Around the Big 12 - Week #1

Other than A&M, it was pretty good start for the conference. Wake Forest was probably not the best way to kick off the Art Briles Era for the Bears.

Big 12 vs BCS: 2-1
Big 12 vs All: 10-2

1-Oklahoma (1-0) #3, s = 86
The Sooners were up 50-0 at half time. The delay at halftime really helped out Chattanooga though as the second half score was 7-2. Cincy comes to Norman next -- 9-4 in 2007.

2-Missouri (1-0) #5, s = 22
There's going to be a lot of whining about the 42 points and 532 yards given up to Illinois; however, that's pretty much how the Tigers operate. They can win a shootout with just about anyone. The Tigers get to relax for a while now -- probably 'til October 18.

3-Kansas (1-0) #11, s = 88
The O-line needs to get better, but otherwise, the team looks to be on schedule. All of the sudden the LA Tech game takes on a whole different look. The Bulldogs knocked off the SEC's Mississippi St 22-14 -- an 8-5 bowl team last year with 15 returning starters.

4-Texas (1-0) #9, s = 11?
The Longhorns took care of business against Florida Atlantic 52-10. Now they prepare for a big long road trip -- all the way to El Paso for a matchup with UTEP (lost at Buffalo 17-42). UT only leaves the state of Texas twice during the regular season -- 10/4 @ CU and 11/15 @ KU.

5-Texas Tech (1-0) #13, s = 114
The Red Raiders hosted Eastern Washington and provided the usual offensive fireworks with a 52-24 win. I'm not sure that giving up 24 points convinces me that the defense is improved. They'll travel to Nevada next (won 49-13 vs Grambling).

6-Oklahoma State (1-0) #35, s = 106
Beating WSU 39-13 at a "neutral" site in Washington probably rates higher than the CU and Mizzou wins -- at least with me. Sure the Cougars were only 5-7 last year, but it's still basically a road win against the PAC-10. They get Houston (55-3 vs Southern) at home next week.

7-Colorado (1-0) #49, s =68
Every win in the non-con is a plus for the Buffs. They get Eastern Washington (see Texas Tech above) in Boulder next week before tackling WVU and FSU in Florida.

8-Nebraska (1-0) #58, s = 43
Okay, okay -- the Corn Meter is starting to rise a little bit. A nice 47-24 win over W. Michigan (5-7 in 2007). Those who would aspire to wear black shirts recorded four sacks and a pair of takeaways.

9-Kansas State (1-0) #64, s = 112
The Cats got all A's from the KC Star for their 45-6 win over North Texas so things are off and rolling in Manhattan. Louisville looked unimpressive yesterday so all of the sudden 4-0 is looking like a real possibility. Montana State comes to town next week.

10-Iowa State (1-0) #96, s = 113
The new uniforms are clearly working. The Clones beat up on South Dakota St. 44-17 last Thursday. Next they'll try to avenge last year's 14-23 loss to Kent St (0-1, 21-0 loss to BC). A nice early season measuring stick game.

11-Baylor (0-1) #89, s = 16
It wouldn't be any fun if it was easy right? The Bears will try to recover from the 41-13 home loss to Wake Forest by taking on FCS Northwestern State (4-7 in 2007).

12-Texas A&M (0-1) #105, s = 89
I don't really feel like A&M is the worst team in the conference, but how can you not put them here after losing 18-14 to Arkansas State (5-7 in '07) in College Station? Seriously, now you're making my Hawks look bad. It's supposed to be tough to win down there. Dropped from 46 to 105 in the Sportsline poll. Going on the road to New Mexico (0-1, 26-3 home loss to TCU).

# = CBS Sportsline Rank
s = CBS Strength of Schedule

KU's Daymond Patterson TD Video (FIU Game)

Inside the Tent: Kansas 40, Florida International 10

“It was unbelievable to play the first game of the season with the place filled up. Having the crowd loud and behind you is something special. I don’t think there has been a first game here in a while that has been sold out. It was a lot of fun and a good way to start the season.”
--Todd Reesing on the opening day crowd

