Game Day - Oct. 20

The Norman Transcript n Oct. 20, 2012

Kansas at Oklahoma 6 p.m. n Owen Field n Fox Sports Net n KOKC-AM 1520

Mission: Keep it going

50 cents

Daily Transcript

The Norman Transcript

n

Oct. 20, 2012

GAMEDAY

3

THE VIEW

Some defense Unit has responded to Mike Stoops’ challenge

M

ike Stoops may or may not receive another chance to run his own program. If it’s as simple as making another huge impact a a coordinator, it’s hard to believe he won’t.

Having so much success as a coordinator again, it’s easy to believe he might not be interested. Then again, he may never feel vindicated until he duplicates a portion of what his older brother has accomplished.

Those are questions that can’t be answered. One that can be, however, is Mike Stoops’ ability to take hold of the Sooner defense and make it relevant in a way that fundamentally matters.

For instance, in the new and high-flying Big 12, defense has come to be measured by a unit’s ability to rise up in a moment, never mind if it had already allowed 500 yards and five touchdowns.

Clay Horning Sports Editor

OU is bucking that trend in a way many may have thought not possible. The proof is in the pudding.

For starters, OU has put three consecutive games together.

In one of those games, the fourth quarter against Kansas State, they were not very good, and still the Wildcats only managed 24 points on a day Landry Jones fumbled the ball in the end zone and gave up a short field with an interception that led to three points and, anyway, K-State is averaging more than 40 points an outing.

Five games in, Oklahoma • See HORNING Page 14

Kansas at Oklahoma Time: 6 p.m.

Place: Owen Field Series: OU leads 69-27-6 Records: OU 4-1 (2-1 Big 12), Kansas 1-5 (1-3) Rankings: OU No. 10 Associated Press Top 25; No. 7 USA Today coaches poll; No. 9 BCS standings. Kansas unranked.

Line: OU minus 35 TV: FSN (Cox 37) Radio: KOKC-AM 1520, KRXO-FM 107.7

Inside n n n n n n n n n

No time for a letdown Breakdown Rosters Two-deeps Poster Stats National Schedule Big 12 Glance Predictions

4 5 6 7 8 10 12 13 14

AP Photo

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

4

GAMEDAY

The Norman Transcript

n

Oct. 20, 2012

THE BIG STORY: CAN’T LET DOWN

No time to take it easy

Classic trap game should be test of Sooners’ character

By John Shinn Transcript Sports Writer

Oklahoma has put itself on an upward trend. The doubt that surrounded it following the Sept. 22 loss to Kansas State has been erased and replaced with the confidence that comes from convincing victories over Texas Tech and Texas.

So, what caused the transformation other than simply winning?

“I think it’s more we’re cutting it loose and we’re playing ball,” OU quarterback Landry Jones said. “Not thinking, not worrying about if we don’t score this many

points we’re not going to be No. 1 anymore, or things along those lines. I think this year we’re just out there to win games. And however the game is going … we’re going to cut it loose and have fun.”

The 10th-ranked Sooners (4-1, 2-1 Big 12) can let the good times roll again when they face Kansas (1-5, 0-3) at 6 tonight, on homecoming Saturday, at Owen Field.

However, this game offers a different internal challenge than the previous two. This is a game OU should win. The Sooners are a 35-point favorite for a reason, and it

“I think it’s more we’re cutting it loose and we’re playing ball. Not thinking, not worrying about if we don’t score this many points we’re not going to be No. 1 anymore, or things along those lines. I think this year we’re just out there to win games.”

Landry Jones

• See CHARACTER Page 9

OU quarterback

Transcript Photo by Jerry Laizure

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

The Norman Transcript

n

Oct. 20, 2012

GAMEDAY

5

K ANSAS at OKL A HOMA: BRE A K ING DOWN TONIGHT’S G AME

Ground game serving Sooners

By John Shinn

Sooner running back Dom Whaley carries against Texas. OU should be in good shape today if it can continue to ground out the yards.

Transcript Sports Writer

Oklahoma is back in the top 10 and seven days away from a showdown with Notre Dame that should have national championship implicaFive tions. things to Before watch that, John Shinn there’s a little matter of tonight’s game with Kansas.

This is the classic let-down game on OU’s schedule: the 1-5 Jayhawks sandwiched between the Red River Rivalry and the fifth-ranked Fighting Irish.

Here are five things OU

Transcript Photo

by Jerry Laizure

needs to do tonight to avoid that setback: Keep running the ball: OU offensive coordinator Josh Heupel has found that balance is the best offense. Over the last two games, the Soon-

ers have run the ball at will against both Texas Tech and Texas. The efforts have not only led to a 6 yards per carry average and the emer• See WATCH Page 11

RUNNING GAME

n

The Sooners are on pace to be the best rushing team of the Bob Stoops era.

He’s never had a team average over 5 yards per carry. OU’s averaging 6 heading into tonight’s game.

That average isn’t likely to dip. Kansas will bang away with Tony Pierson and Taylor Cox, but the Sooners’ offensive line is going to be the difference.

PA S S I N G G A M E

n

Landry Jones isn’t throwing a ton of touchdown passes, but he’s doing everything else right. Adding Jalen Saunders last week offers an deeper pool of potential targets. The Jayhawks are in the midst of a quarterback controversy.

Both senior Dayne Crist and freshman Michael Cummings will play tonight.

PA S S D E F E N S E

n

OU’s secondary has been dominant in the last two games. It’s only given up two deep passes, while intercepting five. The group’s play has made them the stars of the conference. It has locked down two prolific offenses in back-to-back games. Kansas doesn’t have the athletes to match up with the Sooners’ receivers. That should be evident early.

RUN DEFENSE

n

Here’s why most believe this game will get out of hand. Kansas has struggled to stop the run this season and Kansas State is the only dominant running team it has faced. The Sooners have stuffed Texas Tech and Texas in back-to-back games with the front seven improving in every game. It’s doubtful that trend will end tonight.

SPECIAL TEAMS

n

Again, this is another mismatch. Justin Brown has become a weapon on punt returns. Adding Jalen Saunders as a return man could make OU even more dangerous. To make matters worse for Kansas, it’s just 5for-10 on field goal attempts.

The Sooners clearly have an edge when it comes to kicking, returning and covering.

I N TA N G I B L E S

n

This is the classic letdown game for the Sooners. They are 13-0 the week after Texas under Bob Stoops.

However, none of those games were the week before a showdown with a highly-ranked Notre Dame team. The Sooners should win easily, but Kansas will get a little boost if OU’s looking ahead.

— John Shinn

6

GAMEDAY

The Norman Transcript

OKLAHOMA ROSTER 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 8 9 9 10 10 11 11 12 13 14 14 15 15 16 17 18 18 19 20 21 21 22 22 23 23 24 24 25 25 26 26 27 28 29 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 36 37 38

Tony Jefferson Julian Wilson Sterling Shepard Kenny Stills Joseph Ibiloye Demontre Hurst Corey Nelson Dominique Whaley Joe Powell Gabe Lynn Trevor Knight Rashod Favors Blake Bell R.J. Washington Kendal Thompson Landry Jones Durron Neal Jalen Saunders Aaron Colvin Drew Allen Lamar Harris Jaz Reynolds Trey Metoyer Michael Hunnicutt Lacolton Bester Justin Brown Frank Shannon Tom Wort Austin Brown Roy Finch Cortez Johnson Kass Everett Danzel Williams Brennan Clay Trey Franks Aaron Franklin David Smith Zack Sanchez Damien Williams Gary Simon Alex Ross Grant Bothun Quentin Hayes Javon Harris Daniel Franklin Marshall Musil Trey Millard Daniel Brooks Julian Winters Joel Ossom Tress Way Dylan Seibert Brandon Young

DB DB WR WR LB DB LB RB DB DB QB DE QB DE QB QB WR WR DB QB DB WR WR K WR WR LB LB WR RB DB DB RB RB DB LB RB DB RB DB RB WR DB DB LB FB FB RB RB FB P P DB

5-11 6-2 5-10 6-1 6-3 5-10 6-1 5-11 6-0 6-0 6-1 6-1 6-6 6-3 6-1 6-4 5-11 5-9 6-0 6-5 6-1 6-2 6-1 6-0 6-3 6-3 6-1 6-0 6-5 5-7 6-2 5-10 5-8 5-11 5-10 6-1 5-10 5-11 6-0 6-1 6-1 5-11 6-0 5-11 6-2 6-2 6-2 5-8 5-11 5-9 6-1 6-3 5-10

212 191 188 190 218 183 219 204 173 199 197 250 254 256 184 218 201 160 181 226 186 198 190 173 205 209 230 237 202 175 191 180 189 201 184 212 193 170 208 180 204 183 181 206 224 241 256 163 169 235 215 215 173

Jr. Chula Vista, Calif.

So. Moore Fr. Oklahoma City Jr. Encinitas, Calif.

Sr. Garland, Tx Sr. Lancaster, Tx Jr. Dallas, Tx Sr. Lawton Jr. Dallas Jr. Tulsa Fr. San Antonio So. Fort Worth So. Wichita,Kan. Sr. Fort Worth R-Fr. Oklahoma City Sr. Artesia, N.M. Fr. St. Louis, Mo. Jr. Elk Grove, Calif.

Jr. Owasso Jr. San Antonio Sr. Gilmer, Tx Jr. Houston, Tx Fr. Whitehouse, Tx So. Richardson, Tx Jr. Scooba, Miss.

Sr. Wilmington, Del. R-Fr. Dallas Jr. New Braunfels, TX R-Fr. Buffalo, Wyo. Jr. Niceville, Fla. So. NewOrleans, La. Jr. Philadelphia, Pa. R-Fr. Arlington, Tx Jr. San Diego Jr. Orange, Tx So. Marshall, Tx Fr. Midlothian, Ill. Fr. Keller, Tx Jr. San Diego Fr. St. Petersburg, Fla. Fr. Jenks Fr. Rowlett, Tx So. Lancaster, Tx Sr. Lawton Sr. Mount Airy, Ga. Jr. La Crosse, Kan. Jr. Columbia, Mo. Fr. Port Lavaca, Tx So. Sacramento, Calif.

Sr. Denton, Tx Sr. Tulsa R-Fr. Tulsa So. Frisco, Tx

38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 47 48 49 50 52 53 54 56 59 64 67 68 69 71 72 74 75 77 78 79 80 80 81 82 84 84 85 86 87 88 89 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99

Jack Steed K Nick Hodgson K P.L. Lindley LB Eric Striker LB Jesse Paulsen DB Patrick O’Hara K Jaydan Bird LB Caleb Gastelum LB Eric Doughtie DB Alex Christiensen FB Eric Hosek K Aaron Ripkowski FB David Driskill FB Austin Woods OL John-Philip Hughes OL Casey Walker DT Nila Kasitati OL Ty Darlington OL Nathan Hughes OL Gabe Ikard OL Robert Hollis OL Bronson Irwin OL Lane Johnson OL Tyrus Thompson OL Derek Farniok OL Adam Shead OL Tyler Evans OL Marquis Anderson DT Kyle Marrs OL Daryl Williams OL Jordan Phillips DT Derrick Woods WR Sam Grant TE Brannon Green TE Mike Onuoha DE Don Caudill WR Geneo Grissom TE Brandon Kitchens WR Derrick Bradley WR Taylor McNamara TE Connor Knight TE Chase Buck TE David King DE Charles Tapper DE Stacy McGee DT Jordan Wade DT Torrea Peterson DT Damon Williams DT Mitch Tate DE Jamarkus McFarland DT Chuka Ndulue DE Chaz Nelson DE

n

Oct. 20, 2012

K ANSAS ROSTER 6-5 6-2 6-2 6-0 6-0 6-0 6-2 6-1 6-0 6-3 5-10 6-1 6-1 6-4 6-4 6-2 6-4 6-3 6-6 6-3 6-4 6-5 6-7 6-5 6-9 6-4 6-5 6-3 6-5 6-6 6-6 6-1 6-7 6-2 6-5 6-1 6-4 5-11 5-8 6-5 6-4 6-3 6-5 6-4 6-4 6-4 6-3 6-3 6-4 6-2 6-3 6-2

