MU faces Huskers' No. 1 defense

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- So far, Brad Smith's sophomore season hasn't quite measured up to his freshman breakout year at Missouri. No. 10 Nebraska will try to keep him down today.

The Missouri quarterback was mentioned as an outside contender in preseason Heisman Trophy talk, and has eight touchdown passes with no interceptions thus far this year. But he's yet to flash the elusive quality that helped him become the second player in NCAA history to pass for 2,000 yards and run for 1,000 yards in a season, running what has been a more predictable attack than expected.

Two weeks ago he was limited to a career-low 95 yards in total offense in the Tigers' 35-14 loss at Kansas, during which they blew a 14-13 lead after three quarters. But Missouri coaches say the fact the Tigers (4-1, 0-1) have yet to open up the offense is not Smith's fault.

"Most of the things about stopping Brad Smith don't have to do with the defense as much as it has to do with breakdowns on the offense," offensive coordinator Dave Christensen said. "We've run him a number of times that were one block away from being a big play."

In any case, it's about to get tougher for Smith because Nebraska has the nation's top-ranked defense. The Huskers (5-0, 1-0) are coming off their first shutout in nearly three years, a 30-0 victory over Troy State.

They also put the shackles on Smith last year in a 24-13 victory, sacking him four times and limiting him to 34 yards on 17 carries and 123 yards passing.

"I'm not going to say we just have to worry about Smith," linebacker Demorrio Williams said. "He's a good quarterback, but I thought Troy State had a good quarterback and that was a good test for us."

For the year, Nebraska is allowing only 7.6 points and 218.6 yards per game. The Huskers rank in the top 10 nationally in all five major defensive categories, plus they've forced 19 turnovers.

Williams has 5.5 sacks and Josh Bullocks has five interceptions.

"It's a big challenge," Smith said. "They're a very good defense and we just have to do what we do and execute our game plan."

He's talking about himself as well as the supporting cast.

"I miss throws, I miss plays, I miss run reads that I can make, too," he said. "So it's on all of us. We have to work together, that's what good teams do."

Against Missouri, Nebraska has been a lot better than just good over the years. The Huskers have won 24 in a row in the series since the last loss on Nov. 18, 1978, nearly 25 years ago, and haven't lost in Columbia, since 1973.

In their last four trips to Missouri, they've averaged 41 points.

DeJuan Groce, now a rookie defensive back with the St. Louis Rams, had an 89-yard punt return in last year's victory. He's not worried about Missouri's so-called resurgence, even if in recent years the Huskers haven't always won by huge numbers.

"It's still Missouri," Groce said dismissively.

Missouri is thinking positively. The school is holding a weekend reunion featuring Warren Powers, the coach of the '78 team, and about 70 of his former players.

There's also a rosy mention in the game notes about "Nebraska's recent dominance," as if a quarter century wasn't that significant.

The game is a rare sellout at Faurot Field, produced by early-season exuberance that led to speculation of a battle between 5-0 teams. The team is hoping the atmosphere will be a plus as it attempts to shake off the dispiriting Kansas loss.

"It'll be quite an environment, and our players know that and I know they're real excited about it," coach Gary Pinkel said. "Now, what can we do with the opportunity?

"We'll hopefully make the best of it."