From Row 46

• Daymond Patterson for Heisman. Hopefully, I'm the first one to get that in print.
• Seriously, when I saw #28 in the first open practice, he seemed to be on a different level and I came away thinking the kid could make an immediate impact. Of course, I also thought he was Eric Tyler.
• Kerry Meier had 9 catches for 62 yards. I'm not sure that is correct. I really thought he had 22 catches on that one drive in the first quarter.
• During my postgame comments, I was thinking that Jeremiah Hatch did get the start and Matt Darton came in later. The real media reports that Darton actually started.
• Even with the missed extra point, the offensive line play has secured the #1 spot on areas to be concerned about. They seemed to improve in pass protection throughout the game despite the heavy blitzing; however, 128 yards in rushing is not where we want to be.
• I think that Angus Quigley has got to be part of the first-half rotation next week. While the O-line is still developing, we need his drive-through-the-tackler power on the field. There's no reason to keep running Jake Sharp and Jocques Crawford into a wall. I'd spread that over the three ball carriers until we sort out the run blocking. We know it takes a physical toll over the season for each back and we want fresh ball carriers in November. Besides, he earned it on the field (led all rushers with 47 yds) and I don't believe the blocking was any different than what it was for Jocques Crawford or Jake Sharp.
• Quigley critics will say that his technique is poor -- he doesn't keep his pads low. Okay, maybe ... I really don't care if he gets the yards. Plus, when he gets past the LBs, he makes it a point to punish the opponent DBs.
• The offensive tackles obviously struggled, but I liked what I saw from the defensive tackles. Particularly enjoyed the pressure that Jamal Greene put on FIU's QB on the fourth and short in the first half. The FIU O-lineman could only hold onto the jersey as Greene bulled into the backfield to harrass the QB (no holding call).
• It may not be bad if Maxwell Onyegbule is used only as a pass rush specialist. It worked with Brandon Perkins.
• It seemed like we did have some more speed from the edge on the d-line. The jury's still out though.
• The style of this defense always catches me off guard. They really control the game and smother the opposition. I always compare that to the 2005 defense which really created more chaos. Both results are very effective, just interesting to once again note the difference.
• I saw absolutely no drop off on the defensive side of the ball. More confidence and possibly a stronger d-line overall.
• The Breeze starts off the year with nine catches and three TDs. Not too bad, but I'm surprised the yardage total was so low (55 yards)
• This is a fan's perspective, but FIU did seem better to me this year over last. Easy to say with the scoreboard improvement, but they've got some talent out there. Just not quite a cohesive unit yet on both sides of the ball. I'll be surprised if they don't pick up multiple wins in the Sun Belt.
• I know this is a cliche, but I'm pretty sure Alonso Rojas outkicked the coverage on that FIU TD return. That's a good problem to have. He can really boot it and it is possible that we can improve our field position advantage over last year.
• A 47-yard field goal by Rojas? Bonus.
• The kick return team seemed to struggle, but the FIU kickoffs were a little awkward.
• Todd Reesing saw a lot of pressure early. He's got a great ability to stay cool and at times excel in those situations. He was throwing a little high last night, which I'm sure he would like to avoid.
• The offense seemed to lose focus late in the third quarter as usual during these types of mismatch games. It really does seem to mirror the crowd attention span. As the crowd exits, so does the offensive intensity.
• Seems like I've been to Memorial for a lot of record-breaking attendance games, but it was impressive that we notched 52,112. I'll give the fans a win on that one. A little bit late arriving, but maybe we can blame K-10 construction for that issue. Let's talk about completing the north bowl.

Gameday - Kansas Jayhawks vs Florida International Golden Panthers

Photo: www.annependleton.com

Series: KU 1-0
Time: 6:00 p.m.
TV: None
Line: KU (-36)

The Rundown
The road to the national championship starts today.

The Key
Will  KU fans fill up the stadium? It's already a failure that the Jayhawk Nation was not able to create an advance sellout. We'll let them off the hook if it does sellout, but anything short of capacity tonight will count in the loss column for the fans.

The Bullets

• My main focus tonight will be watching the offensive tackles
• The parking point system is so jacked up now that what was once a tailgate of four groups for my crew, now has our group parked in four different locations. Collectively $8000 in donations and no one is happy. Doesn't matter though -- it's not about the tailgate. Just get me in the game.
• I'd like to see The Breeze (Dezmon B) catch every ball thown his way.
• On the defensive side, I'm going to be focused on Jeff Wheeler
• Our first extra point or field goal attempt of the day will probably occur in virtual silence as the KU fans will be chewing their fingernails
• I can't wait to see #3 carry the ball in live action
• I'm also curious as to who will actually be playing linebacker tonight.

