Friday, October 19, 2012

G A M E D AY TA B L O I D F O R S O O N E R F O O T B A L L | F R E E

INSIDE THE HUDDLETHIS WEEK

9 Oklahomavs.

Kansas

COLUMN

Just like the Starks of Winterfell, the Sooners should prepare themselves for winter P4

DEPTH CHARTS

See who’s on the field this weekend for Oklahoma and Kansas P10

OFFENSE

Both the Sooners and Jayhawks have improved this year because of transfer players P14

Running through expectationsTrey Millard made a splash against Texas and can only go up from here P8

DILLON PHILLIPSAssistant Sports Editor

On Jan. 3, 2008, the Kansas football team appeared in its first ever BCS bowl game.

The Jayhawks — who were ranked No. 8 and boasted an impressive 11-1 record — entered the Orange Bowl as underdogs against No. 5 Virginia Tech but walked out of Dolphin Stadium in Miami with a 24-21 win.

Kansas football had reached a new high.

In his sixth season, then-coach Mark Mangino garnered virtually every coach of the year award, and with the recession of Big 12 powers Nebraska and Kansas State, the Jayhawks had emerged as one of the teams to beat in the conference’s oft-forgotten north division.

But as quickly as Kansas had ascended, it disappeared from the college football landscape.

Two years after the Orange Bowl victory, Mangino was forced to resign amid controversy. Like fellow Big 12 coach and former Oklahoma assistant Mike Leach at Texas Tech, Mangino’s alleged mistreatment of players led to his demise.

And without Mangino — who led Kansas to its only three winning seasons since 1996 — the Jayhawks fell into irrelevancy.

Since his departure at the end of the 2009 season, the Jayhawks have won six total games and only one in conference play.

With traditional conference cellar-dwellers Baylor and Iowa State on the upswing, Kansas has become the doormat of the Big 12. To put it mildly, the Jayhawks are the new faux-gold standard for Big 12 failure.

Mangino’s replacement, former

2 • Friday, October 19, 2012 INSIDE THE HUDDLE

GAME PREVIEW » KANSAS

Jayhawks down but not all outKU may have fallen from grace, but Jayhawks have shown they can still win

Nebraska quarterback Turner Gill, turned out to be a disastrous hire — winning just five games in two seasons — and the Jayhawks’ new coach, former New England Patriots offensive coordinator and

Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis, is struggling to pick up the pieces in his first season at the helm.

So far this season, Kansas’ only win came against FCS opponent

South Dakota State. The win doesn’t count toward the team’s bowl eligibility, and there’s a decent chance it could be the only

ORLIN WAGNER/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Kansas coach Charlie Weis watches from the sideline during the first half of the Jayhawks’ 20-6 loss to TCU on Sept. 15 in

Lawrence. The Jayhawks, who visit OU on Saturday, have had only three winning seasons since 1996.

SEE KANSAS PAGE 3

a Student Media publication in association with

160 Copeland Hall860 Van Vleet Oval

Norman, OK 73019-2052

phone: 405-325-3666

email: [email protected]

James Corley

Inside the Huddle editor

twitter: @jamesfcorley

Kedric Kitchens

Sports editor

twitter: @Kedric Kitchens

Dillon Phillips

Assistant sports editor

twitter: @DillonPhillips_

Tobi Neidy

Sports reporter

twitter: @TobiAnn

Jono Greco

Sports columnist

twitter: @JonoGreco13

Chris Tyndall

Sports reporter

twitter: @Tyndall_Chris

Kearsten Howland

Advertising manager

O f f e n s eDefense

INSIDE THE HUDDLE Friday, October 19, 2012 • 3

game the Jayhawks win all season.If Kansas somehow finds a way

to lose out, they will be the first team to go winless in Big 12 play in back-to-back seasons since 2002.

And which team previously had that disconcerting distinction? You guessed it: Kansas.

Rock chalk, Jayhawk.There’s no question Kansas is

a basketball school the same way Oklahoma is a football school, if not more so.

In Lawrence, basketball towers over all other sports, and the success of the Jayhawks’ men’s basketball team is the driving force behind the university.

But that doesn’t mean Kansas football has to be bad, much less as bad as it has been. In fact, the Jayhawks have proven in the past they have the potential to produce a competitive football team.

Kansas, the lone remaining charter member of the conference that is now the Big 12, finished the season ranked in the top-15 three times during the 1960s and made two bowl games under two coaches in the 1970s.

In the early 1990s, Glen Mason — who later coached at Minnesota for 10 seasons — led Kansas to a pair of bowl games, and his ’95 squad finished the season in the top-10.

But since 1996, Kansas has had only three winning seasons, and Mangino coached all three of them.

Kansas football can win; it can be done, and it has been done before.

It just needs the right man running the show.

