johngateswhiteley
10-26-2006, 12:53 PM
Missouri fighting to stay atop Big 12 North
The loss of senior defensive end Brian Smith, Missouri's career leader in sacks, will pose a big problem the rest of the season. Smith suffered a fractured hip in the Tigers' victory over Kansas State while blocking an interception return by David Overstreet. Coach Gary Pinkel described the injury as a "freak accident."
"If you saw the film, you would say there was no way he could get hurt," Pinkel said. "He turned and stumbled with hardly any contact. You would be amazed that anybody got hurt on the play."
The injury will not require surgery, and Smith could return in about eight weeks, in time for a bowl game or January all-star games, Pinkel said. Stryker Sulak will replace him in the starting lineup.
• Sophomore quarterback Chase Daniel has sliced through opposing defenses all season but will face one of his toughest challenges of the season this week against Oklahoma. Daniel threw for four touchdown passes against Kansas State, giving him 19 for the season. It broke the school's previous single-season record of 18 set by Terry McMillan in 1969.
"Probably of all the quarterbacks I've coached all the years, I've never had a guy come in and lead like this," said Pinkel, who has directed six quarterbacks to NFL careers. "A quarterback has got to do it his own way. Chase came in very confident, but not with a cocky at all type of attitude. He's a born leader, and it certainly is a huge influence for our team."
• The Tigers (7-1 overall, 3-1 Big 12) must improve defensively after allowing Kansas State to gash them for 262 yards rushing, including 201 yards on 28 carries in the second half.
"They ran a lot when the game got out of hand, but we have to have better run defense," Pinkel said. "We were stopping them last week, but the bottom line was that we were disappointed in all the rushing yards we gave up in the second half. That's just fundamentals."
The struggles against Kansas State marked the third time in the past four games Missouri allowed at least 180 yards rushing in a game. The Tigers didn't allow any of their first four opponents to rush for more than 72 yards.
Baylor
• Baylor coach Guy Morriss had a blunt assessment about his team's struggles during much of its 36-35 victory over Kansas. The Bears (4-4, 3-1) failed to score on six straight offensive possessions before rallying for a dramatic comeback. "We fell asleep," Morriss said. "That's basically what it was. During those series, somebody was goofing a play up every time."
• Punter Daniel Sepulveda has been a big producer in the past several games after a slow start attributable to his recovery from offseason knee surgery. Sepulveda boomed a season-best 59.6-yard average on three punts against Kansas, boosting him into the national lead with a 46.21 average. Sepulveda averaged 39.9 yards per kick in the first two games of the season but has rebounded to average 48.1 yards per kick in his past six games. "He's trying to become a complete-type punter," Morriss said. "He has a legitimate chance to play at the next level, and I think he understands that, as well."
• An underrated part of Baylor's offensive change has been the quick-strike ability of offensive coordinator Lee Hays' spread passing attack. Each of the Bears' three scoring drives in the fourth quarter against Kansas took less than two minutes. Baylor boasts 12 scoring drives of less than two minutes this season, ranking second nationally only to Nebraska, which has 15 such drives this season.
Colorado
• The Buffaloes (1-7, 1-3) will face Kansas with no shot at bowl eligibility after their loss at Oklahoma. In a sense, the rest of the season will give coach Dan Hawkins a chance to build a foundation for upcoming seasons. It will mark only the second time Colorado won't play in a bowl game in the past six years. Hawkins doesn't expect that the lack of a bowl will be a detriment to his team's performance the rest of the season. "I don't think so," he said. "Guys have rallied despite the adversity. I don't think it will be an issue."
• The Buffaloes' rotation will improve with the return of center Mark Fenton, a preseason Rimington Award nominee who missed the past four games with a broken leg. Safety J.J. Billingsley also is expected back in the lineup after missing the past three games after arthroscopic surgery.
• One immediate concern will be improving Colorado's sputtering offense, which produced a season-low 113 yards against Oklahoma. The performance marked a disappointing turn to the early-season struggles for the Buffaloes. Before the Oklahoma game, the Buffs had averaged 354.3 yards per game in their past four games after netting 193.7 yards in their first three games. They completed only three passes for 39 yards against the Sooners, with 22 yards coming on one play in the fourth quarter. "We just got dominated on offense," Hawkins said.
• Mason Crosby's kicking enabled the Buffaloes to keep their conference-best 217-game scoring streak intact against Oklahoma. Mason drilled a 39-yarder to account for Colorado's only points in the 20-3 loss. It marked the sixth time in his career that his scoring has accounted for the Buffs' only points in a game.
• Even with the recent struggles, Colorado is showing some positive signs for the future. The Buffaloes went 67 minutes, 47 seconds without a penalty. They went the entire game against Texas Tech -- the first game without a penalty since 1985 -- and the first 7:13 against Oklahoma before they were flagged.
• Fenton's return should help juice production in the Buffaloes' running game, which produced only 74 rushing yards against Oklahoma after averaging 257 yards in the two previous games. "They [Colorado trainers] feel very good about it, but his body has to respond, as well," Hawkins said. "He's been lifting, a lot of upper-body work and doing what he can with his lower body."
