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/Leach Weighs in on Mangino Flaphttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/25/leach-weighs-in-on-mangino-flap/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/25/leach-weighs-in-on-mangino-flap/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/25/leach-weighs-in-on-mangino-flap/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


Bedlam Reversal

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

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

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

So how is that for a reversal of fortunes?

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

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

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

Even Stoops finds the reversal a bit odd.

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

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

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

Brown Praises FG Kicker

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

Rarely does placekicker Hunter Lawrence's name come up.

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

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

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

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

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

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


Quick Slants



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

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

 

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]]>Andre SextonAndreSextonbcsben habernBenHabernBill SnyderBillSnyderBo PeliniBob StoopsBobStoopsBoPeliniCase KeenumCaseKeenumcolt mccoyColtMccoyDanario AlexanderDanarioAlexanderJordan ShipleyJordanShipleyMack BrownMackBrownmark manginoMarkManginoMike GundyMike LeachMikeGundyMikeLeachOklahoma State footballOklahomaStateFootballRyan ReynoldsRyanReynoldsTim TebowTimTebowTerrance HarrisWed, 25 Nov 2009 15:00:00 EST Kansas Still Fights for Embattled Coachhttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/22/kansas-still-fights-for-embattled-mangino/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/22/kansas-still-fights-for-embattled-mangino/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/22/kansas-still-fights-for-embattled-mangino/#commentsFiled under: ,

Mark ManginoAUSTIN, Texas --- Embattled Kansas coach Mark Mangino's week got off to a rocky start and it didn't get any better as the Jayhawks rolled to their sixth straight defeat Saturday night, falling 51-20 to the second-ranked Texas Longhorns on the road.

On Monday, Mangino found out athletic director Lew Perkins has launched an investigation into allegations the eight-year head coach has been verbally and physically abusive to some of his players after linebacker Arist Wright reported Mangino for poking him in the chest last Friday. Several former players have come forth to discuss the often mean-spirited abuse Mangino often fired their way.

Most expect these allegations along with a disappointing 5-6, 1-6 Big 12 record to be enough to send Mangino packing not long after next week's regular season finale.

Mangino seemed undeterred by all that's going on following Saturday night's loss at Texas Memorial Stadium.

"Distracted?" Mangino responded when asked about the distractions of the week. "Let me tell you what's on my mind. This week, it was Texas. As soon as I walk out of this room, Missouri.

"Let me tell you something that's really important on my mind. I have a player, D.J. Marshall, who's in Tulsa, Okla. in a cancer treatment center. He just started his chemotherapy this week. That's called a bad week. I've had a great week."

On paper Saturday night, it looked as though his team got hammered by Texas. But in actuality, they played with a great deal of fight and resilience that defied the storm swirling around the program right now. After trailing by 21 points at halftime, the Jayhawks came out and briefly cut their deficit to 27-13 when running back Jake Sharp raced 2 yards into the end to cap an impressive 88-yard scoring drive early in the third quarter.

Star receiver Dez Briscoe also had brilliant moments, catching five balls for 101 yards to help set up three scores. He also had a spectacular 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown with 11:29 remaining in the game that pulled the Jayhawks closer at 44-20.
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Kansas senior quarterback Todd Reesing also had his moments in front of his hometown crowd in Austin, completing 25 of 39 pass attempts for 256 yards on the night.

"I'm really proud of the way our kids played and competed," Mangino said. "I'm proud of everything they did today. The better team won today, but our kids never surrendered, even in times when their backs were against the wll, they continued to fight."

That's certainly what Texas coach Mack Brown saw, as well.

"That team didn't look like it had any problem tonight. i thought they fought really hard," Brown said. "You don't fight that hard unless you are fighting for coaches and yourself. I thought that sent a message that those kids haven't given up yet."

The Kansas Jayhawks, who started out the season 5-0 and were at one point in the Top 20, must defeat Missouri in next week's regular-season finale to become bowl eligible. Mangino also believes his team still has fight in it despite everything going on.

"It's a united team," said Mangino, who is just two seasons removed from a 12-1 Orange Bowl season. "Let me say this to you, I am priviledged to coach these kids.

"We are a 5-6 football team, and this is one of the most resilient groups of kids I have ever been around."

Kansas Still Fights for Embattled Coach originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sun, 22 Nov 2009 01:40:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Dez BriscoeKansas JayhawksKansasJayhawksMack BrownMackBrownmark manginoMarkManginoTodd ReesingToddReesingTerrance HarrisSun, 22 Nov 2009 01:40:00 EST McCoy Drums Up Victory for Longhornshttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/22/mccoy-drums-up-victory-for-longhorns/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/22/mccoy-drums-up-victory-for-longhorns/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/22/mccoy-drums-up-victory-for-longhorns/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


AUSTIN, Texas -- Usually one the most straight-laced and reserved of the Texas Longhorns, senior quarterback Colt McCoy finally stopped to take it all in late Saturday night.

Moments after the second-ranked Longhorns defeated Kansas 51-20 to earn a trip to the Big 12 Championship Game as the South division champs, and after McCoy cemented himself as college football's all-time winningest quarterback, thefour-year starter celebrated with record 101,357 fans who stuck around Texas Memorial Stadium to pay homage.

