Game Day - Oct. 20

Kansas at Oklahoma6 p.m. n Owen Field n Fox Sports Net n KOKC-AM 1520

Mission: Keep it going

Daily Transcript50 cents

The Norman Transcript n Oct. 20, 2012

The Norman Transcript n Oct. 20, 2012 GAMEDAY 3

Kansasat OklahomaTime: 6 p.m.Place: Owen FieldSeries: OU leads 69-27-6Records: OU 4-1 (2-1 Big 12),Kansas 1-5 (1-3)Rankings: OU No. 10Associated Press Top 25; No.7 USA Today coaches poll;No. 9 BCS standings. Kansasunranked.Line: OU minus 35TV: FSN (Cox 37)Radio: KOKC-AM 1520,KRXO-FM 107.7

Insiden No time for a letdown 4n Breakdown 5n Rosters 6n Two-deeps 7n Poster 8n Stats 10n National Schedule 12n Big 12 Glance 13n Predictions 14

AP Photo

Oklahoma defensive tackle Casey Walker motions after making a play during theSooners victory last week at the Cotton Bowl. OU is riding a three-game wave ofterrific defense.

THE VIEW

Some defenseMike Stoops may or

may not receiveanother chance to

run his own program. If it’sas simple as makinganother huge impact a acoordinator, it’s hard tobelieve he won’t.

Having so much successas a coordinator again, it’seasy to believe he might notbe interested. Then again,he may never feel vindicat-ed until he duplicates aportion of what his olderbrother has accomplished.

Those are questions thatcan’t be answered. One thatcan be, however, is MikeStoops’ ability to take holdof the Sooner defense andmake it relevant in a waythat fundamentally matters.

For instance, in the newand high-flying Big 12,defense has come to bemeasured by a unit’s abilityto rise up in a moment,never mind if it had alreadyallowed 500 yards and fivetouchdowns.

OU is bucking that trendin a way many may havethought not possible. Theproof is in the pudding.

For starters, OU has putthree consecutive gamestogether.

In one of those games,the fourth quarter againstKansas State, they were notvery good, and still theWildcats only managed 24points on a day LandryJones fumbled the ball inthe end zone and gave up ashort field with an intercep-tion that led to three pointsand, anyway, K-State isaveraging more than 40points an outing.

Five games in, Oklahoma

ClayHorning

Sports Editor

Unit has responded to Mike Stoops’ challenge

• See HORNING Page 14

By John ShinnTranscript Sports Writer

Oklahoma has put itself onan upward trend. The doubtthat surrounded it followingthe Sept. 22 loss to KansasState has been erased andreplaced with the confidencethat comes from convincingvictories over Texas Techand Texas.

So, what caused the trans-formation other than simplywinning?

“I think it’s more we’re cut-ting it loose and we’re playingball,” OU quarterbackLandry Jones said. “Notthinking, not worrying aboutif we don’t score this many

points we’re not going to beNo. 1 anymore, or thingsalong those lines. I think thisyear we’re just out there towin games. And however thegame is going … we’re goingto cut it loose and have fun.”

The 10th-ranked Sooners(4-1, 2-1 Big 12) can let thegood times roll again whenthey face Kansas (1-5, 0-3) at6 tonight, on homecomingSaturday, at Owen Field.

However, this game offersa different internal challengethan the previous two. This isa game OU should win. TheSooners are a 35-pointfavorite for a reason, and it

No time totake it easy

THE BIG STORY: CAN’T LET DOWN

Transcript Photo by Jerry Laizure

Oklahoma quarterback Blake Bell dives into the end zone for one of his fourtouchdowns against Texas.

“I think it’s more we’recutting it loose andwe’re playing ball. Notthinking, not worryingabout if we don’t scorethis many points we’renot going to be No. 1anymore, or thingsalong those lines. Ithink this year we’rejust out there to wingames.”

Landry JonesOU quarterback

Classic trap game should be test of Sooners’ character

• See CHARACTER Page 9

The Norman Transcript n Oct. 20, 20124 GAMEDAY

By John ShinnTranscript Sports Writer

Oklahoma is back in thetop 10 and seven days awayfrom a showdown withNotre Dame that shouldhave national champi-onshipimplica-tions.Beforethat,there’s a lit-tle matterof tonight’sgame withKansas.

This isthe classiclet-downgame onOU’s schedule: the 1-5 Jay-hawks sandwichedbetween the Red RiverRivalry and the fifth-rankedFighting Irish.

Here are five things OU

needs to do tonight to avoidthat setback:

Keep running the ball: OUoffensive coordinator JoshHeupel has found that bal-ance is the best offense. Overthe last two games, the Soon-

ers have run the ball at willagainst both Texas Tech andTexas. The efforts have notonly led to a 6 yards per car-ry average and the emer-

K ANSAS at OKLAHOMA: BREAK ING DOWN TONIGHT’S GAME

Ground gameserving Sooners

Soonerrunningback DomWhaleycarriesagainstTexas. OUshould be ingood shapetoday if it cancontinue toground outthe yards.

Transcript Photoby Jerry Laizure

John Shinn

Fivethings to

watch


• See WATCH Page 11

RUNNING GAME PASSING GAME RUN DEFENSE

PASS DEFENSE SPECIAL TEAMS INTANGIBLES

n The Sooners are on pace to be the best rushingteam of the Bob Stoops era.He’s never had a team average over 5 yards percarry. OU’s averaging 6heading into tonight’s game.That average isn’t likely todip. Kansas will bang awaywith Tony Pierson and TaylorCox, but the Sooners’ offensive line is going to bethe difference.

n Landry Jones isn’t throwing a ton of touchdownpasses, but he’s doingeverything else right. AddingJalen Saunders last weekoffers an deeper pool ofpotential targets. TheJayhawks are in the midst ofa quarterback controversy.Both senior Dayne Crist andfreshman MichaelCummings will play tonight.

n Here’s why most believethis game will get out ofhand. Kansas has struggledto stop the run this seasonand Kansas State is the onlydominant running team ithas faced. The Soonershave stuffed Texas Tech andTexas in back-to-backgames with the front sevenimproving in every game. It’sdoubtful that trend will endtonight.

n This is the classic letdowngame for the Sooners. Theyare 13-0 the week afterTexas under Bob Stoops.However, none of thosegames were the weekbefore a showdown with ahighly-ranked Notre Dameteam. The Sooners shouldwin easily, but Kansas willget a little boost if OU’s looking ahead.

— John Shinn

n Again, this is another mismatch. Justin Brown hasbecome a weapon on puntreturns. Adding JalenSaunders as a return mancould make OU even moredangerous. To make mattersworse for Kansas, it’s just 5-for-10 on field goal attempts.The Sooners clearly have anedge when it comes to kick-ing, returning and covering.

n OU’s secondary has beendominant in the last twogames. It’s only given uptwo deep passes, whileintercepting five. The group’splay has made them thestars of the conference. Ithas locked down two prolificoffenses in back-to-backgames. Kansas doesn’t havethe athletes to match up withthe Sooners’ receivers. Thatshould be evident early.