Iowa State
• After watching his team struggle to a four-game conference losing streak, Iowa State coach Dan McCarney took a different tack before his team prepared for its game at Kansas State on Saturday. "I think right now, a hug is really important," McCarney said. "It's the toughest stretch we've gone through in my 12 years here, from a schedule standpoint. I just them want them to come back [for practice this week] with as fresh a mind as you can get this late in October and in the season." The five teams Iowa State (3-5, 0-4) has lost to this season have a combined record of 28-11 through games of last weekend.
• McCarney told the Des Moines Register that he is more concerned about improving his team than his job security. McCarney is the dean of Big 12 coaches and the only remaining coach from the league's first season in 1996. "I know it's out there, fans talking about this and that, but I don't let it bother me," he told the newspaper. "I go into the office every day trying to figure out how I can be a better head coach and a better leader for the program."
The Cyclones were picked to finish second in the preseason media poll. McCarney's $1.1 million contract runs through the end of the 2009 season, with a buyout of $225,000 for each of the remaining years on the contract. Athletic director Jamie Pollard showed a quick trigger when he fired men's basketball coach Wayne Morgan after last season despite a 16-14 record. Pollard said he will judge McCarney on the team's performance the rest of the season.
"I'm going to evaluate things at the end of the year," Pollard told the Ames (Iowa) Tribune. "We've still got four games left. We've got to continue to find a way to get better."
• Iowa State's offense was limited because top rusher Stevie Hicks missed the second half with a leg injury and wide receiver Austin Flynn was limited to duties as a holder because of a sprained ankle. McCarney said both are expected to be ready for the Kansas State game this weekend. If Hicks isn't at full speed, running back Jason Scales (13 carries, 32 yards last week against Texas Tech) would get most of the carries.
• Most of the 44,112 fans were gone long before Texas Tech's victory over the Cyclones. It prompted a moment of candor from quarterback Bret Meyer after the game. "If I was a fan, I don't know if I'd want to watch some of the things we're doing now," Meyer told reporters after the game.
Kansas
• Kansas again squandered a fourth-quarter edge, blowing an 18-point lead in the final 9:22 in the Jayhawks' wild 36-35 loss at Baylor. It marked the fourth time this season the Jayhawks (3-5, 0-4) lost in a game they led earlier in the fourth quarter, but coach Mark Mangino wasn't ready to say his team was snake-bit. "I'm not a believer in luck," Mangino told reporters after the game. "It's never good to leave things to luck in life. They're all tough. No loss outweighs the other."
• The Baylor game turned after Kansas QB Kerry Meier was injured late in the third quarter and tailback Jon Cornish inexplicably was not used much in the second half. After rushing for 140 yards of his career-best 196 yards in the first half, Cornish had only four running plays in the fourth quarter -- a situation that seemingly would have been ideal to use Kansas' leading rusher to help milk the clock. Mangino said after the game that Cornish had been nicked up during the game. Cornish, however, told reporters he was healthy and could have played more if his team had needed him.
• Kansas athletic director Lew Perkins declined to answer whether Mangino's job is in jeopardy in a story in the Kansas City Star. He did say he continues to support Mangino, who earlier this year received a raise to $1.5 million a year and an extension through the 2010 season. "We're all disappointed in where we are right now," Perkins told the Star. "But you don't overreact in the middle of the year. That would be foolish."
• The best indicator of Kansas' recent defensive struggles can be seen by looking at the Big 12's players of the week the past three weeks. Texas A&M QB Stephen McGee (25 of 45 for 240 yards and 30 yards rushing), Oklahoma State wide receiver Adarius Bowman (13 catches for a conference-record 300 yards, four TDs) and Baylor QB Shawn Bell (33-of-55 passing for a school-record 394 yards and five TDs) all earned their awards after playing and beating the Jayhawks.
Kansas State
• Kansas State's struggling offense showed flashes of promise in the Wildcats' 41-21 loss to Missouri. The Wildcats (4-4, 1-3) notched a season-best 262 rushing yards, including 100-yard performances by Leon Patton and James Johnson. But Kansas State lost control of the game with a string of three turnovers in a four-play sequence that Missouri turned into 17 points.
• Freshman QB Josh Freeman continued to struggle. He failed to complete a pass in the second half and was only 5-for-19 for the game. Freeman was sacked four times and produced only 28 yards rushing, with 24 coming on one play. "My confidence is still up there," said Freeman, who has thrown eight interceptions and no touchdown passes so far this season. "Last week's performance wasn't near what it should be, but there were a lot of factors contributing to that. I'm confident in going out there. I maybe need a little more patience."
• After starting 3-1, the Wildcats have dropped three of their past four games. They must win two of their last four or go a third straight season without qualifying for a bowl game. "Our goals haven't changed," KSU linebacker Zach Diles said. "We just have to go out there and win these next four games and finish the season on a strong note."
• The Kansas State defense will have to account for the loss of safety Marcus Watts, an inspirational leader who will undergo surgery on his right hand and miss the rest of the season. "That's the nature of the game; injuries are a part of it," coach Ron Prince said. "It's another great opportunity for another young person to get in and go in the game. That's part of the game."
