18 BIG 12
OKLAHOMA SOONERS
Bradford to lead Sooners through tough schedule
James Roth The Oklahoma Daily
NORMAN, Okla. — After a disappointing end to last year's season, the Sooners are geared up and ready to make another run at a national championship in 2009. With returning Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford at the helm, the Sooners look to not only win their fourth consecutive Big 12 title but also their eighth national championship in school history.
The Sooners will start the season off by playing in Texas, and it will not be at the Cotton Bowl. Instead the Sooners will play Brigham Young University at the new Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The game will mark the first collegiate football game ever played in the stadium.
The Sooners will then be back in Norman for the following two weeks when they host Idaho State and Tulsa before traveling to the University of Miami to play the Hurricanes.
After returning home to face Baylor, the Sooners will take on their longtime rival, the Texas Longhorns, in the 103rd Red River Rivalry game in Dallas. The Sooners
look to redeem their loss last year to the Longhorns, and the game should feature a great matchup at the quarterback position between Heisman hopefuls Sam Bradford and Colt McCoy.
The Sooners will finish the regular season facing in-state rival Oklahoma State. OSU looks to have a very strong team this year and it will feature another great quarterback matchup between Bradford and the Cowboys' Zac Robinson.
The Sooners will then play three of their next five games on the road, including games at Kansas, Nebraska and Texas Tech. The Texas Tech Red Raiders will look to get revenge against the Sooners after an embarrassing performance last year, losing 65-21 and shattering any hopes of a national championship.
The Sooners look to have a very promising year. The team looks solid on both sides of the ball, returning many starters from last year's team.
The past couple years have been tough for the Sooners when it comes to bowl games, but in 2009 they hope to change that and get back to a winning tradition.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
In this Oct. 18, 2008, file photo, Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford looks for a receiver in a game against Kansas in Norman, Okla.
The Sooners went on to win the matchup 45-31.
BAYLOR BEARS
Penn State transfer gives Baylor 'D' a boost
By Chris Derrett The Lariat
WACO, Texas — Baylor defensive tackle Phil Taylor makes his Big 12 debut as a Bear this season, but the 6-foot-4, 355-pound Penn State transfer is hardly a rookie to overcoming challenges.
Taylor spent his 2006 and 2007 seasons with the Nittany Lions before head coach Joe Paterno dismissed him from the team for charges stemming from an on-campus fight.
Looking for an opportunity to turn away from trouble, he followed Penn State's safeties coach Brian Norwood to Baylor where Norwood is serving his second year as the Bears' defensive coordinator.
Already, Big 12 media representatives have taken notice of Taylor's potential and expect great things from him.
"I feel honored to be the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year," Taylor said. "We are at 180-degree turnaround from last year on the defensive front."
Head coach Art Briles firmly believes Taylor will be key in the Bears' bid for their first bowl game in 15 seasons, a season that could steer Baylor toward the kind of bowl success enjoyed in the 1980s and early '90s.
"[Taylor] has to be a guy that is completely dominant every time he puts number 11 on," Briles said. "They need to know who he is, who he is representing and how he is going to play."
Last year Baylor ranked 103rd in pass defense and 85th in total defense. The team also had 54 tackles for loss, placing 109th in the nation.
Because Taylor requires double team
"He is a huge presence on the inside — literally. People aren't going to be able to double team the linebackers, and that will definitely free us up," Pawelek said.
coverage, senior linebacker Joe Pawelek thinks Taylor's size and strength provide additional defensive pressure that the team wants.
As the last line of defense, senior safety Jordan Lake also appreciates any help the defensive line provides in slowing down opponents.
"Phil has been a huge help when you have someone 350 pounds and runs like they're 220," Lake said, "He is someone anchoring the defensive line."
For Taylor to cause the damage his teammates are counting on, physical speed and quick-witted awareness are crucial. Briles constantly keeps Taylor working on both in
"He helps me understand things. He always says fly to the ball. He makes practices tough, but it helps in the long run," Taylor said.
Taylor realizes he lines up against some of the best linemen in collegiate football in the Big 12, not to mention the backs behind them.
practice.
"We have got some high-caliber offenses," Taylor said about the conference. "I get to go against the Heisman quarterback. But we are going for all of them."
Other than his impressive physique. Taylor also brings something that no other teammate has yet to claim — bowl game experience.
His five tackles helped the 2007 Nittany Lions to a 24-17 Alamo Bowl victory over Texas A&M.
THE WAVE SEPTEMBER 4,2009
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN