10B SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY BABY KANSAS
MONDAY, AUGUST 14, 2006
BIG 12 FOOTBALL
League coaches, players preview upcoming season
BY SHAWN SHROYER
Kansas City, Mo. — With the first college football game two months away, Big 12 coaches, players and media met July 24 to 26 to debate the recently released Big 12 preseason poll and speculate how the chips will actually fall in the conference. Coaches and players spoke their minds as conversations drifted to all aspects of college football.
Nebraska
Senior quarterback Zac Taylor is in his second season under coach Bill Callahan's west coast offense. If the Cornhusker offense is to return to its days of 40- and 50-point blowouts through the air instead of on the ground, experience will be the key.
Nebraska coach Bill Callahan explains his team's strategy for the upcoming season at the Big 12 Football Media Days in July. Kansas ended a 36-season long losing streak to Nebraska with its 40-15 victory at Memorial Stadium last season. The Jawhawks and Cornhuskers will meet in Lincoln this season on Sept. 30.
"I think experience is something we didn't have a whole lot of last year," Taylor said. "This year, everybody's a lot more comfortable with each other, a lot more comfortable in the system. We know what to expect and we've been through all the ups and downs."
As for who Taylor will be handing the ball off to, sophomores Marlon Lucky and Cody Glenn appear to be the frontrunners to replace graduated running back Cory Ross. However, Callahan didn't rule out a running back-bv-committee.
Joshua Bickel/KANSAN
"We'll play the best back," Callahan said. "Whether it's by committee, whether it two, three, four, five, however it shakes out, that's our goal." In the week following Callahan's comments, sophomore running back Leon Jackson transferred, trimming the battle from five to four.
Baylor was picked to finish last in the South this season by Big 12 media. Coach Guy Morriss expressed his displeasure with the preseason poll.
Bavlor
"Kind of POEd, to be honest with you," Morrisr said. "Everybody is entitled to their opinion. I don't think we'll end up in the cellar."
coming schedule, senior cornerback C.J. Wilson spent some extra time talking about Kansas and its fans.
When talking about Baylor's up
"I always have liked Kansas," Wilson said. "I've never had the chance to say publicly, but honestly, those fans are the type of people that keep college football going."
Kansas State
Coach Ron Prince — the first coach other than Bill Snyder to represent Kansas State at a Big 12 Media Day — made his respect for Snyder known from the start and didn't think of himself as replacing Snyder. And rather than shake the program up, Prince said returning to what made Kansas State successful in the past was the key.
"The main difference that I can see is that in 2003 Kansas State had a fast team," Prince said. "If you go all the way down the roster, all of the players that played, these players have played at a very fast rate and they were decisive players because they knew exactly how to run the play."
Kansas State's quarterback options will be limited this season. Sophomore quarterback Allan Evridge left the program last week, making him the third quarterback to transfer out of the program in the last five months. He follows freshman Kevin Lopina and senior Allen Webb.
No stranger to new starting quarterbacks, Texas Tech will start 2006 with its fifth different starting quarterback in five years — sophomore Graham Harrell. Senior offensive
Texas Tech
Texas Tech will no longer play on its signature Astro Turf surface at Jones AT&T Stadium, and coach Mike Leach said he would miss the old surface. He added that if the media had any Astro Turf needs, Texas Tech could hook them up with the right guy.
"When he got done with ours, it looked like a million bucks," Leach said. "If you have an Astro Turf, I recommend you call Texas Tech and we'll figure out who he is and you hire him."
lineman Manny Ramirez, shared his observations of Harrell's progression.
"I feel real confident in Graham Harrell, just because of the maturity he's shown and his knowledge of the game," Ramirez said. "The next three years, he's going to be the top dog and for every year that he's here, he's only going to get better."
Kansas
Kansas has reached two bowl games in three years, but coach Mark Mangino didn't specify as to where he led like to see his team by the end of the season. However, he did discuss one area where his team could improve.
"We've played well on the road, but we haven't won as many games on the road as we would have liked to," Mangino said. "That might be another step for the program. Not only play well on the road but get some road victories."
Kansas lost a plethora of seniors from its 2005 defense and this year the Jayhawks could have a freshman at quarterback in Kerry Meier. So, which side of the ball is the greater concern for junior defensive tackle James McClinton?
"I'd say more on defense, there's a lot of youth," McClinton said. "The linebackers, they're all young and havent really played much. If you get them out there, let them mess up a couple plays, fix the correction and they're going to be really good players. On offense, I think Kerry Meier is going to hold it down."
