Kansas-Oklahoma State football preview

[JLW71073]

KANSAS (1-4, 0-2 Big 12)
DateOpponentRes./time
Sept. 1South Dakota StateW, 31-17
Sept. 8RiceL, 25-24
Sept. 15TCUL, 20-6
Sept. 22at Northern IllinoisL, 30-23
Oct. 6at Kansas StateL, 56-16
Oct. 13Oklahoma State2:30 p.m.
Oct. 20at Oklahoma6 p.m.
Oct. 27TexasTBA
Nov. 3at BaylorTBA
Nov. 10at Texas TechTBA
Nov. 17Iowa StateTBA
Dec. 1at West VirginiaTBA

Oklahoma State (2-2, 0-1 Big 12)
DateOpponentResult/Time
Sept. 1Savannah StateW, 84-0
Sept. 8at ArizonaL, 59-38
Sept. 15LousianaW, 65-24
Sept. 29TexasL, 41-36
Oct. 13at Kansas2:30 p.m.
Oct. 20Iowa StateTBA
Oct. 27TCUTBA
Nov. 3at Kansas StateTBA
Nov. 10West VirginiaTBA
Nov. 17Texas TechTBA
Nov. 24at OklahomaTBA
Dec. 1at BaylorTBA

KANSAS OFFENSE
PNo.PlayerHt.Wt.Yr.
WR7Kale Pick6-1205Sr.
LT72Tanner Hawkinson6-5300Sr.
LG67Duane Zlatnik6-4306Sr.
C69Trevor Marrongelli6-3303Sr.
RG64Randall Dent6-4300Jr.
RT70Gavin Howard6-4300Jr.
TE84Mike Ragone6-4255Sr.
WR15Daymond Patterson5-8180Sr.
QB10Dayne Crist6-4235Sr.
WR82Andrew Turzilli6-4193So.
RB3Tony Pierson5-10170So.
K13Ron Doherty5-11209Jr.

KANSAS DEFENSE
PNo.PlayerHt.Wt.Yr.
DE95Josh Williams6-4255Sr.
NT90Kevin Young6-3285Jr.
DT9Jordan Tavai6-3290Jr.
DE/LB35Toben Opurum6-1250Sr.
LB17Tunde Bakare5-10205Sr.
LB31Ben Heeney6-0225So.
LB34Huldon Tharp6-0227Jr.
CB33Tyler Patmon5-11180Jr.
FS24Bradley McDougald6-1209Sr.
SS1Lubbock Smith5-10200Sr.
CB5Greg Brown5-11185Sr.
P13Ron Doherty5-11209Jr.

OKLAHOMA STATE OFFENSE
PNo.PlayerHt.Wt.Yr.
WR87Tracy Moore6-2215Sr.
WR5Josh Stewart5-10178So.
WR18Blake Jackson6-3235Jr.
LT71Parker Graham6-7315Jr.
LG70Jonathan Rush6-4305Sr.
C60Evan Epstein6-3295Sr.
RG68Lane Taylor6-3328Sr.
RT58Daniel Koenig6-6310So.
QB11Wes Lunt6-4211Fr.
RB1Joseph Randle6-1200Jr.
K13Quinn Sharp6-1205Sr.

OKLAHOMA STATE DEFENSE
PNo.PlayerHt.Wt.Yr.
DE80Cooper Bassett6-5270Sr.
DT91James Castleman6-2296So.
DT99Calvin Barnett6-2299Jr.
DE96Ryan Robinson6-4250Sr.
LB11Shaun Lewis5-11225Jr.
LB45Caleb Lavey6-3240Jr.
LB37Alex Elkins6-3230Sr.
SS7Shamiel Gary6-0210Jr.
FS8Daytawion Lowe5-11205Jr.
CB19Brodrick Brown5-8185Sr.
CB4Justin Gilbert6-0194Jr.
P13Quinn Sharp6-1205Sr.

