NCAA Football FanHouse http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com NCAA Football FanHouse http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/media/feedlogo.gif NCAA Football FanHouse http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/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 NCAA Rejects Dez Bryant's Appealhttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/05/osus-dez-bryant-loses-appeal-college-career-likely-over/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/05/osus-dez-bryant-loses-appeal-college-career-likely-over/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/05/osus-dez-bryant-loses-appeal-college-career-likely-over/#commentsFiled under: ,

Dez BryantLet the Dez Bryant/NCAA debate begin.

Just or unjust? Excessive or just plain over the top?

Whatever side you fall on, the NCAA has made it's decision where Oklahoma State All-American receiver Dez Bryant is concerned. The governing body turned down the final appeal on the junior's one-year suspension for lying, likely ending his college career.

Bryant had been ruled ineligible earlier this season after the NCAA determined he lied about his relationship with former NFL star Deion Sanders. He has missed Oklahoma State's last five games and it appears Bryant has played his final game in a Cowboys uniform.

A likely top-5 pick in next spring's NFL draft, Bryant had given indication in recent weeks that he would begin preparing for the draft should his appeal not be overturned.

Still, the debate will wage on as to whether the year-long suspension to Bryant was fair. He did break a rarely cited conduct code when he lied to NCAA investigators this summer and again in the fall about meeting with Sanders at the former star's Dallas-area home in May.

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Bryant has since admitted he lied to the investigators for fear that by meeting with Sanders, watching him work out and having a meal with Sanders (Bryant says he paid for his own meal) that he had committed an NCAA violation. It appears that all Bryant actually did wrong was mislead the NCAA.

Some have said for that, Bryant should have had to sit out maybe a game or two. Not an entire year. If Bryant were to come back next season, he wouldn't be eligible to return to the playing field until late September.

As a big-time receiving/punt return prospect, Bryant was expected to take his talents to the NFL after this season anyway. He can simply get that process started earlier and without fear of injury.

NCAA Rejects Dez Bryant's Appeal originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:33:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Deion SandersDeionSandersDez BryantDezBryantncaaOklahoma State footballOklahomaStateFootballTerrance HarrisThu, 05 Nov 2009 15:33:00 EST Former Top Recruit Scott Quits Coloradohttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/03/prized-recruit-darrell-scott-leaves-colorado/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/03/prized-recruit-darrell-scott-leaves-colorado/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/03/prized-recruit-darrell-scott-leaves-colorado/#commentsFiled under: ,

It seemed like a sign of positive things to come in Boulder, Colo., when Parade All-American running back Darrell Scott chose Colorado over Texas and Southern California two years ago.

But it was the fairy tale that was never realized as injuries and questions about his physical conditioning clouded a two-year career. Scott, easily the biggest and most high-profile recruit of Dan Hawkins' Colorado tenure, informed the coaching staff Tuesday that he is leaving the program.

Hawkins said in a released statement the sophomore "is leaving for assorted personal reasons." He assumed Scott would be transferring to school closer to his Ventura, Calif., home.

Scott told the Denver Post he hopes to get a release to UCLA, where he can join his uncle Josh Smith, a former Buffs wide receiver who transferred to UCLA last year and is sitting out this season per NCAA guidelines.

"I'd been thinking about it for a couple of months," Scott told the newspaper on Tuesday.

Scott seemed to turn a major corner in the Buffaloes' second game of the year with a career-best 12 carries for 85 yards in a loss to Toledo.

That couldn't have been the type of production Scott or the Buffaloes anticipated when he picked them as the country's top running back and the No. 2 overall prospect of the 2008 recruiting class. Scott earned top All-American honors from Parade, USA Today, Prep Star and SuperPrep coming out of St. Bonaventure High School.

As a freshman last season, he played in 11 games, but missed a game and parts of others due to groin and ankle injuries. Injuries continued to be a major theme this season.

He injured his knee in the Toledo game and had arthroscopic surgery on Oct. 22, according to The Post. It probably hasn't helped that Colorado is still struggling and pressure is mounting on Hawkins, who could lose his job after the season.

Colorado is at the bottom of the Big 12 North standings with a 2-6, 1-3 conference record.

"There's really nothing to say, other than 'Sorry to Buff nation,' " Scott said.
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Former Top Recruit Scott Quits Colorado originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 03 Nov 2009 22:25:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Dan HawkinsDarrell ScottTerrance HarrisTue, 03 Nov 2009 22:25:00 EST Rocky Times for Jayhawks, Reesinghttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/03/smooth-sailing-over-for-jayhawks-reesing/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/03/smooth-sailing-over-for-jayhawks-reesing/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/03/smooth-sailing-over-for-jayhawks-reesing/#commentsFiled under: ,

Kansas JayhawksA few weeks ago, Kansas head coach Mark Mangino was touting senior quarterback Todd Reesing as a should-be Heisman Trophy candidate.

The 5-0 Jayhawks, themselves, were looking like the best team in the Big 12 North and maybe as a team that could give the South division a run for the conference championship as they ran roughshod over the likes of Northern Colorado, UTEP, Duke and Southern Miss.

But three weeks later, Kansas is stuck in reverse on a three-game losing streak and Reesing found himself yanked during Saturday's 42-21 loss to Texas Tech.

It's fair to say much has changed and none for the better in Lawrence, Kan. these last few weeks as the competition has stepped up considerably. The Kansas Jayhawks, who figured to challenge Nebraska for the North title, began the three-game stretch ranked 17th in the country and now are nowhere to be found in the polls after disappointing losses to Colorado, Oklahoma and Texas Tech.

"We've been in this position before," Mangino said during Monday's Big 12 football teleconference. "We just need to get on track and do a better offensively and do a good job of just maintaining good attitude, good work ethic. The character of our team will be tested, there is no question about that."

But what has been questioned in recent weeks is the performance of Reesing, who has not been himself since entering conference play. During the Jayhawks three-game losing streak, he has thrown more interceptions (five) than he has touchdowns (three) and Reesing has been responsible for seven turnovers that have led to 42 points for Jayhawk opponents during this three-game losing streak. He's also been sacked 14 times during that span.
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With Reesing and the offense struggling Saturday, Mangino finally pulled his senior late in the fourth quarter in favor of redshirt freshman Kale Pick. Reesing had completed 20 of 35 passes for 181 yards and one touchdown while being sacked six times. The final straw seemed to come when a Reesing fumble led to a 31-yard touchdown for Texas Tech's LaRon Moore.

Mangino declined immediately to say Reesing would be the starter for the upcoming game against rival Kansas State, but on Monday said Reesing was indeed the starter. But Mangino still believes benching Reesing Saturday was the right thing to do.

"No. 1, he wasn't getting great protection from the offensive line and I didn't want him taking any more shots," said Mangino, whose team is 5-3 (1-3 in the Big 12). "No. 2, things just weren't in synch for our whole offense, not just him but the whole offense. I felt it was in his best interest and the team's best interest to take him out of the game."

Reesing, however, was caught off guard by the benching because at that point still felt there was a chance for the Jayhawks to get back into the game.

"I was [surprised]," Reesing told the Kansas City Star. "I'm not going to lie. At that point, we were two possessions down, but by no means was the game over."

Now Reesing will have to respond to the adversity of being benched for the first time in his career. Pick came in for Reesing, but a lot of Jayhawks fans would like to see if quarterback-turned-star-receiver Kerry Meier still has anything left in his arm.

Mangino squashed any of that speculation Monday by saying Meier is the No.3 quarterback.

"[Reesing] is absolutely fine," he said. "He's ready to go, he wants to win. He's looking forward to playing against Kansas State and wants to win the game. I don't see any problems with him about anything.

"I think the least of his worries ought to be coming out of the game. He is going to focus on getting himself better and getting back into sync."

During Saturday's loss, Mangino just saw his offense completely unravel while the defense tried to hold its own. The offensive line couldn't hold its blocks, running back Jake Sharp just seemed a step slow and the much-celebrated receiving corp that includes stalwarts Dezmon Briscoe and Meier dropped several passes.

"The problems were not Todd Reesing," Mangino said. "He shares part of the problem, but we are not running the ball well, we are not protecting well and we are dropping balls all over the place. We've had drops that are uncharacteristic for us and they've been at crucial times and that hurt us. That has nothing to do with Todd."

Yet, as badly as the Jayhawks have played in recent weeks, they still could climb into the wacky North division race with a win over the first-place Wildcats this week in Manhattan. But Mangino said that is not a subject he will broach with his team this week.



"They will read all the papers and listen to all of you guys so they will know that, but they are not going to hear that from me," said Mangino, whose team had to hold off Iowa State in a 41-36 win in the league opener for its only Big 12 win this season. "My message is we've got to get ourselves better. We've got to improve fundamentally, we've got to improve in assignments and we've got to improve in a lot of areas in all three phases of the game. When you do that you have a chance to win and when you don't do that, it's for not.

"All that other stuff doesn't mean anything if you don't take of your business out on the field."

