Big 12 Preview 2018: Waco Tribune-Herald

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COVER STORY: A League Of Their Own

Can the Sooners be stopped?

Despite losing the Heisman winner to the NFL, Oklahoma is the prohibitive Big 12 favorite (again).

By Brice Cherry

7 Playmakers needed, apply within

By John Werner

10 Who's on the mountain?

By Brice Cherry

36 PRESEASON ALL-BIG 12 TEAM

As selected by the Tribune-Herald

39 big 12/college predictions Cover Photo: Photo by Jerry Larson

2018-2019

TEAM PREVIEWS 16 Oklahoma By Brice Cherry 18 TCU By John Werner 20 TEXAS By Brice Cherry 22 West Virginia By Brice Cherry 24 oklahoma state By John Werner 26 iowa state By Brice Cherry 28 Kansas state By Brice Cherry 30 Texas Tech By John Werner 32 Baylor By John Werner 34 Kansas By John Werner

Photo by Jerry Larson

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LIVING THE LIFEFor LincolnOF RileyRILEY and In his first year as a college football head coach, Oklahoma’s Lincoln Riley won a Big 12 championship, guided his quarterback to the Heisman Trophy and reached the College Football Playoff.

Staff photo – Jerry Larson

It’s good to be Lincoln Riley.

In one breath, the second-year Oklahoma head coach laments his team’s inexperience or the level at which it’s playing defense compared to some of the nation’s top teams. Then in the next, he admits that his team has Final Four potential – again.

“We’ve had a chance to get to the playoff twice, have had a chance to win the league three times in a row, and it’s hard,” Riley said.

Perhaps it really is harder than it looks. But even

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Oklahoma, everything is more than OK – it’s the gold standard

By Brice Cherry

so, this much is undeniable: It’s a heck of a lot harder if you’re not Oklahoma.

The Sooners’ supremacy atop the Big 12 is neither new nor surprising. Since the formation of the Big 12 in 1996, Oklahoma has won 11 conference titles in football. The rest of the current makeup of the league has combined for nine.

There is a standard of excellence that permeates through every corner of Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Junior running back Rodney

Since the formation of the Big 12, the Sooners have won 11 conference titles – two more than the rest of the current makeup of the league.

Staff photo – Rod Aydelotte

Anderson said that he noticed it just as soon as he arrived in Norman for his official visit back during the recruiting process. Anderson had initially committed to Texas A&M, and had conversations with another powerhouse program in Alabama, but he loved the businesslike approach he spotted at OU. “I always feel like we have a certain level of play at Oklahoma, and we try to maintain that throughout the season and be consistent,” Anderson said.

For Oklahoma, 10-win seasons (at least) and contending for the Big 12 title are as commonplace as the wind. That breeze never stops blowing across the plains, and Sooner victories tend to be no less reliable.

Oklahoma has won the conference in each of the past three seasons, and every pundit with at least two functioning brain cells thinks the Sooners are a near-lock to win a fourth in a row. This, despite swapping out a legend (Bob Stoops) with a first-year head coach in Riley in the summer of 2017. This, despite the 2018 Sooners facing the usuallydaunting task of replacing a Heisman Trophy winner at quarterback, as Baker Mayfield will now be flinging passes for the Cleveland Browns.

Coaching changes aren’t supposed to go that smoothly. But this one was like replacing Bono as the band frontman with Dave Grohl.

The Sooners didn’t miss a beat under Riley.

“There wasn’t too much of a

transition between Coach Stoops and Coach Riley,” Anderson said.

“It was really smooth, so it kind of feels like we’ve just been carrying on business as usual. I’m excited to see what Coach Riley’s got for this year.”

Last year, led by Mayfield, Anderson and the nation’s topranked offense, Oklahoma stormed to a 12-1 regular season to win the Big 12 and make the College Football Playoff for the second time in the past three years. Then the Sooners pushed Georgia to the edge of the cliff before the Bulldogs persevered with a 54-48 win in the national semifinals.

Mayfield will be a tough act to follow at quarterback. His production was off-the-charts – the former walk-on generated 4,938 yards of total offense and 49 touchdowns in 2017 – but he also gave the Sooners a distinctive swagger. Whether it was planting the flag in Columbus, Ohio, or chirping at opposing players in pregame, Mayfield didn’t back down from anyone.

Into his stead steps Kyler Murray, the former Texas A&M transfer who spent his summer trying to make hits rather than avoid them. The Oakland Athletics drafted Murray with the ninth overall pick of June’s Major League Baseball Draft, and he got cracking in the minor leagues before returning to Norman to join the Sooners as Mayfield’s heir apparent.

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The benefit for Murray is that he’ll be surrounded by next-level studs at almost every position. They say five-star recruits don’t grow on trees, but those that say that might want to shake a limb or two in Norman, Oklahoma.

“This is going to be an interesting team, no question,” Riley said. “I think it’s got a chance to be maybe the most talented team we’ve had in the now-four years that we will have been an OU, but also probably our most inexperienced team as well.

So I think our leadership is going to be a very, very key part of how this team progresses. Should be an entertaining season.”

Compared with the rest of the league, Oklahoma’s problems are first-world problems. Sure, the Sooners ranked only 67th nationally in total defense last fall. But they also return six starters on that side of the ball, and brought in another illustrious recruiting class that ranked in the top 10 nationally for the second straight year.

“I think (defense) is, to me, our number one issue. We have good players, don’t get me wrong,” Riley said. “I think for us it’s about consistency. We’ve had some great moments defensively, one down the road here in the Big 12 Championship (in Arlington), and we’ve completely shut down Ohio State in Columbus. We’ve just got to play like that more often.”

But not a whole lot more often.

From an offensive firepower standpoint, the Sooners are

strutting around with a bazooka, a tank and a whole fleet of machine gunners, while many of their opponents are coming out to the field with a pop gun. Most of the time, they’re going to be able to outscore you. Remember, OU has lost only two Big 12 games in the past three years.

It helps to have talent, for sure. It helps even more when you mix in the right attitude.

“It’s fun to know that you’ve taken the breath out of someone, and they don’t want to go no more. It’s fun to make someone quit,” OU offensive lineman Ben Powers said.

Oklahoma’s players seem to have struck the right balance between swagger and good sense. They respect their opponents, but don’t fear them. They know that some teams may come out intimidated by the “Sooners” scrawled across the front of their jerseys, but they also realize that no one is going to give them anything.

“We’re comfortable, but not content,” Powers said. “We’ve won one, and we win a lot of Big 12 championships. We’re fortunate enough in that aspect. But we’re still going out every year and we’re still attacking it like we’ve never won one.”

Then Powers added, almost as a warning, “I think people give us their best shot. After that, I think they feel us for the next week.”

The losses aren’t frequent, but they do resonate. Riley is approachable, but when you talk

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to him you get the sense that he never removes that sizable chip off his shoulder. It’s always right there, driving him. He was a walk-on quarterback at Texas Tech during his playing days, and while that experience in Lubbock under Mike Leach helped pave his way into coaching, it also fueled his hunger.

When a reporter asked Riley in midsummer if the losses – like a slip-up against Iowa State in Big 12 play, or the playoff defeat to Georgia – stick with him, the coach looked as though he’d just chugged a Spam-and-lima bean smoothie.

“Mmm-hmm. Mmm-hmm, yes they do. Yes, they do,” Riley said, grimacing.

That’s one reason that Riley said he looks for a player’s “edge” when he’s recruiting a kid. Sure, that receiver can run 4.4, but can he keep his nerve when he’s being chased by a snarling Kansas State linebacker? A kid might be able to jump over the goalpost, but will his legs turn to jelly in front of 100,000 fans at Ohio State?

He wants competitors. He wants guys who really, really hate losing.

Because losing doesn’t fly in Norman, Oklahoma.

“I think if this team reaches its potential, we can beat anybody,” Riley said. “I mean, I’ve been in this league a long time, going back to my Texas Tech days, and I have a lot of respect for it and how hard it is to do. We will have to fight like crazy to give ourselves that chance again.”

PLAYMAKERS WANTED, APPLY WITHIN Baylor defense desperate to find more turnover-minded players

By John Werner

Baylor defensive coordinator Phil Snow said that if his defense can create more turnovers and not give up big plays, the Bears “can win a lot of football games.”

Photo by Rod Aydelotte

In a league as innovative and offensive minded as the Big 12, even the best defenses accept that they’re going to allow big chunks of yardage.

TCU owned the league’s most dominating defense last season, but ranked just 19th nationally. No other Big 12 defense cracked the top 40.

Creating turnovers and sacking the quarterback are essential for defenses to even have a chance against the Big 12’s dynamic offenses. Those were two areas where Baylor was noticeably weak in Matt Rhule’s 1-11 debut season.

Baylor forced just 11 turnovers last

season, ranking ahead of only Kansas.

The Bears’ three pass interceptions were the fewest in the league. Baylor didn’t have much more success sacking the quarterback, ranking eighth in the league with 23.

For Baylor to take a big step forward this season, the defense knows it must create as many turnovers as possible.

Putting more pressure on quarterbacks should make turnovers easier to get.

“We have to lead the nation in turnovers,” said Baylor defensive lineman Micheal Johnson. “It’s a must.

To piggyback off that, as a D-line our

goal is 40 sacks. So nothing less than that will be accepted or tolerated.

That’s the motto.”

Baylor defensive coordinator Phil Snow has pounded those two facets of the game into his players’ heads every day of preseason camp. The Bears try to strip the ball or intercept passes in nearly every drill.

“If you can create turnovers and not give up big plays you’re going to win a lot of football games,” Snow said.

“That’s what we’re trying to do. Last year, we only had 11 turnovers. You’re not going to win the league with 11 turnovers. We have got to start getting the football, whether we catch it or strip it, and we’re starting to do a better job of that. We’ll see if that carries over into the ballgames.”

To further illustrate the need to force more turnovers, Snow has devised a contraption in which a football is tightly attached to a spring on a metal post.

One stands outside the Allison Indoor Practice Facility and another stands at the Baylor coaching offices.

“Every time a player goes by it, we want him to strip the football,” Snow said. “It’s just a mentality of getting the football. We’re really trying to stress attack the ball. The ball is the key, right?

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Baylor forced only 11 turnovers last year as a defense, which ranked ninth in the Big 12, just ahead of Kansas.

Photo by Jerry Larson

We’re really trying to create turnovers. If we score on defense and get short fields for the offense we really have a chance to upgrade our percentage of winning.”

Snow believes the Bears will become a better ball-hawking defense because they know the defensive system much better than last year.

Baylor freshman cornerback Byron Hanspard Jr. compared the thickness of Snow’s defensive playbook to the Bible, so it can be intimidating.

“I thought the Bible was a very difficult book at first,” Hanspard said. “But when I saw that playbook and saw how thick it was and how many pages it was, I was like, ‘My Lord.’ Then I tried not to just freak out.”

While the freshmen will need time to learn the playbook, the veterans have a year in Snow’s system and have a better grasp of what he demands.

They expect to play more aggressively and instinctively which they hope will translate into more turnovers and sacks.

“We know what we’re doing and we have a better understanding of Coach Snow’s defense,” said Baylor senior safety Verkedric Vaughns. “Just flying around and doing your job I feel like that will create turnovers. Once you know what you’re doing you’re able to play faster and be comfortable and I feel like we’re at that point right now.”

