SB Nation - Kendall Hunter

Mizzou Links, 12-1-09

Bill C. — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 11:43:54 -0000

I work for a school that has one of the best journalism schools in the country, and I understand that there's a time and place where anonymous, unnamed sources can be used correctly and effectively, but is there any way we can set up a system where you're not allowed to use unnamed sources until you've earned it? Or better yet, is there any way we can set up a black list where, if you use unnamed sources to report rumor as fact, and it turns out there are no facts involved whatsoever, you earn a permanent spot on the list, and your reporting is never taken seriously again? This crap is ruining both political and sports reporting, and it's got to stop if it's not going to be used correctly.

I am, of course, speaking of the Scout.com report of Bob Stoops agreeing to contract principles with Notre Dame despite boatloads of evidence to the contrary. Irisheyes' Jeff Baumhower reported this yesterday, and it spread like wildfire across the Internet yesterday even though there was no confirmation of any sort of agreement. When it turned out his reporting was false, he apparently quietly changed the article to a "list of possible candidates" sort. I realize there's a rush to break stories, and that being able to say you broke a story is apparently more important than actually reporting facts, but again, I want a blacklist.

(And while we're at it, can we stop the "gotcha" crap? When Stoops says "I'm coaching at OU next year, and I can't be in two places at once," an acceptable response isn't to ask "Why didn't you just say no?" and report that he stopped short of an outright denial. He didn't. That was a denial. And besides, coaches will ALWAYS deny deny deny, whether or not something is actually going on, and there is no news here.)

But I digress.

Mizzou Football Links

The Trib: Tigers roll into postseason
PowerMizzou: Coaches, Prospects Hit Recruiting Trails
The Trib: Best-laid plans, even if they are sketchy, don't go astray
KC Star (Campus Corner): Border War Wrap: Hey Biletnikoff Committee
Mizzourah: Post-game Thoughts: The End of the Mangino-Reesing Era
Atomic Teeth: Mizzou/KU Post Mortem: The Sweetest Victory of All
Dr. Saturday: Todd Reesing goes out the hard way with fading Jayhawks

Big 12 Links

Post-Dispatch: Mangino awaits Kansas' decision
KC Star: KU assistants talk to recruits but don't have much information for them
The Tribune: Last harumph for the big man?
Lawrence Journal-World: If this is the end, how will Mangino be remembered?
Lawrence Journal-World: Uncertainty surrounds Kansas football
KC Star (Upon Further Review): With Mangino ... look not at the nature of the complaints, but that they exist at all
Joe Posnanski: You say Mangini, I say Mangino

I find myself going back and forth on all these arguments, just as I go back and forth on Mark Mangino. On the one hand, I admire him a great deal. He came from nothing, worked his way up the hard way, reached the top of his profession against the craziest odds. And along the way he coached up a lot of players — players who still swear by him.

On the other hand, I don’t really know what happened behind closed doors. And there are a lot of people — not necessarily soft people either — who say Mangino bullied them. And I don’t like bullies.
...
On the other hand, is a coach yelling obscenities at a player really so bad? I mean we’re asking these players to put their bodies at risk for a scholarship and our entertainment. We know they might break bones and tear muscles — is a coach yelling really going to scar them? I was talking today to an old college football offensive lineman who said that his intense coach screamed the most vile things at him … and also taught him more about life than just about anyone.

On the other hand, as a college football coach you cannot yell at a kid that he’s in danger of becoming an alcoholic like his father.
The Ralphie Report: Dan Hawkins Interviewed by AM1510 - Klatt and Kreckman Show
Burnt Orange Nation: Anatomy of Momentum: Replying Against A&M
Dallas Morning News: If steady wins the race, look out for Brown and Texas
Daily Oklahoman: Cowboys appear bound for Cotton vs. Ole Miss
Omaha World-Herald (Lee Barfknecht): A promising season broken with injuries

I’m not one to look for excuses, but you can’t ignore the common denominator — injuries — that sullied a potentially super season.

...

Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford, the reigning Heisman winner, played in 1¾ games before a throwing shoulder separation ended his year.

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At Oklahoma State, defending Big 12 rushing champion Kendall Hunter hurt his ankle in the second game and never came close to full speed again. He went from 1,555 yards and 16 touchdowns last season to 288 yards and one TD.

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Baylor’s hopes for ending a 15-year bowl drought vanished when quarterback Robert Griffin, one of the nation’s most electrifying players, went down with a torn ACL in the third game.

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Missouri started 4-0, then saw Nebraska defensive superman Ndamukong Suh whip quarterback Blaine Gabbert to the ground like a rag doll.

It’s no coincidence that while Gabbert played on the high-ankle sprain inflicted by Suh, the Tigers lost four of five games and looked bad doing it.

Kansas quarterback Todd Reesing, as suspected, played much of the Big 12 season injured (groin). His coach, Mark Mangino, left Reesing open for criticism by not acknowledging the injury until two days ago — a brutal injustice.

BASKETBALL

The Trib: MU adjusts to reality as the hunted
The Trib (Steve Walentik): Some things I think ... after getting back from SPI

Neither team played a packed-in defense, as I've seen some people say. Richmond, in particular, was guarding the Tigers out beyond the 3-point line and gave them very few open looks. The ones it got, MU simply failed to knocked down, shooting 2 of 11 from 3-point range, including 0-for-3 efforts from Zaire Taylor and Kim English. We don't know if the Tigers are closer to the shooting team they were in South Padre Island or the one that made 31 of 60 3-pointers in back-to-back wins against Texas-Pan American and Chattanooga.

But more glaring was how much Missouri struggled to get open looks. Senior guard J.T. Tiller and English finally started taking the ball to the basket and trying to get fouled, but the ball never moved as crisply as the Tigers almost always seemed to last season. I have to think the biggest reason is Missouri doesn't have forwards as skilled and talented as DeMarre Carroll and Leo Lyons. They both could generate their own shots and were feared enough to force double-teams. They also had exceptional hands, which helped make them good passers and, just as important, allowed them to save a lot of less than perfect throws.

Colorado's Press Release Insults Our Intelligence, Continues to Show Goal Is Not to Win

irish1611 — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 19:45:28 -0000

More photos » by JACK DEMPSEY - ASSOCIATED PRESS

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I understand the need to move on. Nothing we can about this now, we are in it for another year with this regime and that is just the way it is. But the press release issued by the University of Colorado is insulting to our intelligence. Many of you will probably ask, "what did you want them to say?" If they felt a need to say something about the situation, just come out and say Dan Hawkins is our head coach for 2010 and leave it at that, especially if this was just a financial decision. There is no defending why he is coming back so don't try and sell me that Dan Hawkins has been "competitive." Dan Hawkins is the first coach in Colorado history to have four losing seasons to start his term. I am just glad they didn't say "we see progress" or I would have flipped a lid. Here is what has me scratching my head:

"Dan represents the university's values on and off the field, and his team has been competitive this year," Phil DiStefano continued. "He has done all that we have asked him to do, and although we all desire more victories, we also recognize starting over with a new coach right now takes us away from, not closer to, our goals for CU football.

-Define competitive? Define the goals for this program? Why desire victories, why don't we demand victories and hold people accountable for that?

While Colorado is 3-8 this year, three of the losses were by seven points or less, with two others, both on the road at West Virginia and No. 2 Texas, games where the Buffs were most competitive into the fourth quarter.

-"While Colorado is 3 - 8 this year, three of the losses were by seven points or less."

Are you kidding me? Was this really written? Was this what they prepared to win the fan base over with? This was the masterful comment that was going to rally the masses and make us go, "yes, I agree with the decision and support the University." Really, that is the best we can do? Will all the academic prowess in Boulder, this is it?

Yes, Colorado "officials", the Buffs football team lost three games this year by less than seven points. One heck of an accomplishment if you ask me, something we should be proud of and aspire to do more of in the future. Should we hang a banner for that accomplishment? Since you want to rationalize losing, let's do that, let's dissect it and see how great an accomplishment it really is.

One of those losses was to Colorado State, a Mountain West team, at home in the season opener as the great University of Colorado yanked Colorado State around to make them play in Folsom in not Denver. Your senior captain said "we overlooked them." "10 wins, no excuses" and we overlooked a rival at home and lost? The first game of the year we "competitively" overlooked the Rams? Colorado State is winless in the Mountain West Conference and just lost to New Mexico, a team that was winless overall going into the game. Yes, New Mexico is 1 - 10 and Colorado State is 3 - 8.

Another one of those losses by only seven little points was to an Iowa State team who is headed up by Paul Rhoads, a first year coach who already has as many wins on the road as Dan Hawkins has in four years - two. Iowa State also beat the Nebraska Cornhuskers in year one, something Dan Hawkins has not done in two tries. Get this, Dan Hawkins hasn't beat a Big 12 North team on the road in his career - not one - not Iowa State, not Kansas State - nobody.

