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 HUDDLE THIS WEEK

9

Oklahoma vs.

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 expectations Trey Millard made a splash against Texas and can only go up from here P8

2

INSIDE THE HUDDLE

• Friday, October 19, 2012

GAME PREVIEW » KANSAS

Jayhawks down but not all out a Student Media publication in association with

160 Copeland Hall 860 Van Vleet Oval Norman, OK 73019-2052 phone: 405-325-3666 email: dailysports@ou.edu

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

KU may have fallen from grace, but Jayhawks have shown they can still win DILLON PHILLIPS Assistant 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

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.

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 SEE KANSAS PAGE 3

INSIDE THE HUDDLE

Friday, October 19, 2012 •

3

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

@OUDailySports

RUSHING YARDS PER GAME

198.3

49.4 4

16.3

7

11.3

1

Receiving scores for senior wide receiver Justin Brown this year, tying career high

Yards per return Brown averages when fielding punts; previous season high was 8.1 (2011)

Intercc Interceptions thrown this yyear, tying a career high, higg with four coming in i Big 12 play

Tim Crist has Times surpassed 190 surp p passing yards in a game y this season seaso (303, TCU)

Yards per reception for Brown, a career low so far this season

DAYNE CRIST Senior quarterback

300.2

1,088

Total passing yards thrown by Crist this year with three touchdowns

RUSHING YARDS ALLOWED

JUSTIN BROWN Senior wide receiver

PASSING YARDS ALLOWED

73

Receiving yards against Texas, a single-game high this year

28.0

179.3

Completion percentage for Kansas quarterback Dayne Cristt this season

128.8

Defense

Stay connected with The Daily

377.7

221.0

2

17.0 Are you on Twitter?

285.4

PASSING YARDS PER GAME

19.0

TOTAL OFFENSE PER GAME

POINTS PER GAME

506.4

TOTAL OFFENSE ALLOWED

Dillon Phillips, dphillips85@ou.edu

Offense

43.2

POINTS ALLOWED

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.

433.7

171.4

232.8

200.8

4

INSIDE THE HUDDLE

• Friday, October 19, 2012

COLUMN » EXPECTATIONS

A game of trophies: OU will be judged INSIDE THE HUDDLE EDITOR

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

James Corley, Inside the Huddle editor

jcorley@ou.edu

W

inter 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

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?

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.

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

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

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.

INSIDE THE HUDDLE

Friday, October 19, 2012 •

5

News from around the wide world of sports COLLEGE FOOTBALL » TULANE

NBA » CHICAGO BULLS

SOCCER » LIVERPOOL

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

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

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

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 DEVON wants to thank everyone who has sent WALKER 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

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 BismarckMandan 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

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 first 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.

The Associated Press

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

6

INSIDE THE HUDDLE

• Friday, October 19, 2012

COLUMN » LOOKING PAST OPPONENTS

Respect the Jayhawks’ chance to be dangerous SPORTS COLUMNIST

BY THE NUMBERS Oklahoma vs. Kansas

28

Points per game allowed by Kansas’ defense this season

43.2

Points per game scored

by OU’s offense this year

Jono Greco jonogreco13@gmail.com

221

Rushing yards per game accrued by the Sooners’ multi-pronged rushing attack

S

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

Its team put together back-toback 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

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)

KINGSLEY BURNS/THE DAILY

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.

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

198.3

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

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.

INSIDE THE HUDDLE

Friday, October 19, 2012 •

7

GUEST COLUMN » KANSAS PERSPECTIVE

Fans don’t want KU to be just basketball school GUEST COLUMNIST

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 Pat Strathman cause for conference realignment pstrathman@kansan.com relies heavily on the success of the football program. ive years ago, the I can only imagine what goes Kansas football team through the football players’ accomplished something heads on campus. With basketball that many didn’t think that would players, many of them are treated happen: The team finished the as celebrities. season with a 12-1 record.

With football players, that’s not Despite the loss to Missouri in the same reaction. The players the final Big 12 game of the year, do get recognition, but unless Kansas secured a 24-21 victory the player is a superstar, most of against Virginia Tech in the campus won’t recognize them.

Orange Bowl.

Sometimes it is rough to be only A sense of pride was instilled ORLIN WAGNER/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS known as a “basketball school,” in many Jayhawk fans’ hearts, Kansas quarterback Dayne Crist (10) is tackled by Oklahoma State defensive tackle Nigel Nicholas (89) during the first but if you talk to the fans, they including my own. That same half of the Jayhawks’ 20-14 loss to the Cowboys on Saturday in Lawrence. don’t see it the same way. Maybe feeling is now missing. some students came just for the After the Orange Bowl year, the basketball program, but they The responses to this article Yes, the University of Kansas is difficult to break out of the mold football program is in a downward all, including myself, crave for a were incredible. Most of the a basketball school. And it really as a “basketball school.” spiral. In the past four years, successful football program. comments rebutted the main The football program doesn’t Kansas has only won 11 games. To should be.

