Chuck Carlton - The Dallas Morning News
A different team in red-and-white celebrated on the field at Cowboys Stadium following the biggest comeback in a Big 12 title game history.
Oklahoma quarterback Landry Jones and the Sooners' defense sent Nebraska out with a 23-20 loss in the last Dr Pepper Championship game for the foreseeable future.
Jones (23 of 41) threw for 342 yards and a touchdown against a secondary that intercepted him five times last season. Oklahoma's defense shut out Nebraska in the second half, limiting the Huskers to 80 total yards. The Sooners recorded seven sacks and forced four Nebraska fumbles.
Linebacker Travis Lewis recovered two fumbles and intercepted Nebraska quarterback Taylor Martinez in the end zone, providing a key momentum swing.
"We wanted it. We wanted this bad. This has been a long season," Lewis said. "We came out here and defense totally dominated."
Jimmy Stevens' 27-yard field goal midway with 8:28 remaining stood as the game-winner.
South teams finished with wins in seven straight title games. Kansas State's monumental 35-7 upset of Oklahoma in 2003 was the last time a North team won.
Sooners coach Bob Stoops, who entered with a 6-1 record in Big 12 title games, won Youngstown bragging rights with Nebraska counterpart Bo Pelini, his longtime friend from Ohio.
"It's really special," Stoops said. "I feel fortunate to be with these kids and these schools. And beating Nebraska, like this, in this game? Are you kidding? It's just great to get another championship."
Oklahoma claimed the Big 12's automatic bid to the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl and will likely face Big East champion Connecticut. Nebraska will probably fall to the Insight Bowl against a Big Ten opponent.
"It's pretty obvious what the level of disappointment is," Pelini said. "We came in here to win the Big 12 Championship. We didn't get it done. The kids are hurting, and it's a pretty obvious question, isn't it?"
The Cornhuskers gave away a 17-0 first-half lead. The culprit wasn't an avalanche of conspiracy-stoking penalty flags. The Cornhuskers had no one to blame but themselves.
Martinez, playing despite ankle and foot injuries, was intercepted in the end zone by Lewis just when Nebraska seemed ready to build on a 17-7 lead and regain momentum. Oklahoma responded with a drive that led to a 26-yard field goal by Stevens.
Roy Helu fumbled on the next Nebraska possession and Lewis recovered, and the Sooners quickly converted on a 1-yard plunge by Jones for a 17-17 tie. Alex Henery's second field goal of the half, a 42-yarder, gave Nebraska a 20-17 lead at halftime.
"I told them to just keep playin' ball," Stoops said of the early deficit.
"It just shows the character of the team," OU's Jones said. "Being down 17-0, fighting back into the game, and finishing it off."
For Nebraska fans, the resentment had built from the one second that officials put back on the clock in last year's league title game. Texas took advantage to kick a game-winning field goal.
Then Nebraska, alarmed that five Big 12 South teams were considering leaving the conference en masse for the Pac-10, jumped to the Big Ten effective next summer.
During the season, a one-game suspension to linebacker Eric Martin for a helmet-to-helmet hit raised the suspicion level, which went code red when the Cornhuskers were flagged for 16 penalties in a loss at Texas A&M.
Before the game began, Beebe said he would have no problems presenting the Dr Pepper Championship Trophy to whoever won the game.
But a potentially awkward moment was avoided with Beebe handing the trophy to Oklahoma senior Jeremy Beal.
