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Mike LeachLeave it to Texas Tech coach Mike Leach to come up with a brutal assessment of the issues surrounding Kansas coach Mark Mangino and the allegations last week he has been both physically and mentally abusing his players.

Kansas athletic director Lew Perkins has launched an investigation into Mangino's actions after one of his players reported that the head coach poked him during a walk-through practice a couple weeks ago. Since then, several former players have come forth to discuss Mangino's alleged abusive behavior and sometimes mean-spirited verbal attacks.

Leach has never been guilty of playing the politically correct game and he certainly didn't disappoint during this week's Big 12 football coaches call when the subject turned to the storm Mangino is facing.

"I think you try to select the most effective way to coach your guys, but my suspicion is -- and nobody truly knows what went on in Kansas -- but my suspicion is Mark is in the middle of a witch hunt, which is unjustified," said Leach, who is known to be disciplinarian with his players. "Heaven forbid somebody should ask a guy to pay attention, focus and for the sake of his coaches and teammates pay attention. Well there are different ways to do that. Sometimes after you've asked them a number of times, you raise the bar.

"The interesting thing to me in all this murmuring is he went from hitting this guy in the face to he didn't even touch anybody, but he just said mean things to him. Well the mean man told some player some things he didn't want to hear. There is a mean man in Lubbock who tells people things they don't want to hear, too, and it's just part of it, you know."

Several coaches, however, admitted that seeing this situation become national news offers pause to be aware of their players' feelings in times when tough coaching is necessary.

"Anytime something as unfortunate as this takes place, it gives pause to look at your program," Kansas State coach Bill Snyder said. "Everything is so visible that whatever it is that comes to light everyone has to kind of reassess exactly where they are.

"It's a matter of not taking anything for granted. But by the same token, I think we are who we are. Most of us have an ingrained sense of how we coach and interact with people, interact with players."

But in Mangino's defense, Snyder said he never heard of Mangino being abusive towards players when Mangino was an assistant coach on his staff at K-State.

"That didn't happen to my knowledge and there isn't a whole lot that slips under the old radar," said Snyder, who says he has talked with Mangino about the incident. "In that respect, I think he handled players well and I think he had great respect from his players while he was here."


Bedlam Reversal

More often than not, it has been Oklahoma that has a lot riding when the Bedlam rivalry game against Oklahoma State rolls around at each regular-season end.

This year, it is the 11th-ranked Cowboys who have a great deal at stake, while at 6-5 the Sooners are simply trying to improve their second-tier bowl positioning. In eight of the 11 seasons Bob Stoops has been coaching the Sooners, this game has had some type of Big 12 South implications but not this season.

OSU (9-2, 6-1 Big 12), meanwhile, could well be looking at an at-large BCS bid with a win over its rival. It would be the first BCS bid in program history.

So how is that for a reversal of fortunes?

"That's something that some of the guys were talking about the other day," OSU offensive lineman Noah Franklin said. "Everything comes around full circle. From where we were when Andrew Lewis and I got here, it's come a long way since then."

It's a reversal many of the players had hoped they would see come to fruition but in the back of their minds had doubted.

"We definitely believed that we could put ourselves in this type of situation, just in some of the teams we've had we've just been unable at times to win those close games that we've been winning this year," senior linebacker Andre Sexton said. "We found ways to lose those games instead of win them. This year I think the maturity and experience that we've had in those situations has enabled us to pull those victories out."

Even Stoops finds the reversal a bit odd.

"This is different, but we are still in a situation where we are trying to improve our situation and that's what our focus will be on is playing the best we can and trying to make our situation better," he said.

But now for a few doses of reality for Oklahoma State as it heads into Memorial Stadium on Saturday: the Sooners own a national-best 29-game home winning streak. And despite the disparity in success this season, OU comes in as a 6 1/2-point favorite.

Thus, you have OSU coach Mike Gundy declining to get caught up in all the role reversal hoopla or the national implications talk. He knows even in a down season for the Sooners, they are still a dangerous team.
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"The important thing for our players is to have a good week of practice and meetings and absorb the information in the game plan and go play hard on Saturday and with great effort," Gundy said. "No matter what is involved, what's on the line, it's important that the players play well and go play."

Brown Praises FG Kicker

When you think of the magical season second-ranked Texas is having, the initial names that pop up are quarterback Colt McCoy, wide receiver Jordan Shipley, defensive end Sergio Kindle and middle linebacker Roddrick Muckelroy.

Rarely does placekicker Hunter Lawrence's name come up.

Well, the senior is actually putting together a pretty special year, one that has been quietly key in the Longhorns' 11-0, 7-0 record that has them knocking on the doorstep of the BCS national title game. Hunter, who is at the top of every statistical kicking category in the Big 12, has converted 20-of-23 field goals this season.

During last Saturday's 51-20 win over Kansas that secured the Longhorns the South division title, Hunter was true on field goals of 49 yards (season high), 47 and 35 yards.

"He has been unbelievable. In fact as much as we've talked offensively about Colt and Jordan, Hunter has been a Most Valuable Player for us," said UT coach Mack Brown, whose team concludes the regular season Thursday night at Texas A&M. "He has just been an unbelievable weapon for us and a guy that is older, mature and very confident. I feel like he is as good a kicker as any in the country."

Brown says there is a huge comfort level to knowing you have a kicker as capable as Hunter. Having that security also affects strategy.

"When you are playing great defense like we are this year, the other team may not be scoring as much as have in the past and now you can get guaranteed points," Brown said. "You go for less fourth downs, you take less chances and you know you have a guy who can put points on the board.

"He has changed our philosophy some. We still want to be aggressive, but if we feel like it's going to be a tight game, but one the other team won't score much, we do not hesitate to send Hunter out there. The guys are blocking so well for him now because they know he's going to make it."


Quick Slants



The news continues to get worse for the Sooners. Stoops announced that center Ben Habern had surgery Saturday to repair a broken leg suffered in last week's loss to Texas Tech and that he is done for the season. Middle linebacker Ryan Reynolds also suffered a hamstring injury in that game that will keep him out against OSU. The Sooners have lost seven starters to injury this season. ... McCoy joined Florida's Tim Tebow and Houston's Case Keenum as finalists this week for the Dave O'Brien Award, given to the nation's top quarterback. ...Texas senior wide receiver Jordan Shipley is a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award, which is given to the nation's top receiver. Shipley has caught 91 balls for 1,204 yards (13.2 yards per catch) and nine touchdowns this season. The sixth-year senior has five double-digit receiving games and six 100-yard receiving games so far this season. ... Texas A&M running backs Christine Michael (116 yards) and Cyrus Gray (107) both eclipsed the 100-yard mark during Saturday's critical 38-3 win over Baylor, marking the second time this season that both have rushed for 100-plus yards in the same game. Michael also set a school record for longest touchdown run with a 97-yard touchdown sprint against the Bears. ... Missouri receiver Danario Alexander continues his late-season run, catching 34 passes for 578 yards and five touchdowns in the Tigers' last three games.

Leach Weighs in on Mangino Flap originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 25 Nov 2009 15:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Andre SextonAndreSextonbcsben habernBenHabernBill SnyderBillSnyderBo PeliniBob StoopsBobStoopsBoPeliniCase KeenumCaseKeenumcolt mccoyColtMccoyDanario AlexanderDanarioAlexanderJordan ShipleyJordanShipleyMack BrownMackBrownmark manginoMarkManginoMike GundyMike LeachMikeGundyMikeLeachOklahoma State footballOklahomaStateFootballRyan ReynoldsRyanReynoldsTim TebowTimTebowTerrance HarrisWed, 25 Nov 2009 15:00:00 EST Big 12 North Gets Nostalgichttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/20/big-12-north-gets-nostalgic/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/20/big-12-north-gets-nostalgic/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/20/big-12-north-gets-nostalgic/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Big 12 North remains a ways from returning to the prominence it enjoyed when the conference first formed in the late 1990s, but if Saturday's matchup between Kansas State and Nebraska for the division title is any indication then better days are certainly on the horizon.

After years of struggles by the Kansas State Wildcats and the Nebraska Cornhuskers, which have coincided with a dip in the North's strength, the two meet Saturday in Lincoln for a winner-take-all showdown. Neither team has had quite the season it anticipated but each has won enough for the right to play for the Big 12 championship, likely against No. 2 Texas, Dec. 5.

"Certainly we've been in this position before, probably in different ways," said veteran Wildcats coach Bill Snyder, who broke out of a three-year retirement to return to the sidelines this season. "By the same token, I can't remember other than the very early years that playing against the Nebraska teams was not a great challenge and certainly key ball games were after those initial years after they beat us so soundly."

It used to be that Nebraska was the football program many were measured by across the country when legendary coach Tom Osborne was running the Cornhuskers. The pull was even greater for an up-and-coming coach in the Big Eight, who dared dream he could turn Kansas State into a team capable of competing with mighty Nebraska.

"It was a dynamic conference, there were a lot of models," Snyder said this week. "I always had amazing respect for Tom Osborne and I loved the way he conducted his program, not just all the championships he had won, but just the fact of how he handled his program and how he worked with young people and what he meant to his state. It was a total package. Indeed it could serve as a model program for any one of us."

Eventually Snyder and his Wildcats caught up enough to make the early years of the Big 12 quite interesting. From the inception of the league in 1996 to 2000, either Nebraska or Kansas State won the North Division every season. But since then both teams have won the North just once as the division has taken a backseat to the South.

In the meantime, Nebraska has had three coaches and Kansas State moved on to Ron Prince for a few up and down seasons before returning to the stability of Snyder.

Both teams are still shadows of their former selves, but this may be sign of progress. Nebraska enters Saturday game 7-3, 4-2, while the Wildcats come into their regular-season finale 6-5, 4-3 with a chance to become bowl eligible (two of Kansas State's win are over FCS teams) and the division champs at the same time.

"Obviously, the game means a lot, this is going to determine the Big 12 North," said second-year Nebraska coach Bo Pelini. "We have a lot of respect for our opponent in every way and we know we have to be ready to play our best football."
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Cyclones Gathering Strength

A few days into spring practice, first-year Iowa State coach Paul Rhoads felt he had plenty of reasons for concern after watching the team he inherited tackle.

But Rhoads and his staff had just as much to celebrate after the Iowa State Cyclones beat Colorado 17-10 to become eligible for the first time since 2005. Iowa State, coming off a 2-10 season last under Gene Chizik, has moved to 6-5 on the season to give Rhoads the biggest turnaround of any rookie coach this season.

"We've made a lot of progress before we got to this sixth win and bowl eligibility," said Rhoads, whose team is 3-4 in league play heading into Saturday's regular-season finale at Missouri. "Progress and improvement is what we wanted to accomplish. Now we've put the program a little bit more on the national map by gaining bowl eligibility.

"Hopefully the bowl game that will follow helps recruiting, helps people's perception of you, it begins to build tradition. Those are hopefully all things we can follow up with."

Interestingly, the defense that Rhoads was so concerned about this past spring has really stepped up at critical times this season. During the win over Colorado, the Cyclones stopped Colorado three times inside their 10 to preserve the win.

The Buffaloes were the third Big 12 opponent ISU has held to 10 points or less this season.

Rhoads is no longer as worried, though he knows major improvement still needs to made to get the unit back up to par of the Dan McCarney days.

"They keep improving, they keep listening to the coaching," Rhoads said. "I thought their preparation and their understanding of Colorado was as good as it's been all year. The communication that took place on the field, the adjustments and communication that took place on the sideline, just gave the appearance of a very smart football team in holding our third Big 12 team to 10 points or less, which is the first time it's been done since 1965 with conference opponents I think also speaks to their growth."

Alexander Making Most of Final Shot

Missouri senior receiver Danario Alexander anticipates getting a little emotional Saturday when he comes out of the tunnel at Memorial Stadium one last time.

"I've been thinking about it for a couple of weeks now," Alexander said. "My time is coming to an end, and it's kind of bittersweet. I'm sure emotions will be flying everywhere, but I've got to try to contain them and play my best game."

It will be pretty difficult to top the two weeks Alexander has had, in which he caught for 414 yards in games against Baylor and Missouri. Alexander, whose career has been marred by serious knee injuries, blistered the Wildcats last Saturday for 200 yards and receiving touchdowns of 54, 16 and 18 yards to earn Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week honors.

After the game, Snyder said Alexander was the best receiver in the Big 12 after watching him run circles around his defense. His opinion of the 6-foot-5 blazer didn't change a couple days later during the Big 12 conference call.

"I had not seen him play until the week of the game and I saw some things he did well," Snyder said. "He's a rangy guy, he's got the height that allows you to put the ball up in the air and for him to jump and go up and get it. I like the fact he can catch the ball over the middle, he' not afraid to lay out for the ball. He obviously has very good hands and has good speed to go with it.

"He's a complete receiver that creates a lot of difficult mismatches because of his height."

Alexander, who had to watch Missouri stars like Jeremy Maclin romp all over the field while injured, is certainly making up for lost time this season. He leads the conference with 81 catches for 1,238 yards and 11 touchdowns and he is averaging 123.8 yards per game receiving.

Missouri coach Gary Pinkel, who has had to watch Alexander endure several disappointing seasons, is pleased that the standout receiver is finally getting a chance to shine. Now he thinks the rest of the nation should take notice.

"His numbers speak for themselves," said Pinkel, whose team became bowl eligible last week for a school-record fifth straight year. "Because he had been injured the past couple years and didn't play on a consistent basis, I think without question his name should be out there for All-American honors. Based on stats, based on performance just week in and week out the consistency.

"I know there are great players in this league, I have great respect for all the players here but certainly from an offensive standpoint with two games left in the regular season, I think his numbers are really really outstanding."

Toilet Bowl

It's amazing that as disappointing as both Texas A&M and Baylor have been this season that either of them are in contention for a postseason bowl.

But it's fitting that their matchup Saturday in College Station will likely determine if either will qualify for a postseason bowl game. The Bears, who came into the season with hopes of breaking a long-standing bowl drought had their enthusiasm tempered when sophomore quarterback Robert Griffin suffered an early season-ending knee injury, must win its final two regular season games to be bowl eligible.

The Texas A&M Aggies, meanwhile, have been the biggest mystery of the season having overwhelmed the likes of Texas Tech and Iowa State while falling to Colorado. At 5-6, they need to win at least one of the final two to make a bowl.

But with No.2 Texas coming up on Thanksgiving night, A&M's best bet is to beat the 4-6 Baylor Bears at home Saturday.

"Every game we play is important and this one certainly has some implications for both teams and certainly that's out there," said second-year A&M coach Mike Sherman, who is looking for his first bowl bid. "There are two games left and we are excited about playing this one."

Baylor coach Art Briles, who has endured a heart-breaking season, says it's a victory just for his team to have a chance at a bowl game.



"The good thing is we've put ourselves in position, whereas a year ago we didn't have this position," said Briles, whose team takes on Texas Tech in the regular-season finale at Jerry Jones' Cowboys Stadium on Nov. 28. "We didn't have enough wins to be considered of an opportunity to become bowl eligible with two games remaining. We've got something in front of us, now we have to go take care of business and make it reality."

Hawkins Finds Humor in Job Security

When asked Monday if he had any communication with athletic director Mike Bohn and chancellor Phillip P. Di Stefano about his job status, Colorado coach Dan Hawkins let loose a loud and awkward laugh during the Big 12 conference call.

Then he gathered himself.

"They've been great, they've been awesome," Hawkins said. "Mike has been great and Phil has been great. They've both been very supportive about the whole deal."

But most believe Hawkins' job is in jeopardy after another disappointing season in which the Buffaloes are 3-7 and 2-4 heading into Thursday night's game at Oklahoma State. Colorado has been bowl eligible just once in Hawkins' four-year tenure.

Hawkins, however, said he didn't believe his job is in jeopardy. He inherited a program from Gary Barnett that had been rocked by a sensational recruiting scandal.

"Those guys are great," Hawkins said of Bohn and Di Stefano. "I think they understand the nature and scope of the position we have here and all the things that go on and have gone on. Everybody wants to win more games but in terms of helping get this place back on track after what it went through I think we've had to take on a number of tasks and done a great job with that."

Big 12 North Gets Nostalgic originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Art BrilesArtBrilesBaylor FootballBaylorFootballBig 12 FootballBig12FootballBill SnyderBillSnyderBo PeliniBoPeliniDan HawkinsDan McCarneyDanario AlexanderDanHawkinsDanMccarneyGary PinkelGaryPinkelGene ChizikGeneChizikIowa State FootballIowaStateFootballJeremy MaclinJeremyMaclinKansas State WildcatsKansasStateWildcatsMike ShermanMikeShermanNebraskaFootballpaul rhoadsPaulRhoadsRobert GriffinRobertGriffinRon PrinceRonPrinceTexas AM AggiesTexasAmAggiesTom OsborneTomOsborneTerrance HarrisFri, 20 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST Once Again, Bill Snyder Resurrecting Kansas Statehttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/12/once-again-bill-snyder-resurrecting-kansas-state/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/12/once-again-bill-snyder-resurrecting-kansas-state/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/12/once-again-bill-snyder-resurrecting-kansas-state/#commentsFiled under: ,

Somewhere in the privacy of his owBill Snydern home, 70-year-old Kansas State coach Bill Snyder is enjoying this and laughing at those who quietly thought the energy was gone to resurrect the Wildcats.

But as we've suspected for years, the private Snyder is different from the public guy. So it should be no surprise Snyder seems oblivious to the instant success he and the Wildcats are experiencing after he decided break a three-year retirement to return to Kansas State just under a year ago.

The Wildcats are sitting atop the Big 12 North with two regular-season games remaining after being picked to finish on the bottom half of the division in the preseason media poll.

"I really haven't gotten too excited about it," Snyder said of the Wildcats' success. "That doesn't mean that I don't appreciate the success that we have had recently. When we do well, I'm happy about it. I try to stay on an even keel."

Steadiness is exactly what Snyder has given the Wildcats. After a win. After every loss.

Even knowing how weak the North has been, who would have thought the Wildcats were capable of winning the division after suffering a 66-14 loss to Texas Tech on Oct. 10? It seemed the prognosticators were right and Snyder's return would be more of the same ups-and-downs the program has experienced the past five years.

It turns out, Snyder didn't think much after that loss other than how to right what went wrong. The following week, the Wildcats returned the favor to Texas A&M, smashing the Aggies 62-14. Kansas State has won three of its last four since losing on the road to Texas Tech.

Who would have thought the Wildcats had such a run in them?

"That's just is not the way we think," Snyder said when asked if thought the team might be able to bounce back in such an impressive way. "We are maybe not smart enough to think along those lines. It was `What are our lessons in that ballgame? What can we do to get ourselves better? Let's set out to do do that.'

"There was no ... I don't try to make those kind of projections."

Those who know Snyder best, knew it was going to take more than a single haymaker to put him out. Snyder isn't just an excellent motivator, he's masterful at not over thinking the game and giving his team fundamental basis for success.

This season's squad is far from the talent-level of Snyder's late 1990s teams and early 2000s that included the likes of Darren Sproles, Ell Roberson and Michael Bishop, but this team has a strong resemblance. These Wildcats play hard-hitting defense, while offensively they have a quality running game on the strength of junior college transfer running back Daniel Thomas (Big 12 rushing leader) and well-traveled quarterback Grant Gregory.

It's a not-so flashy formula for success Snyder rode from 1989 to 2005 as he built the Wildcats virtually from scratch.

"I've known Bill since my days in the late '70s at Iowa State when he was at Iowa," Texas coach Mack Brown said. "He's the master, he's the wizard at what he does. I was happy for Kansas State and college football when he came back. I wasn't happy for the rest of us because I knew he was going to get it fixed fast."

No one could have predicted it would be this fast. If most are honest, bringing back Snyder last November seemed a reach after few seemed to want take a chance on living up the reputation of the man, whose name is on the stadium.

And in all actuality, things weren't all that great in Snyder's final two years when he limped into retirement a 9-13 record.

Somehow, Snyder has been able to defy geriatrics to be able to relate to a bunch of young men he didn't recruit.

"He's a great coach," senior defensive end Jeff Fitzgerald told FanHouse. "I didn't know too much of his reputation coming out here, I heard quite a bit but now I see why he has as much hype around him as he does. He deserves every bit of it because of the work he puts out for his team is great.

"Just having that confidence in him and just believing in him and following him and having faith in him that he is going to do what's best for the team has been the difference."

After three inconsistent seasons under Ron Prince, Snyder has restored confidence and pride into the program. These seniors will have a chance Saturday to go undefeated at home at the Bill Snyder Family Stadium for the first time since 1999 if they can get past Missouri.

The Wildcats are 6-4 overall, 4-2 in the Big 12 and most important, 3-0 in the North. In a classic flashback to the good old days, the North could be settle between K-State and Nebraska when the teams meet in the Wildcats' regular-season finale on Nov. 21 in Lincoln.

None of this is to suggest this has been the storybook comeback for Snyder and the Wildcats. There is that embarrassing non-conference loss to UL-Lafayette, And K-State, which is two wins away from solidifying the North title, still needs to win one more game to even become bowl eligible because the win over Tennessee Tech does not count toward bowl wins.