McCoy jumped into the mode of a normal student overflowing with spirit as he fired off the cannon and then beat storied base drum Big Bertha as the crowd roared even louder.

"I had never hit the drum, I had never shot the cannon," McCoy said with a smile. "I had always wanted to pull the cannon but I was afraid I would get a 15-yard penalty. I guess that was the perfect time to do it."

Indeed it was the night to take it all in and reflect on what had been accomplished and what still lies ahead for the undefeated and mostly unchallenged Longhorns. Off in the horizons are the possibilities of the Heisman Trophy for McCoy and a shot at the programs' first BCS national championship since 2005.

But before obtaining such lofty goals, the Longhorns still have the pressing matter of facing rival Texas A&M in their annual Thanksgiving Day regular season-season finale. They will then have to prepare to face the punishing defense of Nebraska in the Big 12 championship a week later. Any slip-up along the way would almost certainly douse any hopes of a BCS title.

"That's one our goals, we won the South," said McCoy, whose 43 career wins broke the previous record set by Georgia's David Greene. "But our focus right now is going to be on A&M. We only have five days to prepare. I'm totally on A&M, that's where we are headed."

That's typical McCoy, never allowing the moment to overshadow what's ahead.

But Saturday night, the fans who packed into Texas Memorial Stadium weren't going to allow their quarterback to not celebrate what he's accomplished to this point. They stood on their feet and chanted "Colt...Colt...Colt...Colt" as the clock struck 5:52 and it seemed certain they were getting their last glimpse of their quarterback at home.

And to let the moment fester just a little longer, head coach Mack Brown allowed fellow seniors Jordan Shipley, center Chris Hall, guard Charlie Tanner and offensive tackle Adam Ulatoski, along with McCoy to trot out with the offense one last time only to call timeout to remove them to allow them one last ovation.

McCoy seemed humbled by the outpouring of respect and affection, not just for him but for the other 20 seniors playing their final home game.

"I heard it, it was pretty loud," McCoy said of the ovation. "I'm just so thankful. God has blessed me tremendously. I've worked so hard to be at this point, but I know how good a teammates I've had, how good of coaches I've had. I've been blessed and it's really special."
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It seemed only fitting that McCoy turned in a career night against the Kansas Jayhawks, connecting on 32-of-41 passes for 396 yards and four touchdowns on a night where the Longhorns never struggled and never trailed. McCoy looked especially sharp as he worked the ball into childhood best friend Jordan Shipley (10 passes for 108 yards and one touchdown), while also working in some of the younger receivers like Malcolm Williams (six catches, 103 yards and one touchdown) and James Kirkendoll (eight catches, 86 and two touchdowns).

It was the kind of performance that could very well have McCoy back out front in the Heisman Trophy race. But what is for sure is McCoy's performance lived up to the occasion that saw him become college football's all-time wins leader while also securing his Big 12 Championship Game bid.

"I don't think we could have scripted it any better," Brown said. "With all the pressure on him, he's showing everybody he's in here for a big finish. He was sending a message tonight."

The message was that McCoy and the rest of the Longhorns have accomplished a lot so far, but that their business is far from done.

"What's important to me is winning. We just did what they told us to do," McCoy said. "Before the game I didn't think about. ... I tried not to think about this being my last game in here, letting my emotions get the best of me.

"I just wanted to come out here and play and get better because we've got a long stretch ahead of us still."

McCoy Drums Up Victory for Longhorns originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sun, 22 Nov 2009 01:32:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>colt mccoyheisman trophyJordan ShipleyMack BrownTerrance HarrisSun, 22 Nov 2009 01:32:00 EST McCoy Keeps Longhorns on Title Marchhttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/21/mccoy-keeps-longhorns-on-title-march/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/21/mccoy-keeps-longhorns-on-title-march/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/21/mccoy-keeps-longhorns-on-title-march/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Colt McCoyAUSTIN, Texas -- For 21 University of Texas seniors, Saturday night was their last time playing at Texas Memorial Stadium. So they made it a night to remember.

The second-ranked Longhorns overpowered Kansas en route to a 51-20 victory that cemented them as the Big 12 South division champions and sealed senior quarterback Colt McCoy's place as college football's all-time winningest quarterback with 43 career wins.

But the Texas Longhorns, who are well positioned for their first BCS national championship game bid since 2005, still have quite a bit of business to finish. They will have to get past rival Texas A&M on Thanksgiving night and then North division champ Nebraska in the Big 12 title game.

McCoy, who completed 32-of-41 for 396 yards and four touchdowns, also positioned himself near the front of the Heisman Trophy race with a near-flawless performance in front of a capacity home crowd.

In the meantime, the Longhorns will celebrate another impressive win that moves them to 11-0 and 7-0 in conference play. The Jayhawks, mired in controversy because of abuse allegations being aimed at head coach Mark Mangino, have now lost six straight and at 5-6 and 1-6, need to win their regular-season finale against Missouri next week to become bowl-eligible.
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It was obvious almost from the outset that the Jayhawks were no match for Texas as they fell behind 27-6 by halftime. Kansas made it interesting early in their third quarter when it drove the ball 88 yards and running back Jake Sharp slammed in from two yards on the Jayhawks' first touchdown of the evening to pull within 27-13 with 3:08 left in the third quarter.

