By John Shinn
For the first time since the 2005 season, there isn't a number in front of Oklahoma. The Sooners' loss to Nebraska knocked them out of the Associated Press Top 25.
The Sooners, who started this season ranked No. 3, had dropped as low as No. 25 after the loss to Texas. They still managed to stay in the poll up until Sunday.
OU's absence ends a streak of 60 consectutive appearances in the AP Top 25 dating back to the final poll of the 2005 season.
Also, the Nebraska loss marked the Sooners' first loss to an unranked team since falling 34-27 to Texas Tech on Nov. 17, 2007.
Injuries plague Sooners
Oklahoma suffered several injuries that could be critical to the rest of the season in the Nebraska game.
Left guard Brody Eldridge missed most of the second quarter and all of the second half with a shoulder injury. Defensive end Auston English went out with a leg injury early in the game and did not return.
Neither offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson or defensive coordinator Brent Venables knew what Eldridge's and English's status for Saturday's game against Texas A--M would be.
Eldridge was an all-Big 12 player at fullback in 2007. If he can't go against the Aggies, he would join Jermaine Gresham, Sam Bradford, Brian Simmons, DeMarco Murray and Ryan Broyles as returning offensive starters from last season to miss at least one game due to injury.
Missed the signal
OU quarterback Landry Jones said he didn't get all the signals on the Hail Mary pass that ended the Sooners' final possession.
"I just rushed myself and didn't get the whole signal," Jones said.
The call was for four receivers to run to the end zone, and Ryan Broyles was to run about a 15-yard out route. Broyles did, and was open.
Jones lofted the ball to the middle of the field where it was picked off with 36 seconds left on the clock.
"It was just an error; just a human mistake that we all make," Wilson said. "I don't think that was the really critical part of our game. It was just one of many mistakes that we made."
Defending Alexander
Venables defended defensive end Frank Alexander, who picked up a critical personal foul that set up Nebraska's third-quarter field goal.
Alexander was flagged for a late hit on a Nebraska offensive linemen on a running play near the sideline on a 2-yard running play near midfield. Without the penalty, the Huskers would have faced third-and-9 at the OU 43. Instead, Nebraska got the ball at the OU 28.
"He was protecting himself," Venables said of Alexander's actions. "The guy was coming to block him after the ball was out of bounds and he actually was looking at the ball and felt the guy coming from his blind side and actually just pushed off to protect himself. The guy was coming down to cut him and he was just pushing off actually. So he wasn't doing anything but running to the ball and he felt the guy coming to cut him and he was just protecting himself. It happens. They don't see it like that. They see a guy flying, but he is actually protecting himself."
Alexander finished the game with 6 tackles and two tackles for loss.
Jeffries misses game
Guard Tavaris Jeffries didn't make the trip to Nebraska due to a family emergency Wilson said. Jeffries started the Idaho State, Tulsa and Miami games at right tackle and played there in the Texas game. He hasn't played the last three games.
John Shinn 366-3536 jshinn@normantranscript.com
