Burnt Orange Nation

Five Things to Watch Against Kansas

2009-11-20T23:14:09Z

More photos » by Tony Gutierrez - AP

How will this weekend the recruiting efforts of the Longhorns? Though the big news of the week is Darius White's unexpected and resurgent interest in Texas and official visit on Saturday, Jackson Jeffcoat's visit is no less important. Seen throwing up a Hook ‘Em sign in his playoff game last week, Jeffcoat has kept his feelings under wraps throughout the entire process, leaving few hints about his leader board or potential plans. Unfortunately, his father won't be able to make the trip with him, as was planned for the Texas Tech game, but Jeffcoat will have a chance to see the Legion of Boom up close and personal and Muschamp will surely provide him an idea of how the Longhorns would use him as an edge pass rusher in the Buck package.

Prospects like Jeffcoat aren't generally concerned about the depth chart - he is rated as one of the best players in the country regardless of position, after all, but USC and Oklahoma, the other two schools likely in his top three, both offer less competition at his position. At Texas, Jeffcoat would be competing with Eddie Jones, Sam Acho, Alex Okafor, and Reggie Wilson for playing time next season, not to mention Dravannti Johnson, Russell Carter, and Dominique Jones. Given his pedigree and the coaching advice he has received from his father, the latter group is probably not particularly imposing for him, but the former group represents a significant number of talented, experienced players competing for two positions.

Jeffcoat will probably remain relatively silent after his visit, so it will likely be difficult to tell just how much of an impact his visit will make until he elects to make a decision and it's impossible to know when that might come. Right now, however, things look good for the Longhorns and the visit this weekend will be a great opportunity for the Legion of Boom to show just how dominating they can be and how appealing it is to be a part of that group.

As for White, the prospects for an official visit seemed unlikely just days ago, particularly after the commitment of DeMarco Cobbs -- it seemed likely only a matter of time until White would become a Sooner. The depth chart is still a critical factor in his recruitment and may eventually help land him in Norman, as might the commitment of long-time friend Rashod Favors to Oklahoma. There's also speculation that his stepdad, who just recently married his mother, favors Oklahoma as well, though that is of course speculation.

The key is that White contacted the Texas coaching staff to express his renewed interest, much like Cobbs did a little more than a month ago -- his contacting the coaching staff makes his feelings for Texas seem as strong and genuine as they have in months. In other words, the official visit moves White's recruitment in a much more positive direction for Texas than it has since his visit for a summer camp in June. Oklahoma may still be a slightly favorite, but it appears that the Longhorns are back in the mix with White.

Another important visitor is San Antiono Madison running back Aaron Green, a top target for 2011 and a player who has taken few visits this season. Madison lost last week in the playoffs to Lake Travis, providing an opportunity for Green to take in the final Texas home game of the season. The Longhorns have been mentioned more often in recent weeks by Green, who says he has a srong relationship with Major Applewhite, but it's probably the Texas scheme that Green will be most interested in this weekend.

In nearly every interview, Green mentions that he wants to attend a school that runs a "pro style" offense, certainly a vague statement, but whatever that really means, it's apparently extremely important for Green. Most likely it means that Green doesn't want to play in a shotgun, zone blocking scheme, but it's difficult to say. The Longhorns will probably run some from under center, as they did last week against Baylor, though it won't be a big part of the offense -- if Green is looking for a school that runs from under center, the game against Kansas probably won't help much in that regard. The good news is that Texas will probably tweak the offense next season with Garrett Gilbert and may return to an offense more closely resembling the one that Texas ran with Chris Simms than the zone read-based offense under Vince Young and that may appeal to Green.

Will Kansas rally around their embattled coach? The story of the week in college football in the increasingly hot seat upon which Kansas head coach Mark Mangino sits, as more and more stories emerge about systematic verbal abuse -- basically, Magino is not a nice person. At all. Though Mangino has tried to shift the blame to the parents of players and Mack Brown believes the current internal investigation by the Jayhawk athletic department will unite the team, that may not be the case. It's impossible to tell how the players on the team feel about the situation, but if the feelings of former players is any indication, things could be deteriorating radiply in the KU locker room. The current five-game losing streak only adds to that perception and increases the potential that the Kansas team could quit on Mangino.

If Texas gets out to a quick lead, will the Jayhawks fight back to help try to save their coach's job or will they hasten his increasingly-inevitable departure by quitting on the field? If the Jayhawks do give up on the game, their coach, and their season, things could turn ugly extremely quickly at DKR on Saturday night in front of a national television audience.

Will the 2009 version of the "Midget Revenge Tour" end any more successfully than the 2008 version? Regardless of how Todd Reesing feels about his head coach, and he might not be on the best of terms with Mangino given his benching several weeks ago, the former Lake Travis star is one player on the Kansas roster who will surely give his best effort on Saturday night. Passed over by the hometown Longhorns, Reesing has surely circled this game on his calendar ever since he got to Kansas and this will be his opportunity to prove his doubters wrong, both on the Texas coaching staff and amongst the general populace. Reesing faces the same problem that Chase Daniel faced last year in his efforts for revenge -- he's just too short and not good enough to succeed against the superior athletes of Texas. Rather than proving that the Longhorns erred in passing him up, the game will more likely prove that Mack Brown and his staff made the right decision by choosing not to offer the pint-sized quarterback.

Can Texas continue to build on the rushing success achieved against Baylor? Baylor wasn't exactly an elite or even average run-stuffing team, but the success of Cody Johnson and Tre' Newton against the Bears was a step forward, most notably for the play of the offensive line. Greg Davis simplified the number of running plays, repping the weakside zone, counter, and power repeatedly in practice against the different fronts and strategies they were likely to face against the Bears. It worked, as the offensive line missed fewer assignment than they had all season and the results were readily apparent.

Will Davis expand the rushing playbook against another poor run-stopping team in Kansas, or will the Longhorns continue to keep it simple? Can the offensive line perform well for a second straight week? One factor in the improvement may be the increased emphasis on drive blocking at times with the power play, which seemed to energize the offensive line, particularly the more physical players in the group like Michael Huey and Kyle Hix. Another week of successfully running the football could help allay continued concerns about Texas being unable to pick up critical yardage on the ground in a possible national championship game appearance.

Can the defense continue to force turnovers and sack the quarterback? An enduring image from last season was Reesing stepping in the bucket and releasing a duck into the frigid Kansas air faced with the intimidating rush of...Blake Gideon, perhaps the least physically intidimating player on the team. At barely 5-10, Reesing is susceptible to pressure in his face and may face a great deal of it against the Longhorns - standing behind an inexperienced and underperforming offensive line isn't exactly the safest place when going against the Legion of Boom. If Texas even approaches the level of pressure they put on Reesing last year, it will be a long and frustrating game for the diminutive senior, much like it was for Chase Daniel in his lone appearance at DKR.

A point of emphasis this week will remain stripping the football and, just as importantly, recovering the football afterwards. The Longhorns defense has missed out on two touchdowns -- one against Oklahoma and one against Baylor -- by failing to recover the football in or near the end zone after a forced fumble. Forcing and recovering more fumbles is really the last step towards the Texas defense fulfilling its potential as the best all-around unit in the country.

Battle for the Basement: Baylor at A&M

2009-11-20T21:44:25Z

More photos » by Rod Aydelotte - AP

The only reason this is even a question...

Browse more photos »

On Saturday night, Texas will try to win the South with a victory over Kansas. But before the Longhorns even kickoff, the Baylor Bears and Texas A&M Aggies will be battling for the right to be the worst in the conference. A month ago, Scipio Tex and I bet a bottle of whisky on who would emerge as the worse of the two, and for all intents and purposes, it comes down to this game.

My bottle of whisky is on the Bears. Who ya got?

Poll

Who wins in College Station on Saturday afternoon?

Jayhawk Preview

2009-11-20T17:48:39Z

Thanks to Tully Corcoran, Topeka Capital-Journal, for the Jayhawk preview.

1. Pre-season talk had Todd Reesing in the Heisman mix, but he has struggled the past few games. Was that because of an injury or something else? What intangibles does Reesing bring to the position and the team?

Reesing has been playing with a groin injury which has affected his lateral mobility a little. For a guy like him, who likes to make those winding, bouncing scrambles in the pocket, it has taken away an element of his game.

But the groin injury isn't the whole problem. He's made some just plain bad decisions, which I think are, to some degree, the result of a guy who had an awful lot of pressure on him, especially when the defense was playing poorly early in the year.

That said, he's KU's spark plug. He's a great leader and his confidence permeates everyone around him.

2. Who are Reesing's favorite targets? How has Dezmon Briscoe performed this season?

It's been a down year for Briscoe, who along with Kerry Meier, is Reesing's favorite target. Briscoe has had a few more drops than he should. It hasn't helped that some of them would have been touchdown passes and one of them would have won a game at Colorado (it was a tough play, but one he would make most of the time).

I think his draft stock has taken a hit.

3. The offensive line really stepped in the Nebraska game and did a good job against Suh and Crick. What adjustments, if any, were made for that game?

There has been a lot of personnel shuffling along the offensive line, but it appears they found something with Jeff Spikes, a former tackle, at guard and Brad Thorson, a former center, at right tackle.

4. Talk about Jake Sharp and Toben Opurum. Are these two the core of the runing game?

Those are the two guys, but it's hard to tell if Sharp is healthy or not. He has a leg injury that took away some of his 4.3 speed and at this point it seems Opurum is the better back. He gets yards after contact and has enough speed. If it tells you anything, Opurum was offered scholarships by Notre Dame and Florida, although he was offered those under the assumption he would play fullback.

5. What are the overall strengths of the offensive unit as a whole? What are the weaknesses?
The strengths are that Kansas has an excellent quarterback and the classic combination of a big-play receiver and a possession receiver on the outside. The Jayhawks don't run it well and are only passable in pass protection, but Reesing, Briscoe and Meier are good enough to overcome that most of the time.

6. What have been the Jawhawks defensive struggles this season?

Stopping the run, especially late in games, has been a killer. And it seems like if you need an easy 15 yards, just run a go route on whoever KU's ~~right~~ left cornerback happens to be that week (there are three possibilities). He'll get flagged for interference half the time.

The defense is much better than it was early in the year, and has actually played well enough to win each of the last five games.

7. How are they at defending the run? The pass? Can the Jayhawks successfully pressure McCoy? Do they need to blitz, or will the typical two deep safety look with an eye on underneath routes do? How much success do you think they can have in any sort of man coverage?

First of all, I think man coverage would be a quick way for Jordan Shipley to go all Adarius Bowman on KU (you may recall a 300-yard receiving game by Bowman against KU in 2006) Kansas doesn't have the athletes to compete with Texas' receivers one-on-one, and KU has never played much man defense anyway.