Since the Bears have more depth defensively across the board, Snow plans to use more players to keep them fresh as the season wears on. He’s seen how depth-starved defenses worn down by fast-tempo offenses can suffer late in the season.

“You can see in our league as the season goes on, the defenses don’t do quite as well,” Snow said. “I think

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it’s because if you don’t play enough guys, they wear down because they play so many snaps. We try to play our players between 40 and 50 snaps on defense and not any more than that. So if we can get that done, it also keeps everybody involved. It’s just a better formula if we can play more people.”

Snow likes the depth the Bears possess at cornerback with returning starters Grayland Arnold and Harrison Hand joined by veteran Jameson Houston and speedy sophomore Raleigh Texada. Temple graduate transfer Derrek Thomas should also be a strong addition.

After battling injuries his first two seasons, Arnold has a chance to be one of the best cornerbacks in the Big 12 as a junior.

“We all know Grayland is a good football player, but I feel like him being

a leader and practicing at a high level day in and day out not only will help make him a better player but will also make the guys around him better football players,” said Baylor defensive backs coach Fran Brown.

Vaughns brings senior experience to the secondary while junior Blake Lynch has moved to safety after playing cornerback and wide receiver last season. The Baylor coaches believe Lynch’s 6-3, 213-pound frame will give the Bears an intimidating presence in the secondary.

“It’s a lot easier just to be able to focus on one spot, really dig into the game plan, to the X’s and O’s,” Lynch said. “I like the physicality of it, just to be able to cover and run up and tackle. That’s what I enjoy.”

Defensive tackle Ira Lewis is a proven pass rusher who led the Bears with 5½ sacks and 11½ tackles for loss last season. Lewis hopes to enjoy an even bigger senior season and become the leader the Baylor

defensive line needs.

“If we have a pass rush on the quarterback that makes everyone’s job easier,” Lewis said. “We’re the first line of defense. If we’re causing disruption and destroying things up front our defense will be unstoppable.”

Snow likes the depth of his defensive line with veterans Tyrone Hunt, Bravvion Roy and James Lynch joining Lewis at tackle. Greg Roberts, Xavier Jones and Deonte Williams will be counted on to supply pressure at defensive end.

“I think we’ve addressed that (pass rush) as a problem,” Roberts said.

“We’re not where we want to be. Our linebackers are getting sacks when we should be. The defensive line is supposed to stop the run and rush the passer. It doesn’t matter how good or bad you are or how old or young you just want to address the problem. We want to be a heck of a pass rushing team. How do you do that? You get the reps.”

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Snow has even experimented with using linebacker Clay Johnston at defensive end to supply more passing rushing opportunities. Deep snapper Ross Matiscik has been seeing time at linebacker because of his ball hawking skills.

The last thing the Baylor players expect is a repeat of last year when Big 12 offenses were either scoring quickly or biting big chunks of time off the clock because the Bears couldn’t get them off the field.

The Baylor defensive players know they’ve got to be better in multiple areas to even have a shot at a winning season.

“If we have all this talent and all this size and all this speed, what’s keeping us from it?” Roberts said “We have a great coach and a great system in Coach Snow’s defense.

So what’s keeping us from being a dominant defensive line? You’d have to say only us. I think we’re poised to dominate.”

KINGS OF THE HILL Here’s how we’d sculpt the rocks when building the Big 12’s Mount Rushmore

By Brice Cherry It’s the most familiar hill in the entire United States. Its mere name conjures up thoughts of American history and patriotism.

Mount Rushmore.

For nearly 80 years, South Dakota’s Black Hills have served as home to the country’s most recognizable sculpture east of Lady Liberty. Carved into the granite face of Mount Rushmore are the faces of four of the nation’s most iconic presidents – George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln.

Besides being South Dakota’s most popular tourist destination (by far), Mount Rushmore has carved out its own reputation as a perfect representation of American paragons. There are probably Americans who have never heard of William Henry Harrison or Grover Cleveland, but the names Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt and Lincoln resonate with all.

So, why not use the Mount Rushmore paradigm elsewhere?

It makes sense, right? If someone told you to come up with the Mount Rushmore of Hollywood actors, you wouldn’t have to ask them what they meant by the assignment.

These are the biggest of the big names.

So when we set out to come up with the Mount Rushmore for all of the Big 12’s current football programs, it was a task that proved simultaneously simple and challenging. Simple, because of the clarity of what we were seeking. The crème de la crème.

Yet challenging, because when a college owns more than a century of football history, it means that some incredibly gifted, memorable figures will be omitted. Heck, Oklahoma has more Heisman Trophy winners (six) than spots on the mountain (four), and you can make a pretty strong argument that

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the best player in program history didn’t even win a Heisman.

But we took on the task anyway.

Just for clarification, we sought to settle on the four most iconic football figures in the history of the school. That means both players and coaches were considered.

Again, we had to make some tough cuts. Only four spots were available for each school. In the case of a few schools – say, an Oklahoma or a Texas – that program’s backup mountain would likely trump anything Iowa State has to offer on its first. But four spots are four spots.

In the end, we relied heavily on the Merriam-Webster definition of iconic – “widely known and acknowledged, especially for distinctive excellence.”

The chosen representatives had to be great, and they had to be well-known, certainly within the populace of that fan base.

Without further ado, let’s meet the Big 12’s best rock bands.

BAYLOR: Grant Teaff, Robert Griffin III, Mike Singletary, Lawrence Elkins Often, the gut reaction is the way to go. Teaff, RG3 and Singletary immediately popped to mind, and with good reason. Teaff – that worm-gargling, miracle-conjuring legend who spent 20 years as the Bears’ head coach – remains the program’s all-time wins leader with 128. Griffin ushered in a new period of success and won the program’s only Heisman in 2011.

Singletary broke facemasks and broke records on his way to both the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame.

The fourth spot required more thought and debate. Many Baylor fans who we tasked with this assignment on social media offered the name of Walter Abercrombie, who held Baylor’s all-time rushing record for 35 years before being

supplanted by Shock Linwood two seasons ago.

Still others mentioned Art Briles. His inclusion would likely be polarizing, as he is still muchbeloved by a segment of Baylor fans for the success he brought to Waco, including back-to-back Big 12 titles in 2013 and ‘14. “If Art never came to Waco, we’d still be playing at Floyd Casey (Stadium),” tweeted Kevin Joyce, a fair assessment.

But Briles’ tenure ended in disgrace, as he was fired in 2016 for his part in the school’s and football program’s mishandling of sexual assault cases. His BU legacy therefore remains complicated.

A better choice would be Elkins, the first two-time consensus AllAmerican Baylor ever produced (1963-64) and a receiving pioneer in an age of plodding Wishbone offenses.

IOWA STATE: Troy Davis, Ed Bock, Dan McCarney, Dexter Green Iowa State’s Rushmore construction may have been the most challenging of all, mostly because it was nearly impossible to locate any true “icons.” The Cyclones’ football history is more vanilla than the ice cream in the sundaes at Ames’ popular Hickory Park barbecue restaurant.

Troy Davis was a no-brainer.

He twice surpassed 2,000 yards rushing in a single season, and finished fifth and second, respectively, in the Heisman voting those years. While not a household name outside of Iowa, Bock was the Cyclones’ first unanimous All-American as an offensive and defensive lineman, and captain of a 1938 team that went 7-1-1.

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Baylor’s Mount Rushmore football icons were made up of (left to right) Mike Singletary, Robert Griffin III, Grant Teaff and Lawrence Elkins.

Staff photo illustration – Krista Pirtle

Here’s a telling stat: McCarney is Iowa State’s winningest all-time coach, with 56 victories, but had an overall winning percentage of .397 in his 12 seasons in Ames. He did guide the Cyclones to five bowl games, though, and is the only coach they’ve ever had who lasted at least a decade.

The fourth spot required some serious excavation. In the end, Green was picked, thanks in part to the running back’s role in helping Iowa State to rare back-to-back victories over Nebraska in 1976 and ‘77.

KANSAS: Gale Sayers, John Hadl, John Riggins, Mark Mangino Wouldn’t the true Kansas Mount Rushmore have to be James Naismith, Wilt Chamberlain, Danny Manning and Bill Self?

Naturally, KU’s basketball history casts a much longer shadow than

what the football program has ever produced. Nevertheless, Sayers – the Kansas Comet – is arguably the most gifted athlete ever to step on campus.

Given his place in inspiring Brian’s Song, he’d also be a lock for the Teammate Hall of Fame.

As great as Sayers was, Hadl was actually selected as Kansas’ player of the century. He played both ways and was an All-American at both halfback and quarterback before embarking on a 15-year pro career. Before he ever took his spot behind “The Hogs” for the Washington Redskins, Riggins broke Sayers’ all-time KU rushing record and helped the Jayhawks reach the 1969 Orange Bowl.

And speaking of big bowl games, KU’s Mount Rushmore wouldn’t be complete without Mount Mangino, who led the program to four straight winning seasons from 2005-08, including a 12-1 Orange Bowl year in 2007.

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KANSAS STATE: Bill Snyder, Mark Simoneau, Michael Bishop, Collin Klein Any K-State monument has to start with Snyder. The school had virtually no football history to speak of before his arrival in 1989, as it was saddled with the worst all-time record of any Division I program. He remade the Wildcats into a tough team that didn’t beat itself, and has led K-State to 20 bowl appearances and two conference championships since.

(Plus, you know, his name is on the stadium.)

Simoneau, Bishop and Klein are three of the best players that Snyder ever coached. Simoneau registered 400 tackles as a field-covering linebacker, and became K-State’s second-ever College Football Hall of Famer in 2012. Bishop went 22-3 as K-State’s starting quarterback, lifting the Wildcats as high as No. 2 in the nation in his senior year of 1998.

And if the “Wildcat Offense” had a face, it would be Collin Klein, who finished 16th all-time in NCAA history in rushing touchdowns (56) despite playing quarterback.

OKLAHOMA: Bud Wilkinson, Lee Roy Selmon, Barry Switzer, Billy Sims More than 150 All-Americans. Six Heisman winners. Seven national championship teams.

Yeah, Oklahoma’s football history is better than your favorite school’s.

As such, settling on a fearsome foursome for the Sooners is a daunting task. Or is it? Bud Wilkinson

has to be on the hill, no question.

He coached OU to three national championships (1950, ’55 and ’56) and an NCAA-record 47-game winning streak. “(Wilkinson) created the monster.

Barry (Switzer) and Bob (Stoops) fed the monster in different eras, and I honestly don’t know how you pick one over the other,” said Norman resident Dave Grogan, a Sooner season ticket holder since the 1980s.

“OU could have a separate Rushmore for just coaches,” said Tulsa radio personality John Hoover.

Here’s how you separate Switzer and Stoops: By a simple mathematic formula. Switzer won three national titles, Stoops only one. Thus, the Bootlegger’s Boy belongs on the monument.

That leaves a couple of player spots, and Lord knows that Lee Roy Selmon has to take one of them. Selmon is generally regarded as OU’s best-ever player, as a defensive wrecking ball who helped the Sooners win national titles in 1974 and ’75.

