Biggest Rival. Pt. 2

[husker249]

Somebody asked me the other day who Nebraska's biggest rival was, and I was on the fence between Oklahoma and Colorado..Oklahoma we don't play every year, but there is definetely a history between our programs going back to the big 8. Colorado, well...I just cannot stand Colorado

What do you guys think?

[BigBL87]

I went with Mizzou. My reasoning is...

 

1. Oklahoma would be my first choice, but the matchup has lost alot of luster because A) We no longer play them every year and B) The really doesn't have the same implications that it used to back when it was really a rivalry.

 

2. Mizzou is the team which we have been the most even with as far as the recent series goes (I think, too lazy to do the research) out of the choices.

 

3. I just don't like Mizzou fans for the most part, too many bad experiences with them.

 

4. The Missouri-Nebraska Bell. People forget about this, but we do have a "rivalry" trophy with them.

 

I'm still not sure I would consider them a "rival" in the classic sense just yet, but I think they are the closest to being an actual rival.

[BIGREDIOWAN]

I'm going with Colorado again because of our absolute hate for one another and whether anyone wants to admit it or not we have a rivalry.

[HUSKER 37]

Biggest Rival?

 

That's too easy.

[HUSKER 37]

In conference=Oklahoma (Although it's fervent with mutual respect).

 

Outa conference=Miami although during the Bob Devaney years, I'd of picked Alabama

 

I look forward to Pelini/Stoops getting our rivalry back to being fun again.

 

 

 

Colorado and KSU are a bunch of ankle-biters

 

[Bleeding Husker Red]

I went with Mizzou. My reasoning is...

 

1. Oklahoma would be my first choice, but the matchup has lost alot of luster because A) We no longer play them every year and B) The really doesn't have the same implications that it used to back when it was really a rivalry.

 

2. Mizzou is the team which we have been the most even with as far as the recent series goes (I think, too lazy to do the research) out of the choices.

 

3. I just don't like Mizzou fans for the most part, too many bad experiences with them.

 

4. The Missouri-Nebraska Bell. People forget about this, but we do have a "rivalry" trophy with them.

 

I'm still not sure I would consider them a "rival" in the classic sense just yet, but I think they are the closest to being an actual rival.

 

 

Missouri would be our oldest rivalry. We've played them pretty much every year since we've had a football team.

 

Oklahoma would be the most significant since the Wilkinson era down there. I think in the future we're going to have to accept Colorado whether we like it or not. Maybe somebody should Invent a 'rivalry' trophy for NU-CU. I had an idea once that it could be a replica of Buffalo Bill's Winchester rifle with the years NU wins engraved on one side and the years CU wins engraved on the other. Let the school that wins the game display it for a year till the next game.... Call the NU-CU match-up the Thunder on the Plains Bowl or something.

 

Maybe that would make it easier to swallow?

[Bleeding Husker Red]

 

Missouri would be our oldest rivalry. We've played them pretty much every year since we've had a football team.

 

Oklahoma would be the most significant since the Wilkinson era down there. I think in the future we're going to have to accept Colorado whether we like it or not. Maybe somebody should Invent a 'rivalry' trophy for NU-CU. I had an idea once that it could be a replica of Buffalo Bill's Winchester rifle with the years NU wins engraved on one side and the years CU wins engraved on the other. Let the school that wins the game display it for a year till the next game.... Call the NU-CU match-up the Thunder on the Plains Bowl or something.

 

Maybe that would make it easier to swallow?

 

 

In fact for inexplicable reason I just emailed coach pelini and suggested it.... (slaps forehead)

[sCrUmptious!]

 

Oklahoma would be the most significant since the Wilkinson era down there. I think in the future we're going to have to accept Colorado whether we like it or not. Maybe somebody should Invent a 'rivalry' trophy for NU-CU. I had an idea once that it could be a replica of Buffalo Bill's Winchester rifle with the years NU wins engraved on one side and the years CU wins engraved on the other. Let the school that wins the game display it for a year till the next game.... Call the NU-CU match-up the Thunder on the Plains Bowl or something.

 

Maybe that would make it easier to swallow?

 

If there were going to be a traveling trophy, they'd either have to only write scores on there from games played since the trophy was created OR just not have any scores written on there at all.

 

The overall series between CU and NU is too lopsided to write it down on a trophy. It'd look ridiculous. It's only been over the last 20 years that the games have really gotten interesting.

