SB Nation - Gerald McCoy

Rock out with your mock draft out: Todd McShay

Mocking Dan — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 18:43:16 -0000

Todd McShay, the leader of ESPN's Scout's Inc., released his on Sunday with little fanfare. The draft is Insider content, but SportsCenter put out his top five picks.

First overall, he has the Rams taking Washington junior quarterback Jake Locker. It seems obvious now that St. Louis should take either the top quarterback or Ndamukong Suh.

McShay has the Nebraska defensive tackle going second to the Buccaneers. At this point in the draft process, Suh seems like the most sure thing among prospects and would fill a need for Tampa Bay.

He fills out the top five sending safety Eric Berry to Cleveland third, defensive tackle Gerald McCoy to Detroit fourth and offensive tackle Russell Okung to the Chiefs fifth.

Since this is Insider content, I probably can't talk about too much of it here. But there are few surprises in McShay's mock draft. One of them was Jason Pierre-Paul going in the first round at No. 21. The South Florida defensive end is an ESPN favorite, but that seems a little too high. It's easy to fall in love with his athleticism and size, but the production didn't match the hype this year.

There really aren't too many noteworthy picks in this mock. In fact, to ask people to pay to see a one-round mock draft is kind of an insult. Heck, I'd much prefer some of the four and five round monoliths you guys put together in FanPosts.

With that said, keep your mock drafts coming! They are probably the most popular feature of the site, and that's thanks to you readers. So, keep it up.

Franks Coming Back Others Possibly Leaning Towards Staying

ccmachine — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 16:29:51 -0000

More photos » by Sue Ogrocki - AP

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Oklahoma's defense could be pretty salty again next year as key members of what has possibly been the best defense of the Stoops era are deciding to return for another season. Adrian Taylor announced he'd be returning next season and now Dominique Franks is the next to say he'll be returning to Norman to play ball in 2010.

"I'm not worried about it at all," Franks said. "I'm coming back."

"I'm done with it. I'm just focusing on this last game. That's all I'm worried about," Franks said. "I'm not worried about talking to anybody or being at that next level."

Keenan Clayton, Auston English, Brian Jackson and Ryan Reynolds are all gone due to graduation but only Clayton and Jackson were every down every game players. Reynolds and English missed time because of injury but in their place Austin Box and Frank Alexander performed very well. Both were key contributors to shutting out Oklahoma State on the final weekend of the season and both will be around next season as well.

In addition to Taylor and Franks linebacker Travis Lewis, defensive end Jeremy Beal and defensive tackle Gerald McCoy are among the top underclassmen who could be throwing their names in next spring's NFL draft. It's widely speculated that McCoy is gone and while there's been absolutely not official word from him I'd be surprised to see him in crimson and cream in 2010. Instead we'll be looking at Jamarkus McFarland who while not yet at the level of McCoy did show flashes of greatness this year as a true freshman.

It's been rumored that Jeremy Beal is leaning towards staying as well even though he's not talking. The only thing that he's said is that he's focused on Stanford and will address that once the bowl game is over. That doesn't give me a lot of confidence to be honest but until he gives us something solid to go with all we have is speculation.

"I'm thinking about Stanford and getting better every day at practice," said Beal, who was chosen to the All-Big 12 first team. "I'm not thinking about the NFL."

"We've still got one more game and I'll think about that after the Stanford game," he added.

Travis Lewis hasn't stated whether he's staying or going either but he's at least given us the criteria for his departure. Lewis wants to be a first round draft pick and says he won't leave Oklahoma early unless that is guaranteed.

"It'd have to be pretty high. I have high standards for myself and everybody wants to go in the first round to take care of your family for the rest of your life," Lewis said. "Whether it's this year, next year or the year after. I've got two more years to play. I think eventually I'll be there."

"It's all about me and patience-how patient I am staying here and bettering myself to get to that No. 1, that first round."

There will be plenty of new faces on next year's defense but the key to success is blending the new guys with veteran leadership. Marcus Trice is going to make a push at replacing Brian Jackson, Ronnell Lewis, Tom Wort and Austin Box are going to battle for the middle linebacker position and depending what others do, we may see more. The thing is, the more we see guys like Taylor, Franks, Lewis and Beal the more experience and leadership we'll see on the field to go along with young talent. In a nutshell the learning curve will be smaller and that's exactly what we're looking for.

Thoughts On All-Big 12 Football Team

Beergut — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 11:25:36 -0000

by Jerry Larson - AP

Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year Christine Michael. (AP Photo/Waco Tribune-Herald, Jerry Larson)

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I thought Jordan Shipley should have been named Offensive Player of the Year instead of Colt McCoy. McCoy had a poor first half of the season; Shipley was remarkably consistent game-in and game-out this year, and I thought that should count for something.
Mack Brown getting Big 12 Coach of the Year is something of a joke, in my opinion. texas was favored to win the Big 12 South and the conference in the preseason, and they....won the Big 12 South and will play for the conference championship this weekend. What about Paul Rhoads, who took a team picked to finish last in the Big 12 North to a fourth place finish and bowl contention?
I don't agree with the pick of Jeron Mastrud for all-conference TE over Jamie McCoy at all. McCoy had better numbers (31 receptions, 328 yards, 1 TD vs. 21 receptions, 233 yards, 1 TD), and was versatile enough to play some H-back and FB.
I was pleasantly surprised to see Christine Michael make Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year. I thought he had a terrific season, but I figured the coaches would take the easy way out and give it to Landry Jones, who did receive some votes.

