Nebraska and Texas A&M are both on four-game winning streaks, so something's got to give when they meet Saturday, Nov. 20, 2010, at College Station, Texas. No. 9 Nebraska needs one more victory to lock up its second consecutive Big 12 Conference North Division football crown. Standing in the way will be an 18th-ranked Aggies squad that is in contention for the Big 12 South championship.
Texas A&M (7-3 overall, 4-2 conference) has been on a roll since making Ryan Tannehill its No. 1 quarterback. But a recent surge by running back Cyrus Gray has been vital as well. The junior enjoyed his fourth consecutive 100-yard rushing game in last weekend's 42-30 win at Baylor, scoring four TDs.
Coach Mike Sherman's team will need some help to take the Big 12 South and gain a spot in the conference championship game. The Aggies are tied with Oklahoma for second place in the division, trailing Oklahoma State by one game with two remaining.
Nebraska (9-1, 5-1) is in better shape. Coach Bo Pelini's Cornhuskers — ranked No. 8 in the Bowl Championship Standings — are a game up on Missouri in the Big 12 North race. They hold the head-to-head edge over the Tigers, so another triumph clinches an overall conference title shot.
The 'Huskers are coming off 20-3 victory over Kansas in which they yielded only 87 yards of total offense. But that came against one of the most limp offenses in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision. Their next assignment will be halting the the No. 8 passing offiense in the FBS.
ABC will telecast the 8 p.m. EST game, which will be the 14th matchup between the teams. Nebraska holds a 10-3 series advantage, but Texas A&M won the last meeting, 36-14, at Lincoln, Neb., in 2007. The Aggies, though, haven't topped the Cornhuskers at College Station since posting a 28-21 win in 1998. A&M has had only two home games vs. the 'Huskers since then.
Can the Aggies come through in 2010? Much will depend on how well they protect Tannehill.
The Texas A&M Offense
The Aggies are averaging 34.9 points and 469.5 yards per contest, with 308.1 yards coming through the air. But Texas A&M has given up 30 sacks — more than all but nine FBS teams. And A&M will be facing a quick Nebraska team that had six sacks vs. Kansas. Turnovers have also been a problem for the Aggies, who have lost 12 fumbles and tossed 12 picks.
Texas A&M will have things much easier if it establishes a running game, and it's done that well in recent weeks. Gray has rushed for 673 yards and 10 touchdowns, with 478 yards and eight TDs coming during the winning streak. But A&M standout Christine Michael (631 yards, 4 TDs) is out for the season because of a leg injury.
Tannehill replaced all-time A&M total offense leader Jerrod Johnson at QB, and has thrown 10 TDs with only three interceptions in the past four games. The junior has completed 69.3 percent of his passes for 1,134 yards. His targets include Jeff Fuller (61 catches, 923 yards, 11 TDs), Ryan Swope (61 receptions, 711 yards, 4 TDs), Uzoma Nwachukwu (30 receptions, 354 yards, 2 TDs) and Gray (23 catches, 173 yards, 1 TD).
The Nebraska Offense
The Cornhuskers didn't exactly light up the scoreboard last week, but they're still averaging 35.4 points and 437.9 yards per game, and their rushing attack (282.3 yards) ranks seventh in the FBS. They've turned the ball over 16 times and allowed 14 sacks — better-than-average numbers.
The catalyst is quarterback Taylor Martinez, who returned to the lineup last week after sitting out a game because of an ankle injury. The freshman has rushed for 957 yards and 12 touchdowns, and thrown for 1,327 yards and nine TDs. He's connected on 58.9 percent of his passes, with four being intercepted.
The receiving corps is talented but can be very erratic. Niles Paul leads the group with 35 catches for 463 yards and a touchdown. Brandon Kinnie has added 31 receptions for 383 yards and three TDs, and tight end Kyler Reed has made 10 grabs for 277 yards and a team-high four touchdowns. MIke McNeill (12 catches, 212 yards, 1 TD) is also a threat.
