Nebraska is looking to mess with Texas and
get a little payback for its Cornhusker brethren who lost to the
Longhorns in the inaugural Big 12 championship game.

If the two-touchdown-underdog Huskers happen to win Saturday
night, they'll ruin unbeaten and third-ranked Texas' chance to play
for the national championship.

Such an upset would be hard-pressed to match the magnitude of
the 1996 game in St. Louis. In that one, 20-point-underdog Texas
stunned the Huskers 37-27 and ended their hopes of winning a third
straight national title.

Former Nebraska defensive tackle Jason Peter said he remembers
that loss more than any of the 49 wins he was part of during his
time with the Huskers.
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BREAKING DOWN THE MATCHUP
No. 21 Nebraska Cornhuskers (9-3, 6-2 Big 12) vs. No. 3 Texas
Longhorns (12-0, 8-0),
Line: Texas by 14.
Series record: Texas leads 8-4.
Last meeting: 2007, Texas 28, Nebraska 25.

What's at stake
Texas can lock up a spot in the national championship game,
something it had no chance at last year because of a last-second
loss to Texas Tech and a tiebreaker formula that kept the Longhorns
from competing for the Big 12 title. Coach Mack Brown has used that
memory to fuel his team all season. Nebraska can force its way into
a BCS bowl and pay back Texas for an upset in the 1996 Big 12 title
game, when the Cornhuskers were No. 3 and eyeing a national
championship.

Key matchup
Texas QB Colt McCoy vs. Nebraska DT Ndamukong Suh. McCoy was voted the Big 12 offensive player of the year and is likely to be a
finalist for the Heisman Trophy. Suh was voted the Big 12 defensive
player of the year and is up for all the top defensive awards. The
Cornhuskers will need Suh to hit McCoy early, often and hard to try
rattling him into as many mistakes as possible. Nebraska wants to
avoid a shootout.

Players to watch
Texas: Receivers Malcolm Williams, James Kirkendoll, John Chiles
and anyone else not named Jordan Shipley will need to stretch the
defense because Nebraska certainly will do what it can to keep
McCoy from hitting his favorite target.

Nebraska: QB Zac Lee is mostly considered a bus-driver type of
quarterback, someone who keeps the offense going without doing too
great or too terrible. For the Cornhuskers to pull off the upset,
he might need to do something special. Nebraska also needs RBs Roy
Helu Jr. and Rex Burkhead to grind out yards and chew up the
clock.

Facts & Figures
Texas is 6-1 against Nebraska since the start of the Big 12 and
has won the last four meetings. ... The team have split two Big 12
championship meetings, with the Longhorns winning in'96 and the
Cornhuskers winning in '99. ... Nebraska has won five straight, its
best streak in Big 12 play in eight years. ... The Cornhuskers are
2-0 in Big 12 title games they have played in Texas.