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Playing for Big 12 title isn't enough for NU
BY MITCH SHERMAN
WORLD-HERALD BUREAU
LINCOLN - Nebraska linebacker Corey McKeon saw the Huskers gathering near midfield at Memorial Stadium Friday to celebrate their Big 12 North Division title minutes after the 37-14 win over Colorado.
McKeon watched briefly and decided it wasn't for him.
"I left," the junior from Naperville, Ill., said. "It looked fun, but it'll be a bigger one next week."
The Huskers can only hope McKeon's attitude spreads. For months, Nebraska stated as its goal a trip to Kansas City, Mo., for the conference championship game.
Now that the Huskers are there, and set to play South Division champ Oklahoma Saturday at 7 p.m., what's next?
"Our goal was to No. 1, win the North," offensive coordinator Jay Norvell said, "but our goal was to win the Big 12 championship. That's what we came here to do. We have a lot more work to do. I know our guys are not satisfied. Our mind-set all along was that we wanted to get to that game and win that game."
NU (9-3 overall, 6-2 Big 12) clinched its fourth berth in the league title game, and first since 1999, with a one-point win Nov. 11 over Texas A&M. The victory Friday secured a perfect season in North Division play and ensured that the Huskers will head to Arrowhead Stadium with momentum after three straight wins.
Oklahoma (10-2, 7-1), meanwhile, has won seven straight after a 27-21 victory at Oklahoma State Saturday to clinch the South crown. The Sooners earned their fifth appearance in the title game after Texas lost to Kansas State and Texas A&M.
Despite seven previous combined trips to play for the league crown, historic rivals NU and OU have never met in the conference title game. Of course, they clashed in the de facto Big Eight title game nearly every season for 20 years before the formation of the Big 12 in 1996.
But Saturday will mark only their second postseason meeting. Oklahoma beat the Huskers in the 1979 Orange Bowl. The Sooners also beat NU 31-24 last year in Lincoln and 30-3 in 2004 in the two meetings under third-year Nebraska coach Bill Callahan.
At stake Saturday is a Bowl Championship Series slot and berth in the Fiesta Bowl, Jan. 1 in Glendale, Ariz.
"That's been our goal for the last two years, three years," NU receiver Nate Swift said. "It's great to have it in front of us. Everyone's talking about how the North's weak. We've come out this year and showed that it's not weak."
Several Nebraska coaches and players agreed they own no advantage over Oklahoma in clinching the spot in Kansas City early.
Why? Because the Huskers didn't allow themselves to think about it until Friday night.
"I think more than anything else, we're a team with purpose," tight ends coach Shawn Watson said. "We had a wakeup call during the middle of the season when we had to reach down inside and find out what this team really wanted. This team did that."
Said safeties coach Bill Busch: "Even in the locker room (after the CU game), hey, we were happy. Everybody was happy, but we understood there was a huge game in eight days.
"This isn't the end-all goal."
Exactly why McKeon didn't want to celebrate.
"We've got to win the Big 12 championship," he said. "You can't lose the Big 12 championship. There's a ring on the line."
Playing for Big 12 title isn't enough for NU
BY MITCH SHERMAN
WORLD-HERALD BUREAU
LINCOLN - Nebraska linebacker Corey McKeon saw the Huskers gathering near midfield at Memorial Stadium Friday to celebrate their Big 12 North Division title minutes after the 37-14 win over Colorado.
McKeon watched briefly and decided it wasn't for him.
"I left," the junior from Naperville, Ill., said. "It looked fun, but it'll be a bigger one next week."
The Huskers can only hope McKeon's attitude spreads. For months, Nebraska stated as its goal a trip to Kansas City, Mo., for the conference championship game.
Now that the Huskers are there, and set to play South Division champ Oklahoma Saturday at 7 p.m., what's next?
"Our goal was to No. 1, win the North," offensive coordinator Jay Norvell said, "but our goal was to win the Big 12 championship. That's what we came here to do. We have a lot more work to do. I know our guys are not satisfied. Our mind-set all along was that we wanted to get to that game and win that game."
NU (9-3 overall, 6-2 Big 12) clinched its fourth berth in the league title game, and first since 1999, with a one-point win Nov. 11 over Texas A&M. The victory Friday secured a perfect season in North Division play and ensured that the Huskers will head to Arrowhead Stadium with momentum after three straight wins.
Oklahoma (10-2, 7-1), meanwhile, has won seven straight after a 27-21 victory at Oklahoma State Saturday to clinch the South crown. The Sooners earned their fifth appearance in the title game after Texas lost to Kansas State and Texas A&M.
Despite seven previous combined trips to play for the league crown, historic rivals NU and OU have never met in the conference title game. Of course, they clashed in the de facto Big Eight title game nearly every season for 20 years before the formation of the Big 12 in 1996.
But Saturday will mark only their second postseason meeting. Oklahoma beat the Huskers in the 1979 Orange Bowl. The Sooners also beat NU 31-24 last year in Lincoln and 30-3 in 2004 in the two meetings under third-year Nebraska coach Bill Callahan.
At stake Saturday is a Bowl Championship Series slot and berth in the Fiesta Bowl, Jan. 1 in Glendale, Ariz.
"That's been our goal for the last two years, three years," NU receiver Nate Swift said. "It's great to have it in front of us. Everyone's talking about how the North's weak. We've come out this year and showed that it's not weak."
Several Nebraska coaches and players agreed they own no advantage over Oklahoma in clinching the spot in Kansas City early.
Why? Because the Huskers didn't allow themselves to think about it until Friday night.
"I think more than anything else, we're a team with purpose," tight ends coach Shawn Watson said. "We had a wakeup call during the middle of the season when we had to reach down inside and find out what this team really wanted. This team did that."
Said safeties coach Bill Busch: "Even in the locker room (after the CU game), hey, we were happy. Everybody was happy, but we understood there was a huge game in eight days.
"This isn't the end-all goal."
Exactly why McKeon didn't want to celebrate.
"We've got to win the Big 12 championship," he said. "You can't lose the Big 12 championship. There's a ring on the line."
