| *Stakes not so high when No. 20 OU, Nebraska meet*
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By ERIC OLSON
AP Sports Writer
LINCOLN, Neb.(AP) -- Mention the Oklahoma-Nebraska rivalry to
longtime college football fans, and it conjures memories of
November classics from yesteryear.
Those were the days in the 1970s and '80s when Big Eight
championships and, often, national title hopes were on the line.
Even as the Big Eight morphed into the Big 12, and the
scheduling format allowed the teams to meet only twice every
four years, the series still had its moments.
Unfortunately, Saturday's game offers little for folks who still
think of Barry Switzer and Tom Osborne when they hear the words
Oklahoma and Nebraska.
Texas seems well on its way to winning the Big 12 South, leaving
the 20th-ranked Sooners (5-3, 3-1 Big 12) to jockey for the best
possible bowl bid.
Nebraska (5-3, 2-2) is still very much alive in the North
despite an offense that has generated just three touchdowns in
three games. If the Huskers win their mess of a division, the
reward likely would be a date with a Texas team that will be
favored by double digits in the conference championship game.
Sooners coach Bob Stoops tried to inject some oomph into
Saturday's game by showing his players Oklahoma-Nebraska video
clips from back in the day.
"There's a lot of amazing tradition and history," Stoops said.
"I always wonder if our freshmen, sophomores and guys who
haven't been around very long have a true understanding of the
tradition and history and pride of that program. I've always
felt that playing them is tough."
Nebraska coach Bo Pelini said his players understand the
history.
"But we're worrying about 2009 right now," he said.
The Sooners have won four straight against Nebraska, including
last year's 62-28 victory in Norman. For the Sooners, it was the
first of five straight games they scored in the 60s before they
lost to Florida in the national championship game. For the
Huskers, it was their last loss before they started a six-game
win streak that carried into this season.
Neither program has recaptured its momentum.
Sam Bradford, the Sooners' 2008 Heisman Trophy-winning
quarterback, injured his right shoulder in the opener against
BYU and was knocked out for the season against Texas in
mid-October. The Sooners had already lost All-America tight end
Jermaine Gresham to a knee injury.
Landry Jones has been a capable replacement for Bradford,
throwing 17 touchdown passes against six interceptions.
"It's exciting to see what he has been able to do," Stoops said.
"In five starts, he has been the player of the week twice in the
Big 12 Conference, so he's doing an excellent job."
The Sooners' defense ranks 11th or higher in three of four major
statistical categories. Still, losses to BYU, Miami and Texas
have taken the air out of a season that started with the Sooners
ranked No. 3.
Stoops said his players have kept a good attitude.
"They are pushing to get better," he said. "We've made some
improvement. There is still a lot more to go though. We're not
at all where we can be."
Nebraska also expected to have achieved more by this point in
Pelini's second season.
The Huskers were in position to beat Virginia Tech on the road
but ended up losing by a point after giving up an 81-yard play
on the Hokies' winning drive. They rose to No. 15 in the AP poll
after rallying in the fourth quarter to beat Missouri last
month, but embarrassing home losses to Texas Tech and Iowa State
have left them out of the rankings and behind upstart Kansas
State in the North.
"Hopefully we'll move forward and it will allow us to get into
the Big 12 championship and get into a good bowl game," Nebraska
nose tackle Ndamukong Suh said.
For that to happen, the Huskers better find some offense.
Freshman quarterback Cody Green is in line to make his second
start after taking over for Zac Lee, who struggled against Texas
Tech and was victimized by a school record-tying eight
turnovers, three of them his own, against Iowa State.
"We haven't put it all together," Pelini said. "We have been
mixing and matching a decent amount trying to find the right
combinations where we're limited. We just have to execute more
consistently. That will be even more magnified against a group
like this."
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