Game Matchup and Statistical Comparison

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Big12Sports.com

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t took 10 years before, and three seasons since,

but traditional powers Oklahoma and

Nebraska are meeting for the second time in

the Dr Pepper Big 12 Football Championship

Game tonight. And just in time, too.

With Nebraska 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, Nebraska won 10 outright

championships, Oklahoma won eight. Three times

the schools were Big Eight co-champions.

“How exciting to pair up against Nebraska,”

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

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

North, but the Huskers had the head-to-head

tiebreaker edge on the Tigers — a 31-17 victory

Oct. 30.

Oklahoma and Nebraska 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

Nebraska, 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

Jones with a solid ground attack of 1,053 rushing

yards and 14 touchdowns.

Travis Lewis and Jonathan Nelson lead the

Sooners in tackles with 93 and 87, respectively.

For Nebraska, 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 Nebraska’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.

5,092 Yards • 424.3 Yards Per Game

5,761 Yards • 480.1 Yards Per Game

Total Offense

Landry Jones // 3,825 yards (3,947 passing, -122 rushing)

Taylor Martinez // 2,409 yards (1,435 passing, 974 rushing)

3,230 Yards • 269.2 Yards Per Game

1,725 Yards • 143.8 Yards Per Game

Rushing

DeMarco Murray // 1,053 yards, 14 TDs

Roy Helu Jr. // 1,120 yards, 10 TDs

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