[Bugeater23]

I wish the Huskers and Sooners still had to meet every year, but since that rivalry cooled down, the Buffs pretty much proclaimed that we were big rivals, and now it seems to be that way....

[HUSKER 37]

 

 

Missouri would be our oldest rivalry. We've played them pretty much every year since we've had a football team.

 

Oklahoma would be the most significant since the Wilkinson era down there. I think in the future we're going to have to accept Colorado whether we like it or not. Maybe somebody should Invent a 'rivalry' trophy for NU-CU. I had an idea once that it could be a replica of Buffalo Bill's Winchester rifle with the years NU wins engraved on one side and the years CU wins engraved on the other. Let the school that wins the game display it for a year till the next game.... Call the NU-CU match-up the Thunder on the Plains Bowl or something.

 

Maybe that would make it easier to swallow?

 

I thought Kansas was our oldest (But by only a couple of games).

 

I'm still not convinced you can just manufacture a quality "Rivalry" by having a coach circle it on a calender to try to get some fans fired up.

 

We'll get OU back as soon as we're both in the top-10 consistently..And probably end up playing them more often in the conference championship games..

 

Solving Sooner Magic

 

 

1978 Nebraska - Oklahoma Game

 

 

by Mark Fricke

January 01, 1999

 

 

 

Lincoln, Nebraska (November 11, 1978) - When Tom Osborne took over the Nebraska Cornhuskers he had high expectations placed on him. His predecessor, Bob Devaney had won National Championships, produced numerous All-Americans and brought the Huskers into prominence as of the country's premier football programs. But Husker fans demanded one thing from Osborne above all others...beat Oklahoma.

 

The challenge was one Osborne had trouble accomplishing in his early years as head coach. 1973 saw the Husker humiliated 27-0 down in Norman. The following years saw similar disappointments. In 1974 the Sooners came into Lincoln ranked number one and downed the Huskers 28-14. The Huskers were ranked higher than the Sooners in 1975 but couldn't pull out a win as they fell 35-10. Similar results followed in 1976 (Sooners 20, Nebraska 17) and 1977 (38-7) started making Husker fans restless.

 

Hopes for a Husker win over the dreaded Sooners didn't seem in the cards in 1978 as well. Nebraska opened the season with a loss against number one ranked Alabama, but then put together eight straight wins to earn a number three ranking going in to the November 11th show down with the Sooners in Lincoln.

 

Oklahoma entered the game ranked number one in the country. Nebraska had never defeated a number one ranked team in their history. Furthermore, Nebraska had never even scored a point in the fourth quarter against Oklahoma since 1971. Oklahoma boasted the most powerful rushing offense in the nation and Heisman Trophy winner Billy Sims. For some it looked as though there were no signs of any change in the fate of Nebraska versus Oklahoma. For Nebraska's part they boasted a strong defense and a tough running game of their own behind I-Backs Rick Berns and I.M. Hipp.

 

The game time weather was what would be expected in Lincoln for a November afternoon, cold, wet and a brisk wind blowing at speeds of up to 20 miles per hour. The Sooners won the opening toss and head coach Barry Switzer decided to play the percentages and take the wind. His philosophy was that the game may come down to a matter of field goals and he was willing to gamble on his star kicker, Uwe von Schamann to pull through.

 

The opening drives of the game set the tone for the rest of the afternoon. Nebraska took the opening kickoff but couldn't move the ball. They punted after three plays. Oklahoma faired no better as two run attempts and an incomplete pass forced a quick end to their initial drive.

 

Oklahoma was finally able to get things rolling on their next drive. Behind quarterback Thomas Lott the Sooners moved the ball to the Huskers 44 yard line. Then the Sooner wishbone offense paid dividends when Billy Simms cut through the Husker defensive line, and twisted and turned his way 44 yards into the end zone. Von Schamann's PAT was good and the Sooners were up 7-0 with just over eight minutes left in the first quarter.

 

Things turned from bad to worse for the Huskers on their next drive. The Huskers ground game was starting to make progress, but the drive ended when a Tom Sorley pass bounced off of tight end Junior Miller's hands and into an Oklahoma defender's. Oklahoma could not take advantage of the opportunity, though, and was forced to punt the ball back to the Huskers.

 

Nebraska's self destruction struck again. On the first play of their next drive, I-Back Rick Berns fumbled the ball and Oklahoma recovered at the NU 14 yard line.

 

Oklahoma had a golden opportunity to break the game open, but soon found themselves victim to a fumble bug that would end up costing them the game.

