Two offenses. Two speeds. One ball. Even the most casual fan will see a vast difference in the way Oklahoma’s offense operates and the way Kansas State moves the ball. The Wildcats? “Methodical,” says quarterback Collin Klein , offering up a solid euphemism for the slow offensive pace Kansas State has ridden to a 7-0 start. Said the squad’s self-deprecating humorist on the sidelines, coach Bill Snyder: “It’s just kind of the nature of the way we do things. We’re probably not smart enough to figure it out as fast as other people.” Oklahoma? When the Sooners get rolling, they’re arguably faster than any offense in the country. On at least a handful of occasions per game, TV viewers will miss the first half of an Oklahoma play during a brief instant replay. Despite the differences, the goals are identical. “At the end of the day, you’re trying to wear them down,” said Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops. Said Klein: “It gives our defense rest and enables us to wear down opposing defenses.” Both have succeeded in different ways. The undefeated Wildcats lead the nation in time of possession. That’s welcome news for a simple reason. “We think it’s a good thing if the ball’s in our hands.
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OU, K-State differences not so different
Filed under Football, News by on Oct 27th, 2011. Comment. 
Looking back on the Big 12 in Week 3: Best offensive player: Seth Doege , QB, Texas Tech . A lot of good offensive performances against a lot of varying competition, but if you’re breaking NCAA records, you deserve player of the week honors. Doege set an NCAA record for completion percentage, completing 40-of-44 passes (90.9 percent) for 401 yards and five touchdowns, breaking fellow Red Raider Kliff Kingsbury’s record. Best defensive player: Tom Wort, LB, Oklahoma. The Sooners’ linebacker looked like the best player on the field for most of the biggest game of the week. He finished with eight tackles, two sacks, 2.5 tackles for loss and an acrobatic interception on a screen pass he tipped to himself. Best team performance: Oklahoma. The Sooners went on the road against the nation’s No. 5 team and got a win, easily the Big 12’s best of the year. Oklahoma’s defense turned in one of its best performances in a long time, and the offense made plays when it needed them, despite allowing momentum to turn midway through the second half.
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Weekend rewind: Big 12
Filed under Basketball, Football by on Sep 19th, 2011. Comment.
Texas Coach Mack Brown was more concerned about opponents gaining a competitive advantage like scouting Longhorns practices or monitoring the nature of a player injury via the Longhornsâ own network. Source: The New York Times
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Rivals See Unfair Edge in Longhorn TV Network
Filed under News by on Jul 27th, 2011. Comment.
They had rallied to tie the powerful Texas A&M Aggies and now was the time to wait out Mother Nature. Some donned their headsets for a few tunes. Others took in the Astros game. The Old Girl would take about 90 minutes to get it out of her system. … Source: Austin American-Statesman
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Old magic is back
Filed under News by on May 21st, 2011. Comment.
BERKELEY, Calif. — California coach Jeff Tedford hears the negative chatter but he’s trying not to listen. The operative word there being “trying.” He also understands why some Bears fans are grumbling, but such talk nonetheless frustrates him. Tedford rebuilt a lousy program and created a high standard to which Cal fans happily became accustomed. Yet over the past few seasons, he has not consistently met that high standard. “All of a sudden, you have an eight-win season and it’s not good enough,” Tedford said. ”Then, all of the sudden, you have a [losing season] and it’s, ‘Wow, what happened here?’” Things turned sour in Berkeley in 2010, a 5-7 finish that was Tedford’s first losing season — first season with fewer than seven wins — in nine years leading the program. Meanwhile, on the south side of the Bay Area equation, archrival Stanford won a BCS bowl game and appears poised to start 2011 ranked in the top 10. That juxtaposition doesn’t sit well with the Old Blues. It no longer matters where Tedford started, taking over a 1-10 program in 2002 that won seven or more games just four times in the 24 previous seasons. Forget that from 1978 to 2001, Cal won three or fewer games nine times. Sure, back then, a couple of seven-win seasons — heck, even 5-7 — would have seemed pretty nice. No longer. But it’s more than that, Tedford’s critics will tell you. What happened to Tedford, the quarterback guru? Tedford transformed Kyle Boller from a five-star recruiting bust into a first-round NFL draft pick. He then discovered Aaron Rodgers out of nowhere and made him into a first-round pick. Nate Longshore appeared poised to join them when he led the Bears to a 5-0 start and No. 2 national ranking in 2007. But, really, since Longshore sprained his ankle during a marquee win at Oregon on Sept. 29, 2007 — Cal fans just