Todd Reesing SI Video

Missouri Tigers 2008 Preview

Coach: Gary Pinkel (49-37) Eighth Year
Last Year: 12-2, 7-2 Big 12 North, first of six 
Returning Starters : Offense 6*, Line 3 | Defense 10, Line 3

Three Things You Should Know
1) Thank God for Illinois. Otherwise, Mizzou would be hearing a serious media chorus whining about their upcoming schedule. They do have to go to Lincoln, but Tiger insiders assure me that this is no issue. There's a trip to Austin in the middle of the schedule that could be troublesome. And of course, you have the Border War over in Raytown. So, that's it. Illinois, Texas and KU. Mizzou fans better hope the Jayhawks post a good record this year, because that schedule talk gets old.
2) The Tigers will be replacing four-year starter Adam Spieker at the center position. Sophomore Tim Barnes (6-4/305) gets the job and he'll have to get experienced quickly as Illinois returns three starters on the D-line. It'll be interesting to see if the Illini try to confuse the new center with lots of line/linebacker shifts.
3) The brief #1 ranking that Tigers notched last year was their first appearance in that slot since 1960.

Trends
MU is 5-2 over the past three years in neutral site games ... MU's schedule difficulty is rated at #64 by Phil Steele (KU #25) ... MU goes for three-straight against KU which would match the Jayhawk streak from 2003-2005 ... Since 1966, neither team has been able to string together more than three wins in the series.

The Game
I think this is pretty simple. We can score on Missouri. The defense has flat out cost us this game the past two years and the senior crew of linebackers has a little pressure on them at this point. Obviously, the Orange Bowl Championship is the pinnacle of KU football to date, but don't think it won't get a little uncomfortable at Alumni functions for Mike Rivera, James Holt and Joe Mortenson when they run into Nick Reid, Banks Floodman and Kevin Kane if they don't have a Missouri win in their pocket. They had this Border War thing under control when they walked out the door and the new crew hasn't really carried the torch in this specific series. Still, it's not like you get your picture on the wall for beating Mizzou or anything crazy like that. You just can't let this thing get out of control and besides the road to a Big 12 Championship goes through Missouri and that trophy would look pretty nice at the new complex.

Speaking of the old LBs, what happened in this series? We held the Tigers to three points in 2005. Credit the new offensive scheme or Chase Daniels as Mizzou converted that three-point output to 42 points the following year in Columbia, then 36 last year at Arrowhead. Tactically, we're getting beat on this scheme and I'd like to think that after two years we'll bring a new game plan to the table (I said this last year as well). You can play your base if you want to, but don't show it until the offensive coaches have made their call. Since our offense runs virtually the same scheme as far as playcalling from the sideline, I'd think it would be pretty easy to work this out in practice. It's crazy to let that particular offense know what you're doing every play.

2008 Missouri Schedule
Aug. 30, 2008 Illinois  
Sept. 6, 2008 SE Missouri St. 
Sept. 13, 2008 Nevada  
Sept. 20, 2008 Buffalo 
Oct. 4, 2008 at Nebraska 
Oct. 11, 2008 OK State  
Oct. 18, 2008 at Texas 
Oct. 25, 2008 Colorado  
Nov. 1, 2008 at Baylor 
Nov. 8, 2008 Kansas State  
Nov. 15, 2008 at Iowa State  
Nov. 29, 2008 Kansas

2007 Results
W at Illinois 40-34
W at Ole Miss 38-25
W Western Michigan 52-24
W Illinois St. 38-17
W Nebraska 41-6
L at Oklahoma 41-31
W Texas Tech 41-10
W Iowa State 42-28
W at Colorado 55-10
W Texas A&M 40-26
W at Kansas State 49-32
W at Kansas 36-28
L Oklahoma 38-17
W at Arkansas 38-7

Texas Longhorns 2008 Preview

Coach: Mack Brown (103-25) Eleventh Year
Last Year: 10-3, 5-3 Big 12 South, second of six 
Returning Starters : Offense 6*, Line 3 | Defense 4, Line 2

Three Things You Should Know
1) Phil Steele hates Texas. He picked them to finish third in the south and has no UT player listed on his All-Big Twelve first team. Is that possible?
2) The Longhorns will face nine bowl teams on this year's schedule.
3) Texas is trying out another new defensive coordinator. His name is Will Muschamp and unfortunately, they may have it right this time. He just spent two years at Auburn. Before that he hung around with Nick "Money" Saban, so he endured a year with the NFL Dolphins in 2005 after running the D for Saban at LSU. I think that went pretty well (the LSU part).

