Game To Watch: Nebraska at #3 Oklahoma: September 18, 2021

Nebraska and Oklahoma renew their rivalry in Norman this Saturday at 12:00 EST. The Huskers dropped their season opener against Illinois, but have rebounded to win two straight against Fordham and Buffalo. Oklahoma survived a bit of a scare against Tulane then won an easy game against Western Carolina. Oklahoma is looking to stay on track for a playoff berth, while Nebraska needs a big win to energize their program.

Recent History

Oklahoma is 45 – 38 – 3 against Nebraska all time. The Sooners have won six of the last eight games between the two teams, including a 23 -20 win in their last match-up in 2010. Nebraska’s last win against Oklahoma came the year before that in 2009 when the Huskers won 10 – 3 in a defensive struggle.

Top 25 Players

What To Watch For…

Can Adrian Martinez Play His Best Game?

Adrian Martinez has had an up and down career at Nebraska. There’s no doubting his talent, but he has struggled with consistency throughout his career. When Martinez is at his best he can be an accurate passer and an explosive runner, creating big plays single-handedly. Nebraska is going to have to score to win this game, and the success of the offense is dependent on Martinez making big plays, converting key third downs and avoiding turnovers. Oklahoma’s defense is led by their talented defensive line. The Sooners have a disruptive group of starters led by Nik Bonitto and Perrion Winfrey that make it impossible for opponents to key on one player. They will create pressure and force Martinez to make quick decisions and evade pressure, hoping to force a turnover or knock the Huskers off schedule with a negative play. Martinez has to be efficient and break free for big plays for Nebraska to have a chance on Saturday.

Will Nebraska’s Defense Slow Down Oklahoma?

Nebraska’s defense played well early against Illinois, but ran out of gas as turnovers and the ineptitude of the offense wore them down in the second half. The defense played very well against Fordham and Buffalo as well, but they will face their toughest test on Saturday. The defense will have to be aggressive and get in the backfield to both slow down the running attack and create pressure on Spencer Rattler. Oklahoma has an explosive offense led by Rattler and Marvin Mims. The talented quarterback and skill players are supported by a good offensive line. Though Rattler and Mims are the big stars, Oklahoma has plenty of big play weapons at their disposal on offense. Despite all of the firepower, they did struggle to score against Tulane in the second half of their season opener, nearly allowing the Green Wave to steal the game late. Spencer Rattler threw two interceptions and the offense looked stagnant for long stretches of time, scoring just three points in the second half. Nebraska will have to muster up a similar performance to force Oklahoma off track and give themselves an opportunity to win.

Can Nebraska’s Receivers Get Separation Against Oklahoma’s Secondary?

Oklahoma’s defensive front has been stout this year, but they did have some trouble stopping Tulane’s passing attack. The Green Wave totaled 296 passing yards and three touchdowns that game, doing most of their damage through the air. Oklahoma did a much better job stopping the pass against Western Carolina, but that’s not a very challenging opponent making it hard to gauge if there was real progress. To repeat the success Tulane had, Nebraska will need Martinez to play well, but will also need their receivers to get open for him. The Huskers were without Omar Manning, Oliver Martin and Travis Vokolek last week and also lost Zavier Betts and Austin Allen during the game. That’s three receivers and two tight ends down, though none of the above has been ruled out for the Oklahoma game. The pressure will be on for Samouri Toure to continue to be an explosive threat at receiver and lead the available group of receivers. Adrian Martinez cannot beat Oklahoma on his own, the receivers have to step up and make plays.

Prediction

There is history and nostalgia involved in this game, but these two teams are in very different places right now. Nebraska needs a big win and will come out firing with everything they have. Oklahoma has a talented roster with the firepower to answer any barrage Nebraska sends their way and continue to add on when the Huskers falter. It’s difficult to see Nebraska playing a clean game for four quarters, Oklahoma will capitalize on those mistakes and win the game. Oklahoma 42 Nebraska 24.

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NCAA Football: Oklahoma vs UCLA, Sept 14, 2019, Pasadena, CA Image taken by Steve Cheng, Bruin Report Online is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.