I think it is interesting that outside of Earl Thomas, texas had no other players make the first team defense. I thought Lamarr Houston deserved some serious consideration, although I can't argue against including Jared Crick, Ndamukong Suh, or Gerald McCoy at the DT position.
It was a surprise to see Michael Hodges receive some votes for Defensive Newcomer of the Year.
I am also happy some coaches think Jerrod Johnson deserved to be Offensive Player of the Year.
Von Miller received votes for both Defensive Lineman of the Year AND Defensive Player of the Year. With a freak of nature like Suh in this conference, you knew he wouldn't win either award, but the recognition of his performance this year is nice.
This conference is ridiculously loaded at wide receiver; show me another conference that can name a talented trio like Ryan Broyles, Kerry Meier, and Brandon Banks as their SECOND team.
I think Trent Hunter should be on the first team over Larry Asante, but I guess I'll have to be happy with a second-team selection. I think Asante had an easier job, since heplayed behind Suh and Crick, and just had to clean up on a lot of play. Hunter had to be a playmaker for us a lot more often, as attested by the 87 tackles he had on the season.
It is baffling to me that Sergio Kindle makes second team DL while Sam Acho did not. If you look at their play on the field or their statistics, Acho is obviously a better player, and this while playing on the strongside, so often facing double-teams.
It is nice to see that Uzoma Nwachukwu received some consideration for Offensive Freshman of the Year.

Bedlam Post-Game Quotes

ccmachine — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 03:57:21 -0000

More photos » by Sue Ogrocki - AP

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"You have to compliment the defense. I thought coach (Brent) Venables and the staff did an excellent job. But still, in the end it's the players that have to tackle, be where they need to be, make plays and they were great." - Bob Stoops

"They (Offensive Line) played hard and battled well. For Eric (Mensik), as a tight end, we did a lot of max and zone blocking, so it wasn't mentally that tough. He is used to playing against ends. We had that ready and he is a fourth-year guy. Brian Lepak was a scholarship player at Colorado State and he wasn't like a un-recruited player and he is from an Oklahoma family. So he came back and everything was good for him. I was proud of those guys. - Kevin Wilson

"Our guys came out basic and simple and they lined up right. They played very physical and man-to-man played very strongly. They played a really clean game, we tackled well, covered well and got great pressure. I thought that our guys created a new line of scrimmage from the outset. I thought they responded to a lot of challenges in a lot of different ways. It has been a tough and difficult year but our guys have never made excuses." - Brent Venables

"We had a lot to prove today, especially for the seniors. We've had a difficult year and we just wanted to come out on top with a great win. I'm proud of our team today. We played extremely hard and the score proved it." - Jeremy Beal

"It's a good way to go out. We still have one more game, but to win this Bedlam game, definitely ends us on a high note." - Ryan Broyles

"We knew that we couldn't come out and play the way we played last week and win this game. We've played well at home all year but if we came out and played like we did last week we wouldn't have had a chance. You have to give it to the defense in this game. They held OSU to around 109 yards on offense which makes our job easier and gives us less pressure." - Landry Jones

"Regardless of what happens, life is going to throw all types of different things at you. A lot of different hurdles, but you have to hurdle. A lot of ups and downs. But in the end, you have to find a way to bounce back, pick yourself up and keep on fighting. I think we went out there and proved that today." - Gerald McCoy

"Coach Wilson told us at halftime, we needed to start running the ball more and we knew as an O-line that we needed to start punching it harder and step it up and go ahead and go after it." - Eric Mensik

"It was a big rival, and I think we played together for the first time as a team. Special teams, defensively, and offensively, we were one unit. I thought it was a great victory today for us." - DeMarco Murray

"It's just a great feeling coming out against your rival, on your home field, and doing it for the seniors this year, and letting them go out on a winning note. Just for us to shut them out is even [better]." - Jazz Reynolds

"He was healthy. Zac's health is not an excuse for what happened. Zac wasn't 100 percent, but that certainly isn't an excuse for what happened." - Mike Gundy

"It was very disappointing. We came out thinking we would leave here with a victory and go on to a BCS bowl for the first time and it just didn't work the way we planned it." - Perrish Cox

"They were just the most dominating force on the field. You can see the results of that right now." - Russell Okung

Breaking Down Bedlam

ccmachine — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 08:16:33 -0000

More photos » by Sue Ogrocki - AP

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There are so many things that could go right or wrong for Oklahoma in today's Bedlam football game that I really have no idea what to expect. On one hand you consider how well the Sooners play at home and you think that they have an outstanding chance to win. Then you consider how bad they've played in their five losses and add the fact that the competition at home hasn't been that great and suddenly there's a huge knot in your stomach because you realize the realistic possibility that the nation's longest home winning steak very well could come to an end.

The roles are already reversed coming into the game. O-State is the ranked team with a shot at going to a BCS Bowl. Regardless of what the final score is the Cowboys are going to finish ahead of the Sooners in the Big 12 standings and will get a better bowl invitation. The only thing left to happen is for OSU to actually win the game and they come in as a legitimate favorite and for OU to avoid losing their sixth game of the season they must win one of the game match-ups that they're not supposed to.

