The 2012 National Championship Game

[huskerfan]

[i]Taking a break from my 'Story of Ten' storyline, I've been enjoying my long-term Cornhuskers dynasty over the past month. I like to play through each of the games in this particular dynasty to get a better feel for my team (along with the added sense of control.) I guess I was "rewarded" for this with the most fearsome opponent I have ever faced in BBCF...[/i] [CENTER]____________________________[/CENTER] My name is Terry Lee, head coach of the Nebraska Cornhuskers. I've been the head honcho here for the past eight seasons. In that time, we've seen national championship caliber teams and an underachieving 2-10 squad (lest we forget the wonders of 2006 and the debacle of the following year.) Five months ago, the 2012 season had all the earmarks of one which should have been quite ordinary in its ordinariness. It was quite simply a rebuilding year, over half of our starters being underclassmen. The pundits all seemed to agree. We were destined to finish in the middle of the pack in a very competitive Big 12, which was probably viewed as a stretch by many of the pundits. I looked at the prediction as a slight though. We are the Huskers after all. Five months later, we have proven the experts and critics wrong. Now we gear up to face perhaps the best team to ever grace the ranks of college football. Again, I am hearing the same thing. [i]We don't have a chance. We shouldn't be on the same field with these guys. Just forfeit and save everybody the time and trouble of watching a joke.[/i] It's time to prove everybody wrong again...

[huskerfan]

Goliath Who are we facing? If you have to ask that, you've had your head buried in the sand for the past couple of years. Our opponent is none other than the Ohio State University, winners of the National Championship in two of the last three years. This year, they field their best squad yet. The undefeated Buckeyes finished the year with the top ranked offense and top ranked defense in the nation. Their average margin of victory was a whopping 31 points, with no team losing by any less than two touchdowns (a very talented one-loss Michigan team which fell 37-23.) In all, they throttled a total of six ranked teams (three who were in the Top 10 at the time.) [b][u]The Buckeyes' Offense[/u][/b] Let's get the raw numbers out of the way first. [i]544.2 yards per game (1st in the nation) #13 in the nation for passing yardage #11 in the nation for rushing yardage 53.4 points per game (10 more per game than anyone else)[/i] Junior QB [b]Chad Glick[/b] leads the Buckeyes' attack. He threw for 2,945 yards, 27 touchdowns, and only 3 picks en route to being named to the 1st Team All Big 10. He sports the fifth highest completion percentage in the country at 69.9% and has hooked up for at least one touchdown pass in every game this season. Glick's favorite targets? Where to begin: -- WR [b]Brian Jones[/b]:: 1,162 yards on 66 receptions, 11 TD's (7 games with 100+ yds); Nat'l 2nd Team Offense, 1st Team All Big 10. -- WR [b]Kalimba Smith[/b]:: 1,124 yards on 58 receptions, 7 TD's (6 games with 100+ yds); 2nd Team All Big 10 -- TE [b]Chad Thomas[/b]:: 729 yards on 50 receptions As if the passing attack weren't enough, the Buckeyes' running game is probably even better. Heading up the rushing corps is Doak Walker Award Winner RB [b]A.J. Eby[/b]. Eby scrambled for 1,655 yards on 294 carries, for an impressive 5.63 yards-per-carry this year. His 150 yards per game was complemented by sophomore RB [b]Billy Hoaglin[/b] who chipped in a mere 57 ypg (629 yards on 123 carries, 5.11 ypc.) Vince Lombardi Award Winner [b]Tommy Tucker[/b] heads up probably the best offensive line in college football. And he's only a junior. [b][u]The Buckeyes' Defense[/u][/b] Once again, the numbers probably speak for themselves. [i]316.4 yards allowed per game (1st in the nation) #3 in the nation against the pass #2 in the nation against the run +29 turnover margin[/i] tOSU's "D" is filled with national award winners. *Sigh* The key players we need to watch out for include FS [b]Marcus Jones[/b] (84 tackles, 8 sacks, 1 INT), CB [b]Nate Pointer[/b] (47 tackles, 9 INT's), and linebackers [b]Milford Lyle[/b] (66 tackles, 5 INT's) and [b]Frank Kelly[/b] (64 tackles, 5 INT's.) [b][u]The Buckeyes' Special Teams[/u][/b] Lou Groza Award Winner [b]Clinton Jarmoluk[/b] will be making our lives difficult all night. He connected on 28-of-29 field goal attempts. I'm sure he would've had more if it weren't for all of the touchdowns. [CENTER]______________________[/CENTER] [i]Up Next: Your 2012 Nebraska Cornhuskers![/i]

[huskerfan]

[CENTER][B]Nebraska Cornhuskers Starters -- Offense[/B][/CENTER] [CENTER]____________________[/CENTER] [CENTER][b]Backs[/b][/CENTER] [center][IMG]http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e277/tlm6789/backs.jpg[/IMG][/center] QB [b]Fred Klubo[/b] -- Dependable but sometimes his arm gets a little wild. 3,387 yards passing; 63.3% completion rate; 27 TD's, 9 INT's. RB [b]Patrick Robiskie[/b] -- Carried our team in more than one game this year. He needs to produce in order for us to have any chance against tOSU. 1,385 yards rushing on 290 carries. 47 receptions for 488 yards. 17 touchdowns (13 rushing and 4 receiving). FB [b]Alex Griffith[/b] -- Our second option on the ground. Used primarily in short-yardage situations all year to good effect. 351 yards on 92 carries. [center]____________________[/CENTER] [CENTER][b]Receivers[/b][/CENTER] [center][IMG]http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e277/tlm6789/receivers.jpg[/IMG][/center] WR [b]Steve Groom[/b] -- Has improved week after week, culminating in a 153-yard performance against Texas in the Big 12 Championship Game. 43 catches for 716 yards and 6 TD's. WR [b]Leon Douglas[/b] -- Klubo's go-to guy all year long. 71 receptions for 1,083 yards and 8 TD's. TE [b]Mike Pucillo[/b] -- We haven't gone to our tight ends very often in recent years, but we may have to pull out all of our tricks to have a chance against tOSU. 15 receptions for 191 yards and one touchdown. [center]____________________[/CENTER] [CENTER][b]Offensive Line[/b][/CENTER] [center][IMG]http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e277/tlm6789/oline.jpg[/IMG][/center] C [b]Matt Neville[/b] -- A strong anchor in the middle. 17 KRB's and 24 pancakes. G [b]Gordon King[/b] -- Veteran leader on the line. Klubo's well-being rests in King's hands. 19 KRB's and 19 pancakes. G [b]Boomer Kaufman[/b] -- First start of the year due to injuries T [b]John Swayne[/b] -- A hard worker. Needs to step up big today. T [b]Tony Shabazz[/b] -- See 'Swayne' above. [center]____________________[/CENTER]

[Texas]

Go Huskers