Tigers to take on Cornhuskers in Lincoln

The Tigers are off to a 7-0 start for the first time in 50 years.

By John Montesantos

Published Oct. 29, 2010

The 7-0 Tigers will travel to Lincoln, Neb., on Saturday to take on their Big 12 North division rival, the Cornhuskers. It will be Missouri's fourth conference matchup and its second one on the road.

Each team comes off big wins over Big 12 South powerhouses, with Missouri dethroning Oklahoma at home last week and Nebraska edging out Oklahoma State on the road. Both teams handed their opponents their first loss of the season.

Junior quarterback Blaine Gabbert has been locked in for the past few weeks, throwing for six touchdowns and more than 800 yards in the team's first three conference contests.

Sophomore wide receiver T.J. Moe is aware of Gabbert's heightened performance and focus level on Saturdays. Missouri's leader in receptions knows his quarterback's success is contagious.

"He's playing his best football right now," Moe said. "I think our team is starting to play our best football right now. We're just going to continue to try to do that."

The slinger on the other side of the matchup is also on a tear. Nebraska's redshirt freshman quarterback Taylor Martinez has ran for twelve touchdowns and thrown for eight.

Coach Gary Pinkel knows what Martinez is capable of and thinks his defense will face their toughest test yet.

"He's really a remarkable player," Pinkel said. "He can do a lot of different things. I'm very impressed with his ability to see things and run and break tackles, especially for a freshman."

Although the Missouri defense will fight to contain Martinez and company, the offense will have to move the ball on one of the nation's top defenses. The Cornhuskers lead the Big 12 in interceptions with twelve.

Moe knows Nebraska's loss of defensive end Ndamukong Suh to the NFL has not slowed down the Husker defense. The wideout likened Nebraska's loss of Suh to Missouri's own loss of linebacker Sean Weatherspoon to the draft.

"I know they put a good defense on the field, which they've done the last few years," Moe said. "When you lose a player of that caliber, it's tough. But sometimes players rally around it and play better."

Missouri's defensive players have certainly risen to the occasion in Weatherspoon's absence. The Tigers have the No. 1 red zone defense in the nation and are top-five in points allowed.

The Tiger defense will play without junior defensive line Dominique Hamilton, who had ankle surgery earlier this week and will likely be out for the remained of the season. Junior linebacker Luke Lambert is also still recovering and is week-to-week.

Although Missouri's defense is among the Big 12 leaders in takeaways, the offense has done a good job on its end by limiting turnovers. Missouri has won 29 straight games in which it won the turnover margin.

Gabbert has thrown just three interceptions this year and none in conference play.

"We're more of a mature football team," Gabbert said. "We know how to handle the pressure and take care of the football. When you win the turnover margin, you win football games."

Although the Cornhuskers dominate the all-time series (64-36-3), the Tigers have won three of their last five meetings. Saturday will be the last Big 12 matchup between the two teams as Nebraska will move to the Big 10 after this season.

The game is scheduled to begin at 2:30 p.m. in Lincoln.