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Game Matchup and Statistical Comparison <Game Matchup>
t took 10 years before, and three seasons since, but traditional powers Oklahoma and N ebraska are meeting for the second time in the Dr Pepper Big 12 Football Championship Game tonight. And just in time, too. With N ebraska departing to the Big Ten Conference and Colorado leaving for the Pacific-10 Conference after this season, this will be the final Big 12 Championship Game as the Conference moves on with 10 members. Having a Huskers-Sooners title game harkens back to the glory days for both schools. In the old Big Eight Conference, from 1971 through 1995, N ebraska won 10 outright championships, Oklahoma won eight. Three times the schools were Big Eight co-champions. “How exciting to pair up against N ebraska,” Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops said. “Not that it’s exciting to play them. They’re an excellent football team. But the tradition and history between Oklahoma and Nebraska and with them departing from (the Big 12), for us to have one more go at it is pretty exciting and special.” For both programs, the path to this year’s title game was treacherous and tedious. Both squads
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had to wait until the final week of the season to clinch a spot. Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas A&M each finished 6-2 in conference play and each team had victories over the others. The fifth level (Bowl Championship Series standings) of the Big 12 tiebreaker had to be used to break the stalemate. Oklahoma was five spots ahead of Oklahoma State and nine above Texas A&M in the Nov. 28 BCS standings. Nebraska and Missouri each finished 6-2 in the N orth, but the Huskers had the head-to-head tiebreaker edge on the Tigers — a 31-17 victory Oct. 30. Oklahoma and N ebraska have made the most appearances in the Big 12 Championship Game. This will be the eighth time for the Sooners and the sixth for the Huskers. Oklahoma defeated N ebraska, 21-7, in the 2006 Big 12 Championship Game. Quarterback Landry Jones and running back DeMarco Murray lead Oklahoma into tonight’s matchup. Jones enters the game second in the conference with 3,947 passing yards, but leads with 34 touchdowns. Murray has complemented
Total Offense Landry Jones // 3,825 yards (3,947 passing, -122 rushing)
5,761 Yards • 480.1 Yards Per Game 5,092 Yards • 424.3 Yards Per Game Taylor Martinez // 2,409 yards (1,435 passing, 974 rushing)
Rushing DeMarco Murray // 1,053 yards, 14 TDs
1,725 Yards • 143.8 Yards Per Game 3,230 Yards • 269.2 Yards Per Game Roy Helu Jr. // 1,120 yards, 10 TDs
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Jones with a solid ground attack of 1,053 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns. Travis Lewis and Jonathan N elson lead the Sooners in tackles with 93 and 87, respectively. For N ebraska, the biggest question is quarterback Taylor Martinez, who suffered a right ankle injury in the Cornhuskers’ 9-6 loss to Texas A&M on Nov. 20. Martinez played a majority of that game, but did not participate in N ebraska’s season-ending 45-17 victory against Colorado. Martinez, a redshirt freshman, is available to play tonight. He is vital to his team’s success, collecting 2,409 total offensive yards this season. He has rushed for 12 touchdowns and passed for nine scores. Cody Green, who filled in for Martinez against Colorado and delivered a three-touchdown performance, is the only quarterback on Nebraska’s depth chart that has not been bothered by injuries. Roy Helu Jr. leads the Huskers in rushing with 1,120 yards on 166 carries. Martinez (974) and Rex Burkhead (822) are second and third. Lavonte David amassed 128 total tackles for the Cornhuskers this season.
018-019 Matchup and Stats.qxp
5/31/11
3:00 PM
Page 2
Game Matchup and Statistical Comparison <Game Matchup>
Receiving Ryan Broyles // 1,391 yards, 13 TDs
4,036 Yards • 34 Touchdowns 1,862 Yards • 14 Touchdowns Niles Paul // 516 yards, 1 TD
Scoring DeMarco Murray // 114 points (14 r ush TDs, 5 receiving TDs)
450 Points • 37.5 Points Per Game 405 Points • 33.8 Points Per Game Alex Henery // 99 points (16-17 FGs, 51-51 P ATs)
Total Defense Travis Lewis // 93 tackles, 49 solo
4,438 Yards • 369.8 Yards Per Game 3,501 Yards • 291.8 Yards Per Game Lavonte David // 128 tackles, 67 solo
Rush Defense Jeremy Beal // 9.0 sacks (-68 yar ds)
1,828 Yards • 152.3 Yards Per Game 1,764 Yards • 147.0 Yards Per Game Jared Crick // 7.5 sacks (-65 yar ds)
Pass Defense Quinton Carter // 4 interceptions
2,610 Yards • 217.5 Yards Per Game 1,737 Yards • 144.8 Yards Per Game Eric Hagg // 5 interceptions
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