200 189 240 198 193 192 236 196 197 243 150 260 239 293 250 309 309 266 248 288 333 307 303 303 319 307 315 265 320 299 318 185 234 250 235 194 247 161 173 234 212 231 286 265 299 290 277 305 238 288 256 239

Fr. Katy, Tx So. N. Richland Hills, Tx R-Fr. R. Rock, Tx Fr. Seffner, Fla. Sr. Albuquerque, N.M. Sr. Topeka, Kan. Sr. Wichita, Kan. So. Claremore Fr. Sugarland, Tx Fr. Edmond R-Fr. Sherman, Tx So. Dayton, Ohio So. Oklahoma City Jr. Rockwall, Tx R-Fr. Tulsa Sr. Garland, Tx R-Fr. Euless, Tx Fr. Apopka, Fla. R-Fr. Spring, Tx Jr. Oklahoma City R-Fr. Tulsa Jr. Mustang Sr. Groveton, Tx So. Pflugerville, Tx R-Fr. Sioux Falls, S.D. So. Cedar Hill, Tx Sr. Strafford, Mo. R-Fr. Cibolo, Tx Fr. San Antonio, Tx So. Lake Dallas, Tx R-Fr. Towanda, Kan. Fr. Inglewood, Calif.

Fr. North Royalton, Ohio Jr. Altamont, Kan. Fr. Edmond Jr. Muldrow So. Hutchinson, Kan. Fr. Jenks Sr. Houston, Tx Fr. San Diego, Calif.

Fr. San Antonio, Jr. Edmond Sr. Houston Fr. Baltimore Sr. Muskogee Fr. Round Rock, Tx So. San Antonio So. Irving, Tx R-Fr. Bartlesville Sr. Lufkin, Tx So. Dallas Jr. Columbus, Ohio

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 9 10 11 11 12 13 14 14 15 16 16 17 17 18 18 19 19 20 22 22 23 24 25 25 26 27 28 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 38 40 40 41 43 43

Smith, Lubbock 5-10 200 Willis, Darius 6-2 240 Pierson, Tony 5-10 170 Kande, Prinz 5-11 205 Brown, Greg 5-10 185 Baty, Turner 6-2 215 Pick, Kale 6-1 205 Ford, Josh 6-3 211 Heaps, Jake 6-1 208 Tavai, Jordan 6-3 290 Crist, Dayne 6-4 235 Parmalee, Tre' 5-10 168 Williams, Tyree 6-0 193 Matthews, Christian 6-1 205 Doherty, Ron 5-11 209 Cummings, Michael 5-10 201 Moore, Nasir 6-1 170 Patterson, Daymond 5-8 180 Hentges, Matt 6-2 175 Prolago, Nick 5-10 175 Bakare, Tunde 5-10 205 Jablonski, Blake 6-1 208 Jones, Jonathan 5-9 195 Powell, Corrigan 5-10 174 Kahn, Eric 6-5 180 McCay, Justin 6-2 215 Beshears, D.J. 5-9 185 Allen, Greg 5-11 204 Embree, Connor 5-10 180 Linton, Dexter 5-10 195 McDougald, Bradley 6-1 209 Bourbon, Brandon 6-1 218 Shepherd, JaCorey 5-11 185 Mitchell, Ray 6-0 190 Simmons, Victor 6-1 206 Hawks, Brandon 5-9 190 Jackson, Marquis 6-0 220 Sims, James 6-0 200 Shaw, Tevin 5-11 185 Heeney, Ben 6-0 225 Miles, Schyler 6-2 228 Patmon, Tyler 5-11 180 Tharp, Huldon 6-0 227 Opurum, Toben 6-1 250 Cox, Taylor 5-11 210 Burton, Ryan 5-9 190 Puthoff, Justin 6-2 245 Richardson, Josh 6-4 245 Huddleston, Sean 6-1 200 Randall, Preston 6-1 190 Mundine, Jimmay 6-2 243 Fink, Ed 6-2 235 Matlock, Alex 6-1 195

S LB HB LB CB QB WR WR QB DL QB WR CB WR PK/P QB CB WR WR K LB QB WR CB K WR WR CB WR CB S RB CB S LB S RB HB S LB LB CB LB DE HB HB TE DE P HB TE FB S

Sr. Dallas Jr. Houston So. East St. Louis, Ill. Jr. Euless, Tx Sr. Cedar Hill, Tx So. Redwood City, Calif.

Sr. Dodge City, Kan. Jr. Landover, Md. Jr. Issaquah, Wash.

Jr. Redondo Beach, Calif.

Sr. Canoga Park, Calif.

Fr. Overland Park, Kan. Fr. Stafford, Tx Jr. Arlington, Tx Jr. Klein, Tx Fr. Killeen, Tx Jr. Suwanee, Ga. Sr. Mesquite, Tx Fr. Eureka, Mo. So. Olathe, Kan. Sr. Woodbridge, Va. So. Wichita, Kan. So. Minneapolis, Kan. Sr. Garland, Tx So. Spring Hill, Kan. So. Kansas City, Mo. Sr. Denton, Tx Fr. Houston, Tx So. Superior, Colo.

Jr. Arlington, Tx Sr. Dublin, Ohio So. Potosi, Mo. So. Mesquite, Tx So. Irving, Tx So. Olathe, Kan. Sr. Oskaloosa, Kan. So. Fort Worth, Tx Jr. Irving, Tx Fr. Piscataway, N.J. So. Hutchinson, Kan. Fr. Tampa, Fla. Jr. Round Rock, Tx Jr. Mulvane, Kan. Sr. Richardson, Tx Jr. Mill Creek, Wash.

Sr. Co. Springs, Colo.

Jr. Goddard, Kan. Sr. Dublin, Ohio So. Orange, Calif.

