall I ever tweet. I think it's a silly thing. Nobody is that interesting that I need to know what they are doing or thinking every five minutes. If I have something to say that can't wait, you'll read it here. So, if you see something on Twitter with my name on it, it's a fake. It's somebody else giving you what they believe are the boring details of my life. Thank you, but I'll keep my boring life to myself.

We should have known this because twitter is very 2009-ish, and the OWH has only recently made it to 2000. Twitter is just another form of communication, much like texting (for Tom S, that's when you enter characters into your phone and send them to other people younger than you). Some find it useful, others don't. I find it very useful. You can follow CN on twitter, ya know, 'cause we're all about destroying the newspaper industry with our technologically-advanced savvy. - CB

Fed-up CU Buffs fans plan powder-blue protest at Folsom
If they bother to show up, that is. - CB

Obviously, CN went through a site change earlier today. There are some problems, and things are being fixed, argued about and changed, as we speak. Above all changes, you should see faster site loading times. Comments about the changes are welcome! 

Jared Crick snags dream game at Baylor for family
Nice story about Jared Crick, "J-Rod", and his family. Must read. Good job DN!

Jones, Batch, Crick and Banks Selected as Big 12 Football Players of the Week - Big 12 Conference 
Landry Jones (Oklahoma), Baron Batch (Texas Tech), Jared Crick (Nebraska) and Brandon Banks (Kansas State) have been named Big 12 Conference Football Players of the Week. 

Huskers Travel to San Antonio for 2009 Big 12 Championship

The Nebraska soccer team begins the 2009 postseason when it travels to the Lone Star State for the Big 12 Championship this week in San Antonio. Carrying the school's best record since 2005 (11- 4-4, 5-3-2), the Huskers have earned the No. 4 seed in the conference tournament and will face No. 5 Oklahoma State (12-7-0, 5-5-0) this Wednesday at 11:30 a.m., at Blossom Soccer Stadium. Fans can catch all the action with free live video and stats on Big12Sports.com and a live blog on Huskers.com.

It's my schill post for Nebraska soccer. They're building toward a NCAA berth, so it's important they do well in the Big 12 tournament. Plus, the better the non-revenue sports are, the better off the athletic department is. Plus, I like soccer, so there - CB 

Stoops, Pelini Reflect on NU-OU series
Stoops said the rivalry has "no question" changed now that the teams only play two out of every four years, but the OU staff – which includes former Sooners Cale Gundy, Josh Heupel, Chris Wilson and Jackie Shipp - "puts it in front of the players" during game week. In the past, Oklahoma has shown a video of classic moments from the series.

Pelini intent on improving Cornhuskers' rushing

"We've got to get better production," Pelini said. "We need to run the football better. We've got to block better. We've got to run more consistently. We have to not miss holes. We just need to execute better in that phase of our game."

Emphasis on the "block better" portion of that statement. Unfortunately, I'm not 100% sure that's possible with this group of linemen. The tackles.... arrgh! 

Early Weekend Lines

DXP has the lines on the games this weekend, with Oklahoma being favored by six. 

More photos » by ALONZO ADAMS - AP

Don't give me this crap about how much we love and respect Oklahoma. Stop pining for the old days when they were a rival because they're gone. I want to kill them. I want Landry Jones to get smashed in a quarterback sandwich between Crick and Suh. I want a win.

Browse more photos »

Tell Us Why You Think NU-OU Rivalry Still Transcends Time, Loyalties

Nebraska's biggest football rival makes its once-every-four-year stop in Lincoln Saturday

There's something wrong in that sentence.... oh... maybe the fact that a rivalry is supposed to be played every year. Not whenever it rolls around on the schedule. Can we get past the fact that Oklahoma is no longer our rival? Ever? - CB

ThaiXpatWriter: Nebraska Football's 2 greatest knights
Husker fan in Thailand hasn't given up on the team and continues to watch because of Crick and Suh. Or is that Suh and Crick? This is a guy who stays up most of the night, yet he's still there..... - CB

How to Beat Oklahoma
Steve at BRN has the keys for beating Oklahoma. Have you written this game off as a loss already? - CB

Plenty of room to grow
Regarding Cody Green - please notice that it does not say "Plenty of time to grow". It does not say that because there is no time. NO TIME!!!! Grow up right now, Cody Green! ARRRGhhhh - CB

Tight North race shows no sign of clearing up - Big 12 - ESPN

Imagine this scenario that could play out this weekend.