 

Three plays into the drive, Sooner quarterback Lott fumbled an option pitch attempt killing the threat and giving the ball back to the Huskers.

 

As the game moved into the second period, Oklahoma gave the Huskers another opportunity. This time the Huskers would take advantage.

 

Oklahoma pounded the ball into Nebraska territory on their way to another score. The drive ended when the Sooners fumbled another option pitch. Nebraska recovered at their own 43 yard line.

 

Nebraska finally got their offensive machine in gear. The Huskers used a series of running plays and passes, including a 17 yard screen to Berns that took the ball inside the Sooner 10 yard line, to set up the score. Berns did the honors on a 5 yard run up the middle with 10:06 left in the half. The game was now tied 7-7.

 

The two teams traded short drives for much of the rest of the half. In the last minute of the half, an Oklahoma error gave the Huskers a chance to take the lead.

 

With 12 seconds left Sooner back David Overstreet lost his grip on the ball and Nebraska recovered at their own 28. The Huskers struck fast on a 24 yard pass from Sorley to end Tim Smith moving NU down to the 4 yard line with just :06 left on the clock. Husker kicker Billy Todd set up for a 21 yard field goal attempt but his kick hit the right goal post and bounced away. The teams went into the locker rooms tied at 7.

 

"It was quiet (in the locker room)" said Husker coach Tom Osborne "but nobody felt we couldn't win. We did some good hitting that first half and we just told the players to go out and do that again."

 

Nebraska held the statistical edge at the break. The Huskers rushed for 191 yards and passed for another 58, while the Sooners turned in 142 yards on the ground and earned no passing yardage on their only two pass attempts in the half.

 

As the second half opened, both teams took awhile to get in the groove. They traded 'four and out' drives on their first attempt. Oklahoma's next drive ended as so many before, with a fumble. Husker lineman Derrie Nelson pounced on an Overstreet fumble giving Nebraska the ball at mid field.

 

The Husker offense made the most of the break as Sorley connected with Miller on a 33 yard pass play bring the Huskers down to the Sooner 17 line. I-Back I.M. Hipp pounded the rest of the way on three runs, scoring on an 8 yard run with 9:2w5 left in the third. The Sooners were unaccustomed to the position they found themselves in. For the first time all year they were behind in a game. The scoreboard read Nebraska 14, Oklahoma 7.

 

Oklahoma didn't let that score stand for long. Their next drive went 73 yards in seven plays with Sims high stepping his way into the end zone on a 30 yard touchdown to tie the score 14-14 with 7:47 remaining in the quarter.

 

The Huskers punted away their next drive attempt and the Sooners did the same as time was winding down in the third quarter.

 

The Husker offense was able to break down the Sooner defense on their next drive. Facing a third and 10 at the OU 43 quarterback Sorley connected with senior split end Frank Lockett on a 13 yard pass play to keep the drive alive. Five more running plays brought the Huskers down to the OU 8 yard line where the drive stalled. Husker kicker Billy Todd shook off the disappointment of his last attempt to boot a 24 yard field goal and put the Husker back in front 17-14 early in the fourth quarter.

 

It was now time for the Husker Blackshirts to take control of the game, but a controversial call on the ensuing kickoff almost crushed the Huskers chances.

 

Todd's kickoff was fielded near the ten yard line by Kelly Phelps. Phelps tip toed near the sideline, then cut back towards the middle of the field. In the blink of an eye, Husker tackler John Ruud slammed into Phelps so hard that the ball flew loose, Phelps' arms flailed and the Sooner return man fell into a heap on the ground. Nebraska jumped on the ball at the Sooner 10 yard line and started celebrating. Unfortunately the official ruled that Phelps was down before the fumble and restored possession back to the Sooners. Television replays clearly showed the officials made the wrong call. A call that could have changed the course of the game.

 

The Husker Blackshirts turned their intensity up a notch. A Sooner illegal procedure penalty was followed back a George Andrews sack of Lott. A Sooner delay of game penalty pushed Oklahoma back to their own 1 yard line. Oklahoma's offense, though, is never one to give up on. Facing a second and 28. Sooner back Kenny King took a hand off up the middle and didn't stop until he put 46 yards behind him. Oklahoma was back in business. The Sooner wishbone continued to pound out yardage on the ground down to the 22 yard line. That's when Sooner mistakes returned. Billy Simms fumbled the ball at the 20 yard line. The Husker dodged another bullet.

 

Nebraska's offense was ineffective on their next drive and punted the ball over with 6:00 to go in the game.