Dillon Phillips, [email protected]

KANSAS: Jayhawks have displayed ability to be competitive in past yearsContinued from page 2

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2 Receiving scores for senior wide receiver

Justin Brown this year, tying career high

16.3 Yards per return Brown

averages when fi elding punts; previous season high was 8.1 (2011)

11.3 Yards per reception

for Brown, a career low so far this season

73 Receiving yards against Texas, a

single-game high this year

49.4 Completion percentage

for Kansas quarterback Dayne Crist this season

7 Interceptions thrown this year, tying a

career high, with four coming in Big 12 play

1 Times Crist has surpassed 190

passing yards in a game this season (303, TCU)

1,088 Total passing

yards thrown by Crist this year with three touchdowns

49.44for Kansas Dayne Cristt

7 Interccthis yy

career higgggcoming i

1 Timsurpp

passing yythis seaso

DAYNE CRISTSenior quarterback

Are you on Twitter?Stay connected with The Daily

@OUDailySports

JUSTIN BROWNSenior wide receiver

Winter is coming. Every college football program across the

country is well aware of its swift approach, and there’s nothing any of them can do to stop it.

Winter is when programs are judged.

Summer is a time to grow, develop and mature; it’s a time to make mistakes and learn from them. Once teams reach the grit of their conference schedules, though, wins in September and October don’t matter for a program like OU unless more follow in November and December.

By the time the rest of us change our calendars to 2013, Oklahoma will know what it was worth in 2012.

Fans might get swept up in the current state of things, including still riding a high from last week’s blowout win against the Longhorns, but it’s just as easy for fans to lose sight of the big picture: Winter is coming, and the Sooners will have to answer for their successes and failures.

The way things are at any given moment is ever in flux, much like the shifting sands of an hourglass. One year ago, the Sooners were ready to storm the castle and ascend college football’s throne after an equally one-sided Red River battle, but by winter, OU was settling for a dull Insight Bowl win.

So goes the unforgiving nature of winter. The highs and lows of the previous season are weighed for their merits, measured against


COLUMN » EXPECTATIONS

A game of trophies: OU will be judged

expectations and counted for or against a team. Nothing short of a conference title and a premiere bowl appearance can help shield against the biting cold of winter’s finality; there are no second chances or do-overs in college football once all the games have been played.

Winter crowns one king and leaves the others to draw up battle plans for the next campaign. And winter hasn’t been gracious for

OU fans lately.The Sooner nation, like most

fan bases around college football, can be just as tumultuous as King Joffrey in HBO’s “Game of Thrones.” When their side is winning, fans can feel unstoppable and in control of their own destiny, but they also might retreat to the keep at the first sign of adversity, sometimes even calling for Ned Stark’s head.

(For this analogy, the Sooners

are House Stark with coach Bob Stoops as their patriarch, Eddard. The Longhorns are the Lannisters, and Oklahoma State is the wildlings north of the wall.)

For now, at least, Ned Stark’s head is safe — in large part because of Saturday’s big win — but a lot can change between now and winter. The road ahead for the Sooners is dark and full of terrors; a home contest against No. 5 Notre Dame and road

matchups against No. 24 Iowa State, No. 13 West Virginia and No. 23 TCU loom on the horizon, not counting a blood-feud battle with Oklahoma State in Norman.

Winter is coming, and the 2012 Sooners’ legacy hangs in the balance between now and January.

James Corley is a history senior and editor of Inside the Huddle.

James [email protected]

INSIDE THE HUDDLE EDITOR

KINGSLEY BURNS/THE DAILY

Former OU defensive back Jamell Fleming (32) and linebacker Travis Lewis (28) bring down Iowa tight end C.J. Fiedorowicz

during the Sooners’ 31-14 win against the Hawkeyes on Dec. 30 in the Insight Bowl. Oklahoma, which started the year with

national title hopes, fell short of its own expectations to finish before Jan. 1 for the second time since 2005.

AT A GLANCE‘Game of trophies’

If college football around these parts suddenly took on the personality of HBO’s “Game of Thrones,” here’s how I think it would go.

James Corley, Inside the Huddle editor

The Sooners would be House Stark, kings in the north (of the Red River), because who knows the pain and sorrow of winter better than OU lately?

Mischievous, power-hungry, rich. Sounds like Texas to me.


News from around the wide world of sportsCOLLEGE FOOTBALL » TULANE

Injured player says cards, letters helped him ‘keep on pushing’

NEW ORLEANS — Seriously injured Tulane safety Devon Walker said his spinal fracture (suffered Sept. 8 against Tulsa) has been “so hard” on family and friends, and he said he is grateful for the generosity and support he received during his treatment.

In a written statement, Walker said he wants to thank everyone who has sent cards and letters, adding that he has read every one and that they have inspired him to “keep on pushing” through his therapy.

Walker also thanked those who’ve organized, attended or contributed to the fundraisers aimed at helping him and says he believes he is “truly blessed.”

The Associated Press

NBA » CHICAGO BULLS

North Dakota man sells BBQ sauce made for Michael Jordan for $10K

BISMARCK, N.D. — A man who used to own McDonald’s restaurants in North Dakota is about $10,000 richer after selling a 20-year-old container of McJordan barbecue sauce to a buyer in Chicago.

The sauce was used on McJordan Burgers, named for basketball icon Michael Jordan. The promotional item was sold in limited markets for a short time in the 1990s, when Jordan led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA championships.