Trends
Texas has never finished lower than second in the Big 12 south under Mack Brown ... Colt McCoy is 20-6 as a starting QB ... KU's last win versus Texas was in 1938! ... Mark Mangino is 4-2 on Senior Day at KU, but one of those losses was the 2004 "BCS" game against UT ... The Jayhawks are 8-3 in the last 11 Senior Day games.

The Game
Every single intangible in this matchup favors KU. Home game, Senior Day, the ultimate revenge game, possible cold weather, Todd Reesing overlooked by his favorite school, KU trying to match KSU, UT not taking KU seriously and it probably goes on. Still, even with all of that, the Horns will always bring in a team with top-level talent. They certainly aren't going to lay down for the Hawks and with Muschamp running the D, expect a more aggresive front line. Fortunately, their secondary is inexperienced, so Reesing should be able to find targets. On the other side of the ball, UT loses a lot of skill but has most of the O-line intact. It may be tough to get to Colt McCoy, but the reality is after facing Oklahoma and Texas Tech the defense should feel a little more comfortable against the Horns. We've seen it before -- the Jayhawks go to war on Senior Day.

2008 Texas Schedule
Aug. 30, 2008 Florida Atlantic
Sept. 6, 2008 at Texas-El Paso 
Sept. 13, 2008 Arkansas 
Sept. 20, 2008 Rice 
Oct. 4, 2008 at Colorado 
Oct. 11, 2008 at Oklahoma
Oct. 18, 2008 Missouri
Oct. 25, 2008 Oklahoma State 
Nov. 1, 2008 at Texas Tech 
Nov. 8, 2008 Baylor  
Nov. 15, 2008 at Kansas 
Nov. 27, 2008 Texas A&M  

2007 Results
W Arkansas St. 21-13
W TCU 34-13
W at UCF 35-32
W Rice 58-14
L Kansas State 41-21
L Oklahoma 28-21
W at Iowa State 56-3
W at Baylor 31-10
W Nebraska 28-25
W at OK State 38-35
W Texas Tech 59-43
L at Texas A&M 38-30
W Arizona State 52-34

Nebraska Cornhuskers 2008 Preview

Coach: Bo Pelini (0-0) First Year
Last Year: 5-7, 2-6 Big 12 North, fifth of six 
Returning Starters : Offense 6*, Line 3 | Defense 6, Line 4

Three Things You Should Know
1) The Huskers start with five straight at home, but you wonder if Virginia Tech as game #4 will have the same effect as USC last year. The Corn barely recovered to beat Ball State 41-40 after the USC game, so it was clear that the damage was done. NU could start 3-0 this year, but if VA Tech provides another de-moralizing home loss that could cause a spiral as Missouri comes to Lincoln the following week. That is followed by a road trip to Lubbock. Ouch. One positive -- the Huskers do get a bye week before the Virginia Tech game.
2) Joe Ganz is technically not a returning starter, but after up 1,399 passing yards and 15 TDs in the last three games of 2007, I gave him the asterisk above. Also, on offense SR RB Marlon Lucky is the top returning Big 12 rusher (1,019 yards).
3) Obviously, defense was the issue last year, but the Huskers have four returning starters up front. If Bo Pelini is going to turn this around quick at least that is something to build on.

Trends
The home team is 6-0 since 2002 in the Nebraska/Mizzou series ... KU has lost 19 straight in Lincoln ... the 76 points that Kansas put up against NU last year was the most allowed in team history by the Huskers.