What these Wildcats have done is what has been a hallmark of Snyder-coached teams: they've improved as the season has gone along.

"We've gone into every game expecting to win," said Gregory, a sixth-year senior who is playing for really the first time in his college career after transferring last summer from South Florida. "We obviously got waxed by Texas Tech but other than that, we've done a pretty good job in the conference games. We've gotten better.

"We knew if we progressed we could make some noise in the Big 12 North and that's what we are trying to do."

But did they know they would make this kind of noise?

If Snyder had any kind of inkling, he sure isn't letting on.

"Did I see anything that would have told me we would have done anything one way or the other? I can't tell you that I did," Snyder said. "I think these young guys have been very very responsive. I thought they'd go back to work and try hard to overcome the loss that we had down there. Was I certain that they would? No. I kind of had that feeling we'd get better, that we'd win more ballgames. That wasn't the thinking one way or the other.

"I felt that they would work to try to improve and there was indication they would."

Once Again, Bill Snyder Resurrecting Kansas State originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 11:38:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>big 12 northBig12NorthBill SnyderBillSnyderDaniel ThomasDanielThomasDarren SprolesDarrenSprolesgrant gregoryGrantGregoryKansas State FootballKansasStateFootballMack BrownMackBrownTerrance HarrisThu, 12 Nov 2009 11:38:00 EST Big 12 Notebook: '05 Still Alive in Texashttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/11/notebook-feeling-of-05-alive-at-texas/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/11/notebook-feeling-of-05-alive-at-texas/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/11/notebook-feeling-of-05-alive-at-texas/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Vince Young, Colt McCoyThe comparisons between the Texas Longhorns 2005 team and this season's team are inevitable.

At this point in the 2005 season, the Vince Young-led Longhorns looked pretty invincible. After a tough early season game against Ohio State , they romped over opponents with relative ease on the way to the BCS national title. These Colt McCoy-led Longhorns are doing the same with only their annual rivalry game against Oklahoma serving as the lone close challenge in putting together a perfect 9-0 record and a No. 2 national ranking.

It's just the second time since 1983 that the Longhorns have been 9-0. The other time, of course, was in 2005 when they put together an undefeated campaign that ended with a dramatic national championship victory over USC.

UT coach Mack Brown, who has gone through great pains at times to keep his team focused on the task at hand this season, agreed Monday that he sees favorable comparisons between his two teams. But he also cautioned there are still a couple obvious major differences.

"I would think right now you could compare them because there really has been only one close game from this team and there was only one through nine games for the 2005 team," Brown said during the weekly Big 12 conference call. "I think the biggest question will be the way that other bunch finished in 2005. Obviously they were the best in the country at this time and this bunch hasn't even won the Big 12 South yet."

McCoy, who was soaking it all up while as a redshirt in 2005, says he learned some valuable lessons from that team that he's passing along to this year's Longhorns as a seasoned senior.

"They had their edge," McCoy said. "They were focused every week. Not just focused and excited about going into the game, but focused all week, making sure everyone on the team is working hard and getting their minds right and understanding their jobs going into the game all week long.

"I think that is one thing that we have cleaned up well. We really practice hard. We really prepare each week so that we will be ready on Saturday."

While this year's team is undefeated, like 2005, these Longhorns are awaiting that complete game where they dominate an opponent from beginning to end and in all phases of the game. Defensively, they've been stout and arguably better than the 2005 defense thanks to defensive coordinator and head-coach-in-waiting Will Muschamp.

But offensively, Texas has frequently been slow to get going. This past weekend, Central Florida led the Longhorns 3-0 in the second quarter before the Longhorns scored the next 35 en route to a 35-3 win.

McCoy is on the way to being the all-time wins leader for football's top division and remains in the Heisman conversation. McCoy and receiver Jordan Shipley have been an unstoppable connection, but the running game continues to be inconsistent.

For whatever reason, it seems whenever the Longhorns get one area fixed another seems to break down. Brown was still bothered Monday by flaws in the kicking game after kicker Hunter Lawrence missed a 44-yard field goal in the first quarter this past Saturday.

"You are happy at 9-0 obviously," he said. "But it seems like holes in the bottom of your boat -- when you fix one hole something else pops up. "

Still, most expect little to get in the Longhorns way as they march toward the BCS national title game at the Rose Bowl, the site of their 2005 national title. With three games left in the regular season, including Saturday's game at Baylor, the Longhorns most difficult remaining challenge may be Texas A&M in the Thanksgiving night finale.

Texas remains ranked third in the BCS standings behind Florida and Alabama, but with the Gators and Crimson Tide meeting in the SEC championship that opens the door for the Longhorns to most likely meet the SEC champion in Pasadena provided they win out and emerge as Big 12 champs.

Then the comparisons to the 2005 squad would really come into focus.

"At this time they've earned the right to be in conversation with the 2005 team," Brown said, "but they haven't earned the right to be considered as good because they've got to finish like that bunch did."

More Bad News for Sooners

The season and the news just keep getting worse for Bob Stoops and his Oklahoma Sooners.

If it wasn't bad enough that they're coming off a 10-3 loss to Nebraske, a loss that ensures Bob Stoops will lose four games in a season for just the second time since 2000, they have now lost three players to season-ending injuries behind that game.

A day after expressing optimism that versatile offensive lineman Brody Eldridge would return this season from a shoulder injury suffered Saturday, Stoops confirmed Tuesday that Eldridge is one of three players lost for the season. Joining Eldridge are offensive lineman Jarvis Jones and defensive end Auston English.

Eldridge, who has started this season at center, tight end and guard, has a sprained shoulder, suffered while making a tackle following one of quarterback Landry Jones' five interceptions. Jones has a fractured heel and English is having surgery to repair an ankle tendon.

The Sooners (5-4, 3-2 Big 12), of course, lost Heisman Trophy quarterback Sam Bradford with a shoulder injury last month and All-America tight end Jermaine Gresham with a knee injury before the season began.
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Thomas Giving Wildcats a Boost

Junior college transfer Daniel Thomas came to Kansas State as a quarterback-wide receiver from Northwest Mississippi Community College

Yet, Thomas has certainly had one of the greatest impacts on the Wildcats surprising season as a hard-charging running back. Thomas leads the Big 12 in both rushing (1,087) yards and rushing touchdowns (11) through 10 games.

"Daniel is a very good young person, very conscientious," said Kansas State coach Bill Snyder, whose team is 64- (4-2 in the Big 12) with a half-game lead over Nebraska for first place in the Big 12 North. "He's a hard worker. He's obviously has some physical capabilities. He gives us a kind of multi-purpose dimension."

Most importantly, he gives the Jayhawks a ground-controlling presence as a 6-foot-2, 227-pound power back. Thomas became just the ninth player in KSU history to go over 1,000 yards rushing this past weekend when he ran for a career-best 185 yards in the win over Kansas.

"I like that as a running back, he's a pretty physical running back," Snyder said. "He has reasonably good size, but he has, as demonstrated this past weekend, a major motor that kind of keeps him going. He stays on his feet well.

"He's gotten better as the season has progressed. That comes from understanding the system a little bit better, some comes from experience some of it from the daily practice routine. But his development has been very good and he's playing well."

Up and Down Aggies

Mike ShermanSecond-year Texas A&M coach Mike Sherman is probably as frustrated and confused about his team as anyone.

Just when it looks like the Aggies are ready to turn a corner, they pull a confusing loss like Saturday's 35-34 stumble at Colorado. Texas A&M looked like it were about to cruise to a third-straight win and bowl eligibility for the first 56 minutes against the Buffaloes.

Then things fell apart as Colorado rallied in the final minutes. Suddenly, things were feeling a lot more similar to the night they lost 62-14 to Kansas State.

So once again, Sherman is trying to pick up the pieces and making something positive happen in these final three games.

"We've had to do that before this year. I tell the guys I knew the season was going to be one that was going to be some high points and some rough spots, as well," said Sherman, whose 5-4 (2-3) Aggies travel to Oklahoma on Saturday for its final road game. "You just have to move on whether you win or you lose. You look at yourself critically whether you win or you lose and you learn from your mistakes.

"This was a tough one because certainly it was a winnable game and one we had in check for about 56 minutes of the ballgame and then at the end there... That's tougher than getting your butt kicked like we did at K-State in many ways because you are so close. We were never in the K-State game, but we were in this one until the last four minutes.

"With young guys we've just got to get them back on track again and try to go against a very good Oklahoma team."

Uncertainty at QB for Huskers

If Nebraska coach Bo Pelini is in a quandary over his quarterback situation, he certainly isn't letting on.

Junior Zac Lee struggled in his first year as a starter, so the Huskers turned to freshman Cody Green. But this past weekend, with the offense struggling to get anything going against Oklahoma, Pelini turned back to Lee.

Lee didn't do muchl, but he steadied the offense to help Nebraska to a surprising 10-3 win at home.

So how will Pelini, whose Cornhuskers are still very much in the North division race, deal with his quarterback situation during these final three games?

"That remains to be seen. We kind of go week to week," Pelini said. "We are going to do what we need to do to win each football game. I think it could a combination of the two. It could be Zac or it could be Cody. That's something we are going to figure out as time goes on and we put in game plan to give ourselves an opportunity to win football games."

Pelini insists he still has confidence in Green, who is Nebraska's future. But there is no denying that Lee seems a lot less rattled at this point.

"He's a little bit older, obviously he doesn't have a ton more experience but he has a little more experience," Pelini said. "I go by off what I see in practice. For the most part I have confidence in both guys. We'll just see how it plays out."



Leach Closing in on Milestone

Texas Tech coach Mike Leach says he didn't necessarily look at Lubbock as a destination spot or somewhere he'd achieve greatness when he came aboard 10 years ago.

"I never really thought about it," Leach said. "I just tried to be the best I could from week to the next and see where that all takes you."

Where it has taken Leach is on the brink of becoming the program's all-time winningest coach. Leach needs just one more win to surpass Spike Dykes' 82 career wins collected over 13 seasons with the Red Raiders.

Leach has brought recently unthinkable levels of success to Tech. He hasn't come close to a losing campaign and last year tied at the top of the competitive Big 12 South.

"I'm just excited for Mike, he has done a great job there with Tech," said Stoops, who hired Leach as his offensive coordinator at Oklahoma before Leach left for Tech. "He did a great job for us. ... I obviously felt he could be a head coach when I hired him and those were my words to him. I felt if he did a good job here and we got things rolling here that he'd have an opportunity to be head coach in the first year though. It just happened quickly but he's done an excellent job. All of here still keep in touch with Mike and we're happy for him."

Big 12 Notebook: '05 Still Alive in Texas originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 11 Nov 2009 07:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Bill SnyderBillSnyderBo PeliniBob StoopsBobStoopsBrody EldridgeBrodyEldridgeCody GreenCodyGreencolt mccoyColtMccoyJordan ShipleyJordanShipleyMack BrownMackBrownMike LeachMike ShermanMikeLeachMikeShermanvince youngVinceYoungWill MuschampWillMuschampZac LeeZacLeeTerrance HarrisWed, 11 Nov 2009 07:00:00 EST Blanket Coverage: Gerhart at Epicenterhttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/09/blanket-coverage-gehart-at-epicenter/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/09/blanket-coverage-gehart-at-epicenter/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/09/blanket-coverage-gehart-at-epicenter/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,


He will likely not win the Heisman Trophy (though it would not be blasphemous).

He may not even be tendered an invite to the ceremony in mid-December (though he should).

But no one player will have a greater impact on the remainder of the college football season than Stanford senior tailback Toby Gerhart.

The workhorse, who is averaging 135.2 yards per game (second nationally), will lead the Cardinal into games at USC and, two weeks later, versus Notre Dame. In a region of the country that is quite familiar with the concept of seismic shifts and aftershocks, Gerhart's potential as a disruptive force is likely sending tremors out to University Park and South Bend.

Gerhart really is a workhorse. Not only does he lead the nation in rushing attempts (233) by more than 10 percent over the next most prolific rusher (Georgia Tech quarterback Josh Nesbitt, who has carried 209 times), he also starts in the outfield for the Cardinal baseball team. Stanford should award his family a second scholarship with no expiration date.

This Saturday, the Cardinal return to the Los Angeles Coliseum for the first time since their monumental upset of USC in 2007 (they were 41-point underdogs, you'll recall). Stanford, which finds itself ranked for the first time since 2001, has an opportunity to knock off a top 10 team for the second time in two weeks. If it can just get past its head coach's over-the-top comments.

"Who would not like to watch this team play?" third-year coach Jim Harbaugh said after the Cardinal rocked Oregon's world, 51-42. "Is there a better show around?"
Toby Gerhart
And of freshman quarterback Andrew Luck, Harbaugh groused, "I don't know how you can play better. How can you play better as a quarterback? What can you say he should have done better? Who could have done better?"

When did Gob Bluth become the head coach at The Farm?

Back to Gerhart. Stanford will need more than Luck -- and luck -- to defeat the Trojans who, by the way, are 28-0 in November under Pete Carroll. They'll need their finest workhorse, Gerhart. If Stanford somehow pulls off this minor upset, imagine the reverberations in towns such as Boise and ... Boise. A three-loss USC team is, even with its reputation, not going to a BCS bowl this season.

Ten teams play in the BCS bowls. Assume that Florida, Alabama and Texas have three spots locked up. Barring an upset -- a big if, yes -- assume also that conference champions Georgia Tech (ACC), Cincinnati (Big East), Ohio State (Big Ten) and a Pac-10 school with at least two losses (Oregon? Arizona? The Cardinal?) receive BCS bowl bids. That's seven bids. TCU is fo' sure if it beats beat Utah on Saturday.

That's eight bids.

Who's left? A gaggle of two-loss BCS conference schools such as Iowa, Penn State, Pitt and Miami. Are they all really going to cut an unbeaten Boise State in line? Some, like LSU and one of the Big Ten teams won't, as conferences can't have more than two representatives in the BCS bowls.The rest? I hope not. One of them, maybe (Iowans, especially, travel well to the Valley of the Sun in January). But two? Only if that second school is USC ... which it will not be if Gerhart can help inflict a third defeat on Troy.

Next up, after a date with Cal, is Charlie Weis and the Irish. Gerhart, who rushed for 223 yards versus Oregon, is already salivating at the prospect of facing an Irish defense that just allowed 11.3 yards per carry to the legendary Vince Murray (a backup fullback for Navy). Maybe Weis' job is already lost by that point. But if for some reason it hangs in the balance -- and before you assume you know the future, recall that just a few weeks ago the same people who said Charlie was out when it was 34-14 when the fourth quarter began versus USC are the ones who said Charlie deserved another season after 15 more minutes of play -- Gerhart is the last player Weis wants to wager his future against: a fast, punishing back who will chew up both yardage and clock.

The stage is all yours, Toby Gerhart. No one will have a greater mark on the college football landscape this month.
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Isaac Newton and Open-Field Tackling

The potential play of the year waits for us next Saturday in the Los Angeles Coliseum. Gerhart breaks into the USC secondary untouched, which sets up a full-speed appointment with one Taylor Mays. Physics professors, take note, this is an excellent opportunity to teach Newton's third law of motion.

The Collaros Conundrum

Zach Collaros has only been the starting quarterback at Cincinnati for 3.5 games, and only because then-Heisman sleeper candidate Tony Pike reinjured his left (non-throwing) arm. Still, in the sophomore's three full games, he has completed 66 of 82 passes (80.5 percent) for 1,028 yards with eight touchdown passes and zero interceptions.

Granted, it's a limited audition, but Collaros' efficiency rating after 14 quarters is 210.24. The nation's leader in that stat, Kellen Moore of similarly undefeated Boise State, has a 169.35 rating. That's a Secretariat margin.

Cincy, extraordinarily, had not lost one fumble in the six games Pike started. Under Collaros, they still have yet to lose one. That is to say, the Bearcats have committed no turnovers in Collaros' three starts.

Coach Brian Kelly's "problem?" Pike is healthy as West Virginia comes to visit Nippert Stadium on Friday night. Originally, Kelly said the job was Pike's as soon as he was cleared to play. Now he says, "I think I have to reconsider my decision."

From an outsider's perspective, it's a no-brainer. You go with the guy who gives you the best chance to win. What more does Collaros, who went 30-0 his final two years of high school, need to do to demonstrate that he is that guy?

That's when Bill Belichick was heard to say, "Well, almost."

After No. 1 Florida dispatched of Vanderbilt in desultory fashion, 27-3, Gator coach Urban Meyer was asked if the team's 19th straight victory was "ho-hum". "Have you ever gone 19-0?" Meyer replied. "It's not ho-hum, I can assure you that."

Yet another reason to love Chip Kelly

Here's what Oregon's first-year head coach said after the No. 7 Ducks lost at unranked Stanford: "If you say we got caught looking behind or looking ahead, it takes away from Stanford."

Speaking of Coach of the Year Candidates

Georgia Tech was 0-for-4 on fourth-down attempts against Wake Forest when quarterback Josh Nesbitt persuaded coach Paul Johnson to go for it on fourth-and-one-foot with the Yellow Jackets trailing the Demon Deacons 27-24 in overtime. Nesbitt converted the play and scored the game-winner one play after that.

"I play to win," Johnson said. "If we can't make an inch there, we don't deserve to win the game."
Concussion Section

Jahvid Best's scary fall was just the latest in what seems to be an epidemic of concussions suffered this autumn. Whether the rise in head injuries is actual or anecdotal, or whether Tim Tebow's concussion just brought more attention to the issue, it feels as if each week concussions are part of the roundup.

Best had actually sustained a slight concussion the previous week at Arizona State and missed two days of practice last week. It would seem prudent for Cal to shut him down for at least the rest of the regular season if not longer.

The Golden Bears' terrific tailback has, sadly, plenty of company. Wisconsin tailback John Clay rushed for a game-high 134 yards in the first half at Indiana before leaving the game with a concussion. UCLA quarterback Kevin Prince, who earlier this season broke his jaw on a helmet-to-helmet hit at Tennessee, had to leave the Bruins' 24-23 win against Washington after sustaining another blow to the head. Irish quarterback Jimmy Clausen was, in Charlie Weis' words, "knocked silly" in a goal-line tackle by Navy's Kevin Edwards, but Clausen returned the next series without missing a play.

Don't expect the concussion section to decrease in number any time soon. As long as players keep getting bigger and faster, collisions will continue to pack more force.


Stats Incredible

-- Following Cal's 31-14 home loss to Oregon State, the Golden Bears are 0-7 at Memorial Stadium versus the Beavers and USC of late, but 32-0 against everyone else in their last 39 games.

-- Baylor and Missouri combined for 49 rushing attempts and just 40 net rushing yards in the Bears' surprising 40-32 win at Faurot Field. Both quarterbacks, though, surpassed 400 yards in passing yardage. Bear QB Nick Florence threw for a school-record 427 yards while his counterpart, Blaine Gabbert, chucked for a game-high 468.

-- With Kansas State's 17-10 defeat of Kansas in the Sunflower Showdown, Wildcat coach Bill Snyder is now 5-0 in Bill Snyder Stadium.

-- Houston freshman Matt Hogan, who kicked a 51-yard field goal as time expired to culminate the Cougars' outrageous 46-45 victory against Tulsa, had a previous career-long of 34 yards. That's a 50 percent improvement on his former best.

-- Fresno State quarterback Ryan Colburn was 14-of-14 passing in the Bulldogs' 31-21 win at Idaho.

-- Notre Dame never punted in Saturday's 23-21 loss to Navy. The last time the Irish went an entire game without punting? Their 46-44 triple overtime loss to Navy in 2007.

And finally...Happy belated birthday to Florida State coach Bobby Bowden, who turned 80 on Sunday, dadgummit.

Blanket Coverage: Gerhart at Epicenter originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:06:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>andrew luckjim harbaughjosh nesbittpaul johnsontoby gerhartJohn WaltersMon, 09 Nov 2009 12:06:00 EST For Kansas State's Grant Gregory, Message Is Never Give Uphttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/06/for-kansas-states-gregory-the-message-is-never-give-up/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/06/for-kansas-states-gregory-the-message-is-never-give-up/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/06/for-kansas-states-gregory-the-message-is-never-give-up/#commentsFiled under: ,

Grant GregoryThe message never changes, but Kansas State quarterback Grant Gregory finds a note in his inbox every week of the college football season.

"Find a way to win."

The words of encouragement find their way to Manhattan, Kan., from hundreds of miles away in Mobile, Ala., where Grant's father, Greg Gregory, is the offensive coordinator of upstart South Alabama. But even in distance, dad seems to know exactly what his son needs to hear.

"I make sure to also put in there, there is always a way," Greg Gregory said, "your job is to find it."

That Greg Gregory is even able to pass that encouragement on to his son finally is something of a major victory in itself. Grant has been searching for the opportunity to lead a team to victory his entire college career and finally this season with the Wildcats he has it.