Quarterbacks

Landry Jones is completing 58% of his passes this year and has 23 touchdowns to 13 interceptions. At times he's look exceptional and then at other moments he's look completely out of his element. The knocks against him are that he's not stable in the pocket and doesn't read through his progressions.

Zac Robinson has completed 63% of his passes with a touchdown to interception ration of 15 to 7. Robinson is a dual-threat quarterback who has rushed for 302 yards this year but has also been known for turning the ball over on a big hit when he runs.

Robinson's experience and leadership give him a clear advantage over Jones but there's the chance that he may not play due to injury or that he'll be playing at less than 100%.

Advantage: OSU

Running Backs

Chris Brown and DeMarco Murray are averaging 4.3 and 4.4 yards respectfully with 12 touchdowns between them but they are a far cry from the dynamic duo that we saw them become last season. After rushing for over 1,000 each last season the two have a combined 1,251 yards this year. The problem has been getting them in space to make plays and clearing holes for them to run in between the tackles. That's on the line and not necessarily the running backs.

Keith Toston is the Big 12's second leading rusher with 1,130 yards. He's averaging 5.5 yards per carry and has crossed the goal line rushing the football 11 times. He's a powerful runner with good speed and is one of only two players (KSU's Daniel Thomas) to average over 100 yards rushing per game.

Toston has clearly had the better season of these three backs and despite Murray having the added dimension of being Oklahoma's second leading receiver the Sooners don't have a rushing threat like Toston has been this season.

Advantage: OSU

Receivers/Tight Ends

Ryan Broyles is one of the most electrifying receivers in the country. He's averaging 12.9 yards per reception and has 861 yards with 12 touchdowns. He's on target to break 1,000 receiving yards this season and it would go a long way for the Sooners if he surpassed that mark today. Behind Broyles is a massive drop off as Brandon Caleb has almost 40 fewer receptions and only 2 touchdowns. Dejuan Miller is coming on and is has pretty much inserted himself as Oklahoma's #2 receiver.

O-State was dealt a huge blow when the NCAA took Dez Bryant away from them. Since then Hubert Anyiam has become the Pokes' top receiver. He's caught 39 passes for 482 yards and 3 touchdowns.

After Anyiam the Cowboys don't have another receiver playing in this game with more than 15 receptions. Conversely the Sooners have four receivers with more than 20 receptions. What's a tight end?

Advantage: OU

Offensive Line

I don't have the words to describe how disappointing Oklahoma's offensive line has been this season. Now this unit has become decimated with injuries and literally a walking triage unit. The latest victim is Trent Williams who may have to sit out today's Bedlam game due to a head injury. Oklahoma has given up 12 sacks this season.

Oklahoma State has only given up 7 sacks this year and is much stronger in both run and pass blocking than the Sooners are. The have a future NFL All-Pro in Russell Okung as their anchor.

Advantage: OSU

Defensive Line

Oklahoma's defensive line against OSU's offensive line is the match-up that could determine the game. Jeremy Beal is third in the conference in sacks with 11 and third in tackles for loss with 16. Gerald McCoy is fifth in the Big 12 in tackles for loss with 14.5.

Ugo Chinasa has 4 sacks for the Pokes and 6.5 tackles for loss. However, you have to go all the way down to 11^th O-States leader board for tackles to find Chinasa, a defensive lineman, listed.

Advantage: OU

Linebackers

Travis Lewis is third in the Big 12 in total tackles with 99 and Keenan Clayton is 39^th with 58. Oklahoma will be without Ryan Reynolds who is a field general for the Sooners defense and that may hurt the Sooners more than missing his 67 tackles. In his place Austin Box will step in and try to get a head start on taking over the middle linebacker position full time next season.

Donald Booker leads the Cowboys in sacks with 5 and tackles for loss with 7. He and Patrick Lavine lead the team in tackles with 80 and 67 tackles respectively. Lavine also leads the team in interceptions with 5.

Both team's linebacker units attack down hill and are solid run stuffers. O-State is second in the conference against the rush (82.6 yards per game) and the Sooners are third (91 yards per game)

Advantage: Even

Secondary

Oklahoma is second in the conference against the pass by holding opponents to just 197.5 yards per game. The OU secondary has a combined 11 interceptions led by Brian Jackson's 4. Jackson and Dominique Franks are one of the best corner duos in the conference and safety Quinton Carter is a hard hitter who's second on the team in tackles with 76.

Perrish Cox is not only the best athlete in Oklahoma State's secondary he's most likely the best athlete on the team. He has 32 tackles and 4 interceptions but as a whole the Cowboys are 9^th in the conference in pass defense.

Advantage: OU

Special Teams

Oklahoma State is last in the Big 12 in kickoff return average (18.6 yards per return) and while the Sooners aren't sitting pretty at #10 (21.2 yards per return) at least they're not last. Punt returns are a different issue for the Sooners where their 14.3 yards per return average are tops in the Big 12. OSU isn't too far behind at 13.9 yards per return which places them 3^rd in the Big 12.

In punting average the Sooners have a 39.6 (Best in the Big 12) to 37.5 advantage. Oklahoma's place kickers have missed seven field goal attempts this season while the Cowboys have missed five.

