Ad Disclosure
Big plays give Nebraska elusive back-to-back wins as Oklahoma looms
By Ryan Jaster
Published:
“OK, we won a game [last week]. We won today. It’s called ‘two in a row.’ And if we win again [next week], it’s called a ‘winning streak’ … It has happened before!”
— Lou Brown, “Major League” (sort of)
I took some liberties with that quote from a baseball movie to make it work as a football analogy. Not sure it did, but …
Nebraska won two in a row, and yes, it has happened before.
But not since 2019.
Sure, those were against Illinois and Northern Illinois and these were against Fordham and Buffalo, but you have to take out the little guys before you can take on the big dogs.
And boy do the Huskers have a Great Dane waiting for them this week.
Nebraska renews its rivalry with No. 4 Oklahoma by celebrating the 50th anniversary of the “Game of the Century” — in Norman.
“I am pumped,” quarterback Adrian Martinez said. “It is stuff you grow up looking forward to as a kid. It really is, and I know our guys are pumped as well.”
After an opening loss to the Illini, the Huskers needed both of these games, no matter who they were against.
“A win is a win in my book,” Martinez said. “However, as a team we knew we were capable of beating this team and that coming in we should beat them. … We have a big game next week, so — got to play better than we did this week.”
Big plays would certainly help against the Sooners, much like they did Saturday against the Bulls.
A 71-yard run as part of his 112 on the ground put Martinez past 2,000 for his career. He found Samori Toure for two 68-yard scores on his way to 242 yards in the air.
Linebacker Luke Reimer had 16 tackles and a 22-yard interception return to the 1 that set up another touchdown.
“I just thought ‘score,’ ” Reimer said. “So I’m kind of mad I didn’t get in, but we got the touchdown the next play, so I can’t be too mad about that.”
Missed opportunities — they had a few. More huge highlights and scores were taken off the board by penalties, not to mention 3 missed field goals. (And with big plays the theme, now is as good a time as any to mention Buffalo quarterback Kyle Vantrease had an 81-yard … punt.)
“We should have scored more offensively in the first half than we did,” Nebraska head coach Scott Frost said after the game. “Then [we] got bailed out by a couple big plays that Adrian and Samori made in the first half.”
So if a 28-3 victory seems underwhelming, well …
“A win is a win.”
Now, these Huskers have about as good a chance next week as the baseball team from “Major League” of “winning the whole freaking thing,” and this ain’t the movies. But if they pull it off, there’s definitely a “B1G Story” — or maybe even a “30 for 30″ — in their future.
“I am ready for next week, ready for Monday,” Frost said.
One game at a time, just like Lou Brown.