But it only took him three FBS schools, four different head coaches and a rare sixth year of college eligibility to get to this point. Until now, Grant's career has been full of unfulfilled promises, frustrating injuries and false hope during a season stay at Indiana followed by four years at South Florida before he arrived at K-State this summer.

Perhaps the most difficult letdown came at USF three years ago when the thumb ligament tear wiped out any chance to keep the starting job. When he returned the following season, Matt Grothe was entrenched as the starter and there was no looking back.

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"My career has been full of ups and downs, mostly downs, and a whole lot of injuries," said Grant, who lost major chunks of two seasons with two broken bones in his back and then a torn thumb ligament injury. "I've got to be on some really good teams, four bowl games and I've got to do a lot of things I wouldn't trade for the world."

The thing he would trade, and eventually did, was the chance to actually be out on the field leading a team to victory. After receiving word last January the NCAA had granted him a medical redshirt and a sixth year because of the substantial time missed due to injury, Grant made the decision to move on.

Initially, he was headed to FCS Eastern Kentucky where a starting job awaited him. But an innocent conversation between USF coach Jim Leavitt and his former boss Bill Snyder, who came out of retirement to reclaim control of the Wildcats last spring, led to an opportunity Grant just couldn't pass up. Snyder was looking for a quarterback that had a little bit of movement to him and Leavitt knew just the guy.

Grant had already received his bachelor's degree in under five years which meant he could transfer to another FBS school for a sixth year without having to sit out a season.

Unlike Eastern Kentucky, nothing was guaranteed at K-State other than the chance to compete for the starting job in an open competition. With all the disappointment Grant has faced, it would have been understandable if he had taken the easy way out.

"What I'm most proud of is he could have gone [FCS] and walked in as the starter Day 1, no questions asked," said Greg Gregory, who had been USF Bulls offensive coordinator last season. "But when Kansas State came up, he didn't flinch. When that came available, that's where he wanted to go. He wanted to prove he could play at the highest level."

Grant, 23, has certainly done that this season, lifting the Wildcats into an improbable first-place standing in the Big 12 North with a 5-3 overall, 3-1 league record halfway through conference play. Grant has provided energy with both his maturity and his ability to make plays with both his arm and legs.

Grant GregoryGrant (left, with South Florida in 2008) is fifth in the Big 12 in passing efficiency in the five league games with a 129.3 rating after completing 59 of 92 passes for 644 yards and three touchdowns. In Big 12 play, he has also rushed for 111 yards and two touchdowns.

But probably most impressive is that he's accomplished so much while still learning a system that is contrary to everything he learned as the backup at USF.

"I think Grant has good leadership capabilities, he's got the capacity for being a tough young guy," said Snyder. "He's got a little movement to him. He's still learning a new system, because he's been in the same system for four or five years. A new system takes a while to get acclimated to. He's a good effort guy.

"I think all the intrinsic values are in place. Now, it's just a matter of growing into the system."

But like most of Grant's career, the transition has been far from smooth. After arriving in late summer and missing spring ball, Grant lost out to junior Carson Coffman in the battle for the starting job heading into the season. Both got in the first couple games of the season. Neither played great.

But Grant had some of the athleticism typical of the quarterbacks Snyder favors so he eventually was awarded the starting job to begin league play against Iowa State on Oct. 3. Neither Grant nor the Wildcats have looked back since.



For Grant, it's been all that he had ever asked and hoped for as he grasped at one final playing opportunity before beginning his life of coaching. He will have a chance to lead the Wildcats in a highly anticipated and nationally televised game Saturday night at Oklahoma.

There might have been some second-guessing his decision to come to KSU earlier this year but that's over now.

"It's a BCS conference, we're playing Oklahoma (Saturday)," said Grant, who spent a season at IU under Gary DiNardo and then briefly remained when the late Terry Hoeppner took over the Hoosiers. "It's pretty hard to turn down an opportunity to play at places like that."

It's also made many of the twists and turns and disappointments all seem worth it.

"It's a pretty interesting story," said Grant, who is taking graduate school courses at K-State. "Some of the things, if I just sat down and told somebody, they probably wouldn't believe all the things that have happened to me, I've seen and experienced. College football is the greatest time in all of our lives, it's what we dreamed of doing. It's worth every second."

For Greg Gregory, it's been maybe just as gratifying to see his son finally have the opportunity for success that had been so elusive the last five seasons.

So the notes from dad will keep coming each week.

"I'm happy for him, I'm proud of him," he said. "I don't know of any football player who has worked any harder to have success and to try to be as good a football player as he can be."

For Kansas State's Grant Gregory, Message Is Never Give Up originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:16:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Bill SnyderBillSnydercarson coffmanCarsonCoffmangrant gregoryGrantGregoryJim LeavittJimLeavittMatt GrotheMattGrotheTerrance HarrisFri, 06 Nov 2009 09:16:00 EST Stoops, Snyder Resume Friendly Rivalryhttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/28/stoops-snyder-resume-friendly-rivalry/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/28/stoops-snyder-resume-friendly-rivalry/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/28/stoops-snyder-resume-friendly-rivalry/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

There is nothing new about Bob Stoops matching coaching wits with old mentor and boss Bill Snyder. They've done plenty of that over the years in Big 12 cross-divisional play.

But that doesn't mean Stoops isn't a little surprised to see Snyder, 70, back on the Wildcats sideline. The longtime Kansas State coach retired four years ago to pursue opportunities outside coaching, but was lured out of retirement last winter.

Stoops, whose 22nd-ranked Sooners host the Wildcats on Saturday, admits it's a little unexpected to be going up against his old boss again, but he was stunned when Snyder was no longer there, too.

"I always believe you have something in the tank, but I guess I was surprised because I was surprised initially that he did retire," said Stoops, who served on Snyder's staff at K-State from 1989-95 as defensive backs coach and later co-defensive coordinator. "I know how well thought out everything Coach Snyder does is that I figured that was it for him. But life changes I guess, the way people keep asking me what's going to happen with me in the next five to 10 years. Heck, I don't know. You just don't know.

"In the end, life changes and he felt that it was right for him to go back and I'm happy for him that it's working out well."

Working well may be the biggest of understatements. The Wildcats, who were up-and-down in the three seasons under Ron Prince, came into the season expected to finish near the bottom of the division race. But after the first three weeks of Big 12 play K-State (5-3, 3-1) stands alone in first place in the North division having won back-to-back league games and four of its last five.

The three-time defending Big 12 champion and last season's BCS championship game participant Sooners (4-3, 2-1), meanwhile, have fallen on difficult times this season with three defeats and the loss of Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Sam Bradford for the season.

Still, the Wildcats will get their greatest of the season Saturday and it comes courtesy of someone who knows Snyder and his tendencies rather well.

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"It may make it more difficult because they probably have a better understanding of me than I do of them over a period of time," Snyder said. "Having been out of the game for three years I didn't study what other teams were doing or how consistent Oklahoma was in doing the things I was more attuned to at that particular point in time. What makes it most difficult is just the fact I know the quality of coaching that exists there.

"Bob and his staff there have done extremely well. You always know that you are going to play an excellent football team and a well coached football team a very aggressive football team and one that is difficult for anybody to beat."

Stoops is always aware of what to expect from a Snyder-coached football team, as well. The Wildcats will play great disciplined defense; offensively they will start by effectively running the ball both with the running back and quarterback and they won't beat themselves.

Knowing that, Stoops said he wasn't surprised when Snyder blasted his team in victory last week over Colorado for stumbling and bumbling offensively in the second half.

"He's always looking for improvement," Stoops said. "I spent a long time with Coach Snyder, seven years at Kansas State and I was around him for 10 years at Iowa so I know all about it."

Snyder, who has come back slightly kinder and gentler than before, admits he might have been a little harsh on his team after last Saturday's impressive home win.

"It wasn't good for a lot of different reasons, some I mentioned and some I didn't," Snyder said. "I was probably a little angrier than I should have been. Nevertheless, it's apparent we've got some improvement to make there."

What's Inside a Score, Really?

It was interesting to see if anyone could make sense out of three scores and three teams in the last three weeks in the Big 12.

Follow this: Texas Tech torched Kansas State, 66-14, in Week 6. The following week the Wildcats took out their frustration on Texas A&M by stomping the Aggies 62-14 in Manhattan. And then this past weekend, the Aggies went up to Lubbock, Tex. and destroyed the 21st-ranked Red Raiders 52-30.

So what, if anything, can be derived from college football scores these days?

"Don't look at them because history will repeat itself if you do," said Texas Tech coach Mike Leach, who insinuated afterward that his team went into the A&M game a little full of itself having seen what the Wildcats did to the Aggies a week earlier. "I just think it doesn't matter how much you talk about it during the course of the week, because we talked about it in the course of the week because we spent most of the week talking about it doesn't matter what that Kansas State score was, you've got to be ready play. Somehow as coaches, we weren't able to reach them. We've got to find a better way to do that.

Mike Sherman"I think between a guy looking at the score themselves and then going out into the community and being told how great they are and how easy it's going to be, I think somehow you have to have the ability to overcome it. I think we have to find a better way to do that."

Second-year A&M coach Mike Sherman was also at a loss to explain his team's dramatic one-swing that ended a three-game losing streak.

"If I could, I probably could write a book and sell it to a lot of coaches across the country," he said. "Each week presents different challenges. Obviously last week our back was against the wall and there was only way you could go and that's to come out swinging which I thought they did."

Snyder used the odd turns of events in the three games as an excuse this week not to gush over his team's surprising first place standing in the North division.

"There is no real way of predicting how things will turn out," Snyder said. "Just look at the past few weeks involving us, Texas Tech and Texas A&M. That just shows you how much of a guessing game this really is."

Sherman, who of course spent some time as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers and offensive coordinator of the Houston Texans, said the scores in college football can be misleading from week to week. Unlike in the NFL, college kids are dealing with a lot of extenuating circumstances like mid-terms and papers to write.

And there is the injury issue. In the NFL, it's released who is healthy and who will play from week to week. College teams release such information at their discretion and coaches like Leach don't discuss injuries or who might be out at all.

"In college football you have guys playing hurt no one else knows about, different guys playing different positions," Sherman said. "I think it's very difficult because you don't have the full extent of knowledge of what a team is presented with. So I think every team is different."

As The Quarterback Turns At Colorado

Colorado coach Dan Hawkins made it clear Monday that sophomore Tyler Hansen would remain the Buffaloes starting quarterback this week.

But what is a little uncertain is whether Hansen will carry the load or will Hawkins' son, Cody, take most of the meaningful snaps? Hansen was pulled out of his redshirt three weeks ago and given the starting job over ineffective Cody Hawkins.

After guiding the Buffaloes to a surprising win over Kansas, however, Hansen struggled early during last weekend's loss at Kansas State. Cody Hawkins then spent the majority of the second half playing as the Buffaloes tried to come from behind.

Hawkins, a junior and three-year starter, moved the ball effectively at times but he also threw two costly picks, including one into triple coverage in the end zone that iced the game on the final drive. Immediately there were questions after the game about who would start this week against Missouri.

While continuing to back Hansen as the starter, Hawkins left open the door for his son to play in the hurry-up offense and in no huddle situations.

"You just have to kind of see how it goes, you have to play it by feel," he said. "I think Cody has a little better handle on the no huddle part of it."



Quarterback Issues II

Colorado, however, is far from alone in having quarterback dilemmas.

Nebraska coach Bo Pelini has continued to stick with first-year starter Zac Lee much to the dismay of the Nebraska Cornhuskers faithful who've been given a little taste of freshman Cody Green and they want more.

Then at Texas Tech, the cradle of record-breaking college quarterbacks, Leach is possibly looking at starting his third quarterback of the season Saturday against Kansas.

Former walk-on Steven Sheffield, who came off the bench and led the Red Raiders to a three-game winning streak, is out with a broken football suffered two weeks ago. Taylor Potts, the season-opening starter, was practically booed off the field during Saturday's stunning home loss to Texas A&M in his first start since Oct. 3 when he suffered a concussion.

Redshirt freshman Seth Doege could make his starting debut against the Kansas Jayhawks after seeming to light a spark in the Red Raiders during the second half of the A&M game. Leach, of course, wouldn't reveal his starter Monday.

But he did discuss Potts' shaky confidence after fans at Jones AT&T Stadiu chanted "No More Potts" as he walked to the locker room at halftime after losing a fumble and throwing two interceptions in the Aggies territory.

"I think it's an issue," Leach said. "Confidence is probably the most important asset that a quarterback has. No matter who you are, there are things that you have to fight through.

" I think on an individual level [Potts] needs to ensure that he's confident because no quarterback is going to be effective unless they are."

Pelini, meanwhile, said the fans won't decide who places a spark in the Cornhuskers who are riding a two-game losing streak into Saturday's game at Baylor. Lee, a junior, has struggled in conference play completing 50-of-93 passes for 534 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions in three games.

As a consequence Nebraska's offense has been lethargic, ranking 10th in the Big 12 in scoring with a 14.7 points per game average in league play.

"I do believe the offense needs a spark, where that spark comes from that's up for us to determine where that comes from," Pelini said. "I think that can come from a lot of different areas. I can say this, we need to light a fire under it. Somebody has to step up and make some plays."

Stoops, Snyder Resume Friendly Rivalry originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 08:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Bill SnyderBillSnyderBo PeliniBob StoopsBobStoopsBoPeliniCody HawkinsCodyHawkinsDan HawkinsDanHawkinsDeion SandersDeionSandersDez BryantDezBryantKansas JayhawksKansasJayhawksMike GundyMike LeachMike ShermanMikeGundyMikeLeachMikeShermanNebraskaFootballRon PrinceRonPrinceSam BradfordSamBradfordSteven SheffieldStevenSheffieldtaylor pottsTaylorPottsTyler HansenTylerHansenZac LeeZacLeeTerrance HarrisWed, 28 Oct 2009 08:00:00 EST Bill Snyder Wants More Than First Place in Big 12 Northhttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/25/bill-snyder-wants-more-than-first-place-in-big-12-north/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/25/bill-snyder-wants-more-than-first-place-in-big-12-north/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/25/bill-snyder-wants-more-than-first-place-in-big-12-north/#commentsFiled under: ,

It looks like Kansas State is the surprise of the Big 12 North. For some, it's no coincidence the Wildcats' resurrection is coming under the return of the man who built the program from virtually nothing.

The Wildcats put the hammer down on Colorado, 20-6, Saturday to strengthen their stand as the leader of the eroding North Division. K-State has now won two straight and three of its first four in the Big 12 for its best start in league play since 2000. To think, this was to be a rebuilding year with Bill Snyder coming out of retirement to resuscitate his once proud program.

But for those who were expecting to see smiles and hear tear-jerking tirades of returning K-State to its rightful place with a 3-1 league record, you were definitely disappointed.

Old-school Snyder let his team have it in the postgame locker room after they failed to produce even one second-half point in the win over the Buffaloes in Bill Snyder Family Stadium. And he was still just as livid taking the postgame podium as reporters tried to elicit feel-good comments about being alone in first place in the North standings on a day when Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri and faltered.

In a span of a week Snyder went from watching his team put up 62 on A&M to bumbling and stumbling in the second half against Colorado. Credit the Wildcats' defense for pitching a second-half shutout while the offense fell asleep at the wheel.

"The name of this game for us is trying to get better. We got better on defense and I am proud of that," Snyder said. "We did not get better on offense. It is all about preparing well and playing well. It is no more complex than that.

"If you finish well, it means you played well and prepared well. If you do not, that means you did not prepare well or play well. Half of our game we did not prepare well or play well."

Perhaps Snyder's tirade had less to do with being in the moment of Saturday's win and more to do with understanding what's ahead and how the mistakes of the Wildcats past could easily derail one heck of a comeback season.

Sure, the Wildcats have shown signs of playing like classic Snyder teams in a brilliant 62-14 win last week against Texas A&M with stifling defense, efficient offense and hard-hitting special teams play. But there have been many more signs the Wildcats have a ways to go before they will be the program that controlled the North with Nebraska in the 1990s and early in the millennium.

Giving credence to the belief that the North is weaker than ever are the non-conference 17-15 defeat the Wildcats suffered at UL-Lafayette this season and that 66-14 defeat at the hands of South division foe Texas Tech a few weeks ago.

So we all see the type of team Kansas State is capable of falling back into. That could be detrimental with pivotal games coming up this week at Oklahoma followed by a North gut-check against Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska to finish out the regular season. One more slip up might adversely affect the Wildcats in the North division standings, but two defeats could open the door for a wild finish in the Big 12's weaker half.

"Do not misunderstand me, I am just angry," said Snyder. "I am proud of them and I am proud that collectively, we have won a ball game. I am proud wherever we are in the conference and that we have won however many games we have. If that was the only deal, I would be a happy camper. But that is not what we are about and that is not what we are trying to be about. And I do not want them to feel good about playing poorly or coaching poorly."

Don't be confused, the Wildcats have some real deficiencies at quarterback this season. Carson Coffman obviously isn't the answer, which has forced Snyder to turn to well-traveled fifth-year senior Grant Gregory as a one-year stop gap.

But what Snyder does have is an effective ground attack with junior college transfer back Daniel Thomas leading the way. The former JUCO All-American plowed his way Saturday to a career-best 145 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries in helping the Wildcats play keep away from Colorado.

"You know, I think that's what they focus on," said Colorado defensive end Marquez Harold, who had to come head-to-head with the 6-foot-2, 227-pound Thomas on a number of occasions Saturday. "They focus on running the ball and managing the clock. They got a good, fast, hard running guy back there. You know they stick with it. We stopped them a few times, but they always kept coming back to the run."

Defensively, the Wildcats are playing with the pride and determination that made them feared prior to Snyder's retirement. Sure the offense didn't give the Wildcats much in the second half, but the Buffaloes offense mustered even less after going scoreless following a game-opening scoring drive. CU quarterback Tyler Hansen specifically the offense in general were harassed all day into four sacks and four turnovers thanks to the play of linebacker Ulla Pomele, defensive end Jeffrey Fitzgerald and free safety Emmanuel Lamur.

"We owe this win to the defense because we came out in the second half and did not do much offensively," Gregory admitted. "At halftime we were feeling pretty good, we felt like we could duplicate what we did in the first half, but we didn't do much on offense. Colorado played well defensively, but we did not do what we needed to do offensively."

But what about being alone at the top of the Big 12 North and seemingly in control of their division fate?

"A win is a win," Gregory said. "It feels good to be 3-1 right now."

Even Snyder had to finally admit he was somewhat proud of his guys who have bounced back from the deflating defeat against Texas Tech with back-to-back wins.

"My thinking is we went into the Texas Tech game with an opportunity to improve ourselves and we did not do it," he said. "So it was significant for us to come back. I knew we could be better and that is all I can ask of these young guys."

Bill Snyder Wants More Than First Place in Big 12 North originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sun, 25 Oct 2009 13:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Bill SnyderBillSnydercarson coffmanCarsonCoffmanDaniel Thomasgrant gregoryGrantGregoryTyler HansenTylerHansenTerrance HarrisSun, 25 Oct 2009 13:30:00 EST Big 12 Notebook: North by North Messhttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/20/big-12-notebook-north-by-north-mess/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/20/big-12-notebook-north-by-north-mess/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/20/big-12-notebook-north-by-north-mess/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Bill SnyderIt's just three weeks into the full-swing of Big 12 play but the North Division is looking like any of the six teams could win the race.

That doesn't necessarily bode well at all for the weaker half of the two-division league.

Nebraska and Kansas came into the season as the presumed favorites to represent the North, but after two weeks of inconsistent play neither seems as powerful. The same can be said for two-time North champion Missouri, which started the season a surprising 4-0, but has dropped its first two games of the Big 12 season.

The standings looked a little odd to start this week when Kansas State and Colorado joined Nebraska and Kansas at the top of the North standings as one-loss teams. The Wildcats, who were expected to be in major rebuilding mode in the return of Bill Snyder, actually sit alone in first place as they've played one more game than the other top three and have a 2-1 league record.

"Certainly this far into the season, it looks like it's going to be kind of a wild race," said KU coach Mark Mangino. "For us, we understand this is a great conference and that anybody can win on any day. I don't think you can discount anybody in the conference. You've got to be ready to play and play smart football.

But the signal that this could be a wacky year in the North is much more than team records. It's what's happened in the first couple weeks.

Kansas State lost to Texas Tech 66-14 two weeks ago and then, last week, made a big statement by stomping Texas A&M 62-14. Nebraska, meanwhile, pulled off a late fourth-quarter win over Missouri only to fall apart and stay that way against Texas Tech this past Saturday.

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Snyder, who built the Wildcats into an unlikely North power in the 1990s and the early part of this decade before his retirement, can't explain the dramatic swing, from dazed in the opener to sitting atop the standings.

"It probably tell us we are a little goofy and we have no idea who we are or what we are," Snyder said. "Why does it happen? Everybody has their own opinion about it.

"I think in our situation, there was certainly a major embarrassment from the week before. The preparation in a lot of different ways improved over the course of the week."