1 Tony Jefferson DB 5-11 212 Jr. Chula Vista, Calif.2 Julian Wilson DB 6-2 191 So. Moore3 Sterling Shepard WR 5-10 188 Fr. Oklahoma City4 Kenny Stills WR 6-1 190 Jr. Encinitas, Calif.5 Joseph Ibiloye LB 6-3 218 Sr. Garland, Tx6 Demontre Hurst DB 5-10 183 Sr. Lancaster, Tx7 Corey Nelson LB 6-1 219 Jr. Dallas, Tx8 Dominique Whaley RB 5-11 204 Sr. Lawton8 Joe Powell DB 6-0 173 Jr. Dallas9 Gabe Lynn DB 6-0 199 Jr. Tulsa9 Trevor Knight QB 6-1 197 Fr. San Antonio10 Rashod Favors DE 6-1 250 So. Fort Worth10 Blake Bell QB 6-6 254 So. Wichita,Kan.11 R.J. Washington DE 6-3 256 Sr. Fort Worth11 Kendal Thompson QB 6-1 184 R-Fr. Oklahoma City12 Landry Jones QB 6-4 218 Sr. Artesia, N.M.13 Durron Neal WR 5-11 201 Fr. St. Louis, Mo.14 Jalen Saunders WR 5-9 160 Jr. Elk Grove, Calif.14 Aaron Colvin DB 6-0 181 Jr. Owasso15 Drew Allen QB 6-5 226 Jr. San Antonio15 Lamar Harris DB 6-1 186 Sr. Gilmer, Tx16 Jaz Reynolds WR 6-2 198 Jr. Houston, Tx17 Trey Metoyer WR 6-1 190 Fr. Whitehouse, Tx18 Michael Hunnicutt K 6-0 173 So. Richardson, Tx18 Lacolton Bester WR 6-3 205 Jr. Scooba, Miss.19 Justin Brown WR 6-3 209 Sr. Wilmington, Del.20 Frank Shannon LB 6-1 230 R-Fr. Dallas21 Tom Wort LB 6-0 237 Jr. New Braunfels, TX 21 Austin Brown WR 6-5 202 R-Fr. Buffalo, Wyo.22 Roy Finch RB 5-7 175 Jr. Niceville, Fla.22 Cortez Johnson DB 6-2 191 So. NewOrleans, La.23 Kass Everett DB 5-10 180 Jr. Philadelphia, Pa.23 Danzel Williams RB 5-8 189 R-Fr. Arlington, Tx24 Brennan Clay RB 5-11 201 Jr. San Diego24 Trey Franks DB 5-10 184 Jr. Orange, Tx25 Aaron Franklin LB 6-1 212 So. Marshall, Tx25 David Smith RB 5-10 193 Fr. Midlothian, Ill.26 Zack Sanchez DB 5-11 170 Fr. Keller, Tx 26 Damien Williams RB 6-0 208 Jr. San Diego27 Gary Simon DB 6-1 180 Fr. St. Petersburg, Fla. 28 Alex Ross RB 6-1 204 Fr. Jenks29 Grant Bothun WR 5-11 183 Fr. Rowlett, Tx 29 Quentin Hayes DB 6-0 181 So. Lancaster, Tx30 Javon Harris DB 5-11 206 Sr. Lawton31 Daniel Franklin LB 6-2 224 Sr. Mount Airy, Ga.32 Marshall Musil FB 6-2 241 Jr. La Crosse, Kan.33 Trey Millard FB 6-2 256 Jr. Columbia, Mo.34 Daniel Brooks RB 5-8 163 Fr. Port Lavaca, Tx35 Julian Winters RB 5-11 169 So. Sacramento, Calif.36 Joel Ossom FB 5-9 235 Sr. Denton, Tx36 Tress Way P 6-1 215 Sr. Tulsa 37 Dylan Seibert P 6-3 215 R-Fr. Tulsa38 Brandon Young DB 5-10 173 So. Frisco, Tx

38 Jack Steed K 6-5 200 Fr. Katy, Tx39 Nick Hodgson K 6-2 189 So. N. Richland Hills, Tx40 P.L. Lindley LB 6-2 240 R-Fr. R. Rock, Tx41 Eric Striker LB 6-0 198 Fr. Seffner, Fla. 42 Jesse Paulsen DB 6-0 193 Sr. Albuquerque, N.M.43 Patrick O’Hara K 6-0 192 Sr. Topeka, Kan. 44 Jaydan Bird LB 6-2 236 Sr. Wichita, Kan. 45 Caleb Gastelum LB 6-1 196 So. Claremore 46 Eric Doughtie DB 6-0 197 Fr. Sugarland, Tx 47 Alex Christiensen FB 6-3 243 Fr. Edmond 47 Eric Hosek K 5-10 150 R-Fr. Sherman, Tx48 Aaron Ripkowski FB 6-1 260 So. Dayton, Ohio49 David Driskill FB 6-1 239 So. Oklahoma City50 Austin Woods OL 6-4 293 Jr. Rockwall, Tx52 John-Philip Hughes OL 6-4 250 R-Fr. Tulsa 53 Casey Walker DT 6-2 309 Sr. Garland, Tx54 Nila Kasitati OL 6-4 309 R-Fr. Euless, Tx56 Ty Darlington OL 6-3 266 Fr. Apopka, Fla. 59 Nathan Hughes OL 6-6 248 R-Fr. Spring, Tx 64 Gabe Ikard OL 6-3 288 Jr. Oklahoma City67 Robert Hollis OL 6-4 333 R-Fr. Tulsa 68 Bronson Irwin OL 6-5 307 Jr. Mustang69 Lane Johnson OL 6-7 303 Sr. Groveton, Tx71 Tyrus Thompson OL 6-5 303 So. Pflugerville, Tx 72 Derek Farniok OL 6-9 319 R-Fr. Sioux Falls, S.D.74 Adam Shead OL 6-4 307 So. Cedar Hill, Tx 75 Tyler Evans OL 6-5 315 Sr. Strafford, Mo. 77 Marquis Anderson DT 6-3 265 R-Fr. Cibolo, Tx 78 Kyle Marrs OL 6-5 320 Fr. San Antonio, Tx79 Daryl Williams OL 6-6 299 So. Lake Dallas, Tx80 Jordan Phillips DT 6-6 318 R-Fr. Towanda, Kan.80 Derrick Woods WR 6-1 185 Fr. Inglewood, Calif.81 Sam Grant TE 6-7 234 Fr. North Royalton, Ohio 82 Brannon Green TE 6-2 250 Jr. Altamont, Kan. 84 Mike Onuoha DE 6-5 235 Fr. Edmond 84 Don Caudill WR 6-1 194 Jr. Muldrow85 Geneo Grissom TE 6-4 247 So. Hutchinson, Kan. 86 Brandon Kitchens WR 5-11 161 Fr. Jenks87 Derrick Bradley WR 5-8 173 Sr. Houston, Tx88 Taylor McNamara TE 6-5 234 Fr. San Diego, Calif. 89 Connor Knight TE 6-4 212 Fr. San Antonio, 89 Chase Buck TE 6-3 231 Jr. Edmond90 David King DE 6-5 286 Sr. Houston91 Charles Tapper DE 6-4 265 Fr. Baltimore92 Stacy McGee DT 6-4 299 Sr. Muskogee93 Jordan Wade DT 6-4 290 Fr. Round Rock, Tx94 Torrea Peterson DT 6-3 277 So. San Antonio95 Damon Williams DT 6-3 305 So. Irving, Tx96 Mitch Tate DE 6-4 238 R-Fr. Bartlesville97 Jamarkus McFarland DT 6-2 288 Sr. Lufkin, Tx 98 Chuka Ndulue DE 6-3 256 So. Dallas99 Chaz Nelson DE 6-2 239 Jr. Columbus, Ohio