OK, now we’re down to one spot, and a host of luminaries. Do you like Heisman-winning QBs? How about Steve Owens, Jason White, Sam Bradford or, most recently, Baker Mayfield? Or maybe you prefer transcendent defensive forces like the “Boz,” Brian Bosworth.

How about QBs who won national titles, like Josh Heupel or Jamelle Holieway or Jimmy Harris, the Wilkinson-era signal caller who never lost a game as a starter?

Ultimately, we’re bypassing all of those greats and settling on Billy Sims, the greatest of a host of great OU backs who won the Heisman in 1978 and finished second in the voting in ’79.

OKLAHOMA STATE: Barry Sanders, Mike Gundy, Bob Fenimore, Thurman Thomas The finest player to ever come through Stillwater is unquestionably Barry Sanders.

His 1988 season may be the greatest ever recorded in college football history.

After Barry, longtime Oklahoma State fans would hog-tie anyone who didn’t include Bob Fenimore in a short list of all-time Cowboy legends. Fenimore led thenOklahoma A&M to a national title in 1945, and the “Blond Bomber”

was the first two-time All-American in school history.

Gundy was an underrated quarterback at OSU, as he held the NCAA record for most interceptionfree passes to start a career until Baylor’s Robert Griffin III broke it.

More notably, Gundy stands out as the Cowboys’ most accomplished coach, with a 114-53 record and 12 bowl appearances. (John Hoover correctly noted that Gundy’s mug on the mountain would have to include his now-infamous mullet.)

It wasn’t easy leaving off Justin Blackmon, one of only two men (along with Texas Tech’s Michael Crabtree) to win the Biletnikoff Award twice. However, the final nod goes to Thurman Thomas, a Hall of Fame running back who for a time relegated none other than Barry Sanders to second string.

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The Trib settled on (left to right) Sammy Baugh, Gary Patterson, Davey O’Brien and LaDainian Tomlinson as TCU’s all-time football icons.

Staff photo illustration – Krista Pirtle

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TCU: Sammy Baugh, Davey O’Brien, LaDainian Tomlinson, Gary Patterson For the smallest school in the Big 12, TCU has produced some of college football’s most lasting names. The Frog-whittling assignment may have been the hardest of the entire lot, as TCU has five to six legitimate, no-introductionrequired icons.

Start with Sammy Baugh, considered by some historians to be football’s all-time greatest player.

(He also played basketball and baseball for the Frogs, too.) It seems essential to include Davey O’Brien as well, given that he earned such acclaim as a TCU quarterback that the award for the top quarterback in the land now carries his name.

Dutch Meyer was a tough scratch.

He won 109 games in 18 years as

TCU coach and led the Frogs to national championships in 1935 and ’38. But is he as widely known – part of that iconic definition -- as Baugh or O’Brien? Probably not.

A convincing case could also be made for Bob Lilly, who went on to become one of the top players in Dallas Cowboys history following his days in Fort Worth.

And yet LaDainian Tomlinson and Gary Patterson are the ideal modern-day choices. LT twice led the NCAA in rushing and set the single-game rushing record with 406 yards against UTEP. (The mark has since been surpassed twice.) And while Baylor fans might derisively dub Patterson as Coach Stompy Foot, nobody can deny that he has built a previously moribund program into one of the more consistent winners in America.

Texas’ illustrious football history was best represented by (left to right) Darrell Royal, Ricky Williams, Tommy Nobis and Earl Campbell.

Staff photo illustration – Krista Pirtle

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Texas: Darrell Royal, Earl Campbell, Ricky Williams, Tommy Nobis When you’re talking Longhorn royalty, you always start with Darrell Royal. He’s not just one of the more influential figures that the University of Texas has ever produced, but the entire state. Like Bill Snyder at Kansas State, Texas thinks enough of Royal that it named its stadium after him.

As with Oklahoma, the list of potential Rushmore candidates is as long as Bevo’s horns. From Bobby Layne to Britt Hager to Eric Metcalf to Colt McCoy to Waco’s own Derrick Johnson, the Longhorns are not short on guys who made a significant impact.

It feels right, though, that UT’s two Heisman winners should be on the rock. The Tyler Rose, Earl Campbell, shredded defenses on his way to 4,443 career rushing yards. Some 20 years later, Ricky Williams basically mimicked Campbell’s game-breaking ability in casting forth a new era of success for the program.

Surely you could include James Street or Vince Young – a couple of QBs who led Texas to national titles – and you’d feel just fine about your choice. Mack Brown is no slouch, either, as the only UT coach not named Royal to win a national championship.

But our vote goes to Tommy Nobis, a nod to the best defender ever to suit up for the Longhorns. In 1965, Nobis (who also started at offensive guard in addition to linebacker)

won the Knute Rockne Trophy, the Outland Award and the Maxwell Award, while finishing seventh in voting for the Heisman.

Texas Tech’s Mount Rushmore of football includes (left to right) Gabe Rivera, Zach Thomas, Michael Crabtree and Donny Anderson.

Staff photo illustration – Krista Pirtle

Texas Tech: Donny Anderson, Michael Crabtree, Zach Thomas, Gabriel Rivera Texas Tech’s motto is “guns up,” and it’s fitting for the league’s westernmost program that owns kind of wild, gunslinging history.

There’s always a lock, and Anderson is it for Tech. The Golden Palomino galloped past defenses during his days in Lubbock, earning All-America honors in 1964 and ’65. He later won a pair of NFL championships with Vince Lombardi’s Green Bay Packers.

Crabtree has a resume unmatched by most receivers. He set eight NCAA records and was the first player ever to win the Biletnikoff Award twice, in 2007 and ’08. He’s one of only five Tech players to ever be named a unanimous All-American, and one of the other four is Zach Thomas, a two-time Southwest Conference Defensive Player of the Year as a wrecking ball linebacker.

For the final spot, linebacker/center E.J. Holub and receiver Dave Parks, who are enshrined in Tech’s Ring of Honor, deserve consideration.

And it’s hard to overlook Tech’s modern-day reputation of a quarterback factory, with the likes of Kliff Kingsbury, Graham Harrell, B.J. Symons and Patrick Mahomes racking up passing records galore.

Certainly, if there was a Mount Rushmore of quotable coaches,

Spike Dykes would fit the bill.

In the end, though, how can you pass up Rivera, nicknamed Senor Sack? Don Williams, longtime Texas Tech beat writer for the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, labeled Rivera “probably the best defensive player Tech has ever had.”

WEST VIRGINIA: Don Nehlen, Sam Huff, Rich Rodriguez, Major Harris Finally, our country roads take us to West Virginia, where the smoke from those burning couches signals that they play pretty good football there, too.

Nehlen is the program’s preeminent coaching icon. He won 149 while coaching the Mountaineers from 1980-2000, and twice led WVU to top 10 national finishes. Yet that’s actually one less top 10 finish than Rodriguez mustered in his seven marvelous years in Morgantown.

Huff embodies the state of West Virginia – he grew up in tiny Edna, W.Va., in a house with no running water. But he developed into the program’s best-ever player, and Sports Illustrated once picked him as the No. 6 best overall athlete to come out of the state, after Jerry West, Mary Lou Retton, Hack Wilson, Randy Barnes and Hal Greer.

And then there’s Major Harris.

The native of nearby Pittsburgh quarterbacked the Mountaineers to the program’s first unbeaten, untied regular season in 1988 and a berth in the Fiesta Bowl against No. 1 Notre Dame. The next year he finished third in the Heisman voting.

After one broken play against Penn State where Harris eluded seven tacklers on his way to a touchdown, Nehlen remarked, “If there was a contest for most exciting player, Major would win it hands-down.”

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Despite not surpassing 10 carries in a game until Oklahoma’s seventh game, Rodney Anderson finished with 1,161 rushing yards for the season.

Associated Press – Doug Benc

Five games into his third year at Oklahoma, Rodney Anderson was an afterthought. His college career had been marked by injuries and limited playing time.

Nine games later, a case could be made for Anderson as the best running back in the country.

Funny how fast things can change – especially for a guy blessed with the acceleration (and tackler-shedding devastation) as Anderson.

Anderson signed with Oklahoma in the fall of 2014 as a four-star recruit out of Katy, Texas. He played in two games on special teams in his freshman year of 2015 before a broken leg ended his season. The next year, Anderson suffered a scary neck injury in preseason camp and missed the entire 2016 season.

And 2017 didn’t start much better.

He was healthy, but mostly relegated

16 BIG 12 PREVIEW | AUGUST 29, 2018

If OU’s top back can start like he finished, he may be a Heisman candidate

By Brice Cherry

to mop-up duty in the Sooners’ first five games. He received a whopping 12 carries in that span.

Inside, it was killing him. But Anderson tried to keep a positive outlook, and just hope that his day would come.

“Obviously I want to be out on the field, of course,” Anderson said.

“But I’m there for the team. And if the coaches didn’t think I was ready at the beginning of the season, then that’s what they thought. And I agree with them. I have full faith in the coaches, and they didn’t think I was ready, so I wasn’t ready.”

Finally, in OU’s Red River Shootout game against Texas, the coaches removed the tarp and let Anderson test his wheels. He rushed for 48 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries in Oklahoma’s 29-24 win. That audition prompted the coaches to cut

him loose thereafter, and the results were smashing.

Anderson averaged 135 rushing yards per game over OU’s final eight contests. He twice scored four touchdowns in the first half of a game, and finished with 1,161 rushing yards, 281 receiving and 18 total TDs. Against Georgia in the College Football Playoff semifinal, Anderson burned the Bulldogs for 201 rushing yards and two TDs, the most any player had amassed against Kirby Smart’s team all year.

“I guess if you had to say something clicked, it would have to be in the Texas game or maybe the K-State game,” Anderson said.

“Whenever it was, I got relaxed, I got comfortable, I got my opportunity and I tried to make the most of it.”

Growing up in Katy, Anderson had nothing to do with the Sooners,

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instead rabidly following another college football power. His uncle Mark destroyed blockers as a defensive end at Alabama, and little Rodney grew up daydreaming of one day playing for the Crimson Tide.

Once he developed into a highlysought recruit, Anderson jumped on an early offer from Texas A&M his junior year and committed. He never felt great about that decision, though. So he ultimately reopened his recruitment, and even talked with some coaches at Alabama.

A visit to Oklahoma changed everything.

“I just had to (commit to the Sooners). It was just the getting down to business, working, the grind and everything,” he said.

“But then also just the family. The family atmosphere. The fact that I can go into a coach’s office and ask questions, not just about football.”

If Anderson ever questioned his decision in retrospect, he put any doubts to bed for good during the second half of the 2017 season. He was so dynamic, so productive, that after the season reporters started quizzing him about whether he might declare for the NFL Draft.

“To be honest, it was the end of the season and they were like, ‘Hey, are you going to go to the NFL? Are you going to leave?’” said Anderson, who will be a redshirt junior this fall. “And I was like, ‘Pssshhh. I didn’t even know I could leave. I didn’t realize it.’

So I hadn’t been thinking about it. I don’t want to think about it. I just want to help my team get to a national championship.”

Anderson calls his style “one-

cut, downhill,” but that description doesn’t begin to fully encompass his highlight-making ability. Against Kansas State, he took a handoff and was immediately met in the backfield

by Wildcats linebacker Jayd Kirby.