And the final, "less than seven point loss", was against Oklahoma State who is an 8 point underdog to a 6 - 5 Oklahoma team. Oklahoma State was playing without their All-American wide receiver in Dez Bryant, All-Conference quarterback in Zach Robinson and without the complete services of All American RB Kendall Hunter. Oh yes, and I forgot, Oklahoma State beat us with their third string quarterback. But, heck, "competitive" me up with that third string QB.

Thanks for trying to spin that into a positive.

I am surprised the release didn't say the Colorado Buffaloes were competitive against Toledo when they won third quarter 21 - 14.

-The Buffs "competitively" lost to Texas by 24 points after "competitively" gaining 127 total yards of total offense and giving up three non-defensive touchdowns. Colorado was "competitively" given four turnovers by West Virginia but "competitively" lost the game on the road, where we "competitively" have won 2 games in 21 chances the last four years.

Hawkins' contract with CU runs through the 2012 season; he originally signed a five-year agreement when hired prior to the 2006 season, and received an extension in October 2008 after a good start to the year before injuries took their toll and earning a bowl berth the previous season.

-Thanks for rationalizing the extension as well, Colorado. I mean 11 - 19 screams extension and so does a 3 - 2 start in 2008. Apparently, 3 - 2 is a good start at Colorado. Let's call it was it is; a $1.8 million dollar mistake by your athletic department.

before injuries took their toll

-"10 wins, no excuses" - translation: "Competitively", no where near 10 wins and still the excuses.

Call me "competitively" disappointed with this response because apparently the word "competitive" can be molded into whatever you want it to mean.

Poll

Do you think Dan Hawkins should have been retained as head coach of the Colorado Buffaloes?

Yes

88 votes

No

274 votes

362 votes | Poll has closed

The Sad Truth: 2009 Will Go Down As the Year the Colorado Buffaloes Blew It

irish1611 — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:02:02 -0000

As news came down today that Oklahoma State QB Zac Robinson potentially might not playing tonight, I got to thinking about how the Colorado Buffaloes blew a great chance to make a mark this season. It is truly amazing how the schedule and the weakness of the Big 12 North set the Buffs up perfectly to return to the spotlight in '09 but using part of a quote from head coach Dan Hawkins, the Buffs did not "sieze the day." Look at the schedule below. Doesn't that make you sick? Granted, we now know the Buffs are less than stellar themselves but think if the Buffs' offensive line performed up to expectations, WR Markques Simas was coached and prepared to play like he was now from game one (not suspended), if Tyler Hansen started the year at quarterback, if the Buffs weren't at the bottom of the nation in turnovers & penalties, and the defense started the season like they have been playing the past few weeks. Yes, I know the saying about using "ifs" and "buts". I know. But Colorado blew it this year, no "ifs" or "buts" about it:

Going into the preseason, there were four teams the Buffs could lose to and you wouldn't be totally surprised - at West Virginia, at Texas, Kansas and at Oklahoma State. West Virginia because it was a road game and we knew that would be a tough environment. We thought Kansas and Todd Reesing would be back to their normal abuse of the Buffs like the previous three years. Games at Texas and Oklahoma State were the hardest two on the schedule and were considered the two contests the Buffs would most likely lose preseason. But Kansas isn't who we thought they were as the Buffs' beat them sending the Jayhawks into a downfall. Tonight, Oklahoma State might be playing without two preseason All Big 12 players and their All American candidate runnining back Kendall Hunter has been hurt six games in 2009.

- Colorado St. Rams - no reason to lose to them considering the year they are having. AT FOLSOM FIELD! (L)
-@ Toledo Rockets - no reason to lose to them considering the year they are having. (L)
- Wyoming Cowboys - Buffs won (W)
-@ West Virginia Mountaineers- would accept a loss preseason and now. Tough place to play on the road (L)
-@ Texas Longhorns - would accept a loss preseason and now. Game on the road. (L)
- Kansas Jayhawks - Buffs won, was expected to be a preseason loss (W)
-@ Kansas St. Wildcats - very winnable game against a mediocre Big 12 North opponent (L)
- Missouri Tigers - very winnable game against a mediocre Big 12 North opponent at home. (L)
- Texas A&M Aggies - Buffs won (W)
-@ Iowa St. Cyclones - very winnable game against a mediocre Big 12 North opponent (L)
-@ Oklahoma St. Cowboys - Kendall Hunter returned two weeks ago and may not be 100% but think about this. Oklahoma State tonight will be playing without Zac Robinson and Dez Bryant and a less than 100% Kendall Hunter...unbelievable the luck if we had a mentally tough team.
- Nebraska Cornhuskers - very winnable game against a mediocre Big 12 North opponent at home.

A relatively easy out of conference schedule, a mediocre Big 12 North schedule with winnable road games against Kansas State and Iowa State, a down Kansas team, and an Oklahoma State squad that is missing a lot of offensive fire power with Robinson and Bryant out...

But once again, you have to look back at the slow start to begin the year and not getting these guys ready to play. Not having momentum and excitement on the road and "overlooking" Colorado State as Riar Geer said defines this team and the opportunity they left on the table.

If there is any reason for a change in Boulder, look at 2009, how the chips fell in place and the way the Buffs responded. "10 wins no excuses" was supposed to motivate the players, a change at offensive coordinator and a return to a pro-style offense was supposed to put players in a better position to be successful. A deep linebacker corp was supposed to bolster the defense with the emergence of CB Jimmy Smith. Of course, the defensive line was a preseason concern but they have certainly outperformed expectations.

Instead, the Buffs can't run the ball with any consistency and they can't keep a mobile quarterback from getting sacked eight times a game. A quarterback change was made too late, Colorado continues to suffer on the mental side of the game with turnovers and penalties, the defensive scheme was too complicated at the beginning of the year which cost the Buffs' games and Colorado continues to play unmovitated football especially on the road, something the players have admitted multiple times this year.

I think this is the only case you need to make. In a year that any improvement over the previous three years should have at least netted the Buffs a low level Bowl birth, Colorado has three wins.

Tulsa World: Oklahoma State QB Zac Robinson Not Expected to Start, Probably Won't Play Against Buffs

irish1611 — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:47:02 -0000

The Colorado Buffaloes might get some help tonight against the 12th ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys. According to the Tulsa World, sources have told them that QB Zac Robinson is not expected to start tonight and will probably not be seeing any action just five days after a big collision with less than two minutes remaining in the Texas Tech game. Oklahoma State went on to win that game 24 - 17. At first the hit was believed to have caused a concussion but it now looks like the bigger issue is the injury it caused to Robinson's throwing shoulder.

The Cowboys (8-2) are still in the running for a BCS game so any loss would be detrimental to that cause. Next week, Oklahoma State takes on its in-state rival the Oklahoma Sooners, a game which will carry major implications for the Cowboys if they were to beat the Buffs tonight in Stillwater.

The Tulsa World also reports that QB Alex Cate is likely to get the start tonight:

"Alex Cate, who has not started a game since the 2005 season at Cottonwood High School in Salt Lake City, Utah, is expected to start at quarterback for OSU. A fourth-year junior, Cate has taken the majority of first-team snaps in practice this week."

Colorado will be attempting to win only it's third game on the road in the Dan Hawkins era tonight (2-18). This news will certainly help their cause considering both Robinson's success as the Pokes' quarterback and the very limited experience Alex Cate has at the collegiate level. Cate has attempted justfive passes in his career at Oklahoma State completing four, all in 2008. He has not attempted a pass this year but has rushed the ball one time for two yards.

Expect the Oklahoma State Cowboys, regardless of who plays at quarterback tonight, to be a very run-oriented team. The Pokes recently returned preseason All American candidate RB Kendall Hunter into the lineup after missing half of the season with a severe ankle sprain. Last year, Hunter ran for 1,555 yards and 16 touchdowns. In Hunter's absence, Keith Toston has emerged and has filled in beautifully as the former starter begins to work his way back (Hunter ran 17 for 68 yards against Texas Tech last week). Toston, after only carrying the ball an average of ten times the first two games of the season, has taken over the lead role for the Pokes and is now just 42 yards away from 1,000 on the season. Toston ranks 30th in the nation in rushing yards/game at 95.8, good for 4th in the Big 12. A big reason for the seamless transition between running backs is the dominant offensive line OSU brings out led by All American candidate T Russel Okung. This season, the offensive line has only given up 0.7 sacks a game which is third in the nation and first in the Big 12. Compare that number to the Colorado Buffaloes, who are giving up 3.8 sacks per game which ranks 117th in college football.

Last week, the Colorado Buffaloes' defense gave up 138 yards to Iowa State RB Alexander Robinson.

Colorado Buffaloes Open as 14.5 Point Underdogs on the Road Against Oklahoma State

irish1611 — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 03:43:57 -0000

More photos » by David J. Phillip - AP

Oklahoma State running back Keith Toston (5) has filled in nicely for the injured Kendall Hunter this season. Oklahoma State is one of the best running teams in the nation behind a very good offensive line led by OT Russell Okung (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

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It doesn't get any easier for the Colorado Buffaloes (3-7, 2-4) as they travel on a short week to face the 12th ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys (8-2, 5-1) in Stillwater this Thursday night (ESPN, 5:30 PM MT). Currently, odds makers have this one pegged at 14.5 points in favor of the home team. It marks the 8th consecutive game the Colorado Buffaloes will go into the game as an underdog. Oklahoma State is the third ranked team the Buffs will have played this season with Nebraska potentially being a fourth next week if they take care of business against Kansas State in Lincoln.