If this game becomes a field goal kicking contest then I'm not sure that I like Oklahoma's chances. However, in the battle for field position OU's special teams units are outperforming O-State's in just about every category.

Advantage: OU

The Jayhawks were definitely not in Kansas.

dimecoverage — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 16:20:35 -0000

See you next year, Jayhawks.

"Colt is in here for a big finish, and he was sending that 
message tonight," coach Mack Brown said.

All in a day's work. Horns win 51-20 and Colt McCoy is the winningest quarterback in NCAA history.

Colt McCoy didn't want to leave the field Saturday night.

He reveled in the "Colt for Heisman" chants yelled by more than 100,000 fans at Royal-Memorial Stadium

He jogged across to the north end zone and shot "Smokey," Texas' iconic cannon. Then, egged on by the Longhorns band, he banged on Big Bertha, the drum.

Then McCoy and his fellow seniors dog-piled at midfield to celebrate a 51-20 victory over Kansas, their 11th win of the season that clinched a berth in the Big 12 Conference championship game Dec. 5 against Nebraska.

Christmas is coming early this year.

In getting a jump-start on holiday spirit, Texas has made out its preliminary list and is checking it twice.

And watching Colt McCoy and Jordan Shipley do their thing one last time at Royal-Memorial Stadium, we obviously know by now who's nice. The two seniors in one of Texas' smallest recruiting classes ever put on a farewell party Saturday night for a 51-20 victory in front of 101,357 onlookers.

With only 33 shopping days till Christmas, the Longhorns already got nearly everything they've wanted up to this point, save a healthy Aaron Williams, who injured a knee on teammate Earl Thomas' interception return.

It was quite a spread Saturday night.

Now that was a nice spread.

Receiving spread, that is.

There were appetizers: the short passes.

There were a few main courses: the long touchdown passes.

And there was plenty of everything to go around as quarterback Colt McCoy divided his passes between Jordan Shipley, James Kirkendoll and Malcolm Williams.

Is Colt McCoy Texas' greatest quarterback?

He's a much more accomplished passer than Vince Young and even "professorial," to quote McCoy's offensive coordinator. He's got the same intangibles and "it" factor as James Street. He's as heady and athletic as Bobby Layne. Marty Akins was as tough as they come, but no one should doubt Colt's grit.

But they're all better than McCoy in one area.

They've won championships. In the case of Young and Street, the ultimate championship — each won a national title.

McCoy has earned praise and respect from the harshest critics, his opponents.

Even after the hotly contested 16-13 win over Oklahoma at the Cotton Bowl, Sooners All-America defensive tackle Gerald McCoy sought out Colt McCoy.

"There's a lot of rivalry in the game, but a lot of respect," Gerald McCoy said. "I think he's a great player. You haven't heard anything bad about him.

"I hope he gets the [win] record. He's just a real good quality guy."

So what did the Sooner say to the Longhorn?

"I told him, 'You keep working hard, man. Y'all have what it takes to win out.' It's actually working for them."

The Heisman would be the icing on the cake.

After weeks of striving for offensive balance, Brown put his quarterback on display to perhaps push some of the undecided Heisman Trophy voters toward McCoy.

McCoy responded with a huge night, completing 32 of 41 passes for 396 yards and four touchdowns.

"I don't think I've ever seen Colt any better," Brown said. "I don't think we could have scripted it any better. He sent a message he's in here for a big finish."

McCoy will play two more nationally televised games — Texas A&M on Thanksgiving night and Nebraska in the Big 12 Championship Game—before Heisman ballots are cast.

Barking Carnival has the good, the bad and the ugly, Kansas style.

NCAA football is about to lose about 850 lbs of head coaches, and that’s just from two upcoming firings.

Mark Mangino was a dead man walking as he took the field for this game, amid allegations that he has abused his players during his tenure at Kansas. Mangino has done a fine job of taking a dust bowl of a program and turning it into a fairly consistent performer, but if some of what is being alleged about his ridiculing of players’s socio-economic circumstances and family backgrounds is true, there is no way Kansas University can keep him on the payroll.

This group of seniors will leave as the winningest Longhorns ever.

They arrived in diminished numbers, greeted by skepticism and overshadowed by other recruits who chose not to sign with Texas.

But as quarterback Colt McCoy and other fifth-year seniors from the Longhorns’ 2005 signing class prepare to play their final home game tonight at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, they find themselves with an opportunity to emerge as part of the winningest senior class in school history.

And this was Mack Brown's smallest group of recruits.

Some senior memories.

Colt McCoy: his first Touchdown

There are so many memories for McCoy, but, when asked, this small-town quarterback went back to the very beginning.

"The very first pass I threw was a touchdown. That was special," McCoy said. "There's been so many moments that have been so special that I could talk all day."

Was there ever any doubt? The Horns are the Big 12 South winner, but there is one more game to go

Texas (11-0, 7-0) still have a Thanksgiving game at rival Texas A&M left to play before the Big 12 championship on Dec. 5 against Nebraska. Win those two, then it's off to Pasadena, Calif., for the BCS national championship game for McCoy and the 'Horns.

''It's been a long time coming,'' senior defensive end Sergio Kindle said. ''There's been a lot of hard work put into getting where we are now. It's not over.''