Anderson floored Kirby with a potent stiff-arm, though the force from that play sent the ball carrier backward a bit, some eight yards behind the line of scrimmage. He then bounced to the outside, turned his shoulders and shot down the sideline in a staggering display of speed before completing the play for a 22-yard touchdown. The score, with seven seconds left, lifted OU to a 42-35 victory.

Such plays have some thinking that Anderson may be a darkhorse Heisman candidate for 2018.

“Heisman finalist, right there.

Rodney Anderson,” said OU lineman Ben Powers, pointing at his teammate. “You heard it here first.”

Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley is 1-for-1 in coaching Heisman winners as a head coach, after Baker Mayfield’s triumph last year. Riley isn’t in the business of making bold predictions, but he wouldn’t put it past Anderson.

“I suppose it’s possible,” Riley said.

“At our place, we’re lucky, there’s a lot of things that are possible. But he had a great run. And if he plays anything like he did the last half of last year, he’ll do well.”

For all his ability, Anderson doesn’t thump his chest. He’s been humbled before. The memories of sitting in the training room, of watching games from the sidelines, remain fresh. With a genuine look of sincerity, he said

that he considers himself “blessed” to even be mentioned alongside the best backs in the Big 12, much less the top runners in the country.

His teammates view it differently, though. They think that if Anderson can maintain the pace he set late last season, he won’t be keeping company with West Virginia’s David Montgomery or Stanford’s Bryce Love, but rather the likes of Billy Sims, DeMarco Murray and Adrian Peterson.

“You’ve seen him play. He gets after it. He doesn’t like to get tackled,” Powers said. “It takes, like, three, four people. It’s impressive. …He’ll be up there with those guys as a Sooner great. He really will.”

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TCU’s Ben Banogu, here forcing a fumble against Oklahoma State’s Mason Rudolph last year, chose to bypass the NFL and return to the Frogs for another go-round.

Associated Press – Brody Schmidt

TCU’s top defender not ready to leapfrog to NFL quite yet

By John Werner With an eye popping junior season already in his back pocket, TCU defensive end Ben Banogu was tempted to declare for the NFL draft.

Those 8½ sacks and 16½ tackles for loss were certainly impressive.

The speed and instincts that came from his 6-4, 249-pound frame were attributes that would make any NFL

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scout take a deep look.

But Banogu had a bigger picture in mind. “(Last season) gave me a little validation but the script’s not finished yet,” Banogu said. “There were talks about going in the first round. It was nice to hear but there were only two D-ends that were

taken in the first round. So, good for them. For me, my opportunity will come after the season is over.”

Banogu came back to improve his draft stock, enjoy another year with his Horned Frog teammates, and finish his degree. Picked by the Big 12 media as the league’s preseason defensive player of the year, Banogu

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is the man the rest of the TCU defenders will look to for inspiration.

“I was surprised (Banogu came back) but I appreciate it because it showed how much he cares for this team,” said TCU linebacker Ty Summers. “Obviously he could secure the first round if he has another year like that so it benefits him and it benefits us as a team because he’s put in the work. I respect that he’s willing to stay.”

Banogu’s willingness to wait to begin his NFL career goes against the grain for most athletes who can’t wait to begin earning a pro paycheck.

But the fifth-year senior believes one more season to develop his skills will pay off in the NFL draft next spring.

“It was another year to be around a great coaching staff and great players, another year to grow,” Banogu said. “I’m a firm believer in all those great things like being in the NFL and getting drafted. All that will come. I want to learn as much as I can now and expand my game now, so whenever I get there I’m hitting everything in stride.”

Banogu also knows there’s a chance that injuries could derail his NFL dreams.

Coming out of Prosper High School, Banogu was overlooked by Power 5 schools after he broke his femur. But he didn’t feel sorry for himself. He signed with LouisianaMonroe where he was named to the All-Sun Belt newcomer team after recording five sacks and 14½ tackles for loss as a redshirt freshman in 2015.

“It’s having patience to go through those rough times and not just saying it’s rough for me and I might as well

give up,” Banogu said. “People give up on themselves before all the good things happen for them. For me it was sticking through the process and making sure I completed all those check marks and making sure I did all the little stuff and maintained a positive outlook on all the things that could potentially happen.”

After deciding to transfer to TCU, Banogu lost a year of eligibility in 2016 since he had already redshirted.

But when he finally got back on the field last season, he was a force as he teamed up with Mat Boesen to give the Horned Frogs a pair of all-Big 12 defensive ends.

Boesen led the Big 12 with 11 sacks while Banogu finished second in the league. Boesen was a transfer from Boise State who signed with the Buffalo Bills as a free agent last spring following his superb senior year at TCU. Roommates off the field, they propelled each other to greater heights on the field.

“Mat was a guy who had the same dreams and aspirations as me and had a fresh start and wanted to make a name for himself,” Banogu said.

“When you have a guy like that living with you, it just gives you that added oomph to push yourself past barriers and places you didn’t think you could push yourself. It was fun to play with him.”

While helping TCU become the Big 12’s best defense, they constantly tried to one-up each other.

“The game before we played Oklahoma State he got a late hit,” Banogu said. “It was a tough call and he missed the first half. I got a strip sack on (OSU quarterback) Mason

Rudolph and when he got back the first thing he said was you really stole my sack. But like the third play he was in he got a sack and it was like we’re even now.”

Though Banogu produced phenomenal numbers last season, he believes he can deliver an even bigger senior year. He wants to prove to his teammates and to NFL scouts that he’s just beginning to develop into the kind of player he’ll ultimately become.

“Last season was a fun season and I got to play with a lot of fun people,” Banogu said. “This year I feel like it’s going to be just as fun, if not better, because it’s going to be your last ride. It’s you senior year and you want to go out with a bang.”

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Texas senior linebacker Breckyn Hager is an avid film and video game buff, but said such diversions account for only “five percent” of his focus during football season.

Staff photo – Rod Aydelotte

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Get a haircut?

Nobody wants one more than Horns’ Hager

By Brice Cherry

If it happens, it may go down as the most anticipated haircut in the history of Austin, Texas.

Since he arrived on the University of Texas campus in 2015, Breckyn Hager has treated the barber’s chair as if it were disease-ridden. He avoids it at every turn.

He made a vow that year that he would not get a haircut until Texas won a Big 12 championship. Three years and countless bottles of shampoo later, his golden locks spill down his shoulders and back – thick, shimmering evidence that the senior linebacker’s time to make good on his promise is wearing thin.

“I’ve got something planned when it happens,” Hager said.

His look may scream California surfer or maybe Ronnie “Sunshine” Bass from “Remember the Titans,” but Hager is Longhorn to the bone.

“This guy loves the University of Texas, and rightfully so with his lineage,” said UT head coach Tom Herman.

Yes, Hager is the son of Longhorn defensive royalty. His father Britt played linebacker for Texas from 1986 to ’88, winning All-America honors and finishing as the school’s all-time leading tackler.

Breckyn is the youngest of Britt’s four sons – his brother Bron was a North Texas

20 BIG 12 PREVIEW | AUGUST 29, 2018

signee, Brayven played at Blinn College and Bryce was a standout at Baylor who now plays for the Los Angeles Rams.

Yet Breckyn is different from his brothers not only in his decision to follow in his father’s cleat marks at Texas. He’s a bit of a kook, albeit a thoughtful one. The stream-of-consciousness insights of the most quotable UT player flow even deeper than his magnificent mane.

His mouth has occasionally gotten him into trouble in the past. In 2016, he made headlines when he said he planned to injure then-Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes. (He later apologized).

But Hager said he’s not the same guy anymore, that he realized that much of his brashness was foolhardy.

“I’ve matured exponentially from where I was at,” Hager said. “If you would’ve taken junior Breckyn – pre-Oklahoma State game – you would have had some interesting answers that are absolutely not how I think today.

“Because as a person, I have evolved.

I’ve gained knowledge through various things. And I’ve taken into account that words are powerful. Whatever you say will be held against you, no matter what you’re doing or what context. It doesn’t matter.”

Herman and Hager didn’t always see

eye to eye last season. However, Hager eventually apologized “for being an a-hole” and now the head coach has embraced the wiser, more mature defensive leader.

“What he’s done is he’s gone from maybe kind of the loose cannon kind of guy — he’s still very intense, still very driven and very focused,” Herman said.

“But I think there’s more of a press-pause, what am I trying to communicate to my teammates, rather than just fly by the seat of his pants.”

So instead of popping off about breaking some opposing QB’s legs, Hager happily pontificates a variety of tamer, yet deeply personal, subjects. Like his favorite video game – RuneScape. Or his passion for film. Hager is a rabid movie buff who declares “On the Waterfront” his all-time favorite and calls Marlon Brando “my Man Crush Monday every Monday.”

So, who’s the bigger legend – Brando or Texas defensive coordinator Todd Orlando?

“Oh my gosh! That’s the question of the century,” said a giddy Hager, practically ready to high-five the reporter who posed it. “That’s insane. I would say Coach Todd Orlando, because I wouldn’t be sitting here if it wasn’t for him.”

At the midsummer Big 12 media days,

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Hager held court for several hours, always surrounded by a pack of reporters. The philosophy major never answered a single question with a stock, clichéd response, seemingly enjoying the chance to explore and share his thoughts and ideas on a deeper level.

He rambled at times, but at one point he noted that most of his responses centered on two main themes: Love and Winning.

“That’s another thing I’ve realized – colossal individual statistics mean nothing,” said Hager, who made 23 tackles, nine tackles for loss and four sacks in 2017. “They don’t stand the test of time, unless you win games. My father is a case of that here at the university.

He’s the greatest linebacker statistically ever. And you don’t hear anything about him – because they didn’t win.”

Of course, if the Longhorns win like

Hager hopes, he’ll hand the clippers over to his teammates and let them go to town on his lustrous locks.

“I’m going to let (Sam) Ehlinger, I’m going to let (Andrew) Beck (cut my hair) because it’s going to be a story. Then I’m going to put it all in a Ziploc bag and donate it to Locks of Love,” Hager said.

“I can’t tell you what I see in my future, because it’s too bold. I want to just do it and then be like, ‘Hey, what’s up?’

Because y’all are going to love me when I’m winning. Everyone’s going to love a winner. You can’t say anything wrong when you’re a winner.”

A reporter heard that and asked – What makes you think we don’t love you now, Breckyn?

“Because I ain’t done nothing yet,” he said. “Just know that I’m making myself and my boys work as hard as they possibly can.”

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West Virginia quarterback Will Grier accounted for 36 touchdowns in his debut season for the Mountaineers, despite missing the final two games with a broken finger.

Staff photo – Rod Aydelotte

It’s called “The Will to Win,” and it’s become must-see TV for West Virginia fans, players and coaches alike.

“I went on it on my phone and watched the first episode,” receiver David Sills said. “I think it’s a pretty cool deal they’ve got for him.”

West Virginia is banking on “The Will to Win” becoming binge-worthy fare for Heisman Trophy voters. The athletic department has gone full-bore on a Heisman campaign for its senior quarterback Will Grier, creating a website (grier7heisman.com), scheduling a

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battery of media appearances, and of course, filming the aforementioned web series.