When/where: 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Lawrence, Kan.
TV/radio: Fox Sports Net; KCSP (610 AM)
The series: Oklahoma State leads 30-29-3
The line: Oklahoma State by 27.5
What's at stake
For Kansas, the Jayhawks can stop the bleeding of a 1-4 start and pick up a victory against the reigning Big 12 champs. From here on out, any KU victory will make people turn their heads. And a win on Saturday would snap a 14-game conference losing streak. For Oklahoma State, a loss would be devastating after starting the season with two tough losses (Arizona and Texas) in its first four games.
Cheers if ...
The KU defense responds after getting gashed for 346 yards on the ground at K-State last week. KU coach Charlie Weis said it was missed assignments and players being out of position that frustrated him the most. It will be another stiff test this week. Cowboys running back Joseph Randle, a Wichita native, is leading the Big 12 with 133.5 yards per game.
Jeers if ...
The Jayhawks get manhandled in the second half again. The Jayhawks are getting outscored 84-43 in the second half (and 43-13 in the fourth quarter) in their five games.
Three things about Oklahoma State
1 Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy is staying quiet about his quarterback situation. True freshman Wes Lunt won the job in the spring and started the Cowboys' first three games before going down with a knee injury in a Sept. 15 win over Louisiana-Lafayette. Redshirt freshman J.W. Walsh replaced Lunt in that game and then played well in a loss against Texas on Sept. 29. Walsh's passer rating (181.2) has been slightly better than Lunt's (143.5) in a small sample. Will Lunt be healthy enough to play?
2 Oklahoma State defensive coordinator Bill Young served as the KU defensive coordinator from 2002 to 2007, engineering the defense that helped KU win the Orange Bowl in 2007-08.
3 Since 2009, Oklahoma State is 20-6 against the Big 12, the best mark in the conference during that span.
Key matchup
The KU passing game versus the Oklahoma St. defense.
If the Jayhawks can't stop the Cowboys, this may not matter. But this may be a OSU defense that the Jayhawks can finally put up some point against. The Cowboys rank seventh in the Big 12 against the pass, and Texas quarterback David Ash threw for 304 yards against Oklahoma State on Sept. 29.
Rustin Dodd's pick: Oklahoma State 39-20
Last season, this one got out of control in a hurry. The Cowboys jumped ahead 56-7 in the first half and cruised to a 70-28 victory. But Oklahoma State QB Brandon Weeden and All-American receiver Justin Blackmon are gone. If the Jayhawks can stop the run, they may be able to keep the score respectable. If not, this one could get ugly, too.
Copyright 2012 . All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Posted on Fri, Oct. 12, 2012 01:07 AM

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/10/12/3863300/kansas-oklahoma-state-football.html#storylink=cpy

http://www.kansascity.com/2012/10/12/3863300/kansas-oklahoma-state-football.html

 

[JLW71073]

KU basketball unanimous choic to win Big 12


For the 11th time in Big 12 history, Kansas has earned at least a share of the designation as preseason favorite to win the Conference. The Jayhawks have been picked to win the 2012-13 Big 12 men's basketball crown in a vote of the league's head coaches after capturing their eighth straight outright or shared regular-season title a year ago.

KU will be led by seniors Jeff Withey, Elijah Johnson and Travis Releford, who were starters on the Jayhawks' squad that advanced to the 2012 NCAA Championship game. The team has eight letterwinners back from that team led by Withey, who broke the Big 12 and Kansas single-season blocked shots record with 140 rejections a year ago. The Jayhawks have won a NCAA-best 55 conference titles in their history.

http://www.ksnt.com/content/sports/story/KU-basketball-unanimous-choic-to-win-Big-12/rbhsm0KcQ0mNoZsyYMghkw.cspx

 

[JLW71073]

TCU move to Big 12 has become more difficult



FORT WORTH, Texas (AP)

TCU was already facing a challenging task just by moving to the Big 12, where the two-time BCS buster was suddenly part of one of the nation's best conferences.