Then there are the Jayhawks, who, thanks to steady diet of cupcakes in non-conference play, jumped out to a 4-0 record but barely squeaked by Iowa State before being upset Saturday by a one-win Colorado team Saturday. The Buffaloes also gave No. 2 Texas a scare week earlier before falling to the Longhorns in the second half.

Even the two bottom teams, Iowa State and Colorado still have a chance. The Cyclones, under first-year coach Paul Rhoads, have played both K-State and Kansas tough while they pulled out a convincing win over Baylor this past week.

And 0-2 Missouri has been the victim of a forgiving start to the Big 12 season that includes facing Nebraska and Oklahoma State and it continues this week when No. 3 Texas comes to Columbia. The Tigers fortunes should change the final five games with a slate that includes Colorado, Baylor, Kansas State, Iowa State and Kansas.

"It's kind of hard to figure, I don't know what's going on," said Mizzou coach Gary Pinkel. "Everybody is playing different people at this time. We are on a real tough stretch obviously. We knew going into this it was going to be tough.

"There is a lot left in the season, a lot of things are going to happen by the end of October and November will be interesting to see how that all works out."

So the theme for the North is to expect the unexpected and hold on for a rather wild ride.

"What I see is that a lot of teams in the North, probably everybody is still got an opportunity," Mangino said. "For us, we just have to take care of the business at hand. We've just got to win as they come and let that stuff kind of figure itself out at the end. But it certainly looks like it's going to be a wild race, no question."

Longhorns sitting pretty at No.3

It may have seemed like a slight to some Texas fans when the Longhorns came in No.3 during the first BCS poll released this week.

But with either No.1 Florida or No.2 Alabama sure to take a fall in the SEC championship game at the latest, the third-ranked Longhorns just have to keep winning and they will punch their ticket to the BCS national title game.

The key for the Longhorns is to keep winning, but tough back-to-back road games coming up against Missouri and Oklahoma State that could prove difficult.

It doesn't really matter to me," UT senior quarterback Colt McCoy said of being third in the BCS rankings and what that might mean. "We don't care about that. We care about beating Missouri this week. Other than that, it doesn't matter."

Mack BrownBut coach Mack Brown recognizes the challenges that are in front of his team as it attempts to make a run at the BCS national title this season. The Longhorns were just seconds away from earning a trip last season when they fell to Texas Tech on a last-second play. That was all that stood between them and an undefeated record.

"The pressure is there being No. 3, because everybody says to every one of our kids that unless you win them all you're not going to have a chance to get what you want," said Brown, whose team dropped from No. 2 to No. 3 in the polls after an unimpressive win over Colorado two weeks ago. "What we want for them is to try to enjoy the ride. What a wonderful time that these kids have given us as fans, you as media, this is fun.

"Two years in a row they have been in the mix after mid-season. Two years in a row they have beaten Oklahoma to jumpstart the writing of the first BCS polls that come out.

"There is pressure, regardless of whether you are [No.] 1 or 3 and I don't think that the kids feel there is any difference because they know that it changes. They know it changes per week so I feel like they know that if you are in the top 3 or 4 than it is okay."


Who's at QB For Tech this week?

It appears that new star quarterback Steven Sheffield may have been injured during the Nebraska game and won't play in Saturday's home game against Texas A&M.

That means, if Sheffield isn't able to go, he will be replaced by starter Taylor Potts, whom Sheffield replaced a few weeks ago when he went down with an apparent concussion against New Mexico.

But don't expect to hear anything official from head coach Mike Leach or Texas Tech. Injuries are guarded under lock and key. We'll see Saturday.

But does it really matter? Whoever is at quarterback, the Red Raiders will throw for a lot of yards and score a bunch of touchdowns against A&M. Don't they always?

Pelini mum on quarterback situation

Nebraska nearly pulled ineffective quarterback Zac Lee during the second half of the Missouri game two weeks ago, but Lee got things going just in time to pull off the rallying win.

Lee, a first-year starter, didn't have that same magic this past weekend and in came freshman Cody Green, who did guide the Cornhuskers to a score in the loss to Tech.

Now head coach Bo Pelini has a full-blown quarterback controversy on his hands. Surprise, he isn't tipping which way he's leaning, either.

"Right now nothing has changed," Pelini said. "If and when the change occurs we'll announce it."

So does that mean the competition is open?

"It's always open," the always short on words coach said. "That's kind of how we always approach it."

That's certainly not helpful information to Paul Rhoads, whose Iowa State Cyclones have the task of preparing for two quarterbacks instead of one this week.

"You have to certainly analyze all their film and study what they've done and build a basic game plan and preparation based on those plays and look long and hard when the different players are there. Did the play go any different? Is there a significance to that?," Rhoads said. "If there is then you have to devise a little bit different play calling scheme.

"You can't over prepare, there just is not enough time, not enough reps in a day or a week. That's where the problem can come up if there is significant difference and the time that goes along with it."

There is also the possibility the Cyclones could face both Lee and Green. Maybe.

"It depends on how it goes," Pelini said. "We're not real big on the rotating quarterback system. It's hard to get a guy in a rhythm. We'll see how it goes and how they practice and how they perform and we'll go from there.

"There are a lot of variables, there is a lot of things that could happen, but it's hard for me to look into a crystal ball and say this will happen for sure."

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Anyiam stepping up in place of Dez Bryant

Oklahoma State has needed someone to step in place of suspended All-American receiver Dez Bryant and so far that person has been sophomore Hubert Anyiam.

During Saturday's win over Missouri, Anyiam put forth a Bryant-like performance with 10 catches for 119 yards and a touchdown to earn Big 12 Co-Offensive Player of the Week honors on Monday. Anyiam has 16 catches for 223 yards and two scores on the season.

"Hubert has played well for us, he still has a ways to go but he's made catches for us," said OSU coach Mike Gundy. "He's a great example of a young man taking advantage of an opportunity. He hadn't had as many reps when Dez was playing and available to us, but since then he's had to step up and play a considerable amount of reps and done a good job."

As for when Bryant might be reinstated for lying to the NCAA about his friendship with Deion Sanders, Gundy said he still doesn't know. Bryant has been held out of the Cowboys last three games, all wins, but last week he went to Indianapolis to ask for reinstatement. No decision has been made.

Griffin gets a medical redshirt

Baylor sophomore quarterback Robert Griffin has been granted a medical redshirt after suffering a season-ending ACL injury last month so he will have three to play upon returning in 2010.

Griffin opted to have surgery to repair his ACL last week, effectively ending his season. Now begins a lengthy rehab, which head coach Art Briles hopes will have him ready to participate some in spring ball.

"I think he is going to depend on how his rehab goes," Briles said. "I think he is going to be able to participate but certainly on a limited basis right now."

Big 12 Notebook: North by North Mess originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 23:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Art BrilesArtBrilesBig 12 FootballBig12FootballBill SnyderBillSnyderBo PeliniBoPeliniCody GreenCodyGreencolt mccoyColtMccoyDeion SandersDeionSandersDez BryantDezBryantGary PinkelGaryPinkelJerrod JohnsonJerrodJohnsonMack BrownMackBrownmark manginoMarkManginoMike GundyMike LeachMike ShermanMikeGundyMikeLeachMikeShermanpaul rhoadsPaulRhoadsRobert GriffinRobertGriffinryan tannenhillRyanTannenhillSteven SheffieldStevenSheffieldtaylor pottsTaylorPottsZac LeeZacLeeTerrance HarrisTue, 20 Oct 2009 23:00:00 EST Upsets Send Big 12 North's Rep Southhttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/17/upsets-send-big-12-norths-rep-south/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/17/upsets-send-big-12-norths-rep-south/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/17/upsets-send-big-12-norths-rep-south/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

So much for the Big 12 North being taken seriously this season.

On a day when division leaders Kansas and Nebraska had a chance to make a statement, both teams were upset, and stunningly so.

No.15 Nebraska was exposed offensively in a 31-10 loss to unranked Texas Tech in Lincoln, Neb. And the 17th-ranked Jayhawks, which hadn't played a quality opponent until Saturday, was stunned, 34-30, by a one-win Colorado team for their first loss of the season.

Both defeats have left the door open for supremacy in the North with darkhorses Colorado and Kansas State perhaps having a shot at the division title. The Wildcats exploded on Texas A&M Saturday for after struggling offensively most of the season.

Nebraska, meanwhile, seems like a team that could be on the verge of big trouble.

A week after head coach Bo Pelini flirted with benching starting quarterback Zac Lee against Missouri, he pulled the trigger Saturday by replacing ineffective Lee with Cody Green in the fourth quarter. There is no word on who will start next week when Iowa State comes to town.

But for the second time in as many games, the Cornhuskers couldn't get anything going in the first three quarters. But unlike against the Tigers, Nebraska was unable to turn it on in fourth quarter against Tech. The Cornhuskers managed just 285 yards of offense for its lowest output since 2007.

"We didn't execute from the beginning to the end," said Pelini, whose team slipped to 4-2, 1-1 Big 12. "On offense, we didn't come off the ball. We didn't catch the ball. We didn't make the right reads at quarterback. We didn't run the ball effectively.
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"On defense, we didn't make plays. You can sit there and ask all of the questions you want in the world. It comes down to we got beat because we didn't make plays. We got outplayed and outcoached."

In the Jayhawks road loss, they came across a re-energized Colorado team that was starting Tyler Hansen at quarterback for the first time this season. Hansen may have caused more problems for head coach Dan Hawkins with his performance Saturday.

Hawkins reluctantly benched his son, Cody Hawkins, last week in favor of Hansen. Prior to coming off the bench in the Texas game, Hansen was on his way to a redshirt season after losing out to Hawkins for the starting job during two-a-days.

Hansen sparked the Buffaloes defense with one passing and one rushing touchdown. Hansen completed 14 of 25 passes for 175 yards with one interception while rushing 11 times for 35 yards.

The Jayhawks (5-1, 1-1), meanwhile, were explosive with their trio of quarterback Todd Reesing and receivers Dezmon Briscoe and Kerry Meier. But it was the ground game that took a real hit after finishing with minus-7 yards. Kansas lost the time of possession battle soundly, with Colorado holding a 35:12 to 24:48 edge.

But even still, the Jayhawks had their chances in the end with touchdown passing attempts to both Briscoe and Meier being swatted away to preserve the Colorado upset.

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Upsets Send Big 12 North's Rep South originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 17 Oct 2009 23:52:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Bo PeliniCody Hawkinsdezmon briscoekerry meierTodd ReesingTyler HansenZac LeeTerrance HarrisSat, 17 Oct 2009 23:52:00 EST Big 12 Notebook: As Usual, Red River Rivalry Is More Than a Gamehttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/13/big-12-notebook-red-river-runs-through-it/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/13/big-12-notebook-red-river-runs-through-it/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/13/big-12-notebook-red-river-runs-through-it/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Sam Bradford, Colt McCoyIt's not like Texas and Oklahoma ever needed a reason to make their annual Red River Rivalry game in Dallas any more intense.

The tradition of the two programs, the bordering states and the fight for superiority in fertile recruiting ground of Texas use to be enough. Who knew this early season game would take on so much more meaning when both teams joined the Big 12 in 1996?

This game has become about so much more than school pride and bragging rights, as one of these two teams has won the South each of the last 10 years, and it has sometimes set the stage for the national championship picture.

"It's a definite highlight, how could it not be?" OU coach Bob Stoops said Tuesday during his weekly press conference. "It's a definite highlight, a definite challenge and all of that.

"But it's not unlike anyone else. If you are in a good league, you are going to play against teams where you've got your hurdles, your challenges throughout the year. You embrace them and you go play them."

Saturday's game at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, like so many of the past 10 years, will have huge Big 12 South implications. Oklahoma and Texas, the only South division champs since 1999, were both picked as the co-Big 12 South champs in the preseason media.

The Longhorns, undefeated (5-0) and ranked third in the country, not only have Big 12 implications riding on this but are trying to keep pace with Florida and Alabama for a shot at the BCS national championship. The 20th-ranked Sooners (3-2), who have been injury plagued all season, are probably out of the national title picture, but they still have their sights on a fourth straight Big 12 championship.

Giving this game an even more interesting twist is the fact UT actually defeated Oklahoma by 10 points in this game last season, but it was the Sooners who advanced to the Big 12 championship game and also into the national title game following a controversial three-way tiebreaker decision that sent 7-1 Oklahoma to the conference championship game and left 7-1 UT and Texas Tech home to watch.

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"It's a conference game, and I think if you ask both teams, it's crucial," said UT senior quarterback Colt McCoy, who comes into Saturday's game 2-1 against the Sooners. "For us, we can't look at their record and the things that have gone on in the first five games of the season. We have to understand that it doesn't matter who we're playing, we're going to get their best shot. This game is the most important game for us this season."

On the surface, this will be billed as a matchup of two Heisman Trophy-caliber quarterbacks who happen to be good friends in OU's Sam Bradford and McCoy. Last season, Bradford won the prestigious award and McCoy finished second. This season, McCoy could have the edge right now just by virtue he has been healthy and Bradford just returned last week from a shoulder injury that forced him to miss two complete games.

But underneath it all, this should play out as a classic matchup of two outstanding defenses.

The Longhorns, led by defensive end Sergio Kindle and linebacker Roddrick Muckelroy, rank fourth in the nation in overall defense after allowing teams an average of 233.0 yards per game. Against a much tougher slate, Oklahoma's defense is allowing 256.00 yards per game and has given up just six touchdowns to rank ninth in country in overall defense.

"We have the two best defenses in the country," said UT coach Mack Brown, whose team slipped from No.2 to No.3 this week in the AP poll. "It will be really fun to watch the two defenses play because they play well every week."

But for everyone on both sides, it will be fun just because it's Texas vs. Oklahoma.

"This game is one of the reasons why you come to Texas," said UT guard Charlie Tanner. "I grew up watching the Texas vs. OU game. Going to the Cotton Bowl is one of the most awesome games of college football. You got half the stadium crimson, half the stadium orange and coming out of that tunnel is everything you could want in a college football game."


Todd Reesing for Heisman?

Kansas coach Mark Mangino, as a practice, doesn't campaign for his players to win national awards like the Heisman Trophy.

So that might explain why his trumpeting senior quarterback Todd Reesing for the Heisman Trophy on Monday seemed a little odd and ill-timed.

"We've only played five games, but I believe, this is an opinion, he certainly merits the right to be a part of the Heisman conversation," Mangino said during Monday's Big 12 football media call. "When you look at him statistically you are impressed.

"But I think the true way you judge Todd Reesing is you have to see him play. If you watch him play, the way he just has great leadership, he's in control, how he can take what looks to be a minus-yardage play and turn it into a gain or big gain. The real appreciation is after you watch him play. It's not fair just to look at his statistics."

There is no doubt Reesing is an exciting player. The 5-foot-11 quarterback certainly makes the 17th-ranked Jayhawks fun to watch as he dodges tackles, squares his shoulders and heaves the football down field to either Dezmon Briscoe or Kerry Meier.

But is he Heisman Trophy worthy? The numbers and the competition to this point just don't seem to support such an assertion.

Reesing ranks third in the Big 12 in total offense with 1,680 yards in five games, he's second in the league in passing per game (315.8), passing efficiency (157.6) and passing yards (1,579). He has completed 133 of 192 passes while throwing for 13 touchdowns and three interceptions while guiding the Jayhawks to a 5-0 record so far.

All of this fancy work has come against a slate of Northern Colorado, UTEP, Duke, Southern Miss and Iowa State. Let's talk Heisman after these next six weeks when Reesing will have matchup against the likes of Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Nebraska, Texas and Missouri.

Praise for Suh

Coming into the season, there probably wasn't a more hyped defensive lineman in the country than Nebraska senior tackle Ndamukong Suh.

All indication were after the way he ended last season that he could be the best to ever come through Nebraska. Six games into his final season in Lincoln, Suh is appearing to be worth the hype and then some.

At 6-foot-4 and 300 pounds, he has been doing it all for the Cornhuskers: rushing the passer, stopping the run, dropping back into passing lands and yes intercepting passes.

Suh was the defensive catalyst in the Cornhuskers come-from-behind 27-12 win at Missouri last Thursday night. He not only had six tackles, a forced fumble, a sack and a pass deflection, but his fourth quarter interception changed the game. Nebraska was trailing 12-7 when he got his hands on a Blaine Gabbert pass near the line scrimmage. That pick led to the go ahead touchdown for the Cornhuskers.

"That's pretty special when a guy like that can make those kind of plays and create turnovers," said Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops.

He will get no argument for Missouri coach Gary Pinkel, who watched his team try to do everything it could within the rules to neutralize Suh. Nothing seemed to work as Suh put up numbers worthy of him being named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week on Monday.

In the type of production normally seen from linebackers and safeties, Suh leads Nebraska in tackles (32). The preseason Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year is the top tackling defensive lineman in the conference where is tied with Oklahoma defensive back Quinton Carter for 22nd with 6.4 tackles per game.

"I think he's a great player," Pinkel said. "You can double team a player every single (down). We played him year ago and I thought he was a good player then. We played him earlier in the season a year ago, by the end he was first team All-Big 12.

"The things he does, the numbers he puts up at that position, at that size, he's a very dominant player. As he's done with everyone else he's played, he caused us a lot of problems."

Oklahoma' Red Zone Problems

The Sooners knew they would miss All-American tight end Jermaine Gresham when he went down with a season-ending knee injury before the season began.

But they didn't know it would be this much. Gresham had been one of Bradford's primary targets in the red zone the past couple seasons, but without his presence the Sooners touchdown success has plummeted.

Last week alone, Oklahoma made seven trips into the red zone and had to settle for four field goals and just two touchdowns as receivers had major drop problems in the win over Baylor.

The success rate is even more troubling when you consider that in two one-point defeats to BYU and Miami, the Sooners made eight combined trips inside of the red zone and came away with just three touchdowns. That could be the major difference in them being 5-0 instead of 3-2.

While Stoops admits the offense misses Gresham, he says the problems in the red zone have been far more complex than just one missing player.

"Sometimes it's blocking, it's just executing the run game a little bit better, sometimes it's being able to work offensive coverage and sometimes we've had some drops, as well," he said. "It doesn't take much when you are down there for that to happen."

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In this Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009, photo, Florida State tight end Caz Piurowski is checked by team trainers following his knee injury during an NCAA college football game against Georgia Tech in Tallahassee, Fla. Florida State announced Monday, Oct. 12, that Piurowski will miss the remainder of the season due to the injury. (AP Photo/Phil Coale)
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    In this photo taken on Sept. 26, 2009, Nebraska running back Rex Burkhead (22) carries the ball against Louisiana-Lafayette during an NCAA college football game in Lincoln, Neb. Burkhead injured a foot in practice on Monday, Oct. 12, 2009, and Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini said the freshman would be out "for a while." (AP Photo/Dave Weaver)

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    Penn State head football coach Joe Paterno smiles during his weekly news conference on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2009 in State College, Pa. Penn State host Minnesota on Saturday in an NCAA college football game. (AP Photo/Pat Little)

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    ** RECROPPED VERSION ** Penn State head football coach Joe Paterno smiles during his weekly news conference on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2009 in State College, Pa. Penn State host Minnesota on Saturday in an NCAA college football game. (AP Photo/Pat Little)

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    Penn State head football coach Joe Paterno addresses the media during his weekly news conference on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2009 in State College, Pa. Penn State host Minnesota on Saturday in an NCAA college football game. (AP Photo/Pat Little)

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    Penn State head football coach Joe Paterno enters his weekly news conference on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2009 in State College, Pa. Penn State host Minnesota on Saturday in an NCAA college football game. (AP Photo/Pat Little)

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    Penn State head football coach Joe Paterno addresses the media his weekly news conference on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2009 in State College, Pa. Penn State host Minnesota on Saturday in an NCAA college football game. (AP Photo/Pat Little)

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    In this photo taken Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009, Texas senior quarterback Colt McCoy is shown before his team's 38-14 win in an NCAA college football game against Colorado in Austin, Texas. Texas, ranked No.3, is set to play No. 20 Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009 in Dallas. (AP Photo/Harry Cabluck)

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    In this Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009, photo, Florida State tight end Caz Piurowski is checked by team trainers following his knee injury during an NCAA college football game against Georgia Tech in Tallahassee, Fla. Florida State announced Monday, Oct. 12, that Piurowski will miss the remainder of the season due to the injury. (AP Photo/Phil Coale)

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    In this Sept. 26, 2009, photo, Michigan cornerback Boubacar Cissoko (33) trails Indiana wide receiver Tandon Doss (2) on a long pass during an NCAA college football game in Ann Arbor, Mich. Michigan has suspended Cissoko indefinitely for violating team rules. Coach Rich Rodriguez made the announcement Saturday night, Oct. 10, after Iowa beat the Wolverines 30-28. (AP Photo/Tony Ding)

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    Washington's Desmond Trufant returns an intercepting of a pass from Arizona's Nick Foles at the end fourth quarter of an NCAA college football game in Seattle, Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009. Earlier in the quarter Washington intercepted another pass returning it for a touchdown to win 36-33 over Arizona. (AP Photo/John Froschauer)

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Quick Hits

Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin elected to have surgery to repair his torn ACL, effectively ending his sophomore season. Griffin, the Big 12 Freshman of the Year in 2008, should be back in time to begin the season in 2010...Stoops said receiver Ryan Broyles could return to the lineup as early as this week after being projected to be out four-to-six weeks with a shoulder injury ... Texas A&M receiver Jeff Fuller has began practicing with the team after suffering a cracked right fibula in the Aggies second game of the season on Sept. 19 ... Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said Kendall Hunter, the Big 12 leading rusher in 2008, has began practicing with the team after missing the last couple games with ankle injury. It's not certain if Hunter will be back the lineup for Saturday's home game against Missouri...In addition to Suh, Texas Tech quarterback Steven Sheffield earned Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week honors after throwing for seven touchdowns against Kansas State in his first start. Texas receiver/punt returner Jordan Shipley was named the Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week after he returned a punt 74 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter Saturday in the win over Colorado.

