Link: Full Game Notes (Huskers.com)
WHEN: Saturday, September 17 | 11:00 AM (CT)
WHERE: Memorial Stadium | Lincoln, Nebraska
TV: FOX (Gus Johnson, Joel Klatt, Jenny Taft)
RADIO: Huskers Radio Network (Greg Sharpe, Matt Davison, Jessica Coody)
THIS WEEK'S NUMBERS
2 - Nebraska will honor its first two national championship teams this weekend, with a reunion of the 1970 and 1971 national championship teams. The most famous win in Nebraska's run to back-to-back titles was a 35-31 victory over Oklahoma in the "Game of the Century" in Norman on Thanksgiving Day in 1971.
96 - Nebraska and Oklahoma have combined for 96 conference championships in their history. Oklahoma (50) and Nebraska (46) rank first and second nationally in conference championships.
100 - Nebraska running back Anthony Grant has rushed for 100 yards in each of the first three games. He is the first Husker running back to top 100 yards in his first three games at Nebraska since Bobby Reynolds in 1950.
NEBRASKA
Record: 1-2 (0-1 Big Ten)
Last Game: vs. Georgia Southern (L 42-45)
Streak: Lost 1
Rank: N/A
Interim Head Coach: Mickey Joseph (0-0, 1st year | 13-7, 3rd year overall)
Joseph vs. Oklahoma: 0-0
OKLAHOMA
Record: 2-0 (0-0 Big 12)
Last Game: vs. Kent State (W 33-3)
Streak: Won 3
Rank: AP - 6 | Coaches - 6
Head Coach: Brent Venables (2-0, 1st season | 2-0, 1st season overall)
Record vs. Nebraska: 0-0
Nebraska completes non-conference play on Saturday with a renewal of one of the most historic matchups in college football history. The Huskers will play host to sixth-ranked Oklahoma at Memorial Stadium in a game pitting schools who competed in the same conference for nearly a century.
Kickoff at Memorial Stadium is set for shortly after 11 a.m. CT with national television coverage on FOX. The network will also originate its Big Noon Kickoff show from the UNL campus on Saturday morning.
Nebraska comes into the game with a 1-2 record, following a 45-42 loss to Georgia Southern last Saturday. The two teams put on an offensive display as they combined for more than 1,200 yards of total offense and 87 points. Nebraska rallied to take a four-point lead with just over three minutes remaining before Georgia Southern scored in the final minute to steal a victory. The Huskers' offensive attack was explosive in the defeat. Nebraska put up 575 yards of total offense, behind a balanced attack with 257 rushing yards and 318 yards through the air.
Against Oklahoma, Nebraska will be in its first game under the direction of Interim Head Coach Mickey Joseph, who previously served as the Huskers' Associate Head Coach and wide receivers coach.
Oklahoma heads into the contest with a 2-0 record following a 33-3 victory over Kent State on Saturday evening in Norman. The Sooners have dominated both of their opponents this season, outscoring their foes by a combined score of 78-16. Oklahoma allows just 8.0 points and 305.5 yards per game, while the Sooners have passed for 264.5 yards per contest. Brent Venables is in his first season as the Sooners' head coach after spending the previous 10 seasons as Clemson's defensive coordinator.
SERIES HISTORY
Saturday's matchup in the storied "Battle of the Big Reds" completes a home-and-home series between the schools. Last year's meeting in Norman was the 87th all-time between the schools, but the first since 2010 the Big 12 Championship Game. Oklahoma leads the all-time series 46-38-3, with Nebraska holding a slight edge in Lincoln. The schools are also set to meet in a home-and-home series in 2029 (Norman) and 2030 (Lincoln).
• Nebraska and Oklahoma met for 71 consecutive seasons from 1927 to 1997 before the streak was snapped in 1998 with the start of the North-South scheduling rotation in the Big 12.
• Nebraska was 16-3-3 in the first 22 games in the series, including 11 shutouts, before Oklahoma was 22-4 from 1943 to 1968. The series has been nearly even since 1969, with Oklahoma holding a slim 20-18 edge.
• Five times Oklahoma handed Nebraska its only regular-season loss (1964, 1966, 1975, 1979, 1987), while twice Nebraska has given Oklahoma its only regular-season loss (1971, 1978).
• The schools met twice in No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchups, including the 1971 Game of the Century and the 1987 game in Lincoln. Both of those games were won by the visiting team, with Nebraska using the 1971 victory to catapult it to a second consecutive national championship.