Rocky Times for Jayhawks, Reesing originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 03 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>kale pickkerry meierKerryMeiermark manginoMarkManginoTodd ReesingToddReesingTerrance HarrisTue, 03 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST Iowa State's Arnaud Set to Returnhttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/02/iowa-states-arnaud-set-to-return-from-injury/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/02/iowa-states-arnaud-set-to-return-from-injury/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/02/iowa-states-arnaud-set-to-return-from-injury/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Austin ArnaudIowa State coach Paul Rhoads says junior quarterback Austen Arnaud is ready to return to the Cyclones starting lineup this week when they take on Oklahoma State.

Arnaud, a two-year starter for the Cyclones, has been sidelined the last weeks with a bruised throwing hand. He was injured during the Oct. 17 win over Baylor.

Rhoads says Arnaud was close to returning to the lineup last Saturday at Texas A&M but that his velocity just wasn't there so he stuck with redshirt freshman Jerome Tiller for one more week.

"He was awfully close Saturday, but there was just enough velocity that was off that he would not have been a good position to help us win the football game," Rhoads said during Monday's Big 12 football teleconference. "Jerome threw two interceptions, he threw both balls pretty good and A&M's speed was able to capitalize and still make interceptions. Austen didn't even have that much on the ball.

"But (Arnaud) was much further along and he will start against Oklahoma State."

In his absence Tiller performed well enough to lead the Iowa State Cyclones to a 1-1 record in two weeks, which included an upset of Nebraska on Oct. 24. ISU, however, is coming off a 35-10 loss at A&M on Saturday.



Rhoads said Arnaud returned to practice Sunday and he expects him to practice every day this week leading up to the matchup against the Cowboys.

"We still kept him out quite a bit last week," said Rhoads, who's team is in second place in the Big 12 North standings with a 5-3, 2-2 conference record. "The main issue has been his grip on the ball and we did not want the swelling to flair back up by over practicing so we tried to go into Saturday and see what he could do. The swelling is all gone now and he's grasping the ball fine, we expect him to practice through a normal routine this week."

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Iowa State's Arnaud Set to Return originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:18:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Austen ArnaudAustenArnaudIowa State FootballIowaStateFootballpaul rhoadsPaulRhoadsTerrance HarrisMon, 02 Nov 2009 17:18:00 EST No. 2 Longhorns Try to Stay Focusedhttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/01/no-2-longhorns-attempt-to-stay-focused-as-bcs-picture-becomes-c/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/01/no-2-longhorns-attempt-to-stay-focused-as-bcs-picture-becomes-c/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/01/no-2-longhorns-attempt-to-stay-focused-as-bcs-picture-becomes-c/#commentsFiled under: ,

STILLWATER, Okla. -- As much debate swirls around which teams are the best and most deserving for a shot at the BCS national title, the Texas Longhorns appear to have the most unabridged path to Pasadena of any of the serious contenders.

Take your pick of the other potential candidates -- Florida, Alabama, Iowa, TCU, Cincinnati, Boise State, Oregon -- and they all could suffer heartbreaks during this final stretch of regular season. Texas' path has far fewer land mines.

The Longhorns, who leaped back into the No. 2 spot in both polls over Alabama on Sunday and are third in the most recent BCS poll, just completed the most difficult portion of their schedule in impressive fashion, beating Colorado, Oklahoma, Missouri and Oklahoma State in what was supposed to be a challenging four-game stretch.

Now all that stands in the Longhorns' (8-0, 5-0) path to the BCS national title game are four tricky, but hardly daunting, regular-season games. They will need to remain unblemished against the stretch of Central Florida, Baylor, Kansas and Texas A&M followed by a Big 12 championship matchup in which they will be the overwhelming favorite against any team the North division can offer.

But while they weren't exactly convincing, to a man every Longhorn answered with the similar "take one game at time" answer when asked if the road to the BCS national title was becoming any clearer after Saturday night's 41-14 rout of the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Boone Pickens Stadium.

"Our focus is one at a time," said senior quarterback Colt McCoy. "It's been like that since the very beginning of the year. I think our team has definitely bought into that."

Next up for Texas is a non-conference matchup against Central Florida (4-3, 2-2 C-USA) at home on Saturday. Late-surging Texas A&M at Kyle Field seems to be the most dangerous opponent left.
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With the two teams ahead of Texas in the BCS rankings, Florida and Alabama, headed for a collision course in the SEC championship game, all the Longhorns have to do is keep winning in order to clinch one half of the national championship game.

But all Texas linebacker Roddrick Muckelroy says the team is concerned about is the task at hand. And for him that's the school in Florida -- even if he confused about which program the Longhorns are facing Saturday.

"We will see the big prize next week, Florida Atlantic, that's the next big prize on the menu," said Muckelroy, who misidentified Central Florida. "One game at a time. I'm not trying to look no farther than the one Saturday. That's how we've been doing it all year, that's how we are going to continue doing it."

But after watching how Texas dominated the Cowboys on Saturday and took advantage of every mistake, the Longhorns are looking like a team destined to return to the Rose Bowl, the scene of their last national championship after the 2005 season. Defensively, they are as dominant and opportunistic as any unit in the country.

UT coach Mack Brown, who was more than a little peeved last season when his one-loss team didn't get a Big 12 championship or a national championship bid, admits it's setting up nicely for his Longhorns. But he cautions against taking these final opponents for granted.

"I think the signal is we have a chance to be really good here at the end," Brown said. "Thank goodness we divide our season up in three sections, four [games] each. Two of those sections are gone so we have a four-game season that's left, and we have to restart that next week.

"Now we are continuing to play for the Big 12 South championship. We are continuing to try to get in that Big 12 championship game and at the same time, we still have a lot at stake on the national scene. We want to be the best team in the country and we want to continue to play like that."

No. 2 Longhorns Try to Stay Focused originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sun, 01 Nov 2009 20:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>ColtMccoyMackBrownRoddrickMuckelroytexas longhornsTexasLonghornsTerrance HarrisSun, 01 Nov 2009 20:30:00 EST Texas Rewrites History in Routhttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/01/texas-rewrites-history-in-rout/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/01/texas-rewrites-history-in-rout/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/01/texas-rewrites-history-in-rout/#commentsFiled under: , ,

STILLWATER, Okla. --- Texas coach Mack Brown normally demands his teams stay in the moment.

But in the week leading up to Saturday night's game against 13th-ranked Oklahoma State, Brown wanted to make certain the third-ranked Longhorns remembered where they were at this point last season and what they lost against Texas Tech.

They were different opponents, but presented a strikingly similar scenario a year apart.

The final game in a crazy four-game swing. Facing an explosive offensive team in a critical Big 12 South game. Hostile environment.

But where the Longhorns failed a season ago in Lubbock, they excelled Saturday night, putting the clamps on the Cowboys in a convincing 41-14 win, much to the chagrin of a mostly black and orange crowd of 58,516 that packed Boone Pickens Stadium.

They didn't just beat the Cowboys, the walloped the past, too.

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"We feel much better right now as opposed to last year," UT senior quarterback Colt McCoy said. "This was big for us, we focused all week."

The most immediate prize is the pole position in what is shaping up as a one-team Big 12 South race and maybe one of the more predictable Big 12 championships in years. Becoming clearer is the that the Longhorns are positioning themselves for a date in Pasadena, Calif., and a shot at the BCS national title.

All of those possibilities were snuffed out for the Longhorns in a handful of moments last season against Tech, as a missed interception and a missed tackle in the final seconds were all that stood between them and a undefeated record and a shot at the national championship.

But not this time.

In a you-couldn't-script-this-any-better script, Texas secondary members Blake Gideon, Earl Thomas and Curtis Brown all were able to redeem themselves from a season ago with big interceptions Saturday night. Thomas and Brown both returned interceptions by OSU quarterback Zac Robinson for touchdowns. Gideon came up with a late pick.

A year ago Gideon, dropped what could have been the game-sealing interception against Tech in the final minute. On the next play, both Thomas and Brown missed opportunities to stop receiver Michael Crabtree as he corralled a pass and spun out of their grasp and strutted into the end zone for the game-winning touchdown.

"You also have to give credit for the anniversary, the last drive for Texas Tech," Brown said. "You are so proud for Blake Gideon, Earl Thomas and Curtis Brown. I thought it was very fitting for them tonight to (have) all three intercept balls, two of them for touchdowns to put that low thought to rest."

To make certain the Longhorns didn't forget what they needed to do to avoid last year's letdown, defensive end Sergio Kindle gave everyone on the team, including Brown and the coaching staff, dog tags that read: Texas Swagger. It seemed to work to near-perfection Saturday night.

"The message is we want to play with a swagger; we want to play with confidence is all that it is," said Brown, whose team is now 8-0 (5-0 in the Big 12). "We don't want to go into places on the road and feel like we might get beat. We want to walk in there and send a message that we are good, we want to play good."

That mission was accomplished Saturday night as the Longhorns' defense put forth a suffocating display against the Cowboys. They closed off running lanes, harassed Robinson and then they physically handled the OSU receivers playing nickel most of the night.

Robinson, the most efficient quarterback in the Big 12 entering the game, threw an uncharacteristic four interceptions as the Cowboys' offense became predictable in trying to overcome a deficit that at one point was 41-7 in the third quarter. Oklahoma State committed a total of five turnovers on the night.