Oklahoma State beat Texas Tech this past Saturday 24 - 17 in Stillwater. Oklahoma State turned the Red Raiders over three times and was able to hold on after Texas Tech had a 10 - 7 halftime lead. Former Colorado prep and current OSU starting quarterback Zac Robinson was part of a scary collision last night with 98 seconds left in the game. He was helped off the field after suffering what looked like a concussion. Before getting hurt, Robinson only passed for 90 yards but was the Pokes leading rusher with 99 yards on 19 carries. The senior signal caller ranks eighth in the Big 12 in passing yards this season but is second in the conference in passing efficiency, throwing for 15 scores and only 7 interceptions. For his career, Robinson has passed for 8,155 yards and 66 touchdowns.

Initially, one had to wonder if Oklahoma State would hold out Robinson on a short week with the rivalry game against Oklahoma in two weeks. But according to the Tulsa World, Robinson plans to play against Colorado. It is also senior night for Robinson and the rest of the graduating Pokes which should provide them some extra motivation to come out strong against the Buffs.

read more of the game preview after the jump...

Robinson and the Oklahoma State offense were dealt a big blow when All American wide receiver Dez Bryant was ruled ineligible by the NCAA after the third game of the year. Bryant still ranks as the second leading receiver on the team. But Oklahoma State has recovered nicely.

The key for Oklahoma State this year has been the emergence of running back Keith Toston after All Big 12 back Kendall Hunter was injured the third game of the year suffering a sprained ankle. Hunter essentially missed six games before returning two weeks ago in a limited role. Last year, Hunter ran for 1,555 yards and 16 touchdowns. Not very often a team losses their two best players in the same year and still has a chance to go 10 - 2 but that is what Oklahoma State has done. Toston has filled in beautifully for the injured Hunter aas he begins to work his way back (Hunter ran 17 for 68 yards against Texas Tech last week). Toston, after only carrying the ball an average of ten times the first two games of the season, has taken over the lead role for the Pokes and is now just 42 yards away from 1,000 on the season. Toston ranks 30th in the nation in rushing yards/game at 95.8, good for 4th in the Big 12. A big reason for the seamless transition between running backs is the dominant offensive line OSU brings out led by All American candidate T Russell Okung. This season, the offensive line has only given up 0.7 sacks a game which is third in the nation and first in the Big 12. Compare that number to the Colorado Buffaloes, who are giving up 3.8 sacks per game which ranks 117th in college football. That tells you a lot about why the Buffs have only three wins and why Oklahoma State, who lost their two biggest play makers from a year ago, has a chance at 10 wins, something Dan Hawkin's "muttered" this offseason.

With the losses of Dez Bryant and Kendall Hunter for a big chunk of the year, Oklahoma State's offense has fallen off from last year where they finished the season as the 6th ranked unit in the nation averaging 487 yards a contest. This year, they find themselves 48th averaging just over 400 yards per game. But the big improvement and the main reason why the Cowboys are still a player in the Big 12 is a vastly improved defense. In 2008, Oklahoma State struggled stopping the opposition, ranking 93rd in the nation allowing 405 yards per. This year, the defense is only allowing 333 yards a game and is 7th in the nation allowing just 89 yards on the ground.

As for the Colorado Buffaloes, there are only a few things that need to be highlighted. CU is now eliminated from bowl eligibility after a loss last weekend to Iowa State in Ames. Under first year coach Paul Rhoads, Iowa State is now bowl eligible and, in one year, has won the same number of road games as Dan Hawkins has in four seasons at the helm in Boulder. Just two weeks ago, Iowa State was manhandled by Oklahoma State in Stillwater, 34 - 8. Cyclones RB Alexander Robinson, who ran wild on the Buffs' defense for 138 yards, was held to just 51 yards and 3.2 a carry, his lowest average this year. ISU was held scoreless until the fourth quarter and QB Austin Arnaud was intercepted three times. Pokes RB Keith Toston ran for 206 yards on the Cyclones and three scores.

One has to wonder if the Buffs will come out and play with an pride after being eliminated from postseason play for the third time in four years. With the season already an embarrassment, this national appearance could be very dangerous if Colorado comes out like they usually do on the road - uninspired, timid and lacking confidence - but now with even less to play for. Last week's loss also marks the fourth consecutive season with a losing record, all under Dan Hawkins. As you know, Hawkins at Colorado is 2 - 18 on the road and 3 - 20 when the game is not played in Boulder. Last season, Oklahoma State beat the Buffs 30 - 17 in Folsom, racking up 443 total yards, 226 of which came on the ground. With the injury to Robinson against Tech and the desire to protect him for the Sooners in two weeks, you can expect a heavy dose of Toston and Hunter on Thursday night.

13 days and counting...

Sunday Buff Bites - 13 Days Until This Nightmare Is Over...Hopefully

irish1611 — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 14:36:53 -0000

Woelk: Decision on Hawkins` future must come soon - Buffzone

It means that very soon, athletic director Mike Bohn and chancellor Phil DiStefano must come to a decision. Clearly, the program is nowhere close to where Bohn envisioned it being when he hired Hawkins. When Bohn managed to land one of the nation`s hottest young coaching prospects in December of 2005, he certainly never thought he`d be contemplating another change just four years later. Now such a decision is a distinct possibility. Today, I`m still not ready to say a change would be in the best interest of the program and the university. But, whatever decision is reached, it must be reached soon. After Saturday`s effort at Iowa State, waiting for the outcome of the last two games makes absolutely no sense. Bohn and DiStefano must sit down as soon as possible and examine the situation from every angle. Economics. Possible fallout from all sides. Recruiting. Next year`s schedule. Returning players. Then make a decision and move on. Let Hawkins know whether he`ll be here next year or not. If he`s going to be the head coach, make it known so he can begin to reassure recruits, contemplate staff changes and move on with business. If not, give him and his staff the opportunity to assess their futures. But whatever the decision, make it soon. Waiting will only increase the questions hanging over the program while doing nothing in terms of moving forward. Simply, a quick resolution is the only sensible solution.

Bowl ineligibility befalls Buffs - The Denver Post

Hawkins' problem is, in his fourth year, his team is going in the opposite direction of two rebuilding programs that beat him with first-year coaches. Paul Rhoads' Cyclones (6-5, 3-4) joined Kansas State in downing the Buffs at home. This time the nearly packed house of 43,208 stormed the field, celebrating bowl eligibility a year after going 2-10. Once again, offensive ineptitude on the road crippled Colorado. CU scored one touchdown against the second- worst defense in the league. That doubled its number of TDs in the past 10 quarters on the road to two.

CU Buffs bowl hopes end in another road wreck - Boulder Daily Camera

The signs are all there and they`re pointing toward a coaching change at Colorado. The football team isn`t playing well when it desperately needs to. Athletic director Mike Bohn, who just three months ago robustly defended head coach Dan Hawkins, turned away requests for comment after another loss Saturday.

Buffs lose 17-10 at Iowa State - The Denver Post

Lacking a killer instinct, Colorado (3-7, 2-4 Big 12) produced just three points — total — out of four possession inside the ISU 10-yard line, committed costly, careless penalties and set up Iowa State's third-quarter touchdown with a turnover. "We went from being one of the better teams in the red zone in the country to one of the worst," Colorado coach Dan Hawkins said.

Same old story for Buffs - The Longmont Times-Call

Hawkins, repeating another familiar line, said it just came down to a couple of plays. "Particularly with this group of guys, when you have a big play against you, there’s a huge momentum thing going on," Hawkins said. "We just have to be able to counter that a little bit better."

CU vs. Iowa State Game Quotes
Momentum thing, rhythm thing, confidence thing...blah, blah, blah, blah

On poor passing game
"On the first drive we had a couple of drops. You talk about that rhythm thing and that confidence thing and that momentum thing. A couple of drops on the first drive took us out of rhythm."

The Longmont Times-Call

From CU offensive coordinator Eric Kiesau: "The frustrating part is the turnovers and the penalties. We’re not getting outschemed. We know what they’re doing. If we eliminate turnovers and penalties, this is a completely different ball club." CU committed 11 penalties and three turnovers Saturday. CU was also 2-for-14 on third down conversions.

Bruising running game paves way for OSU - Big 12 Blog - ESPN
The Colorado Buffaloes next opponent, Oklahoma State, had a good win last night against Texas Tech but lost their starting quarterback in the process. Zac Robinson was hit hard late in the game and supposedly has a concussion.