• One of the two schools has been ranked No. 1 in 13 meetings, including eight times by Nebraska, most recently in 2000.
• Since the AP poll began in 1936, the NU-OU matchup has featured at least one ranked team in 62 of 72 games, including Oklahoma's No. 6 ranking this season. Both teams have been ranked in 24 of the meetings.
• The series has featured at least one top-10 team in 50 games and two top-10 teams 18 times, with the matchup featuring at least one top-10 team in 22 straight games from 1970 to 1990. In 17 games since 1971, both teams were ranked in the top 10.
• Nebraska's biggest ever upset win was a 25-21 victory in 1959, ending OU's 36-game win streak and 74-game conference unbeaten streak.
• Hall of Fame Coach Tom Osborne posted his 250th win against Oklahoma in 1997, with a 69-7 win in Lincoln, the largest margin of victory in the series.
HUSKERS, SOONERS SHARE RICH HISTORY
Nebraska and Oklahoma are two of just eight schools in college football history to win 900 or more games, with OU ranking fourth in all-time wins (930) and Nebraska eighth (909).
• In looking at the most wins in college football over the past 30, 40, and 50 years, Nebraska and Oklahoma each rank in the top 10 in all of those categories.
• The schools have combined to win 12 national championships and 96 conference titles, including five national championships and 46 conference crowns by Nebraska.
Nebraska-Oklahoma Superlatives
ZACH WIEGERT SET FOR ON-CAMPUS HALL OF FAME SALUTE
Nebraska All-American and Outland Trophy winner Zach Wiegert is one of 21 individuals who will make up the 2022 College Football Hall of Fame Class including 18 players and three coaches.
Wiegert is the 20th Nebraska player to earn induction into the College Hall of Fame. Nebraska is one of 12 programs nationally with 20 or more players in the College Football Hall of Fame. Wiegert is the seventh Nebraska offensive lineman to join the College Football Hall of Fame. Overall, Nebraska has 26 members of the Hall, including six coaches. Wiegert is the eighth Husker inducted in the past 16 classes, most recently Eric Crouch, who was part of the 2020 class.
The 2022 College Football Hall of Fame Class will be inducted at the 64th NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 6. The inductees will also be recognized at their respective collegiate institutions with NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salutes, presented by Fidelity Investments. Wiegert's on-campus salute will be this Saturday against Oklahoma when he will be honored on the field between the first and second quarters. Representatives of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame and Fidelity will be on hand for the presentation.
Wiegert was a 1994 unanimous first team All-American and is one of eight Huskers to win the Outland Trophy. He helped lead the Huskers to the 1994 national championship after NU played in the 1993 title game. The Huskers averaged 340 rushing yards per game, and Wiegert led NU with 113 pancake blocks.
The leader of the famed "Nebraska Pipeline" Wiegert earned one first-place vote for the Heisman. In addition to winning the Outland, he was a finalist for the Lombardi Award, a consensus All-American, the UPI Lineman of the Year and the Touchdown Club of Columbus Offensive Lineman of the Year. His No. 72 jersey was retired before the 1995 season.
ABOUT MICKEY JOSEPH
Former Husker quarterback Mickey Joseph was named Nebraska's interim head coach on Sept. 11, 2022. He had served as the Huskers' associate head coach, wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator in the first three games of the season. Joseph owns previous experience as a collegiate head coach, leading Langston (Oklahoma) University to a 13-7 record in two seasons from 2011 to 2012.
Joseph is the third interim head coach to lead the Huskers, joining Bo Pelini (2003 Alamo Bowl win over Michigan State) and Barney Cotton (2014 Holiday Bowl loss to USC).
Experience
Nebraska (2022): Interim Head Coach
LSU (2017-2021): Assistant Head Coach (WR) 2020-21) / WR (2017-19)
Louisiana Tech (2016): RB Coach
Grambling State (2014-15): WR Coach / Special Teams Coordinator
Alcorn State (2013): Assistant Head Coach, WR Coach, Special Teams Coordinator
Langston University: Head Coach (2011-12) / Assistant Coach (2008-10)
Desire Street Academy (Louisiana) (2006-08): Head Coach/Athletic Director
Central Oklahoma (2004-05): RB Coach
Nicholls State (2001-03): QB Coach
Alabama State (2000): WR Coach
Tulane (1999): Graduate Assistant
Archbishop Shaw (Louisiana) H.S. (1998): QB Coach
Wayne State College (1997): Run Game Coordinator
Omaha North H.S. (1995-96): QB/WR Coach
ABOUT OKLAHOMA
Oklahoma has fielded a football team since 1895, claiming 50 conference titles and seven national titles. The Sooners have made 55 bowl appearances, claiming 31 wins. OU boasts a winning all-time record and has tallied almost 950 victories.
