Texas Tech vs. Nebraska Football 2009
No. 15 Cornhuskers Try to Follow Up on Stirring Victory
But it might be forgotten if the Cornhuskers can't come up with a victory this week.
The No. 15 Cornhuskers will try to follow up on last week's 27-12 win over Missouri when they face Texas Tech in a Big 12 Conference game Saturday, Oct. 17, at Lincoln, Neb.
Nebraska (4-1 overall, 1-0 Big 12) is trying to prove it belongs among the nation's elite, and coach Bo Pelini's team nearly did it Sept. 19 at Virginia Tech, only to have the Hokies win 16-15 in the final seconds.
It looked like the Cornhuskers were headed for another frustrating defeat Thursday, Oct. 18, at Missouri, trailing 12-0 entering the final quarter of the watery Big 12 game. But Nebraska erupted for 27 unanswered points in the period to beat Missouri, which was then ranked No. 24.
Nebraska will now seek its third straight win, facing a Texas Tech team that boasts one of the nation's top passing attacks. Coach Mike Leach's Red Raiders (4-2, 1-1) have lost only to No. 3 Texas and No. 23 Houston. They gave both of those teams tough battles on the road, falling to the Longhorns 34-24 in a Big 12 game Sept. 19 and losing to the Cougars 29-28 a week later.
Texas Tech has since won two straight, and broke into the Big 12 win column last week with a 66-14 thrashing of Kansas State. Both victories were sparked by a backup quarterback who played like anything but.
The 11th meeting between the schools is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. EST and will be telecast by ABC. The Cornhuskers own a 7-3 lead in the series, but Texas Tech has won the last three.
Sheffield Shines for Texas Tech
Texas Tech quarterback Taylor Potts suffered a concussion in the second quarter vs. winless New Mexico on Oct. 3. Steven Sheffield took over with the game tied 7-7, and passed for 238 yards and three touchdowns as the Red Raiders broke away to a 48-28 victory.
Sheffield then started vs. Kansas State, and threw for 490 yards and seven touchdowns. The junior, who's seen action in three games, has completed 75.7 percent of his passes for 780 yards and 11 TDs. He's been intercepted twice.
Potts hadn't been doing so badly himself, ranking second in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision with an average of 363.4 yards per game. The junior has hit on 67.7 of his attempts for 1,817 yards, with 13 touchdowns and six interceptions.
It's not clear who'll start Saturday, but there's no doubt that the football will be flying. Tech has passed an FBS-high 315 times.
Red Raiders Rank 2nd in Points
The Red Raiders rank No. 2 in passing yards at 443.5 yards per game. They're also No. 2 in scoring offense (43.17 points per game) and No. 5 in total offense (521.5 yards).
A major factor is a receiving corps that's retained productive despite the departure of All-American Michael Crabtree.
Alex Torres has made 31 catches for 335 yards and three touchdowns, and Detron Lewis has 30 catches for 385 yards and four TDs. Tramain Swindell sat out Tech's opener, but has snared 24 passes for 464 yards and five TDs since. Lyle Leong paces the Raiders in TD receptions with six, and has 24 catches for 328 yards overall.
The Raiders running attack nets only 78 yards per contest. But Baron Batch (312 yards, 5 TDs) is averaging 5.9 yards per carry, and freshman Harrison Jeffers (189 yards, 4 TDs) is averaging 6.9.
Tech Defense Applies Heavy Pressure on QBs
Tech's defense likes to get after the quarterback, and has done a pretty good job of it. The Red Raiders have registered 18 sacks, including five by Daniel Howard and four by fellow defensive end Brandon Sharpe.
Linebackers Marlon Williams and Brian Duncan lead the team with 43 tackles apiece. WIlliams also has a team-high six tackles for losses, with two sacks. Duncan's made four tackles for losses and broken up four passes.
Big plays have also been made by the likes of safety Cody Davis (36 tackles), linebacker Bront Bird (28 tackles, 5 TFLs) and DB Jamar Wall (27 tackles, 4 pass breakups).
The Red Raiders are giving up 21.3 points and 349.7 yards per game. And they're the most penalized team in the FBS (10.5 per game).
Cornhuskers Yielding Only 8 Points Per Game
Nebraska's defense is the second stingiest in the FBS, giving up just eight points per game and ranking behind only Florida (6.4). The Cornhuskers are also surrendering only 273.4 yards.
The centerpiece is tackle Ndamukong Suh, who recorded six tackles, an interception, a sack, a forced fumble and a pass breakup vs. Missouri.
Suh leads Nebraska in tackles with 32, including seven for losses. The senior also has three sacks and seven pass breakups. And he's actually tied for sixth in the FBS in passes defended (1.6 per game).
Cornerback Prince Amukamara is the second-leading tackler with 30, and has four pass breakups. Safety Larry Asante and linebacker Will Compton have 29 tackles each, with Asante breaking up five passes.
Suh anchors a strong defensive line that also feature end Pierre Allen (21 tackles), tackle Jared Crick (2.5 sacks) and end Barry Turner (5 tackles for losses).
Lee Comes Alive for Nebraska Offense
Nebraska struggled terribly vs. Missouri before getting three fourth-quarter TD passes from Zac Lee. The junior raised his season total to 10, against just three interceptions. He's completed 59.4 percent of his passes in 2009 for 1,085 yards.
Niles Paul is Nebraska's leading receiver with 16 catches for 212 yards, and he had two of his three TD receptions vs. Missouri. Tight end Mike McNeill has 12 catches for 146 yards and a trio of touchdowns, and Curenski Gilleylan (11 receptions, 269 yards) tops the team in receiving yards.
But the catalyst is running back Roy Helu Jr. The junior has run for 552 yards and six TDs, and also has 11 catches for 91 yards and a score.
Nebraska averages 36.8 points and 404.6 yard per game.
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