Jayhawk fans once received a points of the column and Other prestigious universities come close to the tradition of make matters worse, the program taste of basketball and football the basketball program, but that explained that the fans want only has two Big 12 victories in the like Duke and Kentucky didn’t glory nearly five years ago, and we success for the football program have the original creator of doesn’t mean fans don’t want a same time frame. will always want that very same as badly as the basketball great football program.

When fans get a taste of sporting basketball, James Naismith. taste. program.

In a column in The University excellence, they continue to want Those universities also don’t have Rock Chalk.

And they are absolutely right. the original rules of basketball Daily Kansan, a writer asserted more. This is why visiting teams Basketball is an important sport, located on campus like Kansas that Kansas fans should be hear a simple phrase by Kansas but it’s nowhere close to football. content with the success of students after every disappointing will in 2014.

Historic Allen Fieldhouse only Pat Strathman is a reporter for The The tradition can’t be matched, basketball and shouldn’t worry loss: “It’s almost basketball about football. holds 16,400 people. Memorial and that makes it extremely season.”

University Daily Kansan.

F

8

• Friday, October 19, 2012

Friday, October 19, 2012 •

9

COVER STORY » TREY MILLARD

Hard to keep off the field Teammates say fullback Millard has ‘special talent,’ fun to watch TOBI NEIDY Sports Reporter

I

n 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

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.

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 61yard 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, 119yard 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 KINGSLEY BURNS/THE DAILY is bigger, you have a bigger responsibility to the team,” Millard said.

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.

10

• Friday, October 19, 2012

INSIDE THE HUDDLE

Oklahoma depth chart OFFENSE LT

LG

C

RG

RT

TE

WR

WR

WR

QB

FB

RB

DEFENSE

69 Lane Johnson

Sr.

71 Tyrus Thompson

So.

74 Adam Shead

So.

50 Austin Woods

Jr.

64 Gabe Ikard

Jr.

56 Ty Darlington

Fr.

68 Bronson Irwin

Jr.

50 Austin Woods

Jr.

79 Daryl Williams

So.

72 Derek Farniok

RE

RT

98 Chuka Ndulue

So.

11 R.J. Washington

Sr.

53 Casey Walker

Sr.

80 Jordan Phillips

R-Fr.

97 Jamarkus McFarland

Sr.

90 David King

Sr.

90 David King

Sr.

84 Mike Onuoha

Fr.

7 Corey Nelson

Jr.

R-Fr.

25 Aaron Franklin or

So.

85 Geneo Grissom or

So.

5 Joseph Ibiloye

Sr.

88 Taylor McNamara

Fr.

21 Tom Wort

Jr.

82 Brandon Green

Jr.

20 Frank Shannon or

17 Trey Metoyer

Fr.

44 Jaydan Bird

Sr.

18 Lacolton Bester

Jr.

9 Gabe Lynn

Jr.

19 Justin Brown

Sr.

2 Julian Wilson

So.

13 Durron Neal

Fr.

23 Kass Everett

Jr.

4 Kenny Stills

Jr.

14 Aaron Colvin

Jr.

3 Sterling Shepard or

Fr.

27 Gary Simon

Fr.

22 Roy Finch

Jr.

30 Javon Harris

Sr.

12 Landry Jones

Sr.

9 Gabe Lynn

Jr.

10 Blake Bell

So.

1 Tony Jefferson

Jr.

15 Drew Allen

Jr.

42 Jesse Paulsen

Sr.

33 Trey Millard

Jr.

6 Demontre Hurst

Sr.

48 Aaron Ripkowski

So.

15 Lamar Harris

Sr.

20 Damien Williams

Jr.

26 Zack Sanchez

Fr.

8 Dominique Whaley or

Sr.

24 Brennan Clay

Jr.

LT

RE

OLB

MLB

N

RCB

SS

FS

LCB

R-Fr.

INSIDE THE HUDDLE

Kansas depth chart OFFENSE LT

LG

C

RG

RT

TE

WR

WR

QB

FB

HB

DEFENSE

Tanner Hawkinson

Sr.

Pat Lewandowski

So.

Duane Zlatnik

Sr.

Damon Martin

Fr.

Trevor Marrongelli

Sr.

Dylan Admire

Fr.

Randall Dent

Jr.

Aslam Sterling

Jr.

Aslam Sterling

Jr.

Gavin Howard

Jr.

Mike Ragone

Sr.

Jimmay Mundine

So.

Kale Pick

Sr.

Andrew Turzilli

So.

Daymond Patterson

Sr.

Tre’ Parmalee or

Fr.

Chris Omigie

Jr.

Dayne Crist or

Sr.

Michael Cummings

Fr.