The Sooners have won 50 conference titles across six different conferences with the latest coming in 2020 with a win over Cockeye State in the Big 12 title game. Additionally, Oklahoma has claimed seven national titles in 1950, 1955, 1956, 1974, 1975, 1985, and 2000.
First Year: 1895
All-Time Record: 930-331-53
Bowl Record: 31-23-1
Conference Titles: 50
National Titles: 7
Stadium: Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium
Capacity: 80,126
Surface: Natural Grass
Location: Norman, Oklahoma
Enrollment: 31,225
Color: Crimson & Cream
ABOUT 2022 OKLAHOMA
Under first year head coach Brent Venables, Oklahoma opened its 2022 season with a 45-13 win over UTEP on Sept. 3, before posing a 33-3 win over Kent State last Saturday.
The Sooners come into Saturday's contest averaging 461 yards per game, with 196.5 yards per game on the ground and 264.5 yards per game through the air. Dillon Gabriel has completed 36-of-51 passes for 529 yards and five touchdowns. He ranks eighth nationally in passing efficiency and 22nd in both passing touchdowns and completion percentage. Marvin Mims has 10 receptions for 244 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while Eric Gray leads OU with 86.5 rushing yards per game on 6.7 yards per carry.
Defensively, Oklahoma boasts the nation’s 10th-best scoring defense, allowing 8.0 points per game. Danny Stutsman is the Sooners’ leading tackler with 21 stops, including four tackles for loss and a sack. Billy Bowman has 20 tackles through two games, followed by Justin Broiles with 15 tackles. Reggie Grimes has recorded a team-high five tackles for loss, including four sacks.
2022 Schedule
UTEP (W 45-13)
Kent State (W 33-3)
at Nebraska
Kansas State
at TCU
vs. Texas
Kansas
at Cockeye State
Baylor
at West Virginia
Oklahoma State
at Texas Tech
ABOUT BRENT VENABLES
A former 13-year Oklahoma assistant coach who won a national championship with the Sooners and two more with Clemson during a highly successful 10-year stint as defensive coordinator, Brent Venables is in his first season as the head coach at OU.
The 50-year-old Venables served as co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Oklahoma from 1999 to 2003 and as associate head coach, defensive coordinator and linebackers coach from 2004 to 2011 under former head coach Bob Stoops. Venables has coached in eight national championship games between his time at OU and Clemson, winning titles with the Sooners in 2000 and Tigers in 2016 and 2018.
In 26 years as a full-time assistant coach, Venables' teams have 26 winning seasons, won 13 conference titles, have been to 30 bowl games (including four College Football Playoff National Championship Games) and won at least 10 games 21 times.
Venables has never faced Nebraska as a head coach, but he has faced the Huskers 11 times as an assistant. From 1996-98, Venables served as linebackers coach at Kansas State, going 1-2 against NU. From 1999 to 2011, Venables served as defensive coordinator for OU, finishing 6-2 against the Huskers.
LAST MEETING
Oklahoma 23, Nebraska 16 (September 18, 2021)
Nebraska took No. 3 Oklahoma down to the wire on the road at Memorial Stadium in Norman, but came up just short in a 23-16 setback to the Sooners in the Battle of the Big Reds on Saturday.
The Huskers (2-2) held a high-powered Oklahoma offense in check for most of the day, limiting the Sooners to 408 yards of total offense, including 214 through the air. Nebraska nearly matched OU yard-for-yard, managing 384 total yards, including 289 through the air. The two teams also matched each other yard-for-yard in penalties (70) and were within a minute of each other in time of possession, as the Sooners held a slight edge at 30:50 for the game.
Oklahoma (3-0), which entered the game as a greater than three touchdown favorite, survived by converting three drives into touchdowns and adding a defensive two-point conversion after a blocked Nebraska extra-point attempt late in the third quarter. The Huskers were able to answer with two touchdowns and a career-long 51-yard field goal from Connor Culp. Trailing by a touchdown, Nebraska got the ball back with just under a minute left in the game but was unable to move down the field without any timeouts.