While I don't expect McCoy to be pressured a ton, the Jayhawks have to decent pass rushers in Maxwell Onyegbule and Jake Laptad, so three or four sacks isn't out of the question. I think KU should blitz a lot, because it's obvious that lining up Texas' guys against Kansas' guys is not a fair matchup. Maybe blitzes can be a bit of an equalizer. I don't know.

8. What are the strengths of the defensive unit as a whole? What are the weaknesses?
The strengths are the ends I mentioned above, Onyegbule and Laptad, and safety Darrell Stuckey, who's an excellent player having a down year.

The weaknesses are the linebackers. I could give you a dozen different theories as to why they're the weakness, but suffice it to say they virtually never make any kind of play.

9. What are the key matchups?

I think implying there are pivotal matchups implies Texas should be concerned with anything other than Texas, which I'm not sure is the case.

Briscoe is the most talented player on KU's roster. He'd be a starter anywhere in the league, I think, including Texas. He's a first-day NFL draft pick, most likely. And he had 269 yards at Oklahoma last season. So he's the most dangerous guy from a UT perspective.

10. What do the Jayhawks need to do to beat the Horns?

Win the turnover battle by at least two, maybe three, while also not having anything disastrous happen on special teams.

In most games, you'd say Kansas would fare better if the score got into the 30s, but in this case I don't think KU wants any part of a shootout with Texas. The best case scenario for KU is that it gets a pick six or whatever early, maybe gets another turnover in the first half and goes into the fourth quarter with a 10-7 lead or something.

Bevo's Daily Roundup - November 20, 2009

2009-11-20T09:00:13Z

Colt McCoy is just one win away from history.

Texas quarterback Colt McCoy does not recall every detail from his initial conversation with coach Mack Brown about McCoy’s opportunity to become the winningest quarterback in NCAA history.

But he does remember one name that surfaced during the discussion.

"When coach Brown told me I was close to passing Peyton Manning, that’s what caught my attention," said McCoy, who has won 42 games as the Longhorns’ starting quarterback, three more than Manning managed in his career at Tennessee (1994-97).

It looks like the Heisman race is coming down to three players.

Colt McCoy, in third place, continues to trail the Southeastern Conference duo of Mark Ingram and Tim Tebow. The Alabama running back nabbed five first place votes, the burly Florida quarterback two.

The challengers to the Big Three continue to get picked off, one by one. Last week, it was Houston's Case Keenum, who went the way of Notre Dame's Jimmy Clausen and Miami's Jacory Harris.

The Acho brothers: Impressive, talented and hard to tell them apart.

If you squint a bit from the stands of Royal-Memorial Stadium, Sam Acho and his kid brother, Emmanuel, look almost like the same player.

After all, Sam, the Texas defensive end, is wearing No. 81. Emmanuel, the versatile linebacker, is 18.

"I almost get confused when watching us on film," Emmanuel said earlier this week as the third-ranked Longhorns prepared for Kansas.

The Horns secondary is very stingy.

"[We’ve gone] from getting picked on to nobody looking your way," Curtis Brown said. "It’s a good feeling but a boring feeling at the same time. It’s getting to the point where it’s a hard decision which side you want to throw to."

It’s becoming more difficult for opposing quarterbacks. The Longhorns are giving up just 181.9 passing yards per game (22nd in the nation), down from 259 a year ago. They’ve also intercepted 19 passes, compared to just six in 2008.

The Austin American-Statesman picks their top five Longhorns of all time.

The graduation rates for men's athletics are lagging once again.

The NCAA released its annual Graduation Success Rate report Wednesday, and the University of Texas' football, baseball and men's basketball programs did not get high marks.

For the four classes that entered from 1999-2002 — and in each case were given six years to graduate under NCAA guidelines — only 49 percent of Longhorns football players earned their degrees. None of the 25 schools listed in this week's BCS rankings, where Texas sits at No. 3, had a lower rate.

This should make you feel better.

Oklahoma's football team had the worst graduation rates in the Big 12 under the most recent data released by the NCAA.

According to figures released Wednesday by the NCAA, only 45 percent of the football players who enrolled at Oklahoma between 1999 and 2002 earned their degrees within six years. That period coincides with coach Bob Stoops' first four years as the Sooners' head coach.

Looking for gifts for that special Longhorn?

Basketball

The Horns beat Western Carolina.

"They really get after you defensively," Western Carolina coach Larry Hunter said. "They don't make it easy on you."

At the other end, though, Texas (2-0) committed an unsightly 21 turnovers and missed 13 of 31 free throws.

Coach Rick Barnes said the Longhorns emphasized defense in practice earlier in the week.

"That's all we talked about," he said. "Obviously, we didn't talk about offense enough. We made it a whole lot harder than it needed to be."

Storming The Floor had a saucy game rap up:

Texas 73 - Western Carolina 41

Rick Barnes got to go deep into his bench for this one. We learn by making mistakes, and this game had plenty of those: freshman guard J'Covan Brown got laid out on a hard screen at one point, and had six turnovers to go with his 10 points. Stud newbie Avery Bradley shot an airball on his first try and finished with 4 points on the night. But where better to screw up and live to tell the tale than a blowout? Damion James was his usual assertive self, with 18 points, 7 boards, and a 2-3 evening behind the arc. Harouna Mutombo was the leading scorer for the WCU Catamounts, with ten. He also had one blocked shot; no word on whether he wagged his finger in the no-no gesture.

Where Dexter goes, so go the Horns.

Barnes mentioned high expectations he has for Pittman. Things he’s not prepared to go public with right now. Should Big Dex live up to them, Texas’ already decent chance of being in the Final Four this season will soar.

Pittman literally has worked his rear off to get where he is today. But it has become evident through UT’s first two games that he’s also worked on his inside game.

J'Covan Brown is a work in progress.

Brown is one of the hardest workers on the squad, according to his teammates. Prior to Sunday’s game, he showed up three hours early to practice his shot. On Wednesday, Texas was scheduled to begin its pregame shootaround at 3:30 p.m., but Brown was there an hour beforehand and had a sweat going by the time Barnes walked down to the floor.

"The kid loves the game. He loves to play," Barnes said.

Perhaps all of that extra work is paying off for Brown. His turnovers are up, but so are his points and his minutes. For now, he is the team’s starting point guard — a role that is his to lose.

When I searched YouTube for Texas A&M OU 2009, this is all I got for A&M highlights. Well, at least the band played well that day.

Lots of frustration in College Station. Mike Sherman has to curtail the blowouts.

Mike Sherman's final game as a Texas A&M assistant was memorable — for all of the wrong reasons.

Texas 51, A&M 15 in 1996 offered a fan base accustomed to winning a jolt — and the Aggies' worst loss of the R.C. Slocum era to that point. Slocum vowed his program, 6-6 in the first year of the Big 12, would improve. It did, winning the South Division the next season and its lone Big 12 title the year after.

As this decade winds down, however, the rarity of the '96 UT debacle has become more of the norm, as A&M fans have endured a slew of blowouts the past seven seasons.

The Cornhuskers and Wildcats are getting giddy. The excitement is building for Saturday's North showdown.

Sometime before Saturday night's Nebraska game, Kansas State kicker Josh Cherry might need a chill pill.

Emotions already are high over a matchup that will decide the Big 12 North champion and K-State's bowl eligibility.

Now, add in that Cherry is from McCook, Neb., and grew up as a rabid Husker fan with his room decorated in wall-to-wall red.

"This game has so much riding on it,'' he said. "And then going back home and playing in front of so many friends and family, it's going to be unreal. I don't know if I can get enough tickets."

There is no way you cannot like Bill Snyder.

During each road game, he encourages players to leave thank-you notes for the hotel housekeeping staff.

"Treating people with respect," Gregory said. "It goes a really long way."

That’s what Snyder wants his team to project.

"He takes pride in us being men of character," Gregory said.

The Mangino death watch continues. Former players are coming out of the woodwork to talk about their experiences playing for Mark Mangino.

For Kansas University football coach Mark Mangino, the hits just keep on coming.

Among the allegations made by players interviewed by the Journal-World included:

Near-daily verbal attacks on players, in some instances involving personal matters that athletes felt went well beyond the boundaries of a player-coach relationship.

• Verbal abuse of assistant coaches, including a 2008 incident in which Mangino threatened the job of defensive coordinator Clint Bowen.

• Failing to disclose player injuries to the detriment of the team’s athletes.

• Players who left the program at least in part because of the negative environment they were subjected to.

• An incident during the 2006 season in which, according to former linebacker Joe Mortensen, Mangino put his hands on then-running backs coach Earle Mosley after one of the team’s running backs had failed to pick up a blitz during a game. Mosley later left the program and now coaches running backs for the New York Sentinels of the United Football League.

You know this isn't good. The player's parents are organizing.

KMBC's Karen Kornacki has learned that there are at least 20 families of current and former players who have been compiling information and will turn it over to the school during this investigation.
Some of the parents said that they have been documenting evidence of Mangino's temper over the years. They claimed that he has shown himself to be mean-spirited, vindictive and angry.

Mangino is sure the probe will clear him.

"I run this program with a lot of integrity," Mangino told the Kansas City Star without confirming the nature of the probe. "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."

Rumors, rumors, rumors. No one really knows Dan Hawkins' fate.

Stoops vs. Stoops. Bob could meet Mike in a bowl game.

An Oklahoma-Arizona bowl game, matching the Brothers Stoops, is not out of the question. If both teams finish strong, they could meet in the Holiday Bowl. If both stumble, they could meet in the Sun Bowl.

Bob Stoops was saying the other day that he preferred not to play Mike’s Wildcats but it wouldn’t be a big deal.

The Big 12 just proposed a power grab.

One thing you have to like about the new bowl eligibility proposal introduced earlier this month by the Big 12: There's no ambiguity about it at all. Just raw, naked power being exercised for the good of the exercisers.

In other words, let's just call it the Baylor Bill and get it over with.

Dan Beebe, the Big 12 commissioner who introduced the idea to a shocking lack of national reaction, thinks it would be a grand idea if the bowl requirements for BCS teams would be lowered so that a 6-6 BCS team could take a bowl game spot from a seven-, eight- or even nine-win non-BCS team. Why? So that Baylor could go to the Motor City Bowl, I guess.

Sports Illustrated polled Big 12 fans. Here are the results.

History remembers only the brilliant failures and the brilliant successes. -Randolph S. Bourne.

Franchione would be one of those brilliant failures. Dennis Franchione to UNLV?

Franchione's name has emerged as a leading candidate for the vacant job at UNLV, according to the Rebel Nation blog published in the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

According to the blog, sources indicated that Franchione has already inquired to school officials about the vacancy, created when Mike Sanford was fired earlier this week.

I got an annoying Twitter account just to follow these morons. The BCS is on Twitter.