fainted recalling the memory of what happened next — the Bears haven’t benefited from consistent play at quarterback. It’s not just losing, either: It’s the nature of the defeats. In Tedford’s first seven seasons, the Bears suffered only two defeats by more than two touchdowns. Over the past two seasons, they’ve lost eight games by 17 or more points and six by 27 or more. Further, the staff turnover, particularly at offensive coordinator, has been notable. Not including himself, Tedford has gone through four offensive coordinators before arriving at his present, complicated configuration, with offensive line coach Jim Michalczik returning as coordinator, running backs coach Ron Gould set as running game coordinator, receivers coach Eric Kiesau set as passing game coordinator and Tedford (again) helping with the quarterbacks and (again) calling plays. A couple of years ago, Tedford listened to the nattering nabobs of negativism and he wanted to smack them. Now, he’s trying to be philosophical about criticism. Trying. “I have it back in focus now not to worry about the external things,” he said. ”That one year [2009] we went [8-5] and it felt like we went [5-8], it felt like people were real irritable about that. I was irritable, too. About their reaction to [8-5]. Now, I’m just back to focusing on what it takes to get us back on the upward trend again.” If you’re the sort who prefers optimism, there’s grounds for that, too. For one, Michalczik and Kiesau were both with Tedford during the “glory years.” There’s history and comfort there. And Michalczik is widely considered an elite line coach, perhaps the best in the Pac-12.
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Tedford trying to block out critics
Filed under Football by on Apr 13th, 2011. Comment.
The NCAA tournament bubble is a function of time and desperation. As the teams that make up this soft bubble inch toward Selection Sunday, every game is both a threat and and an opportunity. A win might seal your bid. A loss might put you away. That’s true throughout the year, of course — people who say college basketball’s regular season doesn’t matter have apparently never tracked their team’s bubble odds — but November and December are always full of promise. February and March are all about cold, hard reality. It’s Feb. 19. Crunch time is officially here. Who made the most of their opportunities Saturday? Who missed out? Here’s a look at the day’s winners and losers, bubble-bound and otherwise: WINNERS St. John’s Red Storm: Steve Lavin’s team just keeps knocking off top-ranked foes at home. Pittsburgh was the latest victim of the resurgent Red Storm in a resurgent Madison Square Garden — St. John’s and the Knicks are both doing their part to revive the nation’s most famous arena — in Saturday afternoon’s nail-biting 60-59 loss . The Panthers were arguably the victim of some poor officiating; Dwight Hardy ’s last-second, game-winning layup might not have counted had the baseline official been watching Hardy’s feet, both of which appeared to be out of bounds. But no matter. A win is a win is a win. And when it comes to big wins, there aren’t many teams in the nation with a more impressive tally than St. John’s. (Hardy & Co. now have six top-50 RPI wins, including five — five! — against the RPI top 12: Georgetown, Notre Dame, Duke, UConn, Pittsburgh.) As a result, the Johnnies are off the bubble, out of the Big East cellar, and — for the moment, at least — nationally relevant once again. Nebraska Cornhuskers : I left Nebraska for dead in the Bubble Watch in recent weeks, but we wrote Friday that if any of the lower-tier Big 12 teams (Colorado, Oklahoma State and the aforementioned Huskers) vying for a bubble spot could win this weekend, they’d be back in the picture for good. The Cornhuskers came through . Not only did Saturday’s impressive defensive effort earn Doc Sadler’s team its sixth conference win, it sank a Texas team that had yet to be challenged in Big 12 play, created yet more uncertainty at the top of the polls , and gave the Huskers a legitimate chance of sneaking into the tournament. Wins don’t get much bigger than this. Arizona forward Derrick Williams : Sure, Arizona won and Washington lost , but there were no real losers in Tucson on Saturday. The Wildcats effectively sealed their Pac-10 title hopes. The Huskies proved their offense is back on track with a gutty performance against a good team in a tough road environment. And both teams got some much-needed national exposure, a resource in short supply during the Pac-10’s two-year swoon. But the real winner here was Arizona forward Derrick Williams, who made the most of a rare nationally televised, primetime appearance with a monstrous performance. ( Lorenzo Romar’s words, not mine. ) Williams was his typically brilliant self (26 points, 11 rebounds), but he saved the best — a ferocious last-second walk-off block — for last. If he wasn’t already, Williams became a very rich man Saturday. One lucky NBA general manager will soon see to that. Utah State Aggies : The Aggies finally got that top-100 RPI win, and they got it in rather impressive fashion, too .