"When you turn the ball over and make that many mistakes against a team that has that much ability, it's very difficult to win the game, " said OSU coach Mike Gundy, whose team slipped to 6-2 (3-1) after being ranked as high as No. 5 in the country earlier this season. "Getting behind by more than two scores makes it very difficult to execute on offense and defense."

The Longhorns, meanwhile, didn't have much trouble at all. The offense was limited in opportunities because of Oklahoma State's game plan to play keep-away with the ball.

But the Longhorns made their few chances count with McCoy leading the offense on five scoring possessions. He completed 16-of-21 passes for 171 yards and a touchdown. With two touchdowns from the defense, the offense did all it had to, playing smart turnover-free football (star receiver Jordan Shipley, however, did have turnover on a muffed punt).

Thomas and Brown's touchdowns marked the seventh and eighth touchdowns from the Longhorns' defense or special teams this season.

"I think that makes you an unusual team, we've never been able to do that," Brown said. "Our offense is getting better, our defense is continuing to score and we didn't score on special teams tonight, but we usually do.

"Scoring in all three phases is something that gives you a chance to be really good. We just got to keep that hammer down and keep pressing in those areas."

Interestingly, OSU actually out-gained the Longhorns and held on to the ball for a larger portion of the game. The Cowboys had 277 yards of offense to 275 for Texas. They won the time of possession battle 33:16 to 26:44.

But Oklahoma State lost the all-important turnover battle five-to-one, repeatedly sandbagging offensive drives. Receiver Hubert Anyiam, who had been excellent for the Cowboys in the absence of Dez Bryant, dropped a for-sure touchdown pass early and then fumbled after the catch to blow another opportunity.

Much of the credit for the Cowboys flailing had to go to the hard-hitting UT defense.

"Basically we put everything on the line going out there and showing everybody what we've got, national game, across the world," said UT linebacker Roddrick Muckelroy. "We tried to show them how Texas plays football."

That isn't to suggest the Longhorns can't get better at nearly every phase of the game because they can. They didn't do much in special teams and the offense still isn't as fluid as it needs to be both in running the ball and in the throwing game.



Those are things that must be addressed should Texas end up on college football's biggest stage this year, as now seems likely.

"We felt like we were a team that was going to continue to get better," Brown said. "I think we are in a world now where people are questioning everybody, it doesn't matter. The key is to win.

"This team is enjoying each other. They are getting ownership, they are stepping up as seniors and taking over their team and that's really important. We feel like we have a chance to get better."

Texas Rewrites History in Rout originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sun, 01 Nov 2009 01:01:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>colt mccoyColtMccoycowboysJordan ShipleyJordanShipleyLonghornsMack BrownMackBrownmichael crabtreeMichaelCrabtreeMike GundyMikeGundyRoddrick MuckelroyRoddrickMuckelroyzac robinsonZacRobinsonTerrance HarrisSun, 01 Nov 2009 01:01:00 EST Texas Toasts Oklahoma Statehttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/31/texas-toasts-oklahoma-state/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/31/texas-toasts-oklahoma-state/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/31/texas-toasts-oklahoma-state/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Texas LonghornsSTILLWATER, Okla. -- So much for the down-to-the-wire games between Texas and Oklahoma State and the chance for the Cowboys to finally break through.

Texas forced OSU quarterback Zac Robinson into four interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns and the third was converted into a touchdown as the third-ranked Longhorns cruised to a 41-14 victory in front of 58,516 at Boone Pickens Stadium on Saturday night.

This was a meeting of the Big 12 South's two top teams, but it was clear from the outset the Longhorns are by far supreme as they took a major step in locking up the division title while staying in step for the coveted BCS championship bid. Texas (8-0, 4-0) just needs to run the table against Baylor, Kansas and Texas A&M after next week's non-conference game against Central Florida to be in position for the opportunities it was denied last season after one lapsed moment against Texas Tech.
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The loss for the 13th-ranked Cowboys, meanwhile, ends a five-game winning streak as a promising season is fast fading for the one-time fifth-ranked team in the country. OSU (6-2, 3-1) has been plagued by off-field issues and injuries and the youth that's left were obvious Saturday night.

In addition to Robinson's struggles, Hubert Anyiam, who had filled the void left by suspended All-American receiver Dez Bryant, had a dropped touchdown and a costly interception on the night. All-Big 12 running back Kendal Hunter, who hasn't played since Sept. 12 because of an ankle/foot injury, ran the ball just one time in his return.

Texas, on the other hand, got big plays from quarterback Colt McCoy and receivers Malcolm Williams and Jordan Shipley. But the real stars for the Longhorns were the defense and the secondary members who locked down the Cowboys' potent offense in critical moments.

Texas Toasts Oklahoma State originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 31 Oct 2009 23:02:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Terrance HarrisSat, 31 Oct 2009 23:02:00 EST Texas-Oklahoma State Live Blog: Shadows of a Tech-nical Knockouthttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/31/texas-oklahoma-state-live-blog-shadows-of-a-tech-nical-knockout/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/31/texas-oklahoma-state-live-blog-shadows-of-a-tech-nical-knockout/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/31/texas-oklahoma-state-live-blog-shadows-of-a-tech-nical-knockout/#commentsFiled under: , ,

STILLWATER, Okla. -- It almost seems uncanny, the parallels between tonight's Texas-Oklahoma State Halloween showdown and last season's matchup between the Longhorns and Texas Tech.

A hostile road environment that will be filled with rowdy fans. Night game. National TV audience. The fourth game of an unforgiving four-game stretch that includes Colorado, Oklahoma, Missouri before this one.

A bid for the Big 12 South title and a shot at the BCS national championship game also hang in the balance.

But the third-ranked Texas Longhorns are certainly looking for a different result this time around. Facing an explosive Texas Tech team last season, the Red Raiders became all that stood between the No.1 Longhorns and a national title bid when Michael Crabtree caught the game-winning touchdown in the final seconds at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock.

To add insult, the Longhorns didn't even get to represent the South in the Big 12 championship game after a three-way tiebreaker sent an Oklahoma team they beat on a neutral field earlier in the season.

The way head coach Mack Brown sees it, the undefeated Longhorns have a chance to right a wrong tonight, though this time comes against the 13th-ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys at a soldout Boone Pickens Stadium.

"Obviously we lost the game and didn't play as well as we wanted to last year," said Brown, whose team has won 11 straight against OSU, but the two teams have been involved in some nail biters as of late. "We are really looking at this as we have this window of opportunity to recapture something what we lost last year. The guys are excited about the trip, they are excited about Oklahoma State, but they are also excited about trying to recapture something that didn't work well last year.

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"History doesn't repeat itself and give you these opportunities very often."

Oklahoma State, 6-1, 3-0 in Big 12 play, are explosive in the same way the Raiders were last season. If there is a difference, the Cowboys and quarterback Zac Robinson will not have the proven playmaker at receiver the Raiders had last season after All-American receiver Dez Bryant was ruled ineligible by the NCAA this week for lying. All Big-12 running back Kendall Hunter has been out the last several weeks with an ankle injury. He is expected to play about 10 snaps tonight.

The Longhorns, meanwhile, are looking more and more like a team on the rise with quarterback Colt McCoy and the offense finally getting things clicking on all cylinders from the beginning last week against Missouri. Their defense has been lights out all season long linebacker Roddrick Muckelroy and defensive end Sergio Kindle leading the way.



FIRST QUARTER

Both Oklahoma State and Texas open the game with long drives. The Cowboys 13-play drive ends with no points when Bailey misses 44-yard field goal attempt. Then when it's the Longhorns turn, they drive it down in 11 plays and Lawrence converts a 25-yard field to put UT ahead 3-0 with 3:47 remaining in the first quarter.

******************

Victor Johnson just hammers on Jordan Shipley on punt catch, forcing the sure-handed senior to fumble the ball away at the UT 34. But the Cowboys are not able to convert on a four-and-out.


In fact, that drive may come to define the night for the Cowboys. They had Texas right where they want them, but move the ball exactly two yards on three straight bumbling plays. The most costly was the deep pass on fourth down that was dropped by Hubert Ayiam at the goal line. It would have been a touchdown for the Cowboys had he been able to make the catch.


SECOND QUARTER

Anyiam has been impressive in replacing Dez Bryant, but he is off to terrible night so far. First he drops a touchdown pass late in the first quarter and now a fumble after the reception has set up the Longhorns first touchdown of the night. Texas went up 10-0 when Johnson plows in from1-yard out with 10:45 left in the first half.

McCoy also looked good for the Longhorns on the scoring drive, hitting Shipley and Goodwin for big pass plays to set up the score from the 1-yard line. And this after the drive began with a 10-yard sack of McCoy.
**************

Can you say opportunistic defense? That's exactly what the Longhorns have been all all season. Curtis Brown steps in front of a Zac Robinson pass to Fooks and returned it 78 yards for a touchdown that put Texas up 17-0 with 6:21 remaining in the first half. It is the eighth non-offensive touchdown for the Longhorns this season.

************************
The Cowboys are finally able to string together enough plays for a touchdown drive. Robinson completed a few nice passes and then the Cowboys were aided by a pass interference call on Chykie Brown that ultimately set up Johnson's 1-yard touchdown run on the left side to pull the Cowboys within 17-7 with 2:10 left in the half. The touchdown capped an eight-play, 84-yard drive.
***********


The fans are upset about the lack of call and review of James Kirkendoll's apparent fumble deep in the Longhorns territory. But it appears the play was already ruled dead by whistle before the fumble so it was not reviewable.