Grier himself takes it all in stride. He’s humbled by the attention, but says that the “will to win” centers on just that – winning. If the Mountaineers gather enough victories to contend for a Big 12 championship, then honors like college football’s most prestigious individual trophy are a more realistic byproduct.

“It would be a great honor to bring that trophy to the program and to the state,” Grier said. “It’s not a focus of

Grier might strike a Heisman pose, but he’d rather kneel in victory formation

By Brice Cherry

ours. It’s something that if we win games and do what we want to do, then it’ll come. But it’s just something we’re not focused on.”

The black-bearded Grier has become the face of the Big 12 – a conference he wasn’t even a part of a little more than two years ago.

Grier’s every waking childhood moment was spent chasing a ball of some variety. His father Chad played quarterback at East Carolina before becoming a high school football coach.

Will’s younger brothers Hayes and

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Nash are famous Internet personalities, starting out posting clips on Vine, the now-defunct video sharing service.

Will, meanwhile, made much longer highlight videos – typically ending with some helmeted buddy catching one of his passes in the end zone. At Davidson Day High School near Charlotte, N.C., he aired it out for a career 14,565 passing yards and a state-record 195 TD passes.

Grier signed with Florida, and after a redshirt season he ascended to the Gators’ starting quarterback job in 2015. In five games, all wins, he threw for 1,202 yards and 10 touchdowns before his path took an unexpected detour.

In October of 2015, the NCAA suspended Grier for a year for testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance. Grier said that the substance was Ligandrol, an over-thecounter strength-building supplement that he was unaware was banned.

Not only did the punishment end his promising season, but ostensibly signaled the end of his tenure in Gainesville. He announced his plans to transfer after the season, settling on West Virginia as his chosen destination.

Grier ended up sitting out all of the 2016 season to comply with NCAA transfer rules. So, he was foaming at the facemask when the 2017 opener against Virginia Tech arrived. After all, it was his first action in more than a yearand-a-half.

If Grier was rusty, he didn’t show it. He passed for 371 yards and three touchdowns in a 31-24 defeat to the Hokies. It was the start of a huge season which saw him win the Big 12 Offensive Newcomer of the Year award, following 3,490 passing yards and 36 total touchdowns.

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“I think he’s the best quarterback in the country. I’m obviously a little biased,” said Sills, a former high school QB who caught 18 of Grier’s TD tosses.

“But I see what he does day in and day out, and how hard he works every day, not just on the on-the-field stuff, but in the weight room, in the film room, taking care of his body, making sure he’s fresh all the time, he does a great job of that.”

Grier admittedly has matured. He’s kind of been forced to. If the suspension and transfer didn’t force him to grow up, the birth of his daughter Eloise 21 months ago certainly fast-tracked that assignment. Grier, 23, lives off-campus with his wife Jeanne and his baby girl, and says he has come to prefer the quiet family life to the typical collegeparty experience.

For as splendid a season as Grier had in 2017, it still ended sooner than the quarterback would have preferred.

In West Virginia’s penultimate regularseason game against Texas, he lunged for the pylon on a QB keeper – and paid the price for the touchdown. He badly dislocated a finger on his throwing hand, and didn’t play in WVU’s final regular-season game or in the Heart of Dallas Bowl.

The bad break delivered some hardearned perspective. Grier understands that he has to protect himself when he’s toting the football. But he’s also a football player. And he can’t turn off that neon sign of competitiveness that constantly blinks, “Go for it!” in his head.

“I’ve made that play a thousand times before and popped right up and gone on to the next play,” Grier said. “It was just kind of a freak accident. It was something I can’t control, but it’s part of my path and part of my journey, and I accepted that. … I’ll take the best care of myself as I can. But on fourth down, if

we need a first down, we’ll do whatever it takes.

“That’s just the nature of the game.

It’s a rough game. You’d like for your fingers to all stay straight, but you can’t always control that.”

West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen doesn’t want Grier to change an iota.

The Heisman push was launched under the coach’s full blessing.

Generally speaking, he doesn’t like stumping for awards. But Grier is special, Holgorsen said.

“I would never approve a campaign unless I felt like a player could handle it,” Holgorsen said. “That's my job as far as managing players, and Will is an older, mature coach's kid. I've made this comment several times. He's ready for this. He’s prepared his whole life for this. … He can handle it.”

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Oklahoma State’s Justice Hill led the Big 12 in rushing last season, racking up eight 100-yard performances.

Associated Press – Phelan Ebenhack

Justice served: Argument for greatness of OSU’s Hill is a convincing one

By John Werner Justice Hill is an academic AllAmerican and an eager student of Oklahoma State football history, especially when it comes to classic running backs.

The Cowboys’ classic backs include 1988 Heisman Trophy winner Barry Sanders and his predecessor Thurman Thomas, who have both been inducted into the College Football and Pro Football halls of fame.

24 BIG 12 PREVIEW | AUGUST 29, 2018

“I watch them on YouTube all the time,” Hill said. “Those guys are fun to watch and fun to learn from.

Barry Sanders is just a playmaker.

When there’s nothing there he made something happen. That’s something every great running back needs to have. You’ve got to break tackles and make them miss.

That’s the thing Barry does great.”

While Hill hesitates to name himself among the Cowboys’

all-time best backs, his numbers speak for themselves.

With 2,609 rushing yards in his first two seasons at Oklahoma State, he’s on pace to break Thomas’ all-time school record of 5,001 yards from 1984-87 if he stays through his senior year.

“I’m just going to keep doing my thing,” Hill said. “I’ve always worked hard. That’s how I got here.

If you ask anybody they probably

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OKLAHOMA STATE

wouldn’t have thought that I’d make it to this level. I continued to work hard no matter what anybody said to me.”

As one of the nation’s top returning backs, the 5-10, 190-pound Hill has made a huge transformation from the skinny kid who showed up at Tulsa’s Booker T. Washington High School seven years ago.

Booker T. Washington is one of the premier high school football programs in Oklahoma, and Hill knew he needed to add some muscle to compete with the tremendous athletes who walk through those doors every year.

“Coming into high school I was like 130 pounds,” Hill said. “Being able to put on some weight and being able to get into the position where I could be recruited as a running back was a big thing. It’s crazy to see the whole transition and where I am now.”

Hill became Booker T. Washington’s spotlight back as a junior in 2014 when he exploded for 1,426 yards and 22 touchdowns. Three months after the season, Hill verbally committed to Oklahoma State.

One of the reasons he chose Oklahoma State was because of its tradition of outstanding running backs.

“I’ve always been an OSU fan, so I always knew about those guys,” Hill said. “They were the first school to offer me and the feeling was mutual. I liked them just as much as they liked me. I knew coming in here I was going to get the opportunity early. I just took advantage of the opportunity they gave to me.”

Hill showed his superb junior season at Booker T. Washington was no fluke as he rushed for 1,948 yards and 32 touchdowns as a senior to earn Oklahoma Class 6A-II offensive

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player of the year.

His transition to Division I football was remarkably smooth as he produced the top freshman rushing season in Oklahoma State history by amassing 1,142 yards in 2017.

Recording six 100-yard games, Hill was named Big 12 newcomer of the year and earned freshman AllAmerican.

Last year, Hill led the Big 12 with 1,467 yards and 15 touchdowns, running away with the rushing title by more than 300 yards.

Stacking up eight 100-yard rushing performances, Hill delivered his best game against rival Oklahoma as he erupted for 228 yards. He also became a more prolific receiver as he made 31 catches for 190 yards for the season.

“I had shoulder surgery so I was able to do more receiving things,” Hill said. “My freshman year I had a brace on so I couldn’t catch much with that. I improved there and I want to improve even more on that this year.

I improved a lot of ways. I got bigger, stronger and faster and I want to do the same thing this year.”

Hill believes he’s only scratched the surface of the running back he can become.

“You can always get better no matter who you are,” Hill said. “I’m just going to keep doing the things I’ve always done and get better in every single aspect like blocking, running or receiving.”

With Mason Rudolph at quarterback for the Cowboys the last two seasons, defenses had to respect the pass which opened up rushing opportunities for Hill.

Now that Rudolph is gone to the

NFL, Hill could become a bigger target for defenses. But Hill believes the Cowboys’ passing game will thrive no matter who steps in at quarterback.

“If they try to stop the run we’re going to pass,” Hill said. “If they try to stop the pass we’re going to run.

It’s really like a losing thing for every defense. That helps me all the time.”

Hill’s teammates are inspired by Hill’s talent but they also see how hard he works every day.

“It’s not just him on game days,” said Oklahoma State linebacker Justin Phillips. “It’s him every other day in practice and summer workouts.

He’s always going 110 percent, and that’s all you can ask from a running back like that. He has no ceiling on what he can do and I’m glad he’s on my team.”

2018 SCHEDULE DATE OPPONENT 8/30 9/8 9/15 9/22 9/29 10/6 10/13 10/27 11/3 11/10 11/17 11/24

Missouri State South Alabama Boise State Texas Tech at Kansas Iowa State at Kansas State Texas at Baylor at Oklahoma West Virginia at TCU

TIME 7 PM 7 PM 2:30 PM

AUGUST 29, 2018 | BIG 12 PREVIEW 25

OKLAHOMA | TCU | TEXAS | WEST VIRGINIA | OKLAHOMA STATE

IOWA STATE

KANSAS STATE | TEXAS TECH | BAYLOR | KANSAS

Cyclone back makes people miss him – on the field and off

David Montgomery posted six 100-yard rushing games in 2017, helping the Cyclones to a surprising 8-5 season.

Staff photo – Rod Aydelotte

By Brice Cherry

Matt Campbell made a vow to David Montgomery that day. The coach told the young running back, “We’re coming back for you. I don’t know how, but we’re coming back for you.”

At the time, Montgomery had delivered the most eye-popping performance at a football camp that Campbell had ever witnessed. Campbell was head coach at Toledo at the time, and he’d already lined up commitments from two other running backs. He had no scholarships available to offer – and yet he knew that, somehow, he had to figure out a way to get Montgomery on his team.

Four months later, Campbell took the head job at Iowa State – and he wasted no time in calling up Montgomery to present a scholarship offer to the Cyclones.

“I didn’t know that I would be coming back from Ames, Iowa, for him,” said Campbell, now beginning his third year as head coach of the Cyclones. “And I was happy that he wanted to come here.”

So is everybody else in Ames. The only folks not happy are the Big 12 tacklers who have the unenviable task of trying to bring him down.

David Montgomery is one tough sonof-a-gun to tackle. So say his teammates, and so say his opponents in the Big 12.

26 BIG 12 PREVIEW | AUGUST 29, 2018

Kansas linebacker Joe Dineen Jr. labeled Montgomery as the toughest back to bring down in the conference.

But the evidence isn’t just anecdotal.

Last year, on his way to rushing for 1,146 yards and 11 touchdowns, Montgomery forced 109 missed tackles, according to Pro Football Focus. That total not only led the nation, but was the best output since PFF began tracking the stat in 2014.

Montgomery is just as capable of shedding a linebacker strapped to his jersey like a backpack as he is dropping a shimmy and leaving a guy grasping for air.

He’s as slippery as he is strong.

“I think with how physical I am, they forget how swift and full of finesse I am as well,” Montgomery said. “I can run through people, but I can shake people, too. I like having that extra dimension for myself.”

