Inside the Box Score: Key stats from Nebraska’s loss to Oklahoma
On September 17, the Nebraska Cornhuskers dropped to 1-3 following a 14-49 blowout loss to the Oklahoma Sooners.
The Cornhuskers struggled on both sides of the ball. On offense, they recorded 164 total passing yards and averaged a mere 3.6 yards per rush attempt. Meanwhile, Nebraska’s defense looked outmatched against Oklahoma’s offense. At halftime, the Sooners had already jumped out to a 35-7 lead.
The Cornhuskers still have eight games remaining on their schedule, but they will face some tough opponents including Michigan, Wisconsin, Purdue, Iowa, and Minnesota.
Luckily, interim head coach Mickey Joseph will have some extra time to work with the team. Their next game is not until October 1, when they will face Indiana.
Here are two key stats from Saturday’s loss.
Oklahoma: 3 sacks in the 1st quarter
The Cornhuskers were firing on all cylinders during their first offensive drive, as they marched 77 yards up the field in six plays to score a touchdown.
After that, everything fell apart offensively, and it started with the offensive line. Quarterback Casey Thompson faced consistent pressure, and the Sooners were able to sack him three times in the first quarter alone. Thompson was clearly uncomfortable in the pocket, and it affected his accuracy at times.
As a result, the Cornhuskers failed to put any more points on the board until late in the fourth quarter. To be competitive moving forward, Nebraska’s offensive line will need to play at a much higher level, and that could be a tall task with left tackle Teddy Prochazka set to miss the remainder of the season.
Oklahoma: 580 total yards
Can Nebraska’s defense bounce back? Four weeks into the season, we’re still asking that question.
Entering Saturday, their defense was giving up a whopping 492.0 yards per game, which was 124th in the FBS. For perspective, there are only 131 teams in the FBS.
Interim head coach Mickey Joseph revoked the blackshirts in a possible attempt to motivate the defense. However, Nebraska’s defense showed no improvement on Saturday allowing Oklahoma to rack up 580 total yards.
Nebraska’s offense has shown signs of life this season, as Anthony Grant, Ajay Allen, Trey Palmer, and Casey Thompson have all made big plays, individually. Nevertheless, it will extremely difficult for the Cornhuskers to win football games with their defense giving up 500+ yards per game. Joseph will need to find a way to turn this unit around fast.
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