"The SEC is revered to the point of being ridiculous," Jerry Palm said.

SI's Andy Staples doesn't have anything else to write about? He has mapped out TCU's BCS title chances.

And finally...

Condolences to Georgia fans. Uga VII died of heart-related causes.

Nebraska Previews Kansas State

2009-11-20T03:55:58Z

Thanks to The Elusive Shadow for the questions and the guys at Corn Nation for the Nebraska analysis.

1. Kansas State has had trouble stopping the pass this year. Can Nebraska take advantage of this, or do you think the Huskers are better off concentrating on the run?

Mike: Nebraska's had problems passing this season, mostly against BCS competition. Some blame goes to Zac Lee, but most of it goes to the wide receivers, who weren't trying to get open, weren't running good routes, and then dropping the ball if they managed to do the first two things right. Two receivers got busted down to the scout team, and have been replaced by tight ends, a JUCO transfer (Brandon Kinnie), and a redshirt freshman who plays center field for the baseball team (Khiry Cooper). So while this week might be an opportunity to work out some kinks in the passing game, Nebraska should concentrate on the run primarily.

JLew: I think the Huskers will do what they did against KU, use the run to set up the pass. Get Lee going early up the confidence, then go play action as needed. I think that against the Cat D-backs even NU's receivers should be able to get open. Niles Paul had a really good game against KU, showing some of the potential that we thought the had, look to him to continue to develop.

Corn Blight/Jon J: The Husker offense finally clicked against Kansas, so what we’ll be watching for is consistency in running the ball, and Niles Paul on the play action. Look for Roy Helu to have 150 yards rushing and a couple touchdowns.

2. Daniel Thomas is one of the leading rushers in the nation. How worried are you that he can have a big day against Nebraska's defense?

Mike: Slightly, as I think the Blackshirts have been burned at times by running backs. Problem is that most of that is because teams like Arkansas State and Texas Tech tried to run out of the spread and were able to exploit large gaps. Thomas concerns me more if he operates out of the Wildcat formation as a passing threat.

JLew: I think NU will be ready. KSU keeps it simple. I think they are going to try and run right at NU. Without a passing attack NU can key on the run.

CB: Nebraska has one of the best run defenses in the nation, so they should handle KSU’s run game. Kansas caused problems with misdirection, and Todd Reesing did his best impersonation of his old self running quarterback draws and extending pass plays scrambling. KSU doesn’t have Reesing, and only one threat at receiver, so our defense shouldn’t have much problems with the Wildcat offense regardless of what they do.

3. What do you think Nebraska should do about return man Brandon Banks?

Mike: Make sure he's returning kickoffs only.

JLew: Have a safety plant him coming across the middle.

CB: Tackle him deep in his own territory? One guy that hasn’t been mentioned here is Husker kicker Adi Kunalic, who’s third in the nation in both touchbacks and touchback percentage. Banks can be neutralized by not allowing him to have the ball (Captain Obvious!).

4. Any other area of concern against Kansas State?

Mike: I'm more concerned about Nebraska playing well. This is a team that should have beaten Virginia Tech on the road and did beat Oklahoma at home. Kansas State is second in the conference in turnover margin, and they can make the Huskers pay for any mistakes.

JLew: Like Mike says take care of the ball, don't get too excited for Senior Night and let the game come to them.

CB: That Bill Snyder uses his Jedi mind powers to convince Offensive Coordinator Shawn Watson into running all spread plays with three or four receivers, resulting in way too much passing, dropped balls, turnovers and a short field for Kansas.

That and I’ve heard rumors that KSU geneticists are working hard on a solution to keep Snyder alive forever.

5. If Nebraska wins, what do you think their chances are against Texas?

Mike: If you look just at the record, you'd have to say not good. But the Big XII Championship Game has not been good to national title contenders. James Brown and the flu ended Nebraska's dreams of a third straight national title in 1996. In 1998, Texas A&M took out Kansas State. In 2001, Colorado knocked out Texas to clear a spot for Nebraska in the Rose Bowel. In 2003, Kansas State shocked the college football world by dominating consensus #1 Oklahoma. Add in how strong Nebraska has been defensively this season, you never know what might happen.

JLew: A punchers shot. The great thing about having a D like NU's is that you have a chance in every game. Pelini's teams improve throughout the season, and peak at the right time. Last year NU ended the year with a great win in the Gator Bowl. Let's just say that payback for 1996 has been mentioned a time or two among Husker fans.

CB: Ask me after the Kansas State game. Right now I don’t care what we may or may not do against Texas. It’s that chickens and hatch thing.

Kansas State Previews Nebraska

2009-11-20T03:38:22Z

Thanks to The Elusive Shadow for the questions and Bring On The Cats' Tye Burger for the Kansas State analysis.

1. How worried are you about Nebraska's defense?
Nebraska's defense is highly concerning, to say the least. They're good against the run, which is the only thing we do moderately well on offense. On the flip side of that, it's not like we were planning on beating Nebraska by getting into a 42-35 shootout, either. Against Nebraska's defense Saturday, it's much more important to me that we not turn the ball over and at least pick up a few first downs to get our defense some rest. We won't win this game with long, sustained drives; we will win if we get some turnovers or big special teams plays that flip the field for us. For our offense, it's more about not losing the game rather than going out and winning it.

2. Kansas State has had success stopping the run but not so much stopping the pass. Does this give you confidence that you match up well against Nebraska's offense?
Certainly more confidence than if our strengths and weaknesses were reversed. Nebraska is pretty solid on the ground when Roy Helu is healthy, but Zac Lee and his receivers haven't exactly been a blowtorch burning opposing defenses this season. We need to be able to slow Helu down without committing eight defenders to the box, so we can drop back and try to get Lee to force some throws. If we can force some turnovers, we have a chance in this one.

3. Besides Roy Helu Jr., what offensive player should K-State be most worried about?
I'll go with Niles Paul. When he's catching the ball, he's a big threat (see, e.g., 4th quarter against Missouri). He's a pretty good receiver who hasn't had a great season due to some inconsistencies. If he's on, we'll have some trouble with him. The other threat is tight end Mike McNeil. We haven't faced a lot of offenses that rely on their tight ends, so it's something we'll have to prepare for, and I'm not ultra-confident in our linebackers.

4. Any other area of concern against Nebraska?
In a word, Suh. He's the kind of player that could single-handedly shut down our offense or force backbreaking turnovers. The other concern is playing on the road, where we haven't won this season, unless you count when we played Iowa State in Kansas City.

5. If Kansas State wins, what do you think their chances are against Texas?
I'd say they're about as good as they were in 2006 and 2007.

Thursday Night Open Thread: Buffs at Pokes

2009-11-20T00:23:54Z

Zac Robinson is a game time decision. For obvious reasons:

More Thoughts on Texas' Win Over WCU

2009-11-19T19:47:03Z

More photos » by Erich Schlegel - AP

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Continuing with thoughts on Texas' 73-41 win over Western Carolina.

REVIEWING THE KEYS

Foul control. [Grade: A] Texas went inside to Pittman on its first two possessions, one resulting in a made basket, the other in a foul by Richie Gordon. By halftime, Gordon had picked up two more fouls, while Big Sexy had drawn just a single foul. Of course, by halftime it was also apparent it wouldn't have mattered much if it had been otherwise, but hey, it's good seeing Dexy play with good body control.
Guard composure. [Grade: C] Texas' guards seemed to maintain a roughly 1:1 ratio of good to bad offensive possessions, finishing the night with 20 turnovers, struggling at times with the length of WCU's guards.
Don't settle. [Grade: B-] Post entry remains an issue for most of the guards, although Rick said in the post-game that the team focused exclusively on defense after the UC-Irvine game, prompting him to say he wasn't surprised by the sloppy offensive showing.

PLAYER NOTES

Damion James [29 mins, 4-9 FG / 2-3 3P / 8-10 FT, 18 PT, 7 REB (2 OR), 2 AST, 3 TO, 1 STL, 1 BLK]

Another very solid night for James, who is back where he should be -- near the rim for most of the game. He's playing strong on the interior and, outside a couple missed lay ups, giving Texas exactly what we need from him. I absolutely love the way we're looking for him on alley-oops. His hands and dribble still present some limitations, but those have greater implications for his future at the next level. If he's hitting 20-foot jumpers as he has been so far early on, he becomes an even more valuable asset than he already is.

Dexter Pittman [17 mins, 4-6 FG / 0-0 3P / 1-4 FT, 9 PT, 6 REB (2 OR), 0 AST, 1 TO, 0 STL, 0 BLK]

This was a tough game for Pittman, through no fault of his own. As mentioned above, the team apparently spent little to no time working on offense leading up to the game, and it showed. Once Texas got a comfortable lead and it became clear the frenetic style wasn't going to provide much for Pittman, Barnes mostly rested him. Fine by me.

J'Covan Brown [21 mins, 3-3 FG / 2-2 3P / 2-2 FT, 10 PT, 3 REB (0 OR), 3 AST, 6 TO, 0 STL, 0 BLK]

My oh my does he have a smooth scorer's stroke. Playing much more calmly last night, he was mostly solid, with two beautiful post feeds that suggest he can be more than a scorer only point. The turnover rate will probably remain high throughout the year, but Texas will live with them if he's adding 3-4 dimes a game to go with the 10-15 points he looks capable of contributing. We're so deep he may not get the chance, but he's capable of filling it up for 25 on a hot night.

Justin Mason [23 mins, 0-1 FG / 0-0 3P / 0-0 FT, 0 PT, 4 REB (0 OR), 1 AST, 2 TO, 0 STL, 0 BLK]

No, that stat line is not pulled from a box score from last year. Mason's defense remains solid, but it's not special. As Hamilton and Bradley bring their games along, it's just going to be impossible to justify 20-25 minutes a game for Mason. He's a great kid and a terrific warrior, but the mostly empty stat lines are more the norm than exception.

Varez Ward [25 mins, 4-6 FG / 0-1 3P / 2-6 FT, 10 PT, 2 REB (1 OR), 0 AST, 1 TO, 3 STL, 0 BLK]

It's nice seeing Ward come into his own on the offensive end of the floor, where he's learning to put his superior toughness and athleticism to use in getting to the rim as a scorer. He can score 10 points a game all year if he starts to hit his free throws. That said, he's still raw and at times seems uncertain running the halfcourt offense. I like what he adds, though, and think he'll continue to progress throughout the year. He's a big asset against some of the longer, athletic teams we'll have to beat to achieve our goals.

Gary Johnson [19 mins, 4-4 FG / 0-0 3P / 2-3 FT, 10 PT, 7 REB (2 OR), 0 AST, 1 TO, 0 STL, 1 BLK]

It was Gary's best game in a while, turning in exactly the kind of performance we need from him -- some aggressive offensive play in the block, strong rebounding, and quality, physical defense. Without any creators last year, Gary struggled trying to get it on his own; it'll come to him this year, and if he stays within himself and ready, he'll get his.