 

The Sooner rushing attack went back to work. Facing a fourth down and two yards to go on the NU 39, the Sooners gambled and won. David Overstreet broke loose for a 13 yard gain bring the Sooners down to the 26 yard line. The Sooners soon found themselves to be their own worst enemy again. With the ball at the 20 yard line and just over three minutes remaining, running back Billy Simms broke free around the right side on an option play. As he battled through Husker tacklers at the six yard line, safety Jeff Hansen hit Simms and knocked the ball loose. Monster back Jim Pillen grabbed the fumble at the 3 yard line preserving the 17-14 win for the Huskers.

 

In all the Sooners fumbled nine times and lost six of them.

 

"The big key was our defense" said Osborne following the game. The Husker Blackshirts held Oklahoma to 339 yards, all on the ground. The Sooners had been averaging 414.7 yards per game on the season.

 

Husker Rick Berns earned offensive player-of-the-game honors as he rushed for 113 yards.

 

The win put the Huskers in the drivers seat for an Orange Bowl invitation and moved Nebraska up to number two in the national polls. The celebration, However was short lived.

 

The following week the Huskers were stunned by a pesky Missouri team and lost 35-31. The set back clouded up the race for the national championship and set in pace an unprecedented event. The Huskers were invited to Miami for an Orange Bowl matchup against none other than the very Oklahoma team they had just defeated. The Sooners cleaned up their act for the rematch and were guilty of only one fumble in the rematch. Oklahoma went on to win the Orange Bowl 31-24.

 

 

The Nebraska-Oklahoma rivalry was great, and I miss it. It was full of epic contests and great players. It has been missing for quite some time. That is partially because of the condition of the teams, but mostly due to schedule. To this day, my biggest bone to pick with the Big 12 is that they don’t allow NU and OU to play every year.

 

Still, it really was something. Sure, there were some bad feelings between fans over the years. But, it has grown to become a rivalry of respect. Personally, I think of OU as the "Crimson cousin" to the South. I think fans on both sides didn’t realize the respect until the other side was sort of missing. When NU was great in the 1990s, it didn't seem right that OU wasn't there as a counterbalance. And, I'm sure there are some OU fans who feel the same about the Sooners recent run of success sans a powerful Husker squad. Only a few times in the last six years have the two teams really met in fierce and meaningful contests. Too bad that could not be sustained.

 

The Cast Matters

When it comes to great college football rivalries, the cast of characters really matters. Fans of opposing teams can spout off the names of players from the other side, both out of disdain and respect. Nowhere does the cast matter more than at the top of the playbill - the head coaches. Many coaches have been involved in the NU-OU series. Some were great - like Bud Wilkinson and Bob Devaney - while others were less so. But, no two men better defined the NU vs. OU rivalry than Tom Osborne and Barry Switzer.

 

These men were both excellent on the field, and extremely different off of it. Switzer's swagger played perfectly against of Osborne's quiet stoicism, and it made for great theater. Regardless of outcome, the games were meaningful on a human level. The two men came to define and embody the programs they coached for. They both have buildings named in their honor. And, after more than a decade of rivalry, there is a certain kinship evident between them when they make joint public appearances. Their histories are forever intertwined.

 

No matter how unlikely it may seem, the mere chance for that sort of program-defining rivalry to rekindle is absolutely exciting. Does Bo Pelini's arrival at NU possibly signal such a renewal?

 

A New Chapter???

 

As I said, there have been many coaches involved in the NU-OU rivalry. Some got it. Other's did not. Bill Callahan apparently fell in to the latter category. His "Effin' Hillbillies" statement about OU fans following the 2004 loss in Norman was one of the ugliest moments of his tenure. NU fans certainly don't love OU. But, they certainly resemble them. And, disrespecting the rivalry like that created a lot of divisiveness.

 

Whether it is of his own experience with both schools involved or because of Osborne's influence, I think Pelini is much better equipped to appreciate what NU-OU means, and help re-ignite the rivalry. Unlike Osborne, Pelini is quite a bit like his counterpart at OU. And that might bring a whole new aspect to NU-OU.

 

Our own Ten-Year War?

Pelini and Stoops are cut from the same cloth. They are both Youngstown Ohio raised, and whent to the same high school. While Stoops played at Iowa and Pelini at Ohio State, their coaching paths have crossed several times. Pelini even served on Stoops' OU staff in 2004. They are both defensive minded coaches. And, like Stoops at OU, Pelini inherits a proud program in a down time.