This woman needs to visit with Brian Orakpo.

A question for all of my self-righteous and immensely entitled Longhorns friends: How do you figure Texas is better than TCU?

I mean they might be, or maybe The Horned Frogs slap them around in a game just like Utah did to Alabama, and maybe this game deserves to be for a national championship. My question is: How do you know for sure?

Because all I have heard in the way of arguments for Longhorns superiority sound a lot like toddler-think rather than fact-based analysis.

There are just a few things left to do. One is the Big 12 championship game against Nebraska.

Paul, Luke, Evan, and Scott are so much better than any analysts on TV ESPN.

The Jayhawks were defeathered.

It didn't really prove anything, and it didn't really mean anything.

The only thing anybody really learned from KU's 51-20 loss to No. 3 Texas (11-0, 7-0 Big 12) on Saturday at Darrell K. Royal Memorial Stadium was that Texas is a lot better than Kansas. But if you needed to see the game to know that, you probably spend most of your Saturdays doing things like picking out salt shakers at Bed Bath & Beyond.

Kansas has a few guys who can run with Texas, but not many.

Mangino coached like a guy with absolutely nothing to lose.

A fourth-down gamble on the first series of the game against Texas. An onside kick in the second quarter. A double pass. All of them failed during Saturday's 51-20 loss to Texas, which raises the obvious question regarding the embattled Kansas coach:

What were they going to do, fire him?

No, not yet. But an eventual separation between Mangino and Kansas after this season seems likely based on interviews conducted by CBSSports.com on Saturday. The coach is currently under investigation by the university after multiple players, past and current, came forward earlier this week complaining of mental and, in one case, perceived physical abuse from the coach.

This should make Kansas feel better: It is just football. Life will go on.

What they are going through now, I'm sure, feels huge and awful and devastating, and it is, but only within the bubble of the Kansas football program and only within the football metaphor. It isn't really a meaningful life event. Losing a game is not the same as flunking a test, and missing a bowl game is not the same as failing a class.

It may be hard for them to see it this way now, but the ones who can play in the NFL will still play in the NFL. Darrell Stuckey will still be a good guy with a magnetic personality. Todd Reesing will be just as sparky in a board room as he was on a football field. Kerry Meier and Jake Sharp will be the same meticulous, hard-nosed guys they've always been.

You can say this isn't what they signed up for, and if you mean the situation with the coach, you're right. But in 2005 and 2006, they signed up to play in a program that was always just fighting for bowl eligibility. They helped the program to its best season ever, and now they're right back where they started.

They will probably always look back and wonder what might have been, but sooner or later it won't hurt anymore, because it isn't life. It's just football.

And finally...

The only truly talented thing to come out of Kansas.

Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe :: 11.19.09

Seth C — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:08:12 -0000

McCarthy Interview: As always, I try not to push off-topic articles on you guys, but if you enjoy Cormac McCarthy then you'll enjoy this interview in the Wall Street Journal.

Wall and Williams Back: LAJ's Don Williams writes that seniors CB Jamar Wall and LB Marlon Williams returned to practice yesterday and QB Taylor Potts took a majority of the snaps. Also, RB Aaron Crawford and IR Cornelius Douglas were out during yesterday's practice.

Tough OU Defense: DT's Alex Ybarra writes that the Oklahoma defense is still incredibly tough and head captain Mike Leach believes that it is because the Sooners are fundamentally sound:

"The biggest thing they do is the basic sound defense, the ultimate basic fundamental defense," Tech coach Mike Leach said. "They go out there with great fundamentals and energy. I think they do that as good as anybody."

And OU DT Gerald McCoy has this about the Texas Tech offense:

"Tech offense is Tech offense," he said. "It doesn’t really change much. You gotta be ready for it. They’re gonna get numbers. They’re gonna get a lot of points. We just gotta prepare for it. We’ve been playing pretty well on defense, so we’re just gonna try and continue to do that this week."

Oklahoma Sooner and Big 12 Links: Oread Boom Kings (Kansas Jayhawk blog) has some of the backstory between KU head coach Mark Mangino and the athletic director . . . TR's dedfischer with an gameplan for the Texas Tech offense . . . Tulsa World's John Hoover writes his OU notebook and DT Gerald McCoy has a suggestion for Texas Tech fans:

"They throw tortillas?" McCoy said. "They better not throw me one. I'll be hungry. I'll eat it."

Actually, if Red Raider fans want to throw food, McCoy has a menu suggestion.

"They need to throw chicken," he said. "Hey, if they threw fried chicken — shoot, I'll provoke 'em on purpose. Aaahhh! Chomp!"

. . . Ha! . . . The Tulsa World also has a know the foe feature . . . NewsOK's David Ubben writes his OU football notebook as Bob Stoops stands by his former assistant, Mark Mangino . . . NewsOK's Jake Trotter writes that Big 12 spread offenses have taken quite a hit by the Oklahoma Sooner defense . . . LAJ's Adam Zuvanich features OU QB Landry Jones . . .

