Many people picked this game to be one of the less attractive matchups and outcomes. Nebraska seemed convincing during their romp of Washington in September. But, this was a different story. This was an ugly performance by Nebraska. The Huskies had no turnovers, allowed no sacks, and committed only three penalties. They played physical, yet discipline. Washington knocked out Taylor Martinez with an ankle injury. In addition, Nebraska was outmanned on both sides of the line. The defensive line could not get off their blocking until the runner was well past the play. It seemed Nebraska had come into this game with a laid-back approach and it cost them.

Martinez and the offense never seemed to have the momentum after their first drive when Rex Burkhead fumbled and turned it over. Washington did a great job of putting Nebraska in a big hole (2^nd and long and 3^rd and long). Consistently, Martinez and Cody Green were forced to pass in no-win situations. Martinez was intercepted once, and the touchdown throw to Kyler Reed could have also been an interception. The Cornhuskers offense was barely getting by running the ball with Burkhead and Roy Helu Jr. They were not anything spectacular, but who was?

The Cornhusker defense played all right if you look at the stat sheet and the final score. However, the only aspect they exceled in was the vaunted pass defense, which only allowed 72 yards. Washington ran all over them with Chris Polk and occasional runs by Locker. This was the biggest key of the game. The Huskies’ line was very strong in the second half which it controlled the defensive line. I also saw some poor effort plays by lazy tackling from Nebraska. On Locker’s touchdown run, many players were trying to arm tackle Locker. Locker ended up breaking them and scampered into the end zone. Overall, this season started with a lot of potential in an emerging young quarterback and the defense. It ended in disappointment with Nebraska losing three of its final four games, including the Holiday Bowl. Next fall, the Nebraska Cornhuskers move to the Legends Division in the Big Ten Conference.

No. 17 Nebraska and Washington will meet on December 30 for the second time this season at the Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl in San Diego. These two teams played back in September with Taylor Martinez and Nebraska passing all over the Huskies defense. This seems to be a one-sided matchup if Nebraska’s offensive line shows up to play. Being able to give freshman Martinez a chance to step up in the pocket and either pass or run is key factor. Martinez has been prone to turnovers especially when he is rushed into making errant throws. In addition, Roy Helu Jr. and Rex Burkhead have consistently been able to contribute their share. There are some minor injuries to the Huskies defensive line, but things should clear up as the week progresses. I do not think this Huskies defense can match the raw speed, strength, and skill that the Cornhusker offense possesses. There is a lot of potential for this team.

As for the Cornhusker defense, the focus is Jake Locker and to stop the damage. Locker struggled in the loss to Nebraska, where he completed only 4 out of 20 passes for 71 yards. The Cornhuskers have to forget what they accomplished in September. Locker along with receiver Jermaine Kearse is still a viable duo. Many times, I have seen them hook up for a big play. But, many times that same connection has seemed to be missing. The Blackshirts will be fine if they keep everything in front of them forcing the opposing offense to take short plays. With that being said, I can see Locker just run into unforced turnovers.

If you ask the coaches and the players, they would tell you that this season has been a disappointment. For Washington, the health of Locker was a concern in a below average year. For Nebraska, it had a chance for the BCS and fell short to the Sooners. There really is not much to gain for the Cornhuskers from the Holiday Bowl, but a loss here would be a bitter end as to the membership of the Big 12 Conference. Unfortunately, Washington was the only Pac 10 team remaining and it fell to the Holiday Bowl. Look for this matchup to be a low scoring despite the fact of the offenses that can light it up time to time. Nebraska wins again, 24-13.

No. 13 Nebraska ends its run in the Big 12 Conference with a disappointing 20-23 loss at the hands of rival no. 9 Oklahoma. This game was defined by the sloppy play of the offense and its lack of ability to hold on to the ball. Taylor Martinez did not look as confident as he did earlier in the year. Martinez only completed half of his passes and added in an interception. He was more focused on his primary receivers rather than his second choice. This caused him to stay in the pocket longer than usual, which only created more sack opportunities for the defense. That is too much pressure to put on the line. The bigger problem was fumbles, which has plagued them all season long. Three were lost, but more were put on the ground. Sooners’ linebacker Travis Lewis was my player of the game. He was everywhere on the field Saturday night.