Big 12 Notebook: As Usual, Red River Rivalry Is More Than a Game originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 13 Oct 2009 19:33:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Bob StoopsBobStoopscolt mccoyColtMccoydezmon briscoeDezmonBriscoeGary PinkelGaryPinkelJermaine GreshamJermaineGreshamJordan ShipleyJordanShipleyKendall HunterKendallHunterkerry meierKerryMeierMack BrownMackBrownmark manginoMarkManginoMike GundyMikeGundyndamukong suhNdamukongSuhRed River RivalryRedRiverRivalryRobert GriffinRobertGriffinRoddrick MuckelroyRoddrickMuckelroyRyan BroylesRyanBroylesSam BradfordSamBradfordSergio KindleSergioKindleSteven SheffieldStevenSheffieldTodd ReesingToddReesingTerrance HarrisTue, 13 Oct 2009 19:33:00 EST Big 12 Weekend in Review: Career Days For Kansas Triohttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/11/big-12-weekend-in-review-career-days-for-kansas-trio/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/11/big-12-weekend-in-review-career-days-for-kansas-trio/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/11/big-12-weekend-in-review-career-days-for-kansas-trio/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

We all knew the Kansas Jayhawks offense had a chance to be lethal this season with quarterback Todd Reesing and wide receivers Dezmon Briscoe and Kerry Meier setting the pace.

Well, the trio took it to a ridiculous level Saturday as the receivers bested each other during the Jayhawks' 41-31 win over Iowa State. First Briscoe set the school record for career receptions, then Meier jumped ahead of him. Meier, a converted quarterback, has 167 career catches while Briscoe sits at 165 after making 12 catches for 186 yards and two touchdowns Saturday.

Meier also established a new school record with 16 catches in a game, while gaining 142 yards and scoring two receiving touchdowns.

And not to be overlooked were Reesing's career-high 442 yards and four passing touchdowns on the day.

--Texas A&M quarterback Jerrod Johnson established a new Big 12 mark by extending his streak of consecutive passes without an interception to 228 during Saturday's 36-31 loss to Oklahoma State.

Ships-A-Hoy!

Texas' Super-Duper senior Jordan Shipley had a monster game during the No. 2 Longhorns' 38-14 victory over Colorado on Saturday.

Shipley, perhaps one of the most underrated players in the country, accounted for 273 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns on the day. The sixth-year senior had 11 catches for 147 yards and a 39-yard touchdown reception. And then he capped his day with a 74-yard punt return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.

A Get Well Card

While 2008's Big 12 leading rusher, Kendall Hunter, nurses an ankle injury, his backup at Oklahoma State, Keith Totson, is continuing to make quite an impression. The senior produced 204 all-purpose yards, rushing for 130 yards on 26 carries and adding 74 yards on two catches against the Aggies.

Happy Return

After missing four weeks and three games, Oklahoma's Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Sam Bradford made a triumphant return to the Sooners' lineup Saturday.

And probably even better, Bradford showed no ill-effects from the sprained AC joint in his right shoulder, as he completed 27-of-49 passes for 389 yards and one touchdown during Saturday's rout of Baylor.

The return was just in time as the Sooners get ready to face No. 2 Texas during next week's anticipated annual Red River Rivalry in Dallas.

One thing the Sooners will want to clear up is Bradford's career-high 22 incomplete passes, which were due in large part to a number of drops by the receivers.

Quarterback Controversies Abound

The Colorado fans and boosters may have had enough of quarterback Cody Hawkins for weeks now, but finally his father/coach Dan Hawkins had his fill during the second half of Saturday's loss to Texas, when Cody tossed interceptions on back-to-back series, with the first going for a 92-yard touchdown on the return.

Hawkins yanked his son and pulled the redshirt off sophomore Tyler Hansen, who lost out in the battle with Cody during fall camp. It's the second time in as many seasons Hansen seemed headed for a redshirt year only to have it yanked away during the middle of the season. Last year, it was seven games into the season that Hawkins put Hansen in as Cody struggled. He waited five games this season.

"I guess I'm getting kind of used to burning this redshirt," Hansen joked afterward Saturday. "They came to me last week and gave me a couple of days to decide. It pretty much came down to -- I can get an injury tomorrow and never play again. So when you have the opportunity to play, especially in college at the D-1 level in this atmosphere, you take it."

Obviously, the ball should remain in Hansen's hands the remainder of the 1-4 Buffaloes season, no matter the outcome. Hawkins says Hansen is the starter now. Of course, Hansen has been jerked around plenty of times as Hawkins tries to balance fatherhood and being the head coach of a Division I-A program.

"We're just going to have to see," Hansen said. "We'll do whatever's best for the team. I'm ready to get this thing going. I just want to win games."

Texas Tech, meanwhile, may have a quarterback controversy on its hands in a good way.

With starter Taylor Potts sidelined Saturday with what is believed to be concussion, former walk-on Steven Sheffield came in and the Red Raiders' high-powered offense didn't miss a beat. In fact it seemed fine-tuned with Sheffield throwing for 491 yards and seven touchdowns in the 66-14 slaughter of Kansas State on Saturday.

The offense scored on its first six possessions and nine of its first 10, while scoring the most points in a Big 12 game since defeating Nebraska, 70-10, in 2004.

Oh, what will Mike Leach decide when Potts is ready to return from an injury he doesn't even acknowledge?

A Costly Victory

Texas got the win over the Buffaloes, but may have lost its two top running backs in the process with the Red River Rivalry game against Oklahoma coming up next week.

Not good.

Tailback Vondrell McGee exited the game when he suffered a left shoulder injury Saturday, while Tre' Newton left in the first half with a mild concussion.

The injuries, along with the fact the Longhorns netted just 46 yards on the ground against the Buffaloes, left Mack Brown more than just a little concerned about what was supposed to be an improved ground attack this season.

"What we're trying to do is get better in the running game. It didn't work," said Brown, whose team was surpassed by Alabama for the No.2 spot in the latest AP poll despite defeating Colorado. "We've just got to keep looking at it and keep doing what we need to do."

Big 12 Weekend in Review: Career Days For Kansas Trio originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sun, 11 Oct 2009 12:28:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Cody HawkinsCodyHawkinsDan HawkinsDanHawkinsdezmon briscoeDezmonBriscoeJordan ShipleyJordanShipleykerry meierKerryMeierMack BrownMackBrownMike LeachMikeLeachSam BradfordSamBradfordTodd ReesingToddReesingTre NewtonTreNewtonTyler HansenVondrell McGeeVondrellMcgeeTerrance HarrisSun, 11 Oct 2009 12:28:00 EST Big 12 Notebook: North Heats Uphttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/05/big-12-notebook-north-heats-up/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/05/big-12-notebook-north-heats-up/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/05/big-12-notebook-north-heats-up/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , , ,


Maybe it's premature to start trumpeting the return of the Big 12 North, but if the non-conference success of the big-three North teams is any indication this could be an interesting season.

Nebraska and Kansas were expected to dominate the weaker of the league's two divisions, but it appears they will have company. Missouri, which is supposed to be in a rebuilding mode after back-to-back North titles, is off to a surprising 4-0 start that catapulted the program into the Top 25 this week at No. 24.

The North has three teams in Top 25 this week with the 4-0 Jayhawks at No. 16 and the Cornhuskers (3-1) ranked No. 21 in the latest AP poll. But before we anoint the North as the dominant division in the Big 12 this season, let's remember there isn't a Top 25 victory among the top three. So don't expect the national fireworks that the three-way tie in the South between Texas, Oklahoma and Texas Tech set off last season.

It does, however, make for a potentially interesting race as league play gets going in earnest this week. It should be a lot more interesting than the South race where it looks like the Longhorns are now the clear favorites.

For obvious reasons, nobody is quite ready to discuss the North Division race.

"I am not looking at the big picture at all," Kansas coach Mark Mangino said during Monday's Big 12 coaches call. "The way we are handling things is that we have to take care of the business at hand. A byproduct of having a great season in the North for us is paying attention to each opponent as they come.

"But to tell you where people are, how they are going to be three weeks, a month from now, I'm not able to do that."

Things start off in hurry for this week for Missouri and Nebraska when they open up against each other in primetime Thursday night in Columbia, Mo. in what has become quite an intriguing rivalry. The Cornhuskers once upon a time owned Missouri, but the Tigers have reeled off three straight impressive wins over Nebraska at Faurot Field by an average of 23 points and have won four of the last six meetings in the Gary Pinkel era. The Tigers blasted Nebraska 52-17 at Memorial Stadium last year.

Initially, this seemed like the year Nebraska might be able to swing the rivalry back to its favor, but first-year Mizzou quarterback Blaine Gabbert has been impressive in his replacement of Chase Daniel. Gabbert is coming off a 414-yard, three passing touchdown effort against Nevada on Sept. 25, which bested his 319-yard effort in the season opener against Illinois.

Nebraska, meanwhile, in attempt to return to prominence has been successful against Florida Atlantic, Arkansas State and UL Lafayette while losing a heart-breaker near the end at Virginia Tech in a matchup of Top 25 teams.

So is Nebraska back and is Missouri here to stay?

"I'd like to think yes to both questions," said second-year Nebraska coach Bo Pelini, whose team generated excitement with four straight wins at the end of last season, including 26-21 victory over Clemson in the Gator Bowl. "We still have ways to go. We'll see what happens Thursday."


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Could Griffin Return?

It was generally assumed super sophomore quarterback Robert Griffin was done for the season when he suffered the isolated tear of his right ACL during the first quarter of the win over Northwestern State Sept. 26.

But head coach Art Briles said the surgical procedure that would have cost him the rest of the season has not yet been scheduled. He left open the door that Griffin could return at some point this season. He would obviously lose some mobility but there is a chance Griffin could not injure the knee any worse.

"That's strictly his decision because there are positives and negatives with going either way," Briles said Monday. "That's a decision that will be based on what's best for Robert in the long term."

His loss certainly was a blow to the Bears ending their postseason drought, though they came out of non-conference play 3-1 despite having to start third-string quarterback Nick Florence during Saturday's 31-15 win over Kent State.

Senior backup Blake Szymanski was also injured in the Northwestern State game and was unavailable last week, leaving the freshman as the best option.

Florence completed 20-of-27 passes for 216 yards and did not throw any interceptions while also running for two touchdowns.

"I thought Nick did what we asked him to do and that's to be careful with the football, give us an opportunity to be productive on the offensive side and put us in the position of winning the game," Briles said. "So he did all of those things. He played with a lot of awareness, a lot of intelligence, a lot of passion."

Briles said Monday he still wasn't certain whether Szymanski or Florence would start Saturday at No. 19 Oklahoma.

"As far as Blake, he wasn't available yesterday at workout," he said. "We'll have to see how it looks (Tuesday) when we get back on the field."

Potts' Progress

It's hard to find out any official news on the progress of Texas Tech quarterback Taylor Potts, who was knocked out of Saturday night's win against New Mexico and hospitalized overnight with an apparent concussion, since head coach Mike Leach won't even acknowledge that he was hurt.

Leach, like most college coaches, has a policy of not discussing injuries. But as with almost anything with Leach, the Red Raiders coach takes his policy over the top by not even being willing to discuss what thousands at Jones AT&T Stadium witnessed.

"He's doing well, a great member of our team and we continue to look forward to his success," Leach said when asked about Potts progress.

When asked if there is any reasonable way Potts could play Saturday against Kansas State after suffering an apparent concussion, Leach remained evasive.

"First of all, I've never acknowledged that an injury exists," Leach said on the Big 12 Conference call. "So write what you want to write."

The only thing Leach did confirm was that offensive lineman and captain Brandon Carter has returned to the team after the team captain was indefinitely suspended last week for violation of team rules. Carter, a guard, practiced with the team Sunday.

Leach has not discussed what Carter did to be suspended and declined to say what transpired to allow him to return to the team after missing all of last week's team activities.

"Since we didn't talk about his case to me to begin with, it seems to me it's an internal matter so we are not going to go into it now," he said.

It's unknown whether or not Carter will resume his role as a team captain.

Kansas State Has QB Dilemma

There probably wasn't anyone in Arrowhead Stadium on Saturday who was surprised when well-traveled senior quarterback Grant Gregory trotted out to start for Kansas State against Iowa State.

That included Gregory, whose workload had certainly increased in the week leading up to the game.

"We have been practicing pretty well overall," Gregory said. "We just go out there every day. Wednesday and Thursday practices I started taking number one reps, but I said I'll believe it when I get on the field."

Gregory quickly became a believer Saturday and perhaps so did many on the Wildcats' sideline as he made several big plays to spark Kansas State to the 24-23 come-from-behind win over the Cyclones. Coach Bill Snyder, who has long favored mobile quarterbacks, went with Gregory over Carson Coffman as the starter for the first time this season.

Both players had played quite a bit throughout the first three games, but Coffman had been the starter. But with Gregory possessing a few more physical tools, including being a better runner, Snyder turned it over to the senior who has played with three different college programs in six years.

And Gregory didn't disappoint, completing 16-of-23 passes for 206 yards and two touchdowns while he also ran for 29 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries. He threw two fourth quarter touchdowns, which included the go-ahead 54-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Banks with 5:36 left to play.

Surprisingly, Snyder wouldn't commit to Gregory as his starter against Texas Tech.

"I thought Grant did some really positive things in the ballgame. He created some big plays for us, which was important for us to have," he said. "There was certainly some of his performance that needs vast improvement on. There were some mistakes that were critical in the ballgame, threw an interception and some other things.

"There are just things that are going to come with constant focus on improvement and more experience on the field. He's a hard working young guy who is very focuses and conscientious. They will go to the practice field and continue to compete as they have all season."

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In this Saturday Oct. 3, 2009 photo, Florida State head coach Bobby Bowden is shown walking the sideline during the second half against Boston College of an NCAA college football game at Alumni Stadium in Boston. Boston College won 28-21. The chairman of the Florida State University trustees wants Bobby Bowden to retire at the end of this season. Jim Smith said Monday, oct. 5, 2009, the arrangement with Bowden as head coach and his successor, Jimbo Fisher, as offensive coordinator isn't working. (AP Photo/Greg M. Cooper)
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    In this photo taken Sept. 12, 2009, Illinois' QB Eddie McGee (10) heads down field against Illinois State during the second half of the NCAA college football game at the University of Illinois in Champaign, Ill. Illinois will start backup quarterback Eddie McGee on Saturday against Michigan State instead of Juice Williams. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman)

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    In this photo taken Oct. 3, 2009, Illinois' quarterback Juice Williams (7) scrambles out of the pocket against Penn State during the first half of the NCAA college football game in Champaign, Ill. Illinois will start backup quarterback Eddie McGee on Saturday against Michigan State instead of Juice Williams. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman)

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    In this Saturday Oct. 3, 2009 photo, Florida State head coach Bobby Bowden is shown walking the sideline during the second half against Boston College of an NCAA college football game at Alumni Stadium in Boston. Boston College won 28-21. The chairman of the Florida State University trustees wants Bobby Bowden to retire at the end of this season. Jim Smith said Monday, oct. 5, 2009, the arrangement with Bowden as head coach and his successor, Jimbo Fisher, as offensive coordinator isn't working. (AP Photo/Greg M. Cooper)

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    Washington State running back Logwone Mitz, top, attempts to leap in for a touchdown but is stopped short by the Oregon defensive during the second half of their NCAA college football game in Eugene, Ore., Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009. Oregon beat Washington 52-6.

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    In this Oct. 3, 2009 photograph, Mississippi State linebacker K.J. Wright (34) attempts to block a first half pass by Georgia Tech quarterback Josh Nesbitt (9) during their NCAA college football game in Starkville, Miss. Josh Nesbitt is making it tough on defensive coordinators. The Georgia Tech quarterback did a little bit of everything the last two weeks, baffling defenses in wins over Mississippi State and North Carolina. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

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    Stanford running back Toby Gerhart (7) scores a touchdown past UCLA cornerback Alterraun Verner (1) in the first quarter of their NCAA football game in Stanford, Calif., Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

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    Houston quarterback Case Keenum and UTEP defender Aaron King chase a fumble during the fourth quarter of their NCAA college football game Saturday Oct. 3, 2009 in El Paso, Texas. Keenum was unable to recover the ball and it was instead picked up by UTEP's Roddray Walker and run 70 yards for a touchdown. (AP Photo/Victor Calzada)

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    Houston's Brandon Brinkley agonized after UTEP's Donald Buckram scored his fourth touchdown of the evening during the fourth quarter of their NCAA college football game Saturday Oct. 3, 2009 in El Paso, Texas. UTEP linemen celebrated with Buckram in the background. (AP Photo/Victor Calzada)

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    UTEP defender Roddray Walker sprints 70 yards for touchdown after recovering a Houston fumble during the fourth quarter of their NCAA college football game Saturday Oct. 3, 2009 in El Paso, Texas. (AP Photo/Victor Calzada)

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Jayhawks Might Turn Sharp Loose

Kansas running back Jake Sharp could be back in the lineup Saturday against Iowa State, but Mangino isn't saying yet.

Sharp suffered an unknown injury in a non-contact drill in the week leading up to the Sept. 19 Duke game and since playing sparingly against the Blue Devils he sat out the Southern Miss game and the Jayhawks had a bye this past week.

"For Jake, we feel pretty good about his progress," Mangino said. "We will see him all-out, full-speed on the practice field this week, and if he's feeling good and no effects, he will play against Iowa State."

In his absence, freshman Toben Opurum has turned quite a few heads with his versatility. During the 44-16 win over Duke, he put up a total of 120 yards while scoring two touchdowns and averaging 4.1 yards per play. He came back the following week and rushed for 109 yards and a touchdown while catching two passes for 21 yards, which included a 12-yard touchdown.

Mangino said the bye week was good learning time for the freshman.

Toben got a chance to assess what he has done," he said. "He's gone over with his coaches all the positive things and all the things he needs to work on. So it was a very positive big week of learning for Toben."

Longhorns not overlooking Colorado

The second-ranked Texas Longhorns have a big one in couple weeks against the Sooners in the annual Red River Classic game in Dallas.

But before then, they will host struggling Colorado on Saturday. Head coach Mack Brown said there is no way his team overlooks the Buffaloes.

"It's something that comes up because OU is like a bowl game in the middle of the football season," Brown said." But this football team is excited about the home game this weekend against Colorado. We'll have over 100,000 here plus they had a weekend off so we are pumped. We've had some great ballgames with Colorado since we've been here and I do think our fans will get excited about this game, as well.

"We do understand we have to get better. We have not played near our best yet. This weekend gives us a chance to improve on some things we were able to look at and re-evaluate over the bye week."

Big 12 Notebook: North Heats Up originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 05 Oct 2009 23:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Art BrilesArtBrilesBill SnyderBillSnyderBlaine GabbertBlaineGabbertBo PeliniBoPeliniBrandon CarterChase DanielChaseDanielGary PinkelGaryPinkelJake SharpJakeSharpMack BrownMackBrownmark manginoMarkManginoMike LeachMikeLeachRobert GriffinRobertGriffintaylor pottsTaylorPottsToben OpurumTerrance HarrisMon, 05 Oct 2009 23:30:00 EST Big 12 Notebook: Texas' Tre Newton Earns Starting Job on the Runhttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/09/21/big-12-notebook-texas-tre-newton-earns-starting-job-on-the-run/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/09/21/big-12-notebook-texas-tre-newton-earns-starting-job-on-the-run/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/09/21/big-12-notebook-texas-tre-newton-earns-starting-job-on-the-run/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Tre NewtonIt was of little surprise Monday when Texas coach Mack Brown named redshirt freshman running back Tre' Newton as the starter for Saturday's UTEP game.

Newton gave the second-ranked Longhorns everything they had been looking for in a tailback for the last two seasons during Saturday's win over Texas Tech, picking up difficult yards and moving the chains. Filling in for injured starter Vondrell McGee in the second half, Newton rushed for 88 yards and one touchdown on 20 carries.

His 18 carries for 81 yards in the second half proved pivotal in keeping Texas Tech's explosive offense off the field as the Longhorns escaped with a 34-24 win. It was the inability of the Longhorns backs to pick up critical yards late that paved the way for their upset loss to Tech last season.

"He was like he has been every time we've seen him," Brown said. "We've just got to keep playing him more."

