Sooners have few weaknesses

The Nebraska Cornhuskers take on the Oklahoma Sooners in the Big 12 Championship Game at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. The game Saturday night is set for a 7:13 kickoff and will be broadcast by ABC (Columbus Cable TV channels 7 & 8).

The Sooners come in with a record of 10-2 with a questionable loss at Oregon that should have OU at 11-1 entering the Saturday night contest. Oklahoma is coached by Bob Stoops, a solid mentor that will have the Sooners ready to go in the big game.

The strength of the Oklahoma football team is on the defensive side of the ball. The Sooners are led by one of the top linebackers in the country in Zach Latimer (6-foot-1, 234 pounds, Senior). Latimer is a big-time hitter that is a difference maker on defense. Latimer roams the middle, while Rufus Alexander (6-1, 230, Sr.) is a star on the weakside of the defense. Alexander leads the team with 95 total tackles, while Latimer is second with 73 stops.

The stopper up front is defensive end C.J. Ah You (6-4, 275, Sr.). He has the talent to play in the NFL next season as a rookie. The defensive line overall is not big, but is certainly known for the team speed.

Quickness is definitely the name of the game when it comes to the OU defense.The secondary is tough to throw on as well. Strong safety Reggie Smith (6-1, 197, So.) is always around the football and is very good as a punt returner as well. The defensive backfield does not have one senior that starts, so they could be picked on by Nebraska quarterback Zac Taylor.

The defense gives up only 99 yards rushing and 174 yards passing per game.

The offense had the best player in all of college football in my opinion. Tailback Adrian Peterson (6-2, 218, Jr.) is a star that may be one of the top three selections in the 2007 NFL Draft. Peterson was hurt earlier this season with a fractured collarbone. Before his injury, Peterson had 935 yards rushing in only six games. He averaged 156 yards per game with 10 touchdowns. However, Peterson is not fully recovered and will not play.

Oklahoma loves to run the football and averages 289 yards on the ground per game. Besides Peterson, the Sooners have several talented running backs much like Nebraska. Allen Patrick (6-0, 191, Jr.) has 665 yards rushing and three touchdowns. Chris Brown (5-10, 190, Fr.) averages 85 yards per game and has six scores on the year.

Paul Thompson (6-4, 214, Sr.) has stepped in when last year's starter, Rhett Bomar ,was removed from the squad for accepting illegal benefits. Thompson was a wide receiver a year ago that has bailed OU out of a bad quarterbacking situation. This season Thompson is 166 of 270 (61.5 percent) with 18 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He throws for an average of 181 yards per contest. Thompson is not a great thrower and is sparked by the solid running game.

The receivers have a big-play specialist in wideout Malcolm Kelly (6-4, 217, So.). Kelly has 52 catches for 851 yards and eight scores. Juaquin Iglesias(6-1, 201, So.) is Thompson's second favorite target with 33 grabs on the year. Late this season, the Sooners have gone away from throwing the ball and tried to punish defenses by running the ball.

Oklahoma has an outstanding offensive line. Through 12 games, the Sooners have given up only 13 sacks. Left tackle Chris Messner (6-6, 280, Sr.) leads a group that averages 6-4 and 305 pounds per man from tackle to tackle. If this group plays well, it will be a long night for the Huskers.

OU has a solid kicker in Garrett Hartley (5-9, 198, Jr.), who is 17 of 18 on field goals and 42 of 43 on extra points. The only field goal he has missed would have reversed the outcome in Oklahoma's heartbreaking loss at Oregon. The punting is good, but not great. Smith is very talented on punt returns, and Iglesias is one of the best in the conference as a kick return man.

Oklahoma does not appear to have many weaknesses. Nebraska has a few areas where it can be taken advantage of. The Huskers have a major intangible that I believe will make the difference.

Taylor has been the best offensive player in the Big 12. He was born in Norman, Okla., only a few yards from the OU campus. His father was a captain for the Sooners in the 1970s. Taylor was not offered the chance to play for his beloved Sooners. I think the hometown boy makes the Sooners pay in this game.

Nebraska upsets Oklahoma 24-20.

Jim Dolezal is a Husker football fanatic as well as a part-time sports writer for the Telegram. He will analyze the Huskers' opposition from a hometown perspective every Thursday throughout the season.