One negative coming out of the game was an apparent concussion sustained by OSU quarterback Zac Robinson on a devastating hit by Tech cornerback Jamar Wall. With the Cowboys playing Thursday night against Colorado, it might be asking a lot for Robinson to return to action that soon. And Robinson was the key before his injury. He piled up a team-high 97 yards. Keith Toston added 78 and Kendall Hunter had his most impressive performance since returning from his foot injury with 70 tough yards on 17 carries.

Two key fumbles put Stewart in tough situation - The Denver Post

Stewart lost two fumbles, both coming at crucial times in the second half. His first turnover, on the Colorado 33-yard line, occurred early in the third quarter. That set up Iowa State's final touchdown and, ultimately, the Cyclones' winning score. The second turnover came at the end of a 7-yard run to the ISU 8 on a hit by safety David Sims, ending a CU threat early in the fourth quarter.

Givens' strange season takes another turn - The Longmont Times-Call

The strange season Bryce Givens is enduring in his redshirt freshman year at Colorado took another twist during Saturday’s 17-10 loss at Iowa State. Givens, making his first start Saturday since the Big 12 opener at Texas, was called for a personal foul during the third quarter for hitting an Iowa State pass rusher in the face as quarterback Tyler Hansen scrambled to the Cyclones’ 2 on first-and-goal. After Givens turned and said something to referee Tom Walker, Walker picked his flag up off the ground and tossed it high into the air to call a penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct. The penalties gave CU a first-and-goal at the 39. The drive ended when kicker Aric Goodman missed from 42 yards. Coaches pulled Givens from the game and he did not return. Ryan Dannewitz took his place at right tackle.

ISU Football: Cyclones beat Colorado, become bowl eligible - The Des Moines Register

They reached bowl eligibility for the first time since 2005 after a 17-10 win against Colorado before a boisterous 43,208 who held breaths as the Buffaloes tossed the ball around backwards on the final play before finally ending 69 yards from the end zone.

Go Cyclones - ISU bowl eligible after Colorado win

Iowa State beats Colorado 17-10 and Cyclones become bowl eligible - KansasCity.com

For some programs, reaching bowl eligibility is little more than a footnote. It’s a much bigger deal for Iowa State. Picked to finish last in the Big 12 North, the Cyclones can at least dream of their first bowl bid since 2005 after beating Colorado 17-10 on Saturday for their sixth win.

CU players say they`ll play for pride - Boulder Daily Camera

Five Reasons Texas Tech Will Win :: Oklahoma St. Cowboys Edition

Seth C — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:00:42 -0000

by Mike Fuentes - AP

about 1 month ago: Texas Tech head coach Mike Leach talks with his team in the second quarter of an NCAA college football game against Texas A&M in Lubbock, Texas, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2009. (AP Photo/Mike Fuentes)

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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. Related: Five Reasons Texas Tech Will Lose :: Oklahoma St. Cowboys Edition Edition.

Reason #1 :: Bye Week Rest: It's rare that a team gets a entire week to get healthy this late in the year. I can't be totally sure, but perhaps this season more than others, the team needed a break. I do not want to try to exaggerate the strain of a collegiate football player and his studies, but I'm sure it's not easy. Couple that with the fact that there's a certain level of focus that's required each and every week (some weeks more than other -- ahem). There's no doubt that the actual time away from the field helped heal those nagging injuries that kept out Brett Dewhurst, Will Ford, Brandon Carter, and getting Steven Sheffield back to a point where he's practicing with the team. And hopefully this week, the team is anxious and excited to get back on the field. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, or somesuch. All I know is that there's no excuse for this team not to be 100% ready to play on Saturday.

Reason #2 :: Deferring to the Run: After the Kansas game, there was quite a bit of credit given to QB Taylor Potts making the right call at the line of scrimmage to simply give the ball to RB Baron Batch for huge gains and essentially breaking that game open. I think it was great to see the team give credit where credit was due, and if there was any situation where the team may have suffered some discension amongst it's players, I got the feeling that the team rallied for Potts. If there was ever a case where the entire offense must work together in order to make the right calls and reads, it was the 2nd half against Kansas. If one part of that process fails, then the plays don't happen, the blocks do not get blocked and the offense forces plays where it's not necessary. I don't think anyone could have guessed that the arrival of Potts in the 2nd half of the Kansas may have been the seminal moment where the team decided to come together, but I'd be pretty happy if it was.

Reason #3 :: Wearing Them Down: I'm going out on a limb here, but this is an optimistic look, right? In any event, one of the biggest issues that this team has had all year is the health of the defensive line, in particular the defensive ends. If it's not one of the 3 of Daniel Howard, Brandon Sharpe or Rajon Henley, it's sometimes been 2 of them. But this week, all 3 players are healthy, along with LB Bront Bird, who will and could see plenty of time in the hybrid/joker position, you've got at the very least an opportunity to wear down the Cowboys offensive line. I haven't watched enough Oklahoma St. football to know if they've faced 3 very solid pass rushers in the Texas Tech trio. I've said it 100 times on DTN, but this group may not make an immediate impact, but I think that at some point they'll out-work the OSU offensive line. I'm hoping like hell that there's still a bit of chip on their shoulder for the TAMU performance and they constantly work and force OSU into some mistakes.

Reason #4 :: Big Time Playmakers: The Oklahoma St. team seems to me to be a bunch of grinders, which can be both blessing and a curse. The Cowboys were robbed of the two offensive players that were going to be difference makers for them this year, although it appears that RB Kendall Hunter is becoming more healthy by the minute. The thing about both units is that I don't think that there's a player on either side of the ball, sans Okung, who I think can dominate a game or who scares the piss out of me from a big play perspective. If you make a comparison with the Texas Tech offense or defnese, I think you could make the case that the Texas Tech offense has a handful of potential playmakers and the defense has their stalwarts as well. That's not to say that the Cowboys don't have players that can't or won't make play, but with the loss of Bryant and the loss of Hunter for most of the year, I think the OSU offense has lacked a certain punch and that lack of punch has me feeling confident.

Reason #5 :: Tough Losses at Home: Oklahoma St. has had a rough go at it at home against ranked teams this year. The 2 OSU losses were to both Houston and Texas. You'd think that perhaps this trend is to say that OSU doesn't want to lose at home again, but perhaps the truth of the matter might be that OSU might not be as tough at home as other Big 12 opponents. Obviously, these 2 losses were to 2 very talented teams, the Red Raiders can certainly attest to that, but OSU lost 3 fumbles and threw another interception against Houston and had 1 lost fumble and 4 interceptions against Texas. Not surprisingly, OSU lost 2 of the 3 games where the Cowboys had a negative turnover margin (the lone win was against Grambling). Perhaps most of all, the worrisome part for Pokes is that in those big games, you've got to value the ball and every possession. I'm not completely convinced that Oklahoma St. has figured this out.

Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe :: 11.11.09

Seth C — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:55:33 -0000

Hat-Tip to Veterans: Thanks to all of those Veterans who served this country. Send some good thoughts and mojo our veterans way today or tell them how much you appreciate them. And a special hat-tip to my old man, who was a corp commander at TAMU, graduated as a commissioned officer, originally stationed in Salt Lake City, UT, and did a tour in Vietnam.

Coach and Mad Dog: The Dagger's Eamonn Brennan is previewing the interesting teams leading up to the start of the season and yesterday he previewed the Tulsa Hurricanes. Tulsa is where I went to law school and I also attended almost every home basketball game because when I was at school there, Bill Self was the head coach and you could tell he was a special coach, destined for bigger and better things. In any event, Brennan wrote the following:

According to the ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia, Tulsa has two insane basketball fans with whom I would very much like to shake hands. Known as "Mad Dog and Coach," which sounds like a dumb sports talk radio show, the duo celebrate their love for Tulsa basketball in interesting ways. Mad Dog (real name: Ken Penn) has been attending games since 1977, where he wears a rubber snout and barks at the opposing team. (Note: This man is fully grown.) Meanwhile, Coach does what you'd expect, I guess: dresses up in a suit and tie and paces the Tulsa sideline screaming at officials. Some people will take any excuse to dress up in a suit.

This is absolutely true and amazing all at the same time. Mad Dog is a real person and he does wear a dog mask. If I remember correctly, he works for the school in some capacity. I've actually talked with Mad Dog and he's a good guy. I'd also add that Coach is a real live person and he might be a bit off, but I could be wrong. But yes, Coach does wear a suit, he does loosen the tie as the game goes on and literally acts like a coach as the game is being played but from what I understand is in no way associated with the team. These two guys alone are reason enough to go to a Tulsa basketball game.

Football Notebook - Sheffield Practices! OMG!! LAJ's Don Williams football notebook details that QB Steven Sheffield took some snaps at quarterback, while QB Taylor Potts took a majority of the snaps. Here's Williams:

The Avalanche-Journal later learned Sheffield took a few snaps in the 11-on-11 team period, but the large majority went to Taylor Potts. Seth Doege, who started Tech’s last game but was replaced by Potts at halftime, didn’t get any snaps in team period, the A-J learned.

