UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Wednesday, August 16, 1995
9B
FOOTBALL PREVIEW
Paul Kotz / KANSAN
New coach looks to end Sooners' swoon
Dakahama junior tailback James "Lightning" Allen (25) bolts past a Kansas defender in the 1994 game between the two teams. Allen gained 54-3 yards on 136 attempts for the Sooners last season.
Schnellenberger instills new confidence,winning spirit
By Tom Erickson
Kansas associate sports editor
There hasn't been much boom in the Sooners football program lately.
Onething the new coach brings to Norman, Okla is confidence.
New head coach Howard Schnellenberger plan to change that. The man who began a string of national championships at Miami in 1983 wants to bring back the winning spirit to a team that finished 6-6 in 1994, including a disappointing 31-6 loss to Brigham Young in the Copper Bowl.
"I don't know anything about the other teams" he said. "But the thing that became obvious to me is that the University of Oklahoma team is a talented football team. We have he ability to compete with everyone on ouishedchedule."
Thatschedule includes non-conference games with San Diego State, Southern Methodist, North Texas and Texas.
The tooners return 24 starters on offense and 30 on defense, making experience one of theteam's strengths. Perhaps the only major loss is that of place kicker Scott Blanton, who signed a free-agent contract with the Washington Redskins.
And Schnellenberger, who spent the past 10 seasons at Louisville, has "Thunder" and "Lightning" leading Oklahoma's storm back into national prominence.
The forecast will be a good one if junior tailbacks Jerald "Thunder" Moore and James "Lightning" Allen can improve on last year. Moore ed the Sooners with 659 yards on 129 rushing attempts despite missing two games, and Allen was close behind with 543 yards of a team-high 136 attempts.
At the eye of Oklahoma's offensive storm is senior quarterback Garrick McGee, a sure-handed passer who also can run if necessary. McGee, last year's Big Eight Conference Offensive Player of the Year, missed workouts with spinal meningitis. Redshirt freshman Eric Moore is ready to step in iMcGee isn't fully recovered.
Schnellenberger said the quarterback position had raw talent but was deep.
The defense will be led by senior end Cedric Jones, an All-Big Eight Conference team selection. Jones led the conference last season with 14 sacks.
rubbed off on the team, Jones said.
Schnellenberger's confidence quickly
"His presence alone is dramatic," he said. "There is nothing to question. He has the credentials."
But it will take more than coaching experience for Oklahoma to win its first conference title since 1987. The Sooners need to mature quickly but should move back among the top programs in the Big Eight.
New-look Cyclones hoping they can avoid another no-win season
By Bill Kenealy
Kansan sportswriter
New coach Dan McCarney will attempt to rebuild a football program that failed to win a game last season.
"Obviously we have got to do everything we can to get a good strong foundation built and get the program headed in the right direction," McCarney said. "They've been down for a long time, they've had a lot of problems on and off the field. Obviously I've had to make some real strong decisions this summer trying to get things headed in the right direction."
Iowa State is hoping a new coach, new offense and new attitude will help reverse years of gridiron inepititude.
McCarney has begun enforcing team rules on a squad that has lacked discipline in the past and also is stressing cohesiveness and confidence.
"There is a new closeness among the players and the coaches that wasn't there last year," strong safety Matt Straight said. "Coach showed us we weren't close last year and is making sure we are this year. He has made the workouts tougher to develop trust among the players and has also brought more discipline."
McCarney has experience in turning around floundering football programs. He served as defensive coordinator at Wisconsin for the past four seasons. The Badgers went
from perennial doormats to Rose Bowl champions.
Turning around Iowa State's program may not be as easy. The Cyclones lost 12 starters from last year's squad, and Iowa State's defense ranked last nationally. This year, the lone bright spot is junior inside linebacker Tim Sanders, who was a second-team All-Big Eight Conference selection last season.
The outlook for the Cyclone offense is not quite as bleak. The backfield tandem of Calvin Branch and Troy Davis returns, as does starting quarterback Todd Doxzon. Doxzon led the Cyclones in passing and rushing last season.
Additionally, McCarney will scrap the triple-option offense of previous years in favor of a pro set. The pro set will get all of the Cyclone receivers more involved. Senior receiver Mike Horacek led the team last year with just 18 receptions.
The extent to which new coaching, offensive strategy and attitude will improve the Cyclones may be limited.
Improving their talent may prove difficult for McCarney. Iowa State's admission standards are the strictest in the Big Eight, limiting McCarney's recruiting options.
"We realize we have the least talent in the Big Eight, but we have big hearts, the desire and good attitudes," Doxzon said. "That's what has changed."
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