Jordan Hamilton [14 mins, 2-7 FG / 1-5 3P / 0-0 FT, 5 PT, 6 REB (1 OR), 0 AST, 1 TO, 0 STL, 1 BLK]

He's settling offensively right now, but I've seen enough of him with the ball in his hands to see whats ahead for him. Now having seen him for two full games, he's got better handles than I anticipated and while he needs to add upper body strength for his game to get where it's eventually going to go, he can pick up points near the rim right now. He's quick, fluid, and lonnnnnng. I'd love to see him start working his offensive game inside-out, and when he's mismatched against a shorter guard, we can iso for him. Defensively, he's trying, which is good, but you can see he's having to concentrate -- this is more than he's used to.

Dogus Balbay [20 mins 0-3-6 FG / 0-0 3P / 1-2 FT, 1 PT, 4 REB (0 OR), 3 AST, 3 TO, 0 STL, 1 BLK]

The Dogus has sort of become for me what Chris Ogbonnaya once was: an important contributor who most underrate and I love a little too much. I'm fine with that, and his game will prove us both right, at varying times. If he were just a little bit better with being decisive as a creator on offense, he'd be a true force, but as is, he's our best on-ball defender, and an uncanny blur with the ball in his hands. His limitations with being decisive and translating his skills into buckets will keep him from being a guy that demands 30+ minutes a game, but I don't see him getting any less than 20, and he's a critical player for us, especially in the early going while the freshmen get up to speed.

Alexis Wangmene [11 mins, 1-2 FG / 0-0 3P / 2-2 FT, 4 PT, 4 REB (1 OR), 0 AST, 0 TO, 0 STL, 1 BLK]

The theme continues: he's got so much room to improve within this season. The strength and length are exceptional, but he's choppy and uncertain out there right now. He's just getting back into the flow of full-speed, full-contact basketball, and once he fully acclimates, he'll be a terrific 15 minute per game complement to Big Sexy.

Avery Bradley [17 mins, 2-4 FG / 0-1 3P / 0-2 FT, 4 PT, 0 REB (0 OR), 1 AST, 1 TO, 2 STL, 0 BLK]

From the pre-season roundtable: "I've developed quite a habit of scavenging rabidly for online videos of AB and the three things that stood out that elevated my excitement from enthusiastic to out-of-control were: (1) the quality, but even more than that the intensity, of his defense; (2) what Jay Bilas might call Rise-a-bility or Hop-tuitive-ness - an explosiveness in his leaping that allows him to finish 50% more buckets than any mortal his size would; and (3) his competitiveness and eagerness to seek out, and conquer, challenges."

As is true for this team for a whole... we haven't seen anything yet...

Bevo's Daily Roundup - November 19, 2009

2009-11-19T07:00:13Z

Colt McCoy has a lot of people who thought he couldn't hack it at UT. And those were his friends.

Colt McCoy left the tiny town of Tuscola with dreams of being Texas' next great quarterback. Lingering below the self-confidence were words that stung his heart.

Too small. Too slow. Weak arm.

Those were his friends saying that.

Great small-town player, they said, but Texas and the Big 12 were places for the big boys, not a player from the lower divisions of high school.

"I had people in my town, friends of mine, people real close to me saying that I would never be able to play here," McCoy said. "They see a guy like Vince Young or Ryan Perrilloux. Everybody thought I was awesome in high school but that's just from our town.

"I definitely used that as motivation," McCoy said. "I still do to this day."

ESPN's Richard Durrett profiles Chris Hall. Did you know he is an ordained minister?

Mark Mangino on the Longhorns:

"Texas is an outstanding team, an excellent football team. No weaknesses on the offensive side of the ball. They feature a great quarterback in Colt McCoy. He can beat you throwing and he can beat you with his feet. Their defense gives you looks, moves around, they have a really impressive defensive line, outstanding linebackers that run sideline to sideline and really an excellent secondary that plays the ball well and also tackles well. It’s a challenge to go down to Austin, but we’re looking forward to going down there and playing very well."

Basketball

Rick likes the smart ones. Of all the freshmen that played against UC-Irvine, Shawn Williams was the most impressive.

Shawn Williams didn't have a star-in-the-making moment like other Longhorns freshmen did in their debuts Sunday.

He didn't swoop in for a blocked shot or make a slashing drive for a basket like Jordan Hamilton. He didn't convert two steals into fast-break dunks like Avery Bradley. He didn't make three three-point baskets like J'Covan Brown.

But the 6-foot-6-inch Williams impressed Texas coach Rick Barnes nevertheless in the season-opener against UC Irvine.

"I thought Shawn Williams did the best job of taking care of the details out of all the young guys," Barnes said. "He's a very cerebral player."

One of the challenges this season is managing the depth of talent.

"We talk about flow. How do we maintain the flow?" Barnes said. "We’ve got a group of guys who understand what we need to do, and when we go to the bench, it’s up to the guys who come into the game to maintain that flow."

Does Mike Sherman think his defense has improved?

His answer: sometimes.

"There were times in that [Oklahoma] game, watching it and then watching the tape, where we're wrapping guys up, we're more physical, we're reacting quicker," Sherman said. "We'll have two good plays and then we'll give up a big play.

"So do I see at times us playing great defense? Yeah, there are times I do see that. There's also times I see us not. The consistency is more what is lacking."

What to do? The Aggies have quite a dilemma. Do they wear pink to the Baylor game and support breast cancer research or not? Opinion is running rampant on Texags.

When asked if Oklahoma was his last coaching stop, Stoops replied:

“Oh, who knows? I’m not that old, I guess. I haven’t reached 50 yet. So, who knows what’s in store, you know?”

A certain Oklahoma City sports writer is worried about the Aggies.

Only one top-shelf school seems prone to losing its coach to another school. Alabama lost Bill Curry to Kentucky in 1989, though Bama was trying to kick him out the door, and then lost Dennis Franchione to Texas A&M in 2003, when it most certainly didn’t want to lose Fran.

A&M can be sneaky. The Aggies got Franchione from Alabama, Jackie Sherrill from Pitt in 1982 and Bear Bryant from Kentucky in 1953.

A&M, that’s who schools like Oklahoma ought to worry about. Not Notre Dame.

Mike Leach to Louisville? Dennis Dodd is thinking the same thing.

The latest from the coaching rumor mill is that there is a mutual interest between Texas Tech coach Mike Leach and Louisville.

It is almost a certainty that Cardinals’ coach Steve Kragthorpe will be relieved of his duties after this, his third season. Louisville is 4-6 with games left against South Florida and Rutgers. It needs to win those to have a chance to go bowling for the first time since 2006. Kragthorpe is 15-19 at Louisville.

Tim Griffin thinks Mark Mangino's old-school ways have gotten him in trouble.

Mangino is a good coach. But his story is a cautionary tale for all in his profession.

In today’s world, coaches can’t berate players like they used to. Physical contact is an absolute no-no.

Mangino appears to have trouble adapting to those societal changes. His career is in serious jeopardy because of it.

Another sports writer thinks it is all about the record.

If Kansas fires football coach Mark Mangino, it will be about one thing: he’s losing. The stuff you’re hearing about Mangino now — he has a foul temper, he bullies his players, he has a history of throwing tantrums after receiving parking tickets on the campus — were all true when he led KU to a 12-1 record two years ago. It was the best season in Kansas history, and I don’t recall any talk about Mangino’s hot-headed manners, or how shabbily he treated others. But Mangino has lost 5 games in a row, and and the Jayhawks are at the bottom (1-5) of the Big 12 North standings, and they play at Texas on Saturday, which means another massacre is coming.

The Sooners are leaders in sickle-cell testing.

One of the biggest issues in dealing with players who have sickle cell is that a sickling episode may look like it’s heat-related, especially since intense and prolonged physical activity can cause them. Knowing that a player has the sickle cell trait is the best way to avoid a problem.

Both Oklahoma and Oklahoma State test for sickle cell.

Earlier this year, the NCAA recommended schools test for sickle cell, but it stopped short of making the testing mandatory.

Ndamukong Suh doesn't like that cutesy stuff.

It’s certain Suh is excited to take on a Kansas State offense that likes to play smash-mouth football.

“They definitely want to come downhill on you, which is great for me,” Suh said. “That’s my type of football, not the cutesy stuff that we see the majority (of the time) in our conference with the spread offenses.”

Gary Patterson lives in a fantasy world.

Upon further review, even after TCU's demolition of Utah barely registered on the BCS' Richter scale, Gary Patterson remains resolute.

With no more chances left to impress, he's still content just to be in the conversation.

Still happy with the system.

Still buying the fantasy.

"If we can win two more," he said Tuesday, "and somebody were to slip up ..."

Hey, Gary. Wake up, pal. It's not just one "somebody" you need help with. It's two.

Either Florida or Alabama will slip up, but not both.

And that still leaves Texas, which isn't likely to lose to Kansas, Texas A&M or whatever the Big 12 North offers as a sacrifice.

The BCS does not do refunds. Ivan Maisel wants his money back.

I want my money back.

It is the third week in November -- the traditional beginning of rivalry season -- and the best game is No. 11 Oregon at unranked Arizona.

The National Championship Issue looks at the relationship between the BCS and money.

The reality is that there are some teams that have more fans and bring in money no matter what they're doing on the field, and some teams that could win big every year but still not see many fans (respectively). Two good examples are South Carolina and Boise State. Between 2002-2008, the Gamecocks were 44-41, going 8-5 in their best season; the Broncos were 70-8, going 9-4 in their worst season. But in terms of attendance, South Carolina averaged 80,000 per game while Boise State averaged just 30,000 per game. Quite the difference.

So who you think bowl executives would rather have playing in their game?

Texas Overwhelms Western Carolina 73-41

2009-11-19T06:20:22Z

More photos » by Erich Schlegel - AP

Browse more photos »

I have extensive player notes to post tomorrow, but non-sports life got in the way this evening and it's too late for me to get 'em all up now. For now: Another convincing win in which Texas just overwhelmed a vastly outmatched opponent -- tonight, Western Carolina, 73-41. A Cliff's Notes preview of tomorrow's discussion:

We're really damn good right now, but what's most exciting is that this team is just scratching the surface. I'd take Texas -2 over Kansas right now, but given my impression of the two teams' ceilings, give me Texas -6 in March.*
J'Covan Brown was calm, cool, and collected... And very, very impressive.
We're going to see Brown's high-impact on this team before we see, in order, Bradley and Hamilton's. Avery will get there soon, Hamilton by year's end. When all three are no longer freshmen in February -- you won't want to play Texas.
The halfcourt offense has a ways to go still. We utilized Big Sexy terribly tonight.
You are seeing why I said in the preseason that, amidst all this talent, Dogus will surprise and will demand minutes. Especially as freshmen take some time to get going, he's an important player for us. He'll be a bit less so by March, but he's hugely valuable to us in several critical components of the game.
The way we can just run swarms of subs, and mix-and-match lineups -- without dropping off in quality -- is going to allow us to just overwhelm every team but the top 20 or so in the country. Among the best, we'll win if we're on the right side of average, and even some nights when we're not.