Mort Bank, of Bismarck, saved the gallon jug of sauce after selling his McDonald’s restaurants in Bismarck-Mandan and Minot in 1996.

“It was in my basement, and I would look at it occasionally,” he told The Bismarck Tribune. “I thought it would be worth something someday.”

It sold for $9,995 Monday night to an undisclosed buyer. The Associated Press

SOCCER » LIVERPOOL

British tragedy will get second look into the cause of 96 fan deaths

LONDON — British authorities will launch a new inquest into the deaths of 96 fans in the country’s worst-ever tragedy at a soccer match.

The decision Tuesday comes after an independent panel reviewed hundreds of thousands of pages of documents relating to the crush at Hillsborough Stadium in 1989 that killed fans of the Liverpool soccer team. The independent review vindicated efforts by the families of victims, who have been trying to get a full accounting of the incident.

Liverpool lawmaker Steve Rotheram says it is now undeniable that the fi rst inquest was unsound. The initial inquest said the deaths were accidental.

In Britain, an inquest is held to determine the facts whenever someone dies unexpectedly, violently or in disputed circumstances.


Visit OUDaily.com for more news and information about all things Sooner sports.

DEVON

WALKER

COLUMN » LOOKING PAST OPPONENTS

Respect the Jayhawks’ chance to be dangerous


Sooner Nation should be feeling pretty high and mighty right about now.

Its team put together back-to-back dominating performances against conference opponents, including a 63-21 dismantling of Texas in the Red River Rivalry and a 41-20 road win against No. 17 Texas Tech.

Not a bad two-week period for a team the fans basically wrote off following Sept. 22’s 24-19 loss against Kansas State.

So, what’s next on the Sooners’ slate? Kansas. OK.

And after that? Notre Dame. Now that’s a game to get

excited for, but let’s just hold on a second; just slow things down, Sooner fans.

Don’t look past Saturday’s opponent just because the Jayhawks (1-5, 0-3 Big 12) are the only team in the conference with just one win — every other Big 12 team has at least three — despite coming close to upsetting Oklahoma State last weekend in Lawrence.

And that is the exact mindset the No. 10 Sooners have to play with Saturday.

OU (4-1, 2-1 Big 12) has to avoid looking past Kansas and becoming complacent when a top-five opponent looms in the near future.

The Sooners seemed to be complacent for a couple of drives to begin the second half against Texas before they focused on the task at hand and put their feet

back on the Longhorns’ throats.Yes, this game pretty much

has been written off and already marked with a “W” entering the week — the odds-makers open with Oklahoma as a 35.5-point favorite (as of Sunday) — and for good reason.

Other than the two teams’ records and the fact this game is being played on Owen Field, Kansas is considered such a big underdog because of some basic stats.

Firstly, the Jayhawks bring in the Big 12’s fourth-worst scoring defense (28 points allowed per game), while the Sooners, who

are looking to avoid back-to-back home losses for the first time since 1998, boast the fourth-best scoring offense (43.2 points per game) in the conference.

Secondly, the Sooners have the third-best rush offense (221 rushing yards per game) in the Big 12, and Kansas is one of two teams in the conference that allows more than 200 yards on the ground per game.

The Jayhawks only are bested by Texas in that category and allow opponents 200.8 rushing yards per game while being tied for allowing the most rushing touchdowns (12).

Finally, OU — under the new leadership of once-again defensive coordinator Mike Stoops — has the second-best passing defense (171.4 passing yards allowed per game) in the conference. Kansas has the second-worst passing offense (198.3 passing yards per game) in the Big 12.

Numbers usually never lie, but the two teams have to duke it out tonight to see if those numbers mean anything in this meeting.

The Sooners are riding a high that few people envisioned coming off this year’s OU-Texas game, but that’s in the past; don’t

let that party become a hangover that needs time to recover when a so-called slow day approaches.

Once this game is over, and I mean truly over — no matter how you define that phrase Saturday — you can look forward to the fifth-ranked team in the nation hailing from South Bend, Ind.

Until then, don’t become complacent.

There’s always time to focus on next week next week.

Jono Greco is a journalism graduate student.

Jono [email protected]

SPORTS COLUMNIST


Junior linebacker Tom Wort (21) celebrates during OU’s 63-21 win against the Texas Longhorns on Saturday in Dallas.

Even though the Sooners trounced their rival and are anxious for their Oct. 27 meeting with No. 5 Notre Dame, a team like

Kansas — Saturday’s opponent — should not be overlooked.

BY THE NUMBERSOklahoma vs. Kansas

28 Points per game allowed by Kansas’

defense this season

43.2 Points per game scored

by OU’s offense this year

221 Rushing yards per game

accrued by the Sooners’ multi-pronged rushing attack

200.8 Rushing yards

per game allowed by the Jayhawks’ rush defense

12 Rushing touchdowns allowed by Kansas’

defense this season (tied for most in the Big 12)

171.4 Passing yards

allowed per game by OU (second-lowest in the Big 12)

198.3 Passing yards per

game accrued by Kansas (second-worst in Big 12)

Five years ago, the Kansas football team accomplished something

that many didn’t think that would happen: The team finished the season with a 12-1 record.

