Section B·Page 18
The University Daily Kansan
Big 12 Football
Monday, August 16, 1999
Longhorns hope to build on last season's momentum
By Mike Miller
sportswriter@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
The Texas Longhorns face the daunting task of replacing Ricky Williams—the all-time leader in NCAA rushing vards.
But Texas faces other problems too.
It lost four offensive linemen, returns only five players from a defense that was the ninth in the Big 12 Conference and will play a 12-game schedule that doesn't give it an off-week until Thanksgiving break.
And Williams did other stuff besides carry the brunt of the offensive load. He was the focus for the media, the school and boosters, allowing sophomore quarterback Major Applewhite to develop into the Big 12 freshman of the year.
When asked what he'll miss more, Williams or the offensive linemen, Applewhite thought about it and was saved when coach Mack Brown simply replied "Yes."
Brown then joked that he petitioned the NCAA for Williams to receive a fifth year of eligibility.
To get past the personnel losses, the Longhorns will focus on the best recruiting class in the country, a defensive-minded coach whose team keeps getting better and one of the most talented freshmen quarterbacks in college football.
Ah. to have everything Texas has.
As a storied college football program and one of the richest schools in the country with more practice facilities than a small city, Texas uses its resources to produce a team loaded with more talent than any other in the Big 12.
But experience still counts for
LONGHORNS QUICK FACTS
1998 Record: 9-3, beat
1998 Recoach Y-3, Dear Mississippi State in Cotton Bowl Coach: Mack Brown (2nd season) Key Losses: RB Ricky Williams
**Key Bosses:** RKiicky Williams
**Key Returnees:** QB Major
Applewhite, WR Kwame Cavil,
OG Roger Roosler, D Aearon
Humphrey, DT Casey Hampton,
D Tedrick Woodward
Outlook: Although Texas returns as much talent as anyone in the Big 12 Conference, the loss of Williams, coupled with a suspect defense, will make last season hard to duplicate.
something.
Besides Applewhite, guard Roger Roesler, fullback Ricky Brown and wide receiver Kwame Cavil, the offense is playing with fresh faces. The offensive line won't face a real test until the sixth game of the season, when Texas plays Kansas State. That's good news for Brown's club, whose offense was the key to last year's success.
"That's the thing to having a good season—the bar is going to be raised," Applewhite said. "Now we want to have a good season to raise that bar again."
Though the defense played well at times, it was the offense that was the key.
"Last year we were better on
defense because we were better on offense," Brown said. "We kept the defense on the bench. I've never seen a defense as bad as ours. I swear that we gave the other team cramps because they were running up and down the field so fast.
"Against New Mexico State (A 66-36 Texas win) everybody came by and said it was nice that we put some subs in so we could score. Hell we didn't put anybody in."
Three defensive linemen return, including All-Conference performers Aaron Humphrey and Casey Hampton. But they have to anchor a line that was ninth in the Big 12 in total defense.
Though the Longhorns had done poorly the previous year, nationally ranked 85th overall in total defense. Last year, they improved to 56th overall, but that was still a far cry from what Brown's teams have done in the past. When he was the coach at North Carolina, the Tar Heels ranked second overall in total defense.
Texas is long way from being a dominant defensive team, but Brown is hopeful that they can at least maintain last year's success.
"We're trying to build on the momentum of last season and the enthusiasims of the fans," Brown said.
In Longhorn country, where horns haven't hooked a national championship since 1970, they tend to become eager for the possibility of a promising season. With only five opponents on the schedule that had winning seasons last year, Texas might have things go its way again this season.
—Edited by Darrin Peschka
Rookie head coach looks to bring stability to jumbled program
By Mike Miller
sportsreporter@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
Stoops ready for Sooner challenge
By Mike Miller
Though one of the most storied college football programs in history, Oklahoma has been anything but successful recently.
have gone through Norman Okla, since '94, but the latest to take the reins--38-year-old wunderkind Bob Stoops, fresh from the Steve Spurrier school of coaching—brings arrogance, confidence and brashness, but it remains to be seen if he also brings success.
The Sooners have not been to a bowl game since 1994 and have not had a winning record since 1993. For a school with six national championships, and
As the defensive coordinator for Florida, Stoops spent the last three seasons with a team that won 30 games and a national championship. Needless to say, he wants to have the same success running his own program.
"You should expect to win," Stoops said. "You should expect a successful team.
the fourth wins of all time, mediocrit is not acceptable.
Four coaches
"There's lots of pressure to win and win national championships, but that's OK."
To do that, he'll need to establish something the Sooners have been lacking the last four years—continuity.
"Players want continuity," he said. "It's something I think all people want. They need some kind of discipline."
For Oklahoma, that will be a necessity.
Though it ranked sixth in the NCAA in total defense, its offense was 101st in NCAA Division I-A in total offense. It was one of only two schools that averaged fewer than 300 yards per game and scored fewer than 20 touchdowns all year.
Some of the problems stem from an offensive system that has changed five times in the last six seasons, coupled with seven different quarterbacks in the last five years.
Stoops wants to change that. An observer of the "fun 'n gun" at Florida, Oklahoma may have something similar in store for opponents.
"Passing the ball is going to be an emphasis of ours. You've got to be able to throw the ball in today's game," he said.
But can he do it with a team that finished 5-6 last year?
Texas A&M coach R.C. Slocum thinks so.
"It's about what I expected," he said. "I feel that we have a good nucleus of players, but we've got to do a better job of developing the ones we've got."
"I've seen the players they have" he said. "With their talent level, they're not that far off."
But Stoops was curiously non-committal on his talent—the one thing he didn't have a strong opinion on.
With six starters returning on offense and five returning on defense, he'll have to work quick. A new quarterback and running back won't make matters easier, but consistency from his four returning offensive linemen will help. Junior college transfer Josh Heupel is
SOONER QUICK FACTS
1998 Record: 5.6
SOONER QUICK FACTS
1998 Record: 5-6
**Coach:** Bob Stoops (1st season)
**Key Losses:** QB Eric Moore, RB De'Mond Parker, DT Kelly Greene
- Key Returnees: QB Josh Heupel, WR Jarral Jackson, LB Brandon Moore, CB Mike Woods, SS Oteil Jones
■ Outlook: The Sooners will be a revamped team with Stoops' direction. The defense will be good once again, and if Heupel is as good as his numbers indicate, the offense will turn around quickly. But inexperience is central to the Sooners' roster—if they can overcome that, they could see playing time in December.
expected to start at quarterback, but splitting time at running back will be junior Seth Littrel and senior Brandon Daniels.
If Heupel can connect with senior wide receiver Jarrail Jackson, most of Stoops' offensive willies will cease.
If the defense can play as well if last season, that will also help ease Stoops into his first year. Ranked only behind Kansas State in the Big 12 Conference last season, the Sooner defense must fill holes in the secondary, which lost both safeties, and on the defensive line.
The schedule doesn't make things any easier for Oklahoma, which includes trips to play Notre Dame, Colorado and Texas.
But the hothaded Stoops may have things go his way this year. If not, he'll just take another cue from Spurrier on visor usage.
"Am I going to wear a visor? Maybe. Am I going to throw it? Probably."
Edited by Darrin Peschka
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