More tomorrow. Hook 'em

* And yes, I hope Kansas fans see this, and react to this. Not because I want a chest-thumping war, but because I think this is our rival in basketball. Rick Barnes and Bill Self see it the same way, and I'm all for it. The Texas-Kansas back-and-forth over the last 6 years has been the best kept secret in college hoops, and I absolutely love that we have a powerhouse like Kansas to constantly measure ourselves against. They're smart fans: I think they see it, too. This should be the most fun season to date.

Game Preview & Open Thread: Western Carolina at Texas

2009-11-18T23:56:16Z

Game #2: Western Carolina Catamounts (1-0) at No. 3 Texas Longhorns (1-0)

8:00 p.m. * Frank Erwin Center * Austin, TX

TV: ESPNU / Radio: 98.1 FM, 1300 AM

Opponent Preview

The Catamounts visit the Drum four days after opening their season with a 65-41 victory over St. Catharine College and on the heels of a 16-win season in 2008-09, good for the North Division crown in the Southern Conference. The Catamounts are entering their fourth season under head coach Larry Hunter, returning their entire starting lineup and a deep, experienced roster overall--five seniors and four juniors, all recruited by Hunter during 2005-06.

Seniors Brandon Giles, Brigham Waginger and Jake Robinson compose the core of the experienced returnees, but the team's leading scorer a year ago was freshman Harouna Mutombo (14.5 points, 4.6 boards per game), last year's Freshman of the Year in the Southern Conference. And yes: that Mutombo (nephew), although he's a 6-4 guard with a smooth set jumper and an emerging ability to pop it off his own dribble.

The Catamounts are far more capable of matching up with Texas' imposing physical strength than was UC-Irvine, though their top frontcourt players -- Jake Robinson (6-8, 205), Richie Gordon (6-8, 240), Kendall Russell (6-6, 205), and Blake Gallagher (6-8, 245) -- still lack a true center who can deal with someone Dexter Pittman's size. What they lack in brute strength they make up for in athleticism and excellent length among their guards, which enabled Western Carolina to pull down offensive rebounds on 37% of their own misses a year ago (37th best, nationally).

Which brings us to the other thing the Catamounts do well with their athleticism and length on the perimeter: create turnovers. Last year's squad forced opponents into turnovers almost one out of every four possessions (23.1%, 29th nationally), and in this year's opener versus St. Catharine's they forced 25 (8 steals). Starting at guard alongside the 6-4 Mutombo are Brandon Giles (6-6, 200) and Brigham Waginer (6-2, 175), making for a long, athletic backcourt that does a great job getting into passing lanes and forcing bad angles and tough passes.

Keys to the Game

Foul control. As a freshman Dexter Pittman fouled 10.3 times per 40 minutes. As a sophomore he cut that down to 6.3; last year it held steady at 6.5, even as his minutes shot up. If tonight's game is going to be a competitive contest, the Catamounts absolutely must have Richie Gordon out there for 25-30 minutes, but last year the sophomore hacked a troubling 7.6 times per 40 minutes, and racked up 4 fouls in 12 minutes in the opener versus St. Catharine's. If Big Sexy can keep up his excellent work of late with fouls, while getting Gordon into trouble, Texas is going to present overwhelming frontcourt problems for WCU. If, however, it's Pittman who hits the bench with foul trouble while Gordon stays on the floor, things could stay interesting.
Guard compsure. Tonight's game presents a great little test for Texas' young guards, as they'll face a long, athletic perimeter that will test their ability to play smart, composed basketball, using timing and spacing -- rather than dribbling -- to create a nice flow in the offense.
Don't settle. Texas has a decided edge in frontcourt strength and overall talent, but WCU is an experienced team with a backcourt comfortable playing a sloppy, up-and-down game. It'll be interesting to see how Texas' guards react to a team that wants to run-n-gun and whether they'll have the patience and discipline to stay within what's there, willing to slow things down and make the extra passes to ensure Texas gets a good look in each halfcourt possession. If Texas is throwing up long jumpers early in the shot clock, we'll be playing WCU's game, rather than them ours.

Prediction: Texas 76 WCU 55

Blog Poll Submission Week 11: Sleeping Through the Alarm Edition

2009-11-18T16:04:16Z

Rank	Team	Delta

1	Florida
2	Alabama
3	Texas
4	TCU
5	Cincinnati
6	Georgia Tech
7	Boise State
8	Pittsburgh
9	Ohio State	6
10	Iowa	1
11	Oregon
12	Oklahoma State	4
13	LSU
14	Penn State	3
15	Stanford
16	Rutgers
17	Virginia Tech	5
18	Miami (Florida)	8
19	Southern Cal	5
20	Wisconsin	1
21	Houston	9
22	Nebraska	3
23	Arizona	5
24	Brigham Young	1
25	Oregon State	1
Last week's ballot

Dropped Out: Utah (#19), South Florida (#20).

Cry about it.

(I moved Arizona down, but I actually forgot to submit this until about 1 minute before the deadline, so I didn't have time to do anything else. Can't think of what I would have done, actually.)

Bevo's Daily Roundup - November 18, 2009

2009-11-18T04:08:14Z

Colt McCoy is back in the spotlight again.

Colt McCoy, ever the team-first kind of player, finally has discovered a record he can set that totally involves his Longhorns.

"I want to win. That's a goal of every quarterback," McCoy said Monday.

And if he's victorious Saturday at home against Kansas — Texas is a prohibitive 28-point favorite — he'll break the career victories record for Division I-A quarterbacks.

If we lose one game, are we still going to Pasadena?

If Texas loses, it's out. No, a one-loss Longhorn team doesn't get the benefit of the doubt in a bad year for the Big 12. If Cincinnati runs the table, it's at the top of the pecking order with wins at Oregon State, Rutgers, and Pitt. When all is said and done, if UC runs the table, it'll likely have beaten seven bowl bound teams and two teams in Rutgers and Putt that will likely end up 10-2.

D.J. Monroe broke curfew. And then there is that sticky issue of a DWI.

What idiot asked this question?

Texas coach Mack Brown was asked Monday about the possibility of playing TCU and declined to deal in hypotheticals, saying his team was focused on Kansas. But he did have high praise for TCU coach Gary Patterson.

"Gary Patterson has done as good a job of coaching as anybody in the country," Brown said. "They do a tremendous job recruiting and they coach and they've been as consistent as anybody in America."

One more story about friendship and roommates.

McCoy and Shipley, who both use a Remington 270 rifle, use hunting as their respite from the rigors of class, practice, travel, games, etc. They'll take up positions in separate stands and hours will pass without a word spoken or a shot fired.

Kansas Jayhawks

Well, it won't happen this Saturday. One more win and the Jayhawks are bowl eligible.

What about the first three? Kansas is focusing on the fourth quarter.

On the heels of a four-game stretch in which his team has reserved some of its worst play for the fourth quarter, Kansas University football coach Mark Mangino said Monday that the focus going forward will be making sure the Jayhawks figure out a way to buck their recent trend.

“One of the things that we need to focus on is being able to make stops in the fourth quarter and being able to score some more points in the fourth quarter,” Mangino said during the Big 12 coaches teleconference. “Because that’s been an issue.”

In the past four weeks, the Jayhawks have given up 53 points in the fourth quarter — while scoring just 17 — and wasted a number of promising opportunities in the process.

Things just keep getting worse in Lawrence.

Mangino insisted he has not lost the support of his players but suggested that may not be true of others on campus.

"I haven't lost the team, not one bit. I may have lost some people around here but it's not players," he said at his weekly news conference.

Asked if Mangino had lost the support of his team, or at least parts of it, Reesing said emphatically, "No. Not at all."

The Kansas City paper is reporting that the problem started with an altercation with a player.

Kansas football coach Mark Mangino poked senior linebacker Arist Wright in the chest during a practice before a game at Colorado, triggering an athletic department investigation of Mangino. sources told The Star on Tuesday evening.

Rock Chalk Talk has a Texas-Kansas Matchup Breakdown.

The Battle for the Bottom is on this Saturday. The Aggies play the Bears in College Station. The pressure is on because there are bowl implications for both teams. Art Briles:

"Yes it does take on more importance and thankfully so. I welcome the challenge of these bowl implications that are involved because that's why you play. I think if you asked me that and I said no, I wouldn't be honest, but it certainly does. It's always going to be a big game because it's in your state, a rivalry and they're 80 miles down the road. But you add a bowl game to it and it makes it even better."

The game has turned into a heated rivalry.

The two schools are separated by only 84 miles as the crow flies along Texas State Highway 6.

Baylor and Texas A&M have been longtime rivals, playing a 99-game series that predated their memberships in the Southwest Conference. Both joined the Big 12 together in the continuation of a bitter rivalry that has been played yearly since 1945.

It may not seem as heated now as in the past when Grant Teaff squared off with Jackie Sherrill or later, R.C. Slocum. Even the Guy Morriss-Dennis Franchione rivalry developed into a good one with some barbs thrown from both sides on both sides.

Tech is still a little upset about that loss to OU last season.

"The thing I remember the most about that game is when the Kris Kross song 'Jump' came on, there were 80-year-old women getting out of their wheelchairs and jumping up and down," Tech offensive tackle Marlon Winn said. "The whole stadium was jumping up and down, and it was just demoralizing. ... That just always sticks with me, so in practice this week I'm working to get that taste out of my mouth."

I'm not sure you ever get that vision out of your head.

Mike Gundy and Dan Hawkins are on completely different paths.

Mike Gundy is a coach of the year candidate, and Dan Hawkins could be a dead coach walking.

Raise your hand if you saw that scenario coming in December 2005.

Bob is staying in Norman.

Mid-November. Leaves fall. Weather cools. Pumpkins bust. Bob Stoops rumors fly.

Here we go again. It happens every autumn. Stoops is going to Notre Dame. Or Michigan. Or Florida. Or the Denver Broncos.

Some day, a rumor will turn true. But not this one. Not Notre Dame.

"There’s not even a job (open) at Notre Dame," Stoops said Monday night. "That’s ridiculous. Some guy makes stuff up."

Barry Tramel suggests Notre Dame talk to Barry Switzer.

In real life, Switzer had little chance of drawing Notre Dame’s interest. The Irish are not in the habit of hiring rogues. But he would always listen.