Williams also talks with DC McNeill regarding the difference between RB's Kendall Hunter and Keith Totson:

"If you had to say a difference, 5 (Toston’s uniform number) is probably more of a slasher guy with speed, and Kendall’s a shifty guy with speed," McNeill said. "But both of them really can run the football, inside the tackles and outside."

Coaching Salaries: Good find by Barking Carnival, USA Today tracked down, through the Freedom of Information Act, the assistant coaching salaries for college football. As you would expect, Texas is at the top of the list, along with Tennessee. BC has a good Big 12 conference breakdown. And yes, this is a situation where there are those that have and those that do not and that gap is widening each and every day.

Not surprising, Ruffin McNeill is Texas Tech's highest paid assistant coach:

Ruffin McNeill: $325,000
Matt Moore: $236,000
Carlos Mainord: $190,000
Lincoln Riley: $190,000
Charlie Sadler: $180,000
Dennis Simmons: :189,800
Eric Russell: $185,000
Brian Mitchell: $180,000
Clay McGuire: $160,000

Wall Thinks About Bryant: ESPN's Tim Griffin talks with CB Jamar Wall and will miss playing OSU's WR Dez Bryant, the best receiver in the Big 12:

"It’s a disappointment because I like the challenge," Wall said. "Playing against him gives you a chance to show how well you can play."

And Wall talks about the change in the defense from two years ago with Lyle Setencich was replaced by DC McNeill:

"Everything about us has been changed with him transforming us," Wall said. "He brought a different mindset to our defense. He’s pushing us, but knows what he can expect from us."

The difference could be seen in the Red Raiders’ most recent victory, a 42-21 triumph over Kansas. Tech produced six sacks, nine tackles for losses, 10 deflected passes and forced two fumbles.

"You can see 11 guys swarming to the ball," Wall said. "It’s a bunch of small things, but it gives us a different demeanor. It’s all because of Coach Ruff."

McNeill's Defensive Improvement: DT's Alex Ybarra and FWST's Dwain Price each write about the aforementioned defensive improvement DC McNeill has brought to Texas Tech (please click on the DT story for what might be the best Ruffin McNeill photo ever). CB Jamar Wall comments again his passion for playing for McNeill:

"His enthusiasm and the love he has for us, you can see the passion in his eyes every time he talks to us," Wall said. "For someone to be that passionate about his team and that he would do that for us — run through walls or take a bullet for us — it just makes you play harder. I mean if he’ll do it, why not do it for him?"

And Captain Mike Leach loves what McNeill has brought to the defense:

"That's when we made the change and played harder (on defense),'' Leach said. "Ruffin brings a lot of enthusiasm and inspiration.

"He's got a lot of enthusiasm personally and I think it rubs off on the players. We have a more inspired unit out there.''

I don't think we should ever discount how much the players love playing for McNeill. McNeill certainly has his faults, but he seems to be a tremendous father figure for the players, which probably plays a huge factor in recruiting.

Lofty Goals: LAJ's Don Williams writes that the Red Raiders continue to have the same lofty goals of a possible Cotton Bowl birth. McNeill acknowledge that November may be the most important month for football:

"We talk to them about the month of November being what people remember, trying to make sure we put together a great month of November,’’ defensive coordinator Ruffin McNeill said after Tuesday’s practice. "That’s what we talk to them about as a whole. But as coach (Mike) Leach does, we still go back to one game a week, and the most important one is the one this week against Oklahoma State.’’

And WR Alexander Torres is focused:

"Our biggest goal right now is that we have three games left in the Big 12 Conference, and our goal obviously is to win them all,’’ flanker Alex Torres said. "We are not going to try and worry about what other people do and who beats who and this and that. We are just going to try and think about what we can control and to get out there and practice like we want to play.’’

Oklahoma St. Cowboy and Big 12 Links: TR's dedfischer scouts the OSU Cowboys . . . NewsOK's John Helsley has an Oklahoma St. notebook . . . BCSE's Robert Cessna with a Big 12 notebook . . .

Neglected Video: Fox34 with a look at Oklahoma St.:

Improved Fitness: DT's Mike Graham writes that the basketball team has improved their strength and conditioning over the course of the offseason. Here's SF Mike Singletary:

"I wanted to be quicker, and I wanted to be faster, I wanted to jump higher and stuff like that," Singletary said. "We felt like 215, 217 (pounds) would be a great weight for me. Last year I played at like 230. We just felt that was too heavy. It was just a combination of weight training and a combination of dieting and watching what you eat. Just eating a lot of things that are good for you."

Also of note, C Robert Lewandowski gained 8 pounds over the offseason, which is encouraging and given what I perceive to be Lew's work-ethic.

In the Trenches - Answering the Call

burnt in ny — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:33:24 -0000

July 30 2009 - In a pre-season fanpost, I expressed the following concern for the upcoming season

As evidenced in last year's games against Oklahoma State and Ohio State, Texas's defense, which is increasingly designed to emphasize speed and quickness in order to match up with spread offenses, is vulnerable to power rushing attacks.

Numerous pre-season posts expressed anxiety about Texas' defensive tackles behind Lamarr Houston, who was an unknown commodity himself, such as perceived journeyman Ben Alexander and green redshirt sophomore Kheeston Randall. Visions of helpless collapses against power running teams in critical games filled everyone's heads. 2009 could be the year of Motown's Lamarr and the Space-Eaters against the blitzkriegs of Chris Brown, Kendall Hunter, Christine Michael, Tim Tebow, or Mark Ingram. The Horns might even have to use, gasp!, true freshmen Calvin Howell and Derek Johnson. The call went out by anxious UT fans for anyone, anyone to step up.

The Space Eaters - Ben Alexander (92) and Kheeston Randall (91)

Sure, UT could win 10 and maybe even make a BCS bowl (little did we know that there might be as many as 6 undefeated teams after 9 weeks in the 2009 season), but if it was the 2009 mythical national championship the Horns wanted, these guys had to step up.

Jimmy Hoffa, from the grave, "I need some nasty, beefy guys up front, and not ya cousin Guido. Whatevah it takes, capisce?!"

November 1, 2009. Basking in the glow of 41-14, the report is in: The call was ANSWERED!

For the details and more on the offensive line, Will Muschamp, and other tidbits, make the jump!

The Evolution of the Defensive Tackles: Space Eaters to Gap Monsters

No doubt, the Cowboys thought they could build on last year''s success and overpower the spread-ready Texas D. From the first offensive play, Oklahoma State's strategy was clear. Double the strongside DE (Acho or Kindle) with a tackle (Russell Okung or Brady Bond) and tight end Wilson Youman. Let Lamarr Houston penetrate into the play and have Keith Toston cut back behind a double team from guard Noah Franklin and center Andrew Lewis on the presumed sacrificial Kheeston Randall. Randall holds position with his shoulders underneath Lewis, and then when Franklin leaves to block Rodderick Muckelroy, he reaches out and slaps the ball out of Toston's hands, luckily recovered by Oklahoma State. OK, not exactly chopped liver, but it's one play.

On the first drive, powered largely by Zac Robinson's scrambling and a couple of trick plays, OSU ran some variation of the inside power run at Kheeston Randall 6 times. In the half they tried it 8 times The result: gains of 2, 2, 3, 1, 3, 4, 5, and 3 yards. That's a 3.8 ypc average if you're calculating at home. Not exactly 2008, when the Pokes averaged over 6 yards per carry. On all six runs, either Randall or Houston was able to slide off their block into the gap chosen by Toston, or were able to tie up two offensive linemen without losing ground for long enough to let Keenan Robinson or Roddrick Muckelroy make the tackle.

Even more interestingly, on the second drive, OSU abandoned the inside run almost completely (only two more inside runs the rest of the half) and instead began to attack Texas' corners. In the next 7 plays, 3 before and 4 after Jordan Shipley's fumbled punt, and ending the dropped fourth down pass in the end zone by Hubert Anyiam, OSU ran speed options to the outside or passed. They did not make a first down on either drive, and both Houston and Randall had QB pressures. Indeed, for most of the game the primary pressure on Zac Robinson was from either Houston or Randall.

This is worth taking a moment to appreciate. The play of the Longhorn defensive tackles, perceived to be a weakness at the beginning of the season by the fans and clearly also by Mike Gundy (otherwise why call 6 inside runs?) so completely defeats the OSU power running game that the Cowboys have to go to Game Plan B after the first drive. This shift in offensive philosophy eventually leaves Robinson vulnerable to the Texas secondary and perhaps provided the key to the blowout. While the Houtson-Randall-Alexander trifecta may not be composed of the best individual defensive tackles in the Big 12, they are good enough to stop the best power running team on the schedule without altering the defensive formation or changing personnel.

34 or 43: Which is the Magic Number?

