Scouting the opponents' Press - October 2007 Newspaper Clippings:

Iowa St. post-game:

Iowa State flirts with upset in loss to No. 4 Oklahoma: Ames, Ia. - Don't ask Allen Bell about moral victories.

He'll only tell you about Saturday's missed opportunities.

"We could have shocked the nation," Iowa State's sophomore cornerback said, "but we let it slip away....full story form the Des Moines Register (may require registration)

Missed opportunity: Iowa State could sense the upset against fourth-ranked Oklahoma.

The Cyclones were up 7-0. They were moving the ball. The game was there for the taking.

Then they hit the red zone....full story from The Ames Tribune

ISU delivers gritty effort despite loss: AMES -- College football's wise men never gave Iowa State a prayer to beat Oklahoma before Saturday's opening kickoff.

Then the Cyclones nearly brought the fourth-ranked Sooners to their knees.

ISU scored first, clung tightly to its lead through the first half and battled OU for 60 minutes....full story from the WCF Courier

OU survives scare from Iowa State: Chris Brown ran for two second-half touchdowns and No. 4 Oklahoma survived a major scare from Iowa State, beating the Cyclones 17-7 Saturday.

D.J. Wolfe's end-zone interception midway through the fourth quarter helped turn the tide for the Sooners (7-1, 3-1 Big 12), who won at Iowa State for the 20th straight time.

It wasn't easy....full story from The Dallas Morning News

Iowa St. pre-game:

Realistically, Cyclones face yet another rout: Are you an Iowa State football optimist or realist?

A true optimist will enter today's game at Jack Trice Stadium thinking of reasons why the Cyclones can earn their first home win over Oklahoma in 47 years.

A realist will see the Sooners listed as a 30-point favorite and be leery of another lopsided loss....full story from the Des Moines Register (may require registration)

Trudging on: With Iowa State struggling on the field, Gene Chizik took a different approach to preparing for Oklahoma.

"We are going take them bowling this week and we are going to take them to the water park instead of practice, and I hope they have a great time," Gene Chizik said.

The Cyclones say they have fun when they win....full story from The Ames Tribune

ISU football: Sooner quarterback looks good to Meyer: Ames, Ia. - He looks the part.

Sam Bradford has the stature, strong arm and skills of a major-college football quarterback. So Bradford's Oklahoma teammates weren't exactly shocked when the 6-foot-4, 19-year-old freshman earned a starting job....full story from the Des Moines Register (may require registration)

South Florida holds key for Big 12 teams: South Florida, the feel-good story of this college football season, could leave a Big 12 Conference team broken-hearted.

The Bulls are No. 2 in the latest Bowl Championship Series standings, which may eventually lead to No. 5 Oklahoma being squeezed out of the national title game or No. 13 Kansas being shut out of a BCS game....full story from the Des Moines Register (may require registration)

NOTE: South Florida lost to Rutgers 30-27 Thursday night

Oklahoma's No. 4 ranking all ISU needs to know: Ames, Ia. - Let's play a numbers game.

Iowa State's football team is a 29-point underdog in Saturday's game with fourth-ranked Oklahoma.

Do you know the last time the Cyclones were defeated by 30 or more points in consecutive weeks....full story from the Des Moines Register (may require registration)

ISU football: Cyclones sell recruits on chance to play: Ames, Ia. - Is Gene Chizik spinning in the right direction?

A national recruiting expert says yes.

Iowa State's football coach referred to himself as a spin doctor when explaining how a disappointing season would affect recruiting....full story from the Des Moines Register (may require registration)

ISU question: Now or future? With each loss, the questions have become more frequent for Iowa State football coach Gene Chizik. Why don't you play more of the underclassmen? When will freshman quarterback Austen Arnaud be starting....full story from The Ames Tribune

Iowa State football: Coach caught in balancing act: Ames, Ia. - Gene Chizik continues to walk a coaching tightrope.

Should underclassmen on the Iowa State football team be given more chances to contribute, or do the seniors deserve a show of loyalty?

"There's a fine line here," Chizik said during Monday's news conference....full story from the Des Moines Register (may require registration)

It's time to start playing for the future: Phew. Glad that's over. Saturday's 56-3 thrashing by No. 23 Texas was one of the bigger disappointments of the season. It wasn't because Iowa State football coach Gene Chizik made poor coaching decisions....full story from The Ames Tribune

Iowa State football: Switzer considered coaching Cyclones: Ames, Ia. - Four decades ago, Barry Switzer faced a decision.