"Tell them to call me," said Switzer, 72 years old and 12 years out of football. "Tell them I can beat Navy."

One of Bob's finest recruits. Language NSFW.

Remember Josh Jarboe? The Sooners could have used him this year.

That DWI doesn't look so bad now?

A fourth Tennessee football player has been charged with breaking the law in the last two weeks.

Nyshier Oliver is facing a charge of shoplifting. The 18-year-old freshman defensive back was cited at 1:45 p.m. on Nov. 7, a few hours before the Volunteers hosted Memphis. He is scheduled to make a court appearance on Nov. 23.

TCU's Gary Patterson is not going to lobby for votes.

TCU coach Gary Patterson has no plans to lobby for votes and a spot in the national championship game if his team ends the regular season undefeated.

Patterson believes that all the fourth-ranked Horned Frogs (10-0, 6-0 Mountain West) can do to prove themselves is play well. If that’s not enough, he figures campaigning won’t really change anything.

"Do you think it would do me good to politick to play for a national championship?" Patterson said Tuesday. "All I can do to change people’s minds is the play on the field."

Shocking. There is very little diversity in the leadership positions in Football Bowl Subdivision schools and conferences.

The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at the University of Central Florida released the report Tuesday. It found that for the 362 campus leadership positions studied, more than 91 percent of the officials were white.

The report examined positions such as conference commissioners, school presidents, athletic directors, faculty athletics representatives and head football coaches. It found that white men made up 77.5 percent of presidents and 82.5 percent of athletic directors.

Are congratulations in order? The BCS has a new executive director.

Defending the Bowl Championship Series and trying to convince critics that it is the best way to determine a college football champion has to qualify as one of the toughest jobs in America.

Bill Hancock now has that job.

Hancock, the former director of the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, was selected Tuesday to become the first executive director of the BCS.

And finally...

Today is the tenth anniversary of the Aggie Bonfire collapse. Our thoughts go out to Texas A&M and the families of those that lost their lives.

EDSBS LIVE! COURAGE WOLF TIME

2009-11-18T00:55:15Z

EDSBS LIVE! COURAGE WOLF TIME

We're on for another two hours of CFB chat, usual time and place.

8:00 CT Audio here. Chat here.

Eye on the North: Well, That Was Easy

2009-11-17T19:36:36Z

More photos » by Dave Weaver - AP

I think we may have to see this guy sometime soon.

Browse more photos »

With a Nebraska win and a Colorado loss, the North race cleared up instantly and is now exclusively down to Kansas State and Nebraska. The other four teams cannot reach five conference wins any longer, and with the Wildcats and Cornhuskers set to play one another, one of them will end up with at least five themselves. End of drama. Too bad; I was cheering for Nebraska to lose too just for the sake of North chaos.

Kansas State received a bit of a whipping from Mizzou, but Colorado's loss made that largely meaningless, while Nebraska's win gave them a half-game lead over K-State. Meaning: The division will be decided by the game in Lincoln this Saturday, and it will be a good idea to keep an eye on this while you're watching the Horns pummel the free-falling Jayhawks. Both teams can still win the division outright if Nebraska either wins out or loses out, but the head-to-head tiebreaker pretty much makes Nebraska's last game irrelevant.

It is an interesting matchup between two run-first, defensively-minded teams. Neither team can pass the ball well and rely heavily on running the ball, and neither offense is particularly good. K-State has a weak pass defense but it remains to be seen if Zac Lee can do anything about that. Watching the Husker offense can be very painful, but I like them this game because of their superior defense, which will surely challenge K-State's one-dimensional and very unimpressive offense (an offense that failed to score a touchdown on Missouri last Saturday). Expect field goals, turnovers, punting, and heavy doses of Daniel Thomas and Roy Helu Jr. I wouldn't expect long touchdown drives; if either team is going to score touchdowns, I'd predict big plays from special teams or turnovers setting those scores up.

See you in Dallas, Nebraska. At least, so I think.

Poll

Who do you think wins in Lincoln and therefore wins the North?

Afternoon Brewsky Sees Progress Along the Offensive Line

2009-11-17T19:33:49Z

More photos » by Tony Gutierrez - AP

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Simplified running game makes progress. Cody Johnson may have had only the second 100-yard rushing game of his career, but the big story coming out of the victory over Baylor was the job of the offensive line. Before going into that, let's get one thing out of the way -- Baylor is not a good team at stopping the run. They rank 89th in the country at stopping the run; UConn gained 235 yards against them and Iowa State had 240, while even Kent State averaged well over six yards a carry against the Bears. So yeah, they're not any good.

However, several things were heartening about the running game, starting with Johnson. Though he doesn't always hit the hole as hard as he could and keep his legs driving on contact, Johnson did make his normal yards after contact and did avoid dancing around in the backfield. On a day the coaches wanted to give him 15-20 carries, Johnson responded with 109 yards on his 19 attempts, without ever looking like he tired as the game went on. Losing 20 pounds and getting into the best condition of his time at Texas has really helped him

More impressive, however, was the work of the offensive line. Even against much weaker units like the Colorado defensive line, the unit struggled, but the big guys in the trenches for Texas had one of their best performances of the season, generally avoiding the individual meltdowns that have characterized nearly every other game this year. Greg Davis attributed the improved execution to focusing on specific plays during practice last week:

We said these are the runs that we're going to focus on - weak side zone play, the counter play, the one back power and they really came out and did a good job. Across the board I thought Adam Ulatoski, Charlie Tanner, Chris Hall, Michael Huey and Kyle Hix along with Greg Smith at tight end really came up big and gave Cody and Tre' some great creases to get the ball into the secondary.

While the zone and the counter have been staples for some time, the most interesting play they worked on was the power, a downhill, man-blocking running play extremely popular in the NFL and college football. Without going through and charting every single running play, from what I recall the Longhorns ran the power mostly out of the jet tempo and from under center, although I do remember one instance of a guard pulling on a gun run that might have been the power. The consistent execution was impressive and giving the offensive line a chance to drive blocks is a breath of fresh air -- there's something beautiful about seeing the line of scrimmage moved down the football field. There's also a strong chance that it helps their overall aggressiveness by giving them a chance to fire off the ball.

Besides the execution, the effectiveness of the jet tempo was also a major positive from the game, as the production from those plays had decreased drastically throughout the season. Since FSN managed to catch only brief parts of most of those plays, it's hard to say exactly what worked so well, but breaking tendency at times in recent weeks surely helped. Davis said this week that there are only a handful of passing plays they can run since they have so little time to call the play before getting the snap off and that group of plays changes every week, but as long as they can bootleg and throw enough screens to keep the defense from selling out on the run, the jet tempo may continue to be effective, particularly as a way to add some drive blocking to the Texas offense.

Defense failed to finish. One of the first things that Will Muschamp mentioned after the game was that the second- and third-team players who gave up the two late touchdowns to Baylor did a disservice to their teammates by not finishing the game well. For young players, every repetition is important on the field, regardless of the score. In fact, since they are trying to earn more playing time, they should approach those plays with every bit of the intensity of the starters. Unfortunately, the end of the game was characterized by sloppy tackling and some missed assignments. Muschamp talks about having a lunchpail, hard-hat mentality throughout the entire game and the back ups played reasonably well, but didn't finish in the same way that they did against UCF, when they rose up to keep the Knights out of the end zone late.

The back ups who came into the game owe it to their teammates to finish games well because the final score reflects on the starters as much as it does on the back ups. For a team trying to stastically rank as the best defense in the country, the two touchdowns scored count against the starters in terms of perception, as most of the members in the national media won't realize that Baylor didn't score until late in the game. In recent weeks there has been more talk about the strength of the Texas defense, but it still lags behind Florida and Alabama in national perception and 47-0 looks a lot better than 47-14.

It's also disappointing because those players are only an injury or two away from having to contribute. Since there aren't many games left in the season, that's less of a concern right now than it would have been early in the season, but the fact remains that Ben Wells is a couple nicks away from having to play meaningful snaps in the secondary and he clearly isn't ready, despite the fact that he's one of the hardest hitters on the team. The defensive tackle position is even a bigger concern, as Tevin Mims and Tyrell Higgins aren't ready and they are probably only one injury away from having to take some snaps with Calvin Howell still sidielined after his concussion.

The bottom line is that the coaching staff expects all the players to play to a standard for 60 minutes every Saturday and the defense didn't do that. The coaching staff expects players to finish the game and they didn't do that. Is it unrealistic to expect that the back ups for Texas can stop the first team for Baylor? Given the fact that Texas recruited very few of those players, the answer is no.

Tracking: playmaking defense. The Acho brothers. Talk about a feel-good story -- it's just hard to overappreciate what those two smart, articulate, and mature young men bring to the Texas football program. Blessed wtih immense physical skills, it's their understanding of the mental part of the game that sets them apart. Matched against a wide receiver on Saturday, Emmanuel recognized the route, jumped it, and intercepted the first pass of his collegiate career. Earlier in the game, matched against Kendall Wright, probably the single most talented player on the Baylor team after Robert Griffin, Acho ran stride for stride with him across the middle of the field and forced an incompletion. Given his high level of play this season, his missed tackle on Baylor's last touchdown was a huge surprise. As for Sam, he continues to play with an incredible motor, hustling downfield to make the stop on a pass play and coming from his defensive tackle position to force the fumble on the speed option Baylor tried to run on third and long late in the first half. More so than almost any other players on the defense, the Acho brothers have had the awareness to strip the ball free.

Then there's Aaron Williams. The kid is so good he has to pray for opposing quarterbacks to test him. After Baylor marched down the field on their first drive, Williams demonstrated why he has had so few balls thrown his way. With Muschamp bringing max blitzes on second and third down, Baylor anticipated the blitz and called a blitz beater on the first play and a man beater on the second. On the first, Williams broke up the slant in the end zone and on the second, ran stride for stride on the corner route before showing his athleticism by leaping to make a touchdown-saving interception. Later, Williams broke up another pass on the only other time Nick Florence tried to test him. I love me some Aaron Williams and he proved on Saturday why no one wants to throw at him.

As great of a story as the Acho brothers are, the story of perseverance by Eddie Jones is almost as unique and inspiring. Sidelined with ankle and shoulder injuries throughout most of his first two seasons, there were rumors late in the summer that he might never step on the football field for Texas. Given his injury history, that didn't seem like a stretch. Well, Jones is back and is finally fulfilling his five-star promise. In the fourth quarter against Baylor, Jones saw the offensive tackle in front of him attempt a weak chop block and read the flare pass into the flat, stepping in front of it and showing off his speed by taking the interception 60 yards for the touchdown -- Jones is good enough to start at defensive end for any other team in the country.

