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Heisman Trophy Winner
CFN.com
GAME OF THE WEEK
Nebraska (9-1) at Texas A&M (7-3) Nov. 20, 8:00, ABC
Here’s The Deal … Nebraska can clinch a spot in the Big 12 title game with a win over Texas A&M this week or over Colorado next week, while Texas A&M, one of the nation’s hottest teams, can win the South by beating the Huskers this week, Texas on Thanksgiving, and hoping for Oklahoma State to collapse. Realistically, this is as close as A&M will get to winning the Big 12 title, but a victory over the Huskers would go a long way to improving the bowl positioning and would keep the momentum going. After an ugly, lifeless, 30-9 loss at home to Missouri, the Aggies folded quarterback Ryan Tannehill into the mix and the results have been phenomenal with four straight double-digit wins just when it seemed like the program was turning a corner into irrelevance. The offense is humming, the defense is doing enough to get by, and this is a dangerous team that’s playing with supreme confidence. And now it’s time for Nebraska to show that it really might be the league’s best team.
The Huskers might be on a four-game winning streak of their own, but impressive victories over Oklahoma State and Missouri have been offset by a near-miss against Iowa State in overtime and a go-through-the-motions win over Kansas. The defense has been shockingly inconsistent, as has the running game, but the 9-1 record still means there’s a chance to finish as the top one-loss team in the BCS rankings, and at the very least, two more wins will almost guarantee a BCS bowl game, even if it’s not the Fiesta Bowl. Nebraska beat the Aggies 54-15 in the 1997 Big 12 title game on the way to a share of the national title, and while the situation might be a bit different now, a dominant win might show that the program is just a hair away from being back at the mid-1990s level.
Why Nebraska Might Win: Pass efficiency defense. Nebraska has made some very good, soon-to-be-very-rich quarterbacks look incredible average. Second in the nation in pass defense and first in pass efficiency defense, Nebraska has embarrassed Jake Locker, Blaine Gabbert, and Idaho’s Nathan Enderle, and while Oklahoma State’s Brandon Weeden and Iowa State’s Austen Arnaud each had some success, they both got tagged with a few picks. As good as Tannehill has been over the last month, he had his worst game against Oklahoma, another team great at keeping great passing games under wraps, throwing two picks and coming up with just 225 yards. When properly motivated, like now, Nebraska’s secondary is swarming. A&M’s secondary gives up yards in chunks, and if Nebraska can get the passing game going like it did against Oklahoma State, the offense will put up a huge number on the board.
Why Texas A&M Might Win: The offense is doing everything right. While there have been a few too many turnovers, the production in all phases is coming just enough to keep the Huskers from focusing on any one thing. Nebraska has only played one team, Oklahoma State, with any semblance of offensive balance (although Missouri comes close), and the Cowboys rolled for 283 yards through the air and 212 on the ground with Kendall Hunter tearing off 201 yards and two scores. Texas A&M might not be as potent as OSU, but with the way Tannehill is playing, and with Cyrus Gray running extremely well, the offense should be able to mix it up just enough to keep Nebraska guessing. Without a top-shelf pass rush, Nebraska will have to hope Tannehill makes a few key mistakes, but if he and the offense are patient, that shouldn’t be a problem.
What To Watch Out For: The A&M run defense is technically No. 1 in the Big 12, but it’s a mirage. The Aggies were gouged by Jay Finley and Baylor last week, and most teams on the slate have bombed away with the passing game and blew off the run. They haven’t seen anything like Taylor Martinez and the Nebraska spread attack, but all the parts need to be healthy and in sync. Martinez has been limited at times with a variety of problems, most notably a banged up ankle, and he was kept under wraps last week running for just (for him) 71 yards on 11 carries while completing 14-of-26 passes for 167 yards and an interception. He hasn’t had a great game in a month, and now he has to find the magic again to get the offense rolling. For A&M, Von Miller has turned his game up a few notches with one sack in five of the last six games, while being a consistently disruptive force. He has to get to Martinez early and often before the Husker offense gets its chance to make things happen in space.
What Will Happen: Nebraska will finally wake up. The offense will kick it into high gear as Martinez tears off at least two big runs, while Roy Helu and the rest of the attack will keep up with anything the Aggies do. Tannehill won’t be bad, but he’ll struggle with interceptions, throwing three, and they’ll all be costly.