He could either become the next football coach at Iowa State, or wait for an offer from a more established program.

"A lot of (assistants) want to be a head coach just to be a head coach," Switzer said....full story from the Des Moines Register

Longhorns put on a clinic in routing Cyclones: Class dismissed.

Texas gave Iowa State a private lesson Saturday in the style of football Cyclone coach Gene Chizik, a former Texas co-defensive coordinator, wants his team to play in the future.

The Longhorns rolled to a 56-3 victory at Jack Trice Stadium....full story from The Ames Tribune

Missouri post-game:

Mizzou confident it will learn from loss: NORMAN, Okla. - In one form or another, the question was the same.

What did Missouri take from the Tigers' 41-31 loss at Oklahoma? What was different, wiser, more mature about a team now 5-1 overall and 1-1 in the Big 12?....full story from the Kansas City Star

Errors trip Mizzou: NORMAN, OKLA. - Missouri knew going into Saturday night's game that if it wanted to beat No. 6 Oklahoma, it would have to play mistake-free football.

But a botched handoff between quarterback Chase Daniel and receiver Jeremy Maclin early in the fourth quarter turned into a touchdown by Oklahoma linebacker Curtis Lofton and ended up being a back breaker in a 41-31 Oklahoma victory in front of 85,041 fans at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.

"The wrong play was signaled in to Chase Daniel....full story from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Brown helps Sooners take down Missouri: NORMAN - Chris Brown ran for three second-half touchdowns, Curtis Lofton returned a fumble for a touchdown and No. 6 Oklahoma knocked No. 11 Missouri from the ranks of the unbeaten with a 41-31 victory Saturday night.

Brown put the Sooners (6-1, 2-1 Big 12) ahead to stay with his 1-yard touchdown run with 12:26 remaining, and Lofton scooped up a botched handoff and returned it 15 yards for a score 46 seconds later as Oklahoma kept the Tigers from entering the national title picture....full story from the Columbia Daily Tribune

Sooners beat Mizzou 41-31: NORMAN, Okla. | His eyes full of No. 11 Missouri's potential upset of No. 5 Oklahoma, Missouri redshirt freshman Jeremy Maclin never saw the handoff coming.

Maclin, who had already scored two touchdowns on reverses, swept left toward quarterback Chase Daniel, apparently on another. Daniel put the ball on Maclin's left hip. But Maclin didn't seem to expect it....full story from the Kansas City Star

Missouri pre-game:

Tiger tricks could play a role vs. OU: COLUMBIA, Mo. - In 2002, when Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops called a fake field goal against Missouri to ultimately win the game, he was asked about the call in the postgame news conference.

"I don't ever want to coach in a way that I'm afraid of criticism," was his reply.

Who knew Missouri's coaches would be acting on those very words against the No. 6 Sooners five years later....full story from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch

MU doesn't lack confidence going into big game with Oklahoma: NORMAN, Okla. | Chase Daniel's demeanor hints at nothing so much as approaching a tremble. Missouri coach Gary Pinkel so often says his junior quarterback is confident, but never cocky.

However, leading 11th-ranked Missouri, 5-0 overall and 1-0 in the Big 12 Conference, into the raging heart of Sooner Nation against No. 6 Oklahoma, 5-1 and 1-1, Daniel is sporting a swagger not seen since John Wayne last strode off into the sunset of a movie western....full story from the Kansas City Star

Christensen has Tigers dialed in: Any chance No. 11 Missouri (5-0, 1-0) has to beat the Sooners in Norman, Okla. - something only Oklahoma State and TCU have done since 1999 - traces back to Christensen's offense, its dynamic personnel and a hang-loose philosophy that starts with the coordinator.

A few days after dissecting Nebraska for 606 yards of offense in a 41-6 dismantling of the Blackshirts, Christensen was named the nation's offensive coordinator of the week by the Master Football Coaches Survey, a panel of distinguished retired coaches that includes James and Fry....full story from the Columbia Daily Tribune

Mizzou 'D' believes it's set for OU: COLUMBIA, Mo. - The Missouri defense will face its biggest test of the season against Oklahoma on Saturday, but after their success against Nebraska, the Tigers say this is a challenge they're ready to tackle.