Since Texas is intercepting just about every possible pass now, the only area for improvement is forcing more fumbles. The Acho brothers are stripping the ball well, but other players just aren't quite taking the techniques that they work on in practice and transferring them to the game. One play stands out in particular -- on Chykie Brown's cornerback blitz, he had a free shot at the unsecured football, but never attempted to strip it as he brought Florence down, leading Duane Akina to yell for him to strip the football from the sidelines. There aren't many areas in which the defense can improve, but forcing more fumbles is one of them.

Tracking: special teams. Welcome to the block party, Kenny Vaccaro. The biggest question on special teams after Curtis Brown picked up his block against Missouri was who would become the next player to join the block party. Vaccaro was one of the names I threw out there and he made it happen against Baylor, partially deflecting a punt to set up a short field for the Longhorns and take a 28-0 lead. Not only that, but his work on special teams continues to be excellent, as he made another tackle inside the 20. An unsung hero on the kickoff coverage team is fullback Aaron Smith, a walk on who has done more to deserve a scholarship than several players who have a free ride at Texas and is consistently around the football on kickoff coverage after greatly helping the unit last season when he got on the field.

The kickoff return game was not particularly impressive, as DJ Monroe had a 27-yard return in what will be last effort there for some time, while Malcolm Williams was only able to get 16 yards on his return. The coaches need to go back and look at the return game this week in an attempt to figure out what is keeping Texas from breaking the same type of long returns they enjoyed early in the season. Jordan Shipley, on the other hand, had his best day returning punts since the Colorado game, taking one back 25 yards and another 11-yard return. With Monroe's suspension, he will once again return kickoffs.

Hunter Lawrence continued his campaign for the Lou Groza Award with his clutch field goal before the half, though it could hurt him that he hasn't had to win any games late. Of course, his performance against Oklahoma was the difference between the Texas victory and a devastating loss, so that will definitely help his candidacy. With the wind at his back, Justin Tucker kicked two balls into the end zone for touchbacks against Baylor and he also made a tackle at the end of a 35-yard Baylor return. The punting game was not as impressive, though, as Tucker continues to struggle killing kicks inside the 10 yardline and John Gold, in his first early appearance in some time, kicked a ball well into the end zone with an opportunity to give Baylor a long field. In the end, it makes more sense to use Gold with a long field where he can use his big leg to boom punts than to have him try to punt it inside the 10, a skill at which Tucker's rugby punt should be much more successful.

Randomness. As always, done bullet style:

Kenny Vaccaro can lay the wood, as he knocked 200-pound Baylor receiver Ernest Smith back about 10 yards on a fourth quarter hit, earning himself the weekly Hard Hat Award in the process. With the depth in front of him, he may not get a lot of time at safety next season unless Earl Thomas leaves or he can beat out Nolan Brewster, but Vaccaro will contribute significantly before his Texas career is over.
Marcus Davis can lay the wood as well and looks like an extremely sure and physical tackler. He's probably not as far along as a freshman as Aaron Williams was last season, but it's hard to tell because Davis hasn't had to play as Williams did -- but even in limited action, it looks like Davis has the chance to be the next great nickel back at Texas.
After coming under fire last season for his hands, EBS hadn't dropped any passes this year. Until Saturday, that is. On the second possession of the game, Smith dropped a third-down pass that would have gone for a third down and extended the drive. Instead, the Longhorns went three and out. Then, on the last possession of the first half, he had a ball go through his hands and was lucky that it deflected to a waiting James Kirkendoll for an important gain to set up Hunter Lawrence's 41-yard field goal. It wasn't exactly a Peter Ullman volleyball set, but it was the worst performance in the passing game for EBS this season and it sets him back in his efforts to lose his nickname. With the two dropped passes, he now needs to score two touchdowns or have a 30-yard reception (up from one touchdown or a 25-yard reception) to rid himself of the EBS label. The good news is that he continues to be a major factor in the resurgence of the running game, so he is a very good Extra Blocking Surface.
Um, where was Malcolm Williams? The big receiver barely saw the field against Baylor, mostly in favor of John Chiles, who played early and often and failed to get out of bounds on the drive before the end of the first half, costing Texas a shot at the end zone and then dropped a third-down catch that would have given Texas a first down midway through the third quarter. The coaches are clearly working hard to give Chiles every possible chance, but the fact remains that Williams gives Texas the better chance to break a big play in a possible national championship game and needs the repetitions more than Chiles.
Dan Buckner saw him action at split end and just doesn't look explosive enough for the position -- he's probably going to remain at flex tight end until he improves his burst off the ball and after the catch. However, he still has the best hands on the team, as evidenced on his 22-yard snag on the first possession to convert a 2nd and 17 and his one-handed catch to convert a 3rd and 6 in the second quarter.
Kheeston Randall and Ben Alexander continue to play exceptionally well on the interior of line, as well as Lamarr Houston, who is close to becoming the same type of disruptive force that Roy Miller was last year. He doesn't quite have the same pure strength, but he's probably quicker. On the third-down play that set up the fourth-down stop of Nick Florence on the quarterback sneak, Houston engaged the Baylor offensive lineman, then threw him down to set up in the hole to stop the running back. Ridiculous. I mean, he literally just threw the guy to the ground. As good as Sergio Kindle has been this year, especially in stopping the run, Texas will probably miss Houston more because he won't be as easy to replace.
The Texas linebackers gave a look at what a post-Muckelroy future will look like, performing admirably in the game, paritcularly Dustin Earnest, who is now contributing at a level most probably thought wasn't possible after his first two mediocre years in the program. His fourth-down stop of Florence was particularly critical in the game.

Texas vs UC Irvine Gameflow (+/- stats included)

2009-11-17T06:35:54Z

Bumped. Great stuff. --GoBr--

First of all, I would like to express my disappointment that no site I can find is recording player +/- statistics in college basketball. Please let me know if you do find one so I can save myself the time.

Until then, assuming I do have time, I plan on posting the +/- stats of our players after every game, using the official play-by-play data on texassports.com.

What's my motivation to do this? Well quite frankly, this is easily the most intriguing season of UT basketball that I can think of since I've been following the team. This team is absolutely LOADED. How can you not envy Rick Barnes? Then again, coming up with the best 5-man rotations with this team can be a challenge. I hope these +/- stats can help us come up with our own analysis regarding this deep team, such as which rotations are the best, which players had the greatest impact on the game, and which players' impact goes beyond the typical box score.

If you follow the NBA, you should check out the Gameflows created on popcornmachine.net. Here's the gameflow from the recent Rockets vs Lakers game for example. It doesn't just list the +/- for each player. It goes through the entire game, listing all the rotations and the performance of each. It illustrates critical aspects of the game such as huge runs. I followed this concept and created a "gameflow" of my own on a spreadsheet.

I plan on posting this spreadsheet after every game, so please don't hesitate to suggest improvements on the look of it. I tried to make it look pretty. Anyways, without further ado, here is the "gameflow" for the Texas vs UC Irvine game.

Click here to view the Texas vs UC Irvine gameflow

via i38.tinypic.com

My attempted analysis after the jump...

Before I discuss the results, the number in parentheses next to the name is how many minutes the player accumulated. Positive +/- in green, negative in red. I've also highlighted in green/red any rotation that gained/lost 5 or more points. Everything else should be self-explanatory, but just ask if you're lost. Here are the best performances as far as +/- goes (lets keep in mind that this stat isn't some ultimate stat to show Player X > Player Y, there's so many other variables involved). Lets not make too many conclusions as this was the first game vs UC Irvine.

Pittman +35
James +31
Balbay +29
Hamilton +27
Bradley +25
Ward +22
Brown +18
Mason +18
Williams +14
Johnson +10
Hill +5
Wangmene +1
Dick 0

A few things stand out to me:

I know there's a few Dogus Balbay haters on here, but his impact on the game was significant despite the box score suggesting otherwise. It was critical early that he took care of the ball, after J'Covan Brown's wildness and early 4 turnovers to start the game. Rick Barnes yanked Brown immediately and inserted Balbay, and we played well (led the team in assists too with 6, and did not turn the ball over). He took care of the ball, and his team played well when he was on the court, as the spreadsheet shows. Surely this will give Barnes confidence to continue playing Balbay when Brown struggles. For those on here hoping that the huge influx of PG talent would severely reduce Dogus' playing time, this game was bad news.
At the same time, there's no need to worry about Brown, despite his +/- being significantly lower than the rest of the starters. As you can see on the gameflow, he started out as an ugly -9 due to his turnovers. Early on, we only ate into our early deficit when he was on the bench and Balbay was in there. However, from midway to the 1st quarter and on, his +/- was a +27, which fits right in to the rest of the starters. He was the PG for the most part when we blew the game open in the last half of the 1st period.
This spreadsheet illustrates the key points of the game that led to the blowout. Our 23-0 run in the 1st half mainly employed Pittman, James, Brown, Hamilton, Bradley, and Ward.
Dexter Pittman is the most important player on the team. His skills cannot be replicated by any other player on the roster, so it's absolutely critical for him to stay out of foul trouble. Not surprised at all to see him lead the team in +/-, as he was simply unguardable in the paint.
It appears the best 5-man rotation in this game was Pittman, James, Hamilton, Bradley, and Brown. That's really good news for us, given they were the top 5 players in minutes played, and will probably become our eventual starting lineup. Many here proposed this exact lineup to start, so good job.

Anything else you BONers notice? Comments? Like I said earlier, I do plan on making these gameflows after every game. Can't really make a whole lot out of these blowouts, as the 2nd half was complete garbage time. I'm definitely looking forward to making these for the huge non-conference showdowns and big conference games.

Bevo's Daily Roundup - November 17, 2009

2009-11-17T04:32:46Z

Mack Brown still sees room for improvement.

"We can finish better and still haven't played our best for 60 minutes," Brown said. "We're happy with where we are and really enjoying coaching these kids and watching them play. We're really happy to be 10-0, but even more excited with the enthusiasm and passion the guys continue to play with every week."

Barking Carnival has some defensive thoughts and a Baylor post-mortem.

The Jayhawks

Mark Mangino finally has an o-line alignment he can live with.

Kansas University coach Mark Mangino indicated Sunday that he has found an offensive-line alignment he’s happy with —Tanner Hawkinson at left tackle, Sal Capra at left guard, Jeremiah Hatch at center, Jeff Spikes at right guard and Brad Thorson at right tackle — after plenty of mid-season tinkering.

"It’s the most comfortable I’ve been all year," Mangino said. "I think (offensive line coach) John Reagan’s comfortable with that, and I think the kids are comfortable, collectively, with that set-up."

This season has been tough on the seniors.

The Batt continues their undying support of the football program.