Despite the loss to Missouri in the final Big 12 game of the year, Kansas secured a 24-21 victory against Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl.

A sense of pride was instilled in many Jayhawk fans’ hearts, including my own. That same feeling is now missing.

After the Orange Bowl year, the football program is in a downward spiral. In the past four years, Kansas has only won 11 games. To make matters worse, the program only has two Big 12 victories in the same time frame.

When fans get a taste of sporting excellence, they continue to want more. This is why visiting teams hear a simple phrase by Kansas students after every disappointing loss: “It’s almost basketball season.”


GUEST COLUMN » KANSAS PERSPECTIVE

Fans don’t want KU to be just basketball school

Pat [email protected]

GUEST COLUMNIST


Kansas quarterback Dayne Crist (10) is tackled by Oklahoma State defensive tackle Nigel Nicholas (89) during the first

half of the Jayhawks’ 20-14 loss to the Cowboys on Saturday in Lawrence.

Yes, the University of Kansas is a basketball school. And it really should be.

Other prestigious universities like Duke and Kentucky didn’t have the original creator of basketball, James Naismith. Those universities also don’t have the original rules of basketball located on campus like Kansas will in 2014.

The tradition can’t be matched, and that makes it extremely

difficult to break out of the mold as a “basketball school.”

The football program doesn’t come close to the tradition of the basketball program, but that doesn’t mean fans don’t want a great football program.

In a column in The University Daily Kansan, a writer asserted that Kansas fans should be content with the success of basketball and shouldn’t worry about football.

The responses to this article were incredible. Most of the comments rebutted the main points of the column and explained that the fans want success for the football program as badly as the basketball program.

And they are absolutely right. Basketball is an important sport, but it’s nowhere close to football.

Historic Allen Fieldhouse only holds 16,400 people. Memorial

Stadium sits more than 50,000 people.

When the football team struggles, the money gained in the purchasing of tickets goes down.

Even though the Big 12 is stable, imagine Kansas being out of the conference. Sure, the basketball program will get interest, but the cause for conference realignment relies heavily on the success of the football program.

I can only imagine what goes through the football players’ heads on campus. With basketball players, many of them are treated as celebrities.

With football players, that’s not the same reaction. The players do get recognition, but unless the player is a superstar, most of campus won’t recognize them.

Sometimes it is rough to be only known as a “basketball school,” but if you talk to the fans, they don’t see it the same way. Maybe some students came just for the basketball program, but they all, including myself, crave for a successful football program.

Jayhawk fans once received a taste of basketball and football glory nearly five years ago, and we will always want that very same taste.

Rock Chalk.

Pat Strathman is a reporter for The University Daily Kansan.

TOBI NEIDYSports Reporter

In a single outing, junior fullback Trey Millard demonstrated the raw power that can only come from a

player with his size and skill set.The Oklahoma football coaching staff

talked about using the Columbia, Mo., native’s versatility more often in games this season during the preseason Big 12 media days, but up until last week’s beatdown of Texas, Millard was primarily used a blocker for an OU offense that was still searching for its identity in both the run and passing game.

But with a single play last Saturday against the Longhorns, Millard solidified his place as one of the Sooners’ pivotal playmakers.

It wasn’t the 73-yard reception that made Red River Rivalry history — which surpassed Buddy Leake’s (1953) 65-yarder as the Sooners’ longest pass play in the series — that made the highlight reel; instead, it was Millard’s tackle denial of two defenders that allowed him to get those 73 long yards that will have upcoming Sooner opponents tweak their open-field tackling setup.

“I caught it, and I saw there was a lot of space out in front,” Millard said. “I saw the two guys converging on me, and I just saw a little gap and tried to make it. Luckily, I broke that tackle and there was a lot more grass after that.”

Luck didn’t have anything to do with Millard’s takedown refutation after hurdling Texas defensive back Mykkele Thompson and shedding corner Adrian Phillips midair.

Millard said he knows how to watch film and look for defenders that like to tackle low, and that type of elusiveness is something his fellow teammates say they see him execute in both practice and in games.

“We get to see it a lot; defenders keep going low on [Millard] and he just goes over the top of them,” junior offensive lineman Bronson Irwin said. “It’s fun to watch a 260-pound guy just jumping over people.”

After coming to OU as a four-star recruit who combined for more than 1,600 yards and 18 touchdowns as a senior in high school, Millard scored four total touchdowns and combined for 209 yards of offense as a true

8 • Friday, October 19, 2012 Friday, October 19, 2012 • 9


Junior fullback Trey Millard (left) runs from Texas defenders during OU’s 63-21 win against the Longhorns on Saturday in Dallas. Millard scored on a 73-yard reception after breaking through several Texas tackles during the longest pass play in Red River Rivalry history.

freshman fullback in 2010. That type of performance was enough

to garner All-Big 12 second-team honors, and Millard improved his yardage during his sophomore stint with a career-long 61-yard dash to end zone against Kansas State. In 2011— partly because of that breakaway against KSU — Millard averaged seven yards a carry and 9.8 yards a catch.