Nebraska had other chances in the game, missing on a pair of field goals (35, 51) and the blocked extra point, while the Sooners also missed a long field goal (54).
Nebraska's Blackshirts kept the Huskers in it on the road with outstanding performances against a dominant OU offensive line and a talent-laden Sooner offense. JoJo Domann led the Huskers with 12 tackles and a pass breakup, while Deontai Williams added nine stops and a quarterback hurry. Luke Reimer, Nick Henrich and Quinton Newsome all added seven tackles while Garrett Nelson pitched in six stops and Ben Stille five.
Spencer Rattler marched the Sooners 75 yards on 14 plays in just under seven minutes to open the game. Rattler capped the drive on a one-yard plunge to five OU a 7-0 lead. Nebraska answered with Culp's 51-yard field goal after a 14-play drive of its own to make it 7-3 at the end of the first quarter. The Huskers overcame five penalties to put points on the board on their opening drive and were flagged for just three penalties the rest of the game.
The two teams held each other off the board in the second quarter, exchanging missed 50-plus yard field goal attempts in the quarter.
Nebraska started the second half with the ball and marched into field goal range before the drive stalled in the red zone. The Huskers attempted a 35-yard field goal that missed wide left.
The Sooners then put together another long drive, covering 80 yards in 10 plays on a march that took 5:29 and was capped by Rattler's one-yard touchdown pass to Jeremiah Hall to take a 14-3 lead with 3:50 left in the third quarter. Rattler finished 24-of-34 for 214 yards and one touchdown through the air.
But Nebraska answered with eight seconds left in the third on Adrian Martinez's four-yard touchdown run to cap a nine-play, 75-yard drive to cut the margin to 14-9. But NU's extra-point try was blocked and picked up on the run by Patrick Fields who returned it 100 yards to put the Sooners up 16-9 heading to the fourth quarter.
Oklahoma firmed its grip on victory on a 12-play, 65-yard drive that resulted in a two-yard touchdown run by Kennedy Brooks that put the Sooners up 23-9 with 10:24 left. Brooks finished with 75 rushing yards, while Eric Gray led the OU with 84 yards on 15 carries.
Martinez and the Huskers quickly marched into striking distance before their drive stalled. On 4th-and-17 at the OU 24, Martinez threw his only interception of the day with a spectacular leaping, one-handed interception by D.J. Graham at the OU 3-yard line. The Sooners celebrated as if they had secured the victory with 8:16 left, when in fact, the interception cost the Sooners 21 yards of field position and put the Husker defense in position to attack.
Rattler and the Sooners went nowhere on a quick three-and-out and after a low line drive punt by Michael Turk and a quick 10-yard return by Samori Toure, the Huskers were 1st-and-10 at the OU 38 with 6:40 left.
The Huskers then produced the quickest strike of the game for either team, as Martinez hit tight end Austin Allen for a seven-yard gain before rushing for a quick 10 yards to put NU 1st and 10 at the OU 21. Martinez then found Omar Manning streaking across the middle of the end zone for a touchdown to cut OU's lead to 23-16 after Culp's extra point.
Martinez finished 19-of-25 for 289 yards and a touchdown through the air in the game, but was sacked five times by the Sooners. He still managed 34 yards rushing, while Rahmir Johnson led the Huskers on the ground with 42 yards on 11 carries. Allen led the Huskers with six receptions (43 yards) on the day, while Zavier Betts added three catches for 61 yards. Manning finished with two receptions for 52 yards and a score.
After Nebraska's touchdown, Oklahoma misplayed a low, hooking line drive kick by Brendan Franke, as Marvin Mims scooped up the ball at the OU 8 and dove out of bounds. But the Sooners strung together three first downs to cross into Nebraska territory and chew up more than four minutes off the clock before the Blackshirts forced a Sooner punt on 4th-and-5 at the NU 48.
The Huskers took over with 57 seconds left and no timeouts and were unable to get anything started on the drive before Martinez's final completion for 14 yards on 4th-and-16 ended the game.