Nebraska
• Nebraska (6-2, 3-1) could be heading for a trap game with Oklahoma State sandwiched between last week's tough loss to Texas and the Huskers' home game versus Missouri, which could decide the North Division title. "I just look at it as our next game and [thus] the most important one on our schedule," Nebraska coach Bill Callahan said. "When you have a team like Oklahoma State that has done some of things they've done -- from both a performance standpoint and from a production aspect -- you better respect them."
• Despite a disappointing 22-20 loss to Texas, Callahan doesn't expect his team to have any trouble bouncing back. "I know the kids are resilient, and our team is certainly resilient," he said. "They know all of our goals are still intact and this stretch is important. We can't do anything in terms of reaching our goals unless we go down and compete as hard as we can to capture this win."
• Brandon Jackson emerged as Nebraska's top rushing threat with 40 yards and two receptions for 77 yards, including a 49-yard TD run on a shovel pass from QB Zac Taylor. Despite his big game, Callahan said all of the I-backs will continue to be used in a four-man rotation. Marlon Lucky, Cody Glenn and Kenny Wilson combined for nine carries for 10 yards against Texas, although Lucky did complete a 25-yard option pass for a touchdown to wide receiver Nate Swift. "We're going to use them all," Callahan said. "We're going to do a lot of different things with our backs this coming weekend, so stay tuned."
Oklahoma
• Backup tailback Allen Patrick filled in ably for injured starter Adrian Peterson, rushing for 110 yards on 35 carries to power the Sooners' victory over Colorado. Patrick often went to Peterson during the game for advice.
"That's just natural," Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said. "Adrian cares about his teammates. He's not a selfish guy. He's more team-oriented, and those are his buddies. He still has a place on the team doing what's natural, and that's being a leader."
• Stoops was not surprised by his team's strong performance without Peterson. The Sooners (5-2, 2-1) limited Colorado to a season-low 74 rushing yards, and QB Paul Thompson was effective with a mostly short, safe passing game, completing 17 of 26 passes for 105 yards.
"I felt this team was much more equipped to handle the loss of Adrian Peterson," Stoops said. "It's just because we're further along and playing better. I felt we could do it and also felt our other running backs are good players."
• Oklahoma's game Saturday at Missouri starts a punishing finish that will include four of its last five games on the road, including potentially difficult trips to Baylor, Oklahoma State and Texas A&M. "I guess it's better than playing four of your five on the road early in the season," Stoops said. "I feel like we're ready to handle it. But in the end, I don't pay much attention to scheduling. You're going to have to play sometime and no one gets to play them all at home."
• One of the more storied play calls in Stoops' earlier coaching career came on the Sooners' last visit to Missouri, in 2002. Holder Matt McCoy's 14-yard touchdown pass to backup tight end Chris Chester on a fake field goal provided the winning score. Stoops said the gadget play was prompted because he was worried about kicking on Faurot Field's former grass field.
Those problems have been alleviated with the stadium's new field-turf playing surface, Stoops said. "They had high, heavy grass," he said. "I could only see half the ball sitting on the grass. I didn't care how close I was, I didn't feel comfortable with kicking it. But that's not an issue now. I understand they have a great surface to play on."
Oklahoma State
• Oklahoma State's game against Texas A&M turned when quarterback Bobby Reid went out with a concussion early in the second quarter. Backup Zac Robinson played well, but the Aggies escaped with a 34-33 overtime victory settled by two missed extra points by Oklahoma State kicker Jason Ricks.
"On the first kick, we caught a snap and we never put it down, and on the second one, it was just a low kick," said Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy, whose squad is 4-3, 1-2. " It does disappoint you because Ricks is one of the hardest-working guys in our program and he's been very good about his kicks so far. He's been very good at it. We stand behind him and tell him to work harder. He just missed the ball. He hit it low, and they blocked it."
• Gundy said that Reid would return to practice early this week and should be ready for Nebraska. "I think Zac played pretty well for us, for coming off the bench and playing a good team," Gundy said. "The disadvantage was that during the week, he only had about two of 10 reps with the first team. But we went ahead and ran our normal offense. I think we now have a good feel for what he does."
• After watching his defense get shredded again in a two-minute drill for A&M's tying touchdown at the end of regulation, Gundy promised more work on those situations in practice this week before the Nebraska game. "I think we have to carry over into the fourth quarter and finish hard," Oklahoma State safety Andre Sexton said. "In the two conference losses, we have not shown we can finish. We had Texas A&M backed up, and we couldn't get their offense off the field. If we stopped them, we should have won."
• Gundy said that TB Dantrell Savage was rewarded with playing time because he was playing a hot hand. Savage responded by rushing for 134 yards on 13 carries, continuing his success this season. Savage has rushed for 300 yards on 35 attempts, producing an average of 8.6 yards per carry. Savage's development has pushed true freshman back Keith Toston on the bench. Toston started against Kansas but was benched after fumbling twice. He didn't have a carry against A&M as Mike Hamilton and Savage shared the carries.
