LINCOLN, Neb. -- It was no secret offensive struggles were holding Oklahoma back this season. Saturday night against Nebraska, it was akin to the unit taking the whole team and chaining it to a train heading the other direction.

The 10-3 loss to the Huskers was simply a matter of OU putting as dominant a defensive effort as its had in the Bob Stoops era and being able to do absolutely nothing with it.

"It would have been hard for our defense to play a whole lot better," Stoops said.

Hard to argue with statistics that were one-sided everywhere but the scoreboard.

· First downs were 23-7 in the Sooners favor.

· OU out-gained the Huskers 325-180.

· Nebraska had 1 third-down conversions in 14 attempts.

The only thing Nebraska did right was not turnover the ball.

The Sooners didn't come close to matching that one.

Quarterback Landry Jones threw a school record five interceptions. The last of which was a Hail Mary pass when the Sooners had the ball at the Husker 49 with 30 seconds left.

Stoops refused to throw his redshirt freshman quarterback under the bus.

"He had some plays that weren't the best," he said.

Tress Way, who made his third straight appearance as OU's field-goal kicker accounted for all of the Sooners' points, but had an awful night.

His make was from 28 yards late in the first half. It was his only make in four attempts.

"You have to be able to make a field goal, protect a field goal," Stoops said. "That certainly changes things at the end of the game. Instead, we're climbing uphill and have to have a touchdown."

Nebraska (6-3, 3-2 Big 12) got its only touchdown off a turnover. Jones was picked off by Prince Amukamara early in the second quarter and it set up Zac Lee's 1-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Hill.

The Sooners never got that close. Despite having four possessions starting in Nebraska territory, those possessions ended with two missed field goal and two punts.

Despite the comedy of OU offensive errors that included the seven penalties with the ball, the Sooners had a ton of chances to win the game.

There was little doubt this was going to be a defensive struggle. Both the Sooners and the Huskers entered the game with, statistically, two of the best defenses in college football.

OU struggled to get anything going on the ground. DeMarco Murray and Chris Brown combined for 97 yards, but the Sooners needed much more to take the pressure off Jones.

For the first time this season, he seemed to buckle under the pressure. He was 26-for-58 for 245 yards, and a lot his throws sailed high.

It was the wrong time to be wild. Nebraska safety Matt O'Hanlon came away with three of the picks, including the game-sealer in the final seconds.

The Sooner defense came up with one turnover. Defensive tackle Gerald McCoy pounced on a fumble midway through the second quarter when Nebraska had driven to the Red Zone. It was the only time the Huskers did it all game.

The loss had the familiar feeling as previous losses to BYU, Miami and Texas. The defense played well enough to win -- in Saturday's case almost too good to lose. But it wasn't enough.

"It's frustrating, but it happens sometimes," OU middle linebacker Ryan Reynolds said. "There's times we (the defense) need to come up with the play and we don't. There's times when they (the offense) need to come up with the play and they don't. Sometimes it doesn't work out for the best."

Saturday's not good enough amounted to the Sooners' lowest point total since 1998 and the first time a Bob Stoops team hasn't scored a touchdown.

"You force 11 punts away from home and they're 1-for-14 on third down, you'd have to feel like you have a good chance to win the game," Stoops said.

But throw in five interceptions, an inept kicking game and a rash of dumb penalties -- OU had nine for 64 yards, including a personal foul that set up Nebraska's only field goal and anything can happen.

The Sooners came to Nebraska looking like a team that was improving. After what happened Saturday night, regressing looks more appropriate.

John Shinn 366-3536 jshinn@normantranscript.com