#6 OKLAHOMA SOONERS (2-0) | at | NEBRASKA CORNHUSKERS (1-2) |
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WHEN: Saturday, September 17 | 11:00 AM (CT)
WHERE: Memorial Stadium | Lincoln, Nebraska
TV: FOX (Gus Johnson, Joel Klatt, Jenny Taft)
RADIO: Huskers Radio Network (Greg Sharpe, Matt Davison, Jessica Coody)
THIS WEEK'S NUMBERS
2 - Nebraska will honor its first two national championship teams this weekend, with a reunion of the 1970 and 1971 national championship teams. The most famous win in Nebraska's run to back-to-back titles was a 35-31 victory over Oklahoma in the "Game of the Century" in Norman on Thanksgiving Day in 1971.
96 - Nebraska and Oklahoma have combined for 96 conference championships in their history. Oklahoma (50) and Nebraska (46) rank first and second nationally in conference championships.
100 - Nebraska running back Anthony Grant has rushed for 100 yards in each of the first three games. He is the first Husker running back to top 100 yards in his first three games at Nebraska since Bobby Reynolds in 1950.
NEBRASKA
Record: 1-2 (0-1 Big Ten)
Last Game: vs. Georgia Southern (L 42-45)
Streak: Lost 1
Rank: N/A
Interim Head Coach: Mickey Joseph (0-0, 1st year | 13-7, 3rd year overall)
Joseph vs. Oklahoma: 0-0
OKLAHOMA
Record: 2-0 (0-0 Big 12)
Last Game: vs. Kent State (W 33-3)
Streak: Won 3
Rank: AP - 6 | Coaches - 6
Head Coach: Brent Venables (2-0, 1st season | 2-0, 1st season overall)
Record vs. Nebraska: 0-0
Nebraska completes non-conference play on Saturday with a renewal of one of the most historic matchups in college football history. The Huskers will play host to sixth-ranked Oklahoma at Memorial Stadium in a game pitting schools who competed in the same conference for nearly a century.
Kickoff at Memorial Stadium is set for shortly after 11 a.m. CT with national television coverage on FOX. The network will also originate its Big Noon Kickoff show from the UNL campus on Saturday morning.
Nebraska comes into the game with a 1-2 record, following a 45-42 loss to Georgia Southern last Saturday. The two teams put on an offensive display as they combined for more than 1,200 yards of total offense and 87 points. Nebraska rallied to take a four-point lead with just over three minutes remaining before Georgia Southern scored in the final minute to steal a victory. The Huskers' offensive attack was explosive in the defeat. Nebraska put up 575 yards of total offense, behind a balanced attack with 257 rushing yards and 318 yards through the air.
Against Oklahoma, Nebraska will be in its first game under the direction of Interim Head Coach Mickey Joseph, who previously served as the Huskers' Associate Head Coach and wide receivers coach.
Oklahoma heads into the contest with a 2-0 record following a 33-3 victory over Kent State on Saturday evening in Norman. The Sooners have dominated both of their opponents this season, outscoring their foes by a combined score of 78-16. Oklahoma allows just 8.0 points and 305.5 yards per game, while the Sooners have passed for 264.5 yards per contest. Brent Venables is in his first season as the Sooners' head coach after spending the previous 10 seasons as Clemson's defensive coordinator.
SERIES HISTORY
Saturday's matchup in the storied "Battle of the Big Reds" completes a home-and-home series between the schools. Last year's meeting in Norman was the 87th all-time between the schools, but the first since 2010 the Big 12 Championship Game. Oklahoma leads the all-time series 46-38-3, with Nebraska holding a slight edge in Lincoln. The schools are also set to meet in a home-and-home series in 2029 (Norman) and 2030 (Lincoln).
• Nebraska and Oklahoma met for 71 consecutive seasons from 1927 to 1997 before the streak was snapped in 1998 with the start of the North-South scheduling rotation in the Big 12.
• Nebraska was 16-3-3 in the first 22 games in the series, including 11 shutouts, before Oklahoma was 22-4 from 1943 to 1968. The series has been nearly even since 1969, with Oklahoma holding a slim 20-18 edge.
• Five times Oklahoma handed Nebraska its only regular-season loss (1964, 1966, 1975, 1979, 1987), while twice Nebraska has given Oklahoma its only regular-season loss (1971, 1978).
• The schools met twice in No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchups, including the 1971 Game of the Century and the 1987 game in Lincoln. Both of those games were won by the visiting team, with Nebraska using the 1971 victory to catapult it to a second consecutive national championship.
• One of the two schools has been ranked No. 1 in 13 meetings, including eight times by Nebraska, most recently in 2000.
