Section B · Page 4
The University Daily Kansan
Tuesday, October 19, 1999
Five teams battling for Big 12 South championship
Texas A&M quarterback Randy McCown launches a 78-yard touchdown pass late in the second quarter of Saturday's game. The Aggies loss to Texas Tech opened up the division for other South Division teams. Photo by Matt J. Daugherty/KANSAN
The Associated Press
AUSTIN, Texas — Pick a favorite for the Big 12 South. Any favorite.
While the Big 12 North Division is shaping up as the expected battle between No. 3 Nebraska and No. 7 Kansas State, the South is anyone's game.
Every South Division team has at least one loss, and league coaches say no one has emerged as the favorite for a berth in the Big 12 championship game.
"I think this is going to play out to the last drop." Texas Tech coach Spike Dykes said Monday. "There's a ton of football games this week with a lot of importance. It's going to be interesting."
Dykes' Red Raiders are one of three teams currently logammed in first place in the South. Tech (3-1), No. 13 Texas A&M (5-1), which defeated Kansas 34-17 on Saturday, and No. 18 Texas (5-2) are all 2-1 in
Just behind them are Oklahoma (3
2, 1, 1) and Oklahoma State (3, 2, 1, 1)
league play.
About the only sure thing is that Baylor (1-5, 0-3) will finish at or near the bottom.
Defending conference champ Texas A&M was the early favorite when the season started. The Aggies' 21-19 loss at Texas Tech three weeks ago opened up the division for everyone else, said Texas coach Mack Brown. The Longhorns play Nebraska this week.
"A&M is the team that everybody thought would win the league. You just look around the South, and it's amazing to me, this league is really, really tough." Brown said.
All of the South leaders have stumbled.
A&M fell at Texas Tech. Texas
turned the ball over six times in losing to Kansas State 35-17. Tech was whipped by Oklahoma State 41-21.
A good division race is good for the conference, said Texas A&M coach R.C. Slocum.
"I thought it would be a real competitive in the South Division, and it is." Slocum said.
"This is one of those weeks where you either take a step forward or you take a big step backwards. In championship races it should be close."
The North Division is anything but close. Nebraska (6-0, 3-0) and Kansas State (6-0, 3-0) have asserted themselves as the teams to beat.
Although Colorado (3-3, 2-1) is only one game back under first-year coach Gary Barnett, the Buffaloes haven't yet shown they're a threat for supremacy in the North.
Nebraska faces a potential stumbling block at Texas.
The Longhorns are 2-0 against
Nebraska since the league expanded in 1996, including a 20-16 victory last year that snapped the Cornhuskers' 47-game home win streak.
Brown isn't counting on recent history for a victory. Second-year coach Frank Solich has the Cornhuskers playing as well as anybody in the country.Brown said.
"Frank's done a tremendous job," Brown said. "They're like the Nebraska teams of old."
EXTRA POINTS: The losing streak has ended at Iowa State. Last week's 24-21 victory against Missouri was their first conference road win since beating Missouri 23-22 back in 1991. At 4-2, the Cyclones have the school's most victories since going 4-7 in 1992. Iowa State hasn't won more than four games since going 6-5 in 1989. And K-State has outscored its opponents 135-3 in the second half this season, allowing only a field goal in the Wildcats' victory against Texas.
Texas to face Nebraska in conference rematch
The Associated Press
AUSTIN — As if Texas and Nebraska need another rivalry.
Saturday's matchup between these budding rivals is one of the Big 12 Conference's premiere games this season, thanks to Texas upsets in the 1996 conference title game and a 20-16 win last year in Nebraska that stopped the Cornhuskers' home winning streak at 47 games.
"It's two of the best programs in the country," said Texas coach Mack Brown.
Now, beating Oklahoma and Texas A&M isn't enough for No. 18 Texas (5-2, 2-1 Big 12).
Third-ranked Nebraska (6-0, 3-0) represents the top competition in the league and the level of consistency the Longhorns strive for, Brown said.
The Cornhuskers' trip to Austin is their first since 1960.
"This is a big game from the standpoint that both schools have great traditions," Brown said.
The teams won't play each other again in the regular season until 2002. Because Texas is in the Big 12 South Division, and Nebraska is the North, the teams aren't scheduled to play annually unless they should meet in the league championship
game
Unlike last year when Nebraska strug-
ged to 9-4 in coach Frank Solich's first
season, the Cornhuskers look as good as
ever, Brown said.