The average fan is often aware of offensive formations (Wildhorn vs. empty set, etc.) but oblivious to details in defensive formations. Texas features a "Buck" package with Sergio Kindle as the "Buck" linebacker who can put a hand on the ground as a defensive end (to make a 4-3 alignment) or line up as a linebacker (to create a 3-4). The 3-4 alignment allows Will Muschamp to move Kindle around and create confusion in the blocking scheme. The success of the 3-4 alignment depends heavily on Texas having a strong presence at the nose, and Kheeston Randall filled that bill pretty well. A 3-4 defense is strongest against the pass because of the flexibility and uncertainty it creates for the offense in choosing routes and pass-blocking assignments. The 4-3 has the greatest potential against the run because the defensive tackles can take just one gap and penetrate and the linebackers are more protected.

In the Oklahoma State game, Texas switched regularly between the two alignments, and with largely the same personnel on the field. Although both fronts played well, there was a striking difference in OSU's performance against the two that highlights their strengths and weaknesses. Oklahoma State ran (not counting QB scrambles) against the 4-3 front 5 times in the first four drives, gaining 3 total yards (0.6 ypc). They ran against the 3-4 front 9 times, gaining 45 yards (5 ypc), with two runs accounting for 20 of the 45, including a 13 yard "jet sweep" by Travis Miller. On the other hand, Robinson passed against the 4-3 alignment 8 times, going 4-7 for 31 yards and an added 5 yard scramble (4.5 yards per play). Against the 3-4 front, Robinson threw five incompletions and had one scramble for 5 yards (0.8 yards per play). By the second quarter, Robinson was checking in and out of running plays to try to avoid running against the 4-3. Eventually, that caught up with him as he checked out of a run on 3rd and 2 from the Texas 30, only to throw the pick six to Curtis Brown.

The moral of these stats is that there will be a little cat and mouse game every week with opposing offenses trying to avoid running against the 4-3 and passing against the 3-4. The dominance of each defensive front against the offense it is designed to stop allows Texas to play against the offensive tendency, such as to expect a playaction pass on first down against its 4-3 or expect a run against its 3-4. Reducing an offense's playbook by half is a powerful defensive weapon.

Muschamp, You Wily Fox, You

Muschamp, the fox, playing with the mind of Zac Robinson. No chance, mouse: 41-14!

In going back over my notes and studying the tactics of both teams' playcalling, I'm convinced (without proof of course) that Muschamp baited Zac Robinson into Earl Thomas' interception. One of the great things about spread offenses is that receivers' routes are dictated by coverage, which allows the receiver to exploit the right seam or gap in the defense. However, I think that one of the reasons Texas' offense is struggling as much as it has this year is because defenses have now learned what choices receivers and QB's tend to make against particular formations. Defenses can now "show" one formation, know what choice a QB will make, and then run someone to that spot to jump the route. Against OSU, Earl Thomas began to run with the slot receiver, likely knowing that if he went with the receiver, Robinson would make the read to throw to the receiver running underneath to the area Thomas vacated. Knowing that, Earl released his man to Gideon deep and jumped the underneath route. If a defense gets to the point of responding to an offense's read rather than the actual player movements, then the offense will suffer the fate of the poor mouse in the photo, especially since there's no hole in the snow for an offense to hide.

Takin' it to the house!

Jekyll and Hyde, Version 2009.8

The offensive line that is. Frankly, I'm tired of analyzing the line's play because it's the same infuriating play every week. Any given individual along the line makes 3 great plays, 3 okay plays, and one really bad play. Against OSU, it was MOS. Chris Hall lets the defender get underneath him and thus enough penetration to trip Colt McCoy for a first down on 3rd and 2 in the red zone (Texas 3-0 instead of 7-0). Adam Ulatoski takes the wrong pass rusher and Colt takes a sack (end of drive). Charlie Tanner turns his head to the left and a blitzing LB goes by him to his right - sack and end of drive.

The good news is that, for the first time in three games, the OL was not physically overmatched at any time. The bad news is that this means it's all mental and after 140 collective starts or whatever it is, there shouldn't be this many mental errors. The offensive line is like an old house with faulty wiring: when you flip the switch, the light comes on most of the time, and good luck figuring out why it doesn't come on a few times. That said, GD had better be careful in how much he relies on only the core 5 offensive linemen to protect Colt. Five wide may be a nice change of pace, but an entire series of plays based on it, or using it on third and long, is going to get Colt injured or result in a turnover.

Greg Davis is a Genius

In an ode to GhostofBigRoy's call for series-based playcalling, I give you Texas' third drive against the Pokes at 14:25 of the second quarter. The previous (second) drive self-destructed from missed blocks by Greg Smith and Chris Hall and a failed run on first down, Colt throwing to a triple-covered Shipley for 3 yards when James Kirkendoll was 10 yards from anyone wide open 3 yards downfield on the opposite side of the play on second down, and a missed block by David Snow allowing Colt to get tripped up on a QB scramble.

With visions of Wyoming and Colorado dancing in the fans' heads, Texas started their third drive, after Hubert Anyiam's fumble, with three plays from 4 or 5 wide receiver sets. After overcoming a first down failure of the empty backfield and a sack of Colt, the Horns started first down on the OSU 38. The Horns, using their 11 personnel set with a running back and Greg Smith as the TE, ran the most beautiful series of running plays of the season.

1st down - Jet sweep to Marquise Goodwin (surprise, not DJ Monroe) for 7 yards.

2nd down - Spread counter to Cody Johnson up the middle for 7 yards. Charlie Tanner had awesome lead block.

1st down - Fake the jet sweep to the left and run Fozzy on a counter sweep to the right for 6 yards.

2nd down - Zone read, the DE crashes on Fozzy to seal the backcut, and Colt keeps for 6 yards.

1st down - Play action, fake the zone stretch left, Colt rolls out to the right and finds Marquise Goodwin in a seam vacated by Jordan Shipley's crossing route for 11 yards.

1st down - Jumbo package - Cody Johnson goes 2 yards and breaks the plane of the goal line - touchdown.

So the next time someone tells you that Texas has no running game, no misdirection, or no playaction passing, you can whip this out. The Horns have now used multiple plays to set up multiple other plays on the same drive, including in the running game. MORE OF THIS PLEASE!

Greg Davis goes from genius to imbecile on the same drive

It's the first drive of the second half. After the best playaction pass of the year for 44 yards to Malcolm Williams on a post pattern vacated, once again, by a Shipley crossing route underneath, Texas has the ball on the OSU 20. We're seconds away from 31-7 and good night ladies....

1st down - Cody Johnson on the zone stretch, cuts back inside and, with a good block from Buckner, gets 6 yards.

(Yeah, baby, pound it home!)

2nd down and 3 - Oops, OSU dances in front of Adam Ulatoski, threatening the blitz. Uli decides to tango. False start -5 yards.

2nd down and 8 - Davis can't get the play in in time AFTER A PENALTY &^&%&I. - 5 yards

2nd down and 13 - Let's call a play that hasn't worked all year against a defense that isn't blitzing. Shovel pass to Fozzy, who is clocked by an unblocked linebacker. - 4 yards

3rd down and 17 - Using 11 personnel (Okay, the Horns aren't running, it must be for max protect), Greg Smith runs out in the flat, Colt gets harassed and throws it to Smith for 5 yards.

4th down and 12 from the OSU 23 - Hunter Lawrence bails out the Horns with a 40-yard field goal.

What does it all mean?

Somehow, out of the flickering lights of GD's brain and the offensive line's attention span, Texas has a top offense that is going to look unstoppable on some series and infuriating on others. It is what it is, and I will officially stop complaining from now on and start appreciating it when the lights are fully on.

Updated BTBS Projections

Bill C. — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:00:35 -0000

Week 10 picks are coming up tomorrow, but keeping with the every-other-week timeline, it's time to check in on current BTBS projections for the rest of the season. Preseason projections have finally completely phased out of the rankings, meaning there have been some pretty decent rises and falls since last time we put on our projecting hat. And speaking of projections, we'll revisit the preseason projections to who we got exactly right and who we completely whiffed on in the preseason.

UPDATE: the original projections had Baylor beating Tech with home-field advantage. I forgot the game was in Arlington. Wiping out the home-field adjustment, Tech now wins.

Big 12

North Division	Proj. Conf.	Proj. Overall	Proj. Bowl
Nebraska	6-2	9-4	Cotton
Missouri	5-3	9-3	Sun
Iowa State	4-4	7-5	Texas
Kansas State	3-5	5-7
Kansas	2-6	6-6	Insight
Colorado	1-7	2-10
South Division	Proj. Conf.	Proj. Overall	Proj. Bowl
Texas	8-0	13-0	BCS Championship
Oklahoma	6-2	8-4	Holiday
Oklahoma State	5-3	8-4	Alamo
Texas A&M	4-4	7-5	Independence
Texas Tech	4-4	7-5	New Mexico
Baylor	0-8	3-9

Nailed It (or almost nailed it): Texas, Baylor, Kansas State, Colorado, Missouri, Nebraska
Not so much: Iowa State, Oklahoma
I mentioned in the preview piece that "not having an 'All-Americans lost' qualifier instead of just 'starters lost' helps Missouri out quite a bit" and that Missouri probably wasn't going the projected 10-2, but right now, they're still coming close. If Missouri wins out (and they're still projected to do so), the only game the projections will have missed on Mizzou was the Nebraska Monsoon, which still looks like it will make the difference in the division race.
The main thing the projections missed was Iowa State's overachieving, not that anybody else actually predicted that correctly. Meanwhile, obviously the projections weren't able to predict "OU will get a total of 7 quarters out of Sam Bradford and Jermaine Gresham combined, and OSU will lose Kendall Hunter to injury and Dez Bryant to Deion Sanders"), so those are pretty excusable misses, I would think.
The North is still a complete question mark, but take these projections to mean that it still looks like the teams most likely to take the title are still Missouri and Nebraska; the numbers still have no idea what to do with K-State, who have looked great and terrible on offense, great and terrible on defense, and great and terrible on special teams. They're absolutely better than they were a month ago, but overall the numbers still don't like them much.