The defense was impressive considering some of the holes they were put in. However, if you look at the box score, quarterback Laundry Jones quietly had a big game. I think he has been somewhat overlooked in the Big 12. There was much hype going into the season, but somehow it disappeared. The defense was on its game in the first quarter and a half. Jones and the Sooners found confidence after those turnovers that gave Oklahoma great field position or stole points from Nebraska. Oklahoma only converted on one third down, which is a bit misleading. It was hard for the Sooners to get anything going if they were backed up.

Nebraska was about to go for a fourth-down fake, when Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops called a timeout seconds before the snap. I think Stoops outcoached Bo Pelini. Nebraska tried a lot of trickery in the play calls, and it ended up biting them in the back. Stoops got his team out a 17-0 hole, and his coaching was defiantly a factor in the comeback. As for Nebraska, I see them ending up in either the Alamo Bowl or the Insight Bowl. The Cornhuskers will take a big drop as Texas A&M and Oklahoma State will eagerly move up the ranks for bowl selection.

No. 13 Nebraska will play its final conference game as a member of the Big 12. Before it looks ahead to the Big Ten, it has business to finish up. The Cornhuskers will face no. 10 Oklahoma on Saturday night to determine which team will advance to the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. Both teams are coming off big wins that landed them here. I feel this will be a shootout game, with each team giving up plenty of yards. Oklahoma is coming off a strong offensive performance against Oklahoma State where the quarterback Landry Jones was on matched Brandon Weeden. Last week, Cody Green starred in Nebraska’s win against Colorado. Taylor Martinez is day-to-day with the ankle with his status remaining up in the air. I think Green will see some action based off his performance last week.

For the Nebraska offense, it has to be the ground game that ignites it. It is going to be hard for Martinez to consistently drop back and throw off that ankle, not to mention when he has to scramble. This is going to plague the Nebraska passing game. With that being said, the offense should concentrate on trying to make big plays from the short passing game, such as the slant and the screen. With that said, it saves Martinez’s ankle for when he actually has to run. If Green sees the majority of the action, I would not be surprised if offensive coordinator Shawn Watson decides to open up the playbook for him. The offense will be successful if their line controls the defensive line from Oklahoma, and Rex Burkhead and Roy Helu can find the holes. I would not count on the passing game to show up.

Jones has been tearing it up of late behind the center. He has had one problem, which have been the interceptions. However, Nebraska has had a bigger problem, its safeties. They need to be able to read the play better. This has been the key to when the defense has struggled and succeeded this year. If the safeties come up on the play, they have to make sure they can make the tackle. I see them too many times committing to a play, and being burned by the opposing offense. This is one of the best passing offenses in the country, ranked 4^th in passing yards. I see Jones and Oklahoma being too much to handle for the Cornhuskers. The Sooners win 43-31 and advance to Glendale.

The Cornhuskers are officially into the Big 12 Championship game next week in Dallas. They did so by tearing apart Colorado 45-17. The regular star Taylor Martinez was held out of this game due to a bad right ankle and left foot. Another star that emerged in his place was Rex Burkhead. He threw for two touchdowns and ran for another one. Burkhead never had any big game-changer runs. He was consistently running hard getting four, five, or six yards at a time. The most impressive thing is how Bo Pelini used Burkhead in the passing game. It seemed to work to perfection partly because of the better protection from the line on Friday. The offensive line was playing much bigger to Colorado than I have seen them before. It showed up with only allowing a single sack and paving the way for 265 rushing yards. Also, Cody Green played his role perfectly (10-13 for two touchdowns) as a game manager.

The defense not only stopped Colorado, but also did not let any momentum for the Buffalos carry over from their previous wins. The Blackshirts intercepted Buffalos quarterback Cody Hawkins twice early in the third quarter to seal the deal. The best part about that was it was deep in Colorado territory. Both of those were turned into easy touchdowns. I believe this series of plays virtually ended the game. This defense will show up week in and week out. I have confidence in their abilities whomever they play next week.