OU already has seen more of Millard in the past week than the team saw in the previous four games this year, and he is now on pace — averaging 8.4 a carry and 15 a catch — to have his most successful season since arriving on campus.

“The coaches are trying to get the best players out on the field, and it’s hard to keep No. 33 (Millard) off the field,” junior center Gabe Ikard said. “I think, at Texas, he told me

had something like 70 snaps, which is more than all of the first four games combined. So you can see [the coaches are] getting him on the field, getting him his touches. And that kid has special talent.”

The increased snaps also paid dividends to Millard’s résumé, helping him surpass his previous career highs of receptions and receiving yards with a five-reception, 119-yard performance against the Longhorns.

But more importantly, the breakout performance helped the junior understand his new role as an additional weapon in a Sooner offense that is finally starting to roll on all cylinders.

“(Having a big offensive role) helps you focus because you know that since your role is bigger, you have a bigger responsibility to the team,” Millard said.

EVIN MORRISON/THE DAILY

Junior fullback Trey Millard (33) outruns a Longhorn defender during Saturday’s Red River Rivalry

game at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. Millard has steadily improved each year with OU, and his

teammates say he has a high ceiling this year.

COVER STORY » TREY MILLARD

Hard to keep off the fieldTeammates say fullback Millard has ‘special talent,’ fun to watch


Oklahoma depth chartOFFENSE

69 Lane Johnson

71 Tyrus Thompson

74 Adam Shead

50 Austin Woods

64 Gabe Ikard

56 Ty Darlington

68 Bronson Irwin

50 Austin Woods

79 Daryl Williams

72 Derek Farniok

85 Geneo Grissom or

88 Taylor McNamara

82 Brandon Green

17 Trey Metoyer

18 Lacolton Bester

19 Justin Brown

13 Durron Neal

4 Kenny Stills

3 Sterling Shepard or

22 Roy Finch

12 Landry Jones

10 Blake Bell

15 Drew Allen

33 Trey Millard

48 Aaron Ripkowski

20 Damien Williams

8 Dominique Whaley or

24 Brennan Clay

LT

LG

C

RG

RT

TE

WR

WR

WR

QB

FB

RB

Sr.

So.

So.

Jr.

Jr.

Fr.

Jr.

Jr.

So.

R-Fr.

So.

Fr.

Jr.

Fr.

Jr.

Sr.

Fr.

Jr.

Fr.

Jr.

Sr.

So.

Jr.

Jr.

So.

Jr.

Sr.

Jr.

DEFENSE

98 Chuka Ndulue

11 R.J. Washington

53 Casey Walker

80 Jordan Phillips

97 Jamarkus McFarland

90 David King

90 David King

84 Mike Onuoha

7 Corey Nelson

25 Aaron Franklin or

5 Joseph Ibiloye

21 Tom Wort

20 Frank Shannon or

44 Jaydan Bird

9 Gabe Lynn

2 Julian Wilson

23 Kass Everett

14 Aaron Colvin

27 Gary Simon

30 Javon Harris

9 Gabe Lynn

1 Tony Jefferson

42 Jesse Paulsen

6 Demontre Hurst

15 Lamar Harris

26 Zack Sanchez

RE

RT

LT

RE

OLB

MLB

N

RCB

SS

FS

LCB

So.

Sr.

Sr.

R-Fr.

Sr.

Sr.

Sr.

Fr.

Jr.

So.

Sr.

Jr.

R-Fr.

Sr.

Jr.

So.

Jr.

Jr.

Fr.

Sr.

Jr.

Jr.

Sr.

Sr.

Sr.

Fr.

The University of OklahomaL I B R A R I E S

libraries.ou.edu

Western History Collections

History of Science Collections

presents1904 World’s Fair Souvenirs

Art of the American Arms MakersTraveling America with the Fred Harvey Company

Bob Burke Collection: Great Stars of WesternAmerican Film, Television & Music

Open to the public during regular hours.Open until kick-off on game days.

Monnet Hall, Room 452For more info, call (405) 325-3641

presents“A Living Library:

The Growth of History of ScienceCollections from 1976-2012”

Featuring the works of Copernicus, Kepler, Edison,Einstein and Darwin among others.

Open to the public during regular hours; open 12-4 p.m.on Saturdays. No appointment necessary.

Bizzell Memorial Library, 5th fl oorFor more info, call (405) 325-2741.


Kansas depth chartOFFENSE

Tanner Hawkinson

Pat Lewandowski

Duane Zlatnik

Damon Martin

Trevor Marrongelli

Dylan Admire

Randall Dent

Aslam Sterling

Aslam Sterling

Gavin Howard

Mike Ragone

Jimmay Mundine

Kale Pick

Andrew Turzilli

Daymond Patterson

Tre’ Parmalee or

Chris Omigie

Dayne Crist or

Michael Cummings

Brandon Bourbon

Nick Sizemore

James Sims

Tony Pierson or

Taylor Cox

LT

LG

C

RG

RT

TE

WR

WR

QB

FB

HB

Sr.

So.

Sr.

Fr.

Sr.

Fr.

Jr.

Jr.

Jr.

Jr.

Sr.

So.

Sr.