Texas
• The Longhorns' defense suffered a big loss when junior tackle Derek Lokey broke the fibula in his left leg in the Longhorns' 22-20 victory over Nebraska. Lokey, who also doubled as a short-yardage blocking back, will undergo surgery later this week and will be out indefinitely, although he could return for a bowl game, Texas coach Mack Brown said.
Roy Miller, Thomas Marshall and Ben Alexander will get work alongside Frank Okam inside for the Longhorns (7-1, 4-0). Brown said sophomore defensive end Aaron Lewis also will receive extra work inside in the rest of the season. "We've had so many injuries on defense this year, but we're not going to use it as an excuse," the coach said. "It's our responsibility to have somebody stand up. It's their turn."
• Brown praised the play of senior guard Kasey Studdard as a key to the Nebraska victory. Studdard recovered a downfield fumble by wide receiver Quan Cosby, allowing the Longhorns to keep possession on their game-winning drive late in the fourth quarter.
"We think it was opportunity made by Kasey," Brown said. "We made him stand up in the film study the next day to congratulate him. The game was over if he didn't make that play."
• Texas CB Aaron Ross eagerly anticipates the challenge of facing Texas Tech's spread offense. Playing Baylor earlier this season should prepare the Longhorns for Saturday's game, Ross said."Being a defensive back, we want to see as many passes as possible because of the challenge of stopping them," Ross said.
The Longhorns must do a better job of combating play-action passes after being burned for several long plays by Nebraska QB Zac Taylor. Texas Tech coach Mike Leach likely is salivating after watching the game films, although the Red Raiders seldom use play-action passes.
• The Longhorns fought through some blustery weather conditions at the end of the Nebraska game. The temperature was in the 30s, and snow flurries and a howling wind marked most of the second half. "I couldn't hear anything, and I couldn't see anything," QB Colt McCoy told reporters after the game. "The wind started swirling, and the snow was coming down. It was a tough environment."
Texas A&M
• QB Stephen McGee has emerged as a productive player in crunch time during conference play. He directed his third straight comeback victory against Oklahoma State, guiding the Aggies on an 11-play, 65-yard drive to force overtime against the Cowboys. McGee has not thrown an interception in his past 103 passing attempts. He has thrown only one interception this season, having a streak of 100 attempts without an interception broken against Texas Tech last month.
"I think it's a tribute to him that he's been cautious with the football," Texas A&M coach Dennis Franchione said. "For as much as he's asked to do, he hasn't turned it over many times. That gives you a chance when your quarterback is taking care of the ball."
• The presence of bullish 275-pound masher Jorvorskie Lane and speedy freshman Mike Goodson has provided A&M (7-1, 3-1) with a unique running combination at tailback. "We've got a big strong runner and a really fast quick one," Franchione said. "It's like having a fastball and a changeup that you have in the same backfield when you have to play against them."
• Texas A&M tackle Red Bryant said Saturday's matchup between the Aggies and Baylor is exciting because of the preseason lack of expectations for both schools. The teams are tied for second place with 3-1 conference records, a game behind Texas. "If you looked at the beginning of the season, nobody picked Baylor to be second and surely nobody picked A&M to be second in the Big 12 South," Bryant said. "Both teams are going in expecting to prove a point -- that we aren't pushovers anymore."
Texas Tech
• Texas Tech has struggled in recent years physically matching up against Texas, losing three straight games in which the Longhorns' running game was the difference. Texas has averaged 5.0 yards per carry and 254.3 rushing yards per game and scored 12 rushing touchdowns in those games, scoring 52, 51 and 43 points in the victories. That will make it imperative for the Red Raiders (5-3, 2-2) to match the Longhorns in the trenches if they hope for their first victory in the series since 2002.
"Texas plays well in the offensive line and the defensive line," Texas Tech coach Mike Leach said. "Their lines are what is their toughest matchup. It's also where they are strongest. That will be our challenge to match them."
• Tech must do a better job of limiting penalties against Texas. The Red Raiders were flagged a season-high 14 times for 129 yards in their 42-26 victory against Iowa State. "We'll talk about them and work through the ones we think we need to address," Leach said. "Some of them were aggression penalties; some of them were dumb penalties; and some of them are subject to a certain level of interpretation as to what they are."
• Leach has tried a variety of ways to try to get his team better. The public criticism after the TCU loss didn't affect the psyche of the team, senior nose tackle Chris Hudler said. "We're adults," he said. "We understood that we weren't playing as well as we should have been. We knew something had to change. We still see it more as a challenge to keep improving and keep playing."
• After losing to Colorado two weeks ago, Leach tried a different approach to get through to his team. The Tech coach served his players ice cream instead of making them practice the day after the game, and he encouraged them to relax and hang out with each other. His unconventional ploy worked as the Red Raiders responded with their best performance in several weeks in the Iowa State victory.
"We did a few things to kind of grow together as a team and have fun together as a team," QB Graham Harrell told the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. "It started early in the week, and it carried over to [the] game."