Fr. Lawrence, Kan. So. Denison, Tx So. Belleville, Ill. Fr. Pflugerville, Tx

44 45 45 47 49 50 51 52 54 55 56 57 58 59 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 79 80 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 98 99

Baron, Scott 6-2 245 Christian, Piers 6-0 180 Sizemore, Nick 6- 240 Maura, Brian 6-3 205 Hunt, Tyler 6-2 230 Speer, Ricky 5-11 197 McDonald, Anthony 6-2 235 Bickus, Dom 6-0 220 Carnes, Justin 6-1 250 Reynolds, Michael 6-1 240 Burgoon, Josh 6-1 275 Love, Jake 6-0 220 Arnick, Courtney 6-2 195 Jeffers, Reilly 6-2 230 Lewandowski, Pat 6-5 285 Avery, Dylan 6-3 250 Roberts, Dillon 6-1 295 Dent, Randall 6-4 300 Clark, Paul 6-2 275 Admire, Dylan 6-3 277 Zlatnik, Duane 6-4 306 Luhrsen, Luke 6-3 292 Marrongelli, Trevor 6-3 303 Howard, Gavin 6-4 300 Williams, John 6-3 300 Hawkinson, Tanner 6-5 300 Martin, Damon 6-3 295 Beckmann, Brian 6-6 300 Connolly, Sean 6-7 287 Peters, Bryan 6-3 300 Sterling, Aslam 6-5 360 Spencer, Riley 6-6 305 Herod, Ricki 6-2 195 Turzilli, Andrew 6-3 193 Omigie, Chris 6-4 200 Ragone, Mike 6-4 255 Smiley, Trent 6-4 245 Brooks, Charles 6-6 240 Shelley-Smith, Jordan 6-5 230 Owens, Billy 6-2 175 Young, Kevin 6-3 285 Smith, Shane 6-5 295 Page, Neal 6-4 230 Goodman, Ben 6-3 260 Holmes, Tyler 6-3 286 Williams, Josh 6-4 255 Agostinho, Keba 6-2 280 Stowers, Keon 6-3 290 Barone, Austin 5-11 170

TE CB FB S LB LB LB LB LS DE OL LB LB OL OL DL OL OL C OL OL OL OL OL DL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL WR WR WR TE TE TE TE WR DL DL DE DL DL DL DE DL K

Fr. Santa Ana, Calif.

Fr. Dallas, Tx Jr. Lititz, Pa. So. Miami, Fla. Sr. Lawrence, Kan. So. Shawnee, Kan. Sr. Burbank, Calif.

Fr. Long Grove, Ill. Jr. La Porte, Tx So. Wichita, Kan. Jr. Lenexa, Kan. Fr. Tonkawa, Okla.

Fr. Dallas, Tx Fr. South Bend, Ind. So. Overland Park, Kan. So. Topeka, Kan. Jr. Pleasanton, Kan. Jr. Dallas, Tx Fr. Miami, Fla. Fr. Overland Park, Kan. Sr. Rossville, Kan. Fr. Wheaton, Ill. Sr. Austin, Tx Jr. Owasso, Okla.

Jr. Tulsa, Okla.

Sr. McPherson, Kan. Fr. Arlington, Tx Fr. Overland Park, Kan. Fr. Kirtland Hills, Ohio Fr. La Mirada, Calif.

Jr. Spr. Garden, N.Y. Jr. Hesston, Kan. So. Mesquite, Tx So. Butler, N.J. Jr. Arlington, Tx Sr. Blackwood, N.J. So. Frisco, Tx Jr. St. Louis, Mo. Fr. McGregor, Tx Jr. Galveston, Tx Jr. Olathe, Kan. Jr. Albuquerque, N.M. Fr. Birmingham, Mich.

Fr. Beaumont, Tx Fr. Garland, Tx Sr. Denton, Tx Jr. Katy, Tx So. Rock Hill, S.C. Fr. Pittsburg, Kan.

69, Lane Johnson 71, Tyrus Thompson

FB: When Sooners take receiver off the field 33, Trey Millard 48, Aaron Ripkowski FB:

TB: 3, Tony Pierson 29, James Smith When Jayhawks take receiver off the field 85, Trent Smiley 45, Nick Sizemore

CB: 6, Demontre Hurst 15, Lamar Harris

Oct. 20, 2012

WR: 82, Andrew Turzilli 20, B.J. Beshears

DT: 97, Jamarcus McFarland 53, David King DE: 53, David King 84, Mike Onuoha

7, Corey Nelson 25 Aaron Franklin

21, Tom Wort 20, Frank Shannon

SS:

84, Mike Ragone 41, Jimmay Mundine

LB:

LB:

NB: 9, Gabe Lynn 2, Julian Wilson

1, Tony Jefferson 42, Jesse Paulsen

TE:

RT: 70, Gavin Howard 77, Aslam Sterling

DT: 53, Casey Walker 80, Jordan Phillips

RG: 64, Randall Dent

QB: 10, Dayne Crist 14, Michael Cummings

C: 69, Trevor Marrongelli 73, Damon Martin

LG: 67, Duane Zlatnik 73, Damon Martin

72, Tanner Hawkinson 61, Pat Lewandowski

WHEN OKLAHOMA HAS THE BALL

LT:

FS:

DE: 98, Chuka Ndulue 11, R.J. Washington

CB: 14, Aaron Colvin 27, Gary Simon

CB: 5, Greg Brown 11, Tyree Williams

DE: 35, Toben Opurum 55, Michael Reynolds

17, Tunde Bakare 57, Jake Love

LB:

1, Lubbock Smith 23, Ddexter Linton

WR: 7, Kale Pick 83, Chris Omigie

WR: 19, Justin Brown 13, Durron Neal

85, Geneo Grissom 88, Tyler McNamara

DT: 9, Jordan Tavai 96, Keba Agostinho

TE:

RT: 79, Darryl Williams 72, Derek Farniok

31, Ben heeney 32, Schyler Miles

LB:

SS:

SR: 15, Daymond Patterson 11, Tre’ Parmalee

TB: 8, Dominique Whaley 24, Brennan Clay 26, Damien Williams RG: 68, Bronson Irwin 50, Austin Woods

DT: 90, Kevin Young 71, John Williams

QB: 12, Landry Jones 10, Blake Bell

34, Huldon Sharp 51, Anthony McDonald

LB:

24, Bradley McDougald 26, Ray Mitchell

C: 64, Gabe Ikard 56, Ty Darlington

LT:

■

LG: 74, Adam Shead 54, Nila Kasitati

DE: 95, Josh Williams 93, Ben Goodman

CB: 33, Tyler Patmon 25, JaCorey Shepherd

FS:

SR: 4, Kenny Stills 3, Sterling Shephard

WR: 17, Trey Metoyer 18, LaColten Bester

The Norman Transcript GAMEDAY 7

WHEN K ANSAS HAS THE BALL 30, Javon Harris 9, Gabe Lynn

■

FB

Photo by Jerry Laizure

■

6’6 ■ 256 ■ Jr. Columbia, Mo. Season: 12 carries, 99 yards rushing; 11 catches, 165 yards receiving, 1 TD

33

Trey Millard

10

GAMEDAY

The Norman Transcript

Opp.

