Mike Babcock column: 1987 Nebraska vs. Oklahoma football

Sooners ransack ‘Our House’ By Mike Babcock ! , “Our House.” Trashed again. ” But good The final score, 177, didn’t convey what happened to the top-ranked Nebraska football team in its own house, Memorial Stadium, Saturday. How often does the No. in the nation get pushed around the way No. 2-ranked Oklahoma pushed around the Cornhusk-ers? On their own turf, no less. “It was one of those old-time, rear-end shots, a butt kicking,” Nebraska defensive coordinator Charlie McBnde said “Oklahoma gave us a legitimate beating. It wasn’t a fluke. That’s as good as we’ve been handled as far as consistency, just tearing us up.” And the largest crowd in Memorial Stadium history, 76,663, watched It was embarrassing. “I would say that of the losses I’ve been associated with, this was the most disappointing. I feel halfway apologetic, but I dont know what to apologize for,” said Cornhusker Coach Tom Osborne. The nationally televised game, a battle of unbeatens, was billed as The Game of the Century II. But like many events followed by Roman numerals the Super Bowl, for example, and movie sequels, “Jaws II,” “Rocky II,” “House II,” etc. -the hype may have exceeded the reality. Game of the Century? What century? “It really wasnt that great” Nebraska comerback Lorenzo Hicks said “I think we gave a poor effort” Even with quarterback . Jamelle Holieway on crutches and fullback Ly-dell Carr in street clothes, Oklahoma ran for 419 yards against Nebraska’s No. 2-ranked rushing defense. Oklahoma’s total was nearly six times what the Cornhuskers had allowed, on the average, through rune games. The Sooners didn’t need Holieway and Carr on Saturday. Charles Thompson and Rotnei Anderson did fine. Thompson rushed for 126 yards, and Anderson ran for 119. Patrick Collins, who scored Oklahoma’s final touchdown on a 65-yard run with 1:39 remaining in the third quarter, led all rushers with 131 yards. , . Sure, Anderson lost two fumbles. The Sooners lost three of eight in alL Thompson also threw an interception. . “We stopped (tight end) Keith Jackson. We shut down their passing. We got the turnovers we expected But I guess we didn’t stop those other three,” said Nebraska defensive end Jeff Jamrog. “Who’d ever think you’d see the day this defense would give up 400 yards?” What some people forgot or ignored, was the knee injuries that sidelined Holieway and Carr didn’t affect an Oklahoma offensive line considered one of the best in the school’s history. “They really did a good job of knock- : ing people out of there. We didn’t slow ’em down. I guess their offensive line is what they say it is,”, McBnde said . v b So is the Sooners’ defense. At least it seemed that way on Saturday. Nebraska was ranked No. 1 in the nation in total offense and No. 2 in both rushing offense and scoring offense, v “I couldn’t come up with a solution,” said Osborne, “It was probably just individual people not getting blocked” – -The Cornhuskers finished with 235 yards, 144 of them on two drives, the just of which led to their only points.- The drive covered 84 yards, the last 25 . on a touchdown run by Keith Jones. ‘ Chns Drennan added the extra-point kick, and with 1:28 remaining in the first quarter, Nebraska led 7-0. The Cornhuskers didn’t sustain another drive until the game’s final 1:40, when quarterback Steve Taylor directed them from their own 20-yard line to the Oklahoma 14. The game ended on an incomplete pass in the Sooner end zone. Taylor was intercepted three times and completed only six of 18 passes for 58 yards. He ran for 54 yards on 18 carries. But “when you go against a good defense and you’re not controlling the line of scrimmage, it’s very difficult to play quarterback,” said Osborne. Because of its inability to run the ball, Nebraska “got to the point where we had to start throwing,” he said Thanks to Oklahoma miscues, the seven points held up until early in the second half, when the Sooners’ turned a Rickey Dixon interception and 24-yard return to the Nebraska 13 into a touchdown. On the second play, Anthony Stafford scored from 11 yards away, his longest run of the afternoon. Stafford has run the 40-yard dash in 4.35 seconda Thompson and Collins have :04.4 speed in the 40, according to Jim Donnan, Oklahoma’s offensive coordinator. Therein lies the problem. “Their speed beat us,” McBride said. “They have superior speed. You could see that. We had kids there, and they just broke through little cracks.” Jamrog agreed. “A couple of times we just weren’t in the right place at the right time,” he said. After the game, Osborne accepted a bid to play in the Sunkist Fiesta Bowl in Tempe, Ariz., on New Year’s Day. The Cornhuskers’ opponent will be once-beaten Florida State, No. 4 in last week’s rankings. “We’re probably going to have to play one of the two best teams left (in the nation),” said Osborne. “We’ll have a heck of a test.” First, however, Nebraska must play Colorado next Saturday in Boulder. “I’m a little concerned right now,” he said Maybe with good reason. “This is Colorado’s bowl game, so to speak,” McBride sail Cornhusker defensive end Broderick Thomas, who first called Memorial Stadium “our house,” has done a lot of speaking about the Oklahoma game. Someone asked if he thought his talking was a factor in the loss. “If it was me, I apologize,” said a subdued Thomas. “Our team gave 100 percent. I’m not going to make any excuses. We lost the football game.”