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| Dan McCarney has taken ISU to a bowl game for two straight years. AP |
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Texas
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Oklahoma
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Iowa State
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Kansas State
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Texas A&M
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Nebraska
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Colorado
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Oklahoma State
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Texas Tech
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Missouri
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Baylor
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Kansas
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Consecutive weeks in which Nebraska has been ranked by The Associated Press, longest of any team. Florida is next with 207 straight weeks.
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“At some point in time, you can’t accept excuses. So I wasn’t going to let Robert give me any excuses. He responded. He played like a starting quarterback in the Big 12 should.”
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Colorado’s coach Gary Barnett’s description of his pep talk after QB Robert Hodge struggled early against UCLA. Hodge responded by completing 10 of 16 passes over the final three quarters and making a nifty 29-yard reception on a trick play to pace the Buffs’ 31-17 upset over the Bruins.
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By Tim Griffin, Special to CNNSI.com
Iowa State coach Dan McCarney picked up the newspaper earlier this week and couldn’t believe what he was reading.
Even though his team is higher-rated and playing at home, the ISU coach was still surprised the Cyclones are a slight favorite over Nebraska in this week’s game at Ames.
Past history plays a big reason for McCarney’s skepticism about the oddsmakers’ veracity. The Cornhuskers have won nine straight games against the Cyclones, including seven in a row with McCarney as head coach -- by an average margin of 40.4 points.
"It’s shocking to hear that when we’ve never made it a game against Nebraska,” McCarney said. “I know our program is improved, but I’m just hoping that instead of men against boys, like it’s been the last few years against them, that it will be men against men. We’ll find out on Saturday.”
Some national critics might point out that Nebraska isn’t the same team as before. The Cornhuskers looked overmatched -- both physically and in coaching -- in a 40-7 loss to Penn State two weeks ago. Critics have been harping on the Cornhuskers’ lack of talent. Old players have blasted this year’s “Blackshirt” defense for not playing up to the standards of previous units.
But McCarney remembers some of the other Nebraska teams that have manhandled his team. In his first game against the Huskers in 1995, the “Big Red Machine” surged through his team for 776 yards, 624 rushing yards and 37 first downs en route to a 73-14 thrashing.
Two years later, the Cornhuskers lambasted ISU 77-14. McCarney’s teams have never played Nebraska closer than three touchdowns and lost 48-14 last year.
“They are still loaded,” McCarney said. “I look at Nebraska and see all kinds of names from the team that beat us last year. They’re as physical of a team as we’ll see all season. It’s not been a game. It’s been embarrassing.”
But some things have changed. The No. 20 Cornhuskers will be the lowest-ranked Nebraska team to play the Cyclones since 1969.
Most importantly, this Iowa State team will be a little different than some of the previous to play the Cornhuskers. Quarterback Seneca Wallace gives the Cyclones a legitimate passing threat who has played like the Big 12’s top playmaker so far this season. Iowa State ranks among the top 15 teams nationally in passing (13th), total offense (15th), scoring (10th) and net punting (ninth).
The most impressive turnaround has been with ISU’s historically struggling defense. The Cyclones rank among the top 30 in total defense (29th), scoring defense (29th), pass efficiency defense (25th) and pass defense (25th).
Cyclones also have shown moxie, charging back from an early 31-7 deficit against No. 4 Florida State to earn a chance to tie or win that game on the final play before falling a yard short in a 38-31 loss. They overcame a 24-7 halftime deficit to post a 36-31 victory at Iowa, claiming their fifth straight triumph over their cross-state rivals.
McCarney has done a nice job, leading his team to back-to-back bowl games for the first time since 1977-78. But the turnaround won’t be complete until he slays the Nebraska monster, which has dominated his team with a 37-3-1 record over the Cyclones since 1960.
ISU guard Bob Montgomery , a Lincoln, Neb., native, relishes this week’s challenge of playing against his old hometown school.
“They’ll always be good, with the recruits they get,” Montgomery told the Waterloo Courier. “No matter how bad people think they are, they’ll always be good. We have to play well to beat them.”
