Sooners handle Huskers

Y BRIAN CHRISTOPHERSON / Lincoln Journal Star

NORMAN, Okla.— Halloween had nothing on this scary sight.

With national television cameras rolling, Nebraska looked a mess from the time the Sooner Schooner rolled onto the field Saturday night.

It looked like a schooner. But it felt like a Mack truck.

This was not something for kids to watch. Oklahoma had four touchdowns and Nebraska had three turnovers just 5½ minutes into the game.

“I was trying to tell them to relax, to keep going, to keep playing, let’s keep playing,” said Husker coach Bo Pelini, who kept his players from talking to the media after the game. “I’ve never been quite a part of one that started off that bad. It takes the wind out of your sails. It really does.”

It took more than three hours for fourth-ranked Oklahoma to finish off the 62-28 victory, but it took only about 20 real-time minutes of misery to know this would be a dreadful for Nebraska.

Even in your worst nightmare, you wouldn’t believe a game could start like this, the worst first quarter in Husker history. It was 35-0 by the end of the period, the most points given up by a Husker team in one quarter.

After 15 minutes, Oklahoma had 225 yards. Nebraska had 32. Joe Ganz’s first three passes all ended in turnovers. ESPN officials probably were wishing they were televising poker.

“The snowball started rolling on us and we didn’t do anything to get it stopped,” Pelini said. “We’re moving on.”

It was an odd Husker postgame scene. While Pelini talked, Sooner fans screamed in the background, watching the dramatic end of Texas Tech’s win against top-ranked Texas on televisions in the stadium concourse.

It was the first time in at least 30 years that Husker players weren’t made available to the media after a game. Why weren’t they?

“Because I’m the voice,” Pelini said. “I’m responsible for what happened out there. I’m the voice of this team. I told my guys Oklahoma is over. We’re moving on. I’m not talking about it. They’re not available. Is that enough said? It’s over. I’m the voice tonight.

“I was hired. I want our guys moving on to the next game. It’s a three-game season now. There’s nothing we can do about what happened at Oklahoma and I don’t want them talking about it. We’re moving on.”

The postgame discussion moved to the game, particularly those first 5½ minutes. It’ll be tough for players to watch it on film.

Oklahoma returned the opening kickoff 62 yards and scored a touchdown seven plays later.

That was just the beginning. The avalanche came next.

The Sooners scored another touchdown just four seconds later when Joe Ganz’s screen pass, intended for Todd Peterson, was intercepted by Dominique Franks at the 18-yard line. Franks breezed into the end zone.

Score: 14-0. Time off the clock: 2 minutes, 47 seconds.

Two plays later, Dreu Young fumbled at the Sooner 47. OU scored three plays later when wide receiver Quentin Chaney split Nebraska’s safety and cornerback for a 48-yard touchdown catch. Score 21-0. Time played: 4:29.

And two plays after that, Ganz sailed a pass high. The ball deflected off the hands of Marlon Lucky and into the hands of Oklahoma’s Lendy Holmes, who returned it 26 yards to the NU 9.

The Sooners scored one play later on a pass to Jermaine Gresham. Score: 28-0. Time played: 5:33.

Oklahoma scored again with four seconds left in the quarter on Chris Brown’s 1-yard reception after a 97-yard drive.

“I’m embarrassed,” Pelini said. “I’m just not used to this.”

The bizarre start made the rest of the game almost anticlimactic. Fans at Owen Field were keeping as close of tabs on Texas Tech-Texas as they were on the Sooners

Whatever success Nebraska eventually found on offense — running back Roy Helu provided flashes with 176 total yards — was quickly done better by an Oklahoma no-huddle offense that made NU’s defense look silly.

The Sooners already had 49 points by halftime — tying the most a Husker team has given up in a half. Nebraska gave up 49 in the second half of the Texas Tech game in 2004.

And OU already had 62 points by the end of the third quarter and Sam Bradford (19-of-27 for 311 yards, five touchdowns and an interception) was able to enjoy the final period as a spectator.

The loss drops the Huskers to 5-4 and 2-3 in the conference. The worst of the schedule is past, but Pelini knows his team has a “small margin for error” as it prepares for its stretch run against Kansas, Kansas State and Colorado.

“I feel strongly that this team will respond the right way. I really do,” Pelini said. “One thing I can say is we’re not a football team that points fingers at one another. We’re not a team that is divisive. It’s a group that, I think we’re going to hang together through thick and thin. We’re going to keep working. I told them, ‘The only way I know how to go about things in situations like this is roll up your sleeves and keep working.’ And that’s all we’re going to do.

“Obviously, that isn’t what we wanted. It hurts. But the reality of it is if you coach in this game long enough, if you play in this game long enough, you’re going to face situations like this.”