http://msn.foxsports.com/cfb/story/10464840/Pelini,-Nebraska-have-the-formula-to-beat-Texas----------
I don't think we do, but we'll see; it all depends upon whether or not Texas is as good as it thinks it is.
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Bo Pelini is a proud man, some might say too proud.
He hails from Youngstown, Ohio, a former Rust Belt steel mecca that fell on hard times beginning in the '70s, and its recovery has been gradual. The city's blue-collar ethos shaped Pelini, who, some would suggest, against all odds made it out via football, not only surviving but thriving.
So don't even bother telling the Nebraska coach his No. 21 Cornhuskers are underdogs in this weekend's Big 12 Championship at The House Jerry Built against No. 2 Texas — because the concept is foreign.
Ndamukong Suh headlines a formidable Nebraska defense. (Nati Harnik / Associated Press)
"I don't pay attention," Pelini said. "I don't even know what that means. That's for the bookies in Vegas."
Since he mentioned it, the Longhorns are 14-point favorites. Pelini isn't naïve — he understands UT is undefeated and on track for a berth in the BCS Championship game. But it's still football, and because there is still strategy involved and, you know, the actual game has to be played, he likes his team's chances.
"Trust me — we're not playing this game to lose," Pelini said. "You can ask our guys in the locker room. That's up to you guys to say what you're going to say, and build it up how you want to build it up. We just want to take the challenge, line up and play, and let it all hang out."
His stubbornness is well-documented, but that trait will only serve the second-year coach well this weekend.
Don't deviate from anything you've done this season, Bo, because, really, the only way to find success and beat Texas is to maintain the status quo.
It's a simple formula: be tough, run the ball and let the defense, a unit ranked 11th in the country led by dominant senior defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, do the rest.
"They're probably the most physical team we've played," Brown said, a comment that likely will raise a few eyebrows in Norman, Okla. "Their offensive line's unbelievable. They line up and they're going to run the ball right down your throat and if you don't stop it, you won't see a pass."
That's because Zac Lee, Nebraska's junior quarterback, is the consummate caretaker. His sole responsibilities are to not turn the ball over and hand the ball off to the Cornhuskers' stable of backs. The 'Huskers are led by junior Roy Helu Jr. (1,057 yards, 10 touchdowns) and bolstered by freshman Rex Burkhead, who was injured earlier in the season but ran for 100 yards and the winning touchdown in a 28-20 win against Colorado.
"Texas has a high-powered offense and a great defense as well," Burkhead said. "... You want to try to control the pace of the game and hopefully move the ball up and down the field. That way, you can kind of keep their opportunities as low as possible."
If so, the defense should be up for the rest. It should be fascinating — the Big 12's Offensive Player of the Year, Colt McCoy, on one side of the line of scrimmage, and Suh, the Big 12's Defensive Player of the Year, on the other.
"Ndamukong Suh is just an amazing player," Brown said. "Someone was asking about the Heisman, and he might be in that mix if they had a defensive player that could do it. He's huge and just dominates games ... When it's a defensive tackle and you're going into the game knowing that he changes the game, every play that you run you have to be aware of where he is and what he does."
That, too, isn't any different for the Cornhuskers than the rest of the season.
Take another look at Nebraska's schedule and the results. The Cornhuskers dominated Virginia Tech in Blacksburg before slipping up late in a 16-15 loss Sept. 19. They were inexplicably spanked at home, 31-10, by Texas Tech on Oct. 17, and then again at home a week later, doomed by eight turnovers in a 9-7 loss to Iowa State.
Just think — if Hokies quarterback Tyrod Taylor fails to hook up with Danny Coale on a miraculous 81-yard pass to set up the winning touchdown, and if the Cornhuskers hold on to the ball one of the two possessions they were inside the 5 vs. the Cyclones, Nebraska is likely 11-1 heading into this showdown.
"We have to put it together as a team and we have to play our best football all year to beat those guys."
— Nebraska safety Larry Asante
Sure, those are silly hypothetical scenarios, but the outcome of both games was fluky in nature.
The Cornhuskers admit they were encouraged by what Texas A&M accomplished against Texas last week, extending the Longhorns before fading late in a 49-39 final. But it would be a mistake to mimic what the Aggies did because the personnel is entirely different. A&M quarterback Jerrod Johnson made plays with his legs and right arm and nearly won the game doing so — no chance Pelini places Lee in a position to do the same.
Instead, Nebraska should reflect upon this year's Red River Shootout, a low-scoring, violent affair that was ultimately claimed by McCoy and the Longhorns, 16-13. Texas had 142 rushing yards, and McCoy threw for just 127 yards and was intercepted twice.
To most, it was ugly. But Pelini would be able to find the beauty in a similar effort.
"I believe we have to play mistake-free defense, and we have to play mistake-free offense, too," senior safety Larry Asante said. "Special teams, too. We have to put it together as a team and we have to play our best football all year to beat those guys."
In other words, don't change a thing. Remain stubborn.
Stay proud, Bo.