Here is how it shakes down in the Big 12 South on Saturday. If Oklahoma State wins in Stillwater, it will play Nebraska next week. Remember, Texas A&M already took care of Texas on Thanksgiving Day. If Oklahoma wins, the November 28 BCS Standings will determine the representative. If Oklahoma wins, I do not believe Texas A&M will be able to catch them in the BCS, and Oklahoma State would fall behind them. There is also a possibility if two teams are separated by one spot, the lower ranked team can clinch the South if it won the head-to-head tiebreaker against the other. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? I see Nebraska taking on Oklahoma State next week in Dallas with the winner advancing to the Fiesta Bowl.

A close loss last week to a Texas A&M team, who has been on fire, put worries into Cornhusker fans. No. 16 Nebraska will play Colorado this week the day after Thanksgiving, where it can clinch the North with a win or a Missouri loss. There was some controversy after the game with rumors were flying around that quarterback Taylor Martinez had apparently quit the team after he was chewed out by Bo Pelini. I know this is college, but I would not blame him. He is just a freshman, and Pelini should have given it to the offensive line more. They committed costly penalties last week, then again who did not. Martinez is being asked to carry the offense on his shoulders. He will only grow in the coming offseason. Can you imagine if Nebraska was playing without Martinez for the rest of the season?

As for the coming game, I am not going to say Nebraska should run over Colorado. How many times have I been wrong before? Martinez means a lot to this team, and Nebraska needs him to be back on track. Teams have begun to pick up on the tendencies of Martinez. To contain Martinez, pressure is a must. In the past few weeks, pressure has caused Martinez to throw inaccurately and even throw to the other team. Also, speed is a key to keep him from running. Colorado does not seem to have much of either. Look for Martinez to come out early and test the defensive back.

Colorado can score, usually against porous defenses. The Blackshirts will make them look just average, but expect a few touchdowns. If I was Nebraska, I would game plan against the big plays since it is tough to continue to go underneath and in the middle against this defense. More likely than not, if Colorado continues to challenge the defense, its offense will be burned. Cody Hawkins has two straight three-touchdown games, but that will end this week. Nebraska will win if it keeps the turnover ratio on its side. I look for that to happen this Friday with Nebraska winning, 31-24.

No. 9 Nebraska will have to wait another week to clinch the Big 12 North losing 9-6 to Texas A&M. It ended its hopes (if it had any coming into this week) of a national championship. In that case, this loss really did not hurt the Cornhuskers chances of the Fiesta Bowl. They still control their own destiny. However, who saw this outcome coming at them? I surly did not. I thought this would be an offensive slugfest if anything. I was shocked to see this be a battle of field goals. No one on offense really had a great night. In a few cases when it looked like it was in a rhythm, the officials stopped them. It is true that Nebraska is good at committing penalties, but to have 16 of them and lose 145 yards in the process. In my eyes, the referee did not call a fair game for both teams. There were some blatant holding calls missed on the Aggies offensive lineman, which the Cornhuskers lineman got called for. There was also a pass interference call, which many Cornhuskers fans are angry about today.

Taylor Martinez was knocked out of the game for the final 20 minutes in the first half before he returned for the second half. He did not look like the same quarterback after that. He was off with his passes, and his legs were just not there. Martinez averaged less than a yard per carry. That can shows two things. He could not run to get the yardage or the offensive line was not much of a help. His inconsistency has virtually knocked him out of the Heisman race. Both Martinez and Cody Green each had one interception. The running backs had to deliver as they did in the past. Rex Burkhead and Roy Helu had average games all the way around. The breakaway ability, like Nebraska fans have seen this season, was absent last night.

As for the defense, more cannot be asked of them. It stopped the Aggies on all their third downs except one. Even if it did not record a turnover, a punt is almost as good. Ryan Tannehill was not as good as advertised. Before the week, I heard that he had taken over this team with high confidence and a success rate. He did not make any mistakes, but did not make many plays. As Bo Pelini said after the loss, this game is irrelevant (being the Cornhuskers win next week) in Nebraska’s quest for the Big 12 Championship Game. Next Friday, Nebraska will end its rivalry with Colorado.