Tim Griffin covers the Big 12 and college sports for the San Antonio Express-News.
The loss of senior defensive end Brian Smith, Missouri's career leader in sacks, will pose a big problem the rest of the season. Smith suffered a fractured hip in the Tigers' victory over Kansas State while blocking an interception return by David Overstreet. Coach Gary Pinkel described the injury as a "freak accident."
"If you saw the film, you would say there was no way he could get hurt," Pinkel said. "He turned and stumbled with hardly any contact. You would be amazed that anybody got hurt on the play."
The injury will not require surgery, and Smith could return in about eight weeks, in time for a bowl game or January all-star games, Pinkel said. Stryker Sulak will replace him in the starting lineup.
• Sophomore quarterback Chase Daniel has sliced through opposing defenses all season but will face one of his toughest challenges of the season this week against Oklahoma. Daniel threw for four touchdown passes against Kansas State, giving him 19 for the season. It broke the school's previous single-season record of 18 set by Terry McMillan in 1969.
"Probably of all the quarterbacks I've coached all the years, I've never had a guy come in and lead like this," said Pinkel, who has directed six quarterbacks to NFL careers. "A quarterback has got to do it his own way. Chase came in very confident, but not with a cocky at all type of attitude. He's a born leader, and it certainly is a huge influence for our team."
• The Tigers (7-1 overall, 3-1 Big 12) must improve defensively after allowing Kansas State to gash them for 262 yards rushing, including 201 yards on 28 carries in the second half.
"They ran a lot when the game got out of hand, but we have to have better run defense," Pinkel said. "We were stopping them last week, but the bottom line was that we were disappointed in all the rushing yards we gave up in the second half. That's just fundamentals."
The struggles against Kansas State marked the third time in the past four games Missouri allowed at least 180 yards rushing in a game. The Tigers didn't allow any of their first four opponents to rush for more than 72 yards.
Baylor
• Baylor coach Guy Morriss had a blunt assessment about his team's struggles during much of its 36-35 victory over Kansas. The Bears (4-4, 3-1) failed to score on six straight offensive possessions before rallying for a dramatic comeback. "We fell asleep," Morriss said. "That's basically what it was. During those series, somebody was goofing a play up every time."
• Punter Daniel Sepulveda has been a big producer in the past several games after a slow start attributable to his recovery from offseason knee surgery. Sepulveda boomed a season-best 59.6-yard average on three punts against Kansas, boosting him into the national lead with a 46.21 average. Sepulveda averaged 39.9 yards per kick in the first two games of the season but has rebounded to average 48.1 yards per kick in his past six games. "He's trying to become a complete-type punter," Morriss said. "He has a legitimate chance to play at the next level, and I think he understands that, as well."
• An underrated part of Baylor's offensive change has been the quick-strike ability of offensive coordinator Lee Hays' spread passing attack. Each of the Bears' three scoring drives in the fourth quarter against Kansas took less than two minutes. Baylor boasts 12 scoring drives of less than two minutes this season, ranking second nationally only to Nebraska, which has 15 such drives this season.
Colorado
• The Buffaloes (1-7, 1-3) will face Kansas with no shot at bowl eligibility after their loss at Oklahoma. In a sense, the rest of the season will give coach Dan Hawkins a chance to build a foundation for upcoming seasons. It will mark only the second time Colorado won't play in a bowl game in the past six years. Hawkins doesn't expect that the lack of a bowl will be a detriment to his team's performance the rest of the season. "I don't think so," he said. "Guys have rallied despite the adversity. I don't think it will be an issue."
• The Buffaloes' rotation will improve with the return of center Mark Fenton, a preseason Rimington Award nominee who missed the past four games with a broken leg. Safety J.J. Billingsley also is expected back in the lineup after missing the past three games after arthroscopic surgery.
• One immediate concern will be improving Colorado's sputtering offense, which produced a season-low 113 yards against Oklahoma. The performance marked a disappointing turn to the early-season struggles for the Buffaloes. Before the Oklahoma game, the Buffs had averaged 354.3 yards per game in their past four games after netting 193.7 yards in their first three games. They completed only three passes for 39 yards against the Sooners, with 22 yards coming on one play in the fourth quarter. "We just got dominated on offense," Hawkins said.
• Mason Crosby's kicking enabled the Buffaloes to keep their conference-best 217-game scoring streak intact against Oklahoma. Mason drilled a 39-yarder to account for Colorado's only points in the 20-3 loss. It marked the sixth time in his career that his scoring has accounted for the Buffs' only points in a game.
• Even with the recent struggles, Colorado is showing some positive signs for the future. The Buffaloes went 67 minutes, 47 seconds without a penalty. They went the entire game against Texas Tech -- the first game without a penalty since 1985 -- and the first 7:13 against Oklahoma before they were flagged.
• Fenton's return should help juice production in the Buffaloes' running game, which produced only 74 rushing yards against Oklahoma after averaging 257 yards in the two previous games. "They [Colorado trainers] feel very good about it, but his body has to respond, as well," Hawkins said. "He's been lifting, a lot of upper-body work and doing what he can with his lower body."
