LINCOLN, Neb. | Nobody said catching the Big 12&rsquo;s power brokers would be easy. It might even take some slippage from the leaders to close the gap.</p><p>But Nebraska took a step on Saturday, defeating 20th-ranked Oklahoma 10-3 in a defensive struggle that wasn&rsquo;t sealed until free safety Matt O&rsquo;Hanlon came up with his third interception of the evening, this one at the Nebraska 6, with 27 seconds remaining.</p><p>Finally, Nebraska fans stuffed inside Memorial Stadium could breathe a sigh of relief, and Cornhuskers coach Bo Pelini didn&rsquo;t try to dismiss the importance of the moment.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve had some great ones,&rdquo; said Pelini, who gave the Memorial Stadium crowd an emotional fist pump as he left the field. &ldquo;This ranks right up there. We sucked it up and found a way.&rdquo;</p><p>Especially on defense. Oklahoma ran 87 plays in its up-tempo offense and accumulated 23 first downs to the Cornhuskers&rsquo; seven. But the Sooners never reached the end zone and were held without a touchdown for the first time since 1998.</p><p>&ldquo;Defensively,&rdquo; Nebraska linebacker Phillip Dillard said, &ldquo;we can ball.&rdquo;</p><p>Among the Sooners&rsquo; struggles: five interceptions by Landry Jones, and kicker Tress Way missed two field goals and had a third blocked. Still, the Sooners&rsquo; defense kept it close.</p><p>&ldquo;It would be hard to be a whole lot better,&rdquo; Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said of his defense.</p><p>The Sooners lost to Nebraska for the first time since the 2001 game when Heisman Trophy winner Eric Crouch caught a touchdown pass. That Cornhuskers team reached the BCS Championship game, but it hasn&rsquo;t returned to a major bowl since then.</p><p>Saturday&rsquo;s victory is the kind the faithful have craved.</p><p>There had been close calls over the years, painful losses to Texas and Oklahoma, the last-minute disaster at Virginia Tech earlier this season. Any of them could have been considered statement victories. Finally, it came. Or at least it looked like a signature triumph, although that&rsquo;s where Pelini drew the line on his celebration.</p><p>&ldquo;Oh, no, we&rsquo;ve got more to go,&rdquo; he said.</p><p>The victory thrusts the Cornhuskers into the North Division favorite&rsquo;s role along with Kansas State. Nebraska is 3-2 in the Big 12, the Wildcats 4-2, and the old rivals could settle things with their meeting on Nov. 21 in Lincoln.</p><p>Nebraska got it done with a minimum of offense. The Cornhuskers finished with 180 total yards, and 63 came on one Roy Helu Jr. run.</p><p>And quarterback became a question once again. Zac Lee, the original starter who lost his job two weeks ago, re-entered the Nebraska game plan at quarterback on a most fortuitous occasion.</p><p>Cornerback Prince Amukamara stepped in front of Jones&rsquo; short pass, tight-roped his way down the sideline until getting pushed out at the Sooners&rsquo; 1.</p><p>Out with Cody Green, who in his first start had taken every snap in last week&rsquo;s victory at Baylor and played the first four series Saturday, and in with Lee.</p><p>Lee lofted a rainbow to Ryan Hill, fading toward the right corner of the end zone. It was the second reception of the season for the tight end who is not listed among the top four players at the position on the depth chart.</p><p>Lee remained at quarterback throughout the game, and although Nebraska didn&rsquo;t pile up the points and yards, it also didn&rsquo;t make many mistakes. There was one turnover &mdash; a Lee fumble &mdash; compared to the mistake-prone losses to Texas Tech and Iowa State.</p><p>The game played out ideally for Nebraska, unlike last year&rsquo;s rout that was over in a matter of minutes. The Sooners led that one 28-0 after the first quarter. Saturday there was no scoring in the first, and there wouldn&rsquo;t be much in the way of points all night.</p><p>&ldquo;But it feels real good to win,&rdquo; Lee said. &ldquo;No matter how ugly it was.&rdquo; </p><p><hr class="infobox-hr-separator" /> <div class="infobox"> <strong><span class="infobox-head">OTHER BIG 12 GAMES </span></strong><br /> &bull;<strong>AT COLORADO 35, TEXAS A&M 34:</strong> Tyler Hansen&rsquo;s 22-yard TD pass to Patrick Devenny with 2:04 left put the Buffaloes ahead for good. Rodney Stewart ran 20 times for 118 yards and two touchdowns and Markques Simas caught seven passes for 135 yards for Colorado.</p><p><strong>&bull;OKLAHOMA STATE 34, AT IOWA STATE 8: </strong> The Cowboys&rsquo; Keith Toston ran for 206 yards and three touchdowns and Zac Robinson threw a TD pass.</p><p>&bull;<strong>AT TEXAS 35, CENTRAL FLORIDA 3:</strong> Jordan Shipley set a Texas record with 273 yards receiving, 88 on one TD.</p><p></div>