But just 10 seconds and one play later, McCoy hooked up with receiver Malcolm Williams for a 68-yard touchdown pass that re-extended the lead to 21 and more or less closed the door on any comeback attempt. Kansas never seriously threatened again though Dez Briscoe did muster an impressive 98-yard kickoff return that made it 44-20 early in the fourth quarter and kept things interesting a little longer.

Jordan Shipley, playing in his final home game, caught 10 passes for 108 yards and a touchdown.

McCoy Keeps Longhorns on Title March originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 21 Nov 2009 23:04:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>colt mccoyColtMccoytexas longhornsTexasLonghornsTerrance HarrisSat, 21 Nov 2009 23:04:00 EST Live Blog: Colt McCoy Shoots for Spot as Texas' Greatest Quarterbackhttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/21/live-blog-colt-mccoy-shoots-for-spot-as-texas-greatest-quarter/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/21/live-blog-colt-mccoy-shoots-for-spot-as-texas-greatest-quarter/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/21/live-blog-colt-mccoy-shoots-for-spot-as-texas-greatest-quarter/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

TexasAUSTIN, Texas -- Okay, so let the debate began.

Vince Young or Colt McCoy.

Which is the greatest Texas Longhorns quarterback of all time? Young led the Texas Longhorns to a season of perfection and the BCS national title in 2005 as a junior. McCoy, a four-year starter at Texas, has a chance tonight to become college football's all-time winningest quarterback with 43 wins should the second-ranked Longhorns make it past Kansas here at Texas Memorial Stadium.

Some argue McCoy is more a complete quarterback than Young, able to beat opponents with both his arm and legs. But McCoy has yet to win aBig 12 championship much-less a national title and for some that is how greatness is best measured.
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McCoy, however, could take a major step in that direction tonight during the Longhorns' final home game. A win over the Kansas Jayhawks clinches the South division title and reserves a spot in the Dec. 5th Big 12 championship for the 10-0 Longhorns.

It all sets up nicely for McCoy tonight, who can surpass Georgia's David Greene's 42-wins mark in front of his home crowd in his final game in Memorial Stadium on Senior Night. Making it even sweeter, the win also clinches the South for the Longhorns.

"I'm trying not to think about that at all," McCoy said of the all-time wins record. "I just want to go out there and do my best so we can win. That is a really special award. It's a team award. Later down the road when we meet up with each other, we can say, `We had such and such number of wins.' That'll be special, but to have a chance to break it during the last home game at the stadium, that's pretty sweet."


FIRST QUARTER



The Longhorns get on the board first when McCoy connects with receiver James Kirkendoll for a 41-yard touchdown that made it 7-0 with 6:02 left in the first quarter.
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So much for McCoy's Heisman showcase tonight as he fumbles the ball away on a scramble.
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Gotta give it up to UT defensive coordinator Will Muschamp. He really knows how to dial it up. Two perfectly called blitzes have resulted in big sacks on Reesing in the first quarter. The first came earlier in the quarter when Chykie Brown dropped him for a 12-yard loss on a corner blitz. And at the end of the first quarter, defensive tackle Lamarr Houston came in to put Reesind down for a 8-yard loss.


SECOND QUARTER

The Longhorns are fortunate to hold Kansas to a 27-yard field goal by Jacob Branstetter after McCoy's fumble and a deep pass from Todd Reesing to Dez Briscoe that landed the Jayhawks at the UT 10. The Longhorns can't afford many more mistakes.

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

Kansas isn't the only team with a new wrinkle. The Longhorns broke out the naked bootleg as McCoy rolled right and found Jordan Shipley down field for a 38-yard touchdown pass that put UT up 14-3.

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

Kansas has now driven the ball into the the red zone only to have to settle for another field goal after the Longhorns stalled the Jayhawks at the 8. Reesing overthrew Briscoe in the corner of the end zone twice from the 8.

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

An attempted onside kick by the Jayhawks nearly backfires when it doesn't travel the necessary 10 yards. The Longhrons got the ball at the KU 36, but ended up settling for a 49-yard Hunter Lawrence field goal that makes it 17-6 with 5:45 remaining in the first half.

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

Okay, the Longhorns are starting to roll. Just completed a near flawless 59-yard drive that ended with Cody Johnson slamming in from 1-yard out to put Texas ahead 24-6 with 1:21 remaining in the half.

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After a little bit of clock confusion the Longhorns got exactly what they wanted out of the end of the first half and that was points. Lawrence converted a 47-yard field goal to give UT a 27-6 lead going into halftime. The Longhorns have scored points on four straight possessions and will open up the second half with the ball. Can we say the rout is on?
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The obvious attention is on McCoy becoming the all-time winngest quarterback in college football tonight, but just maybe this stage and performance could catapult the Longhorns senior back into the front of the Heisman Trophy race. Through the first two quarters, McCoy has connected on 18-of-22 passes for 238 yards and two touchdowns. He has the no-huddle offense moving in great rhythm. So far, McCoy's only mistake has been a fumble in which the Jayhawks converted into a field goal.


