November 19, 2009

Olin Buchanan
Rivals.com College Football Senior Writer

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Oh, but it wasn't like this.

The uniforms and stakes are the same. Little else is.

Four times the outcome of the Nebraska-Kansas State game has directly determined which team would play for the Big 12 championship.

The Huskers and Wildcats once made the Big 12 North seem like a drag race between two powerful cars. This season, it's more like a demolition derby to determine which wreck still is moving at the end.

Kansas State is 6-5, with an early season loss to Louisiana-Lafayette, and the Wildcats have to win Saturday to become bowl eligible. Their sputtering offense has been held to fewer than 20 points in each of the past two games, and quarterback Grant Gregory has thrown just one touchdown pass in the past four games combined.

The Wildcats have compensated with running back Daniel Thomas, who leads the Big 12 in rushing with 1,166 yards, but they're still just ninth in scoring in the conference.

K-State hasn't been in championship contention since winning the conference title in '03, so venerable coach Bill Snyder has a roster full of players with no experience in playing with so much at stake.

"It's kind of like being a parent," he said. "You think you have all the experience and you try to share what you think might be the right way for young people - for your children - but they don't always want to listen to you.

"It's hard to project what kind of an impact that would have on our players. You like to think there are some things we could share that are beneficial to them."

The Wildcats need all the wisdom and knowledge they can get. They're facing an all-or-nothing situation. Either they defeat Nebraska and appear in the Big 12 championship game, or their season comes to an abrupt end. That's because two of their victories are over FCS opponents in non-conference play. Only one win against an FCS opponent can count toward bowl eligibility.

Nebraska has had more than its share of issues, too.

Last month, the Huskers managed only 17 total points in back-to-back losses to Texas Tech and Iowa State - in Lincoln, no less. They committed eight turnovers in falling to the Cyclones.

"In one game, you turn the ball over eight times. The other, we dug ourselves a hole we couldn't get out of," Nebraska coach Bo Pelini said. "We knew we were better than we played in those two games."

Although Nebraska's defense is among the nation's best, the offense has been hampered by inconsistent quarterback play. Junior Zac Lee threw three interceptions in the loss to Iowa State. Though he's thrown for a respectable 1,692 yards and 11 touchdowns, those numbers largely were built up against overmatched Sun Belt Conference opponents.

In games against non-Sun Belt teams, Lee has passed for 901 yards and four touchdowns. He lost his starting job after the Iowa State loss, but last week he passed for 196 yards in a 31-17 victory over Kansas.

"I think he's played well, executed well," Pelini said. "He's gaining experience. He's more poised each time he goes out."

The Huskers have won three in a row, and a victory over Kansas State would mark Nebraska's first four-game winning streak against Big 12 teams opponents since 2001.

That season, the Huskers played for the national championship.

Nope, it wasn't like this.

KEY MATCHUP: Texas Tech offensive line vs. Oklahoma pass rush. The last time Oklahoma ventured to Lubbock, Sooners QB Sam Bradford was knocked out of the game and Texas Tech pulled off a 34-27 upset. This time, the onus in on the Red Raiders to protect their quarterback - whoever that might be. Steven Sheffield replaced Taylor Potts in last week's 24-17 loss to Oklahoma State. Both have had injury issues this season. Oklahoma, by the way, is tied (with Tech) for second in the nation in sacks with 33.

PLAYER ON THE SPOT: Texas A&M QB Jerrod Johnson. A&M has allowed more than 40 points 10 times in the past two seasons; clearly, the Aggies can't count on their defense. That puts added pressure on Johnson, who has been inconsistent this season, to lead a productive offense. The Aggies need to defeat Baylor to clinch bowl eligibility. Of course, they do have two games remaining, but A&M doesn't want its bowl hopes to hinge on beating Texas next week.

NUMBERS GAME: Texas QB Colt McCoy needs one more victory to set an NCAA record for most FBS wins by a starting quarterback. McCoy's record as a starter is 42-7. He also holds the nation's longest streak of consecutive games with a touchdown pass at 27.

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING:

"Some people wonder why you put a guy like Jordan back there, but he can score every time he touches it." - Texas coach Mack Brown, on having leading receiver Jordan Shipley replace suspended D.J. Monroe on kickoff returns

"I probably should have left [Taylor] Potts in the whole game. I should have played him the whole game." - Texas Tech coach Mike Leach, regretting his decision to change quarterbacks in last week's loss to Oklahoma State

"No, not at all. Everybody wants to win more games, but I think in terms of helping get this place back on track after what it went through, I think we've had to take on a number of tasks and have done a great job with that." - Colorado coach Dan Hawkins, when asked if he felt his job was in jeopardy with a fourth consecutive losing season

ETC.: Colorado has allowed 13 plays that covered at least 40 yards this season. Just two of those plays have occurred in Big 12 games, though. Buffaloes QB Tyler Hansen already has picked up 15 rushing first downs, even though he didn't get into the starting lineup until Oct. 17. Last season, Hansen rushed for 20 first downs. ... Oklahoma State's defense has not allowed an individual 100-yard rusher this season. The Cowboys are one of just eight teams that can boast that accomplishment. ... Oklahoma State QB Zac Robinson has recovered from a violent collision in last week's win over Texas Tech and is expected to play Thursday night against Colorado. ... Oklahoma DE Jeremy Beal has 11 sacks this season and needs three more to equal the school record. He has notched three sacks in a game twice this season. OU WR Ryan Broyles twice has caught 11 passes in a game. The school single-game record is 12. He has a team-leading 60 receptions. ... Texas Tech still needs one more victory to become bowl eligible for the 16th consecutive season. The Red Raiders' 15-year streak of bowl eligibility is a Big 12 record. ... Baylor LB Joe Pawelek will make his 44th consecutive start on Saturday. The school record is 45. ... Iowa State has held three conference opponents to 10 or fewer points. They haven't done that since 1965. ... Kansas WR Kerry Meier has 2,209 career receiving yards and needs just 58 more to become the second-most productive receiver in KU history. The Jayhawks' other receiver, Dezmon Briscoe, is first with 2,897 career yards. ... Kansas State's defense has allowed 38 plays of at least 20 yards this season. That's a significant improvement from a year ago, when the Wildcats allowed 75. ... Missouri WR Danario Alexander has posted back-to-back 200-yard receiving games. He leads the Big 12 in receiving yardage with 1,238. ... Nebraska RB Roy Helu has rushed for at least 100 yards in each of the past two games. He had 156 last week against Kansas, with 86 coming in the fourth quarter. ... Nebraska's defense has allowed just 110 points in 10 games (11.0 per game), which is the third-lowest total in the country. ... Texas A&M's Johnson needs to account for one touchdown (passing, rushing or receiving) to secure the school career record for touchdown responsibility. Johnson has thrown for 45 touchdowns and rushed for 13 for a total of 58. Reggie McNeal owns the school record with 59 touchdowns. ... Texas A&M OT Lee Grimes is questionable for Saturday's game because of a sprained left knee. ... Texas has scored 10 non-offensive touchdown this season, which leads the nation and is the most in school history.

Olin Buchanan is the senior college football writer for Rivals.com. He can be reached at olin@rivals.com.