Coming into fall camp, Newton and redshirt freshman D.J. Monroe seemed to take a backseat to proven tailbacks Cody Johnson, Fozzy Whittaker, McGee and even true freshman Chris Whaley. But Newton has stepped up with McGee and Whittaker continuing to struggle to stay healthy.

Starting out the second half after McGee tweaked his ankle Saturday, Newton made an impact on the opening drive with carries of 6 and 7 yards before he burst through the line for a 19-yard touchdown run that put the Longhorns ahead 17-3.

That was all the UT coaches needed to see to keep running him for the remainder of the night.

"Tre' has good patience, good vision," said UT offensive coordinator Greg Davis. "We had a couple guys who were (banged) up and we just felt like he was healthy and playing well."

Newton, the son of former Dallas Cowboy great Nate Newton, was excited after receiving his first extended opportunity Saturday night.

"It felt good," said Newton, who leads the Longhorns backs with 178 yards in three games. "Going into the game I was backing up Vondrell, just ready to do whatever they asked me to do. I just try to make sure I'm always ready for when the opportunity comes."

A learning experience for the Cornhuskers

Nebraska coach Bo Pelini couldn't hide his frustration on the sideline Saturday afternoon as Virginia Tech quarterback Tyrod Taylor completed an 11-yard touchdown with 21 seconds remaining to rally the Hokies to a 16-15 win over the Cornhuskers.

The Cornhuskers came so close to the signature win the program needs. But two big plays -- the 11-yard touchdown pass and then a 76-yard kickoff return run that set up a one-yard touchdown in the first quarter -- were really all that denied Nebraska its biggest win in years.

Pelini was a little more philosophical Monday than he was on the sideline Saturday after the 11-yard touchdown pass.

"You have to finish things off and you have to execute for four quarters and unfortunately we didn't do that and it cost us," he said. "That's what we are working towards, getting that aspect fixed.

"I've moved on, we've moved on. It doesn't change whether we stopped them on that last drive or not. There is a lot of things we need to get fixed and it shouldn't have come down to that anyway. We had plenty of opportunities to put that game away on both sides of the ball and on special teams. Everybody contributed to us not finishing that game off."

Still, Pelini realizes the value in such a game even in loss. The Cornhuskers went into a hostile environment against a top-25 opponent and played better in all facets, except the final score.

"Playing in a game like that helps you get ready for conference play because you've been tested, you've been in a tough environment and we know we are going to face that once we get into conference play," said Pelini, whose team dropped down to No.25 in the latest AP poll. "So I think we will be a better football team because of it."

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Fuller out for 4-6 Weeks at A&M

It wasn't much of a shock when Texas A&M coach Mike Sherman confirmed Monday that star sophomore receiver Jeff Fuller will miss four to six weeks after cracking a bone in his leg.

But what was a little surprising was to hear that doesn't mean backup quarterback/receiver Ryan Tannehill will necessarily see his workload increase at receiver. Tannehill, a sophomore, showed he was a true natural last season at receiver.

He competed with Jerrod Johnson for the starting quarterback spot, as promised by Sherman, during spring and fall practices but lost in his bid to unseat Johnson. Tannehill views himself as a quarterback who can play receiver though his heart is really at quarterback.

His value to the Aggies is at receiver, but Tannehill's desire is to be a college quarterback. Certainly Sherman finds himself in an awkward situation.

"You have to really appreciate Ryan to see him practice and throw the football to realize he really is a quarterback," said Sherman, whose team hosts UAB on Saturday. "But he keeps playing receiver, I'm sure from the outside looking in and even from my standpoint, he's equally adept at both. It's a very unique combination. I don't know if I've ever seen anything quite like it."

Tannehill has thrived as a receiver, who doesn't put in the work meeting with the receivers and rarely practices. Yet goes into the games and excels with limited work.

"He sits with the quarterbacks, he doesn't meet with the receivers, he doesn't practice receiver a lot, just certain plays at certain times," Sherman said. "It's just amazing to me what he does with the limited amount of time. You can argue both sides of the coin but to appreciate him as a quarterback you have to watch him in practice."

So instead of seeing Tannehill's reps increase and introducing more risk to the No.2 quarterback spot, Sherman said you can expect to see more of freshmen Brandal Jackson and Kenric McNeal along with an increased workload for Uzoma Nwachukwu and Terrence McCoy to fill Fuller's void.

Baylor's run defense gets exposed

Two weeks after a feel-good road win at Wake Forest, Baylor seemed like the same old Bears during Saturday's deflating 30-22 home loss to UConn.

The Bears allowed UConn to run the ball down their throats the entire game in front of 40,147 at Floyd Casey Stadium. The Huskies picked up 235 yards of their 382 total yards on the ground, while winning the time of possession battle 39:44 to 20:16.

Andre Dixon led the way for UConn with 149 yards and three touchdowns on 31 carries while Jordan Todman accounted for 103 yards, marking the second time the duo had both eclipsed the 100-yard barrier in the same game.

"It was embarrassing as a defense to get the ball run down our throats like that," Baylor safety Jordan Lake said to the Waco Tribune. "We knew they were going to run the ball, but we didn't come out with the energy we needed to stop them up front. They did a good job of using their big line to push the ball downfield, and then Dixon would pop out and get four or five more yards."

Baylor coach Art Briles and his staff will likely have to restore a lot of confidence in his defensive front before having to face the likes of Oklahoma's DeMarco Murray, Oklahoma State's Kendall Hunter or Missouri's Derrick Washington during the Big 12 season.

"As far as the defensive line and stopping the run, that's something you've got to be able to do," Briles said. "That's something each week is an opportunity to get better at. We know what we need to do now we need to go out and do it. We'll have that opportunity this Saturday."

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A swarming Alabama defense stops North Texas running back Jeremi Mathis (24) during the second half of an NCAA college football game at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala., Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009. Defending for Alabama is Cory Reamer (13), Luther Davis (96), Nick Gentry (58) and Kerry Murphy (64). Alabama won 53-7. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)
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    In this photo taken Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009, Texas senior quarterback Colt McCoy talks with coaches during a fourth quarter time out in his team's 34-24 NCAA college football victory over Texas Tech in Austin, Texas. McCoy had the flu last week, causing him to miss a day of practice and kept him out of most drills. By Saturday night's game, he said he was still not feeling 100 percent. But a halftime spent downing peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and slugging back a hydration drink, made him feel better. (AP Photo/Harry Cabluck)

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    In this photo taken Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009, Texas wide receiver Dan Buckner is shown during the pregame warmup before his team's 34-24 NCAA college football victory over Texas Tech in Austin, Texas. With Buckner in the lineup, quarterback Colt Mc Coy has a new passing target in the Longhorns' offense. (AP Photo/Harry Cabluck)

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    A swarming Alabama defense stops North Texas running back Jeremi Mathis (24) during the second half of an NCAA college football game at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala., Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009. Defending for Alabama is Cory Reamer (13), Luther Davis (96), Nick Gentry (58) and Kerry Murphy (64). Alabama won 53-7. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

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    Texas head football coach Mack Brown talks on his headset during the fourth quarter of his team's 34-24 NCAA college football victory over Texas Tech Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009, in Austin, Texas. For the second week in a row, the Longhorns used their quick-snap "jet" tempo to pull themselves out of the doldrums of a clunky first half and rode it to a victory. (AP Photo/Harry Cabluck)

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    Texas senior quarterback Colt McCoy talks with coaches during a fourth quarter time out in their 34-24 NCAA college football victory over Texas Tech Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009, in Austin, Texas. For the second week in a row, the Longhorns used their quick-snap "jet" tempo to pull themselves out of the doldrums of a clunky first half and rode it to a victory. (AP Photo/Harry Cabluck)

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    PASADENA, CA - SEPTEMBER 19: UCLA Bruins head coach Rick Neuheisel looks on from the sideline in the second half against the Kansas State Wildcats at the Rose Bowl on September 19, 2009 in Pasadena, California. UCLA defeated Kansas State 23-9. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Rick Neuheisel

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    PASADENA, CA - SEPTEMBER 19: Kansas State Wildcats head coach Bill Snyder looks on during the first half against the UCLA Bruins at the Rose Bowl on September 19, 2009 in Pasadena, California. UCLA defeated Kansas State 23-9. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Bill Snyder

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    PASADENA, CA - SEPTEMBER 19: Alterraun Verner #1 of the UCLA Bruins is brought down by Brandon Banks #83 of the Kansas State Wildcats after intercepting a pass in the first half at the Rose Bowl on September 19, 2009 in Pasadena, California. UCLA defeated Kansas State 23-9. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Alterraun Verner;Brandon Banks

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    PASADENA, CA - SEPTEMBER 19: Quarterback Kevin Craft #3 of the UCLA Bruins congratulates teammate Eddie Williams #62 following a touchdown against the Kansas State Wildcats in the fourth quater at the Rose Bowl on September 19, 2009 in Pasadena, California. UCLA defeated Kansas State 23-9. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Kevin Craft;Eddie Williams

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    PASADENA, CA - SEPTEMBER 19: Kansas State Wildcats head coach Bill Snyder yells towards the bench during the first half against the UCLA Bruins at the Rose Bowl on September 19, 2009 in Pasadena, California. UCLA defeated Kansas State 23-9. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Bill Snyder

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Stoops could have QB quandary

With a bye coming this week, Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said Monday he doesn't want to begin speculating about the availability of Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Sam Bradford for the Oct. 3 mega non-conference showdown at Miami.

Bradford has been out since opening week when he suffered a shoulder injury.

"No updates on Sam but he continues to do well," Stoops said Monday. "But we are not getting into any speculations about when."

The way redshirt freshman Landry Jones is playing could be a reason Stoops doesn't have to worry about his quarterback position. Jones is coming off one of the best performances of any freshman quarterback in NCAA history.

Jones threw six touchdowns in the Sooners' 45-0 win over Tulsa on Saturday, the second most touchdown passes in a game by a freshman in NCAA history. He was named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week on Monday after also completing 25-of-37 passes for 336 yards against Tulsa.

"I feel good. I think if it is Landry he's handling it really well," said Stoops, whose team jumped up to No. 10 in the AP poll this week. "He's been nothing but consistent and solid. I think more than anything it's the players around him and in the last couple of weeks the players around him have played better. Regardless of who is in that position, the players around him have to protect that position. You have to protect him, you've got to be able to run the ball, you have to be able to get open and catch it when you have the opportunities.

"But as far as his part, he's doing a really good job."

Muckelroy honored

Middle linebacker Roddrick Muckelroy showed up big for the Longhorns Saturday night, constantly harassing quarterback Taylor Potts and serving as virtual shadow to Texas Tech running Baron Batch all night.

Muckelroy finished the night with seven tackles, which including two tackles for loss, and one sack while playing a major role in the Longhorns limiting the Red Raiders to minus-6 yards rushing.

Muckelroy was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts.

"I've been very proud of his progress, he's started all three games for us at the Mike (middle linebacker)," said UT defensive coordinator Will Muschamp. "He's a guy you enjoy to coach in the way he approaches the game. He certainly showed up (Saturday) an awful lot and played well."

Big 12 Notebook: Texas' Tre Newton Earns Starting Job on the Run originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 21 Sep 2009 20:20:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>art brilesArtBrilesbo pelinibob stoopsBobStoopsBoPelinidemarco murrayDemarcoMurrayderrick washingtonDerrickWashingtonfozzy whittakerFozzyWhittakerjeff fullerJeffFullerkendall hunterKendallHunterlandry jonesLandryJonesmack brownMackBrownmike shermanMikeShermannate newtonNateNewtonroddrick muckelroyRoddrickMuckelroyryan tannenhillRyanTannenhillsam bradfordSamBradfordtaylor pottsTaylorPottstre newtonTreNewtontyrod taylorTyrodTaylorvondrell mcgeeVondrellMcgeewill muschampWillMuschampTerrance HarrisMon, 21 Sep 2009 20:20:00 EST Big 12 Notebook: Overrated?http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/09/15/big-12-notebook-overrated/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/09/15/big-12-notebook-overrated/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/09/15/big-12-notebook-overrated/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Oklahoma State, HoustonEvery college football season there seems to be at least one major conference that's projected to be among the best , only to find out it's all just hype.

Could this season be the Big 12's turn?

Projected to be one of the top two conferences in the country, along with the SEC, there is now a small mountain of evidence indicating the Big 12 isn't the conference we thought it would be. The league has already suffered more than it share of stunning upsets in non-conference play, starting at the top.

Oklahoma, the preseason favorite with Texas to win the Big 12 South and the nation's third-ranked team to start the year, had its hopes of another BCS national championship berth jolted after an opening week loss to BYU. This past weekend, Oklahoma State, ranked fifth in the nation (their highest ranking in 24 years, following a win over Georgia) came falling back to reality when Houston strolled out of Stillwater with a convincing upset.

Just like that, the Big 12 lost two of its three Top 10 team preseason teams, leaving No.2 Texas carrying the weight of the Big 12 by itself. But even the Longhorns struggled at Wyoming in the first half last week before pulling away from the Cowboys, as did Missouri against Bowling Green.

It certainly seems as though the Big 12's quest for a third BCS national championship appearance in five years is already in jeopardy. Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops, whose team moved back up to No.12 in this week's AP poll, believes it's too early to make such assertions.

"There is a ton of football to go," Stoops said. "I've never tried to project in the first or second week where you are going to be for a Big 12 or national title. It's a long road, so you have to keep working and try to improve as you go."

But early evidence says the league has a lot of work to do to make up for the perception-altering performances of its top teams. In addition to the Oklahoma State loss last weekend, Kansas State also went to Louisiana-Lafayette and suffered a stunning defeat to the Ragin Cajuns of the Sun Belt Conference. And then there is Colorado, which doesn't seem capable of beating anyone after falling apart against Mid-American Conference foe Toledo on Friday night to fall to 0-2 on the season.

So far this season, the Big 12 has suffered defeats to the Mountain West, Conference USA, Sun Belt and Mid-American Conference. None of the other major conference can make that claim to this point.

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In this Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009, photo, Northwestern's Stefan Demos celebrates after kicking the game-winning 49-yard field goal against Eastern Michigan in the fourth quarter of an NCAA college football game in Evanston, Ill. Northwestern won 27-24. (AP Photo/David Banks)
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    In this Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009, photo, Northwestern's Stefan Demos celebrates after kicking the game-winning 49-yard field goal against Eastern Michigan in the fourth quarter of an NCAA college football game in Evanston, Ill. Northwestern won 27-24. (AP Photo/David Banks)

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    In this Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009, photo Penn State linebacker Sean Lee, left, walks away after sacking Syracuse quarterback Greg Paulus, right, during the second half of their NCAA college football game in State College, Pa. Lee was so active against Syracuse, it seemed like the Penn State linebacker spent all day leveling opponents behind the line of scrimmage. Any lingering doubts about the health of his surgically-repaired right knee were erased in a dominating performance against the Orange. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

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    In this Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009, photo, Penn State linebacker Sean Lee (45) stands with assistant coach Tom Bradley on the sideline during the second half of their college football game against Syracuse in State College, Pa. Lee was so active against Syracuse, it seemed like the Penn State linebacker spent all day leveling opponents behind the line of scrimmage. Any lingering doubts about the health of his surgically-repaired right knee were erased in a dominating performance against the Orange. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

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    Oregon State's Jacquizz Rodgers rushes for a key fourth quarter gain on the wiining drive of the Beavers 23-21 win over UNLV in an NCAA college football game on Saturday Sept. 12, 2009 in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Daniel Gluskoter)

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    COLUMBUS, OH - SEPTEMBER 12: Running back Stafon Johnson #13 of the USC Trojans celebrates in the end zone with teammate Jarvis Jones #10 after scoring a two yard touchdown in the fourth quarter over the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium on September 12, 2009 in Columbus, Ohio. USC won the game 18-15. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Stafon Johnson; Jarvis Jones

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    COLUMBUS, OH - SEPTEMBER 12: Running back Stafon Johnson #13 of the USC Trojans celebrates in the end zone after scoring a two yard touchdown in the fourth quarter over the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium on September 12, 2009 in Columbus, Ohio. USC won the game 18-15. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Stafon Johnson

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    Purdue head coach Danny Hope, left, confers with referees on a call that kept the Boilermakers from tying the game with just seconds left during the second half of their NCAA college football game against Oregon in Eugene, Ore., Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009. Oregon beat Purdue 38-36.(AP Photo/Don Ryan)

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    Utah players celebrate a 24-14 win over San Jose State in an NCAA college football game in San Jose, Calif., Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009.(AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

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    Utah running back Sausan Shakerin (22) breaks through for a long run late in the fourth quarter against San Jose State in an NCAA college football game in San Jose, Calif., Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009. Utah won 24-14. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

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    COLUMBUS, OH - SEPTEMBER 12: Running back Stafon Johnson #13 of the USC Trojans celebrates in the end zone with teammate Jarvis Jones #10 after scoring a two yard touchdown in the fourth quarter over the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium on September 12, 2009 in Columbus, Ohio. USC won the game 18-15. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Stafon Johnson; Jarvis Jones

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"It's a 12-game season. It's a grind," Kansas coach Mark Mangino said to FanHouse. "I wouldn't judge the Big 12 on the first couple weeks. I really think you have to look at the body of work throughout the season. Those kind of discussions arise at the end of the year.

"Sure there has been some games where we've gotten beat when we were favored, but I think you have to look at the whole body of work and wait until the season is over because this is a pretty doggone good conference."

Stoops seems to think what we've seen so far in the Big 12 early is just a symptom of parity created by the scholarship limits. So far we've seen Boise State dominate Oregon and Central Michigan delivered a blow to Michigan State to name a few other upsets outside of the Big 12.

"In the end there are a lot of good teams and if you are not at your best anybody can beat you," Stoops said. "I don't know that that's like any other year or unlike any other conference. I think you see it around the country with everybody every year.

"Every week you see different people with upsets around the country. I don't know any year that hasn't been the case."


Fast-Break Offenses

The Big 12 season kicks off Saturday when No. 2 Texas hosts Texas Tech in what should be a fast-paced, high scoring affair based on what both teams have showed so far.

Through the first two games, both teams lead the Big 12 in scoring offense. The Longhorns, behind the proven arm of Colt McCoy, are averaging 50 points per game and have scored 13 touchdowns combined against Louisiana-Monroe and Wyoming.

Mike Leach's Red Raiders, who seemed to have invented fast-break offense in college football, are second in the conference in scoring offense with first-year starting quarterback Taylor Potts after averaging 46.5 points and having scored a total of 13 touchdowns against North Dakota and Rice.

Both teams also rank around the middle of the pack in the Big 12 in scoring defense.

"This will be a great fan game," said UT coach Mack Brown. "There is going to be balls flying all over the place. People come to see offense. Both defenses are improved, they're playing well but I'm going to tell you there will be some sparks flying in this game on offense because we're more uptempo than we've ever been and Tech has been that way from the beginning. So I think it will be a great game to watch."

It will be interesting to see how both offenses handle the obvious elevation in competition.

Snyder staying the course

Kansas State coach Bill Snyder said he doesn't anticipate making a change at either quarterback or placekicker, despite some obvious struggles in both areas in the first two games.

Quarterbacks Carson Coffman and Grant Gregory have combined to complete just 49.1 percent of their passes. The Wildcats struggled early against Louisiana-Lafayette before scoring two touchdowns in the fourth quarter prior to falling to a late field goal.

But Snyder says he doesn't anticipate a change heading into Saturday's game at UCLA.

"We have what we have," he said. "I don't know that we could go any further than we are right now."

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The same goes for junior placekicker Josh Cherry, who has missed all three of his field goal attempts through the first two games. Cherry missed two field goals in the loss to ULL and also missed on an extra point attempt.

"The major thing right now is to re-establish his confidence," Snyder said. "He's a very intent young guy, he really cares, he's very genuine. He's pained by it, as well, and I certainly understand it and appreciate that. I have great confidence in him and will continue to work with him. I think he will continue to move forward and eventually become the kicker I'm quite confident he's capable of becoming."

But most glaring right now is the play of Snyder's quarterbacks. Both went into fall camp in a tight race for the job, but Coffman emerged as the starter.

So far Coffman has struggle, completing just 27 of 52 passes for 360 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Gregory has been worse after not completing a pass in four attempts.

"It's quite obvious that we need to have substantial improvement at that position," Snyder said. "We have to make better decisions, we have to throw the ball more accurately. Those are the two main situations and get us in the right plays we can get into and not put us jeopardy. It's just a matter of trying to make improvement and that's true of the entirety of our football team.

"We are trying to make improvements at every position we have but the quarterback position stands out dramatically for any football team and it's quite obvious we need those improvements."

Tech not missing a beat at QB

Taylor Potts is just two games into his first year as a starter and already he seems on the way to being another record-setting Red Raiders quarterback.

Potts was named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week after completing 36 of 57 passes for 456 yards and seven touchdowns in the 55-10 win over Rice on Saturday. Potts became the first Raiders quarterback to throw for at least seven touchdowns in a game since B.J. Symons tossed eight touchdowns against Texas A&M in 2003.