 

This almost resembles the Michigan vs. Ohio State rivalry.

Woody Hayes and Michigan’s Bo Schembeckler..Like Pelini and Stoops, those two men were more similar than different. Schembeckler was a Hays assistant before his time at Michigan. His arrival started a string of contest commonly referred to as the Ten-Year War. The two coaches and teams played off of each other to drive their performance to a new level. It drove the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry to its place as one of the biggest in college football.

 

The Big 12 schedules don't permit for NU and OU to meet in the regular season for ten year's straight. So, the only way for the Huskers and Sooners to renew hostilities to this degree is for both teams to control their own destiny and regularly meet in the Big 12 Championship game. Let’s face it, a sense of nostalgia made that 2006 game so special for many. I would like nothing better than to see the Huskers set their sites on a regularly schedule collision with the Sooners in December. Maybe then, a new generation of Husker and Sooner fans could appreciate the rivalry, not as a piece of history but as a powerful part of the current college football landscape.

[huKSer]

My definition of a rivalry: A coaches job is safe after a 4-8 record as long as one of the 4 wins is the rival. Maybe not quite but its the general idea. Annual event and the feeling must be recipricated. (sCrUmptious: both teams feel the same way)

 

I don't think NU has a true rival currently. OU - UT are a rivalry, OU - NU was secondary for OU. MU - KU are a rivalry, NU won't beat out KU or MU there.

[General Blackshirt]

Quite frankly, I really don't like any other teams because i think if they are a fan of anybody but nebraska, they obviously must be bafoons

 

but in all seriousness, I went with Oklahoma because of the tradition.

[zoogs]

Traditionally, Oklahoma. In terms of recent bitterness, I'd have to go with KSU and Colorado as the frontrunners, with Texas in the South. Reasons?

 

Oklahoma: we don't play every year; most games have been blowouts one way or another. The only exception I can think of being the throat slasher, 31-24, a loss for us. It doesn't diminish the magnitude of the traditional rivalry, or its luster, but in recent years the fire has dimmed. By all means, bring back the annual games!

 

Texas: This is a series we've traded some nasty, close games with. '98 - close loss. '99 - cost us a shot at the NC in the regular season, avenged in the Big 12 CCG. '02 - a maddeningly close that we coulda, woulda, shoulda had, but for a bazillion missed field goal opportunities or something like that, in a season where we had no business beating Texas. And who can forget '06 and '07? Texas outclassed us in '06, but we coulda, should beat them and lost by 2 points. Texas State would have outclassed us in '07, and we still throttled Texas for three quarters, on the road, only to cough it up in the 4th quarter and lose an absolute heartbreaker. Yeah...at least for me, games against Texas have been the most maddening, frustrating, and emotion-charged in recent years. We had better frickin' kick their asses one of these days.

 

K-State: Another rivalry that at least to me, looks like it has a lot of fire, dating back to the Bill Snyder days and the Face Mask Not Called (you know, the one where they practically ripped off Crouch's head). There was the oh-so-satisfying payback in '99, an awful one-point loss in 2000, back-to-back blowouts in '02 and '03 (with some colorful Bo Pelini language mixed in there), Harrison Beck and Jordon Congdon being heroes in '05...and of course, Ron Prince and the Josh Freeman saga that's still going on now. Let's admit it, we HATE these purple kitties and their purple power towels. May Joe Ganz continue to throw seven touchdowns a game against these guys.

 

Colorado: Now we're in the Dan "The worst days as a Buffalo are better than the best days as a Cornhusker" Hawkins era, and it remains to be seen how this series builds up. It has the feel of a rivalry game, though - final regular season game, Thanksgiving, and all that. We've traded some good games recently, but the finer days of the rivalry, I feel, were the stretch from '96 or '97 up to 2001 (and the unmentionable score ), when every single game was decided by about half a point. Even when we were up by 25 at halftime. Those were some NAILBITERS. It was "no matter how either team is ranked entering the game, you know it's going to be give-or-take 3 points." That was a damn good rivalry there.

[sarge87]

MU and NU as a tradition since 1927, plays for the Missouri-Nebraska Bell every year, but not many fans that are younger than 60 know or care about it. During the 60's, 70's, 80's, and the pre- BCS Big 12 90's, most fans consider OU as the rival, because the road to the Big 8 Championship and the Orange Bowl went through them. Since the creation of the North-South divisions of the Big 12, many of today's fans consider CU as the rival. So, I think it depends upon the era you became a Husker fan.

[strigori]

This again? Really?