RAIDERS READY TO TEST NEBRASKA'S NASTY "D"

Two Saturdays in a row, Texas Tech quarterback Steven Sheffield was more than ready when his first real chance came to be a difference maker.

He was better than anyone could have imagined, whipping up on double-digit underdogs at home. The next great unknown is how he’ll fare facing a ranked opponent somewhere other than Jones AT&T Stadium.

After Sheffield led rousing victories against New Mexico and Kansas State, he leads Tech against No. 15 Nebraska today at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln.

“I think he’s ready to go on the road,” Tech tackle Marlon Winn said this week. “I think he’s ready to go anywhere we take him. (Against New Mexico), he stepped in like he was supposed to be there the whole time, and he kind of took the (job) over like it was his deal anyway. He did the same thing against Kansas State, and I don’t expect any different of him in Nebraska.”

How he starts could make all the difference. Sheffield led the team to touchdowns on his first four series in a 48-28 win over UNM and directed the Red Raiders to five touchdowns and a field goal on their first six possessions in last week’s 66-14 mutilation of Kansas State.
So some trend’s about to change.

Nebraska has allowed only seven points in the first quarter this season.
Not only that, the Cornhuskers have yet to allow a point in sudden-change situations — nothing after six turnovers — and have allowed only four touchdowns all season.

“I just think we have to do the best we can,” Tech coach Mike Leach said. “We had a similar situation with Kansas State. They played real well defensively, too, and we didn’t spend a lot of time worrying about that. We just need to focus on us and see what we can do.”
The game looks pivotal since both teams have favorable schedules upcoming. After today, Tech has two home games followed by an open date.

If Nebraska can take care of Tech today, the Cornhuskers could be 7-1 for a Nov. 7 home game against No. 20 Oklahoma. The Huskers figure to be favored against Iowa State and Baylor the next two weeks.
Before they can do all that looking ahead, the Huskers need to iron out some kinks offensively. Nebraska I-back Roy Helu Jr. is the Big 12 Conference’s leading rusher, averaging 110 yards a game, but the Huskers were shut out for three quarters last Thursday before rallying to beat Missouri 27-12.

“I think we’ll play well Saturday,” said Bo Pelini, Nebraska’s second-year head coach. “I like our plan, and I think we are going to play really well.”

Tech beat Nebraska 37-31 in overtime last year in Lubbock. The Cornhuskers looked mediocre before that game and had a 3-3 record afterward. But they are 10-2 since with both losses on the road to top-15 opponents — Oklahoma last year and Virginia Tech this year.

The Huskers have made their biggest leap on defense: They’ve gone from No. 80 in scoring defense and No. 55 in total defense last season to No. 2 and No. 13 through five games this season.

“They’re big, physical people — that’s their biggest strength,” Leach said. “I think they look similar. I thought they were good last year. I guess a lot of them are a year older.”

Tech players are eager to see if they can follow up on last week’s dominating performance. Their 66 points was the highest total since a 70-10 victory against Nebraska in 2004, and the defense gave up only one touchdown.

“Now that we’ve seen how we can play,” linebacker Bront Bird said, “we need to play every single game like that.”

Story courtesy of www.redraiders.com