Uh, no. I don't want to imagine Big 12 North scenarios just to create more content. I'm not going to do that - I'm just not, because no matter what I do, it will favor Nebraska because I want it to. If someone else feels like they can write non-biased objective views of the North race, I will promise to promote their stuff to the front page. - CB 

Big changes a comin'? - Rock Chalk Talk

Hey, at least both our QB's are new guys this year. How'd you like to have a veteran quarterback who's not playing well? Todd Reesing gets benched. Jayhawk fans.... well.. go read this for insight into what they're thinking. - CB

Dan Hawkins Press Conference Drinking Game - The Ralphie Report
Take a drink every..... OMG! This one ought to save a lot of time as you pass out within five minutes of it's start. Maybe Hawk should have a pre-game press conference and save all the Colorado fans from having to watch the games. - CB

Fat Little Girlfriends :Clarified - Double-T Nation
Mike Leach aims to save America, while his "fat little girlfriends" comment makes it on Jimmy Kimmel. Fish sandwich and lemonade for lunch? That sounds bloody awful, doesn't it? - CB

AP Poll Voter Ranks Teams On Merit - It's Crazy, Man! Just Crazy!!!!
In my third year of voting in the Associated Press poll, I've chosen to judge teams almost strictly based on what happens on the field while following the first guideline listed by the Associated Press: "Base your vote on performance, not reputation or preseason speculation." And, for a while, I became the "crazy" voter. Who knew facts could be so controversial?

Hmmm...... Poll voter group think? Shocking, I say! - CB

Jlew is out until Wednesday or Thursday. I'll be doing the cornflakes. I doubt you'll see any cats in the next few days..... 

Nebraska's Ndamukong Suh ticketed for negligent driving
Suh hit three parked cars, had a blood alcohol content of .035, cooperated with police, got a ticket for negligent driving and somehow it's national news. If that isn't the definition of living in a fishbowl, I don't know what is. -CB

Huskers’ kid stuff works, but just for the first half
Too bad that was on television.

What a whiney article by the OWH's Mike Sherman.-CB

Jared Crick - Walter Camp Defensive Player of the Week
Nebraska sophomore defensive tackle Jared Crick made 13 tackles (10 solo) and tied a school record with five quarterback sacks as the Cornhuskers defeated Baylor, 20-10. Crick, who had seven tackles for losses, added a fumble recovery and broke up a pass in the victory.

Cody Green Takes Over at Quarterback; Husker Offense Remains Lethargic
Husker Mike talks about the fact that there's more wrong with this offense than just Zac Lee. - CB

CRIIIIIIIICK

Big Red Network points out the incredible play of Jared Crick. if opponents are thinking next year's defensive line won't be that good without Suh..... well, there's another star in the making in Crick. We'll be fine. - CB

Sunday School: Baylor " The Jack & John in the Morning Blog

I know most people have conceded the Oklahoma game.  That kind of talk was going on before the Iowa State game, which is a shame.  You aren’t going to find many OU teams as vulnerable as this one – even with the great defense.  The Sooners have their own freshman quarterback, they haven’t been able to protect the passer nor have a big threat in the running game.  With the Blackshirts playing as they are, it could easily be the first one to 10 points wins.  If that is true, then one big break, one special teams play or one big play by the offense could be the difference between winning and losing.

John Bishop has summed up the entire week and there's no reason for anything else to be written. Damn you, BISHOP!!!! ARRGGGghhhh. - CB 

 Ex-Nebraska Cornhuskers OL Aaron Taylor auctions off rings, Outland Trophy

There's a misleading headline. It wasn't actually Taylor who auctioned off his stuff, but another guy who obtained Taylor's prized possessions through a bankruptcy liquidation. Now someone besides Taylor has his Outland Trophy..... and probably doesn't even know where to put it. I have a suggestion, though. - CB

Worst Trojans ever: USC's historic collapse, by the numbers
I thoroughly enjoyed watching USC get pounded by the Ducks, and I do mean thoroughly. - CB

OU 42/Kansas State 30 – The Return Of Ugly Football - Crimson And Cream Machine
It's just that beating K-State by 12 at home after leading 21-0 in the first quarter is a bit unsettling. OU saw that lead cut to within 5 points twice and despite the fact that Landry Jones orchestrated two crucial scoring drives in the 4th quarter, to push the lead back to 12 on both occasions, everyone in crimson and cream knew that our Sooners had just dodged a bullet.

Hearing rumors that Green will get the start at Baylor.

HuskerExtra.com -Steven M. Sipple: Clamping down in the secondary
Sipple talks about NU's emerging corner backs, Heisman, ex-Huskers, Baylor and then some facts and data. We don't find out if he enjoys long walks on the beach...