OKLAHOMA ROSTER1 Smith, Lubbock 5-10 200 S Sr. Dallas2 Willis, Darius 6-2 240 LB Jr. Houston3 Pierson, Tony 5-10 170 HB So. East St. Louis, Ill.4 Kande, Prinz 5-11 205 LB Jr. Euless, Tx5 Brown, Greg 5-10 185 CB Sr. Cedar Hill, Tx6 Baty, Turner 6-2 215 QB So. Redwood City, Calif.7 Pick, Kale 6-1 205 WR Sr. Dodge City, Kan.8 Ford, Josh 6-3 211 WR Jr. Landover, Md.9 Heaps, Jake 6-1 208 QB Jr. Issaquah, Wash.9 Tavai, Jordan 6-3 290 DL Jr.Redondo Beach, Calif.10 Crist, Dayne 6-4 235 QB Sr. Canoga Park, Calif.11 Parmalee, Tre' 5-10 168 WR Fr. Overland Park, Kan.11 Williams, Tyree 6-0 193 CB Fr. Stafford, Tx12 Matthews, Christian 6-1 205 WR Jr. Arlington, Tx13 Doherty, Ron 5-11 209 PK/P Jr. Klein, Tx14 Cummings, Michael 5-10 201 QB Fr. Killeen, Tx14 Moore, Nasir 6-1 170 CB Jr. Suwanee, Ga.15 Patterson, Daymond 5-8 180 WR Sr. Mesquite, Tx16 Hentges, Matt 6-2 175 WR Fr. Eureka, Mo.16 Prolago, Nick 5-10 175 K So. Olathe, Kan.17 Bakare, Tunde 5-10 205 LB Sr. Woodbridge, Va.17 Jablonski, Blake 6-1 208 QB So. Wichita, Kan.18 Jones, Jonathan 5-9 195 WR So. Minneapolis, Kan.18 Powell, Corrigan 5-10 174 CB Sr. Garland, Tx19 Kahn, Eric 6-5 180 K So. Spring Hill, Kan.19 McCay, Justin 6-2 215 WR So. Kansas City, Mo.20 Beshears, D.J. 5-9 185 WR Sr. Denton, Tx22 Allen, Greg 5-11 204 CB Fr. Houston, Tx22 Embree, Connor 5-10 180 WR So. Superior, Colo.23 Linton, Dexter 5-10 195 CB Jr. Arlington, Tx24 McDougald, Bradley 6-1 209 S Sr. Dublin, Ohio25 Bourbon, Brandon 6-1 218 RB So. Potosi, Mo.25 Shepherd, JaCorey 5-11 185 CB So. Mesquite, Tx26 Mitchell, Ray 6-0 190 S So. Irving, Tx27 Simmons, Victor 6-1 206 LB So. Olathe, Kan.28 Hawks, Brandon 5-9 190 S Sr. Oskaloosa, Kan.28 Jackson, Marquis 6-0 220 RB So. Fort Worth, Tx29 Sims, James 6-0 200 HB Jr. Irving, Tx30 Shaw, Tevin 5-11 185 S Fr. Piscataway, N.J.31 Heeney, Ben 6-0 225 LB So. Hutchinson, Kan.32 Miles, Schyler 6-2 228 LB Fr. Tampa, Fla.33 Patmon, Tyler 5-11 180 CB Jr. Round Rock, Tx34 Tharp, Huldon 6-0 227 LB Jr. Mulvane, Kan.35 Opurum, Toben 6-1 250 DE Sr. Richardson, Tx36 Cox, Taylor 5-11 210 HB Jr. Mill Creek, Wash.37 Burton, Ryan 5-9 190 HB Sr. Co. Springs, Colo.38 Puthoff, Justin 6-2 245 TE Jr. Goddard, Kan.38 Richardson, Josh 6-4 245 DE Sr. Dublin, Ohio40 Huddleston, Sean 6-1 200 P So. Orange, Calif.40 Randall, Preston 6-1 190 HB Fr. Lawrence, Kan.41 Mundine, Jimmay 6-2 243 TE So. Denison, Tx43 Fink, Ed 6-2 235 FB So. Belleville, Ill.43 Matlock, Alex 6-1 195 S Fr. Pflugerville, Tx