Iowa State
• After watching his team struggle to a four-game conference losing streak, Iowa State coach Dan McCarney took a different tack before his team prepared for its game at Kansas State on Saturday. "I think right now, a hug is really important," McCarney said. "It's the toughest stretch we've gone through in my 12 years here, from a schedule standpoint. I just them want them to come back [for practice this week] with as fresh a mind as you can get this late in October and in the season." The five teams Iowa State (3-5, 0-4) has lost to this season have a combined record of 28-11 through games of last weekend.
• McCarney told the Des Moines Register that he is more concerned about improving his team than his job security. McCarney is the dean of Big 12 coaches and the only remaining coach from the league's first season in 1996. "I know it's out there, fans talking about this and that, but I don't let it bother me," he told the newspaper. "I go into the office every day trying to figure out how I can be a better head coach and a better leader for the program."
The Cyclones were picked to finish second in the preseason media poll. McCarney's $1.1 million contract runs through the end of the 2009 season, with a buyout of $225,000 for each of the remaining years on the contract. Athletic director Jamie Pollard showed a quick trigger when he fired men's basketball coach Wayne Morgan after last season despite a 16-14 record. Pollard said he will judge McCarney on the team's performance the rest of the season.
"I'm going to evaluate things at the end of the year," Pollard told the Ames (Iowa) Tribune. "We've still got four games left. We've got to continue to find a way to get better."
• Iowa State's offense was limited because top rusher Stevie Hicks missed the second half with a leg injury and wide receiver Austin Flynn was limited to duties as a holder because of a sprained ankle. McCarney said both are expected to be ready for the Kansas State game this weekend. If Hicks isn't at full speed, running back Jason Scales (13 carries, 32 yards last week against Texas Tech) would get most of the carries.
• Most of the 44,112 fans were gone long before Texas Tech's victory over the Cyclones. It prompted a moment of candor from quarterback Bret Meyer after the game. "If I was a fan, I don't know if I'd want to watch some of the things we're doing now," Meyer told reporters after the game.
Kansas
• Kansas again squandered a fourth-quarter edge, blowing an 18-point lead in the final 9:22 in the Jayhawks' wild 36-35 loss at Baylor. It marked the fourth time this season the Jayhawks (3-5, 0-4) lost in a game they led earlier in the fourth quarter, but coach Mark Mangino wasn't ready to say his team was snake-bit. "I'm not a believer in luck," Mangino told reporters after the game. "It's never good to leave things to luck in life. They're all tough. No loss outweighs the other."
• The Baylor game turned after Kansas QB Kerry Meier was injured late in the third quarter and tailback Jon Cornish inexplicably was not used much in the second half. After rushing for 140 yards of his career-best 196 yards in the first half, Cornish had only four running plays in the fourth quarter -- a situation that seemingly would have been ideal to use Kansas' leading rusher to help milk the clock. Mangino said after the game that Cornish had been nicked up during the game. Cornish, however, told reporters he was healthy and could have played more if his team had needed him.
• Kansas athletic director Lew Perkins declined to answer whether Mangino's job is in jeopardy in a story in the Kansas City Star. He did say he continues to support Mangino, who earlier this year received a raise to $1.5 million a year and an extension through the 2010 season. "We're all disappointed in where we are right now," Perkins told the Star. "But you don't overreact in the middle of the year. That would be foolish."
• The best indicator of Kansas' recent defensive struggles can be seen by looking at the Big 12's players of the week the past three weeks. Texas A&M QB Stephen McGee (25 of 45 for 240 yards and 30 yards rushing), Oklahoma State wide receiver Adarius Bowman (13 catches for a conference-record 300 yards, four TDs) and Baylor QB Shawn Bell (33-of-55 passing for a school-record 394 yards and five TDs) all earned their awards after playing and beating the Jayhawks.
Kansas State
• Kansas State's struggling offense showed flashes of promise in the Wildcats' 41-21 loss to Missouri. The Wildcats (4-4, 1-3) notched a season-best 262 rushing yards, including 100-yard performances by Leon Patton and James Johnson. But Kansas State lost control of the game with a string of three turnovers in a four-play sequence that Missouri turned into 17 points.
• Freshman QB Josh Freeman continued to struggle. He failed to complete a pass in the second half and was only 5-for-19 for the game. Freeman was sacked four times and produced only 28 yards rushing, with 24 coming on one play. "My confidence is still up there," said Freeman, who has thrown eight interceptions and no touchdown passes so far this season. "Last week's performance wasn't near what it should be, but there were a lot of factors contributing to that. I'm confident in going out there. I maybe need a little more patience."
• After starting 3-1, the Wildcats have dropped three of their past four games. They must win two of their last four or go a third straight season without qualifying for a bowl game. "Our goals haven't changed," KSU linebacker Zach Diles said. "We just have to go out there and win these next four games and finish the season on a strong note."
• The Kansas State defense will have to account for the loss of safety Marcus Watts, an inspirational leader who will undergo surgery on his right hand and miss the rest of the season. "That's the nature of the game; injuries are a part of it," coach Ron Prince said. "It's another great opportunity for another young person to get in and go in the game. That's part of the game."