THIRD QUARTER

So maybe it's too early to count Kansas out. After forcing UT to punt for the first time in four series, the Jayhawks offense bounced back with an impressive 88-yard drive that saw Jake Sharpe race in from two yards out for their first touchdown of the night, pulling within 27-13 with 8:10 left in the third. Briscoe put KU into the red zone for the third time of the night when he got past the secondary for a 39-yard reception to the UT 19. And then freshman receiver Bradley McDougald had a 17-yard reception to the 2.
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Well maybe we shouldn't call it a comeback just yet. One offensive play and 10 seconds after KU pulled within two touchdowns, McCoy found Malcolm Williams streaking down field on a deep post for a 68-yard touchdown connections that extended the lead back out to 34-13.


FOURTH QUARTER

Sure, this game is all but over but Dez Briscoe is showing tonight he is a spectacular athlete. When Reesing has been able to find him, he has burned the UT secondary badly. And he just returned a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown as he made the UT kickoff coverage team look absolutely slow. If the Jayhawks had a little more to go with him this might actually be an interesting finish.

But oh well. About to head to the field for interviews. Enjoy.

Live Blog: Colt McCoy Shoots for Spot as Texas' Greatest Quarterback originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:46:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Big 12 FootballBig12Footballcolt mccoyColtMccoyKansas JayhawksKansasJayhawkstexas longhornsTexasLonghornsvince youngVinceYoungTerrance HarrisSat, 21 Nov 2009 19:46:00 EST Longhorns Find It Easy to Stay Focusedhttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/21/longhorns-find-it-easy-to-stay-focused/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/21/longhorns-find-it-easy-to-stay-focused/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/21/longhorns-find-it-easy-to-stay-focused/#commentsFiled under: , ,

AUSTIN, Texas -- University of Texas coach Mack Brown usually doesn't like to live in the past, but this week he broke out some old film for his team.

He showed the Longhorns how teams from 2006 and 2007 finished in comparison to 2005, when Texas won the BCS national title, and last season when many agree the 12-1 Longhorns should have been given the opportunity to compete for the national championship.

Brown's point to his second-ranked,10-0 squad is simple: stay focused these last two regular-season games, the Big 12 championship game in two weeks, and then biggest of prizes await the Texas Longhorns in Pasadena. A slip up anywhere between now and the Jan. 7 BCS national championship game will lead to great disappointment for Texas.

"We basically said you can choose," said Brown, whose team moved to 6-0 in Big 12 play with last Saturday's 47-14 win at Baylor. "You've been a great team and you've had a great run, so if you want to be flat and stand around here and get beat at the end, that's up to you. I can't do anything about it. If you sincerely want to be 40-years-old and look back at what you've accomplished, you've got two weeks to put yourself in a different place than a lot of teams have in this football program. When you bring your children and your grandchildren back through, if you want to be proud of 10 wins, that's fine. If you want to try to get to 14, that's on you.''

The march toward what seems to be the inevitable continues Saturday night when the Longhorns take on a struggling Kansas squad -- which is in the midst of a five-game losing streak and its coach, Mark Mangino, is embroiled in a controversy that could see him fired soon -- in their final home game, on senior night and on a night when four-year starter Colt McCoy can become college football's all-time winningest quarterback.
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"I think it's going to be a lot of fun," said McCoy, who at 42-7 is tied with Georgia's David Greene for the most victories by a college quarterback and remains a viable candidate for the Heisman Trophy. "For me, and I think all of our seniors, we're just not going to let our emotions get the best of us. We've had so many memories in that stadium, but we just have to go out and play. There are still so many goals intact for us, so it's just another game. That's how we have to treat it."

Should the Longhorns win Saturday night, they will lock up the Big 12 South division title to guarantee a spot in the Dec. 5th conference championship game. They also have a showdown on Thanksgiving night against longtime in-state rival Texas A&M in front of a national television audience.

So Brown says there is zero chance Texas will be overlooking the Kansas Jayhawks (5-5, 1-5 Big 12) Saturday night or anytime soon.

"They're excited about senior night, they're excited about Kansas coming in here, national TV, there is a lot at stake," he said. "We can tie up the South Division championship this weekend, Colt could move forward and be the winningest quarterback in college football history. So there are a lot of things on the line for us.

"But you never know, though. I think they are really excited about the challenge of Kansas coming in here and our seniors playing their last game at home."

Longhorns Find It Easy to Stay Focused originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 21 Nov 2009 12:10:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>bcsBig 12 FootballBig 12 SouthBig12Footballcolt mccoyColtMccoyDavid Greeneheisman trophyHeismanTrophyKansas JayhawksKansasJayhawksMack BrownMackBrownmark manginoMarkManginotexas longhornsTexasLonghornsTerrance HarrisSat, 21 Nov 2009 12:10:00 EST Big 12 North Gets Nostalgichttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/20/big-12-north-gets-nostalgic/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/20/big-12-north-gets-nostalgic/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/20/big-12-north-gets-nostalgic/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , ,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Alexander Making Most of Final Shot

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Toilet Bowl

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

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

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

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

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

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



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

Hawkins Finds Humor in Job Security

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

Then he gathered himself.