So.

Sr.

Fr.

Jr.

Sr.

Fr.

So.

Jr.

Jr.

So.

Jr.

DEFENSE

Josh Williams

Ben Goodman

Kevin Young

John Williams

Jordan Tavai

Keba Agostinho

Toben Opurum

Darius Willis

Jake Love

Tunde Bakare

Ben Heeney

Schyler Miles

Huldon Tharp

Anthony McDonald

Greg Brown

Tyree Williams

Lubbock Smith

Dexter Linton

Bradley McDougald

Ray Mitchell

Tyler Patmon

JaCorey Shepherd

DE

N

DT

RE/SLB

SLB/NB

MLB

WLB

FC

SS

FS

BC

Sr.

Fr.

Jr.

Jr.

Jr.

Jr.

Sr.

Jr.

Fr.

Sr.

So.

Fr.

Jr.

Sr.

Sr.

Fr.

Sr.

Jr.

Sr.

So.

Jr.

So.


The Daily’s NCAA football pick ’em challengeThe Daily’s writers make their predictions for 10 college football games this week, selecting one matchup as their lock.

James Corley

13-7 (1-1)

Kedric Kitchens

11-9 (2-0)

Dillon Phillips

11-9 (2-0)

TobiNeidy

10-10 (2-0)

Brent Stenstrom

10-10 (2-0)

Ross Stracke

12-8 (2-0)SEASON RECORD (LOCKS)

Kansas at No. 9 Oklahoma Oklahoma

South Carolina

West Virginia

LSU

Texas Tech

Iowa State

Texas

Nebraska

Syracuse

Duke

Oklahoma

South Carolina

West Virginia

LSU

TCU

Iowa State

Baylor

Northwestern

Syracuse

Duke

Oklahoma

South Carolina

West Virginia

LSU

Texas Tech

Oklahoma State

Texas

Nebraska

Syracuse

North Carolina

Oklahoma

Florida

Kansas State

Texas A&M

Texas Tech

Oklahoma State

Texas

Northwestern

Syracuse

North Carolina

Oklahoma

Florida

West Virginia

LSU

Texas Tech

Iowa State

Texas

Nebraska

Syracuse

North Carolina

Oklahoma

Florida

Kansas State

LSU

Texas Tech

Oklahoma State

Baylor

Nebraska

Syracuse

Duke

No. 7 South Carolina at No. 2 Florida

No. 4 Kansas State at No. 13 West Virginia

No. 6 LSU at No. 18 Texas A&M

No. 17 Texas Tech at No. 23 TCU

No. 24 Iowa State at Oklahoma State

Baylor at No. 25 Texas

Nebraska at Northwestern

Connecticut at Syracuse

North Carolina at Duke

I’m not a gambling man, but I do enjoy looking at the odds of things occurring

and the history of these events. In the spirit of odds and

history repeating itself, I have some bad news for Kansas football fans: The odds are not in the Jayhawks’ favor this Saturday.

Now before I get any hate for possibly jinxing the Sooners this weekend, everything I am about to explain is based on facts and research, not predictions.

In Bob Stoops’ career as the head coach of Oklahoma, he has lost exactly four games at home.

His Sooners have played 82 games during 13-plus seasons at home and lost only four, giving him a winning percentage of 95.1.

As impressive as these statistics are, the most impressive stat is 12-1, the Sooners’ record at homecoming games with the only loss coming last year against Texas Tech.

The average score for OU homecoming games under Stoops is 39-17 in favor of the Sooners.

The biggest win was a 52-0 shutout against Iowa State two years ago.

Unlike high school teams that pick one of the weaker teams on the schedule to be their homecoming opponent to “assure victory,” college programs do things a little differently.

Colleges usually have their homecoming game during the first home game after their first conference road game.

The formula makes it difficult to schedule a “sure thing” at the collegiate level.

So the Sooners’ opponent just happens to be the Kansas Jayhawks, who just so happen to be the least likely Big 12 team to upset OU.

These Jayhawks are fresh off a performance against OSU, which could be considered a stepping-stone outing for a struggling Kansas team (or they just could have been lucky against a team that didn’t need to care to beat Kansas).

Stoops also has never lost to Kansas while at OU, accruing a perfect 7-0 record against the Jayhawks.

The average score of these games: 37-13 in favor of OU.

Even with some of Stoops’ worst teams, the closest Kansas has ever gotten was 14 points. That Jayhawks team won the 2008 Orange Bowl.

With all of this in mind, I just have one thing to say: Good luck Kansas — you’re going to need it.

Chris Tyndall is a University College freshman.


COLUMN » SERIES HISTORY

Kansas has never beaten a Stoops OU team

Chris [email protected]

SPORTS COLUMNISTBY THE NUMBERSOklahoma vs. Kansas

12-1 Record for the Sooners in

homecoming games under coach Bob Stoops (1999-); the lone homecoming loss came against Texas Tech in 2011 to end OU’s 39-game home winning streak

7-0 Record for OU against the Kansas

Jayhawks under Stoops with an average margin of victory of 24 points

14 Points separating Kansas from the

Sooners in the closest game of the Stoops era; the Jayhawks won the Orange Bowl that year (2008) to cap off one of its best seasons in school history


Kansas quarterback Dayne Crist (10) gains a first down at the one-yard line

while tackled by Kansas State defensive back Ty Zimmerman (12) and linebacker

Arthur Brown (4) during the first half of the Jayhawks’ 56-16 loss to the Wildcats

on Oct. 6 in Manhattan, Kan.

