THE UNIVERSITY JAIRY KANSAN
MONDAY DECEMBER 4,2006
SPORTS
3B
SCHNEIDER (CONTINUED FROM 1B)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Okahama coach Bob Stoops is showered with water after Okahawa defends Batawai to win the Big 12 championship. Fans at Okahama are used to winning, but Bob Stoops has proved worthy of the Coach of the Year honor by overcoming the loss of his quarterback and running back.
Sure, quarterback-turned-wide receiver-turned quarterback Paul Thompson and backup running back Allen Patrick aren't the most threatening Sooner duo, but they've been effective.
That's a credit to Stoops for trusting those inexperienced players and finding ways to put them in a position to win.
There's not a better example of that than Stoops electing to run a dangerous passing play when faced with a third down and 10 at his own 1-yard line. The Sooners only led by a touchdown and the Cornhuskers were poised to steal the momentum.
The gamble paid off. Thompson's pass went for 35 yards and Oklahoma scored a touchdown a few plays later.
"Best drive of the year, without question." Stoops said. "It was huge."
Although he won't talk about it, Stoops still has to be privately fuming about an officiating mistake that cost his team a victory against Oregon earlier in the season.
Take away that game and Oklahoma would be sitting at 12-1 and would likely be on the short list of teams, along with Florida and Michigan, with an opportunity to play Ohio State in the BCS National Championship game.
"You know what? We can't do anything about it," Stoops said. "For us to sit here and make an issue of it is not going to come off the right way. So you guys call it what you want and we're going
to get ourselves ready to play the next game and we'll have some great bowl practices"
Instead of playing for its fourth national championship in seven years, the Sooners will be heading to the Fiesta Bowl to play Boise State.
That trip to Arizona in January will mean Stoops has coached in every BCS game — Rose, Sugar, Orange, Fiesta — in just eight seasons. No other coach in the country has done that.
It's just another reason why Stoops has done the best coaching job in America this season.
Schneider is a Lawrence senior in journalism.
Edited by Kristen Jarboe
FOOTBALL
Kansas State chosen to go to Texas Bowl in Houston
Kansas State's first postseason trip in three years will match the Wildcats against an opponent that came within a whisker of making the Bowl Championship Series.
Kansas State accepted a bid on Sunday to the Texas Bowl, where the Wildcats (7-5) will meet No. 16 Rutgers.
The game is set for Dec. 28 in Houston.
The Scarlet Knights (10-2) could have earned the Big East's automatic BCS berth by defeating West Virginia on Saturday, but fell 41-39 to the Mountaineers in triple overtime.
"They're a national caliber team, for sure." first-year Kansas State coach Ron Prince said. "But we've played a couple of those this year, and we're ready to go compete."
Rutgers' situation should be
familiar to Kansas State fans who remember the Wildcats 1998 season.
The Wildcats, for years the most miserable program in college football, were ranked No. 2 and on the verge of playing for a national championship in before they blew a 15-point fourth-quarter lead to Texas A&M and lost the Big 12 title game in double-overtime.
Associated Press
Need a VERA? We've got them!
Sooners defeat Huskers in Big 12 Championship
BIG 12 FOOTBALL
BY STEVE BRISENDINE ASSOCIATED PRESS
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — So what if it's a week earlier than Oklahoma had hoped for?
The eighth ranked Sooners will still finish their season in Glendale, Ariz., and that's good enough for coach Bob Stoops.
The Sooners' 21-7 victory over No. 19 Nebraska in the Big 12 title game Saturday night earned them a berth in the Fiesta Bowl on New Year's Day.
But combined with UCLAs 13-9 upset of No. 2 Southern California earlier Saturday, Oklahoma's win also raised questions of what might have been had a blown onside kick call not led to a 34-33 loss at Oregon on Sept. 16.
The BCS title game is Jan. 8, also in Glendale.
Steops was in no mood to play what-if, though, after his team won its fourth Big 12 title.
"You know what? We can't do anything about it," Stoops said. "For us to sit here and make an issue of it is not going to come off the right way.
"You guys call it what you want,"
he said. "We're going to get ready to play the next game."
Stoops had no problem, though, talking about Paul Thompson's performance in leading the longest scoring drive in Big 12 championship history: 99 yards on 11 plays, capped by Thompson's second TD pass to Malcolm Kelly for a 21-7 lead late in the third quarter.
"That was the drive of the year, without question," Stoops said. "It was huge. Paul threw some great balls on that series, and we executed well and pounded it in. That was a big blow to them."
Kelly's 142 yards receiving on 10 catches broke the previous title game record of 140 yards, set by Kansas State's Darnell McDonald in 1998.
"It was just a good week of preparation," Kelly said. "There wasn't much else to it. We just took whatever they gave us."
The Sooners (11-2) forced five turnovers, another championship game record. Strong safety Reggie Smith had two of Oklahoma's takeaways, including a fumble recovery that set up the Sooners' first score.
---