SCHEDULE Sept. 1 at UTEP Sept. 8 Florida A&M Sept. 22 Kansas St. Oct. 6 at Texas Tech Oct. 13 Texas Oct. 20 Kansas Oct. 27 Notre Dame Nov. 3 at Iowa State Nov. 10 Baylor Nov. 17 at W. Virginia Nov. 24 OSU Dec. 1 at TCU

W, 24-7 W, 69-13 L, 24-19 W, 41-20 W, 63-21 6 p.m.

7 p.m.

TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA

STATS (Five games) Rushing Att Yds Y/C TD Williams 66 508 7.7 6 Whaley 38 241 6.3 1 Clay 25 164 6.6 3 Millard 12 99 8.2 0 Finch 6 61 10.2 1 Bell 28 51 1.8 7 Stills 2 22 11.0 0 Shannon 1 19 19.0 0 Jones 7 -60 -8.6 0 Total 185 1105 6.0 18

Lg 95 18 24 20 17 10 13 19 0 95

Y/G 101.6 48.2 32.8 19.8 12.2 10.2 4.4 4.8 -12.0 221.0

163

644

4.0

4 71 128.8

Passing Eff C-A-I Pct Jones 136.6 114-184-3 62.0 Bell 160.2 5-7-0 71.4 Total 137.5 119-191-3 62.3 Opp. 98.6 81-153-6 52.9 Receiving No. Yds. Avg. TD Stills 32 381 11.9 3 Brown 20 227 11.4 2 Shepard 16 206 12.9 1 Metoyer 12 104 8.7 1 Millard 11 165 15.0 1 Williams 9 112 12.4 0 Whaley 4 14 3.5 0 Green 3 45 15.0 1 Clay 3 35 11.7 0 Bester 3 29 9.7 0 Saunders 2 54 27.0 0 Neal 2 38 19.0 0 Musil 1 12 12.0 0 Finch 1 5 5.0 0 Total 119 1427 12.0 9 Opp. 81 857 10.6 3

Yds. TD 1353 9 74 0 1427 9 857 3 Lg 68 46 28 27 73 38 13 18 14 13 32 25 12 5 73 75

A/G 76.2 45.4 41.2 20.8 33.0 22.4 2.8 9.0 7.0 5.8 54.0 9.5 6.0 1.0 285.4 171.4

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

TE A M NUMBERS SCORING Points per game FIRST DOWNS Rushing Passing Penalty RUSHING YARDAGE Yards gained rushing Yards lost rushing Rushing Attempts Average Per Rush Average Per Game TDs Rushing

OU 216 43.2 128 54 70 4 1105 1209 104 185 6.0 221.0 18

Opp. 85 17.0 74 28 40 6 644 726 82 163 4.0 128.8 4

PASSING YARDAGE 1427 857 C-A-I 119-191-3 81-153-6 Average per pass 7.5 5.6 Average per catch 12.0 10.6 Average per game 285.4 171.4 TDs Passing 9 3 TOTAL OFFENSE 2532 1501 Total Plays 376 316 Average per play 6.7 4.8 Average per game 506.4 300.2 3rd-DOWN Conversions 5-68 26-74 Percentage 51% 35% 4th-DOWN Conversions 2-2 1-5 Percentage 100% 20%

n

Oct. 20, 2012

Character: KU provides a test • Continued from Page 4 goes well beyond home-field advantage. The Jayhawks have lost five straight and still haven’t beaten an FBS team this season.

The Sooners have to use this game to continue adding to the foundation they’ve laid the last two weeks. They’ve become a tougher and more disciplined team since the loss to the Wildcats. There isn’t a phase of the game that hasn’t made vast improvement.

But the season will only reach its midway point tonight. There’s a lot of time for that infrastructure to get stronger or crumble.

“It’s only our sixth game. I keep saying it, but it’s true.

We’ve still got a long way to go,” OU coach Bob Stoops said. “I still feel we’ve got a high ceiling. We’ve got to keep pushing to make improvement. Hopefully, now, when you’re playing week to week, we can get into a rhythm of doing that. We’re going to need to do that.

That’s what we’ll focus on this week with Kansas coming in.”

Sooner quarterback Landry Jones scans the field as he drops back to pass against Texas last Saturday at the Cotton Bowl.

Today n 2 p.m. — UPB presents

Game Day OU vs Kansas, OU Meacham Auditorium n 3 p.m. — Boomer Bash, Oklahoma Memorial Union Ballroom n 3 p.m. — Sooner Fan Fest, corner of Brooks Street and Jenkins Avenue n 3 p.m. — Homecoming parade, starts on Boyd Street n 3:30 p.m. — Sooner Club tailgate, Mosier Indoor Facility n 4 p.m. — Sooner Family Fun Zone, Norman Institute of Religion n 6 p.m. — Kickoff

The teams that win championships never seem to level off. They continue to get better every week. Stoops knows it, but getting his players to understand is an entirely different challenge.

They’re saying the right things.

“We’re a humble team,” defensive tackle Jamarkus McFarland said. “We’re a team that wants more. Everyone wants to score again.

Everyone wants to make another tackle. I don’t feel we’ve reached our peak yet.”

AP Photo

The Sooners hope they don’t tonight, either. They need to win — and they should. They need to get better as well. That’s harder to do.

Rare is the team that’s actually able to progress game to game to game. Some years, injuries knocked a team off course. Other years, complacency becomes entrenched.

More often, it is a mixture of both.

Tonight should be a good test of OU’s character.

There’s no revenge, rivalry or

national intrigue adding to the game. It’s on the Sooners to create their own momentum.

“We want to keep going; we want to keep getting better. It’s something that’s unexplainable sometimes, just to be like, man, it’s a lot different,” safety Javon Harris said. “Guys are going out … we’re going to continue to play hard. We’re going to take the Texas game and build off of it. It was good, but we want to be great.”