Game Tonight: Northwestern St. Demons vs. Texas Tech Red Raiders
Time: 7:00 p.m. :: Location: United Spirit Arena
Preview and Game Day Thread: Scheduled for 3:00 p.m. post

Cohadarevic Answers Critics: LAJ's Courtney Linehan sits down with PF Darko Cohadarevic who hopes to answer his critics with better play this year. As an aside, after reading this article, I'm not real sure what to make of Darko. I see him as a bit defensive and hard-headed. Here's a bit from the article:

That’s where the bad reputation began. He admits he didn’t really understand or care about the system coach Pat Knight drilled in practice. On rare occasions when he did pay attention, he says he got conflicting messages from different coaches, became frustrated and never quite understood what they were asking of him. By the time he settled into the Red Raider program, the season was wrapping up.

I'm trying to process all of this and for those of you who question signing JUCO players, this is certainly a feather in your cap. But then Darko wins me back with this:

"I’ve got to buy into this motion offense more," Cohadarevic said. "I’ve got to do other little stuff besides scoring: setting screens, rebounding, having deflections, helping people get open."

I really want to see all guys succeed and I hope like hell that Darko does "buy into" the motion offense and man-to-man defense, but it seems like a shame that we're even having this conversation.

Demons Hit the Road: DT's Mike Graham writes that the Northwestern St. Demons left from Natchitoche, LA on Tuesday and arrived in Lubbock on Wednesday (layover in Arlington). G Nick Okorie expects that the Demons will be very athletic:

"I expect for them to be really athletic," Okorie said. "We just have to stay focussed, the thing that can beat us is ourselves. The single thing we pretty much have to do is play defense and if we play defense we’ll win the game."

Five Reasons Texas Tech Will Lose :: Oklahoma Sooners Edition

Seth C — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:00:19 -0000

More photos » by Brody Schmidt - AP

about 1 month ago: Oklahoma State quarterback Zac Robinson (11), faces a group of Texas Tech defenders, including defensive lineman Colby Whitlock (93), defensive tackle Ra'Jon Henley (91), and defensive end Daniel Howard (53) and defensive lineman Brandon Sharpe (92) during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Stillwater, Okla. Saturday, Nov. 14, 2009. (AP Photo/Brody Schmidt)

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This weekly feature considers five reasons why Texas Tech will win and five reasons Texas Tech will lose to each opponent. Check back tomorrow for "Five Reasons Texas Tech Will Win :: Oklahoma Sooners Edition".

Reason #1 :: Sacks = Losses: I wish I could give you some great statistic about how when this team gives up sacks the Red Raiders tend to lose. That's really not the case. In losses, the Red Raiders are giving up 2.25 sacks per game for 123 yards and in wins, it's 3.00 per game for 160 yards. The only thing that I can say with absolute certainty is that the continued inability to protect the quarterback is having a certain negative effect on the rushing game (more on this below). Meanwhile, as discussed yesterday, the Sooners are terrific at rushing the passer and getting behind the line of scrimmage, good for both 2nd in the nation. In fact, DT Gerald McCoy has 13.5 TFL for the year and the below-mentioned Jeremy Beal has 16 TFL.

Reason #2 :: Rushing the Passer with Success: Quick question, how many 100 yard games did Texas Tech have last year? It's 11. This year, it's a grand total of 3 games where the running backs have accounted for more than 100 yards. For the year, the Texas Tech offense has gained 712 yards for the year, and if the Red Raiders were to add yards lost due to sacks, the Red Raiders would be sitting at 995, which is a lot closer to being the Texas Tech of 2008. It's the sacks and the sacks lead to significant negative yards and the significant negative yards lead to long 3rd downs and the long 3rd downs will eventually lead to bad decisions as a quarterback tries to make up that yardage. To reiterate, the Oklahoma defense has been absolutely killer at sacking the quarterback and to dedicate 2 reasons to just one reason proably doesn't indicate the nervousness about this Texas Tech offensive line trying to protect this quarterback.

Reason #3 :: Jones Can Play: It's easy to pick on Oklahoma QB Landry Jones, however, despite his 11 interceptions, he's still thrown 17 touchdowns for the year, the scary part is that he's capable of throwing 5 picks and 5 TD's in any given game. If you take out the horrific game against Nebraska and now Jones is looking like a pretty good option at quarterback, especially considering the very youthful offensive line. Jones is a lot like Potts in that there's certainly talent and ability there, it's more of a question of doing it consistently. If Jones doesn't get pressured, then he should have no issues making all of the right throws.

Reason #4 :: Beal is One of the Best: Despite injuries along the defensive line, DE Jeremy Beal has been out-freaking-standing and now Beal with have the distinct pleasure of lining up against two tackles that have seemingly given up at times during the game. I'm not a draft expert, but my guess is that Beal is an elite prospect for the NFL. Not to mention, Beal helped lead the charge last year with 2 sacks for 19 yards, including a forced fumble. I won't have time to truly detail the type of success the Oklahoma defense is having this year, but the truth is that the defense has been absolutely dominant. The most points the Sooners have given up all year is 30 against Kansas St. and they still won by 12 points. It would be unfair and irresponsible to blame the OU defense for any of the losses, sans the loss to Miami (this is a stretch) where they gave up 21 points.