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

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

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

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

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

 

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]]>Art BrilesArtBrilesBaylor FootballBaylorFootballBig 12 FootballBig12FootballBill SnyderBillSnyderBo PeliniBoPeliniDan HawkinsDan McCarneyDanario AlexanderDanHawkinsDanMccarneyGary PinkelGaryPinkelGene ChizikGeneChizikIowa State FootballIowaStateFootballJeremy MaclinJeremyMaclinKansas State WildcatsKansasStateWildcatsMike ShermanMikeShermanNebraskaFootballpaul rhoadsPaulRhoadsRobert GriffinRobertGriffinRon PrinceRonPrinceTexas AM AggiesTexasAmAggiesTom OsborneTomOsborneTerrance HarrisFri, 20 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST Former Kansas Running Back Says He Felt Wrath of Manginohttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/19/former-kansas-running-back-says-he-felt-wrath-of-mangino/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/19/former-kansas-running-back-says-he-felt-wrath-of-mangino/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/19/former-kansas-running-back-says-he-felt-wrath-of-mangino/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Former Kansas running back Jocques Crawford believes Jayhawks football coach Mark Mangino has anger issues and is prone to unleash his abusive behavior on his players.

Crawford says he witnessed Mangino's wrath first hand during his lone season with the program in 2008. Kansas athletic director Lew Perkins launched an investigation into his head coach's behavior Monday after it came to his attention that Mangino had poked senior linebacker Arist Wright during a walk-through practice last Friday.

Perkins has formed an independent panel to begin investigating what is believed to be a pattern of abusive behavior by Mangino directed at his team and other football personnel. Crawford said Perkins has yet to contact him, but if he does the former running back will have plenty to say.

"From what I heard, that's been going on for a while," Crawford told FanHouse. "I was warned that's how he was but I never believed it until I had my encounter with him during two-a-days."

During that encounter, not long after the Junior College All-American out of Cisco Junior College joined the team in the summer of 2008, Crawford said he was having fumble troubles on a particular day early in fall two-a-days camp when Mangino came down with a mean-spirited attack in front of not only his teammates but some NFL scouts observing practice.

"Mangino grabbed me and started cursing me out and he said I'm the biggest flop that he'd ever seen since some player he named that I had never heard of," Crawford said. "I was like, 'Is that necessary? Are you serious right now?'

"Any guy that's playing college football, they see scouts out there, they are trying to get noticed. So for him to pull me out in front of everybody. ... He didn't pull me to the side or nothing, he stopped practice and called me the biggest flop that he'd ever seen."

Crawford said he felt the wrath once again during the Iowa State game when he was stripped of the football at the bottom of the pile. Crawford insisted he was already down when the ball was taken from him, but the replays were inconclusive and the Cyclones were rewarded the ball.

"Mangino cursed me out on the sideline and told me that I would never play again," said Crawford, who ran for 232 yards and four touchdowns on 62 attempts in his only season at Kansas. "He sat me down and I did not get back in the rest of that game. That hurt me. You mean to tell me that one mistake was going to cause me to sit on the bench the rest of the game and as you can see from my stats, pretty much the rest of the year?.
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"I had told [offensive coordinator Ed Warinner] it wasn't fun for me no more and that I'd just rather go somewhere where I could play. I just wanted to play. I wasn't on any special teams, they had me at second-string running back and the first-string and third team running backs were getting more carries than me. How does that work?

"When we got back from that trip, Coach Warinner tried to explain to me that it wasn't his call I didn't play, `We all know who's call that was.' He just tried to talk to me and tell me don't make a decision right now."

Through spokesman Chris Theisen, Mangino and Perkins both declined to be interviewed. But Mangino, who has denied any abuse, did defend his reputation Wednesday to local reporters in Lawrence.

"I run this program with a lot of integrity," Mangino said in the Kansas City Star. "I have been in this conference for nearly 20 years, and what I can tell you is that our coaching intensity is not largely different from the rest of the Big Eight and Big 12 teams I've observed."

Crawford's accounts of abuse are similar to ones recanted by former players to the Lawrence Journal-World and Kansas City Star.

Crawford, meanwhile, eventually left the team in July after serving an indefinite suspension for what Mangino, referred to at the time as a variety of team rules infractions. He is now spending a redshirt year as a walk-on at Tennessee Tech.

He wouldn't discuss the details of his suspension.

Crawford said he observed Mangino getting in the faces of players a few times while there. One incident he said took place with former linebacker Mike Rivera, who now plays for the Tennessee Titans. According to Crawford, Mangino nearly got some of what he was giving out.

" Mangino thinks he's untouchable but he's going to come across one player who is going to be like 'I had enough.' "
-- Jocques Crawford, former KU running back "He got in Mike Rivera's face one time, started talking all this mess to him and Mike was like 'OK, coach. OK coach," Crawford said. "But Mangino just kept egging it on, kept trying to provoke him and then Mike snapped back at him. Then some players had to grab him.

"Mangino thinks he's untouchable but he's going to come across one player who is going to be like 'I had enough.' I know Arist Wright, I know his attitude. I am surprised and I'm thankful he didn't do anything that would have gotten him arrested. He did the right thing by going to Lew Perkins and complaining about it."

Crawford said he had trouble remembering a time once he was in the program where Mangino portrayed the kind and joking side of personality that is often put in front of recruits and media members. He said the coach was usually pretty grumpy with the team.