John Shinn Follow me @john_shinn jshinn@normantranscript.com

The Norman Transcript

n

Oct. 20, 2012

GAMEDAY

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

SCHEDULE Sept. 1 S. Dak. St. Sept. 8 Rice Sept. 15 TCU Sept. 22 at N. Illinois Oct. 6 at K-State Oct. 13 OSU Oct. 20 at Oklahoma Oct. 27 Texas Nov. 3 at Baylor Nov. 10 at Texas Tech Nov. 17 Iowa State Dec. 1 at West Virginia

W, 31-17 L, 25-24 L, 20-6 L, 30-23 L, 56-16 L, 20-14 6 p.m.

TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA

STATS Sims Cox Pierson Matthews Beshears Bourbon Doherty Patterson Pick Jackson

Att 73 61 59 6 10 7 1 2 2 1

(Six games) Rushing Yds Y/C TD 344 4.7 4 325 5.3 2 319 5.4 2 56 9.3 0 52 5.2 0 21 3.0 0 13 13.0 0 6 3.0 0 5 2.5 0 3 3.0 0

Lg 30 39 47 15 13 10 13 4 3 3

Y/G 114.7 54.2 63.8 11.2 8.7 5.2 2.6 1.0 1.0 0.6

Passing Eff C-A-I Pct Crist 98.5 88-178-7 49.4 Cummings125.8 7-14-0 50.0 Jablonski 200.8 1-1-0 100.0 Matthews125.2 1-1-0 100.0 Total 101.1 97-194-7 50.0 Opp. 132.6 113-183-7 61.7 Receiving No. Yds. Avg. TD Patterson 19 160 8.4 0 Pick 15 248 16.5 0 Pierson 15 198 13.2 1 Turzilli 14 234 16.7 0 Beshears 8 44 5.5 0 Mundine 6 74 12.3 2 Sims 5 66 13.2 0 Parmalee 3 55 18.3 0 Omigie 3 51 17.0 0 Bourbon 2 20 10.0 0 Ragone 2 11 5.5 1 Sizemore 2 10 5.0 0 Cox 2 7 3.5 0 Opurum 1 12 12.0 0 Total 97 1190 12.3 4 Opp. 113 1397 12.4 8

Lg 14 43 26 42 9 23 28 23 23 12 9 8 4 12 43 72

A/G 26.7 49.6 39.6 39.0 7.3 12.3 22.0 9.2 8.5 5.0 1.8 2.5 1.2 2.0 198.3 232.8

Tackles (leaders) S A T Loss Sack Heeney 31 19 50 4.0-4 McDpugald 40 10 50 3.0-15 Brown 27 10 37 0.5-0 Patmon 26 4 30 Opurum 17 12 29 4.0-15 1.0-7

TE A M NUMBERS SCORING Points per game FIRST DOWNS Rushing Passing Penalty RUSHING YARDAGE Yards gained rushing Yards lost rushing Rushing Attempts Average Per Rush Average Per Game TDs Rushing

Kansas 134 19.0 130 63 58 9 1076 1225 149 253 4.3 179.3 9

Opp. 168 28.0 125 59 61 5 1205 1336 131 239 5.0 200.8 12

Watch: Millard a big part of it • Continued from Page 5

Yds. TD 1088 3 87 1 12 0 3 0 1190 4 1397 8

PASSING YARDAGE 1190 1397 C-A-I 97-194-7 13-183-7 Average per pass 6.1 7.6 Average per catch 12.3 12.4 Average per game 198.3 232.8 TDs Passing 4 8 TOTAL OFFENSE 2266 2602 Total Plays 447 422 Average per play 5.1 6.2 Average per game 377.7 433.7 3rd-DOWN Conversions 28-91 29-80 Percentage 31% 36% 4th-DOWN Conversions 6-18 5-9 Percentage 33% 56%

11

gence of Damien Williams as a feature back and Trey Millard as a fullback who’s much more than a decoy, but Landry Jones has enjoyed wider lanes in which to throw.

Keep that up and the Sooners will have the dominant offense it has always sought.

Continue to feed Millard: OU’s sought a hybrid offensive player since tight end Jermaine Gresham played his last down in 2008. Millard is the closest thing OU’s had since. He runs the ball well enough to be considered a top-of-the-line running back. There isn’t a better tight end in the Big 12 Conference and he also has been a devastating blocker. He doesn’t need to get the ball 30 times a game, but just a combination of carries and receptions that equal 15 (or maybe just 10) will keep any defense off balance.

As the defensive tackles go, so goes OU’s defense: The Sooners’ defensive resurgence has centered on the play of defensive tackles Casey Walker and Jamarkus McFarland. They’ve been a

Sooner fullback Trey Millard and offensive lineman Bronson Irwin celebrate a big play last week at the Cotton Bowl.

Transcript Photo by Jerry Laizure

force against the run and the pass and allowed the secondary to stay in pretty basic coverages. As long as these two are holding their ground against the run and collapsing the pocket on third down, the Sooners’ defensive dominance — a dominance that has included only one touchdown against the first unit in two games — should continue.

Keep an eye on Jalen Saunders: He only had two catches against Texas, but he did-

n’t get in the game plan until two days before the game.

OU’s secondary has raved about the transfer from Fresno State since August. The defensive backs liken him to Ryan Broyles. Now that he’s fully cleared to play, the Sooners must fully implement him in the offense tonight.

Keep the offensive line healthy: In a lot of ways, this is beyond OU’s control. On the other hand, the group has become razor thin with a season-ending injury to

guard Nila Kasatati against Texas Tech. Seeing guards Bronson Irwin and Adam Shead both limp off the field against Texas caused some shortness of breath last Saturday. Both returned to the game and both will start tonight. But, if the Sooners can build an early lead, developing depth should take precedence over getting the starters more depth.

John Shinn Follow me @john_shinn jshinn@normantranscript.com

12

GAMEDAY

The Norman Transcript

n

Oct. 20, 2012

COLLEGE FOOTBALL SATURDAY

A whole lot to get right Mountaineers must figure out a way to slow down K-State offense

By John Raby AP Sports Writer

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia defensive coordinator Joe DeForest believes the Mountaineers’ struggles on his side of the ball can be repaired.