Nebraska's first team defense hasn't surrendered a rushing touchdown this season.
Even so, Brown said Texas couldn't rely solely on the passing of quarterback Major Applewhite to win.
Junior tailback Hodges Mitchell rushed for 204 yards and a touchdown in the Longhorns' 38-28 win against Oklahoma two weeks ago. Texas and Nebraska both were idle last week.
"I don't think we can protect well enough to be one dimensional and just throw the ball." Brown said. We're going to have to be able to run."
Seventh-ranked Kansas State forced Texas to throw in a 35-17 Wildcat victory. The Longhorns turned the ball over six times on three interceptions and three fumbles by Applewhite.
(Nebraska) is every bit as good as Kansas State." Brown said.
"They're so quick, and that's hard for us," he said. "We have a big offensive line, and we've had problems against quick defenses."
Alabama right at home against Vols
Crimson Tide has opportunity to beat Tennessee
The Associated Press
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — All preseason predictions agreed that for Alabama to have a great season there would have to be victories against Florida and Tennessee.
The 10th-ranked Crimson Tide have beaten Florida. They get a chance at No. 5 Tennessee on Saturday and, for the first time in 69 years, the game is on Alabama's campus.
"I don't think anyone believed we could beat the big teams," quarterback Andrew Zow said Monday. "People seemed to think we could win nine games this year, but they assumed we'd lose to Florida and Tennessee. Well, we beat Florida, and people are now starting to take us seriously."
ics wrong was simply not listening to them, coach Mike DuBose said.
The trick to proving the crit-
"We had enough to do with just trying to keep the football team focused that we didn't get caught up in all that," DuBose said.
Instead, Alabama (5-1, 4-0 Southeastern Conference) plugged away at its schedule. There have been three straight wins against ranked teams, the first three-game winning streak under DuBose, and Alabama cracked the Top Ten for the first time since 1996.
"Right now, we feel like we can play with anyone in the nation," guard Griff Redmill said. "We have such a high confidence level right now, we feel like we can win out our schedule and play with anyone."
The Tide gets a shot at the defending national champions this week. The Volunteers (4-1, 2-1) have a four-game winning streak against the Tide, their longest winning
streak in the series' 81 meetings.
The game marks Tennessee's first trip to Bryant-Denny Stadium since 1930 and only its fourth ever. Alabama traditionally played the Volunteers at Legion Field in Birmingham but spent more than $1 million this winter to move all its South Eastern Conference games on campus.
The move means Alabama finally will have the home field advantage in the series, tailback Shaun Alexander said.
"It's just a whole different atmosphere here, with Bear Bryant talking on the Jumbotron and the students all coming to the game," he said. "It's going to be a fun game."
Atmosphere won't be enough against Tennessee, though. For Alabama to have a shot at beating Tennessee, the Tide's defense will have to get better in a hurry.
So far this season, the Tide
has managed to win despite a defense ranked last in the SEC. Alabama allows opponents 354.2 yards a game and is no better stopping the run then it is the pass. The Tide is ranked dead last in interceptions, with two.
That led DuBose to shake up his secondary last week, demoting strong safety Marcus Spencer — the team's leading tackler. Tony Dixon was moved into Spencer's spot and Reggie Myles switched from cornerback into Dixon's old free safety spot.
The shakeup had some success — Alabama held its opponent under 300 passing yards for the first time in four games. But that effort won't be good enough against Tennessee, which finally has found an offensive groove.
After struggling offensively in games against Florida, Memphis and Auburn, the Vols rolled up 458 total yards in a 37-20 win against Georgia two weeks ago.
Fall 1999
Student Organizations and Leadership Development Center and KU LEAD
Organizations and Leadership Lecture Series
Wednesday, October 20, 1999 6:30-7:30 pm Miller Scholarship Hall
Communication and Conflict Resolution
Conflict is never pleasant, but it is a reality everyone experiences especially those in leadership positions. This session examines the common causes of conflict and ways to confront it with positive results. Additionally, ways to avoid conflict throughcommunication strategies
are explored.
Presenters:
Diana Carlin, Associate Professor,
Communication Studies
O&L
Student Organizations
& Leadership
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