Of course, if life couldn’t bring Montgomery down, why should he let the strong safety do so?

His upbringing in Cincinnati brought daily challenges. There were times that his mother Roberta couldn’t pay the rent or the electricity bill. Danger and temptation lurked around every corner. David’s brother Maceo Feltha, 22, is behind bars for a 2015 murder conviction.

But David went the other direction.

Roberta pushed him into Boy Scouts, and like everything in his life, David attacked it “full-throttle,” to use the description that Campbell prefers. He worked his way to Eagle Scout, the organization’s highest honor. For his Eagle Scout project, he partnered with Proctor and Gamble to create a program that helps homeless people get access to soap and other toiletries.

“I just love helping people,” Montgomery said. “Indeed, still do.”

Montgomery’s commitment to service is unyielding, say his teammates and coaches. He works with children with special needs through Iowa State’s Victory Day initiative. He also made a connection with a 6-year-old Iowa State fan named Hunter Erb, whose rare heart condition led to three open-heart surgeries and the installation of a pacemaker.

Montgomery wears a band around his wrist that is scrawled with the words, “Team Erb.” Sometimes when he gets down, he grabs the band between his forefinger and thumb and thinks of Hunter.

“Me and him have a very tight, close-knit relationship, and he gave this to me, told me I should never take it off. And I haven’t taken it off yet,” said Montgomery.

“If you said David never played another

OKLAHOMA | TCU | TEXAS | WEST VIRGINIA | OKLAHOMA STATE snap at Iowa State, the legacy that he would leave as giving back to our community, the impact that he’s had on some of the young kids in Ames, Iowa, his ability to give more than he takes from the program, it’s really, really powerful,” Campbell said.

Montgomery is something of a renaissance man. He’s as comfortable in a raucous team setting as he is stealing away by himself to his favorite fishing hole in Ames, where he tries to hook a few walleye or bluegill while playing some of his favorite mellow tunes, from Rick James to Faith Evans. Out loud, no less. “The fish like it,” he said.

He also has a habit of retreating to the film room immediately after games and trying to figure out what he could have done better. He has stayed as late as 3 a.m. Told that seemed

IOWA STATE

KANSAS STATE | TEXAS TECH | BAYLOR | KANSAS

unusual for a college football player, Montgomery simply shrugged and said, “Unusual to who? I guess it’s unusual to them, but not to me.”

Montgomery’s dedication doesn’t really surprise his coach. Ever since that initial introduction at a Cincinnatiarea camp, Campbell figured that Montgomery was destined for greatness.

Mostly, because he was willing to work for it.

“He was probably as good as we’ve seen (at any camp). Yet he was the guy who was sprinting from drill to drill, almost daring me, ‘How could you not offer me a scholarship?’” Campbell said.

“To see those traits – the football piece was fun to watch. But the attitude, the character, the mental fortitude, that was palpable to watch and that was what really separated him so much in that camp. It was really impressive.”

2018 SCHEDULE DATE OPPONENT 9/1 9/8 9/15 9/22 9/29 10/6 10/13 10/27 11/3 11/10 11/17 11/24

South Dakota State at Iowa Oklahoma Akron at TCU at Oklahoma State West Virginia Texas Tech at Kansas Baylor at Texas Kansas State

TIME 7 PM 11 AM

7 PM

OKLAHOMA | TCU | TEXAS | WEST VIRGINIA | OKLAHOMA STATE | IOWA STATE

KANSAS STATE

K-State’s Risner paves path to touchdowns – and kids’ happiness

Dalton Risner (right), celebrating with teammate Byron Pringle last year, had a chance to enter the NFL Draft, but opted to return for his senior season.

Associated Press – Sue Ogrocki

Dalton Risner is a big man with an even bigger heart.

He’s even sheepishly humble about how he gives. One of the All-American Kansas State offensive lineman’s numerous service projects is that of serving as a counselor at Camp Hope, a summer camp in rural Kansas for youth who are fighting cancer.

“The first year I went and gave out autographs to a hundred kids,” Risner said. “Went back the second year expecting to see them.

Unfortunately, five of them came back. I wasn’t ready for that. It had a huge impact on me, because I saw how happy those kids were. I felt like I was more or less there for

28 BIG 12 PREVIEW | AUGUST 29, 2018

TEXAS TECH | BAYLOR | KANSAS

By Brice Cherry

myself the first year, if we’re going to be honest. That second year had a huge impact on me, not seeing a lot of those kids.”

Upon each return trip to the camp, Risner has tried to do whatever he could to keep the kids smiling and laughing.

“It’s remarkable, because they think I’m there to impact them, but they’re impacting me more than I’m impacting them,” Risner said.

“Because they’re the ones there who are smiling, and they look like they have the best life in the entire world.

Here I am, a Division I football player, with a pretty good life and a good future ahead of me, and I’m not as happy as them. They impact me and

they push me so much.”

Risner’s future indeed appears limitless. He has started 38 career games for K-State, including his past 25 at right tackle, and has pushed and shoved his way to the top of the heap at his position. Last year, he was named a first-team All-Big 12 selection by both the coaches and media, as well as a first-team All-American by Pro Football Focus, which noted that Risner allowed only three quarterback pressures all season, the fewest of all drafteligible linemen in the country.

Linemen are kind of givers by nature. They are the road pavers, the pocket protectors, the dutiful employees willing to do the dirtiest

OKLAHOMA | TCU | TEXAS | WEST VIRGINIA | OKLAHOMA STATE | IOWA STATE

of jobs. They absorb (and, naturally, deliver) collisions on every snap, so that those guys with the ball might remain untouched.

But Risner takes the concept to another level. His generosity stretches far past the white lines.

Besides Camp Hope, Risner meets weekly with a group of about 10 Special Olympians in the Manhattan area, throwing ice cream parties for them or taking them to the movies.

Through Big Brothers Big Sisters, he befriended a young boy named Kaden, who has leukemia but, to Risner’s excitement, appears headed for remission.

Risner also started his own foundation, RiseUp, which has a stated goal of encouraging people to rise up against the evil of the world and be a positive, shining light for others.

“My ultimate goal for RiseUp is to become a big enough foundation to hold camps for free for kids who are battling cancer, or kids that have special needs, or kids that get bullied, or kids that have a small-town dream just like me,” Risner said.

Risner grew up in Wiggins, Colorado, a spot-in-the-road of around 1,000 people whose best dining fare, the lineman says only half-jokingly, were the chicken strips from the local gas station. Being a big, strapping lad, Risner joined the football team, but he had to overcome a lack of confidence.

“There are those players (who exude natural confidence). I wasn’t one of them,” Risner said. “I could barely breathe out there. Came from a small school, I had no idea what I was getting myself into, right?”

Fortunately, the Magician of

KANSAS STATE

TEXAS TECH | BAYLOR | KANSAS

Manhattan, Bill Snyder, made a believer out of Risner. The lineman redshirted his first college year of 2014, before taking over as the Wildcats’ starting center in his debut season.

“After the first game, the first few plays, he looked me in the eye and he could tell I was worked up, right?

He said, ‘I had confidence to send you out there. I’ve been coaching for 30 years. I know what it takes – you are a good player,’” Risner recalled.

“And as soon as he said that, I was like, ‘I wouldn’t be out there if coach didn’t believe in me.’ He’s an extremely hard coach, and ever since that day, I believed in myself, and it’s just kind of skyrocketed from there.”

That once Nervous Nellie has evolved into one of the most fearsome NFL O-line prospects in the nation. He packs a wallop, but again, it’s Risner’s character that his teammates and coaches admire most. He was voted as a K-State team captain in each of the past two seasons, and seems a lock to land that gig for a third straight year.

This summer he also was named the Big 12 Sportsperson of the Year, an honor that takes into account academics and community service as well as athletic achievements. Risner called it “the favorite accolade I’ve ever gotten.”

It’s his favorite not because he needs another plaque or trophy, but because of the light it cast on some of the people in need that he cares about.

“What I’m proud of is not so much the award as I am of him,” Snyder said. “And the fact that he does what he does, and he does it not because of awards but because of the quality

of person that he is. He’s a caring individual, cares a lot, he does a lot of work with children. And he genuinely cares about them and he truly enjoys doing it, and has an impact on their lives.”

As with any good lineman, though, the impact goes both ways. Risner said that working with kids who are battling cancer or dealing with disabilities gives him a sense of clarity about his own life.

“Every time I feel sorry for myself, it’s hot, it’s a long workout. Really, dude? Are you kidding me?” Risner said. “You’re a Division I football player about to play in the Big 12 Conference and have a shot at the NFL, whatever you want to do, you’re healthy, you’ve got two legs and two arms and a healthy heart. It just helps me so much, man.”

2018 SCHEDULE DATE OPPONENT 9/1 9/8 9/15 9/22 9/29 10/6 10/13 10/27 11/3 11/10 11/17

South Dakota Mississippi State UTSA at West Virginia Texas at Baylor Oklahoma State at Oklahoma at TCU Kansas Texas Tech

TIME 6:10 PM 11 AM 3 PM

11/24 at Iowa State AUGUST 29, 2018 | BIG 12 PREVIEW 29

OKLAHOMA | TCU | TEXAS | WEST VIRGINIA | OKLAHOMA STATE | IOWA STATE | KANSAS STATE

After being dismissed from the Texas Tech football team in 2016, Dakota Allen (40) said that he’s been on a journey of faith ever since in his return to Lubbock.

Associated Press – Albert Cesare

TEXAS TECH

BAYLOR | KANSAS

From Last Chance U to Lubbock, Allen living redemption story

By John Werner

Dakota Allen is a gifted linebacker who has become the charismatic leader of the Texas Tech defense.

But he feels like a young man who has already lived through several lifetimes, and a lot of people who follow college football know it. They’ve seen him in the Netflix reality series “Last Chance U.” Allen’s world started to unravel in May 2016 when he was dismissed from the Texas Tech football team. He was among three players who had been charged with a second degree felony for burglary of a habitation in Lubbock after they reportedly stole guns, cameras and a TV the previous December.

The hardest part was telling his family back home in Humble.

“Just imagine -- they sent me off to college to play football and I show up back on their doorstep with my bags,” Allen said. “That was a dark time in my life and I’m just glad I could overcome it.”

Allen transferred to East Mississippi Community College, known as “Last Chance U.” Scooba, Miss., was a long way from Division I football in Lubbock.

During one episode, Allen gets baptized and shows real remorse for what he had done. That wasn’t just acting for Allen. He was genuinely embarrassed

30 BIG 12 PREVIEW | AUGUST 29, 2018

and sorrowful for the trouble he had gotten into and longed to get a second chance at Texas Tech.

That chance came when Texas Tech defensive coordinator David Gibbs called Allen and asked him if he’d like to play again for the Red Raiders. Those were the exact words Allen wanted to hear but first he had to write an essay to the Texas Tech administration on why he should be allowed back on the team.

“I never had to plead my case to Coach (Kliff) Kingsbury but I did have to plead my case to Texas Tech University,” Allen said. “I had to write a lengthy essay saying why I should be let back on the team. I’m very thankful for them letting me back.”

The charges against Allen were eventually dropped after he performed community service and took some classes that dealt with the burglary incident.

