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FOOTBALL
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2012
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
BIG 12 POWER RANKINGS
RYAN MCCARTHY
rmccarthy@kansan.com
1. Oklahoma (1 last week) 2-0
Oklahoma's high-powered offense has kept them on top of the Big 12 so far. Coach Bob Stoops is excited to see his team rebound after a slow start in Week 1. More answers will be revealed about the Sooners when they face Kansas State.
2. WVU (2 last week) 1-0
Coming off a bye week, West Virginia had plenty of time to build off the one game where they produced. A 69-34 win over Marshall is pleasing for the offense. Coach Dana Holgorsen spent time this weekend working on the team's defense to make sure they can construct a more commanding win for their second match of the season.
3. KSU (7 last week) 2-0
Kansas State won their first two games by a combined score of 103-22. Coach Bill Snyder is feeling good about the offensive production from his ground game. With senior quarterback Collin Klein leading the Wildcats, they can only continue to climb and perhaps surprise some people down the road in conference play.
4. TCU (4 last week) 1-0
A 56-0 shutout win over Grambling State is exactly the type of win TCU fans wanted to see. The conference newcomers made a big impression in their first game of the season. Now they will kick-off Big 12 play at Kansas for their first road game of the season.
5. Texas (5 last week) 2-0
Sophomore quarterback David Ash made strides from Week 1 to Week 2. Ash produced more and helped the Longhorns offense to advance the ball and score more than they did in the season opener. The defense also stepped up as they pitched a shutout to give Texas fans a nice win to celebrate.
6. OSU (3 last week) 1-1
No one could have predicted that Oklahoma State would lose to Arizona after amassing 84 points against Savannah State. But the Cowboys had no answer for the Wildcats and found themselves in a pickle, eventually leading to a surprising 21-point loss.
Senior quarterback Nick Florence filled in well as the new starter under center. His goal is to continue to use the next two games as stepping stones and get a better grasp of the game as a starter before Baylor begins conference play.
7. Baylor (6 last week) 1-0
Iowa State's offense has the most room to grow out of all the Big 12 teams. The Cyclones survived and beat Iowa, their in-state rivals, 9-6. Paul Rhodes knows that his team has a lot of holes that need to be filled in. Otherwise, their first two wins could be two of very few this season.
8. Iowa State (8 last week) 2-0
9. Texas Tech (9 last week) 2-0
Texas Tech dominated their first two opponents this season with over 100 total points and only 16 given up. Both sides of the ball have played with aggression, but no one has bought into it. If the Red Raiders can win against a challenging conference opponent, then they will jump up in the rankings.
10. Kansas (10 last week) 1-1
Coach Charlie Weis was not content that his team slipped and gave away an 11-point lead to Rice. Senior quarterback Dayne Crist has been tested in his first two games as a jayhawk and must recharge and come out more prepared against TCU on Saturday.
VOLLEYBALL
RII FY
Juniors Caroline Jarmcoe and Brianne Riley both earned Big 12 offensive and defensive players of the week honors making it the first time kansas volleyball players accomplished this feet in Big 12 history.
Jarmoc earned her second straight Tournament MVP. In the three games this weekend in the Jayhawk invitational, Jarmoc managed 38 kills and a .541 hitting percentage. Her match was against Arizona State on Friday when she had 14 kills and a .824 attack percentage. She also had six blocks.
Jarmoc's offensive player of the week award was the first this season and first for the team since the 2008 season. She now has three weekly honors in her career.
Her teammate Riley racked up two 20-dig performances to help Kansas beat Arizona State and Wyoming en route to the tournament title. The tournament-high for Riley was against Wyoming with 21 digs. Winning the defensive player of the week award was the first of her career.
"Honors like these are a direct reflection of your team's performance," head coach Ray Bechard said in a release. "I think if you look at the history of how these awards are doled out, they signify good individual performances of which these two are very deserving. More importantly, I think they also signify a team that's playing very well. I'm very excited that the Jayhawk volleyball program is being recognized."