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TOBI NEIDYSports Reporter

There’s always a risk for coaches when inserting players into their lineups they haven’t seen at the collegiate level, which is why transfer student-athletes are so attractive to college programs.

Oklahoma and Kansas are both reaping the benefits of their transfers’ performances this year.

After seven weeks into the 2012 college football season, OU (4-1, 2-1 Big 12) went from a depleted stable of wide receivers to having what many on the team are calling the best receiving corp since the 2008 national championship runner-up team.

Only junior receiver Kenny Stills, who finished with 849 receiving yards and eight touchdowns in 2011, returned to the Sooner wide receiver rotation with experience while the rest of group is comprised of transfers and freshmen.

“The wide receiver position went from being a question mark to being one of the best in the country,” junior center Gabe Ikard said. “We went from being a little worried in two-a-days to looking around and saying, ‘We got it; we have six guys that are playing at a high level.’”

Senior wide receiver Justin Brown, who transferred from Penn State, has found a home at Oklahoma, becoming the No. 2 guy in all-purpose yards (423 yards) after the first five games of the season as both a starting receiver and punt returner. Brown is ranked 10th nationally averaging 16.3 yards per punt return.

“He’s a big body out there,” senior quarterback Landry Jones said. “He’s going to be taller than most of the corners who play him, and he’s going to outweigh most of the corners we play, so he’s one more guy they’re going to have to account

for and one more weapon on this team that can do a lot of different things for us.”

Just days before the Texas game, the NCAA cleared junior Fresno State transfer Jalen Saunders, allowing him to step in immediately as another set of experienced hands for Jones to throw to.

Saunders was a first-team All-WAC member after finishing with 1,065 yards and leading the Western Athletic Conference with 12 touchdown catches.

His 21.4 average yards per catch was the second-best in the nation in 2011, and the Sooners weren’t going to pass up the opportunity to offer Saunders a place at OU.

“He’s a proven player with over 1,000 yards in college football,” co-offensive coordinator Jay Norvell said. “We’re very fortunate to have him play this season because [Saunders] is really smart and has learned this offense really fast.”

While Saunders finished with just 54 yards receiving in his first outing as a Sooner, Jones said Saunders adds another experienced receiver who opposing defenses wil l struggle to scheme against.

“He’s one more guy the defense h a s t o a c c o u n t f o r,” s e n i o r quarterback Landry Jones said. “He can come in, give Kenny (Stills) a breather and do a lot of different things that maybe we couldn’t have done without him.”

OU also made a great grab after landing junior running back Damien Williams, who finished with 1,931 yards and 26 touchdowns with Arizona Western in 2011.


OFFENSE » TRANSFERS

OU, KU find stability with transfer playersSooners, Jayhawks bolster lineups with experienced newcomers

After rushing for a career-high 167 yards last week and landing himself in third place for the longest run in OU’s history (longest in a Red River Rivalry game) with a 95-yard dash against the Longhorns, Williams has become the new face of the OU running game.

Williams leads the team with 508 yards and is second in the Big 12 in yards-per-game averaging (101.6).

His physicality and ability to shed the first or second tackles is what makes Williams an pivotal offense threat.

“Damien just busts out runs of ridiculous yards now and runs behind his pads real well,” Ikard said. “He’s got great balance, can get through tackles, and he stays on

his feet and shows the two sides of how a back can play.”

Kansas also will field transfer players during Saturday’s game.

When first-year KU coach Charlie Weis moved from storied Notre Dame to take over the Jayhawk program, he brought senior quarterback Dayne Crist, senior tight end Mike Ragone and senior linebacker Anthony McDonald along for the ride.

Crist has since been the starting quarterback for KU, starting all six games and combining for 1,088 yards and three touchdowns.

T h e f i f t h - y e a r s e n i o r a n d team captain was able to start immediately for the Jayhawks because he already had officially

graduated from Notre Dame.Crist’s immediate impact on the

KU offense has done enough to make coach Bob Stoops and the OU defense realize they will have have to defend well against the veteran’s arm in order to come out with a victory.

“They do a really good job of getting a lot of different sets, combining the run with the pass and Crist has thrown the ball well,” Stoops said. “They have good balance, and I see a lot of good players, and in a lot of their games right there at halftime, it’s an even game.”

Tobi Neidy, [email protected]


Senior wide receiver Justin Brown (19) outruns Texas defenders during OU’s 63-21 win against Texas on Saturday in Dallas.

Brown, a transfer from Penn State, has had a major impact on the Sooners’ receiving corp this season.

AT A GLANCEOU transfer players

• Senior WR Justin Brown (Penn State)• Junior WR Jalen Saunders (Fresno State)• Junior RB Damien Williams (Arizona Western)

LAWRENCE — Kansas coach Charlie Weis has a decision to make at quarterback.