After two games, Potts leads the Big 12 in passing with 430.5 yards per game to go along with nine touchdowns and just three interceptions. He has also completed 70 of 105 attempts for 861 yards.

"He's playing and is getting better every game out there," Leach said. "He's thrown for a bunch of yards both games and he's getting sharper and sharper."


Cowboys hope to recover

Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy compares the uphill battle his Cowboys face in trying to recover from Saturday's stunning loss to University of Houston to challenges of recovering from failure in everyday life.

"The only difference in college football than any other aspect of life is we are in the public eye.," Gundy said. "Everything we do, every weekend people see it and there is a lot of talk about it. There are great lessons to be learned here."

The Cowboys, who went from No.5 in the country to No.16 this week, begin their recovery process Saturday when Rice pays a visit to Boone Pickens Stadium.

Cody Hawkins expected to play for Buffaloes

Colorado coach Dan Hawkins said he expects his son, quarterback Cody Hawkins, to play Saturday when Wyoming comes into Boulder.

Hawkins suffered a mild concussion at the end of Friday's loss to Toledo.

Big 12 Notebook: Overrated? originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 15 Sep 2009 15:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>bill snyderBillSnyderbob stoopsBobStoopscarson coffmanCarsonCoffmancody hawkinsCodyHawkinsColt McCoyColtMccoydan hawkinsDanHawkinsgrant gregoryGrantGregorymack brownMackBrownmark manginoMarkManginomike gundyMikeGundytaylor pottsTaylorPottsTerrance HarrisTue, 15 Sep 2009 15:45:00 EST Notebook: Gresham's Season Ends Earlyhttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/09/08/notebook-greshams-season-ends-early/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/09/08/notebook-greshams-season-ends-early/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/09/08/notebook-greshams-season-ends-early/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Jermaine GreshamThe news on Oklahoma All-American tight end Jermaine Gresham Tuesday night wasn't what was hoped for in Norman, but it also wasn't unexpected.

The Sooners senior underwent arthroscopic knee surgery Tuesday afternoon and the scope revealed a tear in the cartilage that needed to be stitched back, a procedure that ended his season before it began and likely means the end of his college career.

Gresham, who passed on a chance to skip his senior season and head to the NFL, injured his knee during practice last Tuesday and missed the Sooners' season-opening loss to BYU. Gresham was expected to be the Sooners' top receiving threat and maybe the best tight end in the country after catching 14 touchdowns and 950 yards last season.

"Just unfortunate that he comes back and is not able to continue to participate," OU coach Bob Stoops told the Tulsa World. "So we really feel for him."

Stoops informed the Oklahoma media of the season-ending surgery, which he says will take five months to heal properly. Just Monday, the Sooners learned that Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Sam Bradford will be out of the lineup for two to four weeks with a Grade III sprain of the AC joint in his right throwing shoulder.

Bradford will not need surgery, but Gresham wasn't as fortunate.

Both players had a chance to leave school early as high NFL draft picks last spring, but both elected to come back; Gresham was believed to be a sure first-round draft pick. Stoops told Oklahoma reporters that Gresham should be recovered in time to take part in February's NFL combine.

"For his sake, the rest of the knee looks good, and this is something that heals really well," Stoops said to the World. "So for his long-range future, he'll be fine."

Gresham also has the option of returning to school for a fifth year because he did not redshirt as a true freshman.

Big 12 Trio Hopes to Stay Focused

Conventional wisdom holds that the biggest improvement in college football teams comes between the first and second week.

But for a handful of Big 12 teams coming off huge opening-week wins, there could be a false sense they've already arrived. Oklahoma State, Baylor and Missouri all are coming off impressive victories that could propel them towards strong seasons but a lot will depend on how they handle Week 1 success.

Oklahoma State, coming off a big-time 24-10 win against Georgia this past week in Stillwater, has to quickly get focused because an explosive and dangerous Houston team is heading into Boone Pickens Stadium on Saturday. The Cowboys have to be extra careful they aren't still celebrating the win over Georgia and their new top-five ranking this week.

"I think we have to be up front with them and tell them, 'We had a great win on Saturday and we have a great football team coming in here, a team that led the nation in scoring and is very capable of playing at a high level on any given day,'' ' said OSU coach Mike Gundy. "I think because of the success they had last year and obviously as well as they played in the first game, our players should be able to stay focused. This will be a good football game. Houston is a very good team."

Baylor has a bye this week after accomplishing what was once thought impossible for the Bears program -- go on the road and beat a quality BCS conference school. But that is exactly what quarterback Robert Griffin and his Bears did this past Saturday, hanging on to beat Wake Forest, 24-21, in Winston-Salem.

That win was pivotal as Baylor looks for its first bowl bid since 1994. The victory over the Demon Deacons should be great for the Bears' confidence, but they have to guard against overconfidence as they head into a three-game home non-conference stretch against UConn, Northwestern State and Kent State, three games they are expected to win. A slip-up in non-conference followed by an unforgiving Big 12 schedule could all but make the Wake Forest win irrelevant.

"Where we are as a program, we don't have to worry about getting overconfident or getting the big heads because we've had our lips punched enough times to understand that you've never arrived and you are never where you need to be," said second-year Baylor coach Art Briles, whose team received votes in the AP poll this week. "One game doesn't dictate your outcome. I think the thing that helps us a little bit is we have an open date this week.

"It was a big win against a quality opponent, but it was something that we felt like needed to do if we were going to accomplish one of our intermediate goals, which is to win all of our non-conference games. Starting from [Sunday], we have flipped our focus off of that game and on to the next one."

Perhaps the team with the most to prove last Saturday and with the biggest chip on its shoulder was Missouri. The winner of the Big 12 North the past two seasons, Mizzou entered the season without many outside expectations in the North or in the national polls due to the senior talent lost, including star quarterback Chase Daniel.

So all the Tigers did this past week was roll a respectable Illinois team, 37-9, on a neutral field in St. Louis. The voters were obviously paying attention because they entered the AP poll this week at No. 25. But the Tigers have little time to gloat because a dangerous Bowling Green team is heading to Columbia this weekend.

"I think you just want to react responsibly when you come out of a big game like that and have a reasonable amount of success," said Missouri coach Gary Pinkel. "I'm paid to make sure our team is prepared at its highest level and we're not good enough to take anybody lightly. Bowling Green has beat us the last two times they've played us.

"We are just focused on getting better and through the leadership of our team, I think we will be okay."

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Sooners' Offensive Line Blues

All offseason the biggest concern for the Oklahoma Sooners seemed to be their offensive line.

And in the Sooners' season-opening 14-13 upset loss to BYU on Saturday night, it seems the concerns were well-founded. The offensive line was out of sync well before Heisman Trophy quarterback Sam Bradford was hit and knocked out of the game with a AC joint injury late in the second quarter.

Bradford had little time to set his feet, throwing for just 96 yards in the first two quarters while with former 1,000-yard rushers DeMarco Murray and Chris Brown in the backfield, the Sooners rushed for 118 yards on the night.

But OU coach Bob Stoops seemed most bothered by the penalties called on the offensive line. Right tackle Cory Brandon had six penalties called on him alone, including a critical five-yard false start penalty late in the game that forced Tress Way to have to kick a 54-yard field goal that could have won the game, but came up short.

"The major issue are the penalties," Stoops said. "That really just took away and destroyed so many drives. As far as physical play and playing hard, it's there. but the part of having the discipline to play by the rules and eliminate penalties we have to improve. As far as effort and being physical and everything, that part was solid. But we have to have more discipline to not have the penalties.

Trouble Brewing at Colorado

Dan HawkinsColorado is a team on the other end of the spectrum that didn't start the season the way its alumni and fans would expect.

Dan Hawkins, already under fire for lack of success on the football field, didn't do himself or his quarterback son any favors with Sunday night's embarrassing 23-17 defeat to Colorado State in Boulder, Colo. Many of the 53,168 fans in attendance began booing the Buffaloes as they entered halftime trailing 20-3.

When asked Monday how he responds to the fans booing, Hawkins was short when he replied: "I don't. You just have to do your deal."

There were several questionable decisions made during Sunday's game, such as limiting highly-touted running back recruit Darrell Scott to just a couple touches. Then there is the touchy subject of giving his son, Cody, all the snaps at quarterback and what was apparently a close quarterback competition between him and Tyler Hansen this summer.

Hawkins didn't reveal who the starter was until game time Sunday. But that apparently was for show, because Hansen revealed this week that he has decided to redshirt this season to put some distance between himself and Cody, and likely Hawkins, if things aren't corrected real quick.

Hawkins, who is largely responsible for the success at Boise State, hasn't had quite the same touch at Colorado. The Buffaloes are 13-25 in the four seasons under Hawkins. He will have to get things smoothed quickly with a tough road game at Toledo coming up Friday night.

"We'll be okay," Hawkins said.

Leach's Meaning of Balance

When coaches talk about being balanced on offense, they are comparing the number of running plays versus passing plays called in a particular game.

Leave it to Texas Tech coach Mike Leach, perhaps one of the most out-of-the-box coaches in the college game, to have a completely different spin on being balanced. A coach who would just as soon throw a two-yard pass for a first down as run it, says balance to him means the number of players you use in a game.

And a quick glance at the Red Raiders' stat sheet from their 38-13 opening-week win over North Dakota certainly makes it hard to argue when Leach says he is the most balanced coach in the country. The Raiders had 10 different players catch balls from first-time starting quarterback Taylor Potts, and six players carried the football on Saturday.

"I am proud to say we are probably the most balanced team in the nation because balance has virtually nothing to do with rushing as opposed to passing," Leach said. "It has to do with your ability to get the ball in all of your players' hands.

"We had 10 receivers touch the ball so if you run across anybody more balanced than that, I'd like to meet them."

Notebook: Gresham's Season Ends Early originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 08 Sep 2009 22:35:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>art brilesbob stoopsBobStoopsjermaine greshammike leachMikeLeachrobert griffinTerrance HarrisTue, 08 Sep 2009 22:35:00 EST The Fire Still Burns Inside of Bill Snyderhttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/09/04/the-fire-still-burns-inside-of-bill-snyder-for-kansas-state/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/09/04/the-fire-still-burns-inside-of-bill-snyder-for-kansas-state/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/09/04/the-fire-still-burns-inside-of-bill-snyder-for-kansas-state/#commentsFiled under: ,

Should Kansas State coach Bill Snyder go searching for a sure sign college football hasn't stood still in his brief retirement, all he has to do is look at "this Blackberry thing" that is usually attached to his hip.

For a coach who can remember when handwritten letters were the must-have tools of recruiting, Snyder's newly issued BlackBerry seems to always be vibrating or making a noise or doing both. In the morning when Snyder awakens. In the evening when he's ready to turn in.

Sometimes, the 69-year-old coach can't help but feel like a victim of information overload.

"It's got all the recruiting services, and they each have a long story on every youngster that is above the age of four in the nation," Snyder said. "(It) tells you what he had for breakfast and what position he plays and who's recruiting him and so on."

Indeed, Snyder has found that much has changed since he decided to step away from the program that is almost synonymous with his name. But it is the fundamental love he holds for the university and Manhattan, Kan., in general and specifically the football program that plays its home games in a stadium bearing the name Bill Snyder Family Stadium that brought him back to coaching.

So despite being happily retired and enjoying his fill of his grandchildren's Little League baseball games, Snyder accepted the challenge to steady the waters in Manhattan after three rocky seasons under Ron Prince and after the administration bungled Prince's firing and the subsequent coaching search last November.

Snyder's life of leisure was placed on hold, but after going through his internal and external process, to step in to stabilize the program Snyder built from almost nothing 20 years earlier was just the right thing to do.

This program -- or the task of remaking it -- is nothing close to what Snyder found when he originally took over the Wildcats in December 1998 with 47 scholarship athletes out of a possible 95. But he has work to do after Prince's three seasons produced one winning season and consecutive 5-7 campaigns.

His decision to return didn't come easily.

"It took some deep thought on my part," said Snyder, who compiled a 136-68-1 record in his first 17 years, which spanned both the Wildcats' membership in both the Big 8 and Big 12. "The reasoning for coming back was simply the feeling that was projected to me was (that the program was in a state of flux). The feeling was since I had been here for an extended period of time (before) that I might be able to calm the waters a little bit. That was important to me because I have a tremendous sense of loyalty to Kansas State University and its people.

"I needed to advance that thought to my family. So I sat down with all of our five children and with my wife and we talked about it at great length. It wasn't a matter of being supportive, it was something that they truly wanted me to do. But they also wanted to make sure I felt good about it and felt comfortable about it."

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BOISE, ID - SEPTEMBER 3: The scoreboard shows the sad state of the Oregon Ducks offense halfway through the third quarter of the game against the Boise State Broncos on September 3, 2009 at Bronco Stadium in Boise, Idaho. Oregon had 0 first downs, 2 yards rushing, 15 yards of passing for a total of 17 yards. Boise State won the game 19-8. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Scoreboard
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    BOISE, ID - SEPTEMBER 3: LaGarrette Blount #9 of the Oregon Ducks is gang tackled by Chase Baker #97 and Jarrell Root #96 of Boise State Broncos in the third quarter of the game on September 3, 2009 at Bronco Stadium in Boise, Idaho. Boise State won the game 19-8. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** LaGarrette Blount;Chase Baker;Jarrell Root

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    BOISE, ID - SEPTEMBER 3: An injured T.J Ward #2 of the Oregon Ducks hobbles off the field with teammate Talmadge Jackson III after losing to the Boise State Broncos 19-8 on September 3, 2009 at Bronco Stadium in Boise, Idaho. Boise State won the game 19-8. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** T.J Ward;Talmadge Jackson III

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    EDITORS, PHOTO EDITORS PLEASE ELIMINATE IDMC114 THE PHOTO CARRIES AN ONLINE RESTRICTION - Boise State fans watch as video of Oregon running back LeGarrette Blount slugging Boise State's Byron Hout is played repeatedly following the Broncos' 19-8 win Thursday night at Bronco Stadium in Boise. (AP Photo/Idaho Statesman photo - Darrin Oswald)

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    Oregons Kenjon Bamer (24) gets tackled by Boise States J.C. Percy (48) during the second half of the NCAA college football game on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2009 in Boise, Idaho. BSU went on to win 19-8. (AP Photo/Matt Cilley)

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    Boise States D.J. Harper (6) rushes against Oregons Talmadge Jackson III (37) during the second half of the NCAA college football game on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2009 in Boise, Idaho. BSU went on to win 19-8. (AP Photo/Matt Cilley)

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    Boise States head coach Chris Petersen walks the sidelines during the second half of the NCAA college football game on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2009 in Boise, Idaho. BSU went on to win 19-8. (AP Photo/Matt Cilley)

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    Oregons Jeremiah Masoli (8) avoids the sack against Boise States Dan Paul (47) during the second half of the NCAA college football game on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2009 in Boise, Idaho. BSU went on to win 19-8. (AP Photo/Matt Cilley)

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Who knows how long this run will last or if Snyder can come close to duplicating the success he had during his first run at Kansas State, when the Wildcats became a power in the Big 12 North. Under Snyder, they strung together 11 straight bowl appearances between 1993 and 2003 while also winning four North titles and one Big 12 championship inside. The odds are against Snyder coming anywhere close to those achievements this time.

NFL Hall of Famer and football genius Bill Walsh tried it at Stanford without much success, and the same went for newly selected College Hall of Fame coach John Robinson in his second USC stint.

"I don't know if it will be any different than maybe what some others have experienced," Snyder said. "That wasn't the purpose behind re-entering Kansas State University's football program. It had something to do with things I think that are above and beyond that."

Most close to the program say if Snyder doesn't succeed it won't be for a lack of trying and working hard. His inherited players say Snyder is as tough and demanding as the stories that have been passed down say.

"I think he just brings out the best in people," said junior quarterback Carson Coffman, who was just named the starter this week. "He's very demanding of the assistant coaches and the players. I think we've made huge strides since he's been back just in work ethic and respect."

Once a gruff and no-nonsense coach, Snyder, who flirted with running for lieutenant governor of Kansas during retirement, has returned to college football slightly kinder and gentler. He has also come back with a plan to use his coaching platform to promote his worthwhile causes.

"Really I came back so that every press conference," said Snyder, who begins his second stint in earnest Saturday when KSU opens the season hosting UMass. "I can promote Kansas Mentors, Kansas Leadership Center and the Kansas State University Leadership College and a variety of different entities I got involved with. They are significant. If you can do anything to promote mentoring in your community, you will have done a great service to your community."

That's not to imply Snyder isn't as serious about making the Wildcats winners again. He has once again surrounded himself with familiar trusted people like his son, Sean Snyder, who is the program's associate head coach/associate athletic director for football operations. In fact, 10 of the top 13 people surrounding the program either worked previously for Snyder or played for him -- or did both.

What is different are the administrators who once gave Snyder free reign to build the Wildcats with an oftentimes less-than daunting schedule and a hefty influx of junior college player. They allowed him to successfully campaigned to upgrade the facilities to decent standards.

Since then, Kirk Schulz has taken over as KSU president, and John Currie came from the Tennessee to assume control as the new athletic director. Both men were caught up in a mess left behind by the old regime, which had a secret deal with Prince that the current administration is doing all it can not to pay.

Snyder, who was never more than a few steps away from the program in retirement, seems comfortable with all the changes.

"They are just trying to get their feet on the ground," he said. "They just want to find out where they are and what they've got, which is exactly what I'm trying to do. So we are all kind of in the same boat that way.

"When you do that, it can slow a process down. So it's required some patience, but I think they are doing very very well."

For now, Snyder wants to concentrate on the task at hand, a task that broke him from a leisurely life of retirement.

"What the outcome will be, I have absolutely no idea," he said. "But if we can settle the waters, it will have been worth the effort."

The Fire Still Burns Inside of Bill Snyder originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Fri, 04 Sep 2009 11:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>bill snyderbill walshBillSnyderBillWalshcarson coffmanCarsonCoffmanjohn robinsonJohnRobinsonron princeRonPrinceTerrance HarrisFri, 04 Sep 2009 11:00:00 EST Coffman Earns Kansas State's QB Jobhttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/09/01/coffman-is-k-states-starting-qb/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/09/01/coffman-is-k-states-starting-qb/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/09/01/coffman-is-k-states-starting-qb/#commentsFiled under: ,

Kansas State coach Bill Snyder has decided to go with junior Carson Coffman over transfer senior Grant Gregory as the starting quarterback for Saturday's season opener against UMass.

The two had been involved in a tight battle for the starting spot all fall, but Coffman got enough separation to be officially named the starter Tuesday.

"It really wasn't the easiest decision in the world, I can assure you of that," Snyder said. "Both of them have made improvement. They are beginning to really get the big picture, which is obviously very vital for a quarterback. I think they both still have room to grow."

This has to be a particular blow to Gregory, who transferred to Kansas State this year for his final year of eligibility after serving as a career backup at South Florida. Snyder said Tuesday that the position would remain open to competition, keeping open the door for Gregory.

"It has been competitive up to this point and time," he said. "I think Grant will respond appropriately and it will continue to be competitive and that's going to be important to this football team and the growth of this football team."

Both Coffman and Gregory have been backups throughout their college careers. Coffman saw his most extensive action last season while backing up Josh Freeman, completing 25-of-41 passes for 282 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.

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He played a lot in the game against North Texas, going 9-for-18 for 74 yards, but his best performance came in the Nebraska game when he completed 5-of-8 passes for 74 yards and had one rushing touchdown under former coach Ron Prince.

Apparently both Coffman and Gregory performed similarly throughout camp with little differentiating the two. If there is a difference it might be that Coffman is a junior with two years of eligibility while Gregory will be a one and done player for the Wildcats this season.

"Not very much at all," Snyder said when asked about the separation in the two quarterbacks' performance. "I think both have had their good days and bad days. When a bad day has come about, they both have responded quite well. Both of them have the capability to get the ball where it needs to be. Both of them are still learning the nuances and totality of an offense, which is not an easy thing to do when it's a complete transition from where you've been.

"I don't think there was much of a difference between the two which is why it was such a very difficult decision. They were so very close tied in regards to performance level."

Coffman Earns Kansas State's QB Job originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 01 Sep 2009 18:09:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>carson coffmangrant gregoryTerrance HarrisTue, 01 Sep 2009 18:09:00 EST Big 12 Notebook: Marquee Matchups Rule Opening Weekhttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/08/31/big-12-notebook-marquee-matchups-rule-opening-week/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/08/31/big-12-notebook-marquee-matchups-rule-opening-week/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/08/31/big-12-notebook-marquee-matchups-rule-opening-week/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Oklahoma StateMost college football coaches seem to prefer easing into the non-conference portion of the schedule before the fun really starts during league play.

But for three Big 12 schools, the start of the season will be anything but a breaking-in period this upcoming weekend.

Missouri and Illinois meet in St. Louis, third-ranked Oklahoma takes on No. 20 BYU in Arlington, Texas, and the marquee matchup features No.13 Georgia at No. 9 Oklahoma State on Saturday afternoon.