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Kansas State cornerback Terence Newman always had the reputation as being one of the fastest players in the Big 12. The defending conference champion at 100 meters (10.2 seconds) in track and field clearly has speed to burn.
Newman has taken his great natural athletic ability and become one of the nation’s top cornerbacks and most versatile players. He’s already scored points in four different ways for the Wildcats, including Saturday’s 90-yard return of a blocked extra point. Earlier in the season, Newman scored touchdowns in three different ways -- on a kickoff return, punt return and reception.
Veteran Kansas State coach Bill Snyder says that Newman is different from many gifted athletes he has seen over his coaching career.
“He has the Lord’s gift of tremendous speed, but I’ve seen a lot of players with great speed who didn’t play the game well,” Snyder said. “Terence is athletic … he’s just a football player who is fast.”
Newman ranks 30th nationally in interceptions (.50 per game) and 12th in punt returns (17.3 per return). The senior from Salina, Kan., has notched 20 tackles, including two for losses and leads the Wildcats with five passes broken up.
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HOT: Colorado’s rush defense
Permitted UCLA to gain only 62 yards on 28 carries and didn’t wear down at the Rose Bowl despite brutal weather conditions. The sweltering 99-degree temperature at kickoff was the hottest in Colorado’s football history.
NOT: Kansas’ rush defense
The Jayhawks were gashed for 350 yards by Bowling Green, including 203 yards in the second half. Those struggles aren’t a good sign for a young team that will face many strong rushing attacks in the Big 12.
HOT: Oklahoma State’s offense
The Cowboys took out their aggression by scoring on seven straight possessions in the first half of their 52-16 victory over SMU. It was the most points for OSU since a 62-14 win over Wyoming in the 1988 Holiday Bowl.
NOT: Texas A&M’s offense
The Aggies' sputtering attack failed to produce a touchdown in a 13-3 loss to Virginia Tech, marking the third time in their last seven games they've failed to score an offensive touchdown. A&M has scored 14 points or fewer in five games during that span.
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Texas Tech appeared to have N.C. State on the ropes last week after storming back from a 38-10 deficit to tie the score 45-45 with less than four minutes remaining.
That’s when coach Mike Leach got conservative. After blistering the Wolfpack for 28 points in the first 10 ½ minutes of the fourth quarter and scoring on five straight possessions, Leach took the game away from quarterback Kliff Kingsbury . The Red Raiders ran the ball on five straight plays before Robert Treece misfired on a 39-yard field goal attempt with 34 seconds left in regulation.
Leach’s strategy looked even more dubious when Treece kicked a field goal to start overtime and the Wolfpack answered with an 8-yard touchdown run by T.A. McClendon that gave them a pulsating 51-48 win.
How can you not attempt at least one pass late in the game with Kingsbury, the Big 12’s career leader in passing yards and TD passes?
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 Texas RB Cedric Benson
Rushed for 160 yards and a touchdown on a career-high 37 carries to lead the Longhorns to a 41-11 triumph over Houston.
Kansas State QB Ell Roberson
Was he really injured to miss most of the first three games of the season? Roberson and Coach Bill Snyder aren’t saying. But a suddenly healthy Roberson rescued the slumbering Wildcats’ offense by completing 10 of 15 passes for 134 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 70 yards and another score in KSU’s 27-20 victory over Southern California.
Iowa State’s special teams
Provided two touchdowns on Andy Kohler’s 22-yard blocked punt return and Todd Miller’s 45-yard punt return -- his second return TD of the season -- to set the tone in the Cyclones’ 42-12 spanking of Troy State.
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While most of the attention will be directed to the Nebraska-Iowa State matchup in Ames, the Oklahoma-South Florida game will be intriguing for a lot of different reasons.
Even though the Sooners are 26 1/2-point favorites, the Bulls’ visit to Owen Field will bring back a lot of memories.
Saturday’s game will mark the reuniting of Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops and South Florida coach Jim Leavitt, who served as co-defensive coordinators at Kansas State from 1992-95.
“We had a great working relationship and a good friendship while we were there,” Stoops said. “To this day, we remain friends and have kept up with each other.”