ACC

Atlantic Division	Proj. Conf.	Proj. Overall	Proj. Bowl
Clemson	6-2	10-3	Orange
Boston College	5-3	8-4	Emerald
Wake Forest	4-4	6-6	Meineke Car Care
Florida State	3-5	5-7
N.C. State	1-7	4-8
Maryland	1-7	2-10
Coastal Division	Proj. Conf.	Proj. Overall	Proj. Bowl
Georgia Tech	7-1	11-2	Chick-Fil-A
Miami-FL	6-2	10-2	Gator
Virginia Tech	6-2	9-3	Champs Sports
North Carolina	3-5	7-5	Music City
Duke	3-5	5-7
Virginia	3-5	4-8

Nailed It: Clemson, BC, N.C. State, Virginia
Not So Much: Florida State, Maryland, Georgia Tech, Miami, Duke
The numbers have been on the Clemson bandwagon since the beginning of the year, and that hasn't changed since the projections have been phased out. I still have them as the best overall team in the conference, beating Georgia Tech in a rematch in the ACC Championship game.
I'm telling you, never bet against BC. They look horrendous half the year, and their style isn't fun to watch, but they win games, and they will probably continue to do so. "No Mark Herzlich? Okay, I guess we'll just have to send a true freshman out there to (maybe) win ACC Defensive Player of the Year, then."
So remember when I said "I also think Maryland could sneak into 8-9 wins if things bounce right, but we'll see"? Remember that? Neither do I.

Big East

	Proj. Conf.	Proj. Overall	Proj. Bowl
Pittsburgh	6-1	10-2	Orange
Cincinnati	6-1	11-1	Fiesta
West Virginia	5-2	9-3	Meineke Car Care
South Florida	4-3	8-4	St. Petersburg
Connecticut	3-4	6-6	International
Louisville	2-5	5-7
Rutgers	1-6	6-6
Syracuse	1-6	4-8

The projections currently have Pittsburgh beating Cincinnati by 1.6 points on December 5 to win the conference title. Really, that would be a best-case scenario for the conference, as it would probably result in them getting two BCS bids. The rest of their bowl slate is so god-awful that that's pretty much the only way they can get a bit of the showcase spotlight.
Nailed It: West Virginia, South Florida
Not So Much: Rutgers, Cincinnati
I'm generally considering "Nailed it" to be within one win of what's projected now, while "Not So Much" is within three wins or more. I was in the ballpark with a lot of these picks, but I nailed very few. Not that anybody nailed Cincy...
Remember when I had Rutgers projected to win big? Good times.

Big Ten

	Proj. Conf.	Proj. Overall	Proj. Bowl
Iowa	7-1	11-1	Rose
Penn State	7-1	11-1	Sugar
Wisconsin	6-2	10-2	Capital One
Ohio State	6-2	9-3	Outback
Minnesota	4-4	7-5	Champs Sports
Purdue	4-4	5-7
Michigan State	3-5	5-7
Michigan	2-6	6-6	Alamo
Northwestern	2-6	5-7
Illinois	2-6	3-9
Indiana	1-7	4-8

Nailed It: Penn State, Iowa, Minnesota, Michigan State, Michigan, Indiana
Not So Much: Illinois
Pretty much nailed most of this conference. Ironically, the only team I missed badly was Illinois...and I still had Illinois projected to be worse than most people thought.
Pretty interesting situation for the conference here--four teams are projected at either 5-7 or 6-6 now, meaning they could end up with anywhere between five and nine bowl-eligible teams. The MAC is praying it's five, I'm sure. As always, the MAC is projected to have about 23 6-6 teams, but that's neither here nor there.

Conference USA

East Division	Proj. Conf.	Proj. Overall	Proj. Bowl
East Carolina	6-2	7-6	St. Petersburg
Marshall	5-3	7-5	New Orleans
Central Florida	4-4	6-6	EagleBank
Southern Miss	4-4	6-6	Papajohns.com
UAB	4-4	4-8
Memphis	2-6	3-9
West Division	Proj. Conf.	Proj. Overall	Proj. Bowl
Houston	6-2	11-2	Liberty
SMU	6-2	7-5	Hawaii
Tulsa	5-3	7-5	Armed Forces
UTEP	4-4	5-7
Tulane	2-6	4-8
Rice	0-8	0-12

Nailed It: Marshall, UAB, Central Florida, Houston, SMU
Not So Much: Southern Miss, East Carolina, Tulsa, UTEP, Rice
I officially have no idea what to think of Tulsa anymore. G.J. Kinne got a concussion, and apparently that's part of the reason for their baffling 14-point loss to SMU, but still...it just seems they should be better than they are. They're still looking at a bowl bid, but they're not looking like the C-USA favorite anymore, like I had them in August.
Nailed the sleeper-ness of Marshall and SMU!
Meanwhile, Southern Miss still looks like a decent team, but they haven't gotten the breaks, and East Carolina is shaping up to be one of those "defies what the stats think of them" teams.

Independents

	Proj. Conf.	Proj. Overall	Proj. Bowl
Notre Dame	--	9-3	Gator
Navy	--	8-5	Texas
Army	--	3-9

Here's what I said about Notre Dame in the preview: "A hair better than projected, and they shoot straight to 10-2 or 11-1. A hair worse, and the Charlie Weis Era ends at 3-9 or 4-8." Right now, they're looking a hair better than projected, but not much. They still have two games (Pittsburgh and Stanford) projected within four points and all four remaining games within 11 points. They could still be looking at either 7-5 or 10-2 when all is said and done. Kudos to them for figuring out ways to win despite the loss of Michael Floyd. And kudos to their fans for surviving SIX STRAIGHT GAMES DECIDED BY A TOUCHDOWN OR LESS. If they were four points worse this season, they'd be 3-5 right now; four points better, and they'd be 7-1.

MAC

East Division	Proj. Conf.	Proj. Overall	Proj. Bowl
Temple	7-1	9-4	EagleBank
Ohio	6-2	8-4	GMAC
Bowling Green	5-3	6-6
Kent State	5-3	6-6
Buffalo	3-5	5-7
Akron	2-6	3-9
Miami-OH	2-6	2-10
West Division	Proj. Conf.	Proj. Overall	Proj. Bowl
Central Michigan	8-0	11-2	Pizza! Pizza!
Northern Illinois	5-3	7-5	International
Western Michigan	5-3	6-6
Toledo	3-5	5-7
Ball State	1-7	1-11
Eastern Michigan	0-8	1-11

Nailed It: Bowling Green, Ohio, Miami-OH, Northern Illinois, Toledo,
Not So Much: Akron, Temple, Buffalo, Ball State, Eastern Michigan
The talent level in this conference is so close that it's hard to avoid missing badly on some teams...and miss I did. Granted, I got a lot right too, but still. Buffalo's another "defies the stats" team, while Temple was really close to a high projection but didn't quite manage it.
No matter what, thank you to the MAC for always producing enough 6-6 teams that all of the bowls will be able to fill all of their slots.

Mountain West

	Proj. Conf.	Proj. Overall	Proj. Bowl
TCU	8-0	12-0	Fiesta
BYU	7-1	10-2	Las Vegas
Utah	6-2	9-3	Poinsettia
Air Force	5-3	7-5	Humanitarian
Colorado State	3-5	6-6	Armed Forces
San Diego State	3-5	5-7
UNLV	2-6	4-8
Wyoming	2-6	4-8
New Mexico	0-8	0-12

Nailed It: TCU, BYU, Utah, Colorado State, San Diego State, UNLV, Wyoming
Not So Much: New Mexico
Overall, this was probably my best set of picks. The top three teams are all looking at exactly the record projected for them in August, and the only real miss was "New Mexico is going to be worse than you could possibly imagine."
Right now, I have TCU sneaking past Boise State for the Fiesta Bowl bid. Poor Boise is being forgotten, I think, and at least TCU still has Utah on the schedule for one more reasonably-sized game.