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Tallying Saturday’s winners and losers
Filed under Basketball, News by on Feb 20th, 2011. Comment.
Arizona coach Mike Stoops continues to believe that quarterback Nick Foles ‘ knee injury won’t end the junior’s season . Stoops wouldn’t describe the nature of Foles’ injury. The Arizona Daily Star has reported that it appears to be a dislocated right kneecap . Former USC quarterback Mark Sanchez suffered a dislocated knee cap during fall camp in 2008 and he was still able to start the opener three weeks later . Matt Scott took over for Foles and completed 13-of-18 for 138 yards with an interception in the Wildcats’ 24-7 win at Washington State. Scott, who started the first three games in 2009 before Foles took over, will start Saturday against Washington. Stoops said Foles would be evaluated on a “week-to-week” basis. Foles’ knee was treated on Sunday, and the Tucson Citizen reported that he has returned to his home in Austin, Texas, “for a couple of days to be with family and have his knee looked at.”
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Stoops: Foles’ season isn’t over
Filed under Football, News by on Oct 18th, 2010. Comment.
Losing Case Keenum is bad enough. Losing his backup in the same game — that is simply a cruel twist for the Houston Cougars . A team that came into the season with such high expectations behind a Heisman Trophy candidate is now officially reeling after the news Sunday afternoon that both Keenum and Cotton Turner are done for the year. Keenum tore his ACL while trying to make a tackle on an interception in a 31-13 loss to UCLA on Saturday night. Turner broke his clavicle after getting hit following a pass. The Cougars will most likely turn to freshman Terrance Broadway , who was supposed to be redshirted this season. Instead, Broadway came into the UCLA game in relief of both quarterbacks and went 5-of-8 for 84 yards and a touchdown despite getting no reps during practice. Coach Kevin Sumlin said he would decide between Broadway and another freshman, David Piland , who was also supposed to be redshirted as the team prepares to play Tulane. “It’s a blow to our team, really to lose both of them and I’m really disappointed for them personally — particularly for Case,” Sumlin said on a conference call Sunday night. “It’s an unfortunate situation, but different things happen and we’ve got to have some guys who will step up and play. I thought Terrance Broadway coming in at the end of the game in those circumstances on the road and with very limited reps I thought he handled it very, very well for his first time out. We’ve got talented young players and our team’s going to have to rally behind our young quarterbacks and continue to move on.” Keenum, of course, was the centerpiece of a team that has returned to national prominence thanks to his stellar play. He and Graham Harrell of Texas Tech are the only players in NCAA Division I history with multiple 5,000 yard passing seasons. Last season, Keenum set the school single-season record with 5,671 passing yards, the third-highest passing total in NCAA Division I-FBS history. He was also poised to become the NCAA career passing leader going into this year. But now he faces the reality that his season is over. To make matters worse, this was the second game in a row he got hurt trying to make a tackle on an interception. Last week, he sustained a mild concussion against UTEP. Sumlin said the thought that ran through his mind when he saw Keenum trying to make a tackle was this: “You should not be doing that.” “We talked about it last week,” Sumlin said of a conversation he had with Keenum. “We all know what kind of competitor he is.” As for how Keenum is handling the injury, Sumlin said, “I think you guys would know that this is a difficult time for him. He’s the kind of guy that’s resilient, but I do think things of this nature take time for guys to deal with.” Sumlin said his offense won’t change much with two inexperienced quarterbacks now competing to lead such a wide-open attack.
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Houston takes terrible blow with QBs out
Filed under Football, News by on Sep 19th, 2010. Comment.
