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Nebraska quarterback Casey Thompson (11) runs the ball for a touchdown against Georgia Southern on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.

Amie Just and Luke Mullin try to wrap their arms around the big question — why didn't it work for Scott Frost at Nebraska?

After firing its head coach, Nebraska remains in the national spotlight ahead of a rivalry clash against Oklahoma at Memorial Stadium on Saturday. Here’s a closer look at how the Huskers and Sooners match up.

How the Huskers light up the scoreboard

1. Get Grant 100: Anthony Grant has been nothing short of a revelation as NU's starting running back, and he's crossed the 100-yard mark in each of his first three games as Husker. Grant is the first NU back since 1950 to do that, so can he keep the streak going?

2. Palmer power: Wide receiver Trey Palmer's elite speed is needed to keep the Oklahoma defense on its toes. He's NU's leading receiver this season with 18 catches, but forget about the slants and quick routes this week; Nebraska needs him for the downfield shots.

3. Tight end involvement: Senior tight end Travis Vokolek hasn't played since the first half of NU's season-opener, and he remains day to day. Whether Vokolek can suit up on Saturday or if Nate Boerkircher gets another start, NU needs its tight ends as a safety valve on routes over the middle of the field.

4. Let Casey cook: Casey Thompson had a game to remember against Oklahoma last year when he threw for 388 yards and five touchdowns in a narrow loss for Texas. This matchup might not reach that level of shootout, but NU's offensive success will depend on Thompson as usual.

How the Blackshirts shut ’em down

1. Tackle: A simple one, but it needs to be said after several weeks of tackling issues. No arm tackles or half-hearted attempts, either — Nebraska needs the full effort. The Huskers have been working on tackling in practice all week, so will there be on-field improvements?

2. Mitigate Mims: Junior wide receiver Marvin Mims is one of the top wideouts in the nation, and he's got big-play potential on every snap. There's no way to stop Mims from contributing entirely, but can NU keep him from popping a big play? Mims had two touchdown grabs over 35 yards last week.

3. Pressure packages: NU sat back in a base four-man front with two safeties far too often against Georgia Southern, and it's part of why the Eagles racked up 642 yards of offense. Yes, blitzes can lead to easy conversions for the offense if the rush doesn't arrive quick enough — but isn't it worth a chance to disrupt Oklahoma's offensive rhythm?

4. Gap integrity: Another concept that Nebraska has struggled with so far this season, can the defensive line and linebackers combine to plug all of the gaps up front? Opponents have pounded interior runs against a leaky NU defensive front, and pushing those plays outside the tackles will give the Husker defense more time to react.

+3: Oklahoma has a turnover margin of +3 on the season, with no giveaways in its first two games. Nebraska has a turnover margin of -1 after producing two takeaways from Georgia Southern last week.

8: Oklahoma currently sits No. 10 nationally in points allowed, with an average of eights points surrendered per game thus far.

124: Out of 131 qualifying schools, Nebraska sits No. 124 in yardage allowed per game. The Huskers are surrendering 492 yards of offense per game on average.

WR | No. 2 | Jr.: After leading Nebraska with four catches for 120 yards against Northwestern, Garcia-Castaneda has gone two weeks without recording a catch. He played 23 snaps without a target against North Dakota before seeing two targets come his way in 24 snaps against Georgia Southern. Could he make a bigger impact this week?

DL | No. 90 | Jr.: Wynn played his best game of the season against Georgia Southern with nine tackles in 41 snaps. No other defensive lineman had more than five tackles last week, so Wynn has clearly grown into his role as a stopper in the middle of the defense.

Oklahoma pass game against Nebraska secondary

The likes of Ryan Hilinski and Kyle Vantrease both found plenty of success throwing quick passes against Nebraska, so what does the future hold for Oklahoma quarterback Dillon Gabriel? He's completed over 70% of his passes this season, and the Sooners also have a solid crop of wide receivers. If Nebraska could come up with an interception, that'd be a big win.

Oklahoma returned three starters along its offensive line, including potential All-Big 12 right guard Chris Murray. Plus, head coach Brent Venables said senior tackle Wanya Morris could play this week after missing OU's first two games. The question mark for NU is at left tackle after Teddy Prochazka limped off the field last week. If he's out, NU's line could have a new look as a result.

Given that Georgia Southern put up 45 points on Nebraska last week, holding Oklahoma below the 40-point mark seems unlikely. That said, Kent State held OU to seven first-half points last week, so there's a chance for Nebraska to compete if it can replicate that effort. The Huskers will need to keep pace with the scoring, and that task falls to Thompson and Grant once again. Both will need to be at their best for NU to have a chance at upsetting their rivals.

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Members of the cheer community were angered over the weekend at various tweets — including Amie Just's — of Mickey Joseph being the first Black head coach in Nebraska history.

Just three games into the 2022 season, Nebraska has fired Scott Frost, ending one of the worst coaching tenures in Husker history. 

Here is what social media is saying following the firing of Scott Frost as Nebraska's head football coach.

Here's a look at 21 potential college and NFL candidates who could take the Nebraska football head coaching job — and the pros and cons of each pick. 

Just three games into the 2022 season, Nebraska has fired Scott Frost, ending one of the worst coaching tenures in Husker history. 

The Scott Frost Era has been one disappointment after another, one shock after the next. There's no reason to rank this one. This one felt like the end, and now it's just a question of when, not if.

Aside from a few hundred boo birds and students chanting “Fire Frost,” the overwhelming emotion — at least for native sons and daughters like me — is sadness. Emptiness. Resignation.

How did we get here? In less than five years, Scott Frost went from being Nebraska’s savior to being the first early-season firing in program history, writes Amie Just.

The future arrived without warning on Sunday, fell in Mickey Joseph’s lap as he learned Scott Frost had been fired. Shake everything off. Move on. He has to help a team — and fan base — move on.

When did the athletic director make his decision? When and how did he notify Frost? Alberts answered both of those questions, and many more Sunday. 

Nebraska quarterback Casey Thompson (11) runs the ball for a touchdown against Georgia Southern on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.

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