*****************

The Longhorns haven't put up the yards Oklahoma State has in the first half, but they've made their opportunities count the most. Texas takes a 24-7 lead into halftime after McCoy finds Williams in the back of the end zone for an 11-yard touchdown pass play with nine seconds remaining in the half. The score capped an impressive 10-play, 80-yard drive.


THIRD QUARTER<

Here is the difference between Texas and Oklahoma State tonight. The Longhorns put together impressive opening drive in the third quarter, but stumble at the end. Still, they come away with a Lawrence 40-yard field goal that makes it 27-7 with 10:27 left in the quarter.

In the first half, OSU ventured deep into UT territory four times in the first half but had just one touchdown to show for it.

*************

You might as well say this isn't Zac Robinson and the Cowboys night offensively. Robinson just threw his second pick six of the night when UT safety Earl Thomas steps in front of the OSU receiver and returns the interception 31 yards for the touchdown that put the Longhorns ahead 34-7 with 9:31 remaining in the third.

Robinson never looked off his receiver, making it easy for Thomas to read his eyes for the easy interception and subsequent touchdown.
***************

Robinson's struggles continue. He has now thrown three interceptions. The most recent is an improvement, however, only because he didn't throw an interception for a touchdown for the first time tonight. Instead, the Longhorn converted Robinson's interception into a 2-yard touchdown run for Cody Johnson that put Texas well ahead 41-7.

Here is a hint to Robinson and head coach Mike Gundy: The deep pass is gone because the Longhorns are sitting in cover two. The underneath stuff is there, but there isn't enough time to catch up that way. Let's just say, Game Over!

Texas-Oklahoma State Live Blog: Shadows of a Tech-nical Knockout originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 31 Oct 2009 19:20:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>colt mccoyColtMccoyDez BryantDezBryantMack BrownMackBrownmichael crabtreeMichaelCrabtreeOklahoma State footballOklahomaStateFootballRoddrick MuckelroyRoddrickMuckelroySergio KindleSergioKindletexas longhornsTexasLonghornszac robinsonZacRobinsonTerrance HarrisSat, 31 Oct 2009 19:20:00 EST 'Fat Little Girlfriends,' a Leach Readerhttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/28/fat-little-girlfriends-a-leach-reader/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/28/fat-little-girlfriends-a-leach-reader/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/28/fat-little-girlfriends-a-leach-reader/#commentsFiled under: ,

Mike LeachThere are some people who just see the world different and therefore have an unorthodox way of expressing their views.

Then there is Texas Tech coach Mike Leach.

He is, without any close challengers, the Big 12's best-rehearsed resident oddball.

When Leach has been at this best over the years, he's filled up reporters' notebooks with gems like his fascination with pirates, tips on dating, his ability to predict the weather better than the local meteorologists, his views on world piece and his wacky approach to offensive football.

This past Saturday, when his 21st-ranked Red Raiders were stunned 52-30 by struggling Texas A&M, Leach delivered some sound bites that won't soon be forgotten.

Leach accepted blame for himself and the coaching staff for not preparing the players well enough to overcome the ego-inflating talk of their "fat little girlfriends." He reiterated his point during the team's weekly press conference Monday.



"We didn't coach well enough to beat A&M, and we didn't play well enough to beat A&M" to "We're not gonna listen to our fat little girlfriends," Leach said Monday.

This little diatribe has been picked up on airwaves all across the country. At face value it seems quite offensive to the would-be girlfriends of the Tech football players.

But when you know Leach you know not to always take what he says at face value. Let's go back to the outcome of Saturday night's game and the outcome that led to the seemingly politically incorrect tirade.

The Raiders were coming off a defeat of an A&M team that had suffered three straight losses, including a 62-14 plastering at the hands of Kansas State a week earlier. That's the same Kansas State team Leach's Raiders had destroyed two weeks earlier 66-14.

If scoring means anything in college football, it seemed that the Raiders should have been a real threat to put 100 points up on the Aggies last Saturday night in Lubbock, a place where A&M hadn't won since the early 1990s.

Certainly fans and friends were telling the Raiders players they had nothing to worry about last week. Just maybe they began to believe that if they simply showed up against A&M the victory would be hand delivered.

Consider this as a reasonable explanation. Just maybe Leach's "fat little girlfriends" reference was a metaphor for the friends, fans and family members he believed had pumped so much sunshine in his players ears that it drowned out the coaching staff's warnings about taking A&M too lightly based on their past?

"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," Leach said during Monday morning's Big 12 coaches' teleconference. "I think we have to find a better way to do that."

That's considerably toned down from the Saturday night rant that got the controversy started.

That was following this postgame rant after Saturday's stunning upset.

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"We pound on Kansas State, so A&M looks at the film all week," Leach said last Saturday night. They strut around and laugh. And, you know,ho-ho-ho, ha-ha-ha, and they listen to their fat little old girlfriend, and, then pretty soon they -- you know, what happens in Manhattan happens."

Leach, a law school graduate, who enjoys being the smartest guy in the room has flat out refused to apologize for Saturday night's comments and to make his point, he said it again Monday. But that's classic Leach trying to keep the focus off his team and the potential problems.

Instead of news gathering organizations examining why the Red Raiders fell apart against a mediocre Texas A&M team last weekend or trying to figure out whether Taylor Potts or redshirt freshman Seth Doege is going to start at quarterback against Kansas on Saturday, there has been the fixation on Leach's alleged offensive remarks aimed at his players girlfriends.

In Leach's twisted mind, he has fooled everyone. Well, almost.

But just for fun, let's take a look at some of Leach's more compelling diatribes.















'Fat Little Girlfriends,' a Leach Reader originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 18:53:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Mike LeachMikeLeachTerrance HarrisWed, 28 Oct 2009 18:53:00 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 NCAA Rules Dez Bryant Out for Seasonhttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/27/ncaa-rules-oklahoma-states-dez-bryant-out-for-season/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/27/ncaa-rules-oklahoma-states-dez-bryant-out-for-season/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/27/ncaa-rules-oklahoma-states-dez-bryant-out-for-season/#commentsFiled under: ,

Dez BryantIt seemed a little harsh Monday when Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy told reporters "I think everybody has given up," when asked about the chances of All-American receiver Dez Bryant coming off indefinite suspension.

As it turned out, Gundy was more prophetic than pessimistic.

The NCAA officially ended the junior wide receiver's season Tuesday night, refusing to reinstate his eligibility until Sept. 2010 after Bryant misled investigators his interaction with former NFL star Deion Sanders.

Oklahoma State is appealing the decision.

Bryant, a junior, was placed on indefinite suspension by the university the prior to the Sept. 26 game against Grambling State and has missed the Cowboys' last four games. The NCAA then ruled him ineligible Oct. 7. Under the NCAA suspension, Bryant will not be able to return to the field until Sept. 2010.

But as one of the top receiver prospects in the country and a possible first round pick in next spring's NFL draft, it's likely Bryant has played his final game for the Cowboys.

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Oklahoma State announced in a release Tuesday night that it is appealing the decision to the NCAA Student-Athlete Reinstatement Committee. A decision could come as early as next week, but not in time for Saturday night's Big 12 South showdown between No.3 Texas and the 13th-ranked Cowboys in Stillwater.

The loss of Bryant is obviously more harmful to the Cowboys (6-1, 3-0 Big 12) than it is to Bryant. He's their top playmaker as a receiver and punt returner. Bryant, who has played in just three of seven games for the Cowboys this season, is still third on the team in receiving with 17 catches for 323 yards and four touchdowns and was averaging 107.7 yards per game receiving.

Oklahoma State officials have said there will be no further comment on the Bryant situation until the appeal process is complete.

Monday, Gundy said he had heard nothing new on Bryant but that the team was moving on with the belief he would not return this season.

"There is nothing new," Gundy said at the time. "We've had no response. I think everybody has given up."

The suspension stems from a visit Bryant paid to Sanders' Dallas-area home this past May. There had been concern that Sanders worked Bryant out, bought him a meal and was possibly trying to establish a relationship between Bryant and his agent Eugene Parker.

When the NCAA approached Bryant about the meeting this summer, he said it didn't happen and he again reiterated that point in September when approached by the NCAA again. In talking with Sanders, however, the NCAA did find out a meeting took place.

But Sanders denies that the two worked out together, that the meeting had anything to do with establishing a relationship with his agent. Bryant also apparently paid for his own meal.

If those claims are true, it's unlikely any NCAA violation was committed because Sanders has no connection to Oklahoma State and he now works as an analyst for the NFL Network.

But Bryant ran into trouble when he lied to the NCAA about his interaction with Sanders, which is a serious violation. The school moved to suspend Bryant while the NCAA investigated the matter. The NCAA has accused Bryant of violating bylaw 10.1, which deals with "unethical behavior" including "knowingly furnishing the NCAA or the individual's institution false or misleading information."

Bryant traveled to Indianapolis along with a school compliance officer to meet with NCAA officials to apply for reinstatement late last month. It was there he came clean about meeting with Sanders and what went on, but apparently that was too late.

