The Nebraska football team practiced for a little over two hours on Wednesday as the Huskers get set to take on the Oklahoma Sooners on Saturday. The Huskers practiced in helmets and shoulder pads, while splitting time between the Hawks Championship Center and the Ed and Joyanne Gass practice fields. Defensive coordinator Carl Pelini thought Wednesday's practice was a good day mentally for NU.
"It was a good mental day for us," Pelini said. "It was a good practice all the way around, I think both sides of the ball."
After Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford was sidelined with a shoulder injury earlier in the year, senior Landry Jones has taken over the Sooner offense. Pelini said he has been impressed with the way Oklahoma has used the talented signal caller.
"He's very talented," Pelini said. "You always have to account for him. He makes plays. They have a nice scheme. They create good matchups, and we've got to try and counter that. We have to play fast or we're going to be in trouble."
One key aspect of this weekend's game according to Pelini will be tempo. Last season, the Huskers fell behind quickly to the Sooners and could not climb their way back. Pelini said the Huskers have been working hard on controlling the tempo in Saturday's game.
"We didn't do any of it well last year in terms of their tempo," Pelini said. "It's something we have prepared hard for this week. You can't ever fall asleep. They use their tempo to their advantage and when they have to momentum and start speeding things up, you have to be ready for that and always be aware that that's going to happen. We're just trying to keep reminding our guys in ways that we practice and create an awareness of that tempo."
Kickoff for this Saturday's match up is scheduled for 7 p.m. and can be seen regionally on ABC. Check back to Huskers.com for more updates on the Nebraska football team.