44 Baron, Scott 6-2 245 TE Fr. Santa Ana, Calif.45 Christian, Piers 6-0 180 CB Fr. Dallas, Tx45 Sizemore, Nick 6- 240 FB Jr. Lititz, Pa.47 Maura, Brian 6-3 205 S So. Miami, Fla.49 Hunt, Tyler 6-2 230 LB Sr. Lawrence, Kan.50 Speer, Ricky 5-11 197 LB So. Shawnee, Kan.51 McDonald, Anthony 6-2 235 LB Sr. Burbank, Calif.52 Bickus, Dom 6-0 220 LB Fr. Long Grove, Ill.54 Carnes, Justin 6-1 250 LS Jr. La Porte, Tx55 Reynolds, Michael 6-1 240 DE So. Wichita, Kan.56 Burgoon, Josh 6-1 275 OL Jr. Lenexa, Kan.57 Love, Jake 6-0 220 LB Fr. Tonkawa, Okla.58 Arnick, Courtney 6-2 195 LB Fr. Dallas, Tx59 Jeffers, Reilly 6-2 230 OL Fr. South Bend, Ind.61 Lewandowski, Pat 6-5 285 OL So. Overland Park, Kan.62 Avery, Dylan 6-3 250 DL So. Topeka, Kan.63 Roberts, Dillon 6-1 295 OL Jr. Pleasanton, Kan.64 Dent, Randall 6-4 300 OL Jr. Dallas, Tx65 Clark, Paul 6-2 275 C Fr. Miami, Fla.66 Admire, Dylan 6-3 277 OL Fr. Overland Park, Kan.67 Zlatnik, Duane 6-4 306 OL Sr. Rossville, Kan.68 Luhrsen, Luke 6-3 292 OL Fr. Wheaton, Ill.69 Marrongelli, Trevor 6-3 303 OL Sr. Austin, Tx70 Howard, Gavin 6-4 300 OL Jr. Owasso, Okla.71 Williams, John 6-3 300 DL Jr. Tulsa, Okla.72 Hawkinson, Tanner 6-5 300 OL Sr. McPherson, Kan.73 Martin, Damon 6-3 295 OL Fr. Arlington, Tx74 Beckmann, Brian 6-6 300 OL Fr. Overland Park, Kan.75 Connolly, Sean 6-7 287 OL Fr. Kirtland Hills, Ohio76 Peters, Bryan 6-3 300 OL Fr. La Mirada, Calif.77 Sterling, Aslam 6-5 360 OL Jr. Spr. Garden, N.Y.79 Spencer, Riley 6-6 305 OL Jr. Hesston, Kan.80 Herod, Ricki 6-2 195 WR So. Mesquite, Tx82 Turzilli, Andrew 6-3 193 WR So. Butler, N.J.83 Omigie, Chris 6-4 200 WR Jr. Arlington, Tx84 Ragone, Mike 6-4 255 TE Sr. Blackwood, N.J.85 Smiley, Trent 6-4 245 TE So. Frisco, Tx86 Brooks, Charles 6-6 240 TE Jr. St. Louis, Mo.87 Shelley-Smith, Jordan 6-5 230 TE Fr. McGregor, Tx88 Owens, Billy 6-2 175 WR Jr. Galveston, Tx90 Young, Kevin 6-3 285 DL Jr. Olathe, Kan.91 Smith, Shane 6-5 295 DL Jr. Albuquerque, N.M.92 Page, Neal 6-4 230 DE Fr. Birmingham, Mich.93 Goodman, Ben 6-3 260 DL Fr. Beaumont, Tx94 Holmes, Tyler 6-3 286 DL Fr. Garland, Tx95 Williams, Josh 6-4 255 DL Sr. Denton, Tx96 Agostinho, Keba 6-2 280 DE Jr. Katy, Tx98 Stowers, Keon 6-3 290 DL So. Rock Hill, S.C.99 Barone, Austin 5-11 170 K Fr. Pittsburg, Kan.

KANSAS ROSTER


WHEN OKLAHOMA HAS THE BALL WHEN KANSAS HAS THE BALL

FS: 24, Bradley McDougald26, Ray Mitchell

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FS: 1, Tony Jefferson42, Jesse Paulsen

DT: 53, Casey Walker80, Jordan Phillips

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The Norman Transcript ■ Oct. 20, 2012 GAMEDAY 7

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LT: 69, Lane Johnson71, Tyrus Thompson

TB: 8, Dominique Whaley24, Brennan Clay26, Damien Williams

When Sooners take receiver off the field

FB: 33, Trey Millard48, Aaron Ripkowski

When Jayhawks take receiver off the field

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goes well beyond home-fieldadvantage. The Jayhawkshave lost five straight and stillhaven’t beaten an FBS teamthis season.

The Sooners have to usethis game to continue addingto the foundation they’ve laidthe last two weeks. They’vebecome a tougher and moredisciplined team since theloss to the Wildcats. Thereisn’t a phase of the game thathasn’t made vast improve-ment.

But the season will onlyreach its midway pointtonight. There’s a lot of timefor that infrastructure to getstronger or crumble.

“It’s only our sixth game. Ikeep saying it, but it’s true.We’ve still got a long way togo,” OU coach Bob Stoopssaid. “I still feel we’ve got ahigh ceiling. We’ve got tokeep pushing to makeimprovement. Hopefully,now, when you’re playingweek to week, we can get intoa rhythm of doing that. We’regoing to need to do that.That’s what we’ll focus on thisweek with Kansas comingin.”

The teams that win cham-pionships never seem to lev-el off. They continue to getbetter every week. Stoopsknows it, but getting his play-ers to understand is an entire-ly different challenge.

They’re saying the rightthings.

“We’re a humble team,”defensive tackle JamarkusMcFarland said. “We’re ateam that wants more. Every-one wants to score again.Everyone wants to makeanother tackle. I don’t feelwe’ve reached our peak yet.”

The Sooners hope theydon’t tonight, either. Theyneed to win — and theyshould. They need to get bet-ter as well. That’s harder todo.

Rare is the team that’s actu-ally able to progress game togame to game. Some years,injuries knocked a team offcourse. Other years, compla-cency becomes entrenched.More often, it is a mixture ofboth.

Tonight should be a goodtest of OU’s character.There’s no revenge, rivalry or

national intrigue adding to thegame. It’s on the Sooners tocreate their own momentum.

“We want to keep going; wewant to keep getting better. It’ssomething that’s unexplain-able sometimes, just to be like,man, it’s a lot different,” safetyJavon Harris said. “Guys aregoing out … we’re going tocontinue to play hard. We’regoing to take the Texas gameand build off of it. It was good,but we want to be great.”

John ShinnFollow me @john_shinn

[email protected]

Opp. 163 644 4.0 4 71 128.8

PassingEff C-A-I Pct Yds. TD

Jones 136.6 114-184-3 62.0 1353 9Bell 160.2 5-7-0 71.4 74 0Total 137.5 119-191-3 62.3 1427 9Opp. 98.6 81-153-6 52.9 857 3

ReceivingNo. Yds. Avg. TD Lg A/G

Stills 32 381 11.9 3 68 76.2Brown 20 227 11.4 2 46 45.4Shepard 16 206 12.9 1 28 41.2Metoyer 12 104 8.7 1 27 20.8Millard 11 165 15.0 1 73 33.0Williams 9 112 12.4 0 38 22.4Whaley 4 14 3.5 0 13 2.8Green 3 45 15.0 1 18 9.0Clay 3 35 11.7 0 14 7.0Bester 3 29 9.7 0 13 5.8Saunders 2 54 27.0 0 32 54.0Neal 2 38 19.0 0 25 9.5Musil 1 12 12.0 0 12 6.0Finch 1 5 5.0 0 5 1.0Total 119 1427 12.0 9 73 285.4Opp. 81 857 10.6 3 75 171.4

Tackles (leaders)S A T Loss Sack

Jefferson 25 12 37 2.0-3Harris 18 12 30 1.0-4Colvin 16 4 20Nelson 15 4 19 3.5-13 1.0-8Wort 11 8 19 1.5-6Hurst 13 5 18Ndulue 13 5 18 2.0-2 1.5-1Washington 9 8 17 1.5-6Franklin 10 4 14 1.0-8 1.0-8McFarland 7 7 14 3.0-10 2.0-9Lynn 10 3 13 2.0-3Wilson 8 5 13 1.0-2

Sept. 1 at UTEP W, 24-7Sept. 8 Florida A&M W, 69-13Sept. 22 Kansas St. L, 24-19Oct. 6 at Texas Tech W, 41-20Oct. 13 Texas W, 63-21Oct. 20 Kansas 6 p.m.Oct. 27 Notre Dame 7 p.m.Nov. 3 at Iowa State TBANov. 10 Baylor TBANov. 17 at W. Virginia TBANov. 24 OSU TBADec. 1 at TCU TBA