So, I'm sitting here trying to come up with some positives that came out of the "Fightin'" Texas Aggies' performance on Saturday in Norman. So far, my list reads: They showed up. Literally. We have tangible evidence to suggest they were, in fact, present in Norman. And…Yeah, that's all I've got.

65-10. Another embarrassment. Another showing of ineptitude. And, suddenly, the sunshine pumpers are awfully quiet. Cat got your tongue?

The 22nd game in the infamous era of Mike Sherman sure looked familiar, didn't it?

Mike Gundy presser: Zac Robinson is doing well. The Pokes play Colorado on Thursday night.

Colorado is absolutely, positively not looking for a new head coach. The athletic director said it, so it must be true.

"Our efforts are in creating an environment for him to be successful," Bohn told the Camera. "We are putting every ounce of energy, support and effort into creating an environment for us to be successful. That's where our focus is."

Dan Hawkins certainly isn't worried about his job.

Earlier today during the Big 12 Conference coaches' teleconference, Hawkins said he doesn't believe his job is in jeopardy.

"No, not at all," he said.

Hawkins was asked if he has had any communication from Bohn or Chancellor Phil DiStefano about his future.

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

This Saturday's game between Nebraska and Kansas State is just like old times.

The two old warhorses of the Big 12 North's early days are back at it again.

If there’s such a thing as North Division bluebloods, it would be these two teams. So it’s somehow fitting that both will be involved in an old-school winner-take-all battle for the division championship Saturday night in Lincoln when Bill Snyder and his surprising Kansas State team face Bo Pelini’s Nebraska squad.

For once, the conference spotlight is not on the South division.

Texas, still third in the BCS rankings, wants to clinch the South and make certain Kansas doesn't end a five-game losing streak. Texas A&M hopes its third try will bring bowl eligibility as well as revenge over Baylor, which beat the Aggies, 42-21, last season. Oklahoma or Texas Tech will have seven wins by Saturday evening.

For genuinely high stakes, though, you'll have to look elsewhere. The biggest game in the conference this week will be played in Lincoln, Neb.

Kansas State and Nebraska will decide the Big 12 North title and who gets the trip to Cowboys Stadium next month in a meeting that carries a '90s vibe.

Eleven teams from the conference still have a mathematical chance to go bowling.

SI's Stewart Mandel has his bowl matchups.

Is Bob Stoops really interested in the Notre Dame job?

Injury Report -- Kansas Game Week

2009-11-17T00:03:57Z

More photos » by Eric Gay - AP

DJ Monroe may not be doing this for a while.

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The Horns are fairly healthy entering the penultimate conference game of the season. Aaron Williams played against Baylor and recorded an INT. Tre Newton continues to show no ill effects from the concussion suffered against Colorado, and there are no new injuries to report. Huzzah! On a less than happy note that has been reported earlier, DJ Monroe was suspended indefinitely after being arrested for DWI. DJ may be done for the season and it would seem highly unlikely he'd return before the bowl game.

We'll update as necessary as the week goes on.

Anatomy of Momentum: Scoring After the Fourth-Down Stop

2009-11-16T20:38:31Z

More photos » by Tony Gutierrez - AP

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The Context

Will Muschamp talks a lot about his defense responding to sudden-change situations, calling his players "firemen" when coming onto the field after an offensive turnover. For the offense, the idea is similar, though instead of stopping the opposing team from generating momentum by scoring after a sudden change, the offense intends to consolidate momentum established by the defense with a turnover or a fourth-down stop.

Taking a calculated risk on his own 44 yardline, Art Briles went for it on fourth down on Bayor's second possession, hoping to establish some momentum for the Bears, down 7-0 10 minutes into the game. The Texas defense, having game-planned for the Baylor quick snap on fourth down -- they had seen it on film against Missouri -- did an excellent job of stopping the quarterback sneak, with the defensive line winning the battle at the point of attack to allow Dustin Earnest, who played well replacing the injured Roddrick Muckelroy, to make the first-down saving tackle, giving Texas the ball at the Baylor 44, seeking to consolidate momentum.

The Plays

1st and 10 Baylor 44

Texas lines up in 11 personnel, with EBS on the right side of the line and Cody Johnson on the right side of Colt McCoy. John Chiles is the split end, while James Kirkendoll and Jordan Shipley are at the top of the screen at the slot and flanker positions, respectively. Baylor has two deep safeties, three down linemen, three linebackers, and five defensive backs on the field. Since the Bears are worried about not giving up deep passes, Texas has favorable conditions to run the ball.

Key Shot

Greg Davis dusts off the counter read play that was the staple of the now-defunct WildHorn formation. Once again, the strange thing about this play is that the pulling guard, in this case Michael Huey, seen on the ground here, tries to block the read man, the linebacker standing on the left side of the Texas line. McCoy pulls the ball, as the read man gets upfield and Huey tries to block him instead of leading into the hole, where Adam Ulatoski and the pulling tackle, Kyle Hix, both get their blocks. Once again, the pulling guard tries to block the read man -- the guy optioned off on the play, the point of option football. The end result is that the backside linebacker Joe Pawelek, who could have been blocked by Huey had he led into the hole, ends up making the stop for a two-yard gain.

There's no misdirection in the play, so the offense must account for the backside linebacker, but fails to do so because of the strange obsession with blocking a player already eliminated from the play. Add to it the fact that since Texas started using his play, the pulling player has never sucessfully blocked the read man and it just doesn't make any sense to design the play that way -- Texas might as well just take an offensive lineman off the field, because the scheme effectively eliminates them from having any chance at success.

2nd and 8 Baylor 42

Texas stays in their 11 personnel look, with Kirkendoll and Shipley now at the bottom of the screen and EBS on the left side of the line, with Johnson moving to the left side of McCoy. Notice that Baylor stays in the same defensive look, with two safeties deep and big cushions on the Texas receivers, as well as three down linemen and three linebackers.

Key Shot

Texas runs at the weak side of the Baylor line, where they have only a defensive tackle and a linebacker. It's the inside zone play and notice that Chris Hall moved the defensive tackle three yards off the line of scrimmage, but lost his balance and is now being shed by the defensive tackle, who will eventually make the play. Notice also that the play is pretty well blocked, except that Tray Allen, on the ground in front of the linebacker Pawelek, failed to execute his cut block in space. Johnson picks up three yards.

3rd and 5 Baylor 39

As has been the case for the last several weeks, Dan Buckner enters the game on obvious passing downs, coming in for EBS. Notice that Jordan Shipley is now at split end, with the Baylor defensive back coming up in press coverage. In their two-deep safety look, it appears that Baylor has bracket coverage on Shipley.

Key Shot

Actually, the Baylor cornerback is one-on-one with Shipley, as the left safety turns his shoulders to look inside at the snap -- a strange call by the Baylor defensive coordinator. Shipley beats the cornerback at the line of scrimmage and McCoy delivers a perfect strike to his long-time friend, giving him the opportunity to go up and get the football, which he does. The play goes for 21 yards and a first down.

1st and 10 Baylor 18

This is the only screenshot available, as FSN misses most of the play as the Longhorns go jet tempo. Texas did, however, appear to substitute, as that looks like EBS at the top left of the screen. It also looks like the Longhorns were man blocking on the play, as the offensive line moved the line of scrimmage about 4-5 yards downfield, allowing Johnson an easy gain of five yards on the play.

2nd and 5 Baylor 13

The Longhorns stay in 11 personnel, with EBS on the right side of the line and Shipley and Kirkendoll split wide at the top of the screen, with Chies at split end. Johnson is on the left side of McCoy. Baylor shifts out of their two-deep safety look for the first time on the drive, with a single-high safety on this play. The Bears do stay with their three-down look and a linebacker standing at the line of scrimmage, with either three other linebackers on the field or a safety lined up as a linebacker.

Key Shot

Given the nature of the Texas offense, it's highly possible, and in fact highly probable, that Texas comes to the line of scrimmage with a running play called. Since Baylor has seven men in the box, a look they haven't shown much in the early part of the game, McCoy probably checks into a quick throw outside, as there is no safety on the wide side of the field. The pass goes out to Shipley, who simply has to beat his man and receive a good block from Kirkendoll to pick up a nice gain. Shipley doesn't exactly beat his man, but gets by him enough to pick up seven yards. Much maligned for his blocking earlier in the season, Kirkendoll demonstrates the blocking effort that has helped him regain his starting role.

1st and Goal Baylor 6

Once again, the Longhorns go jet tempo and under center, while the FSN production crew misses the start of the play. It's the inside zone play and Baylor doesn't look like they were able to get set particularly well.

Key Shot

The Longhorn offensive line wins at the point of attack, as Hall does an excellent job of turning the shoulders of the defensive tackle in a combo block with Huey, then gets to the second level to block Pawelek. Johnson has a gaping hole to run through and simply has to knock Jordan Lake backwards, which he does, to find the end zone. Six yards on the touchdown run for Johnson and the Longhorns go up 14-0.

Final Totals

Six plays, 44 yards, 2:08 expired. McCoy completed two passes for 28 yards, both caught by Jordan Shipley, while picking up two yards on one carry. Three carries for 14 yards and a touchdown by Cody Johnson. Two good blocks by Hall and one good block on the perimeter by Kirkendoll.

Final Verdict

The Longhorns did an excellent job of consolidating momentum by marching down the field after stopping the Bears on fourth down. At this point in the game, after scoring on two of their first three possessions and stopping Baylor twice, once at the goalline on the interception by Aaron Williams and the second time on the aforementioned fourth-down stop, any hope of springing an upset is essentially gone from minds of the Baylor team. In fact, Art Briles commented after the game that this group, being relatively young and inexperienced, just doesn't respond particularly well to adversity.

The offensive philosophy of Greg Davis was also apparent on this drive -- take what the defense gives you. Last week, Chip Brown and Sean Adams were discussing Davis on their radio show and Adams commented that all of the coaches he had played for generally tried to attack opponent weaknesses: any weak players, back ups who came in to replace injured starters, etc. Davis, however, places a higher value on letting the defense dictate where the ball should go, hence all the short passes out to wide receivers that operate as part of the running game. On this drive, Davis ran the ball some against the three down linemen of Baylor, but also took advantage of single coverage against Shipley to throw a pass farther down the field. The other pass on the drive was most likely a checkdown by McCoy once Baylor started to run the ball. Though the philosophy may let opponents dictate what the offense will do at times, this drive shows just how successful it can be to run the ball against weaker fronts and pass the ball against stronger fronts.

This drive also emphasized that the jet tempo offense, which generally features running plays from under center, has a place in the offense, as the touchdown appeared to catch Baylor before they were properly aligned and allowed some rare drive blocking on Johnson's second run. The Longhorns ran a bootleg pass and tried to throw a quick screen from the jet tempo offense, so Davis is also cognizant of breaking tendency at times to keep teams from teeing off on the run when Texas speeds it up and gets under center.