By Jason Singer
SportsLine.com Staff

Oklahoma Offense vs. Nebraska Defense
Oklahoma Defense vs. Nebraska Offense
Intangibles | Overall Edge | Gameday Weather

Making his first start, Oklahoma's Jason White was 32-of-44 for 343 yards with one TD passing and another rushing last week against Baylor. That's just what the Sooners were hoping for after coach Bob Stoops made a midseason change, benching Nate Hybl. White spread the ball around nicely, with four players having five or more receptions. The running game was a different story. OU, led by Quentin Griffin and Renaldo Works, managed only 60 yards on 39 rushes against a team that gave up 641 rushing yards the previous week to the Huskers. And now Griffin, along with offensive linemen Vince Carter, Frank Romero and Wes Sims are nursing injuries, with Sims' knee injury being the most serious. OU will have to fight through these injuries and establish some sort of a running game to limit the Huskers' ability to harass White.

After playing stellar defense for most of the season, the Huskers showed shades of last season's vulnerability as they surrendered 373 passing yards to Texas Tech's Kliff Kingsbury. Nonetheless, their bend-but-don't-break philosophy paid off as the defense gave up only two touchdowns in the 41-31 win. NU's defensive line, led by Chris Kelsay and Demoine Adams, along with linebackers Jamie Burrow and Mark Vedral will look to apply a lot of pressure on White -- as well as keep him contained because he's a much more crafty runner than Hybl ... or last year's hero, Josh Heupel.

The most dangerous member of the Sooners' deep receiving corps is Antwone Savage, who demands full attention with his big-play ability. He'll receive that attention from one of the better defensive backfields in the Big 12, although cornerback Keyou Craver might not play pending his recovery from an ankle injury suffered against Texas Tech. Sooners tight end Trent Smith, who leads Oklahoma with five touchdowns and 30 receptions, will be guarded closely by Huskers linebacker Scott Shanle, who has come up with big plays for the Huskers in just this role.

The Edge: Nebraska