SCHEDULE

STATS(Five games)

RushingAtt Yds Y/C TD Lg Y/G

Williams 66 508 7.7 6 95 101.6Whaley 38 241 6.3 1 18 48.2Clay 25 164 6.6 3 24 32.8Millard 12 99 8.2 0 20 19.8Finch 6 61 10.2 1 17 12.2Bell 28 51 1.8 7 10 10.2Stills 2 22 11.0 0 13 4.4Shannon 1 19 19.0 0 19 4.8Jones 7 -60 -8.6 0 0 -12.0Total 185 1105 6.0 18 95 221.0

Character: KU provides a test• Continued from Page 4


OU Opp.SCORING 216 85Points per game 43.2 17.0FIRST DOWNS 128 74Rushing 54 28Passing 70 40Penalty 4 6RUSHING YARDAGE 1105 644Yards gained rushing 1209 726Yards lost rushing 104 82Rushing Attempts 185 163Average Per Rush 6.0 4.0Average Per Game 221.0 128.8TDs Rushing 18 4

PASSING YARDAGE 1427 857C-A-I 119-191-3 81-153-6Average per pass 7.5 5.6Average per catch 12.0 10.6Average per game 285.4 171.4TDs Passing 9 3TOTAL OFFENSE 2532 1501Total Plays 376 316Average per play 6.7 4.8Average per game 506.4 300.23rd-DOWN Conversions 5-68 26-74Percentage 51% 35%4th-DOWN Conversions 2-2 1-5Percentage 100% 20%

TE AM NUMBERS

SoonerquarterbackLandry Jonesscans the fieldas he dropsback to passagainst Texaslast Saturdayat the CottonBowl.

AP Photo

Todayn 2 p.m. — UPB presentsGame Day OU vs Kansas,OU Meacham Auditoriumn 3 p.m. — Boomer Bash,Oklahoma Memorial UnionBallroomn 3 p.m. — Sooner Fan Fest,corner of Brooks Street andJenkins Avenuen 3 p.m. — Homecomingparade, starts on Boyd Streetn 3:30 p.m. — Sooner Clubtailgate, Mosier Indoor Facilityn 4 p.m. — Sooner FamilyFun Zone, Norman Institute ofReligionn 6 p.m. — Kickoff

gence of Damien Williams asa feature back and Trey Mil-lard as a fullback who’s muchmore than a decoy, butLandry Jones has enjoyedwider lanes in which to throw.Keep that up and the Soonerswill have the dominantoffense it has always sought.

Continue to feed Millard:OU’s sought a hybrid offen-sive player since tight endJermaine Gresham playedhis last down in 2008. Mil-lard is the closest thing OU’shad since. He runs the ballwell enough to be consid-ered a top-of-the-line runningback. There isn’t a bettertight end in the Big 12 Con-ference and he also has beena devastating blocker. Hedoesn’t need to get the ball30 times a game, but just acombination of carries andreceptions that equal 15 (ormaybe just 10) will keep anydefense off balance.

As the defensive tackles go,so goes OU’s defense: TheSooners’ defensive resur-gence has centered on theplay of defensive tacklesCasey Walker and JamarkusMcFarland. They’ve been a

force against the run and thepass and allowed the sec-ondary to stay in pretty basiccoverages. As long as thesetwo are holding their groundagainst the run and collaps-ing the pocket on thirddown, the Sooners’ defen-sive dominance — a domi-nance that has included onlyone touchdown against thefirst unit in two games —should continue.

Keep an eye on Jalen Saun-ders: He only had two catch-es against Texas, but he did-

n’t get in the game plan untiltwo days before the game.OU’s secondary has ravedabout the transfer from Fres-no State since August. Thedefensive backs liken him toRyan Broyles. Now that he’sfully cleared to play, the Soon-ers must fully implement himin the offense tonight.

Keep the offensive linehealthy: In a lot of ways, thisis beyond OU’s control. Onthe other hand, the grouphas become razor thin witha season-ending injury to

guard Nila Kasatati againstTexas Tech. Seeing guardsBronson Irwin and AdamShead both limp off the fieldagainst Texas caused someshortness of breath last Sat-urday. Both returned to thegame and both will starttonight. But, if the Soonerscan build an early lead,developing depth shouldtake precedence over get-ting the starters more depth.

John ShinnFollow me @john_shinn

[email protected]

Jablonski 1 2 2.0 0 2 1.0Miles, 1 1 1.0 1 1 0.2TEAM 2 -2 -1.0 0 0 -1.0Cummings 4 -13 -3.2 0 4 -6.5Crist 23 -56 -2.4 0 8 -9.3Total 253 1076 4.3 9 47 179.3Opp. 239 1205 5.0 12 99 200.8

PassingEff C-A-I Pct Yds. TD

Crist 98.5 88-178-7 49.4 1088 3Cummings125.8 7-14-0 50.0 87 1Jablonski 200.8 1-1-0100.0 12 0Matthews125.2 1-1-0100.0 3 0Total 101.1 97-194-7 50.0 1190 4Opp. 132.6 113-183-7 61.7 1397 8

ReceivingNo. Yds. Avg. TD Lg A/G

Patterson 19 160 8.4 0 14 26.7Pick 15 248 16.5 0 43 49.6Pierson 15 198 13.2 1 26 39.6Turzilli 14 234 16.7 0 42 39.0Beshears 8 44 5.5 0 9 7.3Mundine 6 74 12.3 2 23 12.3Sims 5 66 13.2 0 28 22.0Parmalee 3 55 18.3 0 23 9.2Omigie 3 51 17.0 0 23 8.5Bourbon 2 20 10.0 0 12 5.0Ragone 2 11 5.5 1 9 1.8Sizemore 2 10 5.0 0 8 2.5Cox 2 7 3.5 0 4 1.2Opurum 1 12 12.0 0 12 2.0Total 97 1190 12.3 4 43 198.3Opp. 113 1397 12.4 8 72 232.8

Tackles (leaders)S A T Loss Sack

Heeney 31 19 50 4.0-4McDpugald40 10 50 3.0-15Brown 27 10 37 0.5-0Patmon 26 4 30Opurum 17 12 29 4.0-15 1.0-7

Sept. 1 S. Dak. St. W, 31-17Sept. 8 Rice L, 25-24Sept. 15 TCU L, 20-6Sept. 22 at N. Illinois L, 30-23Oct. 6 at K-State L, 56-16Oct. 13 OSU L, 20-14Oct. 20 at Oklahoma 6 p.m.Oct. 27 Texas TBANov. 3 at Baylor TBANov. 10 at Texas Tech TBANov. 17 Iowa State TBADec. 1 at West Virginia TBA

SCHEDULE

STATS(Six games)