"I do not recall," Crawford said when asked if there times when Mangino was kind to his team. "The bowl game practices, they were fine. Other than that, I don't recall at all. Maybe in meetings, but if he'd catch you doing something in meetings, he'd rip you up, too."

Apparently, it didn't take much to set Mangino off, according to Crawford. And when he did go off, things would sometimes get personal and physical.

"All it would take for it to be a rowdy practice for him to go off and get in somebody's face and grab them and push them and do whatever," Crawford said. "When he's doing this, he's not going through no drill trying to show them how to do something. So what is he touching on his player for?"

Crawford said he was fooled into believing Mangino was a much different coach during his recruitment process while still at Cisco Junior College in Texas.

"During my recruiting process, Mangino seemed like one of the coolest laid-back coaches that you could build a relationship with, that's going to be honest with you," said Crawford, who was named the Junior College Offensive Player of the Year after rushing for 1,935 yards and 19 touchdowns at Cisco Junior College in 2007. "He totally did not seem like the person I was going to see every day. That was not him at all.

"That's the only time we would see Mangino like that was during recruiting periods. When guys come to practices, Mangino is as cool as he want to be."

The subject of Mangino's treatment of his team never came up during Crawford's on-campus visit. The prospective student-athlete and his assigned host were too focused on having a good time to discuss issues of substance.

"You know how recruiting works," Crawford said. "He's going to put you with the guys that are having the most success with the program and so they aren't going to complain really about too much.

"Guys, as their host, you are expected to only sell these recruits on the good. That's the thing with recruiting, on these recruiting trips you are going to have fun. They are going to show you a good time. And you are not really concerned with asking your host about the coaches. That's how they get you."" It took one brave guy and a senior to speak up and tell what really happened. Guys like me, I kept my mouth shut because I got blackballed once I transferred from Kansas. I didn't end going to a D-I school like I wanted to transfer to. "
-- Crawford

Crawford said more players haven't come forward with complaints for fear of retaliation by Mangino. Not only does Mangino control playing time, but he can also influence NFL teams that might be interested. And in the case of Crawford, he claims Mangino made it impossible for him to transfer to another major BCS school.

"It took one brave guy and a senior to speak up and tell what really happened," Crawford said of Wright. "Guys like me, I kept my mouth shut because I got blackballed once I transferred from Kansas. I didn't end going to a D-I school like I wanted to transfer to.

"A lot of schools were interested but once they called Kansas to get a release, they called me back and said they were no longer interested because `We heard you were this type of player and this and that.' I was like `Are you serious?'"

Former Kansas Running Back Says He Felt Wrath of Mangino originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Arist WrightJocquesCrawfordLew PerkinsLewPerkinsmark manginoMarkManginoMike RiveraTerrance HarrisThu, 19 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST Mangino's Poke May Have Given Kansas Excuse to Shove Him Outhttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/18/manginos-poke-may-have-given-kansas-excuse-to-shove-him-out/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/18/manginos-poke-may-have-given-kansas-excuse-to-shove-him-out/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/18/manginos-poke-may-have-given-kansas-excuse-to-shove-him-out/#commentsFiled under: ,

Mark ManginoKansas has launched an investigation into the alleged abusive behavior of football coach Mark Mangino, and some close to the program believe this could be the end of his eight-year tenure.

According to anonymous source reports out of Kansas Tuesday night, Mangino poked senior linebacker Arist Wright in the chest during the walk-through last Friday prior to Saturday's road game against Colorado. The incident was reported to athletic director Lew Perkins, who then met with the entire football team Monday.

Suddenly, Mangino is being painted as an oversized coach with an even bigger anger problem. But some people close to the program and familiar with Mangino's brash style of coaching are questioning the timing of the reaction.

Mangino has been largely successful in his eight-year tenure at Kansas, but this season has been a major disappointment after a 5-0 start. The Kansas Jayhawks have lost five straight and at 5-5 (1-5 in the Big 12) must scratch out one win either Saturday at No. 2 Texas or in the regular-season finale to be bowl eligible.

"Coach Mangino is certainly not a person who is afraid to scream and yell," a source familiar with the program and Mangino and his coaching style said to FanHouse on Wednesday. "The funny thing is this is no different than the previous seven years, so what's the big deal now?"

That source speculated this is an excuse to set the stage for Mangino's removal this season. Mangino hinted as much Tuesday when asked by reporters if he was concerned he had lost his players in the fallout of this incident.

"Not one bit," Mangino said. "I may have lost some of the people around here, but not my players."

Perkins is believed to be chief among those people. A source indicated Perkins may have been looking for a reason to get rid of Mangino and a pattern of physical and verbal abuse along with a 1-5 league mark could provide all the reason needed to get rid of the coach who is credited with turning Kansas around. Mangino's current contract runs until 2012.

Speculation is Perkins would target UConn coach Randy Edsall as his next coach. Perkins hired Edsall when he was athletic director of the Huskies athletic department from 1990 to 2003 before arriving at Kansas where Mangino was already in place.

"I know there are people in the athletic department looking to make their own hire," a source said. "Maybe this is it."

In the meantime, Mangino and his coaching style have received much conversation these past couple days. A warm and friendly person in public, apparently Mangino can be quite different behind closed doors with his team.