"I hope the game plan is a lot like the one we just had," linebacker Sean Weatherspoon said. "If it's the same kind of game plan, we'll go out there and execute it perfectly because that will be three weeks playing the same thing....full story from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch

This Van was rockin': Van Alexander has attended Missouri football games since he was 3 or 4 years old. Saturday night, though, was Faurot Field as he'd never seen it - filled with 70,000 fans, the vast majority of whom were wearing gold and roaring their approval as the Tigers trounced Nebraska 41-6.

"In all the games I've been to, I've never seen a crowd that big," Alexander said. "What really topped it off was the sea of gold. That was really amazing. I've never seen anything like that....full story from the Columbia Daily Tribune

MU is perfecting the spread offense: COLUMBIA | Somehow, somewhere, in trying to dissect Missouri's spread offense, the comparisons turned to suds.

That's when MU wide receiver Will Franklin - a key cog in this high-flying, scoreboard-rolling circus - gave his audience a real taste of the system.

"We're top of the line," Franklin said....full story from the Kansas City Star

Sooners will test Mizzou's 'D': COLUMBIA, Mo. - Missouri's secondary finally is showing a little swagger.

After holding Nebraska to 223 yards passing, the Tigers' lowest total allowed this season, Missouri is starting to show progress in the back end of its defense. The test gets more difficult Saturday when the 11th-ranked Tigers visit sixth-ranked Oklahoma, which has two of the best receivers in the Big 12....full story from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch

You've got to hand it to Maclin: As Missouri displayed during Saturday's 41-6 victory, the wide receiver reverse has become an instant classic in MU's eclectic anthology of plays, with Maclin playing the lead role.

Just don't consider it a once-a-week gadget. Most teams might, especially with all that can go wrong on a play where the receiver first touches the ball 8 yards behind the line of scrimmage....full story from the Columbia Daily Tribune

Missouri's defense gains confidence after Nebraska win: COLUMBIA | Teammates contend Brock Christopher is a man of no words.

But this week there has been no better spokesman for a defense that may hold in its hands the fate of Missouri's perfect season when the No. 11 Tigers play at No. 6 Oklahoma on Saturday.

"Don't get wrapped up in what could happen," advised Christopher, a junior middle linebacker from Kearney, Mo....full story from the Kansas City Star

Sooners try not to look too far ahead: NORMAN, OKLA. - Oklahoma is back in the national championship mix, though the Sooners would rather not talk about that.

This week, Oklahoma looks to continue its rebound against No. 11 Missouri (5-0, 1-0), which beat Nebraska 41-6 on Saturday.

A series of losses by other top contenders has given Oklahoma (5-1, 1-1 Big 12) new life in the title race after its upset loss at Colorado two weeks ago, but the Sooners have another championship to chase first....full story from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Maclin is giving MU different dimension: COLUMBIA, Mo. - Missouri's spread offense started to evolve the day Jeremy Maclin signed with the Tigers.

Before his arrival, Missouri didn't have enough athletes to diversify what had become an offense built around the legs of former quarterback Brad Smith

But with quarterback Chase Daniel taking the reins as a dual threat, and receiver Will Franklin and tight end Martin Rucker starting to realize their potential, the pieces to what is now one of the more versatile offenses in the country were just starting to come together. ....full story from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Williams' foot, mouth motivate Missouri: Between Lorenzo Williams' dry-wall attack and William Moore's I-back demolition, Missouri's defense had all the inspiration it needed to piece together its best outing of the season Saturday night.

First, during a players-only meeting at the team hotel Friday night, Williams, the Tigers' senior nose tackle, punctuated a fiery speech with his best David Beckham impression at the mercy of a dry-erase board....full story from the Columbia Daily Tribune

MU offensive coordinator Christensen has plenty of tricks up his sleeve: COLUMBIA | Welcome to the world of Dave Christensen, Missouri's once maligned but suddenly adored offensive coordinator. Master of the gadget, the odd formation, the kind of things that had Nebraska's Blackshirt defense fading to an embarrassed pink in Missouri's 41-6 victory over the Cornhuskers....full story from the Kansas City Star

MU Notes: Mizzou turns attention toward Sooners: COLUMBIA, MO. - It has been nearly 40 years since Missouri defeated Nebraska and Oklahoma in the same season, but the No. 11 Tigers have a chance to end that streak when they travel to Norman, Okla., this weekend.