RushingAtt Yds Y/C TD Lg Y/G

Sims 73 344 4.7 4 30 114.7Cox 61 325 5.3 2 39 54.2Pierson 59 319 5.4 2 47 63.8Matthews 6 56 9.3 0 15 11.2Beshears 10 52 5.2 0 13 8.7Bourbon 7 21 3.0 0 10 5.2Doherty 1 13 13.0 0 13 2.6Patterson 2 6 3.0 0 4 1.0Pick 2 5 2.5 0 3 1.0Jackson 1 3 3.0 0 3 0.6

Watch: Millard a big part of itThe Norman Transcript n Oct. 20, 2012 GAMEDAY 11

• Continued from Page 5

Kansas Opp.SCORING 134 168Points per game 19.0 28.0FIRST DOWNS 130 125Rushing 63 59Passing 58 61Penalty 9 5RUSHING YARDAGE 1076 1205Yards gained rushing 1225 1336Yards lost rushing 149 131Rushing Attempts 253 239Average Per Rush 4.3 5.0Average Per Game 179.3 200.8TDs Rushing 9 12

PASSING YARDAGE 1190 1397C-A-I 97-194-7 13-183-7Average per pass 6.1 7.6Average per catch 12.3 12.4Average per game 198.3 232.8TDs Passing 4 8TOTAL OFFENSE 2266 2602Total Plays 447 422Average per play 5.1 6.2Average per game 377.7 433.73rd-DOWN Conversions 28-91 29-80Percentage 31% 36%4th-DOWN Conversions 6-18 5-9Percentage 33% 56%

TE AM NUMBERS

Soonerfullback TreyMillard andoffensivelinemanBronson Irwincelebrate a bigplay last weekat the CottonBowl.

Transcript Photo byJerry Laizure

COLLEGE FOOTBALL SATURDAYToday’s GamesEASTNew Hampshire (5-2) at Maine (2-4), 11 a.m.Rutgers (6-0) at Temple (3-2), 11 a.m.Sacred Heart (2-4) at Duquesne (4-2), 11 a.m.CCSU (1-5) at Robert Morris (1-5), 11 a.m.Wagner (3-3) at St. Francis (Pa.) (3-4), 11 a.m.Bowling Green (4-3) at UMass (0-6), 11 a.m.Penn (2-3) at Yale (1-4), 11 a.m.Cornell (3-2) at Brown (3-2), 11:30 a.m.Bucknell (1-5) at Lehigh (7-0), 11:30 a.m.Georgetown (3-4) at Colgate (3-3), noonHoly Cross (1-5) at Lafayette (4-2), noonBryant (1-6) at Monmouth (NJ) (3-3), noonHarvard (5-0) at Princeton (3-2), noonDartmouth (3-2) at Columbia (1-4), 2:30 p.m.Pittsburgh (2-4) at Buffalo (1-5), 2:30 p.m.Rhode Island (0-6) at Delaware (4-2), 2:30 p.m.Indiana (2-4) at Navy (3-3), 2:30 p.m.Old Dominion (5-1) at Towson (3-3), 6 p.m.Kansas St. (6-0) at West Virginia (5-1), 6 p.m.SOUTHTennessee St. (7-0) at Jacksonville St. (3-3), 11 a.m.Virginia Tech (4-3) at Clemson (5-1), 11 a.m.Auburn (1-5) at Vanderbilt (2-4), 11:21 p.m.Wake Forest (3-3) at Virginia (2-5), 11:30 a.m.Morgan St. (3-3) at Howard (4-2), noonSan Diego (3-3) at Jacksonville (6-1), noonFIU (1-6) at Troy (3-3), noonPresbyterian (2-5) at Charleston So. (2-4), 12:30 p.m.NC A&T (3-3) at Delaware St. (3-3), 12:30 p.m.Georgia So. (5-1) at Furman (2-5), 12:30 p.m.Coastal Carolina (2-4) at VMI (2-4), 12:30 p.m.W. Carolina (1-6) at Elon (2-4), 2 p.m.BC (1-5) at Georgia Tech (2-4), 2 p.m.Va. Lynchburg (1-5) at Grambling St. (0-6), 2 p.m.Wofford (5-1) at App. St. (5-2), 2:30 p.m.South Carolina (6-1) at Florida (6-0), 2:30 p.m.Villanova (5-2) at Georgia St. (1-6), 2:30 p.m.Concord (4-3) at Liberty (2-4), 2:30 p.m.South Florida (2-4) at Louisville (6-0), 2:30 p.m.NC State (4-2) at Maryland (4-2), 2:30 p.m.JMU (5-1) at Richmond (4-3), 2:30 p.m.FAU (1-5) at South Alabama (1-5), 2:30 p.m.Norfolk St. (2-5) at Bethune-Cookman (4-2), 3 p.m.MVSU (2-4) at Jackson St. (3-4), 3 p.m.La-Monroe (4-2) at W. Kentucky (5-1), 3 p.m.Davidson (0-6) at Campbell (1-5), 5 p.m.Samford (4-2) at Chattanooga (3-3), 5 p.m.SC State (2-5) at Florida A&M (3-4), 5 p.m.North Carolina (5-2) at Duke (5-2), 6 p.m.Georgia (5-1) at Kentucky (1-6), 6 p.m.Idaho (1-6) at Louisiana Tech (5-1), 6 p.m.M. Tennessee (4-2) at Mississippi St. (6-0), 6 p.m.Marshall (2-4) at Southern Miss. (0-6), 6 p.m.