CFN Prediction: Nebraska 31 … Texas A&M 23 … Line: Nebraska -3
Must See Rating: Casino Jack – 5 … Avatar: Extended Collector’s Edition -1 … 4
GAME OF THE WEEK
Nebraska (9-1) at Texas A&M (7-3) Nov. 20, 8:00, ABC
Here’s The Deal … Nebraska can clinch a spot in the Big 12 title game with a win over Texas A&M this week or over Colorado next week, while Texas A&M, one of the nation’s hottest teams, can win the South by beating the Huskers this week, Texas on Thanksgiving, and hoping for Oklahoma State to collapse. Realistically, this is as close as A&M will get to winning the Big 12 title, but a victory over the Huskers would go a long way to improving the bowl positioning and would keep the momentum going. After an ugly, lifeless, 30-9 loss at home to Missouri, the Aggies folded quarterback Ryan Tannehill into the mix and the results have been phenomenal with four straight double-digit wins just when it seemed like the program was turning a corner into irrelevance. The offense is humming, the defense is doing enough to get by, and this is a dangerous team that’s playing with supreme confidence. And now it’s time for Nebraska to show that it really might be the league’s best team.
The Huskers might be on a four-game winning streak of their own, but impressive victories over Oklahoma State and Missouri have been offset by a near-miss against Iowa State in overtime and a go-through-the-motions win over Kansas. The defense has been shockingly inconsistent, as has the running game, but the 9-1 record still means there’s a chance to finish as the top one-loss team in the BCS rankings, and at the very least, two more wins will almost guarantee a BCS bowl game, even if it’s not the Fiesta Bowl. Nebraska beat the Aggies 54-15 in the 1997 Big 12 title game on the way to a share of the national title, and while the situation might be a bit different now, a dominant win might show that the program is just a hair away from being back at the mid-1990s level.
Why Nebraska Might Win: Pass efficiency defense. Nebraska has made some very good, soon-to-be-very-rich quarterbacks look incredible average. Second in the nation in pass defense and first in pass efficiency defense, Nebraska has embarrassed Jake Locker, Blaine Gabbert, and Idaho’s Nathan Enderle, and while Oklahoma State’s Brandon Weeden and Iowa State’s Austen Arnaud each had some success, they both got tagged with a few picks. As good as Tannehill has been over the last month, he had his worst game against Oklahoma, another team great at keeping great passing games under wraps, throwing two picks and coming up with just 225 yards. When properly motivated, like now, Nebraska’s secondary is swarming. A&M’s secondary gives up yards in chunks, and if Nebraska can get the passing game going like it did against Oklahoma State, the offense will put up a huge number on the board.
Why Texas A&M Might Win: The offense is doing everything right. While there have been a few too many turnovers, the production in all phases is coming just enough to keep the Huskers from focusing on any one thing. Nebraska has only played one team, Oklahoma State, with any semblance of offensive balance (although Missouri comes close), and the Cowboys rolled for 283 yards through the air and 212 on the ground with Kendall Hunter tearing off 201 yards and two scores. Texas A&M might not be as potent as OSU, but with the way Tannehill is playing, and with Cyrus Gray running extremely well, the offense should be able to mix it up just enough to keep Nebraska guessing. Without a top-shelf pass rush, Nebraska will have to hope Tannehill makes a few key mistakes, but if he and the offense are patient, that shouldn’t be a problem.
What To Watch Out For: The A&M run defense is technically No. 1 in the Big 12, but it’s a mirage. The Aggies were gouged by Jay Finley and Baylor last week, and most teams on the slate have bombed away with the passing game and blew off the run. They haven’t seen anything like Taylor Martinez and the Nebraska spread attack, but all the parts need to be healthy and in sync. Martinez has been limited at times with a variety of problems, most notably a banged up ankle, and he was kept under wraps last week running for just (for him) 71 yards on 11 carries while completing 14-of-26 passes for 167 yards and an interception. He hasn’t had a great game in a month, and now he has to find the magic again to get the offense rolling. For A&M, Von Miller has turned his game up a few notches with one sack in five of the last six games, while being a consistently disruptive force. He has to get to Martinez early and often before the Husker offense gets its chance to make things happen in space.
What Will Happen: Nebraska will finally wake up. The offense will kick it into high gear as Martinez tears off at least two big runs, while Roy Helu and the rest of the attack will keep up with anything the Aggies do. Tannehill won’t be bad, but he’ll struggle with interceptions, throwing three, and they’ll all be costly.
CFN Prediction: Nebraska 31 … Texas A&M 23 … Line: Nebraska -3
Must See Rating: Casino Jack – 5 … Avatar: Extended Collector’s Edition -1 … 4