No. 9 Cornhuskers travel to Texas A&M Saturday night. Nebraska had one of its best defensive performances in a while last week. This week will be much tougher to replicate that feel against this Aggie offense. Texas A&M has been much better offensively ever since Ryan Tannehill took over for Jerrod Johnson. Johnson was considered one of the better offensive players in the Big 12, but the team did not response. Tannehill has 10 touchdowns while only throwing three touchdowns. The Aggies scored at least 30 points the last four games. Nebraska has to be able to get consistent pressure on Tannehill. That will be a big factor in deciding which team will come out on top. Despite being 2^nd in pass defense in the country, the Cornhuskers might have to rely on the efforts of Taylor Martinez and the offense to win.

As for the offense, the running game will be the key once again. Martinez either can be explosive or play a supporting role. Roy Helu Jr. and Rex Burkhead need to be able to carry the load again. A steady dose of the running game should spell doom for the Aggie defense. Averaging over 280 yards per game, the Cornhuskers should have no problem getting down the field. I worry about the line, which looked a bit slow. It has to contain senior Von Miller, who has five sacks this season. I see him being the key to clogging up the middle and not allowing Nebraska to run up the gut.

The game comes down to a few simple things. Special teams seem more important than ever in today’s game. Mishaps lead to a direct scoring opportunity for the opposing team. With that being said, Nebraska cannot make special team mistakes because of fumbleitis it has shown on offense. The Cornhuskers should be fine if they do not give the Aggies extra opportunities on offense. I see this game being an old-fashioned shootout with Nebraska coming out on top, 42-34.

Taylor Martinez was not his best out there Saturday night, but he was healthy. Martinez returned to the field with his healthy ankle as he managed the No. 9 Cornhuskers to a 20-3 win over the Jayhawks. The freshman quarterback did not have to do anything spectacular as his running backs carried the load. Rex Burkhead and Roy Helu Jr. had a combined 162 yards for two touchdowns. It seems like Burkhead, Helu Jr. or both can change the game around, regardless of how well Martinez is doing. Fans can always count on the duo to show up week in and week out. They have a great line to run under. However, the offensive line did look a bit slow against the Jayhawks.

What more can be said about the Blackshirts? The defense racked up six sacks and an interception. A few of those sacks came on crucial third down plays where it forced Kansas to punt. The defense continues to impress (maybe not vs. Iowa St.). Teams have game plans instilled during the week, and those plans just go to die when Nebraska’s defense takes the field. It only allowed 87 yards all night long (15 passing). That was a terrible effort from Kansas. It sure did not look like the team that came back against Colorado. A Division II team might have been more productive.

A few things to clean up for next time. These have been plaguing the Cornhuskers all season long, and it does not seem that they will go away anytime soon. You have guessed it, fumbles and penalties. I really do not know more Bo Pelini can do. He had stressed it during practice, but when the team gets on the field, it is a different story. This is something this team will have to live with down the road and overcome. As for the BCS Standings, Nebraska should remain No. 9 or close to it. Next week, Nebraska battles the surprising Texas A&M Aggies.

Offensive Coordinator Shawn Watson said Taylor Martinez should 100 percent for Saturday’s game. Nebraska survived one week without the presence of its star quarterback. With Martinez absent, Nebraska took a hit in the polls, both the BCS and the Associated Press Top 25. It seems a victory this week, against Kansas, will not bring Nebraska up due the quality of its opponent. If the Jayhawks should make it close, it will only drop them further. BCS National Championship hopes are fading so Nebraska will most likely have to win the Big 12 Championship in order to play in the Fiesta Bowl.

As for the Kansas game, the Jayhawks have one of the worst rushing defenses in the country. The Cornhusker could just run the ball and enjoy an easy victory. However, I would be not be surprised if Nebraska takes chances trying to get points on the scoreboard. It needs a quality win with a big margin of victory. Martinez has not seen game action in two weeks, but will not be used conservatively. The Jayhawks gave up 42 points last week against a sub-par offense. Look for Nebraska to have a field day.

Jayhawks have momentum after scoring 35 points (28 on offense) in the 4^th quarter to comeback against Colorado. However, the Nebraska defense is much different. Senior cornerback Prince Amukamara is one of the most underrated corners in the conference. He can be a game changer for any play in any game. Quinn Mecham was on the money last as he hit seven different receivers. Nebraska’s pass defense is 6^th in the country. Mecham might have time to throw, but the Cornhuskers’ defensive backs will be ready Saturday night. Nebraska needs two more victories to clinch the Big 12 North. Cornhuskers will get one this week, winning 42-14.