NCAA Rules Dez Bryant Out for Season originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 22:46:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Deion SandersDeionSandersDez BryantDezBryantMike GundyMikeGundyTerrance HarrisTue, 27 Oct 2009 22:46:00 EST Oklahoma State Gunning to Finally Overcome Nemesishttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/26/oklahoma-state-gunning-to-finally-overcome-nemesis/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/26/oklahoma-state-gunning-to-finally-overcome-nemesis/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/26/oklahoma-state-gunning-to-finally-overcome-nemesis/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Zac RobinsonIn so many real ways Texas has been the hump the Oklahoma State Cowboys have needed to clear but for any number of reasons just haven't.

In recent years they've come oh-so-close only to fail to come away with the coveted win. A turnover here, a missed tackle there and a failed opportunity somewhere else have been all that's prevented the Cowboys from success.

"There is no question it's been frustrating to be in a situation we've been in with them and just not been able to finish the deal," OSU quarterback Zac Robinson said Monday. "We know we've been really close the past few years and just haven't been able to finish it off."
More Coverage: NCAA Rules Dez Bryant Out for Season

The 13th-ranked Cowboys get another crack at overcoming the third-ranked Texas Longhorns this Saturday night in front of an expected overflow crowd at Boone Pickens Stadium in what is shaping up as a Halloween extravaganza. The two lone unbeaten teams in Big 12 play are meeting for what many consider the South division title, and for the Longhorns (7-0, 4-0) the chance to remain in the hunt for the BCS national title will be an overriding theme.

And if those reasons aren't enough to make Saturday night's showdown compelling, this series has been intensified by the close nature of the games in recent years. The Cowboys (6-1, 3-0), a program attempting to break through into the hierarchy of the South division, have given the Longhorns all they can handle but have still lost 11 straight in the series.

Two years ago in Stillwater, OSU owned a 35-14 lead going into the fourth quarter only to falter 38-35. Then last season, with both teams undefeated and in the Top 10, No.1 Texas came out of an on-the-edge-of-your-seat battle with a 28-24 win. But the win was only secured when Robinson's Hail Mary was intercepted on the game's final play.

And from 2003-05, the Cowboys led all three games at halftime but were outscored by a combined 118-0 in the second half. But the difference this year could be an improved Oklahoma State defense under veteran defensive coordinator Bill Young.

Mike Gundy"Obviously, if you look at those games, you look at them from [a] coach's standpoint, they were able to make some plays and finish the game off or come back and find a way to win or they made some good calls as coaches," said OSU coach Mike Gundy. "I don't know that there is any one area you can point your finger at."

The Cowboys are hoping their flirtation with success against UT the last few years combined with the fact they've already been the victors in a blockbuster-type game against the Georgia Bulldogs could give them the confidence to overcome this hurdle.

"I've always felt good playing against Texas," said Robinson, who leads the Big 12 in passing efficiency with a rating of 158.3. "I've always liked personally playing in big games. I think that is the reason you play college football. It's going to be a lot of fun."

Texas coach Mack Brown, whose program owns a 21-2 record all-time in the series with Oklahoma State, is hard-pressed to explain why the Cowboys play his teams so close other than the state ties. The Cowboys have over 50 players on their roster from the state of Texas, 12 of which are starters.

"So they get really excited about this game and in some cases our kids haven't matched their enthusiasm," Brown said. "They are so good right now and Mike Gundy has done such a good job, I think our kids will be as excited as Oklahoma State for this game this weekend."

The same should hold true for the Cowboys this season, as well. They are few lapsed moments in an early home loss to the University of Houston from being undefeated.

The Cowboys, who were ranked as high as No. 5 this season, have clearly struggled to make it into the next echelon of success, where Texas and Oklahoma have roamed the last 10 years. They ran roughshod over Georgia in a heavily anticipated national game pitting the Big 12 versus the SEC in the season opener. Then came the inexplicable loss at home the following week to the then-unranked Cougars.

Still, Brown gives Gundy a great deal of credit for transforming the OSU program from a program with no identity in the South to one that has to be accounted for every season now.

"I've always really admired Mike," Brown said. "He's always been first-class with every situation I've had arise with him. He's always been honest, but he's direct, very positive and respectful and he's done a great job. Each year now they are in the mix for the Big 12 South championship and on the national scene."

This could be Gundy's most impressive run yet. The Cowboys are on a five-game winning streak and have been without the services of star receiver Dez Bryant and running back Kendall Hunter -- both All-American-type players -- for much of the run.

Hunter has been sidelined with an ankle injury the last month and Bryant has been suspended for the season for lying to the NCAA about his relationship with former NFL star Deion Sanders. The school has appealed the NCAA's decision.

In their absence, Robinson has been unbelievable. In Saturday's rout of Baylor, Robinson completed 23-of-27 passes for 250 yards and a season-high three touchdowns. Senior Keith Toston has filled in admirably for Hunter, and receivers like sophomore Hubert Anyiam have stepped up big in Bryant's absence.

So the expected strength-on-strength matchup of the Cowboys' high-powered offense versus a stifling Longhorns defense should be very much at play Saturday.

"It is very difficult to lose your best running back at the time and now Keith Toston has stepped up and done a great job so they've obviously recruited depth," said Brown, whose team has been inconsistent all season at running back because of injuries. "It's also tough to have your top receiver step out but now Anyiam has caught 19 passes the last two weeks.

"Instead of talking about what they don't have, they've moved forward and produced with what is available on their team. So you give them credit for developing depth in their program and credit for moving on and not trying to use any of those as excuses."
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Oklahoma State Gunning to Finally Overcome Nemesis originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 26 Oct 2009 23:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>dez bryantmike gundyzac robinsonTerrance HarrisMon, 26 Oct 2009 23:30:00 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 Oklahoma Grounds Overrated Kansashttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/24/oklahoma-grounds-overrated-kansas/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/24/oklahoma-grounds-overrated-kansas/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/24/oklahoma-grounds-overrated-kansas/#commentsFiled under: , ,

So much for Todd Reesing and the whole Heisman Trophy conversation. The same can be said for the 25th-ranked Kansas Jayhawks and their once-promising season.

On an afternoon when the Jayhawks had a chance to make a major statement against a respectable Oklahoma team, they simply showed they aren't ready for the big time in a 35-13 drubbing in front of their home crowd at Memorial Stadium on Saturday.

Reesing, third in the country in passing yardage per game coming into the contest, threw three interceptions during the Jayhawks' first three possessions . Oklahoma defensive back Dominique Franks was the recipient of the third, which he promptly returned 85 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter to help the Sooners take a 14-6 lead into halftime.

Kansas (5-2, 1-2 Big 12), which was expected to be one of the top two teams in the Big 12 North this season, has now dropped two straight and it doesn't get any easier with tough road games at Texas Tech and Kansas State coming up in the next two weeks. The only saving grace for the Jayhawks is the entire North seems to be a mess with Nebraska, the preseason favorite, losing for the second straight week Saturday, while Kansas State and Iowa State are appearing to be the top two teams in the weaker North division.
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The Sooners(4-3, 2-1), meanwhile, bounced back after a disheartening loss last week against rival Texas. Redshirt freshman quarterback Landry Jones, filling in for injured Sam Bradford again, completed 26 of 38 passes for 251 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. One of his favorite targets Saturday was Ryan Broyles, who had 11 catches for 121 yards.

But the day belonged to running back Chris Brown, who accounted for three of the Sooners touchdowns, while rushing rushing for 66 yards on 22 carries in an afternoon Oklahoma was without his cohort DeMarco Murray.

Defensively, the Sooners shut down Kansas' celebrated trio. The Jayhawks had to settle for two first-half field goals before Reesing scored on a run late in the game. Big 12 leading receiver Dezmon Briscoe was held to seven catches for 61 yards, which is well below his season average of 134.2 per game. Star receiver Kerry Meier also found it difficult against the Sooners athletic secondary with eight catches for 54 yards on the day.

The Sooners, who have lost three games to ranked opponents by a combined five points this season, are out of the BCS national championship picture. But they still have an outside chance of claiming their third South division title should they continue winning and the third-ranked Longhorns lose twice in conference play.

Oklahoma Grounds Overrated Kansas originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 24 Oct 2009 19:08:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>dezmon briscoekerry meierLandry JonesSam BradfordTodd ReesingTerrance HarrisSat, 24 Oct 2009 19:08:00 EST Hansen Thrives After Eclipsing the Sonhttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/23/hansen-thrives-after-eclipsing-the-son/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/23/hansen-thrives-after-eclipsing-the-son/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/23/hansen-thrives-after-eclipsing-the-son/#commentsFiled under: ,

Conventional wisdom says Tyler Hansen should have been wary.

You don't commit to a program where the quarterback you will be competing with for time is the head coach's son. Period.

But that is exactly what the lightly-recruited Hansen did two years ago when he committed to Dan Hawkins and the Colorado Buffaloes, with Cody Hawkins already entrenched as the team's signal caller. Ever since, it had been a rollercoaster ride for Hanson.

The sophomore happens to be on a big up right now after having his redshirt yanked in mid-season two weeks ago for the second year in a row, and after sparking a surprising 34-30 win over No. 16 Kansas this past weekend in his first start. Suddenly, the previously reeling Buffaloes have hope and a new starting quarterback.