Take away the second-year starting quarterback and two proven running backs, then mix in 27 freshmen who have already played, and things have gotten even more difficult for coach Gary Patterson and the Horned Frogs in their inaugural Big 12 season.

When Casey Pachall withdrew from school this week to enter an inpatient rehabilitation program, the quarterback became the latest of about a dozen players TCU has lost since last fall for various reasons, including drug arrests, injury and academic issues. Each was or could have been a significant contributor this season in the Frogs' transition into their new league.

''We're going to try to go win football games with what we have,'' Patterson said.

TCU is the only FBS team to win at least 11 games in six of the past seven years, and was No. 2 in the final AP poll only two seasons ago after going 13-0 with a Rose Bowl victory. The Frogs won or shared titles in three different leagues since the Southwest Conference broke up after the 1995 season and they were left out of the original Big 12 lineup.

In their first game without Pachall, when injured starting senior tailback Matthew Tucker also didn't play, the Frogs (4-1, 1-1 Big 12) lost 37-23 at home Saturday to Iowa State. And they still have their toughest stretch of Big 12 games ahead, when in the final month they play four consecutive games against top 15-ranked teams.

''The worst thing we can do is feel sorry for them,'' said Patterson, TCU's winningest coach with 113 victories in his 12 seasons. ''You allow (losing) to be OK, what you're saying is that winning's not important.''

The Frogs have played more true freshmen (15) than they have scholarship seniors (11) on the roster. No FBS team has played more than the 27 overall freshmen TCU has, that when added with 22 sophomores account for 65 percent of the players who have stepped on the field.

''We have the same standards with them. I told them that we can't treat you like young players anymore `' Patterson said. ''`No matter what happens in the next six or seven ballgames. This group has a lot of potential and there a lot of good players on it. ... For us, we need to keep growing up.''

After TCU's long wait to be part of a major conference, the move to the Big 12 has been a bumpy ride so far - though not so much on the field.

Three likely defensive starters and a backup offensive linemen were kicked off the team in February following their arrests by Fort Worth police with other TCU students after a six-month drug sting. All four players pleaded guilty to marijuana delivery charges and received probation. That included linebacker Tanner Brock, who was Pachall's roommate and the leading tackler for the Rose Bowl team filled with seniors.

Pachall was interviewed by police when Brock was arrested, and the quarterback admitted then that he had smoked marijuana and failed a team-administered drug test two weeks before that. When the police report became public in August, just before the start of fall camp, the quarterback faced no suspension because he had completed drug and alcohol counseling mandated by the university.

Trevone Boykin, the redshirt freshman quarterback who is now the starter, was preparing to play tailback last week before Pachall's arrest on suspicion of drunken driving.

Tucker is the last of three 700-yard rushers from last season that TCU expected to have this year. He could be back for Saturday's game at Baylor (3-1, 0-1), but that ankle might be an issue the rest of the season.

Against Iowa State, true freshman B.J. Catalon had 13 carries for 86 yards with two fumbles, one near the goal line. Boykin completed 23 of 40 passes for 270 yards with a touchdown and three interceptions, two in the fourth quarter.

Ed Wesley, a 1,000-yard rusher on the Rose Bowl team, left the program early last spring. He wasn't picked in the NFL draft and was cut after a short stay in training camp with the Dallas Cowboys. Then, leading rusher Waymon James sustained a season-ending left-knee injury in the second game this season.

One linebacker left the team after last season because of an injury and another, who had 21 tackles while playing 13 games as a freshman, is gone because of academics. A potential starter at offensive tackle is also off the roster after academic issues.

Senior defensive end Ross Forrest played in the opener before a lingering knee injury sidelined him. Tight end Stephen Bryant, who played 12 games last season, suffered a season-ending injury in preseason practice and redshirt freshman cornerback Travoskey Garrett is also out. Offensive lineman Michael Thompson had season-ending surgery last week.