The Game
A win in Lincoln. It's been on the checklist for quite a while. The Huskers will try to hold on to that one with all they've got. As far as I know, other than the home sellouts, that's the last big streak from the old days of Nebraska football (maybe MU not winning in Lincoln since '78 counts as well). The Jayhawks have obviously turned the corner against NU. Starting in 2003 when KU fought hard but lost 24-3 (minus Whittemore), this series has tightened up. Since that game, KU has played Nebraska tough on the road and pretty much blown them out in Lawrence (40-15, 76-39). The last two battles in Lincoln have been close losses (8-14, '04 and 32-39 OT, '06), so Nebraska should expect a confident KU squad. Other than the 84,000 fans wearing red, the most disturbing thing about this game is that NU's offense exposed our pass defense in 2007. Ganz and company will probably feel pretty good going into this one. For Todd Reesing and KU, it looks like the magic number is 39 ... at least based on NU's point totals from '06 and '07.

2008 Nebraska Schedule
Aug. 30, 2008 Western Michigan  
Sept. 6, 2008 San Jose St.  
Sept. 13, 2008 New Mexico St.  
Sept. 27, 2008 Virginia Tech  
Oct. 4, 2008 Missouri  
Oct. 11, 2008 at Texas Tech  
Oct. 18, 2008 at Iowa State 
Oct. 25, 2008 Baylor  
Nov. 1, 2008 at Oklahoma 
Nov. 8, 2008 Kansas
Nov. 15, 2008 at Kansas State 
Nov. 28, 2008 Colorado

2007 Results
W Nevada 52-10
W at Wake Forest 20-17
L USC 49-31
W Ball State 41-40
W Iowa State 35-17
L at Missouri 41-6
L OK State 45-14
L Texas A&M 36-14
L at Texas 28-25
L at Kansas 76-39
W Kansas State 73-31
L at Colorado 65-51

KJ-IBT Is Reporting LB Injuries

The KJ-IBT blog is reporting that both Arist Wright and James Holt will miss the FIU game. I have some internal sources as well and I usually sit on these kinds of injury reports with the theory that if KU wanted people to know, they'd let the info out. So, I'm very interested to see how this works out. Obviously, a blog becomes pretty valuable if they are going to provide info ahead of the rest of the media.

On this specific rumor, I have no confirmation.

Kansas State Wildcats 2008 Preview

Coach: Ron Prince (12-13) Third Year
Last Year: 5-7, 3-5 Big 12 North, fourth of six 
Returning Starters : Offense 7*, Line 4 | Defense 5, Line 0

Three Things You Should Know
1) KSU has had seven assistant coaches leave under Ron Prince. This year the Cats get Cornell Jackson (LBs), Warren Ruggiero (QBs) and Jeff Rodgers (special teams) as new assistants.
2) The defense was the big reason for the collapse after the 5-3 start last year. The D allowed 348, 702, 427 and 529 yards in the last four games vs ISU, NU, MU and Fresno State.
3) The offensive line should be a strength in 2008 as Jordan Bedore returns to play center and the Cats have seven linemen returning that got playing time in 2007.

Trends
This will be the 106th meeting between KU and K-State with the Jayhawks leading the series 64-36-5. Mark Mangino is now 3-3 vs the Cats, but KU has won three of the last four. KSU hasn't lost three straight in this series since 1988-1990.

The Game
Despite the general smirking that KU fans are doing regarding the circus that seems to be KSU football under Ron Prince, this game makes me uncomfortable ... at least right now. Yes, on paper KU is clearly the better team, but bringing in so many JUCO players makes this an unknown team in my book. That quick fix plan rarely works, but until we see this unit against Louisville I'm going to go along with the rest of the pundits and assume that the Cats will improve slightly. With that in mind, I expect another tough game against the Cats. Having the game in Lawrence helps as KSU will get a huge dose of the KU student section and the atmosphere probably helped in 2006 when the Cats turned it over six times. Ultimately, I think KSU defense will be greatly overmatched and I like our secondary versus the KSU wideouts, but this is a rivalry game and I feel like State will play desperate in this one.

2008 Kansas State Schedule
Aug. 30, 2008 North Texas 
Sept. 6, 2008 Montana St. 
Sept. 17, 2008 at Louisville 
Sept. 27, 2008 Louisiana-Laf. 
Oct. 4, 2008 Texas Tech  
Oct. 11, 2008 at Texas A&M 
Oct. 18, 2008 at Colorado 
Oct. 25, 2008 Oklahoma  
Nov. 1, 2008 at Kansas  
Nov. 8, 2008 at Missouri 
Nov. 15, 2008 Nebraska 
Nov. 22, 2008 Iowa State

2007 Results
L at Auburn 23-13
W San Jose St. 34-14
W Missouri State 61-10
W at Texas 41-21
L Kansas 30-24
W Colorado 47-20
L at OK State 41-39
W Baylor 51-13
L at Iowa State 31-20
L at Nebraska 73-31
L Missouri 49-32
L at Fresno State 45-29

Mary Jane -- Check the Fox Broadcast Schedule

"I so dig Mark Mangino."

Emily Jones from Fox Sports during an interview with 810 in KC at approximately 8:10 a.m.

Texas Tech Red Raiders 2008 Preview

Coach: Mike Leach (65-37) Ninth Year
Last Year: 9-4, 4-4 Big 12 South, third of six 
Returning Starters : Offense 10*, Line 4 | Defense 8, Line 4

Three Things You Should Know
1) Start with the crazy individual stats -- Graham Harrell (5,705 yds, 48 TDs, 14 INTs) and Michael Crabtree (134 rec, 1962 yds and 22 TDS).
2) Okay, you already knew that one. How about this? Texas Tech hasn't won a conference title since 1955.
3) Phil Steele claims that Tech led the Big 12 in total defense over that last eight games in 2007. With the four DL back, maybe Tech's defense is something to think about.

Trends
Tech is 5-0 in Lawrence all-time ... against the Tech, Texas & OU rotation KU is 3-15 ... KU has played that two-year cycle three times and it's gets worse each time -- '96-'97 (2-4), '00-'01 (1-5), '04-'05 (0-6) ... therefore, you are correct -- Mark Mangino has never won against this rotation while at KU.

The Game
This is a big one. The 47-50 OT loss at CU in '03 or the 17-20 fourth quarter meltdown at Northwestern in 2004* would likely be the two most viable candidates to qualify as the first official crushing loss of the Mangino Era. However, the 31-30 home loss to Tech (one week after NW) took Jayhawk football heartbreak to a new level and we got to see it on the home field. Most fans thought that was as low as it could get. Luckily though, the Texas game later in the year taught us about the depths of college football.**

So, yeah ... the last time Tech was in Lawrence we lead 30-5 in the first half and found a way to lose. It's all hazy now, but I didn't enjoy it. So, let the 2008 Mini-Revenge Tour*** begin. This will be homecoming for KU, but we'll be returning from the battle in Norman, OK. Tech will be at the end of three-of-four on the road and KU will represent the toughest challenge to that point for the Red Raiders. So, who has the edge? KU has shown very little ability to control capable true spread teams. That's priority one for 2008, but if they don't get a pass rush going it won't happen. Let's just say they've got to get it done because this game is not only the pivotal point to the season, it is also the prep game for Mizzou.

"Pivotal" you ask? Sure. For one, only Oklahoma is allowed to lose to Tech without being labeled a fraud. Secondly, either you come in with a sparkling record and you'll need this one to stay in the overall race or we're carrying a few too many losses and a win will be needed to kick off the final four game drive for a quality bowl.

2008 Texas Tech Schedule
Aug. 30, 2008 E. Washington  
Sept. 6, 2008 at Nevada  
Sept. 13, 2008 SMU  
Sept. 20, 2008 Massachusetts  
Oct. 4, 2008 at Kansas State 
Oct. 11, 2008 Nebraska  
Oct. 18, 2008 at Texas A&M
Oct. 25, 2008 at Kansas  
Nov. 1, 2008 Texas 
Nov. 8, 2008 OK State 
Nov. 22, 2008 at Oklahoma  
Nov. 29, 2008 Baylor

2007 Results
W at SMU 49-9
W Texas-El Paso 45-31
W at Rice 59-24
L at OK State 49-45
W Northwestern St. 75-7
W Iowa State 42-17 
W Texas A&M 35-7
L at Missouri 41-10
L Colorado 31-26
W at Baylor 38-7
L at Texas 59-43
W Oklahoma 34-27
W at Virginia 31-28

*I was there for that and didn't enjoy it.

**Until 2006 arrived and we spent a half season in hell -- Toledo, Nebraska, A&M, OSU, Baylor

***Preceded by the 2007 Maximum Revenge Tour -- Toledo, Nebraska, A&M, OSU, Baylor