Ark.-Pine Bluff (4-2) at Southern U. (3-3), 6 p.m.Alabama (6-0) at Tennessee (3-3), 6 p.m.East Carolina (4-3) at UAB (1-5), 6 p.m.UCF (4-2) at Memphis (1-5), 7 p.m.Florida St. (6-1) at Miami (4-3), 7 p.m.E. Kentucky (5-2) at Tenn. Tech (2-4), 7 p.m.MIDWESTN. Illinois (6-1) at Akron (1-6), 11 a.m.Purdue (3-3) at Ohio St. (7-0), 11 a.m.Minnesota (4-2) at Wisconsin (5-2), 11 a.m.Valparaiso (0-6) at Dayton (3-4), noonArmy (1-5) at E. Michigan (0-6), noonMarist (2-4) at Drake (5-2), 1 p.m.Missouri St. (1-6) at Illinois St. (6-1), 1 p.m.UT-Martin (5-2) at SE Missouri (2-4), 1 p.m.Ball St. (4-3) at Cent. Michigan (2-4), 2:30 p.m.W. Michigan (3-4) at Kent St. (5-1), 2:30 p.m.Michigan St. (4-3) at Michigan (4-2), 2:30 p.m.Nebraska (4-2) at Northwestern (6-1), 2:30 p.m.BYU (4-3) at Notre Dame (6-0), 2:30 p.m.Montana (3-4) at North Dakota (3-4), 2:40 p.m.S. Illinois (4-3) at Youngstown St. (4-2), 3 p.m.S. Dakota St. (5-1) at N. Iowa (1-5), 4 p.m.Morehead St. (1-5) at Butler (5-2), 5 p.m.N. Dakota St. (5-1) at S. Dakota (1-5), 6 p.m.Cincinnati (5-0) at Toledo (6-1), 6 p.m.Indiana St. (5-2) at W. Illinois (3-3), 6 p.m.Penn St. (4-2) at Iowa (4-2), 7 p.m.SOUTHWESTIowa St. (4-2) at Oklahoma St. (3-2), 11 a.m.LSU (6-1) at Texas A&M (5-1), 11 a.m.San Jose St. (4-2) at UTSA (5-1), 1 p.m.Alcorn St. (3-4) at Prairie View (1-5), 2 p.m.Nicholls St. (1-4) at S.F. Austin (2-4), 2 p.m.Texas Tech (5-1) at TCU (5-1), 2:30 p.m.Rice (2-5) at Tulsa (6-1), 2:30 p.m.Lamar (3-4) at Cent. Arkansas (5-2), 6 p.m.Kansas (1-5) at Oklahoma (4-1), 6 p.m.McNeese St. (4-2) at S. Houston St. (4-2), 7 p.m.Baylor (3-2) at Texas (4-2), 7 p.m.Tulane (1-5) at UTEP (1-6), 7 p.m.FAR WESTStanford (4-2) at California (3-4), 2 p.m.Weber St. (0-7) at S. Utah (3-4), 2 p.m.New Mexico St. (1-5) at Utah St. (5-2), 2 p.m.UNLV (1-6) at Boise St. (5-1), 2:30 p.m.Idaho St. (1-5) at N. Colorado (1-5), 2:35 p.m.Colorado (1-5) at Southern Cal (5-1), 5 p.m.New Mexico (4-3) at Air Force (3-3), 6 p.m.Sac. St. (5-2) at E. Washington (5-1), 6:05 p.m.UC Davis (3-4) at N. Arizona (5-1), 6:05 p.m.Portland St. (2-4) at Cal Poly (6-0), 8:05 p.m.Washington (3-3) at Arizona (3-3), 9 p.m.Wyoming (1-5) at Fresno St. (4-3), 9:30 p.m.Utah (2-4) at Oregon St. (5-0), 9:30 p.m.San Diego St. (4-3) at Nevada (6-1), 9:35 p.m.

A whole lot to get right

AP Photo

Kansas State quarterback Collin Klein picks up toughyards against Iowa State. Today, West Virginia will trystopping him and the Wildcats.

By John RabyAP Sports Writer

CHARLESTON, W.Va. —West Virginia defensive coor-dinator Joe DeForest believesthe Mountaineers’ struggleson his side of the ball can berepaired.

How that can be done,especially with No. 4 KansasState coming to Morgan-town, remains to be seen.

West Virginia’s defensehas given up 49, 45 and 63points in its last three games.Only terrific efforts from theoffense enable the Moun-taineers to pull out close winsin two of those contests.

The problems can’t be pin-pointed to one specific area.There have been blown cov-erages, a fickle pass rush,poor tackling and big yardagegains galore, including TexasTech’s 18 plays of 15 yards ofmore last week.

Heading into Saturday’sshowdown with the Wildcats(6-0, 3-0 Big 12), DeForeststressed that No. 17 West Vir-ginia (5-2, 2-1) must play withmore passion and learn fromits defensive mistakes.

“We have a lot of things tocorrect,” DeForest said. “Butthey’re all correctable.”

DeForest was hired awayfrom Oklahoma State in Jan-uary after longtime defensivecoordinator Jeff Casteel andtwo other defensive coachesleft to join Rich Rodriguez atArizona, signaling an end toWest Virginia’s 3-3-5 defen-sive scheme.

Gone, too, were four of thetop seven tacklers along withsack specialist Bruce Irvinfrom last year’s team thatallowed 29 points per game,worst in the Big East.

It’s only gone downhillfrom there.

The lid seemed to come off

in the 49-14 loss at TexasTech that doused the Moun-taineers’ national title hopes.

“It was much more thanjust mental mistakes, fromwhat I saw,” linebacker DougRigg said. “It was bad efforton the field. A lot of peoplewere just making one-on-onetackles instead of swarmingthe ball, and that was the

biggest thing with the coach-es. They weren’t mad toomuch about the mental mis-takes because that happens ina game. It was more peoplenot getting to the ball and peo-ple not putting the effort forthneeded to win the game. Andthat’s very disappointing.”

In its first season in the Big

• See WVU Page 13

Mountaineers must figure out away to slow down K-State offense


WVU: Mountaineer defense has to get a whole lot better in time for today

Cyclones want to run ball todayBy Chuck SchoffnerAssociated Press

AMES, Iowa — Make nomistake, Iowa State coachPaul Rhoads wants to run thefootball.

Rhoads pounded the tabletwice at his weekly news con-ference Monday to empha-size the point, which hasbecome a critical issue for theCyclones. Their runninggame has been scuffling andleading rusher James Whiteis out with a knee injury.

“I’m not a (bam!) ’you’vegot to run the ball’ guy,” hesaid, showing a wry smile.“But (bam!) you’ve got to runthe ball.”

Rhoads said in August that

he wanted to be a run-firstteam and believed he had thedepth at running back to doit.

But the Cyclones (4-2, 1-2Big 12) haven’t had a 100-yard rusher since ShontrelleJohnson ran for 120 in theopener against Tulsa andthey’ve topped 200 yardsrushing in a game only once,against FCS foe Western Illi-nois.

Iowa State managed only65 yards on the ground in a27-21 loss to Kansas State andsits last in the Big 12 and 85thnationally in rushing at 143yards a game.

That’s not what Rhoadshad in mind going in, thoughin fairness all five of Iowa

State’s FBS opponents werein the top 31 nationally in rundefense.

“If we can get to 200 (yardsrushing), we’re probably hav-ing a pretty good day overallas an offense,” Rhoads said.“Right now, I’d settle for 180.”

Or maybe 190. Iowa Stateis 14-4 under Rhoads whenrushing for at least 190 yardsin a game and 8-18 when itfalls below that mark.

“Our running game overthe past couple of weeks,whether that be defensivescheming against us and usnot adjusting to it or whetherit is just bad execution by us,it’s not getting the job done,”running back Jeff Woodysaid.

Iowa State’s longest runagainst Kansas State was an11-yarder by Woody, whohas been nagged by ankleand knee injuries. The Wild-cats often bunched sixdefenders near the line ofscrimmage, giving them onemore tackler than the offen-sive line could block.

Quarterback Jared Barnettsaid the Cyclones will have toadjust if teams continue doingthat.

“If they’re going to load thebox, we’re going to have toload the box as well and havemore blockers,” Barnett said.“We’re going to have to makesure that we can come backwith an extra tight end oreven a receiver coming outand blocking the edge.”