• Since the AP poll began in 1936, the NU-OU matchup has featured at least one ranked team in 62 of 72 games, including Oklahoma's No. 6 ranking this season. Both teams have been ranked in 24 of the meetings.
• The series has featured at least one top-10 team in 50 games and two top-10 teams 18 times, with the matchup featuring at least one top-10 team in 22 straight games from 1970 to 1990. In 17 games since 1971, both teams were ranked in the top 10.
• Nebraska's biggest ever upset win was a 25-21 victory in 1959, ending OU's 36-game win streak and 74-game conference unbeaten streak.
• Hall of Fame Coach Tom Osborne posted his 250th win against Oklahoma in 1997, with a 69-7 win in Lincoln, the largest margin of victory in the series.
HUSKERS, SOONERS SHARE RICH HISTORY
Nebraska and Oklahoma are two of just eight schools in college football history to win 900 or more games, with OU ranking fourth in all-time wins (930) and Nebraska eighth (909).
• In looking at the most wins in college football over the past 30, 40, and 50 years, Nebraska and Oklahoma each rank in the top 10 in all of those categories.
• The schools have combined to win 12 national championships and 96 conference titles, including five national championships and 46 conference crowns by Nebraska.
Nebraska-Oklahoma Superlatives
| Nebraska | Category | Oklahoma |
| 909 | All-Time Wins | 930 |
| 5 | National Championships | 7 |
| 46 | Conference Championships | 50 |
| 53 | Bowl Appearances | 55 |
| 3 | Heisman Trophy Winners | 7 |
| 110 | All-Americans | 162 |
| 50 | Nine-Win Seasons | 49 |
| 27 | 10-Win Seasons | 42 |
ZACH WIEGERT SET FOR ON-CAMPUS HALL OF FAME SALUTE
Nebraska All-American and Outland Trophy winner Zach Wiegert is one of 21 individuals who will make up the 2022 College Football Hall of Fame Class including 18 players and three coaches.
Wiegert is the 20th Nebraska player to earn induction into the College Hall of Fame. Nebraska is one of 12 programs nationally with 20 or more players in the College Football Hall of Fame. Wiegert is the seventh Nebraska offensive lineman to join the College Football Hall of Fame. Overall, Nebraska has 26 members of the Hall, including six coaches. Wiegert is the eighth Husker inducted in the past 16 classes, most recently Eric Crouch, who was part of the 2020 class.
The 2022 College Football Hall of Fame Class will be inducted at the 64th NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 6. The inductees will also be recognized at their respective collegiate institutions with NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salutes, presented by Fidelity Investments. Wiegert's on-campus salute will be this Saturday against Oklahoma when he will be honored on the field between the first and second quarters. Representatives of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame and Fidelity will be on hand for the presentation.
Wiegert was a 1994 unanimous first team All-American and is one of eight Huskers to win the Outland Trophy. He helped lead the Huskers to the 1994 national championship after NU played in the 1993 title game. The Huskers averaged 340 rushing yards per game, and Wiegert led NU with 113 pancake blocks.
The leader of the famed "Nebraska Pipeline" Wiegert earned one first-place vote for the Heisman. In addition to winning the Outland, he was a finalist for the Lombardi Award, a consensus All-American, the UPI Lineman of the Year and the Touchdown Club of Columbus Offensive Lineman of the Year. His No. 72 jersey was retired before the 1995 season.
ABOUT MICKEY JOSEPH
Former Husker quarterback Mickey Joseph was named Nebraska's interim head coach on Sept. 11, 2022. He had served as the Huskers' associate head coach, wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator in the first three games of the season. Joseph owns previous experience as a collegiate head coach, leading Langston (Oklahoma) University to a 13-7 record in two seasons from 2011 to 2012.
Joseph is the third interim head coach to lead the Huskers, joining Bo Pelini (2003 Alamo Bowl win over Michigan State) and Barney Cotton (2014 Holiday Bowl loss to USC).