Missouri handled No. 25 Nebraska with relative ease last weekend, but in retrospect that might be one of the easier opponents the Tigers face as they move through conference play. Knowing that has helped the Tigers shift their focus from last Saturday's 41-6 domination to this weekend's game against the No. 6 team in the country.....full story from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Mizzou reveling in success and fame: COLUMBIA, MO. - ABC's "Good Morning, America" and CBS's "The Early Show" are seeking time with Missouri freshman sensation Jeremy Maclin.

Mizzou quarterback Chase Daniel is in the discussion for the Heisman Trophy, showing up fourth in this week's Rocky Mountain News Heisman Poll of 10 voters from around the nation....full story from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Everything is clicking for Mizzou: COLUMBIA, Mo. - Just over 12 hours after Missouri's 41-6 conquest of Nebraska, fans were still milling around downtown Columbia in a euphoric state.

The Tigers' first win against a ranked opponent since 2003 jump-started talk of a Heisman Trophy for quarterback Chase Daniel and a BCS bowl for Missouri (5-0, 1-0 Big 12).

It also spurred talk that perhaps Missouri's defense isn't as bad as most people thought....full story from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Frosh quarterback calmly leads Sooners: Because he's only 19 and was playing just his sixth college game, Oklahoma's Sam Bradford can be excused for thinking he can do things most quarterbacks wouldn't even try.

Like calling an audible on third-and-14 from his own 12 amid the roar of Texas fans. Or going long on third down to a guy who spent the last few series getting treatment for a sore hamstring. Then again, Bradford is proving to be not-your-ordinary quarterback....full story from the Columbia Daily Tribune

Oklahoma beats Texas: DALLAS -- A couple bad quarters wasn't about to rattle Oklahoma freshman Sam Bradford - and neither were the Texas Longhorns.

Facing a tough foe in a hostile setting, Bradford looked as at ease as he did in his record-setting first few games against overmatched opponents, throwing for three touchdowns and hardly making a mistake to steer No. 10 Oklahoma past No. 19 Texas 28-21 in their annual grudge match Saturday....full story from the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram

Oklahoma beats Texas 28-21: DALLAS - Texas played its best game of the season Saturday, showing big-play sparks on offense and a swarming quality on defense against archrival and heavy favorite Oklahoma.

Yet by game's end, the Longhorns were left only with a bunch of what-ifs, as they quietly left the field and cleared the way so the Sooners could celebrate a 28-21 victory at the Cotton Bowl.

The winning touchdown came with 10 minutes, 42 seconds to play, upon the culmination of a 94-yard drive....full story from the Austin American-Statesman (requires registration)

Riveting rivalry: OU holds off UT: At the end of his most impressive game this season, Oklahoma redshirt freshman quarterback Sam Bradford didn't know what to do.

He wandered around the field looking for someone to celebrate with after leading the No. 10 Sooners to a rousing 28-21 victory over No. 19 Texas in front of 80,000 fans Saturday at the Cotton Bowl.

Bradford was even late to the team's trophy celebration at midfield....full story from The Dallas Morning News

Texas pre-game:

Urgency the theme for Red River Rivalry: Whatever the AT&T Red River Rivalry lost in luster last weekend, it gained in urgency.

The upsets of Texas and Oklahoma signaled a distinct change for today's annual Cotton Bowl showdown, the 102nd meeting in the series.

No, the game won't have the biggest national impact, not with defending national champion Florida facing No. 1 LSU. South of Dallas, Texas A&M will be hosting Oklahoma State with first place in the Big 12 South at stake.....full story from The Dallas Morning News

McCoy, 'Horns in need of a Red River revival: Colt McCoy walked out of the Cotton Bowl last October as a certifiable freshman phenom.

The Texas quarterback not only triggered a second-half rally to knock off rival Oklahoma, he lit the fuse for what would become an extended hot streak in which McCoy tied the NCAA record for most touchdown passes in a season by a freshman (29).