"It's been a wild ride, a lot of ups and downs from going from redshirt to not redshirting, to thinking I'm going to start to not playing," Hansen told FanHouse this week. "It's been a wild, crazy ride, but you've just got to be resilient and battle through it and just know that in the end things work themselves out."

It's that belief that got him through the difficult times, the times when Hansen thought he had done just enough to beat out his coach's son, only to find out he didn't. That was never more the case than this summer when after a neck-and-neck battling for the No. 1 spot began in spring ball and lasted until the final week of fall camp -- only to have Cody end up with the job.

It didn't help much either when the Buffaloes started out of the gate poorly, suffering embarrassing losses to Colorado State and Toledo, and then a tough defeat to West Virginia took the luster off the first win of the season the previous week. All Hansen could do was suffer quietly after making the decision to redshirt to put a little distance between him and Cody, a junior, in class rank.

"I'm not going to lie, I was pretty frustrated," Hansen said. "I wanted this starting job, I wanted to lead this team to victory, especially early in the season when were (1-3). That was the worst time in my life.

"That was another factor that went into me playing. I wanted to lead this team to victory and turn this thing around. I guess it's worked out so far."

There was a big part of Hansen that also wanted to show the coaching staff in general and Dan Hawkins in particular that they picked the wrong starter to begin the season.

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"Early in the year, I thought I had a good shot at getting the starting job," Hansen said. "I thought I was ready to be the starter. But they didn't see it that way, so they went with Cody.

"From there on, I wanted to prove to people that I was the guy, that I should have been playing from the get-go. I guess I kind of did that at Kansas. I showed people that I should be playing."

The coaching staff approached Hansen about giving up his redshirt season the week leading up to the Texas game. The offense was stagnant and much of the frustration was being directed at Dan and Cody Hawkins.

Hansen consulted with his parents and former high school coaches before ultimately deciding to do what was obviously best for the team and likely Coach Hawkins.

"They all said you are not guaranteed an opportunity to play ever again, you can get injured tomorrow and never play football again," said Hansen, who did little to secure the job last season when he got in as a true freshman. "So when you get an opportunity to play, you have to take it, especially at Texas. They were the second team in the country, it's unbelievable."

As expected, Hansen entered the UT game at halftime with Cody struggling in a surprisingly close game with the Longhorns. Texas pulled out the win at home, but the decision from the Colorado end was clear: Hansen would start the following week against Kansas.

Though not flawless, Hansen gave the Buffaloes an energy that had been missing all season as he made plays with both his arm and legs in engineering a fourth-quarter rally over the previously unbeaten Jayhawks. On the come-from-behind drive, Hansen ran twice for nine yards and completed 2-of-4 passes for 34 yards, including the 29-yard scoring strike to tight end Riar Greer.

Hansen completed 14-of-25 passes for 175 yards and a touchdown while running for a net 34 yards (he lost 30 yards on three sacks) and another touchdown.

Dan Hawkins attributed some of the team success to Hansen's play, but he also said the win was the result of other things at play.

"I think it's a combination of things. I think he obviously sparked us," Hawkins said. "I think the other thing is you sort of have that right time, right moment if you have been watching our team a little bit. We played pretty well against West Virginia, didn't win it. We played really well against Texas except for really four plays. So our team continues to get better, so I think there is a whole cumulative kind of an effort.

"Tyler obviously made some great plays with his legs and ran around and gave us some life and made some good throws, as well."

Any debate about who would quarterback the Buffaloes this week at Kansas State and for the remainder of the season is effectively over.

"It feels good," said Hansen, who also had his redshirt year pulled last year six games into his true freshman season. "My confidence is high, I feel like we can compete with anybody in the country right now and get a win. The team is real confident right now."

If only it was that easy for Dan Hawkins. Admittedly, it's difficult to bench any starting quarterback. It's much harder when that quarterback is your son.

Dan Hawkins, whose team was 1-4 in its first five games, can't bring himself to admit Cody needed to be replaced because of his play. The numbers, however, don't lie. Cody was last in the Big 12 in passing efficiency with a rating of 102.0 after completing 104 of 205 passes for 1,113 yards, nine touchdowns and nine interceptions in five games this season.

"It is hard and I've done it a few more times, and it's always gut-wrenching, and you hate it," Dan Hawkins said of having to bench a quarterback in-season. "It has nothing to do, really with what the kid's last name is. The reality is there are 10 other guys involved in this thing, as well as the coaching staff. It's always easy to point at the quarterback but it's never just that guy. He's not the total reason for success and he's not the total reason for failure."

Had Cody remained in the lineup and the Buffaloes continued to underachieve, it would have heightened the desire of many to see Dan Hawkins chased out of Boulder, Colo. this season. But now some of those rumblings have given way this week to talk of how the Hansen-led win has propelled the Buffaloes (2-4, 1-1 Big 12) from the bottom of the heap to a chance to play for the North division lead Saturday.

Arriving at this point has been indeed gratifying for Hansen. It's an opportunity that at times Hansen wondered if he would ever get while Cody was still there -- and honestly, maybe not even once he was gone.

"That's the biggest thing," Hansen said. "I knew coming into Colorado that it was going to be a little rough and a battle to get the starting job early with Coach Hawkins having a son here. So I knew I had to push myself that much more to be that much better than Cody so that I can get the starting job.

"I kind of like that. It pushes me, it makes me a better play to want that. I kind of embraced it."

Hansen Thrives After Eclipsing the Son originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Fri, 23 Oct 2009 12:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Cody HawkinsCodyHawkinscolorado buffaloesColoradoBuffaloesDan HawkinsDanHawkinsTyler HansenTylerHansenTerrance HarrisFri, 23 Oct 2009 12:00:00 EST Bradford Calls Off Press Conference to Address Injury, Futurehttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/21/bradford-to-give-update-on-shoulder-future/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/21/bradford-to-give-update-on-shoulder-future/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/21/bradford-to-give-update-on-shoulder-future/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Sam BradfordIt's the great mystery in Norman, Okla., right now.

Is quarterback Sam Bradford's career over at Oklahoma? Will the 2008 Heisman Trophy winner opt for surgery to repair the sprained AC joint in his right shoulder? Could he play again this season or next?

Those are all burning questions that Sam Bradford was supposed to address following Wednesday's Oklahoma Sooners practice, but he called off a scheduled press conference. Oklahoma associate athletic director for media relations Kenny Mossman told FanHouse that Bradford wants to gather more information. There is no rescheduled date set and that Bob Stoops will not be taking any questions on Bradford after practice.

Speculation is rampant Bradford, a junior, will elect to have season-ending surgery. His decision to call off the press conference seems to support that theory.

What this all means for his OU career is very much up in the air. Coming into the season, it seemed a foregone conclusion that Bradford would leave early for the NFL following this season after turning down a chance to be an early first-round selection in last spring's NFL draft.

The injury and the need to prove to NFL brass he's fully healed after surgery may force Bradford to come back to school for another season to re-elevate his stock.

Bradford originally injured the shoulder during the season-opening loss to BYU. He missed the next three Sooner games while rehabbing the injury and consulting with a specialist in Alabama. He returned to the playing field two weeks ago against Baylor, but last week was knocked out of the game when the shoulder was re-injured during the second offensive series of the Red River Rivalry against Texas.

Stoops said earlier this week that there was no further damage done to Bradford's shoulder but expected to make an announcement about his future at some point this week. Bradford has been ruled out of playing in Saturday's game at Kansas since Monday.

It seems to make sense Bradford will opt to have the surgery to repair the shoulder because the 3-3 Sooners are definitely out of the BCS national championship picture and are even in an uphill battle to win their fourth straight Big 12 title. One of the reasons Bradford returned to school this year after getting beat by Florida in last season's national championship game was to help OU take home the national title.
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Bradford Calls Off Press Conference to Address Injury, Future originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 21 Oct 2009 17:01:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Bob StoopsBobStoopsSam BradfordTerrance HarrisWed, 21 Oct 2009 17:01:00 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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Notre Dame receiver Robby Paris (82) is injured on a hit by Southern California's Taylor Mays (2) and Kevin Thomas (15) late in the fourth quarter during a college football game, Saturday, October 17, 2009, in South Bend, Indiana. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/MCT)

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    Notre Dame receiver Robby Paris (82) is injured on a hit by Southern California's Taylor Mays (2) and Kevin Thomas (15) late in the fourth quarter during a college football game, Saturday, October 17, 2009, in South Bend, Indiana. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/MCT)

    Iowa State quarterback Jerome Tiller dives for extra yardage during the fourth quarter of an NCAA college football game against Baylor, Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009, in Ames, Iowa. Iowa State won 24-10.

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    Mississippi State running back Anthony Dixon, top, dives into the end zone for a touchdown over Middle Tennessee State defenders, from left, Antwan Davis, Danny Carmichael and Cam Robinson, in the fourth quarter of an NCAA college football game in Murfreesboro, Tenn., Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009. Mississippi State won 27-6.