Mangino, by all accounts, can be a tough coach. But how that plays with players and parents seems to be quite varied.

"He's a coach so, of course, he is going to yell," former linebacker and captain Nick Reid said to FanHouse. "There is not a coach in the country that doesn't yell. That's just part of the game. You have to have thick skin to be a collegiate athlete."

Penny Reid, Nick's mom, said she is certain her son was yelled at by Mangino during his four years but said it was all in helping to make Nick a better person and football player.

"That's OK, it's part of it," said Penny Reid, whose son was one of Mangino's initial recruits and played through the 2005 season. "It's just part of it and you just can't take it personally. You are talking about kids who are playing a football game where they are coached to knock somebody's head off or do whatever the catch phrase is at the time. It's rough. Football is a really rough game."

Another parent, who did not wish to be identified, told FanHouse her son's experience wasn't all that great though he was a former defensive starter.

"I do not wish to throw Mark Mangino under the bus, but I will say I think he is probably very hard to play for," she said.

She went on to say that assistant coaches often stepped in to shield the players from Mangino's wrath. Apparently former defensive coordinator Bill Young acted as the go-between for his players. Young left after the 2007 Orange Bowl season for Miami and after a year returned to the Big 12 to head Oklahoma State's defense.

"One thing I feel was real helpful when [my son] was there was when Bill Young was there, it was very nice to have that buffer between coach Mangino and [my son]," the mother said. "He was mostly around Bill Young and he was excellent and he was a wonderful coach and we think the world of him, of course.

"If you are going to report that somebody poked you in the chest, then I'm sure every coach in the country should be reported. This is so insignificant and minor, it blows my mind that somebody would even bring that up."
-- Former Kansas player Nick Reid "I think having the assistants around kind of buffers them from what they may or may not experience with Mark Mangino."

Nick Reid didn't say whether or not he was ever personally touched by Mangino as Wright reportedly was Friday, but he said a poke in the chest really isn't a big deal.

"If you are going to report that somebody poked you in the chest, then I'm sure every coach in the country should be reported," Nick Reid said. "This is so insignificant and minor, it blows my mind that somebody would even bring that up."

Former KU running back Jocques Crawford, who was kicked off the team this past summer, discussed the abuse he received from Mangino during his year with the program on Twitter. Crawford told blogger Jack Nealy he was verbally and mentally abused by Mangino during his time with the Jayhawks.

But Nick Reid describes his experience with Mangino as being positive. Reid also indicated this may be the result of a season that has failed to meet the expectations of many inside of the program.

"He's a great coach. I have the utmost respect for him. He's tough-nosed, but what coach isn't. If you are going to be a great coach and have a great team, you have to be tough with the guys. I don't see anything wrong with it. I had no problems with him the four years I was there, none of the guys I played with had a problem with him.

"I really don't know where this is coming from. I understand they are having a rough season. That happens. That's sports for you, look at OU, USC. They are not having the greatest season but you don't see their players running off saying things about the coach.

"There are ups and downs. Sure the season hasn't played out like everyone would have liked it to, but I don't think it's Coach Mangino's fault. There have been some injuries and other things have happened."
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Mangino's Poke May Have Given Kansas Excuse to Shove Him Out originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>arist wrightmark manginoTerrance HarrisWed, 18 Nov 2009 19:45:00 EST Kansas Investigating Mark Manginohttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/17/kansas-investigating-mark-mangino/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/17/kansas-investigating-mark-mangino/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/17/kansas-investigating-mark-mangino/#commentsFiled under: ,

Mark ManginoKansas athletic director Lew Perkins has launched an investigation into allegations football coach Mark Mangino has been treating his players inappropriately.

Perkins held meetings with a number of players Monday night and he also met briefly with Mangino. Senior quarterback Todd Reesing told gathered reporters Tuesday afternoon that Perkins informed the players that an unbiased panel was being put together to conduct the investigation.

"I can confirm an internal review is under way," Perkins said in a quote released by the school Tuesday. "It involves a personnel matter, and as a result, is confidential. It would be inappropriate for me to provide further information right now."

The Kansas City Star cited sources as saying the players were told during the Monday night meeting that they could bring forward information in front of a formal panel.

The specific allegations remain unclear other than some unidentified players complained about how they were treated by the head coach.

"There have been certain things that have been said, I really don't want to focus on that right now," said Reesing, who along with the other Jayhawks are preparing to face No. 2 Texas this weekend in Austin. "It is what it is, it's happening but it has nothing to do with playing Texas so I don't see any relevance in talking about that."

The Jayhawks, who came into the season as one of the favorites in the Big 12 North, are on a five-game losing streak with two games remaining after starting out the season 5-0. Mangino seemed to point the finger directly at Perkins on Tuesday when he said this whole episode would be a non-issue were it not for his team's 5-5, 1-5 record.
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"I'm not totally [caught off guard], not because of the issues," Mangino said Tuesday. "This is what comes when things aren't going well, you will find disgruntled people. It's a fact of any organization whether it's sports related, whether it's corporate or any profession you are in.

"The fact of the matter is we've lost some games in a row here. Nobody feels worse than I do about it. Nobody is trying harder to get it straightened out, but the fact of life is these types of things are going to come up when things aren't going good. That's life."