Brandon Bourbon

So.

Nick Sizemore

Jr.

James Sims

Jr.

Tony Pierson or

So.

Taylor Cox

Jr.

DE

N

DT

RE/SLB

SLB/NB

MLB

WLB

FC

SS

FS

BC

Friday, October 19, 2012 •

11

The University of Oklahoma L I B R A R I E S

Josh Williams

Sr.

Ben Goodman

Fr.

Kevin Young

Jr.

John Williams

Jr.

Jordan Tavai

Jr.

Keba Agostinho

Jr.

Toben Opurum

Sr.

Darius Willis

Jr.

Jake Love

Fr.

Tunde Bakare

Sr.

Ben Heeney

So.

Schyler Miles

Fr.

Huldon Tharp

Jr.

Anthony McDonald

Sr.

Greg Brown

Sr.

Tyree Williams

Fr.

History of Science Collections

Lubbock Smith

Sr.

presents

Dexter Linton

Jr.

Bradley McDougald

Sr.

Ray Mitchell

So.

Tyler Patmon

Jr.

JaCorey Shepherd

So.

Western History Collections presents 1904 World’s Fair Souvenirs Art of the American Arms Makers Traveling America with the Fred Harvey Company Bob Burke Collection: Great Stars of Western American Film, Television & Music Open to the public during regular hours.

Open until kick-off on game days.

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

“A Living Library: The Growth of History of Science Collections 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 floor For more info, call (405) 325-2741.

libraries.ou.edu

12

INSIDE THE HUDDLE

• Friday, October 19, 2012

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

James Corley

Kedric Kitchens

Dillon Phillips

Tobi Neidy

Ross Stracke

Brent Stenstrom

SEASON RECORD (LOCKS)

13-7 (1-1)

11-9 (2-0)

11-9 (2-0)

10-10 (2-0)

12-8 (2-0)

10-10 (2-0)

Kansas at No. 9 Oklahoma

Oklahoma

Oklahoma

Oklahoma

Oklahoma

Oklahoma

Oklahoma

No. 7 South Carolina at No. 2 Florida

South Carolina

South Carolina

South Carolina

Florida

Florida

Florida

No. 4 Kansas State at No. 13 West Virginia

West Virginia

West Virginia

West Virginia

Kansas State

West Virginia

Kansas State

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

LSU

LSU

LSU

Texas A&M

LSU

LSU

No. 17 Texas Tech at No. 23 TCU

Texas Tech

TCU

Texas Tech

Texas Tech

Texas Tech

Texas Tech

No. 24 Iowa State at Oklahoma State

Iowa State

Iowa State

Oklahoma State

Oklahoma State

Iowa State

Oklahoma State

Baylor at No. 25 Texas

Texas

Baylor

Texas

Texas

Texas

Baylor

Nebraska at Northwestern

Nebraska

Northwestern

Nebraska

Northwestern

Nebraska

Nebraska

Connecticut at Syracuse

Syracuse

Syracuse

Syracuse

Syracuse

Syracuse

Syracuse

North Carolina at Duke

Duke

Duke

North Carolina

North Carolina

North Carolina

Duke

INSIDE THE HUDDLE

Friday, October 19, 2012 •

13

COLUMN » SERIES HISTORY

Kansas has never beaten a Stoops OU team SPORTS COLUMNIST

Chris Tyndall ctynsports@cox.net

BY THE NUMBERS Oklahoma 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

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.

ORLIN WAGNER/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

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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’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 steppingstone 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.

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INSIDE THE HUDDLE

• Friday, October 19, 2012

OFFENSE » TRANSFERS

OU, KU find stability with transfer players Sooners, Jayhawks bolster lineups with experienced newcomers TOBI NEIDY Sports 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

AT A GLANCE OU transfer players • Senior WR Justin Brown (Penn State) • Junior WR Jalen Saunders (Fresno State) • Junior RB Damien Williams (Arizona Western)

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 AllWAC 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,” cooffensive 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 will 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.

KINGSLEY BURNS/THE DAILY

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.

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 95yard 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.

The fifth-year senior and 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, tneidy@gmail.com

INSIDE THE HUDDLE

Friday, October 19, 2012 •

15

KANSAS » QUARTERBACK

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

ORLIN WAGNER/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

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.

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 to play based on his re cent 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 22yard 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.

The Associated Press

16

INSIDE THE HUDDLE

• Friday, October 19, 2012

News from around the Soonerscape FOOTBALL

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY

OU player garners weekly national award after performance against UT

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

Oklahoma team No. 6 in nation in latest poll

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 finished the game with seven tackles (including a team-high, two tackles for loss) and an assist on the Sooners’ TONY safety and an interception. He currently JEFFERSON 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

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 first home game will be against UCLA on Nov. 14.

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 five.

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

Staff Reports

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

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