Stanford’s visit to UCLA on Saturday features multiple mysteries and intriguing storylines. Will Bruins quarterback Kevin Prince be healthy? What about the health of Stanford linebacker Shayne Skov, receiver Chris Owusu and running back Jeremy Stewart ? What defense will the Cardinal run? Who will make the first mark in the Pac-10 schedule? Stanford senior center Chase Beeler, however, is focused on something that stands out specifically for him and his fellow hogs that is no mystery because it’s a measured number published for all to see: Last weekend, the Bruins’ rebuilt front seven surrendered 313 yards rushing at Kansas State. “As an offensive linemen, that’s something that excites me,” Beeler said. “If myself or any of the other offensive linemen were operating things, I don’t know if we would ever pass the football. We’d always be running.” While the conventional wisdom is that Stanford’s offense, post-Toby Gerhart, will lean in talented sophomore quarterback Andrew Luck , coach Jim Harbaugh owns Big Ten sensibilities and has worked hard to cultivate an edgy physicality within his team. As in: Yeah, it’s Stanford, one of the nation’s elite universities, but on the football field it plays like bikers whose manhood has been questioned. So count on Stanford challenging the Bruins’ questionable run defense with its post-Gerhart backfield-by-committee, which rushed for 213 yards and scored three TDs in the opener against Sacramento State. “We know we are going to play a team that is going to be running the ball,” UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel said. “And we’ve got to find a way to stop that run. If they can run the ball down our throats, as they seemed to attempt in almost every game they play, then it’s going to be a long evening.” Neuheisel likely is just as concerned about his offense as his run defense. For one, Prince, after missing all of fall camp with a back injury, is now nursing a shoulder injury, which has limited him in practice this week. Prince certainly looked rusty while completing just 9 of 26 passes for 120 yards with two interceptions at Kansas State, but he also was victimized by numerous drops. Neuheisel didn’t give Prince a bad grade for the opener, considering the circumstances. “He managed the game really well,” Neuheisel said. “I thought he ran the ball really well. While he was a little rusty with his accuracy, from the decision-making standpoint, I thought he was pretty sharp there. The ball just wasn’t where it needed to be all the time. Truthfully, I had to expect much of that because he missed much of training camp. But there should be a quantum leap from Week 1 to Week 2. If he gets sharp, we are going to be a much better offense.” But not practicing won’t help him get sharp. If Prince can’t go — or can’t go all the way — his backup is Richard Brehaut . Stanford is not without issues. Neither Owusu nor Skov, two of the Cardinal’s stars, played in the opener. Harbaugh’s new policy is to not talk about injuries, so the nature and severity of the injuries are a bit of a mystery, though probably not to UCLA coaches, who have ways of finding such things out. Harbaugh has intimated he thinks both will play. Stewart appeared to hurt his ankle in the opener and should be viewed as decidedly questionable. Another mystery: After adopting a new 3-4 scheme during spring practices with new coordinator Vic Fangio, the Cardinal played a 4-2-5 against Sacramento State. Fangio is a longtime 3-4 guy, and Neuheisel said he expects a 3-4. Harbaugh said his defense ran a 4-2-5 because Sacramento State runs a one-back spread. And that’s mostly what the Bruins’ new “pistol” offense is. So what are the Bruins to do
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Plenty of intrigue for Stanford’s visit to UCLA
Filed under Football by on Sep 9th, 2010. Comment.
Coaching carousel chatter for a Saturday, culled from a variety of sources close to all the situations: Texas A&M coach Mark Turgeon was approached by Oregon but has decided to stay at Texas A&M after the Aggies were able to work out some compensation issues. Turgeon was once an assistant at Oregon under Jerry Green. Turgeon ultimately wanted to stay at Texas A&M. Oregon has approached Minnesota’s Tubby Smith, but the Gophers expect Smith to stay with them. A source with direct knowledge of the situation said Smith is beloved at the school, and while they have heard for three years that Smith would leave, they are confident he will stay with them. Once Oregon is done with Smith (after not getting Turgeon), Gonzaga’s Mark Few, Florida’s Billy Donovan and Pitt’s Jamie Dixon, the Ducks will have to refocus the search. St. John’s interviewed Boston College’s Al Skinner on Friday and met with Siena’s Fran McCaffery on Saturday. The Red Storm is also expected to seek out Temple’s Fran Dunphy and Rhode Island’s Jim Baron for possible interviews over the next two days. On Monday, there is a chance St. John’s will reach out to ESPN analyst and former UCLA coach Steve Lavin. McCaffery remains one of the two finalists at Seton Hall. The other one is still in question with a number of candidates like Mike Rice of Robert Morris and Kevin Willard of Iona in play. Richmond’s Chris Mooney had one conversation with the Pirates and is expected to get a new deal with the Spiders. Iowa doesn’t t want to wait for Dayton’s Brian Gregory to finish the NIT, and Gregory won’t talk to the Hawkeyes until his season is over. Iowa was extremely interested in Gregory, so this move is odd for them if he’s truly the top choice.
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Coaching carousel chatter
Filed under Basketball by on Mar 28th, 2010. Comment.
