By: Heath Moorman (@heat1017)
Cornhusker Magic
Nebraska had some magic happen on Tuesday night as they defeated one of the favorites in the Big XII, shockingly. Climbing out to a 17-0 lead in the first quarter, Nebraska practically controlled this entire game. One shining factor for them is that the QB Lincoln League showed that he’s capable of throwing as well as running the football, giving them a true dual-threat offense going forward. League even outperformed opponent LC Fremont, who was the top QB prospect in this season’s recruiting class. Fremont has now thrown 8 INTs on the season, which is third worst in the league (but only second in conference behind Texas A&M QB Malcom Streets).
Freshman HB Tyler Archer now finds himself firmly in the race for the league rushing title, slated just behind Penn State QB Colter Thomas and Colorado HB Taylor James. He will need to make up some ground to catch Taylor James, however, as James is an explosive talent who could put up 200+ rushing yards any given week.
This was my game of the week prediction last week, and while I’m disappointed to say that we didn’t see the rushing explosion that I predicted, it was still a spectacle to watch the rise of Nebraska as they made their return to the Big XII. They now turn to Texas A&M, whom they host on Thursday night.
Oklahoma Defense Continues to Impress, Offense Struggles
In a game that I didn’t predict to be this close, Oklahoma’s true colors may have been revealed. Their defense continued to shine, albeit against a Texas team that hasn’t put up star-studded numbers so far this season. This turned into a defensive slugfest, with Oklahoma’s side forcing four turnovers and Texas’s side recording 7 sacks. Oklahoma’s defense also held Texas’s defense to 3/13 on third down, as well as fewer than 7 yards per attempt passing.
Statistically, this game was not as close as the final score suggested. Oklahoma dominated in nearly every category, including plays, total yards, rushing, passing, 3rd down percent, turnovers, penalty yards, and time of possession. The single caveat I have to this is that nearly 50% (184) of Oklahoma’s air yards came on 8% (4) of Del Este’s passes.
History of the Red River Rivalry in the CFSL
The Red River Rivalry (RRR) in the CFSL dates back to Season 10, only missing meetings in Seasons 19 and 20 following the loan playoff matchup in Season 18, where Texas defeated Oklahoma 27-26 in what was also a defensive slugfest with only 828 total combined yards. Texas leads the series 10-3 after falling this season. Texas also leads the series point differential at +120 over Oklahoma. We may be witnessing a shift of power in this rivalry with this Oklahoma win. The talent that Oklahoma has built up for this season shows promise for the program’s future.
Some of the highlight matchups of the rivalry include the first matchup with Oklahoma, bringing home the 40-34 win in Season 10. Following this, Texas went on a dominant run, recording multiple score wins for four straight seasons before Oklahoma closed the gap in a 41-34 loss in Season 15. The two highest-scoring games are Season 17’s 66-55 Texas victory, in which each team’s numbers were almost identical, except that Texas won the 3rd down battle. As well as Season 21’s Texas 68-46 win, which combined for 1072 yards, 12 sacks, and five turnovers, showing both sides of the football getting the job done.
Big XII Results Week 3
Oklahoma beats Texas, 24-17
Nebraska beats Colorado 52-38
Texas A&M beats West Virginia 31-28
Big XII Schedule Week 4
Monday, June 2
Oklahoma vs Colorado (6:30 PM, Twitch)
Thursday, June 5
Texas A&M vs. Nebraska (6:30 PM, Twitch)
West Virginia vs. Texas (8:30 PM, Twitch)
Potential Big XII Game of the Week
Oklahoma visiting Colorado is hands down my candidate for game of the week. Oklahoma has been on a hot streak, putting up the best defensive numbers in the league so far. On the flip side, Colorado just recorded a big loss that will be looming over them for the rest of the season, as it may be the difference maker between them and another Big XII team’s championship case. Oklahoma will be looking to get the ball moving a bit more on offense and to do it efficiently, while Colorado will need to make wholesale corrections to get themselves back on the hunt.