Ryan McCarthy
FOOTBALL
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Oklahoma running back Damien Williams (26) celebrates with tight end Geneo Grissom (85) and offensive lineman Branson Irwin (69) following a touchdown against Florida A&M in the first quarter of an NCAA college football game in Norman, Okla., Saturday. Oklahoma won 69-13.
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Big 12 teams rack up stats in second week
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Big 12 teams are piling up crazy stats again, just like they do every September.
The difference this year? The numbers are not all through the air.
Kansas State, Oklahoma State and Oklahoma all rank in the top 10 nationally in rushing yards, led by the Wildcats with 612. Through the first two weeks of the season, all but one of the Big 12's 10 teams are averaging more than five yards a run.
"When you look at who is winning national championships, it's been teams that can run the ball and be balanced, but also play great defense against the run," Texas coach Mack Brown said. "I do think that people are trying to run the ball more."
It is only mid-September and Big 12 teams so far have been playing weaker competition, so balanced offenses are more noticeable in a league known the past several years for prolific passing. Still, coaches know what's at stake.
The Big 12 had just four teams (and current member TCU) that averaged at least five yards per carry in 2011 — and Missouri and Texas A&M aren't even in the league anymore.
The face of Kansas State's running game has been brusher senior quarterback Collin Klein, who has 125 yards rushing and three touchdowns in two games. But junior running back John Hubert has been superb so far with 258 yards — one shy of Oklahoma newcomer Damien Williams for the league lead.
"Williams is a big, strong fast guy that's really performing well and has had some big plays for us. But he's been doing the little things too," he said. "Taking care of the football, and not a little thing but a big thing; pass protection. Stepping up and picking up blitzes. He's been very good."
Hubert has cracked the 100-yard
The Jayhawks have a pair of tailbacks, Tony Pierson and Taylor Cox, who have combined to rush for 444 yards and four touchdowns. New quarterback Dayne Crist is off to a slow start with three interceptions and a 51.6 completion percentage, and the Jayhawks suffered a disheartening setback on Saturday when they lost to Rice 25-24 on a 45-yard field goal at the final whistle.
The Sooners finished in the middle of the pack, 50th overall, in rushing offense in 2011, one spot ahead of rival Oklahoma State. But Williams has quickly earned the trust of coach Bob Stoops and appears set to be a major factor for the Sooners in 2012.
Kansas State Coach Bill Snyder said the goal is simply to take what defenses give them. So far, Kansas State has run the ball 50 times a game while throwing just 20 passes
Kansas looks like it can run the ball better than it has in recent history. But the Jayhawks are going to need more than a resurgent ground game after years of losing.
— and the Wildcats are 2-0 after blasting Miami 52-13.
"The one thing that we're going to have to do a better job of, and it really starts with coaching, is when a team is used to losing. I think we have to help guide them through that." Weis said. "You have to help teach them how to finish games."
"Even though we're a spread, no huddle team and we move really fast and we throw a lot of passes, you have to be able to run the football, in our opinion, to have success against good defensive football teams," Gundy said. "It opens up the throwing game for a young quarterback. To sit in the pocket and just throw the ball consistently without any run game would be difficult in our eyes."
barrier two weeks in a row for the Wildcats, who won 10 games last season despite ranking 108th in the nation in passing offense.
But the Cowboys haven't had any trouble running the ball. They ran for 200 yards against the Wildcats, with star Joseph Randle gainning 123 yards and Jeremy Smith adding 77
Williams, a junior college transfer from Arizona Western, rushed for 156 yards and four touchdowns on just 10 carries as Oklahoma shook off a shaky debut and routed Florida A&M 69-13 to move to 2-0.
"The bottom line is simply that you want to avoid creating tendencies that give a defensive football team an advantage," Snyder said.
Oklahoma State has some issues on defense and with penalties after giving up a staggering 59 points in a three-touchdown loss at Arizona.
Kansas has gotten into the act under new coach Charlie Weis, averaging a healthy 5.5 yards per carry that ties Texas for fourth among Big 12 teams that have played twice.
Coach Mike Gundy is hopeful that a healthy rushing attack will help make life easier for freshman quarterback Wes Lunt.
on just eight carries.
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