Reason #5 :: Running for Wins: If I had to guess, I think that the OU offensive coordinator will try to run the ball in the hopes that it takes some pressure off of Jones. In OU's 4 losses, the Sooners rush for only 83.75 yards a game, while in wins it's 194.17 yards a game. OU's maligned offensive line was the concern early in the season, however, this group is no longer inexperienced and the key for the Sooners will be establishing the run early and often against the Red Raiders. I know this is a five reasons why Texas Tech will lose, but another factor is that the Sooners are great running the ball at home, averaging 216.00 yards a game, while on the road, it's only 106.00 yards a game and in neutral sites, its 51.00 yards a game.

Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe :: 11.18.09

Seth C — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:07:16 -0000

Clogged Pipes: Remember when I said that I was busier than normal this week? I am, and now I've got a clogged kitchen sink. The night before last, I spent a couple hours after work trying to unclog the damned thing and then I called a plumber, who then spent a couple of hours trying to unclog the thing. No dice. Our only options are for the plumber to crawl under the house and cut some pipe to find the clog or use some sort of fancy machine that produces 3,000 p.s.i. of water that will blast any clog a few miles away. Pray for me.

Leach to ________: I refuse to post to any link regarding any coaching vaccancy and Captain Mike Leach. I would love it if Leach just made a statement regarding the fact that he has no interest in __________ University. I understand that all of the "sources close to the program" is mainly B.S. What this really means is that high profile booster at _________ University got drunk, started talking about who he would like and thought that Leach would like it too. There's nothing concrete nor is there any actual quote from said source. Besides this entire situation gave me tremendous tired-head last year and I'm not going to feed the rumors unless there's actually something to report.

Sooners Want Win in Lubbock: LAJ's Don Williams writes that the Sooners would love to get a win in Lubbock. Here's CB Dominique Franks on wanting to play well:

"We haven’t played too well in the past in Lubbock,’’ Franks said. "We know this year also, we haven’t played too good on the road. We want to make sure we go out there and give them our best shot on Saturday.’’

Not the Same Sooners: DT's Adam Coleman writes that this year's version of the Sooners are not the Sooners of previous year, but head coach Mike Leach knows that the Sooners still have talent at every position:

"The biggest thing is they don’t have any serious holes," Tech coach Mike Leach said. "They are a team that would like to have some games back, but they don’t have any serious holes. They have good talent and good coaches. They played together really well last year."

And RT Marlon Winn talks about DT Gerald McCoy:

"Very athletic, very strong, fast around the edges. He can work inside as well, good with his hands and he is always focused," Winn said. "I think he is an awesome athlete really."

Texas Tech Notebook: LAJ's Don Williams writes that WR Jacoby Franks has been demoted to the scout team this week and Williams has this from WR coach Dennis Simmons and where players played in practice yesterday:

Simmons said Lyle Leong divided his time between split end and flanker in Tuesday’s workout, so it was starter Alex Torres and Leong at flanker, and Edward Britton, Leong and Brik Brinker at split end.

Snip

"I fault myself, because they’re a direct reflection of me,’’ Simmons said. "If they’re not playing well, then obviously I’m not doing something right. I need to fix me in order to make sure that they’re fixed. That’s what we’re doing. We’re fixing each other right now.’’

. . . LB Marlon Williams and CB Jamar Wall did not practice yesterday, which means there is a good chance that they will not play on Saturday. If Wall doesn't play, then CB Brent Nickerson will get the start and in place for Williams, you could see LB Brian Duncan move over to the weakside and LB Sam Fehoko to middle linebacker or move S/LB Julius Howard to Williams spot . . . the Baylor vs. Texas Tech game is almost completely sold out . . . DE Brandon Sharpe has been added to the Hendricks Watch List, a post-season award that goes to the nation's top defensive end (huge congrats to Brandon!)

Oklahoma Sooner and Big 12 Links: TulsaWorld's Dave Sittler writes that the Sooners need to be ready for strange happenings in Lubbock . . . NewsOK's Jake Trotter with an extensive OU notebook, including WR Brandon Caleb and OG Brian Simmons should be back for this weekend's game . . . TulsaWorld's Guerin Emig also has a notebook . . .

Its Official on 3 Signings: The official site finally announced that all of the paperwork has been returned on the 3 players who have signed with Pat Knight's Red Raiders.

2010 prospect watch (DT edition) - Nov. 17th

3k — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:12:25 -0000

More photos » by Gerry Broome - AP

Marvin Austin is a microphone magnet. Once he gets improved tutelage and less focus from opposing offensive lines, NFL quarterbacks could be Marvin Austin magnets.

Browse more photos »

There were a couple lessons to be learned from Sunday's game against the Saints; IMO, one of the most important was that our defensive front is unable to pressure QBs on their own. As to whether that is mainly due to the defensive ends or tackles is a fair debate. What's not open to debate is the fact that there are some very talented DT prospects in the 2010 NFL draft. While there's not too many games left for some of these future professionals, there's enough time for some fluctuation among each other and on big boards as a whole.

For reference, here's my QB board from Oct. 6th and my most recent mock draft. Here's how my DT board looks in mid-November (* denotes underclassmen, parenthetical links are for scouting reports):

1 - Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska (ESPN)

First, I feel I have to help out Van here - it's en-dom-ah-ken soo. Of course, if you would rather call him damn-you-Kong!, feel free. Name aside, Suh is an absolute terror. He's stronger than his 6'3"-295 lb. frame suggests, and he's incredibly quick. Less than two weeks ago, the Cornhuskers faced off against Oklahoma; Suh made the most out of one of the bigger stages he's played on. He anchored a line that brought pressure on OU QB Landry Jones all day, resulting in a Cutleresque 5 picks. For good measure, he blocked a FG too.