This is the second off-the-field distraction for the football team this season. Earlier in the season, the Jayhawks football and men's basketball teams were feuding and it spilled over into a couple of fights around campus.

But since then the focus has been on the Jayhawks sudden slide from grace on the football field. Kansas needs to win either this week at Texas or in the regular-season finale against Missouri to become bowl eligible.

There are now questions as to whether Mangino has lost his team, but both Mangino and Reesing said that isn't an issue.

"Not one bit," said Mangino, who is in his eighth season leading the Jayhawks. "I may have lost some of the people around here, but not my players."

A reporter asked Reesing about Mangino's reported anger issues. Reesing, who hasn't been on the same page with Mangino after being benched briefly, shrugged his shoulders at the question.

"I never knew he had anger issues," Reesing said. "He's always been a pretty nice guy to me, so I don't think that has anything to do with it."

Kansas Investigating Mark Mangino originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:22:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>mark manginoTodd ReesingTerrance HarrisTue, 17 Nov 2009 17:22:00 EST Big 12 Notebook: '05 Still Alive in Texashttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/11/notebook-feeling-of-05-alive-at-texas/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/11/notebook-feeling-of-05-alive-at-texas/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/11/notebook-feeling-of-05-alive-at-texas/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , ,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

More Bad News for Sooners

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Up and Down Aggies

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Uncertainty at QB for Huskers

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

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

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

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

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

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

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



Leach Closing in on Milestone

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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]]>Bill SnyderBillSnyderBo PeliniBob StoopsBobStoopsBrody EldridgeBrodyEldridgeCody GreenCodyGreencolt mccoyColtMccoyJordan ShipleyJordanShipleyMack BrownMackBrownMike LeachMike ShermanMikeLeachMikeShermanvince youngVinceYoungWill MuschampWillMuschampZac LeeZacLeeTerrance HarrisWed, 11 Nov 2009 07:00:00 EST 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 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 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 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)

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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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    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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Anyiam stepping up in place of Dez Bryant

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

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

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

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

Griffin gets a medical redshirt

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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The University of Miami's fans signal the "U" at the end of the second quarter of a game against The University of Central Florida at Bright House Networks Stadium in Orlando, Florida on Saturday, October 17, 2009. (Joe Rimkus Jr./Miami Herald/MCT)
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    Illinois wide receiver Jeff Cumberland catches a touchdown pass in the end zone over Indiana defender Richard Council during the third quarter of an NCAA college football game in Bloomington, Ind., on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009. Indiana won 27-14. (AP Photo/Tom Strickland)

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    Iowa State's Derrick Catlett, left, makes a reception in front of Baylor's Jordan Lake, right, during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009, in Ames, Iowa. Iowa State won 24-10. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

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    Oklahoma State running back Keith Toston heads into the end zone with a touchdown against Missouri in the first quarter of an NCAA college football game in Stillwater, Okla., Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

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    Baylor's Lanear Sampson, center, is tackled by Iowa State's Kennard Banks, left, and Jesse Smith, right, after making a reception during the second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009, in Ames, Iowa. Iowa State won 24-10. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

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    Iowa State quarterback Austen Arnaud (4) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the second quarter an NCAA college football game against Baylor, Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009, in Ames, Iowa. Iowa State won 24-10. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

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    Georgia Tech students tear down the goalpost after the Yellow Jackets' 28-23 win over Virginia Tech in an NCAA college football game in Atlanta, Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

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    Missouri kicker Grant Ressel, right, kicks a field goal against Oklahoma State in the first quarter an NCAA college football game in Stillwater, Okla., Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

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    Mississippi runningback Brandon Bolden (34) runs through an attempted second half tackle by UAB linebacker Marvin Burdette during their NCAA college football game in Oxford, Miss., Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009. Mississippi won, 48-13. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


Todd Reesing for Heisman?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Praise for Suh

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Oklahoma' Red Zone Problems

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Quick Hits

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ships-A-Hoy!

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

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

A Get Well Card

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

Happy Return

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

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

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

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

Quarterback Controversies Abound

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A Costly Victory

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

Not good.

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

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

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

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

 

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

So is Nebraska back and is Missouri here to stay?

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


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Could Griffin Return?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Potts' Progress

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kansas State Has QB Dilemma

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Jayhawks Might Turn Sharp Loose

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

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

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

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

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

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

Longhorns not overlooking Colorado

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A learning experience for the Cornhuskers

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Fuller out for 4-6 Weeks at A&M

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Baylor's run defense gets exposed

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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    In this photo taken Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009, Texas senior quarterback Colt McCoy talks with coaches during a fourth quarter time out in his team's 34-24 NCAA college football victory over Texas Tech in Austin, Texas. McCoy had the flu last week, causing him to miss a day of practice and kept him out of most drills. By Saturday night's game, he said he was still not feeling 100 percent. But a halftime spent downing peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and slugging back a hydration drink, made him feel better. (AP Photo/Harry Cabluck)

    AP

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

    AP

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

    Dave Martin, AP

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

    AP

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

    AP

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

    Getty Images

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

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

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

    Getty Images

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

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Stoops could have QB quandary

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Muckelroy honored

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

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

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

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

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

 

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