“The year probation included having 24 hours of community service to complete,” Allen said. “I had two classes to complete, one was a theft class and the other was a drug class. The probation came with other things like I can’t be out past 11 p.m., I can’t be at a restaurant that serves alcohol, and other

things of that nature. While I was at East Mississippi I went to a local elementary school. I played with them at P.E. and taught them the Scout Pledge.”

When Allen returned for his junior year at Texas Tech, he performed like a man burning to prove himself. He led the Red Raiders with 102 tackles last season while collecting a pair of sacks and a pair of interceptions.

He was such an inspiration to the team that he was elected a captain before the season.

“He’s a great guy who made a mistake and he owned up to it,” said Texas Tech defensive back Jah’Shawn Johnson. “He came back to finish something he started here and I respect him 100 percent for that. He’s definitely a lifelong brother of mine and I’m excited to go on this last run with him.”

Kingsbury knew Allen would benefit the defense after making 87 tackles for the Red Raiders as a redshirt freshman in 2015. He was just as productive during his 2016 season at East Mississippi, when he recorded a team-high 117 tackles.

But Kingsbury was most impressed by the maturity and work ethic Allen showed in his return.

“He’s been great for our program,”

OKLAHOMA | TCU | TEXAS | WEST VIRGINIA | OKLAHOMA STATE | IOWA STATE | KANSAS STATE

Kingsbury said. “For him to lose it all and then fight to come back and be the leader and model citizen he’s been has been great for our young guys to see that. He has a great appreciation for what he has now and the opportunity he has.”

Allen wished the burglary never happened and that he never had to transfer to “Last Chance U.” But the humility he gained through the experience put his life back on track.

“At the time I didn’t really want to go to Last Chance U,” Allen said. “Usually you go from JUCO to D-I, so for me to go the opposite way was an experience I didn’t really want to go through. But I’m glad I did because I learned so much from it and I’m just glad I’m back here at Texas Tech representing the Red Raiders.”

Throughout the whole ordeal, Allen found out how many people he had in his corner. He grew close to Brittany

TEXAS TECH

Wagner, the counselor for the East Mississippi State football team.

“We definitely had long extensive talks and she taught me a lot about myself,” Allen said. “She actually went to the bowl game last year in Birmingham, so I was able to visit her. We still talk today and she said she’s coming to a football game this year.”

Allen also learned how many people were praying for him to get his life back on the right track.

“When I got in my trouble I remember getting a lot of messages saying just pray about it,” Allen said. “I’d even get phone calls and they said ‘All right I’m praying for you.’ Ever since that happened I just told myself I’m going to pray once a day every day and I started doing that. Eventually I started to see my life change. Since that happened I’ve just been high on faith and I’ll always continue to be.”

BAYLOR | KANSAS

2018 SCHEDULE DATE OPPONENT 9/1 9/8 9/15 9/22 9/29 10/11 10/20 10/27 11/3 11/10 11/17 11/24

Mississippi Lamar Houston at Oklahoma State West Virginia at TCU Kansas at Iowa State Oklahoma Texas at Kansas State Baylor

TIME 11 AM 3 PM 3 PM

6:30 PM

OKLAHOMA | TCU | TEXAS | WEST VIRGINIA | OKLAHOMA STATE | IOWA STATE | KANSAS STATE | TEXAS TECH

Baylor sophomore quarterback Charlie Brewer set a national record for completion percentage in high school, but he also has the ability to move the chains with the run.

Staff photo – Jerry Larson

BAYLOR

KANSAS

Stronger, wiser Brewer targeting more wins for Bears

By John Werner

Baylor coach Matt Rhule is an excitable, fast-talking guy who can rattle off words like an auctioneer.

But he was caught off-guard when freshman quarterback Charlie Brewer told him to calm down during a highpressure moment last fall.

“He’s a true freshman telling me to calm down during a game,” Rhule said. “So the key is to have him

32 BIG 12 PREVIEW | AUGUST 29, 2018

to continue to be the guy that’s laughing at me in the huddle, telling me to calm down. He’s got that “it” factor to him.”

That “it” factor was a big reason the Bears signed Brewer. There was no question he was a winner: Setting a national record with a 77.4 completion percentage and passing for 54 touchdowns, Brewer led Lake

Travis to the Class 6A Division I state championship as a senior in 2016.

Though he took his share of lumps last season as he tried to adjust to Division I football behind a depthstarved offensive line, he showed he could command a college huddle and get his teammates on board.

Stepping in for injured Zach Smith, he nearly rallied the Bears to a

OKLAHOMA | TCU | TEXAS | WEST VIRGINIA | OKLAHOMA STATE | IOWA STATE | KANSAS STATE | TEXAS TECH

homecoming win over West Virginia when he engineered four fourth quarter touchdown drives in a 38-36 loss at McLane Stadium.

Two weeks later, Brewer passed for 315 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Bears a 38-9 win over Kansas in Lawrence on Nov. 4. It was Baylor’s only win of the season, which clearly wasn’t enough for Brewer, who knew nothing but winning at Lake Travis.

“It’s a feeling you don’t want to ever feel again, so I think there’s motivation that you don’t want to be in that position again,” Brewer said.

“We’re working every day so we won’t be, so that’s motivation. My expectation is to win every game, so we just need to start out 1-0 and 2-0 and keep it going and just really get better every day in practice and in the film room.”

With Smith transferring to Tulsa, Brewer became Baylor’s clear No. 1 quarterback in the spring. The Bears are counting heavily on him since they don’t have a great deal of quarterback depth. Freshman Gerry Bohanon and graduate transfer Jalan McClendon are the only other scholarship quarterbacks on the roster.

Brewer likes being the guy everybody’s counting on. He came to Baylor to get a shot to play early and he’s burning to prove he can get the program back to making bowl games every year.

“I got in there a little bit (as a freshman) and I’m feeling more comfortable now,” Brewer said. “You always want to prepare yourself as a starter whether you’re one, two or three, whatever you are on the depth chart. I felt I was prepared. I feel a

lot better now, but I still have a lot to work on.”

Brewer’s work during spring drills was limited as he was recovering from a shoulder injury. But he’s healthy now and throwing the ball better than ever.

Brewer put up solid numbers last year as he completed 68.1 percent for 1,562 yards and 11 touchdowns with four interceptions. He also showed he could make plays with his feet as he rushed for 166 yards.

After improving his arm strength over the summer, he should give the Bears more chances to make explosive plays.

“I’m very confident in him,” said Baylor senior receiver Chris Platt.

“I’ve seen how hard Charlie has worked this summer. He’s improved his arm. He has another year under his belt, so he knows what to expect from this offense. He’s going to improve more on the decisionmaking also.”

Baylor’s receiving corps should be one of the best in the Big 12 with Platt accompanied by returning 1,000-yard receiver Denzel Mims, Tennessee transfer Jalen Hurd, and veterans like Tony Nicholson and Pooh Stricklin. Freshman Tyquan Thornton from Miami’s Booker T. Washington could also make a quick impact.

Brewer feels fortunate to throw to such a talented crew and wants to take advantage of their abilities.

“Definitely those guys make me look good,” Brewer said. “Whenever you can throw to somebody like them, all I’ve got to do is make the right read and put the ball there and they do the rest.”

A deeper, more experienced

BAYLOR

KANSAS

offensive line should also give Brewer more protection after the Bears allowed a Big 12-high 37 sacks last year. But Rhule still wants the 6-1, 202-pound Brewer to be a running threat and create plays with his feet.

Many hours in the weight room have made Brewer a more physically imposing quarterback.

“The biggest thing I’m excited about for Charlie is the way he’s grown physically,” Rhule said. “For him to play like we want him to play, he’s got to run, he’s got to dive, he’s got to slide, he’s got to run through people. He can’t function in a world other than that because that’s who he is. He looks like a different person now. For him to get as big and strong as he’s gotten has been really good for him.”

2018 SCHEDULE DATE OPPONENT 9/1 Abilene Christian

9/8 9/15 9/22 9/29 10/6 10/13 10/25 11/3 11/10 11/17 11/24

at UTSA Duke Kansas Jayhawks at Oklahoma Kansas State at Texas at West Virginia Oklahoma State at Iowa State TCU at Texas Tech

TIME 7 pm 6 PM

6 PM

AUGUST 29, 2018 | BIG 12 PREVIEW 33

OKLAHOMA | TCU | TEXAS | WEST VIRGINIA | OKLAHOMA STATE | IOWA STATE | KANSAS STATE | TEXAS TECH | BAYLOR

Kansas linebacker Joe Dineen Jr. (right) has deep ties to the Jayhawks, as his great-grandfather, grandfather and father all attended the school.

Associated Press – Orlin Wagner

KANSAS

Jayhawk DNA led linebacker to spurn other offers

By John Werner

Joe Dineen Jr. wasn’t born with a Jayhawk tattooed on his chest, but there was never much question where he would play college football.

Both his parents are Kansas graduates, and his mother Jodi played volleyball for the Jayhawks in the late 1980s.

But the family’s Jayhawk legacy goes much deeper. Dineen’s great grandfather, J. Roy Holliday, played basketball in the 1930s under

34 BIG 12 PREVIEW | AUGUST 29, 2018

legendary Kansas coach Phog Allen.

Joe’s grandfather, Ron Oelschlager, played running back for the Kansas football team in the mid-1960s, where he teamed with NFL Hall of Fame running back Gale Sayers.

“Obviously he talked about how good Gale Sayers was,” Dineen said.

“He jokes and says the holes were so big because he blocked for him.”

Though Dineen was recruited by schools with more renowned football

programs like Oklahoma State, Nebraska and Arkansas, his Kansas connections were too strong for him to consider going anywhere else.

A graduate of Lawrence Free State High School, Dineen didn’t have to leave his hometown to play for his favorite college.

“My parents were great about letting me go and see other schools and stuff,” Dineen said. “But I literally live 10 minutes away and I’ve seen

KANSAS

OKLAHOMA | TCU | TEXAS | WEST VIRGINIA | OKLAHOMA STATE | IOWA STATE | KANSAS STATE | TEXAS TECH | BAYLOR

KU go through their ups and downs and I just wanted to be a part of something here. It’s the best decision I ever made.”

Dineen’s riveting play at linebacker was one of the few bright spots for a Kansas team that finished 1-11 last year.

He delivered an all-Big 12 season after leading the conference with 11.4 tackles and 2.1 tackles for loss per game. His 25 tackles for loss last season were the most in Kansas history and his 7.6 solo tackles per game were the most in the Football Bowl Subdivision.

Though Kansas’ defense ranked 128th out of 129 teams by allowing 43.4 points per game, Dineen took special pride in being a defensive stopper.

“You can count the tackles that are 10 yards down the field and the offense still gets the first down,” Dineen said. “But the most important thing is to get them as close as you can to the line of scrimmage. I made a personal goal last year to get more tackles at the line of scrimmage. That will be a big emphasis for myself and our defense going forward this year too.”

Dineen’s superb junior year came after an injury-plagued 2016 season in which he was granted a medical redshirt after playing in just three games. He’s spent a lot of time in the film room to become a more knowledgeable player.

“I knew my opponent better than I did previously,” Dineen said. “Just from experience you learn how to watch film and what to expect.

