by DAVID UBBEN , The Oklahoman

"I had already talked to the coaches about it," Stoops said. "The way both of our defenses were playing, you would think that we would force a bunch of field goals. And at that point, probably justifiably, I didn't feel great about getting into a field goal-kicking contest."

Oklahoma kicker/punter Tress Way converted only one of his four field goals on the night, a 28-yarder. He missed from 46 yards and had a 45-yarder blocked by Ndamukong Suh in the first quarter. Way also missed a 42-yard attempt with 3:05 left in the third quarter to cut Nebraska's lead to 10-6.

NO QUICK SNAPS

Down 7-0 with 9:31 left in the first half of its loss on Saturday, Oklahoma tried to convert a fourth-and-one from the Nebraska 20-yard line by faking an inside handoff and pitching outside to running back DeMarco Murray. Murray was corralled for a 2-yard loss, and OU turned the ball over on downs.

Though there was no Nebraska player in front of center Ben Habern, the Sooners didn't audible to a quick sneak play to pick up the first down.

Quarterback Landry Jones doesn't have clearance to call his own sneak on the play, and offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson said he felt Nebraska, whose defensive line pinched at the line of scrimmage after the snap, could have been baiting Oklahoma into a quarterback sneak.

"We're 2-for-7 on quarterback sneaks on the year," said Wilson, adding that in the no-huddle, even Sam Bradford wasn't allowed to call his own play in a similar situation. "I didn't think the strength of our team was running into the strength of their team."

WANTED: OFFENSIVE LINEMEN

Oklahoma has struggled with inconsistent play on the offensive line, unable to find an answer for the penalties that have persisted since a season-opening loss to Brigham Young that featured a false start on the first snap of the season, and two more on the season opening three-and-out.

Stoops says the answer could be recruiting more linemen from junior college . The Sooners currently have five commitments from offensive linemen for 2010, but Stoops said he wouldn't mind two or three junior- college players joining the incoming class.

"We don't have a full class yet, we've got a lot more to sign," Stoops said. "(Junior college ) is a priority, and we're recruiting them."

MCCOY MAKES LOMBARDI LIST

Junior defensive tackle Gerald McCoy was named one of four finalists for the Lombardi Award, given annually to college football's best defensive lineman or linebacker.

McCoy looks to become the fourth Sooner to win the award, and first since Tommie Harris in 2003.

"When I saw Tommie win the Lombardi, I thought, even if I don't win it, I want to be up for that award someday," McCoy said.

The other finalists are Suh, Alabama nose guard Terrence Cody and TCU defensive end Jerry Hughes.

WILLIAMS SHORT OF POTENTIAL

Before the season began Wilson said senior left tackle Trent Williams was the most talented lineman he'd ever coached. On Tuesday, the Sooners' offensive coordinator repeated his assessment, but said Williams hasn't played up to his talent level.

"He's not even close," Wilson said of the likely NFL draft pick. "Those hits cost money, too, now. Every sack costs money, it costs opportunity, personally for him. So, whether you're playing for Oklahoma, and he's also playing a little bit for he and his family, be smart enough to invest in how you prepare down the stretch to play the best you've ever played these last three weeks."

SIMMONS' RETURN STILL UNCERTAIN

Guard Brian Simmons, who has been sidelined since suffering a knee injury against Baylor on Oct. 10, is still "a couple weeks away" from returning to the lineup, Stoops said.

QUOTABLE

Stoops on how many offensive linemen he'd want on his roster: "Twenty. We won't get there, but we're working toward it...Four-deep...it's what you shoot for. All right, so you're a little shy, so you've got 18. But you're shooting for 20."

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