He can go with Dayne Crist, the fifth-year senior and team captain who left Notre Dame to play for his old coach once Weis landed at Kansas in the offseason.

Or he can go with redshirt freshman Michael Cummings, who showed some promise in yet another loss for the Jayhawks (1-5) over the weekend.

Facing a possible shutout on Saturday against Oklahoma State, Weis benched Crist after three unproductive quarters where he had only 136 yards on 10-of-22 passing.

Cummings came in and led two scoring drives in the final four possessions to put Kansas in a position to win. He was 5 of 10 for 75 yards and a touchdown — not only putting the Jayhawks in position to win but Weis in the position of having to defuse any quarterback controversy.

“I think you have to honestly evaluate where you are right now and what gives you the best chance to win, and whatever that answer is, that is what we will do,” he said.

Crist brings more experience. Cummings is more mobile and opens up the playbook.

Weis hasn’t picked a starter, publicly anyway, as his team prepares for a tr ip to No. 10 Oklahoma on Saturday.

“Let’s hope whoever goes in first plays so great that it makes it impossible for me to want to put the second guy in,” said Weis, who has also made recent changes at the kicker and punter positions.

Weis designed practice this week to give both quarterbacks equal snaps so they are both

KANSAS » QUARTERBACK

Jayhawks have choice to make at QBCharlie Weis could go with either Crist, Cummings as starter

prepared for the game.Crist has started all six games,

w ith three touchdow ns and seven interceptions on 88-of-178 passing (49 percent). Over two games, Cummings has completed half of his 14 passes for 87 yards and a touchdown.

“I think that Michael deserves t o p l ay b a s e d o n h i s re c e nt performance,” Weis said.

When Cummings came in, the Jayhawks were down 20-0

with four failed fourth-down conversions. O n his second possession, Cummings led a four-play drive capped with a 22-yard touchdown pass to Jimmay Mundine. On the next possession, Cummings handed off to running back James Sims twice, and Sims scored.

Weis was impressed with the spark Cummings gave to the team. For the first time in three weeks, Kansas was in a position

to win and Weis saw it.“It was great to get a touchdown

and fire the team back up and get the fans back into it,” Cummings said.

In his first game with significant playing time, Cumming said he looked to Crist on the sideline for support.

“If Dayne had his druthers, he would be playing every single play, but that is not going to change who Dayne is,” Weis said.

“When Dayne isn’t in there he is going to be the first guy to try and help.”

For now, the team is looking for the quarterback who can lead them to a victory.

“Whoever goes in there, you’ve got to play as hard as you can for your quarterback and make plays for your team,” said wide receiver Kale Pick who was moved from quarterback last season.



Kansas coach Charlie Weis watches from the sideline during the first half of the Jayhawks’ 56-16 loss to Kansas State on Oct. 6 in Manhattan, Kan.


News from around the SoonerscapeFOOTBALL

OU player garners weekly national award after performance against UT

Junior safety Tony Jefferson was named the Jim Thorpe National Defensive Back of the Week on Wednesday following a stellar defensive performance against the Texas Longhorns last Saturday.

Jefferson fi nished the game with seven tackles (including a team-high, two tackles for loss) and an assist on the Sooners’ safety and an interception. He currently leads the Sooner defense with 37 tackles.

After earning All-Big 12 honorable mention honors in 2011, Jefferson was named to the 2012 Jim Thorpe preseason watch list this summer. The winner of the award will be announced Dec. 6 at the The Home Depot College Football Awards.

Staff Reports

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

All Sooners’ home games to be televised for 2012-2013 season

In conjunction with Sooner Sports TV, the OU women’s basketball team will have all of its home games games, including two exhibition games against Oklahoma Christian and Henderson State on Nov. 1 and Nov. 6, aired this season.

Any game that isn’t selected for a national broadcast on ESPN2 or FOX Sports will be produced by Sooner Sports TV and aired on one of several FOX Sports channels.

OU’s three games in the Rainbow Wahine Showdown in Honolulu during Thanksgiving weekend will be available via webcast on SoonerSports.tv.

The Sooners’ regular season kicks off Nov. 12 against Creighton in Omaha, Neb., and the fi rst home game will be against UCLA on Nov. 14.

Staff Reports

MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY

Oklahoma team No. 6 in nation in latest poll

The OU men’s cross country team is in the top 10 again this week, ranked No. 6 in the nation in the latest U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Association (USTFCCCA), the associaction announced Tuesday.

In-state rival Oklahoma State took over the No. 1 spot this week, follwed by Colorado at No. 2, Stanford at No. 3, Iona at No. 4 and BYU rounding out the top fi ve.

The Sooners last competed at the Wisconsin Adidas Invitationl on Oct. 12 in Madison, Wis.

The Sooners fi nished a program-best third place at the meet.

The team will next perform in the Big 12 conference championships Oct. 27 in Austin to compete for team and individual conference titles.

Staff Reports

Visit OUDaily.com for more news and information about all things Sooner sports.

TONY

JEFFERSON


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Friday, October 19, 2012

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