Saturday’s game also marks the return to Norman of South Florida athletic director Lee Roy Selmon, a two-time All-America defensive lineman with the Sooners in 1974-75. Along with brothers Dewey and Luscious, the Selmons anchored a stout Sooner defense in the mid-1970s.
“We’re excited to have Lee Roy Selmon coming back,” Stoops said. “I know the people of Oklahoma will welcome him back as well. There’s nobody more appreciative of what the Selmon family has meant to Oklahoma than the players here now. Our players and our fans know that Lee Roy Selmon and his entire family have a very special place here, and always will.”
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Texas WR B.J. Johnson (27 games) and Texas A&M WR Bethel Johnson (25 games) saw their consecutive-game receiving streaks end on Saturday. Texas coach Mack Brown said that Johnson helped the Longhorn offense in other ways in the victory over Houston by recording eight “knockdown” blocks where a defender was taken off his feet. … Brown isn’t saying when WR Roy Williams will return to the lineup after suffering what appeared to be a hamstring injury against Houston. The Longhorns list Williams as “questionable” for Saturday’s game at Tulane. … Texas holder Beau Trahan’s touchdown on a fake field goal was the third of his career. The senior scored twice in 1999 on a fumbled kickoff recovery and a muffed field goal attempt …Baylor coach Kevin Steele received a vote of confidence on the day before the Tulsa game, saying that he would be evaluated at the end of the 2002 season. His team responded by gaining 191 yards in the first quarter and leading Tulsa 21-6 after one quarter -- most in an opening period in eight years. Baylor’s was productive but schizoid in the Bears’ 37-25 victory over Tulsa. The Bears rolled up 450 yards of total offense -- the sixth time in the last seven games they’ve topped 400 yards -- and scored on their first five possessions. That excitement was tempered by five second-half turnovers. ... Colorado coach Gary Barnett has no explanation for his team’s turnaround, which saw them gain 471 yards in a 31-17 victory over UCLA a week after a disappointing home blowout to Southern California. “I wish I knew,” Barnett said. “If I could tell, I’d make a lot of money.” … A total of 17 Kansas State players have scored so far this year, including 14 with at least one touchdown. Seven of those TDs came on special teams or on defense. … Former Baylor coach Grant Teaff has been honored with a life-size statute on the west side of Floyd Casey Stadium. ... Kansas TB Reggie Duncan’s playing status was listed as “hour to hour,” by Coach Mark Mangino, but later raised to “week to week” from a lingering injury the coach fails to discuss. ... A&M’s struggling offense didn’t care who was at quarterback. The Aggies’ three tailbacks averaged 1.5 yards per carry (15 attempts, 23 yards) against Virginia Tech and their longest drive covered 31 yards. ... Feisty Nebraska starting freshman OT Richie Incognito will miss the first half of Saturday’s game against Iowa State after he was ejected for fighting in the Huskers’ 40-7 loss at Penn State. … Watch out, Texas. Oklahoma reportedly spent much of its off-week before the South Florida game working on gadget plays. … Oklahoma WR Mark Clayton (arthroscopic knee surgery) is listed as doubtful for Saturday’s game against South Florida, but he could return to practice later this week. … Kansas State quarterbacks aren’t the most pass-minded in the country, just the most efficient. The Wildcats lead the nation in team passing efficiency with a 188.8 rating. They have not thrown an interception in 64 attempts with a 64.1 percent completion percentage and seven TD passes out of 41 completions. … Colorado trainers think QB Craig Ochs has suffered four concussions during his football career, three while in college and one in high school. Also playing a part in his decision to sit out the rest of the season was advice from his father, Stephen, an anesthesiologist. … If Missouri can win Saturday against Troy State, the Tigers' win total (three) would give them as many or more wins as they’ve recorded in 11 of the past 18 seasons. … Texas A&M QB Dustin Long’s start against Virginia Tech broke senior QB Mark Farris’ streak of consecutive starts at 26 … Texas Tech’s 207 rushing yards against North Carolina State was the most rushing yards in a game since Coach Mike Leach took over the program in 2000.
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