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    Connecticut football coach Randy Edsall, center, leads his players during NCAA college football practice in Storrs, Conn., on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2009. Practice was scheduled as usual despite the on campus slaying of player Jasper Howard over the weekend. (AP Photo/George Ruhe)

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    Connecticut football coach Randy Edsall, center, leads his players during NCAA college football practice in Storrs, Conn., on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2009. Practice was scheduled as usual despite the on campus slaying of player Jasper Howard over the weekend. (AP Photo/George Ruhe)

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    Connecticut football coach Randy Edsall, center, leads his players during NCAA college football practice in Storrs, Conn., on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2009. Practice was scheduled as usual despite the on campus slaying of player Jasper Howard over the weekend. (AP Photo/George Ruhe)

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    Camouflage design football cleats are displayed during a news conference on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2009, in Columbia, S.C. Maryland and South Carolina will wear uniforms with camouflage designs during their NCAA college football games on Saturday, Nov. 14, to honor military veterans and promote the Wounded Warrior Project. (AP Photo/Mary Ann Chastain)

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    South Carolina's football coach Steve Spurrier holds up a jersey with camouflage designs during a news conference on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2009, in Columbia, S.C. Maryland and South Carolina will wear uniforms with camouflage designs during their NCAA college football games on Saturday, Nov. 14, to honor military veterans and promote the Wounded Warrior Project. (AP Photo/Mary Ann Chastain)

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    South Carolina's football coach Steve Spurrier, center, flanked by Sgt. Jeremy Hale, left, and Master Sgt. Pete Lara, both from Fort Jackson, as he holds up a jersey with camouflage designs during a news conference on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2009, in Columbia, S.C. Maryland and South Carolina will wear uniforms with camouflage designs during their NCAA college football games on Saturday, Nov. 14, to honor military veterans and promote the Wounded Warrior Project. (AP Photo/Mary Ann Chastain)

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    A UConn Huskies player pats a teammate on the shoulder as the team is called to "play hard in honor of Jasper" by another team member, at the start of practice on the UConn Storrs, Conn., campus on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2009. Practice was scheduled as usual despite the slaying of Jasper Howard ( 6) over the weekend. (AP Photo/George Ruhe)

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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 Stoops Silent on Bradford's Futurehttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/19/stoops-silent-on-bradfords-future/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/19/stoops-silent-on-bradfords-future/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/19/stoops-silent-on-bradfords-future/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Whether or not Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford returns to the Sooners this season, or if he has indeed played his last college game, seems to be anybody's guess.

The only thing that was certain Monday is no decision has been made on the 2008 Heisman Trophy winner or his injured right shoulder aside from the fact he will not play in Saturday's game at Kansas. Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said during the Big 12 coaches' conference call Monday the medical team was still in the fact-finding mode after Bradford reinjured the shoulder Saturday. He suffered a third-degree sprain of the AC Joint during the season opener.

Other than that, the Oklahoma Sooners coach had little to say about his quarterback's status.

"They will have a lot for the doctors to look at and visit with here in the next day or two," Stoops said. "I'm not going to have anything to say until at least Wednesday."

Bradford was knocked out of Saturday's 16-13 loss to No.3 Texas during the second offensive series of the first quarter when got hit hard on a corner blitz. Some reports Sunday said tests have shown no additional damage to the shoulder, though that is unconfirmed. So far this season, Bradford has played in just one complete game for the 3-3 Sooners.

But Stoops, whose team has also been hit hard with injuries to All-American tight end Jermaine Gresham and star receiver Ryan Broyles, wasn't in any mood Monday to feel sorry for himself or the tough luck the Sooners have had so far this season.
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Oklahoma came into the season as a top three team with an eye toward returning to the BCS national championship season, but after suffering their third overall loss and a key defeat to Big 12 South foe Texas even a fourth straight conference title seems in doubt.

The Sooners have lost the three games by a total of just five points.

"There are challenges, of course. Injuries are still an issue," Stoops said. "But I still feel we obviously played a great football team in Texas the other night and we are there with them toe-to-toe until the end.

"It's easy to see like any other one-point losses, we can be better in a play or two on either side of the ball. In certain circumstances we could be and we have an opportunity to be in a lot better situation. So it isn't like we aren't competing, it isn't like we are out of it. So their confidence level, they see they are not far off in making a play or two to be with these other teams that are ranked really high."

Stoops also cautioned against any notion the 25th-ranked Sooners are out contention for the Big 12 title. The Sooners lost to UT during last year's Red River Rivalry, yet they still ended up representing the South division in the Big 12 championship game after finishing out the remainder of the regular-season schedule undefeated.

Pulling off another similar run might prove difficult against a slate that includes a tough road game this week against No. 24 Kansas followed by back-to-back rival games against Texas Tech and Oklahoma State to end the regular season. Also throw in the uncertainty at quarterback with Bradford's injury and the youth of redshirt freshman Landry Jones and it might be near impossible for the Sooners to duplicate last season.

But Stoops offered his own spin Monday.

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Police vehicles are parked at the crime scene where University of Connecticut football player Jasper Howard was stabbed and killed early Sunday morning, in Storrs, Conn., Sunday, Oct. 18, 2009. Twenty-year-old Howard, of Miami, a junior and starting cornerback, and a second person were stabbed during a fight early Sunday after someone pulled a fire alarm during a dance at the UConn Student Union, police said. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)
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    Texas head football coach Mack Brown calls on a questioner during an NCAA football media opportunity Monday, Oct. 19, 2009, in Austin, Texas. With the Oklahoma Sooners behind them, the Texas Longhorns look ahead to a two-game road swing at Missouri and at No. 14 Oklahoma State. (AP Photo/Harry Cabluck)

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    Texas head football coach Mack Brown speaks during an NCAA football media opportunity Monday, Oct. 19, 2009, in Austin, Texas. With the Oklahoma Sooners game behind them, the Texas Longhorns look ahead to a two-game road swing at Missouri and at No. 14 Oklahoma State. (AP Photo/Harry Cabluck)

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    Texas senior quarterback Colt McCoy is shown during an NCAA football media opportunity Monday, Oct. 19, 2009, in Austin, Texas. With the Oklahoma Sooners game behind them, the Texas Longhorns look ahead to a two-game road swing at Missouri and at No. 14 Oklahoma State. McCoy says he'll probably lose his the nail on his bruised right thumb, but the injury won't keep him from playing this week against Missouri. McCoy hurt the thumb on his throwing hand in the second quarter of No. 3 Texas' 16-13 win Saturday over No. 25 Oklahoma. He struggled through one of the worst passing games of his career, completing 21 of 40 for 127 yards with one touchdown and one interception. (AP Photo/Harry Cabluck)

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    In this undated photo provided by the University of Connecticut, Jasper Howard is seen. Howard, 20, of Miami, and another student were stabbed during a fight after a fire alarm was pulled during a university sponsored dance at the UConn Student Union just after 12:30 a.m., police said. (AP Photo/University of Connecticut) **NO SALES**

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    In this undated photo provided by the University of Connecticut, Jasper Howard is seen. Howard, 20, of Miami, and another student were stabbed during a fight after a fire alarm was pulled during a university sponsored dance at the UConn Student Union just after 12:30 a.m., police said. (AP Photo/University of Connecticut) **NO SALES**

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    Connecticut football head coach Randy Edsall speaks during a news conference about the stabbing death of playerJasper Howard in Storrs, Conn., Sunday, Oct. 18, 2009. Twenty-year-old Howard, of Miami, a junior and starting cornerback, and a second person were stabbed during a fight early Sunday after someone pulled a fire alarm during a dance at the UConn Student Union, police said. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

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    Connecticut football head coach Randy Edsall, left, speaks at a news conference about the stabbing death of player Jasper Howard as university president Michael J. Hogan, second from left, Major Ron Blichter of UConn Police, center, UConn athletic director Jeff Hathaway, second from right, and player Desi Cullen, right, listen in Storrs, Conn., Sunday, Oct. 18, 2009. Twenty-year-old Howard, of Miami, a junior and starting cornerback, and a second person were stabbed during a fight early Sunday after someone pulled a fire alarm during a dance at the UConn Student Union, police said. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

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    Connecticut football head coach Randy Edsall, left, comforts senior captain Desi Cullen, right, during a news conference about the stabbing death of teammate Jasper Howard in Storrs, Conn., Sunday, Oct. 18, 2009. Twenty-year-old Howard, of Miami, a junior and starting cornerback, and a second person were stabbed during a fight early Sunday after someone pulled a fire alarm during a dance at the UConn Student Union, police said. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

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    A student walks by yellow tape marking the crime scene where University of Connecticut football player Jasper Howard was stabbed and killed early Sunday morning, in Storrs, Conn., Sunday, Oct. 18, 2009. Twenty-year-old Howard, of Miami, a junior and starting cornerback, and a second person were stabbed during a fight early Sunday after someone pulled a fire alarm during a dance at the UConn Student Union, police said. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

    AP

    Connecticut football head coach Randy Edsall, left, comforts senior captain Desi Cullen, right, during a news conference about the stabbing death of teammate Jasper Howard in Storrs, Conn., Sunday, Oct. 18, 2009. Howard, 20, of Miami, a junior and starting cornerback, and a second person were stabbed during a fight early Sunday after someone pulled a fire alarm during a dance at the UConn Student Union, police said. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

    ASSOCIATED PRESS



"We've only lost one Big 12 game," he said. "A lot was said going into our game that Texas had won three of the last four matchups of ours, but we have won three of the last four Big 12 championships. So obviously that game isn't the end all. It's what you do through the whole year and a lot can happen in this conference with other teams and other injuries. You've got to keep playing and you never know what can happen by the end of the year."

