Posted: Wednesday, October 27, 2004 7:00 pm
A look at this week's opponent, the Missouri Tigers.
Base offense: Multiple. Nebraska can count on seeing a heavier-than-normal diet of junior quarterback Brad Smith, as the Tigers will be without suspended tailback Damien Nash (who ranks No. 7 in the Big 12 with a 87.1-yard rushing average). Redshirt freshman Marcus Woods, who's 3.8 yards-per-carry average is 1.0 less than Nash's, takes over, while highly-touted Tony Temple will end a planned redshirt season to be Woods' backup. Smith should be left drooling when he sees the kind of success Kansas State's Allen Webb had executing the power game from the shotgun formation last week. No one runs that play better than Smith, whose 2,845 rushing yards ranks him No. 10 all-time among NCAA Division I-A quarterbacks. It's no surprise that Smith, while completing 57.7 percent of his passes (124-of-215), seems more comfortable throwing on the run. While a vertical air game isn't emphasized, Smith does have five TD passes of longer than 20 yards this season, four more than he had last year. The Tigers and Nebraska are averaging nearly identical yardage and point totals. The biggest difference between the two units is Missouri ranks No. 2 in the league at converting third downs (58-of-122), while the Huskers are No. 11 (32-of-94). Mizzou also knows how to punch the ball in. In 24 drives that have reached the opponent's 20-yard line, they have produced 15 TDs and 7 field goals. The only two that didn't result in scores came on missed field goals.
Base defense: 4-3. The Big 12's top-ranked unit will show a lot of movement and has the most-physical secondary the Huskers will see all season Oklahoma included. Up front, sophomore Brian Smith has spent the past five games back at the end position where his only responsibility is to put heat on the quarterback, and he's responded by producing a league-high six sacks. Junior tackle C.J. Mosley is a load on the inside, as he's tied for first in the league with 8.5 tackles for loss. The Tigers aren't any easier to crack at the back of the defense, either, as they have picked off a league-high 13 interceptions, given up just six TD passes and limited opponents to 146.1 yards through the air. Senior cornerback Shirdonya Mitchell, who began his career as a receiver, is tied with Nebraska's Daniel Bullocks with four interceptions, while the other starting corner, junior Marcus King, has two thefts and two fumble recoveries. Hard-hitting junior free safety Jason Simpson has a team-high 61 tackles, two of which caused fumbles. Missouri is coming off a game in which it allowed 278 rushing yards to Oklahoma State, but Nebraska doesn't possess the same kind of back as Vernand Morency, nor have as sturdy a line. A more accurate barometer of the kind of test that awaits the Huskers comes from the Tigers having given up an average of just 283.4 total yards per game, and creating a league-high 19 turnovers.
Special teams. An area where the Huskers need to capitilize is in net punting. Missouri ranks ninth in the league at just 35.9 yards. The Tigers feature a dangerous punt returner, as wide receiver Thomson Omboga is averaging 11.4 yards, third-best in the Big 12. Junior kicker Joe Tantarelli is 8-of-12 on field goals with a long of 45 yards, but two weeks ago at Texas, Missouri opted not to give him a 44-yard attempt with the wind at his back.
Game breakers
BRAD SMITH, QB: He's averaging 243 yards of offense per game, which ranks No. 3 in the Big 12, just ahead of 2003 Heisman Trophy winner Jason White of Oklahoma. Nebraska fans are likely still quivering from Smith's 350-yard game against the Huskers last season.
JAMES KINNEY, LB: Like the Huskers' Barrett Rudd, this senior is bound to end up the all-time leading tackler at his school. Kinney, who's averaging 7.3 tackles and has recovered a pair of fumbles, needs 30 more stops to top the Tigers' chart.
SEAN COFFEY, WR: Like Smith, this junior is from Ohio. And at 6-foot-5, he's an easy target to find. He's averaging 15.8 yards per catch, and six of his 22 have been for TDs. Though held to a season-low two receptions each of the last two weeks, he still scored in both games.
Scouting report. Missouri is coming off a 20-17 home loss to Oklahoma State, a contest in which quarterback Brad Smith completed 13 of his first 17 passes (including two for TDS) to help the Tigers take a 17-0 lead. In the second half, though, the Tigers were limited to 87 yards. Smith finished with a season-low 96 yards passing and rushed for just 58 on 17 carries.
"We knew when he was going to run the ball,” Oklahoma State safety Jamie Thompson told reporters after the game. "They got away with it in the first half. We basically had their tendencies down and played real well. The linebackers did a nice job of spilling plays to us (in the secondary).”
In the first half, Smith's ability to scramble or complete a short pass helped Missouri convert nine of 12 third-down plays. In the second half, the Cowboys keyed more on Smith, even using a 3-3-5 formation on some plays, to lower the Tigers' third-down success to 2-for-7.
"At halftime, we tweaked how our linebackers played blocks, and I thought our secondary did a great job all day,” defensive coordinator Bill Clay said. "Our guys didn't let him know when we were coming after him. I just took an idea from the Tulsa Hurricane. When we went with two tight ends, that's what Tulsa did a good job against us.”
After allowing a season-high 479 yards to Texas A&M the previous week, Oklahoma State limited Missouri to 264.
"We were missing a lot of tackles early, and had guys in the wrong spots like last week,” defensive line coach Carey Bailey said. "Once we settled down and got comfortable in the flow of the game, we were able to throw a pressure package at Smith and maintain gaps. Guys starting trusting their keys.”
- Curt McKeever