Omaha.com - Husker defense not pointing fingers
Six consecutive games, the Blackshirts have allowed less than 278 total yards — Nebraska hasn't matched that feat since 1996.
Defense awesome, Offense not so much

Life in the Red's Blog | Breakfast with Marvin
Nothing really new here, but some notes fro the Big Red Breakfast

Should the Big 12's divisional structure be changed? - Big 12 - ESPN
Tim Griffin looks at possible re-configurations of the B12. It's not going to happen, but what would you do?

Is Nebraska on the Outside Looking In? - Nebraska Football
BRN looks at NU's Bowl predictions and how NU could finish the season. Could NU be home for the holidays?

Scout.com: 2009 Big 12 Fearless Picks - Week 9
What will happen: Nebraska will still be shaky, but the defense will stop the Bears cold and the Husker offense will stop making mistakes. It’s not going to be pretty, but the slide ends here. CFN Prediction: Nebraska 27 … Baylor 13

Joe Posnanski " Blog Archive " Political Philosophy? Really?
Joe Posnanski is awesome. He asks is there a difference between lying, and telling a misleading truth? When i read it I thought about NU's QB debate when Bo says he doesn't know who the starter will be. Is that true or is that a lie, or just a misleading truth? Do you as a fan care?

Baylor football wants to be faster out of gate vs. Nebraska
Every weekday, on their way to the practice field, the Baylor football players emphatically slap a sign emblazoned with the message, "Start Fast." It’s a concept the Bears would like to carry over to the game field..... but haven't. The Bears haven't scored a first-quarter touchdown yet in Big 12 play.
Let's hope we keep that record intact - CB.

How to fix a flat: Why has NU's offense sprung a leak? (Omaha World-Herald)
"Against BCS teams in 2008, Nebraska finished drives with scores 44 percent of the time. On the other hand, the odds of a Husker possession ending without a first down were 23 percent. The numbers have nearly flipped. In '09, the Huskers score on 24 percent of their possessions against BCS teams. The chances of seeing a drive end with a three-and-out or a quick turnover? 37 percent."
No Nate Swift, Less use of the tight ends, Guess what happens? The World-Herald puts some numbers behind what we all know.

Husker Mike's Blasphemy: The Unmentioned Possibility of the Husker Quarterback Debate
Husker Mike on why Green may not be the answer everyone is looking for.

HuskerExtra.com - Red report: Pelini paying attention to offense
B-Offense? Does that work?

Big 12 predictions, Week 9 - Big 12 - ESPN
Nebraska 24, Baylor 14: Nebraska’s sporadic offense should have enough production to beat the Bears as the Cornhuskers will turn things around on the road after two disappointing home losses. Whoever plays at quarterback for Nebraska has to do a better job after the Cornhuskers committed eight turnovers last week in their loss to Iowa State. But the Cornhuskers’ defense should have a big edge against Baylor’s struggling offense, which will be piloted by freshman quarterback Nick Florence.

Lawrence wants others to know about concussions (Lincoln Journal-Star)
"I always wanted to save the last one for something big. Not a tackling drill on a Monday," Lawrence said. "I wanted 85,000 people to say, ‘That was his last play.’ That was one of the hardest things for me. I called my dad and I said, ‘Dad, I didn’t even know it was my last day of football.’ That was the hardest thing for me."

Big Red Wrap Up With Jason Peter
You can watch the Big Red Wrap Up Show streamed online. Jason Peter talks a lot. He doesn't mince words. Summary - Nebraska's offense breeds softness because we're not moving forward, not pounding at the defenses. We need to get a power running game going. I'm not 100% sure I agree with everything, but he's damned convincing. Worth a watch - CB

Omaha.com - The Omaha World-Herald: Big Red Today - ‘Grueling' schedule awaits Huskers
NU opens Feb. 19 with a four-game series at 2008 national champion Fresno State, followed by trips to powerhouse Rice for a four-team tournament and UCLA for a three-game series. The Huskers begin Big 12 play at Texas March 19. The schedule, released Wednesday, includes 31 of 54 games against teams that played in the NCAA postseason last spring.
I don't want to think about baseball season yet. Football has been rough enough.

Omaha.com - The Omaha World-Herald: Big Red Today - With sweep, all eyes now on Texas
The No. 8 Nebraska volleyball team tuned up for its anticipated rematch against second-ranked Texas with a 25-12, 25-20, 25-20 sweep Wednesday night against Texas Tech. Now the Huskers can focus all of their attention on Friday's road match against the Longhorns.
So hey volleyball is still good.