Experience
Nebraska (2022): Interim Head Coach
LSU (2017-2021): Assistant Head Coach (WR) 2020-21) / WR (2017-19)
Louisiana Tech (2016): RB Coach
Grambling State (2014-15): WR Coach / Special Teams Coordinator
Alcorn State (2013): Assistant Head Coach, WR Coach, Special Teams Coordinator
Langston University: Head Coach (2011-12) / Assistant Coach (2008-10)
Desire Street Academy (Louisiana) (2006-08): Head Coach/Athletic Director
Central Oklahoma (2004-05): RB Coach
Nicholls State (2001-03): QB Coach
Alabama State (2000): WR Coach
Tulane (1999): Graduate Assistant
Archbishop Shaw (Louisiana) H.S. (1998): QB Coach
Wayne State College (1997): Run Game Coordinator
Omaha North H.S. (1995-96): QB/WR Coach
ABOUT OKLAHOMA
Oklahoma has fielded a football team since 1895, claiming 50 conference titles and seven national titles. The Sooners have made 55 bowl appearances, claiming 31 wins. OU boasts a winning all-time record and has tallied almost 950 victories.
The Sooners have won 50 conference titles across six different conferences with the latest coming in 2020 with a win over Cockeye State in the Big 12 title game. Additionally, Oklahoma has claimed seven national titles in 1950, 1955, 1956, 1974, 1975, 1985, and 2000.
First Year: 1895
All-Time Record: 930-331-53
Bowl Record: 31-23-1
Conference Titles: 50
National Titles: 7
Stadium: Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium
Capacity: 80,126
Surface: Natural Grass
Location: Norman, Oklahoma
Enrollment: 31,225
Color: Crimson & Cream
ABOUT 2022 OKLAHOMA
Under first year head coach Brent Venables, Oklahoma opened its 2022 season with a 45-13 win over UTEP on Sept. 3, before posing a 33-3 win over Kent State last Saturday.
The Sooners come into Saturday's contest averaging 461 yards per game, with 196.5 yards per game on the ground and 264.5 yards per game through the air. Dillon Gabriel has completed 36-of-51 passes for 529 yards and five touchdowns. He ranks eighth nationally in passing efficiency and 22nd in both passing touchdowns and completion percentage. Marvin Mims has 10 receptions for 244 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while Eric Gray leads OU with 86.5 rushing yards per game on 6.7 yards per carry.
Defensively, Oklahoma boasts the nation’s 10th-best scoring defense, allowing 8.0 points per game. Danny Stutsman is the Sooners’ leading tackler with 21 stops, including four tackles for loss and a sack. Billy Bowman has 20 tackles through two games, followed by Justin Broiles with 15 tackles. Reggie Grimes has recorded a team-high five tackles for loss, including four sacks.
2022 Schedule
UTEP (W 45-13)
Kent State (W 33-3)
at Nebraska
Kansas State
at TCU
vs. Texas
Kansas
at Cockeye State
Baylor
at West Virginia
Oklahoma State
at Texas Tech
ABOUT BRENT VENABLES
A former 13-year Oklahoma assistant coach who won a national championship with the Sooners and two more with Clemson during a highly successful 10-year stint as defensive coordinator, Brent Venables is in his first season as the head coach at OU.
The 50-year-old Venables served as co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Oklahoma from 1999 to 2003 and as associate head coach, defensive coordinator and linebackers coach from 2004 to 2011 under former head coach Bob Stoops. Venables has coached in eight national championship games between his time at OU and Clemson, winning titles with the Sooners in 2000 and Tigers in 2016 and 2018.
In 26 years as a full-time assistant coach, Venables' teams have 26 winning seasons, won 13 conference titles, have been to 30 bowl games (including four College Football Playoff National Championship Games) and won at least 10 games 21 times.
Venables has never faced Nebraska as a head coach, but he has faced the Huskers 11 times as an assistant. From 1996-98, Venables served as linebackers coach at Kansas State, going 1-2 against NU. From 1999 to 2011, Venables served as defensive coordinator for OU, finishing 6-2 against the Huskers.
LAST MEETING
Oklahoma 23, Nebraska 16 (September 18, 2021)
Nebraska took No. 3 Oklahoma down to the wire on the road at Memorial Stadium in Norman, but came up just short in a 23-16 setback to the Sooners in the Battle of the Big Reds on Saturday.
The Huskers (2-2) held a high-powered Oklahoma offense in check for most of the day, limiting the Sooners to 408 yards of total offense, including 214 through the air. Nebraska nearly matched OU yard-for-yard, managing 384 total yards, including 289 through the air. The two teams also matched each other yard-for-yard in penalties (70) and were within a minute of each other in time of possession, as the Sooners held a slight edge at 30:50 for the game.
