Nebraska Cornhuskers at Missouri Tigers Preview

By J.E.  |   Friday, October 21, 2005  |  Comments( 0 )

College Football
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The Nebraska Cornhuskers (5-1) travel to Columbia to take on the Missouri Tigers (4-2) in a Big 12 matchup. Kickoff is set for 12:40pm ET at Faurot Field.

Nebraska and Missouri are tied at 2-1 atop the Big 12 conference, so this game has championship implications. Look for both teams to come out strong and play hard.

The Nebraska Cornhuskers scored a 23-14 victory over the Baylor Bears last week. Quarterback Zac Taylor and running back Cory Ross continue to get the job done on offense. Taylor completed 18-of-32 passes for 168 yards and 2 touchdowns against Baylor. That brings his season totals up to 1,227 yards and 7 TDs. Meanwhile, Cory Ross carried the ball 26 times for 93 yards last week. Ross has gained 549 rushing yards on the season, and has 208 receiving yards as well. You can be the Missouri defense will key on Ross coming out of the backfield.

Missouri is coming off a big 27-24 OT win over Iowa State. Quarterback Brad Smith was knocked out of the game with under 9 minutes left to play in the fourth quarter and Mizzou trailing by a score of 24-14. The Tigers' backup QB, freshman Chase Daniel, came on in relief and led the offense on two scoring drives to force overtime. Smith is expected to start this week against Nebraska.

Smith is also the team's leading rusher with 619 yards 6 TDs on the ground this season. He has rushed for over 100 yards twice so far, gaining 165 against New Mexico and 184 against Oklahoma State. Nebraska's defense will have to contain Smith in order to have a shot at the win.

When Smith isn't running the ball himself, he hands off to sophomore RB Marcus Woods. Woods has gained 370 yards and scored 3 TDs with limited touches so far this season. Smith also will look to stretch the Nebraska defense by throwing downfield to wide receiver Sean Coffey and tight end Chase Coffman.
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