The Daily Oklahoman from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma • 32

Nebraska 20 Oklahoma 1 0 THE SUNDAY 0KLAH0MAN 8-B SUNDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2001 ZOOttP ZZOOP The big living room: Nebraskais Memorial Stadium is a grand football cathedral. Filled with Husker-worshipers, thereis no better place to be on an autumn Saturday. Even during pregame. They put two 1 Huskervisiom video boards to good use. The screens are crystal clear.

The sound is crystal clear. They played clips from old OU-Nebraska games along with other highlights. They carried live ESPNis College GameDay, which originated from a set on the field. Players from both teams sneaked peeks during warmups. We mention this because at OUis Memorial Stadium, the (one) big screen is fuzzy and the sound is distorted.

Class act: Nebraska fans have a reputation as college footballis most classy. They follow the Huskers in droves, and theyire easily spotted by their bright red garb. Is there a stadium with better color uniformity than Nebraskais? Most impressive, though, is their treatment of opponents. After the game, Husker fans applauded the Sooners as they came off the field. The King and them: Barry Switzer gets treated like royalty in Oklahoma.

Nebraskans like him a lot, too. Switzer, who attended the game as a guest of former coach Tom Osborne, was honored before the game. Fans cheered wildly as he was presented a coin used in the coin toss at the final Big Eight game 6 OU-Nebraska, 1995. Then, flanked by four cops, Switzer caught an express elevator to Osborneis suite, passing dozens of fans waiting to ascend. License hate: Spotted Friday night in Omahais thriving Old Market entertainment district.

A Husker fan who appreciates the OU rivalry. A white Lincoln Mark VII had personalized Nebraska license plates that read: iBEAT OU.i Pass the butter: Please, Husker fans, ditch the yellow foam corncob hats. They might be the worst fan lids ever made, slightly ahead of the Packers! cheeseheads and the Razorbacksi pig hats. BY GEORGE SCHROEDER sports mtS-J EDITOR lfll STAFF PHOTO BY PAUL HELLSTERN Oklahoma's Josh Norman sits dejectedly on the bench during the final seconds of the game. Nebraska quarterback Eric Crouch runs for a touchdown as teammates cheer on the sideline in the fourth quarter.

Crouch scored on a pass from receiver Mike Stuntz. jVJijVJDJiJAL STADJUj'yJ Pooch punt OU kicker Tim Duncan pooch-punted another gem out of field-goal formation, just as he did against Texas. Duncan pinned the Huskers on their 4-yard line with 8:54 left in the game. The Sooners trailed 13-10 at the time but had a brisk wind at their back. But OU didn't take advantage of such field position.

Nebraska went on a 96-yard touchdown drive to put away the game. Did OU coach Bob Stoops consider having Duncan kick a 53-yard field goal? "I did," Stoops said. "I almost kicked it. But our defense had played so well. I felt pinning 'em down there, we'd have a chance." Quarterback shortage OU's quarterback situation was shaky early in the third quarter.

Jason White went out with a second-quarter knee injury, and Nate Hybl took a head shot that sidelined him. White, whose injury is yet to be determined but was termed "significant" by Stoops, returned for two plays. Then Hybl came back. "I got back in as quick as I could because I didn't think Jason could move around," Hybl said. "He did a great job while he was in there.

I know he was in some pain." Snapshot Nebraska fan Kerry Coil of Lakewood, interrupted OU linebacker Rocky Calmus' postgame chat with family. "Can I take my picture with you?" Coil said. "You're the best linebacker in America." After a pose together, Coil told Calmus, "We'll see you in Dallas." Stoops tirade Stoops yelled at officials and drew a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after OU punted with 3:58 left in the game. Stoops was arguing at least two plays: 1. He wanted holding called on NU quarterback Eric Crouch's 19-yard run from the Husker 5-yard line, a run that sparked the 96-yard drive.

2. He didn't want OU's Cory Heinecke called for a facemask on a third-down tackle of Crouch that would have ended the drive. Replays showed Heinecke indeed caught Crouch's facemask. "I've gotta learn to argue better," said Stoops, who was composed in the postgame press conference and didn't complain about the calls. Line shines OU's beleaguered offensive line played well.

Through three quarters, the Sooners had rushed for 106 yards and allowed only one sack. In the fourth quarter, OU passed almost exclusively, and the Huskers sacked Hybl twice in the waning minutes. "We outrushed 'em for a while," Stoops said. "Like that matters." The Sooners started two true freshman blockers center Vince Carter and tackle Jerod Fields. Redshirt freshman Jamal Brown spelled Fields some of the game.

"Those kids had a lot of fight in 'em," said OU offensive coordinator Mark Man-gino. "Anytime you don't win, you don't win. But there were a lot of encouraging things today. We protected pretty decent." BY BERRY TRAMEL PLAY Or DAY Nebraska 13, OU 10, midway through the fourth quarter. Nebraska ball, Was OU disrupted by "It ended up being the kind of game that we all thought it was going to be a hard-hitting football game quarterback Jason White's injury? Not a lot.

White quarterbacked 51 2 possessions before leaving with a knee injury; the Sooners had six first downs second-and-nine from the Nebraska 5 The highlight reels will concentrate on the 63-yard double-reverse pass to quarterback Eric Crouch, a touchdown connection that sealed victory. But the possession started in the shadow of the Huskersi end zone. On second-and-long, Crouch with two excellent teams." Coach Frank Solich "Eric was big in the fourth quarter when we ran that backwards, upside-down, inside -out pass." Offensive lineman Dave Volk on quarterback Eric Crouch "It's always great to beat the Sooners. We have such a great rivalry with so much history. You can't help but appreciate it.

But there's a good chance we'll see them again." Defensive lineman Chris Kelsay BYJENNI CARLSON and 123 total yards on 24 plays. Nate Hybl quarterbacked 91 2 possessions; the Sooners had 15 first downs and 216 yards on 55 plays. The biggest problem likely was Hyblis preparation. OU coaches give the starting quarterback the vast majority of practice repetitions. 1 If we could know which guy was going to get hurt each week, weid give the other more repsj said OU offensive coordinator Mark Mangino.

BY GEORGE SCHROEDER kept on the option around right end for 19 yards. The Sooners said a lineman held. But the Huskers were on their way. iThat was the big play of the game, in my mindj Nebraska coach Frank Solich said. iWe were working more for a first down.i BY GEORGE Missing files that are needed to complete this page:.