Sooners going to KC again

NORMAN, Okla. - One of the most-decorated senior classes in Oklahoma history took its final bow in front of the home crowd in familiar fashion Saturday.

The second-ranked Sooners buried an overmatched opponent at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.

But in an ironic twist, the team the Sooners clobbered still could wind up scuttling Oklahoma's plans to win a Big 12 championship. It projects as a long shot, but the Sooners' 30-3 rout of Nebraska did not bury the Cornhuskers' chances to represent the North Division in the Big 12 title game Dec. 4 in Kansas City, Mo.

Instead, it remains mathematically possible for Oklahoma (10-0, 7-0 in Big 12) and Nebraska (5-5, 3-4) to stage a rematch in three weeks to settle the league title. Nebraska will need help from other teams to get to Kansas City. But Oklahoma punched its ticket Saturday to play in a third consecutive Big 12 title game. For the 23 seniors playing their final home game, that was reason to celebrate.

"It feels good to be South champions, but we still have that one goal ahead of us that we fell short of last year," said tailback Kejuan Jones, referring to last year's 35-7 loss to Kansas State in the 2003 title game. "We're looking forward to getting back to Kansas City."

The Sooners got there with ease, wrapping up at least a share of the South Division title behind a suffocating defense and the right arm of quarterback Jason White, the 2003 Heisman Trophy winner. White, a sixth-year senior, completed his final 11 passes of the first half -- two of them for touchdowns -- in helping Oklahoma build a 23-0 halftime lead.

White eventually extended his streak to a school-record 18 consecutive completions on a night when he threw for 383 yards and three touchdowns, without an interception or a sack. Heralded freshman tailback Adrian Peterson (15 carries, 57 yards), still sore from a shoulder injury, took a back seat in the Sooners' game plan.

That, combined with a Nebraska defense that crowded the line to stop the run, opened the aerial lanes for White. He tossed scoring strikes to seniors Mark Bradley and Brandon Jones. He connected nine times with Travis Wilson, covering 135 yards, and found tight end Willie Roberts for a 13-yard score in the second quarter.

"Jason was just on fire," Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said. "He continues to amaze you in what he is able to do."

For White, who has thrown for 19 touchdowns against one interception in his last five games, it marked a "special" way to wrap up his home career in a Sooners' uniform -- especially coming less than two weeks after his grandfather's death Oct. 31.

"Tonight meant a lot to me," said White, who hugged both parents at midfield before the contest. "Last week was a tough week, with my grandfather passing away. Knowing that he was watching down on me and knowing that I was going to be with my family was pretty special."

Despite White's heroics, the game might be best remembered for the bizarre manner in which it ended: with Oklahoma throwing incompletions in the Nebraska end zone in the final minute, seeking to add style points to impress poll voters. Nebraska coach Bill Callahan said he was not bothered by the Sooners' actions.

But he responded by kicking a 39-yard field goal as time expired. Nebraska's lone scoring drive was aided by a 15-yard penalty on Oklahoma fans for throwing oranges onto the field in celebration of the Sooners' potential berth in the Orange Bowl to play for a national championship.

"We wanted to score. We're going to keep trying to score, no matter how many seconds are on the clock," said Callahan, whose decision extended Nebraska's scoring streak to 112 consecutive games. "I felt compelled to go for the field goal."

IN THE KNOW

BREAKDOWN

Why Oklahoma won: QB Jason White dictated the offensive tempo (29-of-35, 383 yards, three TDs), and the Sooners held Nebraska to 149 yards while building a 30-0 lead.

Why Nebraska lost: The Cornhuskers could not contain the Sooners' passing game, and the Nebraska offense did not cross the OU 47-yard line until the Huskers faced a 30-0 deficit with 10:30 remaining.

Notable

• Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said TB Adrian Peterson was still "a little sore" from a dislocated shoulder suffered in last week's victory over Texas A&M, so the freshman had a reduced workload (15 carries, 58 yards) that led to his first game with less than 100 rushing yards in his college career.

• Nebraska QB Joe Dailey, on kicking a field goal as time expired to extend the Cornhuskers' scoring streak to 112 consecutive games and answer OU's last-minute efforts to run up the score: "It means a lot ... I felt they tried to stick it to us."

• Oklahoma TE Willie Roberts' second-quarter touchdown pass was his first reception of the season.

• Despite the loss, Nebraska is 8-2 in its last 10 meetings against Oklahoma.

Up next: Oklahoma at Baylor, 11 a.m. Saturday; Colorado at Nebraska, 11 a.m. Nov. 26.

OKLAHOMA KEYS TO THE GAME

Get out of the gate: The Sooners led 23-0 at the half and had more than 250 yards total offense.

Pressure and cover deep: There was little need for that because Nebraska stuck to a conservative running game. Still, the OU secondary played well.

Throw it around: Jason White certainly did that. White finished with 383 yards passing, and receiver Travis Wilson caught nine passes for a career-high 135 yards.

NO. 2 OKLAHOMA 30 NEBRASKA 3