Texas
Texas lost quarterback Vince Young to the NFL Draft in the offseason, so the Longhorns will rely on a pair of freshmen to fill arguably the biggest shoes in college football — redshirt-freshman Colt McCoy and freshman Jevan Snead. Despite their youth, coach Mack Brown was optimistic about their potential and said a year of experience in the system gave McCoy the advantage.
"Colt's just been there longer," Brown said. "So, it's a very difficult thing for jevan to come in in January and be pushed right into the offense."
On the inside, Brown is certainly relieved to have the National Championship monkey off of his back. But on the outside, his players haven't noticed a difference.
"Coach Brown is the same guy that recruited me however many years ago, since he showed up on my door-step," senior cornerback Aaron Ross said. "He hasn't changed one bit since we won the national championship."
Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State won only four games in 2005 and coach Mike Gundy and his players cited turnovers as one of many reasons for their poor record. Nevertheless, they feel they've put last season's struggles behind them.
"We're a better football team than we were at the end of the season," Gundy said. "We're more mature in areas that I think make a big difference."
In 2005, sophomore running back Mike Hamilton rushed for nearly 1,000 yards and senior wide receiver D'juan Woods accumulated more than 800 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. However, neither received any preseason accolades. Nevertheless, senior offensive lineman Corey Hilliard — who was named preseason All-Big 12 — was confident the Oklahoma State offense would turn some heads in 2006.
"If we get in and protect (quarterback) Reid (Reid) and make lanes for Mike, I think we'll be one of the best, if not the best offense in the Big 12," Hilliard said.
Colorado
Texas A&M will conclude its regular season schedule against conference powerhouses Oklahoma, Nebraska and Texas. Having to face such high-quality teams as the season winds down had coach Dennis Franchione longing for the good old days.
Texas A&M
"Those three teams we play in November may all be ranked in the top 10 by the time we play them," he said. "Not too many years ago when there was the Big 8 and the Southwest Conference, nobody in the nation would play Oklahoma, Nebraska, Texas in the same season, but we're going to do it in November."
Iowa State
It's no secret that junior quarterback Bret Meyer is talented. He was named to the preseason All-Big 12 first team by the media. But leadership is what teammates describe as his greatest strength.
"He's got the ability to get everyone going around him and he's got the ability to light a fire underneath people," senior offensive lineman Scott Stephenson said. "With Bret, he can see the field, he can throw the ball well, he can run. He's all-around the best quarterback in the Big 12, in my opinion."
You could understand if Missouri players were worried about how the offense will run without dual-threat Brad Smith at quarterback. But junior tight end Martin Rucker likes what sophomore pocket-passer Chase Daniel brings to the offense.
have a closest-to-the-pin challenge or wed have an O-line, D-line seven-on-seven competition. Things like that are fun and make practice fun and make people excited to come to practice."
Missouri
In addition to some playing style adjustments, new coach Dan Hawkins has left his fingerprints on Colorado's practice routines.
Rucker said in the past, a player would run a route knowing that he wasn't going to get the ball. "Now you've got to run a little more because at any time, he'll throw the ball to you and he'll put it on the money and you've got to catch it," he said.
"He said he cheers for me and he cheers for Nebraska," Rucker said. "I talked to him yesterday and he said he will be in Lincoln this year and he was like, 'What you gonna do?'
Rucker's older brother Mike now plays in the NFL for the Carolina Panthers, but before that he played his college ball at Nebraska. So when Missouri travels to Lincoln, Neb., on Nov. 4, Martin said Mike would have a conflict of interests.
"When we first started spring ball, he had us lay down and take a two-minute nap during the middle of practice," senior offensive lineman Brian Daniels said. "After practice, he'd bring golf clubs out and wed
Oklahoma
Meyer displayed a leader's mentality during his question and answer session. Iowa State will face Texas, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas Tech in its first four conference games, but Meyer isn't shying away from a schedule that could bury the Cyclones in the conference standings before the end of October.
Following a subpar season by Sooner standards and five years removed from its last national championship. Oklahoma has something to prove in 2006.
"We might as well have them all together," Meyer said. "I'm not going to say I'd like to have an easier schedule because that's not being a competitor. If that's the way you feel, then don't come play."
"As a team, we're coming off an 8-4 year and right now that's what we are and until we change it, we weren't good enough last year to be better than that and that's our job to be better this year and improve on that," coach Bob Stoops said.
However, the team has suffered two key losses in the past month. Oklahoma dismissed sophomores quarterback Rhett Bomar and offensive lineman J.D. Quinn after an investigation revealed the two received payment from a private business for hours of work they didn't complete.
Kansan staff writer Shawn Shroyer can be contacted at sshroyer@ kansan.com.
- Edited by Catherine Odson
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