Tuesday, September 22, 1998 The University Daily Kansan Section B · Page 3 Commentary Big 12 shows promise still has a ways to go Roll out the red carpet, the Big 12 has arrived For the first time in the league's three-year history, our conference flexed it's muscle and looked comparable to other big-time conferences, such as the ACC, SEC and Big 10. But let's not get ahead of ourselves, the Big 12 is not there vet. What on earth got into the Baylor Bears on Saturday? The winless, underdog Bears hosted No. 20 North Carolina State and beat Tony Pacheco them when a defender blocked a 39-yard field-goal attempt with four seconds remaining in the game. If you think back to the previous Saturday, North Carolina State upset No. 2 Florida State 24-7. Can you believe it? Baylor, which is probably the weakest team in the conference, beat a ranked team — a ranked team that beat FSU. The Oklahoma State Cowboys literally ran 10. No Mississippi State out of town. The Cowboys rumbled for 360 yards against a defense that had only been allowing 72 yards a game. Not too shabby. And before I could even say, "Missouri fans are trash," Iowa State posted its first shutout since Sept. 29, 1984, against a less-than-spectacular Ball State team. Nonetheless, a shutout is a shutout. Behind a strong defense and running back Darren Davis, the Cyclones compiled 333 vards rushing. The team now has won two in a row. Last week it beat a tough Iowa team. Look out, the Cyclones are a lot better than people think. What can I say about Kansas State? For the first time this year the Wildcats played a legitimate football team and dominated. However, Kansas State has yet to play a game on the road. Six of its first seven games are at home. Next week, the Wildcats go back to playing northwest-southern-directional teams with a matchup against Northeast Louisiana — in Manhattan, of course. Oh, can I go, PLEASE? Some thought last Saturday would be the Wildcats' first test of the season. It was not. The game on October 10 against Colorado in Boulder will tell us whether or not they're K-Staters or K-Fakers. Don't hold this against me, but I'm about to say something positive about the Missouri football program. Keep in mind the team beat the Jayhawks with class. The low-class fans are the people we should dislike. For three-plus quarters, the Tigers played competitively with No. 1 Ohio State. The Tigers battled hard until quarterback Corby Jones got butterfingers and cost them the game. I give credit to coach Larry Smith for putting a tough team like Ohio State on the Tigers' schedule. That decision can only help Missouri. Last year's match, although not close, prepared the Tigers for tough competition. Remember the 'Tigers lost to Nebraska in OT because of a fluke play but controlled most of the game. The Tigers are a more dangerous team than the Wildcats. Last, but not least, the Jayhawks collected their first victory of the season. It really was fun to watch KU's All-American offense go to work on the overmatched Redbirds from Illinois State. It reminded me of a Sony PlayStation football game I have, in which one-play drives for 80-plus yards are a regular occurrence. Hopefully, this will build team confidence and the roll will continue. I know it will, because I'm the leader of the bandwagon that everyone is getting on, right? It's hard to imagine a weekend during which the Big 12 gets more quality performances from conference teams than this week. The Big 12, the league envisioned has finally arrived, at least for one weekend. Tony Pacheco is an Olathe senior in English. Conference leaders rush to showdown DES MOINES, Iowa — When it comes to running the football, few are doing it better than the two backs who will showcase their skills in Ames, Iowa on Saturday. The Associated Press Texas Tech will bring the Texas tech nation's leading rusher, R i c k y Williams, to face an Iowa State team that features Dar ren Davis, the No.4 rusher in the country. Iowa State coach Dan McCarney said he was hoping for a full stadium for the Big 12 opener, which will be televised on the league's network. Texas Tech is favored by seven points. "There's no question two of the premier running backs in all of college football will be on the same field," McCarney said yesterday. "I think it's going to be a great game for the fans." Williams has carried 111 times for 665 yards in helping Tech to victories against UTEP, North Texas and Fresno State. His average of 221.6 yards a game is more than 37 better than the No. 2 rusher, Mike Cloud of Boston College. Davis is averaging 171 yards and has run for at least 200 in each of the last two games. With 513 yards, he already is halfway to a second straight 1,000-yard season. "I think Darren Davis is one of the better runners in the country." Texas Tech coach Spike Dykes said. "I don't think there's any question about that." Williams was named the Big 12's offensive player of the week after rushing for 244 yards and two touchdowns in a 34-28 victory against Fresno State. The 5-foot-7, 185-pound sophomore runs behind a huge offensive line that averages 323 pounds per man. The biggest member of that group is 6-5, 357-pound tackle Jonathan Gray, a sophomore. He is joined by Curtis Lowery (327), Robert Haddon (291), Erik Carruth (311) and Steve McFadden (328). "I've been around some big offensive lines through the years, and they're just absolutely massive," McCarney said. "When you get big, strong, mobile offensive linemen like that and a tremendous back with speed, vision, quickness, cutting ability and acceleration like he has, that's why you see him leading the nation in rushing right now." That line will be a challenge for Iowa State's small but quick outside linebackers. Ab Turner is 6-1 and 210 pounds on one side. Jesse Beckom is 6-foot and 215 on the other. "We can't make them any larger by Saturday," said McCarney, who noted they will have to stand in against one of the most physical teams he had seen in a long time their football team," he said. "They're just extremely physical on both sides of the ball. They're definitely the best team we've seen this year." Iowa State has been outstanding against the run the last two weeks, although the Cyclones have not faced a line like Tech's or a back like Williams. They held Iowa to 42 yards rushing and limited Ball State to 79 yards on the ground. "We have great chemistry, the kids are unselfish, and we're playing a lot of them," McCarney said. "We didn't play great every snap on Saturday, but in the end, somebody always rises up and makes plays. "We have four junior college players in there, but we don't have all kinds of new faces," he said. "It's still a lot of the same young kids who played last year and have developed. That's why I'm so proud of their progress." tab some cash from any of the four Commerce Bank ATMs on the KU campus and you could win cash in our Big Bonus Game. To play, simply check your ATM receipt. If you see a star, you've won. Then take your winning receipt to the new Commerce branch on the 4th floor of the Kansas Union where you can claim your prize from September 14th to September 25th. The Big Star Bonus Game is our way of celebrating the opening of our new Kansas Union branch and our ATMs in Burge Union, Kansas Union, Wescoe and the Jayhawk Bookstore. With so many locations to serve you, Commerce gives you convenient access whenever you need money. So you can stop by between classes or on the way to the game. Best of all, you can tap our ATMs no matter where you bank. 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