6B
SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY RAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2007
Sooners focus on matchup against Mizzou
ASSOCIATED PRESS
NORMAN, Okla. — Malcolm Kelly came to Oklahoma expecting to play for national championships. Seeing the Sooners reduced to messing up another team's chances wasn't what he envisioned.
Two weeks after Oklahoma's national title hopes faded away on the West Texas plains, the No. 9 Sooners (10-2, 6-2) find themselves with only one stake in deciding the BCS title: spoiling top-ranked Missouri's shot at its first national championship.
"Usually you hear about an unranked team or somebody playing the spoiler against Oklahoma," said Kelly, who grew up as a Texas fan but signed on as a Sooners wide receiver because he thought his chances at a title would be better. "It's just a bad deal, but we can't change it."
The Sooners aren't accustomed to the role they'll play Saturday in San Antonio. It's the first time in six Big 12 title game appearances that they'll be the lower-ranked team, and only the seventh time since they won the 2000 national championship that their opponent will have a higher ranking.
"We're going after a Big 12 championship. There isn't anything spoiling about that," Sooners coach Bob Stoops said.
"Spoiler roles are those teams that are 5-6 and are trying to knock somebody out of something and they don't have anything. To me, those teams don't have a chance at it and they're trying to knock you
out. We've got a chance at something really special."
Oklahoma was in position to play for something even more special before quarterback Sam Bradford sustained a concussion two weeks ago at Texas Tech and had to leave the game in the first quarter. The Sooners' defense didn't respond, and backup quarterback Joey Halzle's bid to dig the team out of a 24-point hole fell short in a 14-27 loss. Otherwise, the Sooners would be playing for a spot in the BCS championship game just like Missouri (11-1, 7-1).
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"What happened happened, and we still have a lot in front of us," center Jon Cooper said. "We don't need to focus on that now."
Instead, the Sooners have hone in on trying to become the first team ever to repeat as Big 12 champions. They've won the title a league-best four times in 2000, 2002, 2004 and last season.
Missouri won't be in the same situation. A loss by the Tigers would likely put Ohio State in the national championship game.
Oklahoma will be seeking its first win against a No. 1 team since 2000 and actually enters the game slightly favored by oddsmakers despite looking like an underdog in the polls.
"If we're favored or not, I think our mentality is the same as a team," receiver Juaquin Iglesias said. "Just if we execute well, we feel like we can win. That's what we're going to go on, we're not going to go on any other outside stuff. We're just going to try to take care of us."
Oklahoma wide receiver Malcolm Kelly fights his way into the end zone as Utah State defender Caleb Taylor, left, tries to hold on, during a game in Norman, Okla., on Sept. 15. The No. 9 Sooners have only one stake in deciding the BCS title: spoiling top-ranked Missouri's shot at its first national championship.
Daniel among top five quarterbacks in nation
BIG 12 FOOTBALL
ASSOCIATED PRESS
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Chase Daniel, who elbowed his way into the Heisman Trophy forefront while leading Missouri to its first No. 1 ranking since 1960, was a unanimous pick on Wednesday as the AP Big 12 offensive player of the year.
Oklahoma linebacker Curtis Lofton, the top playmaker on a defense that will try to slow down the Tigers in the Big 12 championship game on Saturday night, is the defensive player of the year.
Prolific Texas Tech wide receiver Michael Crabtree, a freshman who leads the nation in receptions, is the offensive newcomer of the year. The defensive newcomer of the year is Kansas freshman defensive back Chris Harris, who helped the Jayhawks win their first 12 games and rise to No. 2.
Missouri is the only school in the country to score 30 points in every game and everything revolves around the unflappable Daniel. He's among the top five in the nation in touchdown passes (33), completion percentage (70.5), total offense
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Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel is now in Heisman contention after leading the Tigers to their first No.1 ranking since 1960.
(351) and passing yards (3,951), with a knack for coming up with big plays.
"You saw it, America saw it," coach Gary Pinkel said. "This guy is special, and America got to see how special he is."
The latest example came in the Big 12 North title game on Saturday, when Daniel was 40-for-49 for 361 yards and three touchdowns in a 36-28 victory that also spoiled Kansas' unbeaten season.
