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Longhorns topple the South
Posted: Tuesday November 16, 1999 02:20 PM
Texas coach Mack Brown hardly figured his team could come so far so fast. After a season-opening loss to N.C. State, the Longhorns' Cotton Bowl victory the previous year highlighted by Ricky Williams' magical run to the Heisman Trophy never seemed so far away. "It's the old adage of a million miles," Brown said after his team claimed the Big 12 South Division title with a resounding 58-7 blowout victory over Texas Tech. Three blocked punts by the Wolfpack that opening weekend made Brown immediately set his goals for the 1999 team a lot lower than he initially expected. "After North Carolina State, I thought we would have trouble getting to a bowl game," Brown said. "We were concerned about the youth of this team and we were concerned about the leadership on this team." Brown said his players also shared some of his early concerns. As the Longhorns prepared to play Tech, Brown asked how many of his players "honestly believed" they would be playing for the South Division title at the start of the season. "About a third of them raised their hands," Brown said. "So this is a neat day for us." Those early dire fears were never as far removed as Saturday night when the Longhorns (9-2) delivered a performance that may have set the standard in Brown's two years at the school. Texas erupted for 504 yards and limited the Red Raiders to 160. They cruised to 44-0 lead early in the fourth quarter before bringing in substitutes for what seemed to be an extended coronation before their trophy was presented. Two years after coming to Texas from North Carolina, the Longhorns are clearly farther along Brown's timeline than he expected when he took the job. "Watching what had happened at North Carolina, I knew that our system was good, and I knew it would work," Brown said. "Still, you never knew how quickly things are going to happen, and I felt we would have at least two or three tough years here where we would work hard to hang on. "I'm really pleased with where we are now. If there is an unknown schedule of progress, we are definitely ahead of where I thought we would be."
Taking the NorthThe Longhorns' opponent in the Dec. 4 championship game at San Antonio is still up for grabs. Nebraska can claim its third title in four years with a victory over Colorado on Nov. 26.Frank Solich's team still has an outside shot at playing in the Sugar Bowl. For that to happen, the Cornhuskers must win its final game against Colorado, win the championship game and have some help in front of them. Solich said he's not even considering the opportunity to play for his first national championship as a head coach. "I really don't know and I'm not losing any sleep over it," Solich said. "Right now, I'm losing sleep worrying about Colorado. If you're going to have a chance, you'd better not be looking down the road. "How this whole BCS thing will play out, I'm not really sure," Solich added. "We're still trying to figure out how well this system works. So far, it's been decent, and it's certainly the best we've got at the moment. We'll just move forward and see how it all plays out." Despite the loss to Nebraska, Kansas State can win its second straight Big 12 North Division title by winning against Missouri on Saturday, coupled with a Nebraska loss the following week. "The season is not over by any stretch of the imagination," Kansas State coach Bill Snyder said. "I feel this team understands where they are and what lies in front of them." Colorado maintains a slim hope for its first North Division title in coach Gary Barnett's first season. Missouri must beat Kansas State this week, and the Buffs must follow with a victory over Nebraska the following week in Boulder. "You need two weeks to get ready for Nebraska," Barnett said. "And we're going to make the most of it."
Stoops never satisfiedDespite qualifying for Oklahoma's first bowl game since 1994, new Sooner coach Bob Stoops said he is a little disappointed at his team's 6-3 record.The Sooners squandered double-digit leads against Notre Dame and Texas, costing them a chance to win the South Division. "Obviously, with six wins we're going to win more than we lose," Stoops said. "But as coaches, we're still disappointed we're not further along. And we could have been if we'd been sharper in some areas. "If you ask if we've exceeded expectations, we're not done as well as I'd hoped or thought we would. You've got to keep pushing."
Cyclones blow cold airIowa State coach Dan McCarney was an early favorite for Big 12 Coach of the Year after the Cyclones stormed out of the gate with three straight victories to start the season.But the Cyclones' season turned for the worse after blowing a 21-point second-half lead against Kansas State in their fourth game. That loss started a slide where they've lost six of seven, dooming them to their 10th straight losing season. "I think we made God angry," ISU cornerback Ryan Sloth said. "We just can't get any breaks. We play great teams close -- Kansas State, Texas, Colorado -- but one day the offense will play great and the defense will struggle, or the defense will play great and the offense will struggle, or the special teams will struggle. We can't get all three going at once." Iowa State's loss to Oklahoma snuffed out the Cyclones' hopes of their first bowl bid since 1978 -- longest drought in the conference.
Worth notingTexas Tech coach Spike Dykes said senior quarterback Rob Peters is doubtful for Saturday's game against Oklahoma after suffering a concussion late in the first half against Texas. Kliff Kingsbury, who would make his first collegiate start, would replace Peters if Peters can't play. ... The San Antonio Bowl Association, local sponsors of the Big 12 championship game, sold out of all of its tickets for the Dec. 4 game at the Alamodome less than a day after Texas clinched the South title. Organizers expect a sellout, which would be the first in the four-year history of the conference championship game. ... Texas is one of two Division I teams this season with a 3,000-yard passer (Major Applewhite, 3,132 yards) a 1,000-yard receiver (Kwame Cavil, 1,016) and a 1,000-yard rusher (Hodges Mitchell, 1,227). Louisville is the other team. ... Freshman TB Joe Weber's 121-yard effort against Missouri was Texas A&M's first 100-yard rusher since Dante Hall rushed for 113 against Kansas State in last season's Big 12 championship game. ... Oklahoma QB Josh Heupel was limited to a season-low 180 yards passing against Iowa State. It was the first time this season Heupel has been held below 200 yards. ... Iowa State TB Darren Davis was limited to a season-low 53 rushing yards against Oklahoma, his third straight game below 100 yards. Davis needs 174 yards next week at Kansas to boost him and his brother, Troy, past Joe and Jamie Morris as the NCAA's leading brother tandem. The Davises have rushed for a combined 8,070 rushing yards. Tim Griffin covers the Big 12 for the San Antonio Express-News. Check back every Tuesday for his latest CNN/SI Insider.
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By Tim Griffin, Special to CNN/SI
