UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Monday, August 19, 1996
5B
Big 12: New rivalries,new teams to watch
Senior Ben Rutz steps in at quarterback, replacing Mark
Williams. Rutz
had surger,
to repair a
torn knee
ligament
suffered
in spring
practice,
but he
should
ready by opening
day, Aug. 29, against Ball State at Memorial Stadium. Senior running back June Henley ranks fifth on the Kansas all-time rushing list and should move up the chain this season.
The injury-depleted Jayhawk defense should get a boost from the return of seniors Ronnie Ward at linebacker and Tony Blevins at defensive back. Junior linebacker Jason Thoren led Kansas in tackles last year with 119.
back Troy
Iowa State returns junior tailback Trov
Davis, who was a Heisman Trophy finalist last year. Davies set an NCAA
sophomore
rushing record by running for 2,010 yards.
Mobile senior quarterback Todd Doxzon returns, as does senior All-Conference tackle Tim Kohn.
The Cyclone defense struggled last season and most likely will again this year. Sophomore Dawan Anderson and senior Mike Lincavage return in the secondary.
Coach Larry Smith will continue his rebuilding process at Missouri. The Tigers offensive attack will likely depend on the running of junior Brock Olivo.
Four starters return on the offen
sive line for
sive lime for Olivo to run behind.
Sophomore quarterback C orby Jones also returns for M
returns for Mizzou.
On defense, the Tigers will likely have trouble stopping the run. Only two starters return from the front seven. Junior DeMontie Cross leads the secondary, which should be the strongest part of the defense.
South Division:
Texas should be near the top of the South this season. The No.
8 Longhorns
were 10-2-
1 last
season
in win-
ning the
fina l
Southwest
Conference
championship.
Mackovic said.
Senior quarterback James Brown led the Southwest Conference in total offence last season. Brown missed spring practice with a shoulder injury, but should be fine by the start of the season.
Senior running back Shon Mitchell, and sophomore Ricky Williams make up an explosive offensive backfield.
Texas returns seven starters on defense, including its entire secondary. Seniors Bryant Westbrook and Taje Allen form one of the best corner duos in the nation. Junior nose tackle Chris Akins will be looked upon to anchor a defensive line that lost All-American Tony Brackens.
"We can be satisfied in what we accomplish last year, but this group will be striving to reach the next level," Texas coach John
Another school striving to reach the top of the South will be Texas A&M. The No. 13 Aggies
were 9-3 last
s e a s o n including a w i n against Michigan in the A l a m o Bowl.
Texas A&M will
Texas A&M use more of a pro-style offense this season in the hopes that it will capitalize on the considerable talent of junior transfer quarterback Brandon Stewart. Stewart played as a true freshman at Tennessee.
The new offensive look should also benefit the Aggies' versatile running backs. Sophomores Sirr Parker, Eric Bernard and D'Andre Hardeman all saw considerable action as freshmen.
While the changes are on offense for A&M, the defense should see several familiar faces. Senior defensive end Brandon Mitchell has 15 sacks in the last two seasons and his namesake at linebacker, senior Keith Mitchell, is ninth on the school's all-time sack leaders list.
Senior Donovan Greer returns as the Aggies' top cover man at cornerback. Greer missed all of spring practice because of knee surgery.
Texas Tech starts the new season flying high from a 9-3 year and a victory in the Copper Bowl. The Red Balders
will be
strongest on offense
where
the t he y
return
eight start-
ers, even
after losin
Winder to division rival Oklahoma this summer.
after losing offensive coordinator Dick
Junior quarterback Zebbie Lethridge has built quite a reputation as a dangerous threat both on land and by air. Lethride passed for 1,885 yards and rushed for 400 last season.
Texas Tech's running game doesn't end with Lethridge. Junior tailback Byron Hanspard ran for 1,374 yards last season — the third best in the school's history.
The picture isn't quite as rosy for the Red Raiders' defense, which lost linebackers Zach Thomas and Marcus Coleman. Texas Tech still should be fine up front on the line, thanks to junior defensive end Tony Daniels and senior tackle Jerome Lang.
Defense will be the strength for the Baylor Bears this season. Lineman Donnie Embra and linebacker Malcolm Hamilton, both seniors, and junior linebacker Glenn Coy all have All-Conference potential. Coy recorded four sacks in the Bears' spring game earlier this year.
On offense,
off offense,
junior quarter
back Jeff
Watson
could get a
challenge
before the
year is finis-
hed from freshman
Odell James.
Junior tailback Jerod Douglas should be one of the Big 12's best after rushing for 1,114 yards in 1995. The Baylor offensive line is fairly young and lacks depth. Senior David Davis and junior Michael Johnson are the tackles with the most experience.
■ New head coach John Blake begins a new era at Oldham, and the first year won't be easy. Sooner fans likely will need to be patient with a team that returns
Sophomore quarterback Eric Moore returns but he threw more interceptions than touchdowns last season.
only nine starters from a year ago.
The offense likely will depend on the legs of running b a c k J am e s Allen.
However, Oklahoma must
replace all five starters on the offensive line.
Senior linebacker Tyrell Peters led the Sooners in tackles with 121, and was also an All-Conference selection a year ago.
He'll team with senior linebacker Broderick Simpson to solidify the middle of the Oklahoma defense.
Bob Simmons enters his second year as head coach at Oklahoma State hoping for continued improvements on a 4-8 record last year.
The Cowboys should be better on offense, since it's hard to get
much worse than a
ranking of 92nd in the nation.
Senior quarterback
Tone Jones
has three years of starting experience.
rience under his
Sophomore corner R.W. McQuarters and senior safety Trent Fisher should make the secondary the strongest part of the Oklahoma State defense.
belt, and senior tailback David Thompson could be one of the nation's best after rushing for 1,509 last year. Junior tight end Alonzo Mayes returns as the leading receiver.
Men's and women's golf teams focus on fall season
Tommy Gallagher Kansan sports reporter
The Jayhawk men will have only two seniors on this year's squad.
The men's and women's golf teams are ready to open the season with both new and experienced talent.
Senior Kit Grove appears to be the team's best hope to qualify for the NCAA Tournament.
While fellow senior Vance Holtzman provides the team with much-needed consistency.
The women's golf team also shows a good deal of promise. Sophomore Mandy Munsch stood out her first year in Lawrence, becoming the Jayhawks' most consistent player.
She placed in the top-25 in each of her tournaments, averaging 79.8 strokes --the best on the team.
Providing valuable experience to a young team are four talented seniors: Anne Clark, Kelly Marney, Missy Russell and Jessica Thompson. Clark and Russell have lettered every year since coming to the University of Kansas.
Although the fall tournaments are crucial to the team's success, Kansas women's golf coach Jerry Waugh says the stakes get even higher in the spring.
"In the fall, we get ready for spring golf," Waugh said. "In the game of golf there's only one thing to know — that's how many? How many strokes did it take? That's the bottom line."
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