Pac-10

	Proj. Conf.	Proj. Overall	Proj. Bowl
Oregon	9-0	11-1	Rose
USC	7-2	10-2	Holiday
Arizona	6-3	7-5	Sun
Oregon State	5-4	6-6	Poinsettia
Stanford	5-4	6-6	Emerald
California	4-5	7-5	Las Vegas
Washington	4-5	5-7
UCLA	3-6	6-6	Insight
Arizona State	2-7	4-8
Washington State	0-9	1-11

Nailed It: Oregon, USC, Arizona, Stanford, UCLA, Arizona State, Washington State
Not So Much: Oregon State, California, Washington
Another lovely set of picks. Oregon State and Cal have both underachieved a bit but can still turn things around at least somewhat. Meanwhile Washington has clearly achieved at a higher level than expected. Still, though, you have to say this much: the projections CRUSHED it on the Oregon projection. Am very happy with that one.

SEC

East Division	Proj. Conf.	Proj. Overall	Proj. Bowl
Florida	8-0	13-0	BCS Championship
Tennessee	5-3	8-4	Capital One
Georgia	5-3	7-5	Outback
South Carolina	3-5	6-6	Liberty
Kentucky	2-6	6-6	Papajohns.com
Vanderbilt	0-8	2-10
West Division	Proj. Conf.	Proj. Overall	Proj. Bowl
Alabama	8-0	12-1	Sugar
Arkansas	4-4	8-4	Chick-Fil-A
LSU	4-4	8-4	Cotton
Auburn	3-5	7-5	Music City
Ole Miss	3-5	7-5	Independence
Mississippi State	3-5	5-7

Nailed It: Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, Arkansas, Auburn, Ole Miss
Not So Much: Georgia, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt
Allow me a little bit of a chest-pound here. Nailing Florida and Alabama was relatively easy, but Tennessee, Arkansas, Auburn, and Ole Miss? There was pretty high degree of difficulty there. Looks like I overstated Georgia's and Vanderbilt's potential and didn't account for Mississippi State being as salty as they are, but otherwise I'm really happy with how this has turned out.

Sun Belt

	Proj. Conf.	Proj. Overall	Proj. Bowl
Troy	8-0	9-3	New Orleans
Middle Tennessee	7-1	9-3	GMAC
Florida Atlantic	5-3	6-6
UL-Monroe	5-3	6-6
Arkansas State	3-5	4-8
Florida International	3-5	3-9
North Texas	2-6	4-8
UL-Lafayette	2-6	4-8
Western Kentucky	1-7	1-11

Nailed It: Troy, Middle Tennessee, Florida Atlantic, UL-Monroe, Arkansas State, Florida International
Not So Much: North Texas
Another nice set of picks. Todd Dodge's Mean Green are also saltier than expected, but otherwise this was pretty much dead on. Hooray!

WAC

	Proj. Conf.	Proj. Overall	Proj. Bowl
Boise State	8-0	13-0	Pizza! Pizza!
Fresno State	6-2	8-4	Hawaii
Nevada	6-2	7-5	New Mexico
Idaho	5-3	8-4	Humanitarian
Louisiana Tech	3-5	4-8
San Jose State	3-5	4-8
Hawaii	2-6	5-8
Utah State	2-6	3-9
New Mexico State	1-7	3-10

With Boise missing out on the BCS bowls, I looked for the most appealing spot for them to pull what they did last year in the Poinsettia Bowl--finding another big-time matchup through at-large bids. There were really none coming about, unless they wanted to take on a 6-6 major conference team like Texas Tech or UCLA, so I paired them with the class of the MAC, Central Michigan, in Detroit. Not as exciting as last year's Boise-TCU game, but fun nonetheless.
Nailed It: Boise State, Louisiana Tech, San Jose State, New Mexico State
Not So Much: Nevada, Hawaii, Idaho
Nevada struggled much more in the early going than expected, though they seem to be figuring things out now. Meanwhile, Idaho was projected to be TERRIBLE, so power to them for proving me wrong by about eight games.

In all, I do have to be happy with the way things have turned out so far, especially considering that this was my first stab at projections. I'm looking at a much broader base of data for next year (should have full play-by-play for 2004-2009), which in theory makes for more accurate projections. Either way, though, color me satisfied.

Bowl Projections

I'm bolding the awesomely fantastic matchups, italicizing the awful ones.

Date	Bowl	Tie-ins	Matchup
12/19	New Mexico	MWC vs WAC	Nevada (7-5) vs Texas Tech (6-6)
12/19	St. Petersburg	Big East vs C-USA	South Florida (8-4) vs East Carolina (7-6)
12/20	New Orleans	C-USA vs Sun Belt #1	Troy (9-3) vs Marshall (7-5)
12/22	Las Vegas	MWC #1 vs Pac-10	BYU (10-2) vs California (7-5)
12/23	Poinsettia	MWC vs Pac-10 #6	Utah (9-3) vs Oregon State (6-6)
12/24	Hawaii	C-USA vs WAC	Fresno State (8-4) vs SMU (7-5)
12/26	Little Caesar's Pizza! Pizza!	Big Ten #7 vs MAC	Boise State (13-0) vs Central Michigan (11-2)
12/26	Meineke Car Care	ACC #5-7 vs Big East #3	West Virginia (9-3) vs Wake Forest (6-6)
12/26	Emerald	ACC #5-7 vs Pac-10	Boston College (8-4) vs Stanford (6-6)
12/27	Music City	ACC #5-7 vs SEC	Auburn (7-5) vs North Carolina (7-5)
12/28	Independence	Big 12 vs SEC	Ole Miss (7-5) vs Texas A&M (7-5)
12/29	EagleBank	ACC #8 vs Army	Temple (9-4) vs Central Florida (6-6)
12/29	Champs Sports	ACC #4 vs Big Ten #4-5	Virginia Tech (9-3) vs Minnesota (7-5)
12/30	Humanitarian	MWC vs WAC	Idaho (8-4) vs Air Force (7-5)
12/30	Holiday	Big 12 #3 vs Pac-10 #2	USC (10-2) vs Oklahoma (8-4)
12/30	Texas	Big 12 #8 vs Navy	Navy (8-5) vs Iowa State (7-5)
12/31	Armed Forces	C-USA vs MWC	Tulsa (7-5) vs Colorado State (6-6)
12/31	Sun	Big 12 vs Pac-10 #3	Missouri (9-3) vs Arizona (7-5)
12/31	Insight	Big Ten #6 vs Big 12 #6	Kansas (6-6) vs UCLA (6-6)
12/31	Chick-Fil-A	ACC #2 vs SEC	Georgia Tech (11-2) vs Arkansas (8-4)
1/1	Outback	Big Ten #3 vs SEC	Ohio State (9-3) vs Georgia (7-5)
1/1	Capital One	Big Ten #2 vs SEC	Wisconsin (10-2) vs Tennessee (8-4)
1/1	Gator	ACC #3 vs Big East/ND	Miami-FL (10-2) vs Notre Dame (9-3)
1/1	Rose	BCS vs BCS	Iowa (11-1) vs Oregon (11-1)
1/1	Sugar	BCS vs BCS	Alabama (12-1) vs Penn State (11-1)
1/2	International	Big East vs MAC	Northern Illinois (7-5) vs UConn (6-6)
1/2	PapaJohns.com	Big East vs SEC	Kentucky (6-6) vs Southern Miss (6-6)
1/2	Cotton	Big 12 #2 vs SEC	Nebraska (9-4) vs LSU (8-4)
1/2	Liberty	C-USA #1 vs SEC	Houston (11-2) vs South Carolina (6-6)
1/2	Alamo	Big Ten #4-5 vs Big 12 #5	Oklahoma State (8-4) vs Michigan (6-6)
1/4	Fiesta	BCS vs BCS	TCU (12-0) vs Cincinnati (11-1)
1/5	Orange	BCS vs BCS	Pittsburgh (10-2) vs Clemson (10-3)
1/6	GMAC	ACC #9 vs MAC	Middle Tennessee (9-3) vs Ohio (8-4)
1/7	BCS Championship	BCS #1 vs BCS #2	Florida (13-0) vs Texas (13-0)

Seriously, some FANTASTIC matchups here.

-- Best New Mexico Bowl ever.
-- Boise/CMU really could be fun, though I think Boise would end up winning by 21.
-- Temple's going bowling!!!
-- USC-Oklahoma!
-- Missouri-Arizona could be underrated simply because I'm not sure people realize how well Arizona is playing.
-- Georgia Tech-Arkansas would pit the S&P+'s two favorite offensive teams.
-- Miami-Notre Dame!!
-- Iowa-Oregon would be an interesting contrast, to say the least.
-- Alabama-PSU might not be exciting football, but it would be awesome to see them on the same field, especially at the Sugar Bowl, where they played one of the best games of all-time 31 years ago.
-- TCU-Cincy would be a fun matchup of good defensive teams with underrated offenses.
Minimal awful matchups, really, though you couldn't pay me to watch much of either Ohio State-Georgia or Wisconsin-Tennessee, especially if Miami-Notre Dame was on around the same time.
The Big East really needs a better set of bowl affiliations...guess they've already worked their way toward that for next year.