Every offense gives you tips on what they’re going to run and when

they’re going to run them, and that’s a big thing that helped me last year.”

Coming into his senior season, Dineen is developing into a more vocal player. His teammates know he’s somebody they can lean on.

One of his teammates is his younger brother, Jay Dineen, a redshirt freshman linebacker.

“Joe brings a lot of things to the defense,” said Kansas defensive tackle Daniel Wise. “He’s a great guy, a great team leader. He’s a fierce football player who will come out and fill up the gaps. When he speaks you hear him. But he leads by example.

When the feet hit the turf you know Joe’s out there. He’s a presence when he walks into a room or onto the field.”

If any of his teammates need a course on Kansas athletics history, Dineen is a great source. He’s been attending Kansas football and basketball games his whole life, and was there for some big moments like when Kansas upset rival Kansas State, 31-28, in the 2004 homecoming games in Lawrence.

“I went to the K-State game and they had Darren Sproles,” Dineen said. “KU was big underdogs and we won and I stormed the field. I had my chest painted. I was the K and my little brother was the U. It was a good time.”

Dineen also vividly recalled the celebration in Lawrence after the Jayhawks basketball team beat Memphis to capture the 2008 NCAA title. Mario Chalmers sent the game into overtime by nailing a 3-point shot in the closing seconds of regulation.

“I remember Mario hitting that shot and me running downtown with my buddies,” Dineen said. “Lawrence is

a great, great sports town, and it’s time for the football team to get back to what it was.”

Dineen has at least one other motive for a winning season: The Jayhawks could save coach David Beaty’s job. During his three seasons at Kansas, Beaty has gone 3-33 and his team is picked last in the Big 12 again this year.

“We’re all really a big family here and he’s our leader,” Dineen said.

“We want to win for him just as we want to win for everyone else on our team. We’re ready to get going this year. We want to prove people wrong and that’s really all there is to it. We want to make some media eat their words, and I think that’s a little bit of motivation for sure.”

2018 SCHEDULE OPPONENT 9/1 9/8 9/15 9/22 9/29 10/6 10/20 10/27 11/3 11/10 11/17 11/23

Nicholls State at Central Michigan Rutgers at Baylor Oklahoma State at West Virginia at Texas Tech TCU Iowa State at Kansas State at Oklahoma Texas

TIME 6 PM 2 PM 11 AM

11 AM

AUGUST 29, 2018 | BIG 12 PREVIEW 35

PRESEASON ALL-BIG 12 TEAM as selected by the tribune-herald

offense

Name

QB

Will Grier

RB

Justice Hill

RB

School Cl Ht Wt Notable West Virginia

Sr

6-2

212

3,490 yards, 34 TDs as junior

Oklahoma State

Jr

5-10

185

Led Big 12 with 1,467 yards

Rodney Anderson

Oklahoma

Jr

6-1

220

1,161 yards, 13 TDs as sophomore

WR

Denzel Mims

Baylor

Jr

6-3

209

61 catches, 1,087 yards as sophomore

WR

David Sills

West Virginia

Sr

6-4

204

Led nation with 18 TD catches

WR

Marquise Brown

Oklahoma

Jr

5-10

168

57 catches, 1,095 yards as sophomore

OL

Dalton Risner

Kansas State

Sr

6-5

300

Returning all-Big 12 lineman

OL

Bobby Evans

Oklahoma

Jr

6-5

301

Third year as starter

OL

Ben Powers

Oklahoma

Sr

6-4

313

Second-team all-Big 12 in 2017

OL

Marcus Keyes

Oklahoma State

Jr

6-3

309

Returning all-Big 12

OL

Yodny Cajuste

West Virginia

Sr

6-5

321

Anchors WVU O-line

K

Matt Ammendola

Oklahoma State

Jr

5-9

195

23 of 29 FGs in 2017

BIG

12 PREVIEW

PAGE 36 | AUGUST 29, 2018

Offensive player ofWILL GRIER,theWESTyear VIRGINIA

PRESEASON ALL-BIG 12 TEAM as selected by the tribune-herald

DEFENSE

Name

School Cl Ht Wt Notable

DL

JaQuan Bailey

Iowa State

Jr

6-2

251

Seven sacks in 2017

DL

Ben Banogu

TCU

Sr

6-4

249

8.5 sacks last season

DL

Daniel Wise

Kansas

Sr

6-3

290

16 tackles for loss in 2017

DL

Jordan Brailford

Oklahoma State

Jr

6-3

250

11 tackles for loss as sophomore

LB

Breckyn Hager

Texas

Sr

6-3

255

Versatile LB, pass rusher

LB

Joe Dineen

Kansas

Sr

6-2

235

Led Big 12 with 137 tackles, 25 TFL

LB

Dakota Allen

Texas Tech

Sr

6-1

235

101 tackles last season

DB

Brian Peavy

Iowa State

Sr

5-9

194

11 pass breakups last year

DB

Kendall Adams

Kansas State

Sr

6-1

228

3 interceptions, 1 TD return

DB

Jah’Shawn Johnson

Texas Tech

Sr

5-10

185

97 tackles in 2017

DB

Kris Boyd

Texas

Sr

6-0

195

Led Big 12 with 17 breakups

P

Drew Galitz

Baylor

Sr

6-4

221

Averaged 45.2 yards before injury

defensive player ofBENtheBANOGU,year TCU

BIG august 29, 2018 | PAGE 37

12 PREVIEW

Offensive player of the year WILL GRIER, WEST VIRGINIA

BIG

12 PREVIEW

PAGE 38 | AUGUST 29, 2018

defensive player of the year BEN BANOGU, TCU

BIG 12 PREVIEW | AUGUST 29, 2018

39

big 12/college predictions staffers make their picks for how the college football season will play out.

Brice Cherry

John Werner

Oklahoma State 12-2 TCU 11-3 West Virginia 10-3 Texas 9-4 Oklahoma State 8-5 Kansas State 8-5 Iowa State 7-6 Texas Tech 6-7 Baylor 5-7 Kansas 2-10

Oklahoma 12-2 TCU 11-3 Oklahoma State 10-3 West Virginia 9-4 Kansas State 9-4 Texas 8-5 Iowa State 7-6 Texas Tech 7-6 Baylor 5-7 Kansas 2-10

Sports Editor

Glynn Beaty

Krista Pirtle

Staff Writer

Steve Boggs

Jim Wilson

Oklahoma 12-2 West Virginia 12-2 TCU 10-3 Oklahoma State 8-5 Texas 8-5 Kansas State 8-5 Iowa State 7-6 Texas Tech 7-6 Baylor 7-6 Kansas 3-9

Oklahoma 11-3 TCU 11-3 West Virginia 10-3 Kansas State 10-3 Oklahoma State 8-5 Texas 7-6 Iowa State 7-6 Baylor 5-7 Texas Tech 4-8 Kansas 1-11

Oklahoma 12-2 TCU 11-3 Texas 9-4 WVU 9-4 Oklahoma State 9-4 Kansas State 8-5 Iowa State 7-6 Texas Tech 6-7 Baylor 6-7 Kansas 1-11

Staff writer

Staff Writer

Editor

Publisher

Predictied Big 12 Standings First Second Third Fourth Fifth Sixth Seventh Eighth Ninth Tenth

Oklahoma 12-2 West Virginia 11-3 TCU 10-3 Texas 9-4 Oklahoma State 9-4 Kansas State 8-5 Texas Tech 8-5 Iowa State 7-6 Baylor 5-7 Kansas 1-11

Individual Honors Offensive player of the year Top offensive newcomer Defensive player of the year Top defensive newcomer Best quarterback Best running back Best receiver Best offensive lineman Best defensive lineman Best linebacker Best defensive back Best specialist Most underrated Best coach Heisman Trophy winner

Will Grier, WVU

Will Grier, WVU

Will Grier, WVU

David Montgomery, ISU

Justice Hill, OSU

Will Grier, WVU

Jalen Hurd, BU

Jalen Hurd, BU

Jalen Hurd, BU

Taylor Cornelius, OSU

Taylor Cornelius, OSU

Myller Royals, TT

Ben Banogu, TCU

Ben Banogu, TCU

Ben Banogu, TCU

Ben Banogu, TCU

Ben Banogu, TCU

Breckyn Hager, UT

Corione Harris, KU

Brendan Radley-Hiles, OU

Brendan Radley-Hiles, OU

Atanza Vongor, TCU

Will Grier, WVU

Will Grier, WVU

Will Grier, WVU

Will Grier, WVU

Austin Kendall, OU

Will Grier, WVU

Rodney Anderson, OU

Justice Hill, OSU

Justice Hill, OSU

David Montgomery, ISU

Rodney Anderson, OU

Rodney Anderson, OU

David Sills, WVU

David Sills, WVU

David Sills, WVU

Denzel Mims, BU

David Sills, WVU

David Sills, WVU

Dalton Risner, KSU

Dalton Risner, KSU

Dalton Risner, KSU

Zach Shackelford, UT

Ben Powers, OU

Dalton Risner, KSU

Ben Banogu, TCU

Ben Banogu, TCU

Ben Banogu, TCU

Ben Banogu, TCU

Ben Banogu, TCU

Breckyn Hager, TCU

Joe Dineen, KU

Joe Dineen, KU

Breckyn Hager, UT

Breckyn Hager, UT

Joe Dineen, KU

Joe Dineen, KU

Kris Boyd, UT

Kris Boyd, UT

Jah’shawn Johnson, TT

Jah’shawn Johnson, TT

Denzel Goolsby, KSU

Justus Parker, TT

CeeDee Lamb, OU

Marcus Simms, WVU

KaVontae Turpin, TCU

Adam Nunez, TCU

Marcus Simms, WVU

Austin Seibert, OU

Kyle Kempt, ISU

Shawn Robinson, TCU

David Montgomery, ISU

JaMycal Hasty, BU

Denzel Mims, BU

Denzel Mims, BU

Mike Gundy, OSU Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin

Gary Patterson, TCU Bryce Love, Stanford

Mike Gundy, OSU Bryce Love, Stanford

Dana Holgorsen, WVU Will Grier, WVU

Lincoln Riley, OU Bryce Love, Stanford

Tom Herman, UT Bryce Love, Stanford

Title Races

Brendan Radley-Hiles, OU Brendan Radley-Hiles, OU

Big 12 champion Oklahoma Oklahoma Oklahoma Oklahoma Oklahoma Oklahoma SEC champion Alabama Alabama Alabama Auburn Alabama Alabama Big Ten champion Penn State Wisconsin Wisconsin Wisconsin Michigan Ohio State ACC champion Clemson Clemson Clemson Clemson Clemson Clemson Pac-12 champion Stanford Stanford Washington Washington Stanford Washington CFP Alabama, Penn State, Alabama, Clemson, Clemson, Alabama, Oklahoma, Alabama, Alabama, Georgia, Clemson, Alabama, participants Stanford, Clemson Stanford, Oklahoma Georgia, Washington Washington, Clemson Clemson, Michigan Georgia, Washington Title game Alabama vs.

Clemson vs.

Clemson vs.

Oklahoma vs.

Michigan vs.

Clemson vs. finalists Stanford Alabama Alabama Clemson Clemson Georgia National champ Alabama Clemson Clemson Oklahoma Clemson Clemson