Sunday school, 10/23

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BY CURT McKEEVER / Lincoln Journal Star

1. Why was Missouri able to get so much pressure on Zac Taylor? It seemed like he was getting hit on nearly every play.

Every play might be a stretch, but the Tigers did have four sacks and what seemed like three times that amount in hurries. The bottom line is what Mizzou does best — blitz — had the O-line in an overload mode.

“We went into the game knowing we were going to get pressure from anywhere,” offensive line coach Dennis Wagner said. “Schematically, we were sound. We lost some one-on-one battles … We turned the ball over.”

2. Why did Nebraska change from a three-man defensive front that worked so well against Texas Tech, which runs a similar offense?

Hmmm? Was it … Brad Smith? The Red Raiders and Tigers both run spread offenses, but as pinpoint as Tech’s Cody Hodges is on his read-and-react throws, Smith is equally able to use his running ability to make a sound defensive plan look bad. The leading rusher in the Big 12 isn’t just doing it on his own, either. On Saturday, Mizzou’s hogs clearly won the battle of the trenches.

“It’s a combination of pass protection, O-line and the quarterback,” NU linebacker Corey McKeon said of Nebraska changing from its three-man front. “(Smith) was able to maneuver and get out of the pocket and then get some balls thrown on us in scrambles. That’s where we got hurt — him getting out of the pocket and us getting out of coverage. When you’ve got a runner like that, you’ve got to respect him. You’ve got to be able to come up and make a play on him, or if he decides to pass. He got a couple of deep balls on us.”

3. Is the Big 12 North still up for grabs?

C’mon on, we’re only halfway through the race. The difference for Nebraska is it now needs a couple of teams to paint an L on the Tigers, who still have to face North co-leader Colorado. The Buffaloes will likely still have to beat the Huskers to win the division. That kind of sounds like “up for grabs.” Right?

“We just have to go in there and win each game,” Husker QB Zac Taylor said. “Obviously, this hurt us, because we don’t exactly control our destiny right now, but if we go out there and win our next four games, if we beat Oklahoma next week, we’ll still be in good position. Things happen, and crazy things can happen. It could put us back there on top.”