''We talk about guys who are not part of the program. These guys are in the program. You're talking about a group that's fighting through doing the things they need to do,'' Patterson said. ''Do we need to get older? Yes. Do we need to gain more depth? Do we need to get people back? Yes. This group is awful proud.''

http://msn.foxsports.com/collegefootball/story/TCU-move-to-Big-12-has-become-more-difficult-71877490

 

[JLW71073]

What to watch in Big 12 and SEC



Texas-Oklahoma (Dallas), 11 a.m. ABC: This is one of the great spectacles in college football, and the winner remains in the corral of one-loss teams hoping for all the undefeated squads to lose. Oklahoma won this game big last season (55-17). Does that motivate Texas? It's the first time since 1999 that at least one team isn't in the top 10.Kansas State at Iowa State, 11 a.m. FX: The last four meetings were decided by single digits. Cyclones quarterback Jared Barnett got his first start at quarterback last week and directed the victory at TCU. He's been through this before, getting a starting nod and leading Iowa State to victories over Texas Tech and Oklahoma State last year before losing the job. Barnett says he's more prepared to keep the job this time.West Virginia at Texas Tech, 2:30 p.m. ABC: The Mountaineers' high-flying offense takes on the league's best defense. At least, Tech has the top defense statistically. The Red Raiders surrender fewer average total yards (210), passing yards (117.4) and rushing yards (92.6). But Oklahoma had plenty of success in defeating the Red Raiders last week.Oklahoma State at Kansas, 2:30 p.m. FSN: J.W. Walsh remains the Cowboys' quarterback until Wes Lunt's knee heals. It's been a bizarre season for Oklahoma State, starting with an 84-0 victory over Savannah State, an unexpected loss at Arizona, losing Lunt early against Louisiana and a controversial home loss to Texas in the only game the team has played in the last three weeks. Coach Mike Gundy said he's ready for the conference season's steady pace.TCU at Baylor, 6 p.m. FSN: The Horned Frogs got a taste of life without Casey Pachall last week in a 14-point home loss to Iowa State. The schedule remains rough, but TCU at least will have gotten a week's worth of practice for Trevone Boykin, the new quarterback. Baylor has had two weeks to fix its psyche after a 70-63 loss at West Virginia.

Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2012/10/11/2368815/what-to-watch-in-big-12-and-sec.html#storylink=cpy

http://www.kentucky.com/2012/10/11/2368815/what-to-watch-in-big-12-and-sec.html

 

[JLW71073]

Big 12 heavyweights Texas and Oklahoma square off




9:26PM EDT October 11. 2012 - DALLAS ? Unlike so many coaches, Mack Brown does not mind admitting the obvious: Some games have an extra edge, and added importance, no matter the external implications.

Texas vs. Oklahoma certainly qualifies.

"Both teams will play it like it is the most important game of the year," the Longhorns' coach said during his weekly news conference.

Most years ? at least in the Big 12 ? it is. Not Saturday, though.

Though both teams are ranked (Oklahoma is No. 10, Texas No. 15), they're also blemished. The national spotlight is mostly focused elsewhere.

The Red River Rivalry is probably an elimination for the loser ? not in the BCS, but in the Big 12.

Since Brown and Bob Stoops began squaring off during the State Fair of Texas, the Cotton Bowl in Dallas has usually been a battle between the conference's best teams and often a de facto playoff round in the BCS championship race.

In nine of the last 13 years ? dating to Stoops' arrival at Oklahoma; Brown started at Texas a year earlier ? either Oklahoma (seven times) or Texas (twice) has won the Big 12 title. Four times, it has matched Top 5 teams. Five times, the winner has played in the BCS championship game ? and once, the loser (Oklahoma in 2008).

But Oklahoma (3-1, 1-1 Big 12) lost Sept. 22 to Kansas State. Texas (4-1,1-1) lost last week to West Virginia. Not coincidentally, those are the Big 12's leaders and current contenders in the BCS title chase.

Meanwhile, the conference's traditional heavyweights find themselves in an unfamiliar position: playing catch-up.