Oklahoma (3-0), which entered the game as a greater than three touchdown favorite, survived by converting three drives into touchdowns and adding a defensive two-point conversion after a blocked Nebraska extra-point attempt late in the third quarter. The Huskers were able to answer with two touchdowns and a career-long 51-yard field goal from Connor Culp. Trailing by a touchdown, Nebraska got the ball back with just under a minute left in the game but was unable to move down the field without any timeouts.
Nebraska had other chances in the game, missing on a pair of field goals (35, 51) and the blocked extra point, while the Sooners also missed a long field goal (54).
Nebraska's Blackshirts kept the Huskers in it on the road with outstanding performances against a dominant OU offensive line and a talent-laden Sooner offense. JoJo Domann led the Huskers with 12 tackles and a pass breakup, while Deontai Williams added nine stops and a quarterback hurry. Luke Reimer, Nick Henrich and Quinton Newsome all added seven tackles while Garrett Nelson pitched in six stops and Ben Stille five.
Spencer Rattler marched the Sooners 75 yards on 14 plays in just under seven minutes to open the game. Rattler capped the drive on a one-yard plunge to five OU a 7-0 lead. Nebraska answered with Culp's 51-yard field goal after a 14-play drive of its own to make it 7-3 at the end of the first quarter. The Huskers overcame five penalties to put points on the board on their opening drive and were flagged for just three penalties the rest of the game.
The two teams held each other off the board in the second quarter, exchanging missed 50-plus yard field goal attempts in the quarter.
Nebraska started the second half with the ball and marched into field goal range before the drive stalled in the red zone. The Huskers attempted a 35-yard field goal that missed wide left.
The Sooners then put together another long drive, covering 80 yards in 10 plays on a march that took 5:29 and was capped by Rattler's one-yard touchdown pass to Jeremiah Hall to take a 14-3 lead with 3:50 left in the third quarter. Rattler finished 24-of-34 for 214 yards and one touchdown through the air.
But Nebraska answered with eight seconds left in the third on Adrian Martinez's four-yard touchdown run to cap a nine-play, 75-yard drive to cut the margin to 14-9. But NU's extra-point try was blocked and picked up on the run by Patrick Fields who returned it 100 yards to put the Sooners up 16-9 heading to the fourth quarter.
Oklahoma firmed its grip on victory on a 12-play, 65-yard drive that resulted in a two-yard touchdown run by Kennedy Brooks that put the Sooners up 23-9 with 10:24 left. Brooks finished with 75 rushing yards, while Eric Gray led the OU with 84 yards on 15 carries.
Martinez and the Huskers quickly marched into striking distance before their drive stalled. On 4th-and-17 at the OU 24, Martinez threw his only interception of the day with a spectacular leaping, one-handed interception by D.J. Graham at the OU 3-yard line. The Sooners celebrated as if they had secured the victory with 8:16 left, when in fact, the interception cost the Sooners 21 yards of field position and put the Husker defense in position to attack.
Rattler and the Sooners went nowhere on a quick three-and-out and after a low line drive punt by Michael Turk and a quick 10-yard return by Samori Toure, the Huskers were 1st-and-10 at the OU 38 with 6:40 left.
The Huskers then produced the quickest strike of the game for either team, as Martinez hit tight end Austin Allen for a seven-yard gain before rushing for a quick 10 yards to put NU 1st and 10 at the OU 21. Martinez then found Omar Manning streaking across the middle of the end zone for a touchdown to cut OU's lead to 23-16 after Culp's extra point.
Martinez finished 19-of-25 for 289 yards and a touchdown through the air in the game, but was sacked five times by the Sooners. He still managed 34 yards rushing, while Rahmir Johnson led the Huskers on the ground with 42 yards on 11 carries. Allen led the Huskers with six receptions (43 yards) on the day, while Zavier Betts added three catches for 61 yards. Manning finished with two receptions for 52 yards and a score.
After Nebraska's touchdown, Oklahoma misplayed a low, hooking line drive kick by Brendan Franke, as Marvin Mims scooped up the ball at the OU 8 and dove out of bounds. But the Sooners strung together three first downs to cross into Nebraska territory and chew up more than four minutes off the clock before the Blackshirts forced a Sooner punt on 4th-and-5 at the NU 48.
The Huskers took over with 57 seconds left and no timeouts and were unable to get anything started on the drive before Martinez's final completion for 14 yards on 4th-and-16 ended the game.