Let's just say there isn't likely to be any relaxing moments where the backup quarterback can get a little work for any of these teams Saturday.

"It makes ... your players have a sense of urgency, and that they've got to be on top of their game for sure right off the bat," OU coach Bob Stoops said Monday. "You like it if you are able to win and you don't like it if you aren't able to win it.

"At the end of the day it is challenging and it does get your players' attention for sure."

These games also capture the attention of voters, networks, alumni and important recruits. That is certainly the case with the rivalry series between Mizzou and the Illini now being played in St. Louis, the city where both bordering state schools regularly tangle for talented recruits in the area.

"This game is like a bowl game. It's two rivals, in a great city, the dome," said MU coach Gary Pinkel, whose team has won its last four games against Illinois in St. Louis. "This intensity is just unbelievable to start the season."

As intense as things may get in St. Louis, the emotional level in the newly renovated Boone Pickens Stadium is likely to be 10 times greater Saturday. The Cowboys are coming into their most hyped season ever. The program is ranked in the top 10 and is considered talented enough to challenge for its first Big 12 South title and earn a BCS bowl bid.

But to get this season of high expectations off to the desired start, OSU will have to get past a Georgia program that knows a little about big-time matchups. Fortunately for the Cowboys, the Bulldogs will be breaking in a new starting quarterback and running back.

But the fact that even OSU coach Mike Gundy is inexperienced in these type of games might be more damaging than Georgia's inexperience at key positions on the field.

"This is new to me personally," Gundy said. "I've not been in a situation where we've had to so much national attention and gotten the program to this level so this is new for myself. I do worry about it. I don't know what we can do other than practice hard and stay focused as a staff."

If Gundy is trying to do all he can to bring normalcy to his team as the game approaches, the fans are doing all they can to keep the Cowboys on edge.

"In Stillwater and the community, the last four or five weeks wherever you go, that's all anybody talks about," Gundy said Monday. "Three or four nights ago I was in Wal-Mart with my oldest son at 9:30 or 10 at night and everybody that walks by, that's all they talk about. That's good.

"It's good that there is a lot of excitement in the community. But you always worry about [being able to focus] as a coach."

Even more pressing, the coaches must worry about having to come out of the gate fast. Most coaches will tell you that the biggest improvement in their teams comes between Week 1 and Week 2. That could be too late for teams like Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, who have national championship aspirations.

Chances are, in a division that is as competitive as the Big 12 South, there is enough recovery time. But who wants to take that chance when teams like Florida, Ohio State, or USC might be capable of running the table?

Colorado, Kansas State keeping QB secrets

Both Colorado and Kansas State come into this season with serious competition at quarterback and neither of the respective coaches were willing to reveal their hands Monday.

K-State coach Bill Snyder said he would wait until Tuesday's press conference to announce the winner of the competition between junior Carson Coffman and senior Grant Gregory for Saturday's season opener against UMass.

Colorado coach Dan Hawkins is going to wait until Sunday's game against Colorado State to unveil whether or not sophomore Tyler Hansen has unseated his son, Cody Hawkins, for the Buffaloes' top spot.

"Both of them have done a nice job," Dan Hawkins said. "We are fortunate because we have two guys who understand the system. They're smart players who can make plays. They are both good players."

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University of Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez addressed the media at Junge Family Champions Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Monday, August 31, 2009. (Andre J. Jackson/Detroit Free Press/MCT)
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    In this photo provided by Harpo Productions, ESPN college football sideline reporter Erin Andrews, left, talks with television talk-show host Oprah Winfrey during a taping for an upcoming show Thursday, Aug. 27, 2009, in Chicago. In the interview, which airs Sept. 11, Andrews tells Winfrey that having secretly videotaped nude footage of her distributed on the Internet was a "nightmare." (AP Photo/Harpo Productions, George Burns)

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    University of Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez addressed the media at Junge Family Champions Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Monday, August 31, 2009. (Andre J. Jackson/Detroit Free Press/MCT)

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    University of Michigan athletic director Bill Martin addressed the media at Junge Family Champions Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Monday, August 31, 2009. (Andre J. Jackson/Detroit Free Press/MCT)

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    University of Michigan linebacker Obi Ezeh addressed the media at Junge Family Champions Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Monday, August 31, 2009. (Andre J. Jackson/Detroit Free Press/MCT)

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    University of Michigan linebacker Steve Brown addressed the media at Junge Family Champions Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Monday, August 31, 2009. (Andre J. Jackson/Detroit Free Press/MCT)

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    University of Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez addressed the media at Junge Family Champions Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Monday, August 31, 2009. (Andre J. Jackson/Detroit Free Press/MCT)

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    University of Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez addressed the media at Junge Family Champions Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Monday, August 31, 2009. (Andre J. Jackson/Detroit Free Press/MCT)

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    University of Michigan offensive lineman David Moosman addressed the media at Junge Family Champions Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Monday, August 31, 2009. (Andre J. Jackson/Detroit Free Press/MCT)

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    In this Aug. 23, 2009 photo, Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez waits for his players to be seated for a team photo, during the school's annual football media day at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich. Players from the 2008 and 2009 teams told the Detroit Free Press for a story published on the newspaper's Web site on Saturday, Aug. 29, 2009 that the amount of time they spend on football activities during the season and in the offseason greatly exceeds NCAA limits. (AP Photo/Tony Ding)

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But while Hawkins still seems somewhat undecided on his direction, Snyder said he already knows who his quarterback will be to start the season. He just wasn't willing to tell Monday.

"We have a decision and we'll announce it tomorrow at the press conference to give everybody a fair shot at it," said Snyder, who returns to the sidelines after a brief retirement. "But we know which way we will go."

It's fair to assume Kansas State and Colorado will likely play two quarterbacks at various points this season. Both Hawkins and Hansen played last year, with Hansen showing a great deal of promise. Coffman was the backup to Josh Freeman last season, while Gregory was a backup at South Florida last season before transferring upon graduation to play his final year of eligibility in Manhattan.

Snyder said that whichever quarterback gets the nod for the opener will have to continue to play well because the competition will remain open.

"We're not in a position and it's never really been our philosophy to say, 'You're it for the year,' " he said. "I think what you would like to have happen is for the youngster to accept the responsibility of being No.1 and maintaining the position of being No.1 throughout the course of the year. That would be the hope. But by the same token, we want to make sure it remains competitive so whoever the No. 2 quarterback is going into this game, I want him to understand that if he continues to improve he always has the opportunity to challenge for the No.1 spot.

"Whoever it is going on the field on Saturday will certainly have to perform well enough to retain the position."

Frustrated Rhoads

Paul RhoadsFirst-year Iowa State coach Paul Rhoads seemed to take a shot or two at his predecessors and how they taught or didn't teach the Iowa State Cyclones defenders how to tackle.

The most recent head coach of ISU was Gene Chizik, who bounced after two unsuccessful seasons to take over at Auburn, the school where Rhoads was the defensive coordinator last season.

"The first thing we need to do on that side of the ball is to tackle," Rhoads said. "We inherited a football team that we felt tackled very poorly. We went to work on it just as quickly as we could when we started spring practice.

"I believe we've made a good amount of improvement but we are far from being a good tackling football team yet. Part of that is athleticism, we have to upgrade that and develop it. The other part is we have to improve technique angles that go along with being a good tackling football team. At this point still, we forget those things."

The numbers from last season support Rhoads' concerns. The Cyclones were 10th in the Big 12 in total defense and 112th overall after allowing an average of 453.2 yards per game and 6.7 yards per play.

Rhoads is going to have to play with many of those players while his recruits develop.

"It's been really frustrating because our players are our program," he said. "You develop athleticism, you develop the ability to change direction better throughout your offseason and drills, but you don't change physically who [you are] a great deal."

To correct the problem, Rhoads admits his camp was very much on the physical side.

"I don't think anybody would argue that fact," Rhoads said. "I think the output of ice coming out of our training room has definitely been up [over] where it's been the last couple of years."

Punting around in Jerry's World

Oklahoma and BYU's punters could be the next to encounter the low-hanging scoreboard in the Dallas Cowboys' new stadium when they play Saturday.

The 90-foot high scoreboard has caused controversy in the NFL because punted balls have hit it, causing a stop in play for a do-over. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said he won't raise the towering structure in his state-of-the-art venue.

Stoops doesn't seem too concerned.

"Whatever the rule is we'll abide by it," he said. "From what I understand you just re-kick. They reset the clock and you have a do-over."

In some ways, Sooners freshman punter Tress Way connecting with the scoreboard might be a good sign.

"Hopefully our guy can hit it and have that kind of problem," Stoops said. "That means he's hitting it pretty well."
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Big 12 Notebook: Marquee Matchups Rule Opening Week originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 31 Aug 2009 23:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>bill snyderbob stoopsdan hawkinsgary pinkelmike gundyTerrance HarrisMon, 31 Aug 2009 23:00:00 EST Big 12 North Predictions Go Retrohttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/08/13/big-12-north-predictions-go-retro/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/08/13/big-12-north-predictions-go-retro/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/08/13/big-12-north-predictions-go-retro/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

You might want to label this the throwback year in the Big 12 North.

Legendary Kansas State coach Bill Snyder is returning to the Wildcats sidelines this season after a four-year hiatus. And maybe even bigger, Nebraska appears on the way back.

Following a forgettable four years under Bill Callahan, former Cornhuskers' defensive coordinator Bo Pelini stepped in last season and immediately began to restore pride in the one-time powerhouse program, particularly on the defensive side of the football.

Nebraska concluded last season on a four-game winning streak, which included a feel-good 26-21 victory over Clemson in the Gator Bowl. Many are counting on the Cornhuskers carrying that momentum into this season, despite breaking in an inexperienced quarterback and some major question marks on both sides of the football.

But while the rest of the country is counting on an instant return (Nebraska was picked to win the North Division in the Big 12 Preseason Media Poll last month), Pelini isn't declaring that his Cornhuskers are back to the Tom Osborne days when they always seemed to be in the national championship conversation.

"We'll find out this year," Pelini said when asked by FanHouse how close his program was to being the Nebraska of old. "I believe our talent level is better than it was a year ago. I think we are young in some spots. We're not as deep a football team as I would like to be across the board.

"I won't be satisfied until we win them all, until we are playing for the national championship. How close we are to that, I don't know. I know this: I'm looking forward to the challenge of the upcoming year as is the rest of the team."

Just to show how much has changed in the North, Nebraska's biggest challenges use to come from Colorado and Kansas State. But Missouri has won the last two North titles and Kansas is likely to pose the biggest threat this season to Nebraska's return to thrown.

The Jayhawks may have the most talented offense in the North, led by quarterback Todd Reesing and receivers Dezmon Briscoe and Kerry Meier. Defense will be their biggest hurdle.

"There is a lot of enthusiasm and great expectations we have as coaches and as players for this year's team," said KU coach Mark Mangino, whose team has recorded back-to-back bowl seasons. "We're looking forward to it."

NORTH DIVISION

Nebraska

Pros: After losing the Blackshirt mystic under Callahan, the Cornhuskers rebounded immediately under the defensive guru-turned head coach Pelini. Defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh was a big reason Nebraska went from 116th in the country against the run to 21st last season. Also, safety Larry Asante and defensive end Barry Turner, who returns after missing last season with a broken leg, should be big contributors on a defense that returns just six starters. Offensively, running back Roy Helu should take some of the pressure off first-time starting quarterback Zac Lee as will the reliability of tight end Mike McNeill.

Cons: Joe Ganz is gone after an outstanding year and what's left is an unknown. Even worse there is a depth issue now that one of the projected backups is out for the season. Lee came out of spring ball ahead, but he has thrown just two career passes. The Huskers could turn to highly touted freshman Cody Green if he is ready, but they are preparing former linebacker Latravis Washington to play quarterback after Pellini announced this week redshirt freshman Kody Spano will miss the season. Nebraska also has some unknowns at receiver and the defense has several holes to fill including its entire linebacker corp.

Scheduling: The Cornhuskers will benefit from a very weak North Division round of opponents and the fact Texas is off the schedule this season. The Nov. 7 showdown with Oklahoma in Lincoln should be interesting while the game at Kansas the following week may settle the North.

Kansas

Pros: Quarterback Reesing, listed at 5-foot-11, might be small in stature, but the senior has been huge for the Jayhawks program. He's coming off an impressive season in which he completed nearly 67 percent of his pass for 3,888 yards and 32 touchdowns. He should be able to improve those numbers with what could be the Big 12's top receiving corp. that includes big-play receiver Dezmon Briscoe and possession receiver Kerry Meier. The running game is on solid footing despite the messy departure of former JC Offensive Player of the Year Jocques Crawford. Top rusher Jake Sharp is back after running for 860 yards and 12 touchdowns while averaging 4.6 yards per carry.

Cons: The Jayhawks could be plagued by the same problem that prevented them last season from reaching the levels of 2007's Orange Bowl campaign and that's defense. KU was one of the worst against the pass last season and much of that had to do with the lack of a legitimate pass rush. Defensive end Jake Laptab, who came on late in the season, and All-Big 12 safety Darrell Stuckey headline eight returning starters on defense. But will the unit show significant enough improvement to knock off Nebraska is the major question. Offensively, the Jayhawks have just two returning starters on the offensive line which could slow the offense some.

Scheduling: Kansas should reign supreme in the North this season, marking an unprecedented third straight bowl season. But what will hurt the Jayhawks title hopes most is a brutal schedule that has both Texas and Oklahoma -- two top five teams -- and tough road games at Colorado, Texas Tech and Kansas State. Their showdown with Nebraska in Lawrence should settle the North Division.

Kansas State

Pros: Bill Snyder, the man who built the Wildcats from virtually nothing into a power in the Big 12 North, returns after a four-year semi-retirement. It will be interesting to see if at 67-years-old he has the energy to resurrect a program that began falling apart toward the end of his initial tenure. Ron Prince came in and re-energized the program before his success began to dip. Snyder might not win immediately, but the program is in much better shape than he left it so it might not take long to return to the top.

Cons: The Wildcats are virtually starting over on offense with early departure of quarterback Josh Freeman to the NFL. The lone real offensive threat is senior receiver Brandon Banks, who was last season's Big 12 Offensive Newcomer of the Year after catching 67 passes for 1,049 yards, but he will be hard for a new quarterback to find at 5-foot-7. Junior Carson Coffman has waited patiently for his turn at quarterback and now he has it. He put up a few numbers last season but they came in situations where the game was already decided.

Scheduling: Much has changed around the Wildcats program since Snyder retired from the program in 2005. Scheduling is one of them. Snyder was known for loading up the schedule with Division I-AA teams in non-conference, but he will be treated to road games against UL-Lafayette and UCLA this season due to Prince's insistence that the schedule toughen up. Okay, yeah UMass and Tennessee Tech --two I-AA opponents -- are still on the schedule. But the Wildcats with a mostly young offense will need all the confidence they can get with Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska awaiting in Big 12 play.

Colorado

Pros: The good news about last season's injury-plagued campaign is that the Buffaloes certainly have a lot of experience on sides of the football because they had to rely on whomever was healthy. The most interesting aspect of the Buffaloes could be quarterback where Cody Hawkins returns for a third season, but sophomore Tyler Hansen may push his for his job. Coach Dan Hawkins has vowed to return to more of power running game and he has the horses to do it and an experienced offensive line that brings back four starters from last season.

Cons: This could be a huge distraction year with so much speculation about Dan Hawkins' career. Colorado fans are losing patience and it's understandable, considering Hawkins is 13-24 going into his four seasons in Boulder. Things will get particularly hairy if his son, Cody, takes another step back and the fans begin to insist they want Hansen. Hansen has a stronger arm and is a little more mobile than Hawkins. Defensively, the Buffaloes are going to a 3-4 scheme, but that scheme has had spotty success at the college level.

Scheduling: The schedule is mild enough the Buffaloes should be able to come out with at least seven wins and make a bowl game to ease some of the unrest. But there is trouble early with three should-win home games against Colorado State, Miami University, Wyoming and then later in the season, the Buffs have to win games at Kansas State and Iowa State and at home against Missouri and Texas A&M.

Missouri

Pros: Gary Pinkel's spread offense will need time to find its footing with a new quarterback and a stable of inexperienced receivers, but that may not be such a huge problem with a quality 1,000-rusher returning in Derrick Washington and three offensive linemen returning. Defensively, All-Big 12 linebacker Sean Weatherspoon returns for his third season as a starter. He led Mizzou last season with 155 tackles.

Cons: After an unprecedented run in which the Tigers won back to back North titles and have gone to bowl games in the last five of six seasons, Pinkel is finally starting over. Tigers lost 14 starters last season after they led Missouri to what was once unimaginable success. The biggest loss is quarterback Chase Daniel, who engineered the offense for three seasons. Sophomore Blaine Gabbert takes over after seeing limited action in five games as a true freshman last season. Just four starters return on defense, which also could mean trouble.

Scheduling: This could be a brutal schedule for a rebuilding team with Oklahoma, Texas and Baylor on the schedule from the South, but the Tigers do get North favorites Nebraska at home and play Kansas in a neutral site game in Kansas City to end the season.

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Stanford head football coach Jim Harbaugh watches his team during college football practice in Palo Alto, Calif., Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2009. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
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    Stanford head football coach Jim Harbaugh watches his team during college football practice in Palo Alto, Calif., Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2009. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

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    Stanford cornerback Corey Gatewood (2) covers receiver Ryan Whalen (8) during college football practice in Palo Alto, Calif., Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2009. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

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    California running back Jahvid Best, left, runs drills as running back coach Ron Gould, right, looks on during college football practice in Berkeley, Calif., Monday, Aug. 10, 2009. With eight returning starters from a topflight defense, Best and Shane Vereen sharing the running load, and Pac 10 powerhouse Southern California needing to fill plenty of holes, this could be the year the Bears end a more than half century drought and make it to the Rose Bowl for the first time since the 1958 season. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

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    California Running Jahvid Best puts on his helmet during college football practice in Berkeley, Calif., Monday, Aug. 10, 2009. With eight returning starters from a topflight defense, Best and Shane Vereen sharing the running load, and Pac 10 powerhouse Southern California needing to fill plenty of holes, this could be the year the Bears end a more than half century drought and make it to the Rose Bowl for the first time since the 1958 season. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

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    California quarterback Kevin Riley smiles during college football practice in Berkeley, Calif., Monday, Aug. 10, 2009. Riley, who went 7-2 as a starter last season, is back and entered as the slight favorite in a three way battle with Brock Mansion and Beau Sweeney based on what he did last year. "His experience puts him a step ahead and he has a knowledge of the offense," Tedford said. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

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    Stanford quarterbacks Andrew Luck (12) and Tavita Pritchard (14) throw during college football practice in Palo Alto, Calif., Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2009. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

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    California head coach Jeff Tedford watches his team during college football practice in Berkeley, Calif., Monday, Aug. 10, 2009. With eight returning starters from a topflight defense, Jahvid Best and Shane Vereen sharing the running load, and Pac 10 powerhouse Southern California needing to fill plenty of holes, this could be the year the Bears end a more than half century drought and make it to the Rose Bowl for the first time since the 1958 season. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

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    Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck (12) throws during NCAA college football practice in Palo Alto, Calif., Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2009.(AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

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    California head coach Jeff Tedford watches his team during college football practice in Berkeley, Calif., Monday, Aug. 10, 2009. With eight returning starters from a topflight defense, Jahvid Best and Shane Vereen sharing the running load, and Pac 10 powerhouse Southern California needing to fill plenty of holes, this could be the year the Bears end a more than half century drought and make it to the Rose Bowl for the first time since the 1958 season. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

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    Stanford head coach Jim Harbaugh instructs his team during college football practice in Palo Alto, Calif., Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2009. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

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Iowa State

Pros: Iowa native Paul Rhoades takes a over a program that has been a little down since Dan McCarney days and is still smarting from the hasty exit of Gene Chizik after just two years, but the Cyclones could be ready to take off. Rhoades has 15 starters returning, the fourth most in the Big 12. This group went 2-10 last season but quarterback Austen Arnaud is better, he has deep and talented pool of receivers to throw to and a talented running back in Alexander Robinson. The Cyclones have a new more exciting offense, which should
really allow Robinson to take off.

Cons: Rhoades' background as a defensive coordinator will come in handy because there are major holes to fill. The Cyclones have just five starters returning from a unit that ranked 112th in the nation in overall defense (453.2 yards per game and 56 touchdowns) and was 116th against the pass (276.7 yards and 31 touchdowns). Their best defender is linebacker Jesse Smith and he's a former walk-on. Fourth-year punter Mike Brandtner may be the defenses best friend after he averaged a career-best 41.6 yards a punt last season.

Scheduling: The Cyclones will hit some rough spots on the schedule, like a three-week stretch in the middle where a home game against Baylor is in the middle of road games at Kansas and Nebraska. But if all goes right, Rhoades could win five or six games in his first season which would amount to a perfect homecoming.

Big 12 North Predictions Go Retro originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 13 Aug 2009 10:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Terrance HarrisThu, 13 Aug 2009 10:00:00 EST