How that can be done, especially with No. 4 Kansas State coming to Morgantown, remains to be seen.

West Virginia’s defense has given up 49, 45 and 63 points in its last three games.

Only terrific efforts from the offense enable the Mountaineers to pull out close wins in two of those contests.

The problems can’t be pinpointed to one specific area.

There have been blown coverages, a fickle pass rush, poor tackling and big yardage gains galore, including Texas Tech’s 18 plays of 15 yards of more last week.

Heading into Saturday’s showdown with the Wildcats (6-0, 3-0 Big 12), DeForest stressed that No. 17 West Virginia (5-2, 2-1) must play with more passion and learn from its defensive mistakes.

“We have a lot of things to correct,” DeForest said. “But they’re all correctable.”

DeForest was hired away from Oklahoma State in January after longtime defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel and two other defensive coaches left to join Rich Rodriguez at Arizona, signaling an end to West Virginia’s 3-3-5 defensive scheme.

Gone, too, were four of the top seven tacklers along with sack specialist Bruce Irvin from last year’s team that allowed 29 points per game, worst in the Big East.

It’s only gone downhill from there.

The lid seemed to come off

AP Photo

Kansas State quarterback Collin Klein picks up tough yards against Iowa State. Today, West Virginia will try stopping him and the Wildcats. in the 49-14 loss at Texas Tech that doused the Mountaineers’ national title hopes.

“It was much more than just mental mistakes, from what I saw,” linebacker Doug Rigg said. “It was bad effort on the field. A lot of people were just making one-on-one tackles instead of swarming the ball, and that was the

biggest thing with the coaches. They weren’t mad too much about the mental mistakes because that happens in a game. It was more people not getting to the ball and people not putting the effort forth needed to win the game. And that’s very disappointing.”

In its first season in the Big • See WVU Page 13

Today’s Games EAST New 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), noon Holy Cross (1-5) at Lafayette (4-2), noon Bryant (1-6) at Monmouth (NJ) (3-3), noon Harvard (5-0) at Princeton (3-2), noon Dartmouth (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.

SOUTH Tennessee 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), noon San Diego (3-3) at Jacksonville (6-1), noon FIU (1-6) at Troy (3-3), noon Presbyterian (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.

MIDWEST N. 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), noon Army (1-5) at E. Michigan (0-6), noon Marist (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.

SOUTHWEST Iowa 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 WEST Stanford (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.

The Norman Transcript

n

Oct. 20, 2012

GAMEDAY

Cyclones want to run ball today Rhoads feels that’s the ticket to beating Oklahoma St.

By Chuck Schoffner Associated Press

AMES, Iowa — Make no mistake, Iowa State coach Paul Rhoads wants to run the football.

Rhoads pounded the table twice at his weekly news conference Monday to emphasize the point, which has become a critical issue for the Cyclones. Their running game has been scuffling and leading rusher James White is out with a knee injury.

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

“But (bam!) you’ve got to run the ball.”

Rhoads said in August that

he wanted to be a run-first team and believed he had the depth at running back to do it.

But the Cyclones (4-2, 1-2 Big 12) haven’t had a 100yard rusher since Shontrelle Johnson ran for 120 in the opener against Tulsa and they’ve topped 200 yards rushing in a game only once, against FCS foe Western Illinois.

Iowa State managed only 65 yards on the ground in a 27-21 loss to Kansas State and sits last in the Big 12 and 85th nationally in rushing at 143 yards a game.

That’s not what Rhoads had in mind going in, though in fairness all five of Iowa

State’s FBS opponents were in the top 31 nationally in run defense.

“If we can get to 200 (yards rushing), we’re probably having a pretty good day overall as an offense,” Rhoads said.

“Right now, I’d settle for 180.”

Or maybe 190. Iowa State is 14-4 under Rhoads when rushing for at least 190 yards in a game and 8-18 when it falls below that mark.

“Our running game over the past couple of weeks, whether that be defensive scheming against us and us not adjusting to it or whether it is just bad execution by us, it’s not getting the job done,” running back Jeff Woody said.

Iowa State’s longest run against Kansas State was an 11-yarder by Woody, who has been nagged by ankle and knee injuries. The Wildcats often bunched six defenders near the line of scrimmage, giving them one more tackler than the offensive line could block.

Quarterback Jared Barnett said the Cyclones will have to adjust if teams continue doing that.

“If they’re going to load the box, we’re going to have to load the box as well and have more blockers,” Barnett said.

“We’re going to have to make sure that we can come back with an extra tight end or even a receiver coming out and blocking the edge.”

Big 12 Standings

Con. Overall 3 0 1.000 6 0 1.000 2 1 1.000 5 1 .833 2 1 .500 5 1 .833 2 1 .500 5 1 .833 2 1 .500 4 1 .800 1 1 .500 3 2 .600 1 2 .500 4 2 .667 1 2 .000 4 2 .667 0 2 .000 3 2 .600 0 3 .000 1 5 .167 Today Texas 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. 27 Baylor at Iowa State Kansas at Texas Notre Dame at Oklahoma TCU at Oklahoma State Texas Tech at Kansas State Nov. 3 Oklahoma at Iowa State Kansas at Baylor Oklahoma State at Kansas State Texas at Texas Tech TCU at West Virginia

Kansas State TCU Texas Tech West Virginia Oklahoma Oklahoma St. Iowa State Texas Baylor Kansas

13

On the air 11 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)

WVU: Mountaineer defense has to get a whole lot better in time for today • Continued from Page 13 12, the Mountaineers aren’t alone in their misery. Half of the teams are surrendering 28 points or more each week.

Texas gave up nearly 700 yards to Oklahoma last Saturday. Baylor is allowing 41

points and 372 passing yards a game. Oklahoma, Texas Tech and Oklahoma State are among the worst in the country at forcing turnovers.

The Mountaineers might just have them all beat.

Behind the 3-4 scheme

installed by DeForest, West Virginia is 114th in total defense, allowing 496 yards a game; 118th in pass defense and 109th in scoring defense.

