The 3-2-1: It's been a week down memory lane for Oklahoma and Nebraska

We discuss the meaning of this Oklahoma vs. Nebraska series and more in this week's 3-2-1 column.

1 - This week is as much about the fans as the players when it comes to OU vs. NU

The one thing that has really jumped out to me about this Oklahoma vs. Nebraska series is it's as much about the fans as it is the current players.

Both sides have made a conscious effort to educate their teams this week on why this 2021-2022 series with NU and OU is so important to both sides.

However, the reality is the players have no recollection of any of these games, including their last meeting back in 2010 for the Big 12 championship.

When I look at this series, it's really about Tom Osborne and Barry Switzer. From 1973 to 1988 the two squared off 17 times in 16 years. In 13 of those 17 match-ups, both teams were ranked inside the top 10. Switzer held a 12-5 record over Osborne, including a period from 1973 to 1980 where he won eight out of nine match-ups. Osborne's only win over that era was in 1978, and the Sooners avenged that loss in a rematch game in the Orange Bowl after the Huskers lost to Missouri later in the season.

After Switzer stepped down, the Sooners only beat the Huskers one time from 1989 to 1997.

“I think when Tom and I were coaching Oklahoma and Nebraska were the best programs in the country,” Switzer said during Osborne’s retirement party in Omaha. “We were at the top of the heap. When I left I remember having a conversation with Tom. I was coaching the Cowboys actually and I asked Tom after he was hanging half-hundred on Oklahoma and 60 or 70 points on everybody else.

“I asked him – ‘what the hell has happened?’ He said ‘it’s not the same anymore’ and I said ‘I don’t understand it?’ There’s not the rivalry anymore. He said ‘Barry when you left, the rivalry left.’ He said ‘it’s not the same.’”

2 - Injury questions galore surround the offense heading into Saturday

So much of this game for Nebraska on Saturday will be about what players return to the field on offense.

Wide receivers Oliver Martin, Omar Manning and Zavier Betts have all been out or got hurt vs. Buffalo, as well as tight ends Austin Allen and Travis Volkolek.

You get the sense a good chunk of these five players could be back this week or at least give it a go. To have any chance to keep up with Oklahoma's offense, the Huskers are going to need some of these key weapons back.

We know Scott Frost is not going to show his hand on this at practice. Ultimately, the travel roster will tell us everything we need to know on Saturday when the team takes the field around 10 a.m. for pregame warm-ups.

3 - Nebraska produced four plays bigger than all of last year in one game last week

The big play is back in Nebraska's offense, at least it has been for the last two weeks. In NU's 28-3 win over Buffalo on Saturday the Huskers produced one run and three pass plays that were bigger than all of 2020.

The home run has been a missing element to the Scott Frost offense, and it can cover up some of your flaws and deficiencies when it shows up.

Between Adrian Martinez and Samori Toure, the Huskers have produced some of the more explosive plays we have seen in the Scott Frost era other than what Maurice Washington provided back in 2019.

Now they just need that from one of their running backs, as we have seen just one run of 20 yards or longer from that group on well over 100 carries.

1 - What is your favorite Oklahoma vs. Nebraska memory?

Honestly, my favorite memory was being in Norman in 2000. I was a young 20-year old at that time working with 1620 the Zone in Omaha and we broadcasted at O’Connell’s across from the stadium for Thursday and Friday shows leading up to the game. What I remember is OU had not gotten going yet, and the access at that time was incredible.

We had coaches walk over from OU across the street to come on our show in Omaha.

After the game on Saturday, I was also doing the national radio reports for ESPN and I had to get guests to join the national show by phone. I was on the field and Mark Mangino came on my phone and he brought me in the locker room. Then, after that, we got Torrance Marshall on my phone, and he was in the training room getting treatment. It was a different time back then, but just to be there to see the official start of the OU dynasty under Stoops, I’ll never forget that day and the joy so many Oklahoma fans had knowing they had their coach and a team that could win the national title.

If that day ever came back to Nebraska, the feeling would be just like that. I believe that was the only day the goalposts have come down at OU during the Bob Stoops-Lincoln Riley eras. The last time the goal post came down at Nebraska was in 1994 after beating Colorado.

The goalposts have only come down in Memorial Stadium eight times, and six of those times were wins over Oklahoma - 1959, 1978, 1982, 1989, 1991 and 1993 Oklahoma and 1992 and 1994 Colorado.

2 - How many Nebraska fans will be in Norman?

A great question heading into Saturday is how many Husker fans will make the trip to Oklahoma? I think initially a lot of people were interested in going, but the sticker shock of the ticket market scared a lot of folks off over the summer.

The face value on the tickets is around $225 and for several months the get-in price was $300 on the secondary market. Now you can get those same $225 face-value tickets for as low as $69 a pair. That price right there tells me we won't see a lot of Husker fans in Norman, as if you compare that to the 2019 Colorado game, the get-in price was closer to $150 to $200 at this point. I still think you will probably see around 8,000 Husker fans in Norman, but nothing like the 20,000+ we have seen on big road trips in past years.

If there's one thing I feel confident about Nebraska right now, it's the overall depth and play of their defense through three games.

I predict the Blackshirts will show up in Norman and give the Oklahoma offense problems on Saturday. I'm not calling for a Husker win, but I predict you will see at least two forced turnovers by the Nebraska defense on Saturday.

Sean Callahan can be reached at sean@huskeronline.com and he can be heard each day at 6:45 am and 5:05 pm on Big Red Radio 1110 KFAB in Omaha during the football season. He can also be seen on KETV Channel 7 in Omaha during the fall and each week he appears on NET's Big Red Wrap-Tuesday's at 7 pm.