Big 12 Standings

Con. OverallKansas State 3 0 1.000 6 0 1.000TCU 2 1 1.000 5 1 .833Texas Tech 2 1 .500 5 1 .833West Virginia 2 1 .500 5 1 .833Oklahoma 2 1 .500 4 1 .800Oklahoma St. 1 1 .500 3 2 .600Iowa State 1 2 .500 4 2 .667Texas 1 2 .000 4 2 .667Baylor 0 2 .000 3 2 .600Kansas 0 3 .000 1 5 .167

TodayTexas Tech at TCU, 2:30 p.m.Kansas State at West Virginia, 6 p.m.Kansas at Oklahoma, 6 p.m.Iowa State at Oklahoma State, 6 p.m.Baylor at Texas, 7 p.m.

Oct. 27Baylor at Iowa StateKansas at TexasNotre Dame at OklahomaTCU at Oklahoma StateTexas Tech at Kansas State

Nov. 3Oklahoma at Iowa StateKansas at BaylorOklahoma State at Kansas StateTexas at Texas TechTCU at West Virginia


12, the Mountaineers aren’talone in their misery. Half ofthe teams are surrendering28 points or more each week.

Texas gave up nearly 700yards to Oklahoma last Sat-urday. Baylor is allowing 41

points and 372 passing yardsa game. Oklahoma, TexasTech and Oklahoma State areamong the worst in the coun-try at forcing turnovers.

The Mountaineers mightjust have them all beat.

Behind the 3-4 scheme

installed by DeForest, WestVirginia is 114th in totaldefense, allowing 496 yards agame; 118th in pass defenseand 109th in scoring defense.

Amid all the mess, WestVirginia hasn’t allowed a 100-yard individual rushing effort

all season. The Mountaineersare holding opponents to 131yards on the ground,although that may bebecause of all the aerialassaults they’ve seen.

All that might changeagainst Kansas State, which

has the nation’s 11th bestrushing offense behind run-ning back John Hubert (101yards per game) and quar-terback Collin Klein (85).

DeForest wants hisdefense to take a group-hugapproach toward Klein and

Hubert, and not in the nicestway.

“We’re keying on him, andtheir running back,” saidWest Virginia linebacker Isa-iah Bruce. “We’re trying tocontain them, and let otherpeople (try to) beat us.”


On the air11 a.m.Auburn at Vanderbilt (KSBI-7)Purdue at Ohio State (KOCO-5)LSU at Texas A&M (ESPN)Virginia Tech at Clemson (ESPN2)Iowa St. at Oklahoma St. (FX)Penn at Yale (NBCSN)Minnesota at Wisconsin (ESPNU)Stanford at California (KOKH-25)2 p.m.BC at Georgia Tech (FSSW)2:30 p.m.Auburn at Vanderbilt (KSBI-7)Texas Tech at TCU (KOCO-5)Nebraska at Northwestern (ESPN2)Iowa St. at Oklahoma St. (FX)Penn at Yale (NBCSN)Minnesota at Wisconsin (ESPNU)Stanford at California (KOKH-25)6 p.m.Alabama at Tennessee (ESPN)Kansas St. at W. Virginia (KOKH-25)Kansas at Oklahoma (FSOK)Georgia at Kentucky (FSSW)Marshall at So. Miss. (CBSSN)North Carolina at Duke (ESPNU)M. Tennessee St. at Miss. St. (ESPN2)7 p.m.Baylor at Texas (KOCO-5)9:30 p.m.S.D. State at Nevada (CBSSN)S.C. State at Florida A&M (ESPNU)

Rhoads feels that’s the ticket to beating Oklahoma St.

THE WAY WE SEE IT

Clay Horning John Shinn Corbin Hosler Michael Kinney

boasts the No. 14 defense inthe nation in terms of yardsallowed (300.2), the No. 20 indefense in terms of scoring(17.0), and the No. 11 defensein terms of passing yardsallowed (171.4 per game).

Only it’s much betterthan that.

There were the turnoversagainst K-State. There is thefact that of Texas’ 21 points ,zero came against OU’s firstunit. And Texas Tech onlyput together one sustainedtouchdown drive. And, herelately, OU has become one ofthe best takeaway teams inthe nation, getting threeagainst the Red Raiders andthree against the Longhorns.

Remember when MikeLeach was at Texas Techand the Red Raiders mightnot win every game, butposted huge numbers inevery game except thegame they played againstOU?

From 2000 to 2004, thefive times a Mike Leachoffense matched wits with aMike Stoops’ defense, Techscored 13, 13, 15, 25 (still a31-point loss), 13 and 21points against the Sooners.

OU is beginning to play

defense like that again. It’ssomething.

Defensive end DavidKing has reported defend-ers taking it upon them-selves to spend more time inthe film room. It’s clear thata weakness through threegames, the tackle spots,have become strengths asCasey Walker and JamarcusMcFarland have come tolife. And the secondary isbenefiting from having anew position coach by thename of Mike Stoops.

Everybody talks abouttoday being a trap game.The Sooners are going tohave a hard time covering a35-point spread.

Maybe so.There is, however, anoth-

er line.The last two weeks, the

numbers have been one andzero, because that’s all thetouchdowns OU’s defensivestarters have allowed.

It’s Kansas’ turn.The offense might fail to

focus. But the defense has atrend to continue.

Maybe it’s just gettingstarted.

Clay HorningFollow me @clayhorning

[email protected]

Horning: Defense



Kansas (+35) at OklahomaPick: Oklahoma 42-10

K-State (+3) at West VirginiaPick: K-State 27-24

Iowa State (+14) at OSUPick: OSU 42- 24

Baylor (+11) at TexasPick: Texas 35-31

Texas Tech (-2 1/2) at TCUPick: Texas Tech 31-24

’Bama (-20 1/2) at TennesseePick: ’Bama 31-10

Va. Tech (+8 1/2) at ClemsonPick: Clemson 35-24

LSU (-4) at Texas A&MPick: LSU 27-19*

Auburn (+7) at VanderbiltPick: Vanderbilt 27-13

BYU (+13 1/2) at Notre DamePick: Notre Dame 29-17

South Carolina (+3) at FloridaPick: Florida 28-24

Michigan St. (+10) at MichiganPick: Michigan 21-10

Last week (overall)Straight up: 8-4 (44-16)Spread: 3-9 (33-27)* Lock: 0-1 (3-2)


K-State (+3) at West VirginiaPick: West Virginia 45-35

Iowa State (+14) at OSUPick: OSU 31-24





LSU (-4) at Texas A&MPick: LSU 20-17


BYU (+13 1/2) at Notre DamePick: Notre Dame 17-10*

South Carolina (+3) at FloridaPick: Florida 28-14







Texas Tech (-2 1/2) at TCUPick: TCU 31-21




Auburn (+7) at VanderbiltPick: Auburn 24-14*


South Carolina (+3) at FloridaPick: South Carolina 31-24






Baylor (+11) at TexasPick: Baylor 49-45







South Carolina (+3) at FloridaPick: South Carolina 25-17*



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Game Day - Oct. 20