Next notable evaluation: Nov. 27 at Colorado , 3:30pm ET (ABC)

Rest of the board after the fold.

2 - Gerald McCoy*, Oklahoma (ESPN , MTD)

McCoy has been disrupting offenses for three years, missing just one game due to a hand injury two years ago. I've seen him at the top of many a DT board, and it's hard to argue; he explodes out of his stance. Once he does so, he's got a full menu of moves that he executes very well: swim, power rip, spin, and even his power rush, though that last one still needs some work. Really, that's his one flaw is raw power, and juxtaposed against Suh, it's even more evident. Still, he's been a model student-athlete at Oklahoma, acting as president of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, serving as a team captain, and avoiding the kind of off-field troubles that many of his peers seem to enjoy.

Next notable evaluation: Nov. 28 vs. #12 Oklahoma St., 12:30pm ET

3 - Marvin Austin*, North Carolina

Austin heads up the second tier of DTs right now, IMO. He's got a great skill set that applies to both run and pass defense, but he's part of a very funky D-line, that includes two other solid DTs (Cam Thomas & Aleric Mullins) and a 375-lb. DE (Earl Wilson). I think that he could be a great pick in a 4-3 or even as a 3-4 DE. His biggest flaw is his technique; he's still a bit raw, but with a coach to mentor him (Spagnuolo?), he could be very successful in the NFL.

Next notable evaluation: Nov. 21 at Boston College, 12:00pm ET (ESPN2)

4 - Arthur Jones, Syracuse (ESPN, MTD)

Jones is the first real injury plagued prospect on this board. He tore a chest muscle working out this spring, and he injured his knee in the Pittsburgh game earlier this month. Still, what he was able to prove in his 4+ seasons at Syracuse was plenty to go off of. He's a very good run-stopping DT who competes every play. and he succeeded from time to time facing double teams. He's not a strong pass rusher, but that shouldn't hurt his draft stock. Plenty of teams would love to get his run stuffing skills on their lines.

Next notable evaluation: N/A

5 - Terrence Cody, Alabama (ESPN)

Terrence Cody is large human being. At 6'3" and anywhere from 370-400 lbs., he obviously presents a huge roadblock for offensive lines to deal with. Since transferring to Bama last year, he's been a fan favorite for obvious reasons. Still, you have to wonder if he can play anything but a 3-4 NT in the NFL. He's slow (in NFL terms. For his size, he's blazing fast. Try and find someone around 400 lbs. who can A.) run and B.) run anywhere near as fast as Cody), and he's sloppy. His technique revolves around the power rush, and that includes his stints on the offensive side of the ball as a FB or RB where Alabama has used him from time to time. The bottom line is, a body this big will be in demand, especially for 3-4 defenses who need a true NT.

Next notable evaluation: Dec. 5 vs. Florida (SEC Championship - neutral site), 4:00pm ET (TBD)

6 - Jared Odrick, Penn St. (ESPN)

Next notable evaluation: Nov. 21 at Michigan St., 3:30pm ET (ABC)

7 - Vince Oghobaase, Duke (ESPN)

Next notable evaluation: Nov. 21 at Miami, 12:00pm ET (ESPNU)

8 - Brian Price*, UCLA

Next notable evaluation: Nov. 28 at USC, 10:00pm ET

9 - Dan Williams, Tennessee

Next notable evaluation: Nov. 21 vs. Vanderbilt, 7:00pm ET (ESPNU)

10 - Geno Atkins, Georgia (ESPN)

Next notable evaluation: Nov. 21 vs. Kentucky, 7:45pm ET (ESPN2)

Poll

Vote for the next big board position...NOW!

QB (v2.0)

58 votes

WR

59 votes

TE

5 votes

OT

6 votes

DE

42 votes

OLB

20 votes

CB

10 votes

200 votes | Poll has closed

SB Nation - Gerald McCoy

Rock out with your mock draft out: Todd McShay

Franks Coming Back Others Possibly Leaning Towards Staying

Thoughts On All-Big 12 Football Team

Bedlam Post-Game Quotes

Breaking Down Bedlam

The Jayhawks were definitely not in Kansas.

Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe :: 11.19.09

Five Reasons Texas Tech Will Lose :: Oklahoma Sooners Edition

Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe :: 11.18.09

2010 prospect watch (DT edition) - Nov. 17th

1 - Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska (ESPN)

2 - Gerald McCoy*, Oklahoma (ESPN, MTD)

3 - Marvin Austin*, North Carolina

4 - Arthur Jones, Syracuse (ESPN, MTD)

5 - Terrence Cody, Alabama (ESPN)

6 - Jared Odrick, Penn St. (ESPN)

7 - Vince Oghobaase, Duke (ESPN)

8 - Brian Price*, UCLA

9 - Dan Williams, Tennessee

10 - Geno Atkins, Georgia (ESPN)

Vote for the next big board position...NOW!

QB (v2.0)

WR

TE

OT

DE

OLB

CB

2 - Gerald McCoy*, Oklahoma (ESPN , MTD)