The Sooners are strong defensively, but a lot will depend on what happens at quarterback. There is a good chance Jones could finish out the remainder of the season as Bradford and his family figures what is best for his full recovery. Jones is 2-1 in starts this season, but the two wins came against the likes of Idaho State and Tulsa.

The competition will be much stiffer the rest of the way.

Stoops Silent on Bradford's Future originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 19:12:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>BCS National ChampionshipBcsNationalChampionshipBob StoopsBobStoopsJermaine GreshamJermaineGreshamLandry JonesLandryJonesOklahoma SoonersOklahomaSoonersRed River RivalryRedRiverRivalryRyan BroylesRyanBroylesSam BradfordSamBradfordTerrance HarrisMon, 19 Oct 2009 19:12:00 EST Texas A&M Burning Under Shermanhttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/19/texas-aandm-burning-under-sherman/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/19/texas-aandm-burning-under-sherman/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/19/texas-aandm-burning-under-sherman/#commentsFiled under: ,

Mike ShermanFormer Texas A&M assistant and ex-Green Bay coach Mike Sherman returned to the Aggies nearly two years ago vowing to restore Aggie pride, dignity and accountability to the once proud program.

But in less than two complete seasons, Sherman doesn't seem close to his promise.

This will certainly be a tough week in Aggieland after A&M fell asleep against Kansas State and did not wake up until the mediocre Wildcats had pulled off a 66-14 rout in Manhattan, Kan., Saturday. And as crazy as it sounds, the score wasn't anywhere as close as it appears.

The Wildcats led 38-0 at halftime and were up 59-0 in the third quarter before the Aggies started putting points on the board. A&M, which breezed through its first three cupcake non-conference games has now lost three straight and you have to wonder if the Aggies will win again this season after Saturday's embarrassment.

"We got our butt kicked every which way. There is no question about that," Sherman said after his team fell to 3-3, 0-2 Big 12. "It goes with everybody: offense, defense, special teams, staff, everybody. We all got our butts kicked."

Now the question is how long before Sherman gets his butt kicked out of College Station. The message boards and phone lines are blowing up after what could be the Aggies' most embarrassing loss in years. Sure there have been some bigger margins of defeat to say ... Oklahoma. But Kansas State? And a bad Kansas State squad that has struggled to identify a quarterback in Bill Snyder's return from retirement, at that?

It was interesting to listen to the A&M players following Saturday's defeat. It was like they had an out-of-body experience for four quarters against Kansas State.

"For whatever reason, that wasn't us out there," said quarterback Jerrod Johnson.

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"That wasn't us out there," said linebacker Von Miller.

Unfortunately, the tape won't lie and surely by Sunday night the Aggies became aware the team at Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium was them.

Folks in Aggieland chased R.C. Slocum, who never had a losing season at A&M, out of town because they felt the game had passed him by. They never accepted Dennis Franchione because he was an outsider and at times he played too conservatively.

Sherman, who had watched from a short distance as the Houston Texans offensive coordinator, came in saying all the right things about wanting to do things the Aggie way. The guess is this isn't what anybody had in mind.

Sherman, who coached under Slocum before heading to Green Bay where he is famous for coaching Brett Favre, has made no excuses. But Sherman also hasn't made any gains in his two years on campus.

One of his most reliable receivers is backup quarterback Ryan Tannehill. And then the one that may exemplify how little progress has been is made is former quarterback-turned tight end Jamie McCoy is now carrying the ball out of the backfield. McCoy promptly got Saturday's onslaught going by fumbling the ball away on a run during the second play from scrimmage.

Sherman took over a bowl team and has promptly turned it into the worst program in the Big 12. The Aggies use to be able to count on a win against Baylor, but that has changed even with star Bear quarterback Robert Griffin sidelined.

Sherman got spanked by Arkansas in the final non-conference game and then opened the Big 12 season with a loss to an Oklahoma State team that has been hindered by injuries and off the field trouble.

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Connecticut football head coach Randy Edsall speaks during a news conference about the stabbing death of playerJasper Howard in Storrs, Conn., Sunday, Oct. 18, 2009. Twenty-year-old Howard, of Miami, a junior and starting cornerback, and a second person were stabbed during a fight early Sunday after someone pulled a fire alarm during a dance at the UConn Student Union, police said. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)
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    In this undated photo provided by the University of Connecticut, Jasper Howard is seen. Howard, 20, of Miami, and another student were stabbed during a fight after a fire alarm was pulled during a university sponsored dance at the UConn Student Union just after 12:30 a.m., police said. (AP Photo/University of Connecticut) **NO SALES**

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    In this undated photo provided by the University of Connecticut, Jasper Howard is seen. Howard, 20, of Miami, and another student were stabbed during a fight after a fire alarm was pulled during a university sponsored dance at the UConn Student Union just after 12:30 a.m., police said. (AP Photo/University of Connecticut) **NO SALES**

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    Connecticut football head coach Randy Edsall speaks during a news conference about the stabbing death of playerJasper Howard in Storrs, Conn., Sunday, Oct. 18, 2009. Twenty-year-old Howard, of Miami, a junior and starting cornerback, and a second person were stabbed during a fight early Sunday after someone pulled a fire alarm during a dance at the UConn Student Union, police said. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

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    Connecticut football head coach Randy Edsall, left, speaks at a news conference about the stabbing death of player Jasper Howard as university president Michael J. Hogan, second from left, Major Ron Blichter of UConn Police, center, UConn athletic director Jeff Hathaway, second from right, and player Desi Cullen, right, listen in Storrs, Conn., Sunday, Oct. 18, 2009. Twenty-year-old Howard, of Miami, a junior and starting cornerback, and a second person were stabbed during a fight early Sunday after someone pulled a fire alarm during a dance at the UConn Student Union, police said. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

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    Connecticut football head coach Randy Edsall, left, comforts senior captain Desi Cullen, right, during a news conference about the stabbing death of teammate Jasper Howard in Storrs, Conn., Sunday, Oct. 18, 2009. Twenty-year-old Howard, of Miami, a junior and starting cornerback, and a second person were stabbed during a fight early Sunday after someone pulled a fire alarm during a dance at the UConn Student Union, police said. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

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    A student walks by yellow tape marking the crime scene where University of Connecticut football player Jasper Howard was stabbed and killed early Sunday morning, in Storrs, Conn., Sunday, Oct. 18, 2009. Twenty-year-old Howard, of Miami, a junior and starting cornerback, and a second person were stabbed during a fight early Sunday after someone pulled a fire alarm during a dance at the UConn Student Union, police said. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

    AP

    Connecticut football head coach Randy Edsall, left, comforts senior captain Desi Cullen, right, during a news conference about the stabbing death of teammate Jasper Howard in Storrs, Conn., Sunday, Oct. 18, 2009. Howard, 20, of Miami, a junior and starting cornerback, and a second person were stabbed during a fight early Sunday after someone pulled a fire alarm during a dance at the UConn Student Union, police said. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

    ASSOCIATED PRESS

    Police vehicles are parked at the crime scene where University of Connecticut football player Jasper Howard was stabbed and killed early Sunday morning, in Storrs, Conn., Sunday, Oct. 18, 2009. Twenty-year-old Howard, of Miami, a junior and starting cornerback, and a second person were stabbed during a fight early Sunday after someone pulled a fire alarm during a dance at the UConn Student Union, police said. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

    ASSOCIATED PRESS

    Connecticut football head coach Randy Edsall, left, comforts senior captain Desi Cullen, right, during a news conference about the stabbing death of teammate Jasper Howard in Storrs, Conn., Sunday, Oct. 18, 2009. Howard, 20, of Miami, a junior and starting cornerback, and a second person were stabbed during a fight early Sunday after someone pulled a fire alarm during a dance at the UConn Student Union, police said. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

    AP

    Nebraska quarterback Zac Lee (5) is tackled by Texas Tech's Bront Bird, in the second half of their NCAA college football game in Lincoln, Neb., Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009. Texas Tech beat Nebraska 31-10.(AP Photo/Dave Weaver)

    AP



Yet, Sherman says he saw his team improving.

"This is hard," he said. "I felt every week of the season we got better, going back to the preseason and our preseason camp.

"I had comfort in the fact we were getting better. [Saturday] we didn't get better. We took a step backwards."

You think?

Well it could get worse before it gets anywhere near better. Try this one for size: The Aggies are headed to Lubbock _ a place where they haven't won since 1993 _ to face a Texas Tech team that a week earlier applied the same kind of beating to Kansas State that the Wildcats put on A&M on Saturday.

The Aggies say this is a long season. They don't know true those words may ring with six games remaining and not a for sure win in sight.

Texas A&M Burning Under Sherman originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 12:54:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Brett FavreBrettFavreDennis FranchioneDennisFranchioneJerrod JohnsonJerrodJohnsonMike ShermanMikeShermanRyan TannehillRyanTannehillTerrance HarrisMon, 19 Oct 2009 12:54:00 EST