The 6-foot Daniel grew accustomed to big-game pressure at South Lake Carroll High School, a suburb of Dallas, Texas, where he won a state championship, was the two-time Class 5A player of the year and recalled a crowd of 45,000 showing up for one playoff game. It was not a difficult transition to Missouri, forever an also-ran in the Big 12 and Big Eight, where his only frame of reference before committing to Pinkel's struggling program was record-setting quarterback Brad Smith.
Wrapping up a brilliant junior year. Daniel is working on wiping out many of Smith's marks while bringing the Tigers only one win shy of their first conference championship since 1969 and a shot at a first national championship.
The last unanimous choice as conference offensive player of the
Pinkel knew the quarterback job would be in good hands for years to come in 2005 when Daniel, as a freshman, stepped in after Smith sustained a concussion and led Missouri to a comeback victory over Iowa State.
year, Texas quarterback Vince Young in 2005, led the Longhorns to a national title that year.
"He's a winner, we knew that coming out of high school," Pinkel said. "You don't just do what he did accidentally."
In the fourth quarter this season, Daniel is 46-for-55 for 508 yards with four touchdowns and one interception. His play rescued Missouri from a handful of tight situations in conference play.
Lofton, a junior, played a pivotal role in Missouri's lone loss when he returned a botched handoff from Daniel to Jeremy Maclin for a touchdown that helped Oklahoma pull away for a 41-31 victory in mid-October. He also had 18 tackles in the game.
Crabtree is the top target in Texas Tech's high-scoring offense with 125 receptions, a 14.9-yard average and 21 touchdowns. Harris started nine games for Kansas, stepping after an injury to returning starter Kendrick Harper, totaling 61 tackles and an interception.
MLB
Royals sign experienced Japanese relief pitcher
A 34-year-old right-hander, Yabuta spent 12 seasons with the Pacific League's Chiba Lotte Marines, who are managed by Bobby Valentine.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Reliever Yasuhiko Yubata has agreed to a two-year, $6 million contract with the Kansas City Royals and will compete for a spot as the team's primary setup man.
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Trey Hillman, who spent the past five years managing the Nippon Ham Fighters before being hired last month by the Royals, was helpful in persuading Yabuta to come to Kansas City.
"I don't know how much that factors in," Royals general manager Dayton Moore said Wednesday. "But let's face it, we've all been exposed to different things in our lives for the first time. I think the fact that Trey is very well respected not only in the U.S., but in Japan, and is very familiar with the Japanese culture certainly helps."
Yabata gets $2.5 million next season and $3 million in 2009. The Royals have a $4 million option for 2010 with a $500,000 buyout, but the option becomes Yabata's if he pitches in a specified amount of games.
In addition, he can earn $500,000 annually in performance bonuses.
Yabuta has a 44-59 career record with nine saves and a 4.03 ERA in 343 appearances, including 86 starts.
He was 4-6 with four saves
"He will be an important veteran arm that will help add stability to the back end of our bullpen."
DAYTON MOORE Royals GM
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and a 2.73 ERA in 58 relief outings this past season, then became a free agent. He walked 10 and struck out 45 in 62 2-3 innings.
An interpreter will be hired for Yabuta, but the Royals believe Hillman's Japanese language skills will be adequate for any communication during games. Interprets are not allowed in dugouts.
He will be introduced to the Kansas City media on today.
"He throws a fastball, changeup, splitter," Moore said. "He has a slider. The changeup and split are the main reasons he's had so much success against left-handers. He keeps his fastball down in the zone. He doesn't walk a lot of guys. He makes them beat him. That's something we like."
"Yasuhiko has been one of the best relievers in Japan the last several years," Moore said. "He will be an important veteran arm that will help add stability to the back end of our bullpen."
Moore said his fastball is in the 88-92 mph range.
Kansas City plans to be more aggressive internationally.
"Hopefully, we will be more successful," Moore said. "When I was with the Braves and doing international work, you want to sign somebody who makes sense for your team and helps you win. But it's a passion and a goal to get involved with the (Japanese) market. The players that play in Asia are very skilled baseball players, very talented. We all witnessed that when they won the World Baseball Classic. They're very fundamentally sound baseball players. We want to be very competitive in every talent pool that exists. This is certainly one of the better talent pools out there."
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