Although you could make a case for the Sooners or 'Horns to find their way back into the race for the crystal football ? both are brand names, which is big in a system predicated in large part on cosmetic appeal ? at this point, there's plenty enough ground to make up in the conference race.

"In my estimation we could see a conference champion with one or maybe two losses this year, the way this league is," Brown said, "because there's so much parity in the league. So this game is really important."

A Big 12 champ with two losses? Probably not.

Which in a way, makes Brown even more correct: This game remains really important.

"It doesn't have any different feel," Stoops said during his weekly news conference. "Not in my eyes."

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/big12/2012/10/11/red-river-rivalry-oklahoma-texas/1627731/

 

[JLW71073]

TCU-Baylor football preview capsule



TCU (4-1, 1-1 Big 12) at Baylor (3-1, 0-1), 6 p.m. CT Saturday (Fox Sports Net)
Line: Baylor by 8
Series Record: Tied 50-50-7
WHAT'S AT STAKE
For the first time since 1995, this a conference game for the former Southwest Conference rivals. They played four times in the interim, with TCU winning the first three before Baylor's wild 50-48 season-opening win over the Frogs last year, also in Waco. TCU rebounded from that with an FBS-best 12-game winning streak that ended last week. Baylor has won nine consecutive home games.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
TCU: With junior QB Casey Pachall withdrawing from school this week and entering an inpatient treatment program, redshirt freshman Trevone Boykin is the apparent starter. He was 23-of-40 passing for 270 yards with a touchdown and three interceptions in his first start last week, a 37-23 loss to Iowa State. He had spent the first part of the week practicing at tailback before Pachall's arrest on suspicion of drunken driving.
Baylor: QB Nick Florence leads the nation in total offense (435 yards per game) and is second nationally in passing (396 yards per game). Florence has thrown for more than 300 yards in every game this season.
FACTS & FIGURES
Baylor is the only Division I team to score at least 45 points in every game this season. The Bears have scored at least 30 points in 11 straight games, a streak surpassed by only Oklahoma State (23) and Oregon (19). ... TCU has scored at least 20 points in 31 consecutive games, the longest such streak, ahead of Oklahoma State's 30 and Oregon's 19. ... Baylor's defense has forced 28 turnovers its past nine games. ... TCU is playing on the road against Baylor in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1914-15. ... Frogs freshman DE Devonte Fields is tied for the Big 12 lead with 9 1/2 tackles for losses and is second with 5 1/2 sacks. ... TCU, with no seniors in the secondary, has 10 interceptions in five games this season. That matches its 2011 total.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/10/11/4902606/tcu-baylor-football-preview-capsule.html#storylink=cpy

http://www.sacbee.com/2012/10/11/4902606/tcu-baylor-football-preview-capsule.html

 

[JLW71073]

No. 5 West Virginia, Smith to test TTech's defense




LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) -- Dana Holgerson won't be nostalgic Saturday when he brings his No. 5 Mountaineers to Texas Tech, where he and Mike Leach drove opponents batty with their dizzying pass-heavy offense.

''All those feelings and emotions have gone away a long time ago,'' the Mountaineers second-year coach said of his eight years in Lubbock. ''I'm not going to think twice about it.''

Holgerson's thoughts will be on how to keep his Mountaineers unbeaten as they try to stay in the hunt for the Big 12 title in their first year in the conference. Much of that will depend on the performance of quarterback Geno Smith, who comes into the game with 24 touchdowns, 1,996 yards and no interceptions. He's completed 81 percent of his 204 pass attempts this season.

West Virginia (5-0, 2-0 Big 12) got out of Austin last week with a 48-45 victory over Texas, with Smith throwing for 268 yards and four touchdowns. The Red Raiders (4-1, 1-1) are hoping to rebound after falling 41-20 to Oklahoma in a game that saw quarterback Seth Doege throw three interceptions.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/no-5-west-virginia-smith-105230929--ncaaf.html