Nebraska
• Nebraska (6-2, 3-1) could be heading for a trap game with Oklahoma State sandwiched between last week's tough loss to Texas and the Huskers' home game versus Missouri, which could decide the North Division title. "I just look at it as our next game and [thus] the most important one on our schedule," Nebraska coach Bill Callahan said. "When you have a team like Oklahoma State that has done some of things they've done -- from both a performance standpoint and from a production aspect -- you better respect them."
• Despite a disappointing 22-20 loss to Texas, Callahan doesn't expect his team to have any trouble bouncing back. "I know the kids are resilient, and our team is certainly resilient," he said. "They know all of our goals are still intact and this stretch is important. We can't do anything in terms of reaching our goals unless we go down and compete as hard as we can to capture this win."
• Brandon Jackson emerged as Nebraska's top rushing threat with 40 yards and two receptions for 77 yards, including a 49-yard TD run on a shovel pass from QB Zac Taylor. Despite his big game, Callahan said all of the I-backs will continue to be used in a four-man rotation. Marlon Lucky, Cody Glenn and Kenny Wilson combined for nine carries for 10 yards against Texas, although Lucky did complete a 25-yard option pass for a touchdown to wide receiver Nate Swift. "We're going to use them all," Callahan said. "We're going to do a lot of different things with our backs this coming weekend, so stay tuned."
Oklahoma
• Backup tailback Allen Patrick filled in ably for injured starter Adrian Peterson, rushing for 110 yards on 35 carries to power the Sooners' victory over Colorado. Patrick often went to Peterson during the game for advice.
"That's just natural," Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said. "Adrian cares about his teammates. He's not a selfish guy. He's more team-oriented, and those are his buddies. He still has a place on the team doing what's natural, and that's being a leader."
• Stoops was not surprised by his team's strong performance without Peterson. The Sooners (5-2, 2-1) limited Colorado to a season-low 74 rushing yards, and QB Paul Thompson was effective with a mostly short, safe passing game, completing 17 of 26 passes for 105 yards.
"I felt this team was much more equipped to handle the loss of Adrian Peterson," Stoops said. "It's just because we're further along and playing better. I felt we could do it and also felt our other running backs are good players."
• Oklahoma's game Saturday at Missouri starts a punishing finish that will include four of its last five games on the road, including potentially difficult trips to Baylor, Oklahoma State and Texas A&M. "I guess it's better than playing four of your five on the road early in the season," Stoops said. "I feel like we're ready to handle it. But in the end, I don't pay much attention to scheduling. You're going to have to play sometime and no one gets to play them all at home."
• One of the more storied play calls in Stoops' earlier coaching career came on the Sooners' last visit to Missouri, in 2002. Holder Matt McCoy's 14-yard touchdown pass to backup tight end Chris Chester on a fake field goal provided the winning score. Stoops said the gadget play was prompted because he was worried about kicking on Faurot Field's former grass field.
Those problems have been alleviated with the stadium's new field-turf playing surface, Stoops said. "They had high, heavy grass," he said. "I could only see half the ball sitting on the grass. I didn't care how close I was, I didn't feel comfortable with kicking it. But that's not an issue now. I understand they have a great surface to play on."
Oklahoma State
• Oklahoma State's game against Texas A&M turned when quarterback Bobby Reid went out with a concussion early in the second quarter. Backup Zac Robinson played well, but the Aggies escaped with a 34-33 overtime victory settled by two missed extra points by Oklahoma State kicker Jason Ricks.
"On the first kick, we caught a snap and we never put it down, and on the second one, it was just a low kick," said Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy, whose squad is 4-3, 1-2. " It does disappoint you because Ricks is one of the hardest-working guys in our program and he's been very good about his kicks so far. He's been very good at it. We stand behind him and tell him to work harder. He just missed the ball. He hit it low, and they blocked it."
• Gundy said that Reid would return to practice early this week and should be ready for Nebraska. "I think Zac played pretty well for us, for coming off the bench and playing a good team," Gundy said. "The disadvantage was that during the week, he only had about two of 10 reps with the first team. But we went ahead and ran our normal offense. I think we now have a good feel for what he does."
• After watching his defense get shredded again in a two-minute drill for A&M's tying touchdown at the end of regulation, Gundy promised more work on those situations in practice this week before the Nebraska game. "I think we have to carry over into the fourth quarter and finish hard," Oklahoma State safety Andre Sexton said. "In the two conference losses, we have not shown we can finish. We had Texas A&M backed up, and we couldn't get their offense off the field. If we stopped them, we should have won."
• Gundy said that TB Dantrell Savage was rewarded with playing time because he was playing a hot hand. Savage responded by rushing for 134 yards on 13 carries, continuing his success this season. Savage has rushed for 300 yards on 35 attempts, producing an average of 8.6 yards per carry. Savage's development has pushed true freshman back Keith Toston on the bench. Toston started against Kansas but was benched after fumbling twice. He didn't have a carry against A&M as Mike Hamilton and Savage shared the carries.