Roy Helu Jr. has rushed for a team-best 991 yards, with 10 touchdowns; and the rugged Rex Burkhead has contributed 647 yards and six scores. They'll be up against one of the nation's better run defenses on Saturday.
The Texas A&M Defense
The Aggies are yielding 22.1 points and 362.5 yards per game. They've been vulnerable through the air, but are allowing only 112.2 yards per game on the ground. A&M has done a decent job of rushing the passer (23 sacks) and coming up with turnovers (18 takeaways).
Linebacker Michael Hodges has anchored the Aggies, recording 84 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks and two interceptions. He's joined on the inside by Garrick Williams, who's second on the squad with 81 tackles.
End/linebacker Von Miller has drawn plenty of the attention after leading the nation in sacks last season. In 2010, he has 5.5 sacks and 9.5 tackles for loss among his 46 total stops. Another heavy contributor is outside linebacker Sean Porter, who has 56 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and six pass breakups.
The secondary features cornerbacks Terrence Frederick and Coryell Judie. Frederick has made 48 tackles and eight tackles for loss, and he's intercepted a pass and broken up seven others. Judie's made 42 tackles and tree interceptions.
Big plays off the bench have been made by DB Dustin Harris (35 tackles, 3 interceptions, 7 pass breakups) and end/linebacker Damontre Moore (36 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, 3 forced fumbles).
The Nebraska Defense
Nebraska is tied for 10th nationally in scoring defense (17.5 points) and is sixth in total defense (292.9 yards). The best work has been done against the pass, as the Cornhuskers lead the FBS in pass efficiency defense and are second in overall pass defense (140.2 yards). Defensive coordinator Carl Pelini's Blackshirts have also delivered 26 sacks, and intercepted 16 passes.
Linebacker Lavonte David continues to rack up big numbers. The 6-1, 210-pound junior leads Nebraska with 106 tackles, which include 10 tackles for loss and five sacks. He's also broken up eight passes.
Nebraska's defensive linemen have also made their share of plays. Tackle Jared Crick has 52 tackles, including team highs of 11 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks. He's joined up front by ends Cameron Meredith (48 tackles, 6 tackles for loss) and Pierre Allen (39 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks), and tackle Baker Steinkuhler (39 tackles, 3.5 sacks).
There's been some shuffling in the secondary, but two constants have been cornerback Prince Amukamara (38 tackles, 11 pass breakups) and safety DeJon Gomes (78 tackles, 2 interceptions, 5 pass breakups). Cornerback Alfonzo Dennard (4 interceptions, 6 breakups) has also been a standout, and his return from a concussion provided a boost vs. Kansas last week. Dennard shares the team lead in interceptions with safety Eric Hagg. Another safety, P.J. Smith, has three.
Special Teams
The Aggies have been inconsistent on punt returns. Dustin Harris returned one 54 yards for a touchdown early in the season, but A&M has not done a lot there since. But Judie has provided a spark on kickoff returns, bringing back two for touchdowns. He's averaging 39.2 yards on his seven runbacks. Teammate Gray is managing 24.5 yards.
Randy Bullock is 11-for-14 on field goal attempts, but his longest successful kick is from only 40 yards out. Punter Ryan Epperson is averaging 37.4 yards. The Aggies have been strong on punt coverage, and have also blocked a pair of kicks.
Nebraska has return threats in Paul, Kinnie and Tim Marlowe. Paul is averaging 11.4 yards on punt returns and 25.9 yards on kickoff runbacks. Marlowe has managed 27 yards per kickoff return and Kinnie is averaging 25.4 yards. Touchdowns have been scored by Eric Hagg on his only punt runback of the season, and by Paul on a kickoff.
Star kicker Alex Henery is 13-for-14 on field goal attempts, hitting a season-long 52 yarder and missing only a 51-yarder that was blocked. Henery is also averaging 44.4 yards per punt.