Amid all the mess, West Virginia hasn’t allowed a 100yard individual rushing effort

all season. The Mountaineers are holding opponents to 131 yards on the ground, although that may be because of all the aerial assaults they’ve seen.

All that might change against Kansas State, which

has the nation’s 11th best rushing offense behind running back John Hubert (101 yards per game) and quarterback Collin Klein (85).

DeForest wants his defense to take a group-hug approach toward Klein and

Hubert, and not in the nicest way.

“We’re keying on him, and their running back,” said West Virginia linebacker Isaiah Bruce. “We’re trying to contain them, and let other people (try to) beat us.”

14

GAMEDAY

The Norman Transcript

Horning: Defense • Continued from Page 3 boasts the No. 14 defense in the nation in terms of yards allowed (300.2), the No. 20 in defense in terms of scoring (17.0), and the No. 11 defense in terms of passing yards allowed (171.4 per game).

Only it’s much better than that.

There were the turnovers against K-State. There is the fact that of Texas’ 21 points , zero came against OU’s first unit. And Texas Tech only put together one sustained touchdown drive. And, here lately, OU has become one of the best takeaway teams in the nation, getting three against the Red Raiders and three against the Longhorns.

Remember when Mike Leach was at Texas Tech and the Red Raiders might not win every game, but posted huge numbers in every game except the game they played against OU? From 2000 to 2004, the five times a Mike Leach offense matched wits with a Mike Stoops’ defense, Tech scored 13, 13, 15, 25 (still a 31-point loss), 13 and 21 points against the Sooners.

OU is beginning to play

defense like that again. It’s something.

Defensive end David King has reported defenders taking it upon themselves to spend more time in the film room. It’s clear that a weakness through three games, the tackle spots, have become strengths as Casey Walker and Jamarcus McFarland have come to life. And the secondary is benefiting from having a new position coach by the name of Mike Stoops.

Everybody talks about today being a trap game.

The Sooners are going to have a hard time covering a 35-point spread.

Maybe so.

There is, however, another line.

The last two weeks, the numbers have been one and zero, because that’s all the touchdowns OU’s defensive starters have allowed.

It’s Kansas’ turn.

The offense might fail to focus. But the defense has a trend to continue.

Maybe it’s just getting started.

Clay Horning Follow me @clayhorning cfhorning@normantranscript.com

n

Oct. 20, 2012

THE WAY WE SEE IT

Clay Horning

John Shinn

Corbin Hosler

Michael Kinney

Kansas (+35) at Oklahoma Pick: Oklahoma 42-10 K-State (+3) at West Virginia Pick: K-State 27-24 Iowa State (+14) at OSU Pick: OSU 42- 24 Baylor (+11) at Texas Pick: Texas 35-31 Texas Tech (-2 1/2) at TCU Pick: Texas Tech 31-24 ’Bama (-20 1/2) at Tennessee Pick: ’Bama 31-10 Va. Tech (+8 1/2) at Clemson Pick: Clemson 35-24 LSU (-4) at Texas A&M Pick: LSU 27-19* Auburn (+7) at Vanderbilt Pick: Vanderbilt 27-13 BYU (+13 1/2) at Notre Dame Pick: Notre Dame 29-17 South Carolina (+3) at Florida Pick: Florida 28-24 Michigan St. (+10) at Michigan Pick: Michigan 21-10

Kansas (+35) at Oklahoma Pick: Oklahoma 49-17 K-State (+3) at West Virginia Pick: West Virginia 45-35 Iowa State (+14) at OSU Pick: OSU 31-24 Baylor (+11) at Texas Pick: Texas 41-35 Texas Tech (-2 1/2) at TCU Pick: Texas Tech 24-20 ’Bama (-20 1/2) at Tennessee Pick: ’Bama 24-10 Va. Tech (+8 1/2) at Clemson Pick: Clemson 31-24 LSU (-4) at Texas A&M Pick: LSU 20-17 Auburn (+7) at Vanderbilt Pick: Vanderbilt 24-20 BYU (+13 1/2) at Notre Dame Pick: Notre Dame 17-10* South Carolina (+3) at Florida Pick: Florida 28-14 Michigan St. (+10) at Michigan Pick: Michigan 28-17

Kansas (+35) at Oklahoma Pick: Oklahoma 45-17 K-State (+3) at West Virginia Pick: West Virginia 38-28 Iowa State (+14) at OSU Pick: OSU 41-21 Baylor (+11) at Texas Pick: Texas 45-28 Texas Tech (-2 1/2) at TCU Pick: TCU 31-21 ’Bama (-20 1/2) at Tennessee Pick: ’Bama 38-17 Va. Tech (+8 1/2) at Clemson Pick: Clemson 28-14 LSU (-4) at Texas A&M Pick: LSU 34-21 Auburn (+7) at Vanderbilt Pick: Auburn 24-14* BYU (+13 1/2) at Notre Dame Pick: Notre Dame 31-21 South Carolina (+3) at Florida Pick: South Carolina 31-24 Michigan St. (+10) at Michigan Pick: Michigan 34-21

Kansas (+35) at Oklahoma Pick: Oklahoma 56-14 K-State (+3) at West Virginia Pick: West Virginia 47-25 Iowa State (+14) at OSU Pick: OSU 24-17 Baylor (+11) at Texas Pick: Baylor 49-45 Texas Tech (-2 1/2) at TCU Pick: Texas Tech 28-24 ’Bama (-20 1/2) at Tennessee Pick: ’Bama 34-17 Va. Tech (+8 1/2) at Clemson Pick: Clemson 32-23 LSU (-4) at Texas A&M Pick: LSU 33-24 Auburn (+7) at Vanderbilt Pick: Vanderbilt 45-30 BYU (+13 1/2) at Notre Dame Pick: Notre Dame 36-18 South Carolina (+3) at Florida Pick: South Carolina 25-17* Michigan St. (+10) at Michigan Pick: Michigan 35-22

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

Last week (overall) Straight up: 8-4 (42-18) Spread: 5-7 (27-33) * Lock: 0-1 (4-1)

Last week (overall) Straight up: 8-4 (41-19) Spread: 4-8 (30-30) * Lock: 0-1 (3-2)

Last week (overall) Straight up: 9-3 (42-18) Spread: 5-7 (28-32) * Lock: 0-1 (2-3)