Texas
• The Longhorns' defense suffered a big loss when junior tackle Derek Lokey broke the fibula in his left leg in the Longhorns' 22-20 victory over Nebraska. Lokey, who also doubled as a short-yardage blocking back, will undergo surgery later this week and will be out indefinitely, although he could return for a bowl game, Texas coach Mack Brown said.
Roy Miller, Thomas Marshall and Ben Alexander will get work alongside Frank Okam inside for the Longhorns (7-1, 4-0). Brown said sophomore defensive end Aaron Lewis also will receive extra work inside in the rest of the season. "We've had so many injuries on defense this year, but we're not going to use it as an excuse," the coach said. "It's our responsibility to have somebody stand up. It's their turn."
• Brown praised the play of senior guard Kasey Studdard as a key to the Nebraska victory. Studdard recovered a downfield fumble by wide receiver Quan Cosby, allowing the Longhorns to keep possession on their game-winning drive late in the fourth quarter.
"We think it was opportunity made by Kasey," Brown said. "We made him stand up in the film study the next day to congratulate him. The game was over if he didn't make that play."
• Texas CB Aaron Ross eagerly anticipates the challenge of facing Texas Tech's spread offense. Playing Baylor earlier this season should prepare the Longhorns for Saturday's game, Ross said."Being a defensive back, we want to see as many passes as possible because of the challenge of stopping them," Ross said.
The Longhorns must do a better job of combating play-action passes after being burned for several long plays by Nebraska QB Zac Taylor. Texas Tech coach Mike Leach likely is salivating after watching the game films, although the Red Raiders seldom use play-action passes.
• The Longhorns fought through some blustery weather conditions at the end of the Nebraska game. The temperature was in the 30s, and snow flurries and a howling wind marked most of the second half. "I couldn't hear anything, and I couldn't see anything," QB Colt McCoy told reporters after the game. "The wind started swirling, and the snow was coming down. It was a tough environment."
Texas A&M
• QB Stephen McGee has emerged as a productive player in crunch time during conference play. He directed his third straight comeback victory against Oklahoma State, guiding the Aggies on an 11-play, 65-yard drive to force overtime against the Cowboys. McGee has not thrown an interception in his past 103 passing attempts. He has thrown only one interception this season, having a streak of 100 attempts without an interception broken against Texas Tech last month.
"I think it's a tribute to him that he's been cautious with the football," Texas A&M coach Dennis Franchione said. "For as much as he's asked to do, he hasn't turned it over many times. That gives you a chance when your quarterback is taking care of the ball."
• The presence of bullish 275-pound masher Jorvorskie Lane and speedy freshman Mike Goodson has provided A&M (7-1, 3-1) with a unique running combination at tailback. "We've got a big strong runner and a really fast quick one," Franchione said. "It's like having a fastball and a changeup that you have in the same backfield when you have to play against them."
• Texas A&M tackle Red Bryant said Saturday's matchup between the Aggies and Baylor is exciting because of the preseason lack of expectations for both schools. The teams are tied for second place with 3-1 conference records, a game behind Texas. "If you looked at the beginning of the season, nobody picked Baylor to be second and surely nobody picked A&M to be second in the Big 12 South," Bryant said. "Both teams are going in expecting to prove a point -- that we aren't pushovers anymore."
Texas Tech
• Texas Tech has struggled in recent years physically matching up against Texas, losing three straight games in which the Longhorns' running game was the difference. Texas has averaged 5.0 yards per carry and 254.3 rushing yards per game and scored 12 rushing touchdowns in those games, scoring 52, 51 and 43 points in the victories. That will make it imperative for the Red Raiders (5-3, 2-2) to match the Longhorns in the trenches if they hope for their first victory in the series since 2002.
"Texas plays well in the offensive line and the defensive line," Texas Tech coach Mike Leach said. "Their lines are what is their toughest matchup. It's also where they are strongest. That will be our challenge to match them."
• Tech must do a better job of limiting penalties against Texas. The Red Raiders were flagged a season-high 14 times for 129 yards in their 42-26 victory against Iowa State. "We'll talk about them and work through the ones we think we need to address," Leach said. "Some of them were aggression penalties; some of them were dumb penalties; and some of them are subject to a certain level of interpretation as to what they are."
• Leach has tried a variety of ways to try to get his team better. The public criticism after the TCU loss didn't affect the psyche of the team, senior nose tackle Chris Hudler said. "We're adults," he said. "We understood that we weren't playing as well as we should have been. We knew something had to change. We still see it more as a challenge to keep improving and keep playing."
• After losing to Colorado two weeks ago, Leach tried a different approach to get through to his team. The Tech coach served his players ice cream instead of making them practice the day after the game, and he encouraged them to relax and hang out with each other. His unconventional ploy worked as the Red Raiders responded with their best performance in several weeks in the Iowa State victory.
"We did a few things to kind of grow together as a team and have fun together as a team," QB Graham Harrell told the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. "It started early in the week, and it carried over to [the] game."
Tim Griffin covers the Big 12 and college sports for the San Antonio Express-News.