Yet he will return to the same venue today battling a sophomore slump and being overshadowed by his freshman counterpart on the OU sideline, Sam Bradford, who leads the nation in passing efficiency....full story from the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram

Texas trying to find an identity for Oklahoma: It's not a convenient time to retool the Texas offense, what with one loss already on the record and Oklahoma warming up the buses for the ride to Fair Park today.

But the Longhorns, after suffering mightily with turnovers and inconsistency in a 20-point defeat to Kansas State, spent the past week simplifying things for today's matchup with the 10th-ranked Sooners.

Texas quarterback Colt McCoy (12) talks with wide receiver Limas Sweed last week after a miscommunication on a play, a problem the Horns worked to correct in practice this week....full story from the Austin American-Statesman (requires registration)

Dallas scene of rivalry revelry: Kirsten White, an Oklahoma University freshman, said she and her friends got some single-digit Texas hospitality driving to Dallas for Saturday's game with the University of Texas. But her carload had plenty of crimson and cream, horn-honking support, too.

Thousands of students, alumni and adoring fans poured in from all over the United States to attend Saturday's game, one so big that Norman, Okla., and Austin just won't do....full story from the Austin American-Statesman (requires registration)

Nothing rivals this: Texas-Oklahoma rivalry transcends rankings, records, bowl hopes and spying.

If hyperbole determined bragging rights, then Texas vs. Oklahoma would be a mismatch. You begin with the state songs....full story from the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram

Players' legal woes wear on Longhorns: AUSTIN - Grim-faced, University of Texas football coach Mack Brown used words like "painful" and "devastating" while emphasizing the need to "take a crisis and turn it into a positive."

He wasn't referring to last week's loss to Kansas State or vowing a turnaround against Oklahoma on Saturday at the Cotton Bowl. He was addressing the summer arrests of six Longhorns players during a four-month span....full story from The Dallas Morning News

Stoops, Brown polar opposites: NORMAN, Okla. - Count up the national championships. Circle the number of All-Americans. Figure up the conference titles, the records, the number of interceptions Chris Simms threw or the touchdown passes that Texas' Roy Williams never caught in this rivalry....full story from the Austin American-Statesman (requires registration)

Texas-OU trophy no steal: Pity the Golden Hat.

It is the trophy awarded to the winner of one of the biggest, fiercest rivalries in college football, the Texas-Oklahoma game. Yet, the Golden Hat has never been captured the way the Little Brown Jug was by Minnesota in 1903....full story from the Austin American-Statesman (requires registration)

For Sooners, one loss is all it takes: NORMAN, Okla. - Only minutes after Colorado's shocking upset last week in Boulder, Dean Blevins, the former Sooner quarterback-turned-broadcaster, labeled it on air as "one of the most bitter losses in the Stoops era" and no doubt several others.

Question: Was this just another Oklahoma sports figure overreacting after a football game?

Answer: Maybe, but at least a sportswriter didn't get in the middle of it....full story from The Dallas Morning News

Texas pressing for turnovers against Oklahoma: On Saturday against Kansas State, the Texas defense managed only one sack and had enough missed tackles to give the Wildcats' offense a collective gift of an extra 89 yards.

It's no wonder, with so few burnt-orange jerseys around a ball carrier, there were no fumbles.

Kansas State quarterback Josh Freeman also had a quick release, and coupled with the short drops he was taking on pass plays, there were few possibilities for an interception....full story from the Austin American-Statesman (requires registration)

Young Longhorns make ends meet -- at the QB: Texas entered the season knowing it would be forced to rely on younger players at several key positions.

And junior defensive end Brian Orakpo's injury in the Longhorns' season opener against Arkansas State didn't help.

Luckily for the Longhorns, sophomore Lamarr Houston and true freshman Sam Acho are his backups....full story from the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram

UT pass rusher says he's '100 percent': AUSTIN -- Texas defensive end Brian Orakpo participated in contact drills Tuesday for the first time in almost five weeks and declared himself at "100 percent" for Saturday's game against Oklahoma.

Orakpo, the Longhorns' top returning pass rusher from last season (4.5 sacks), practiced with a knee brace in his first action since injuring the knee Sept. 1 against Arkansas State. He said that he is unsure if he'll wear the brace Saturday but that it didn't hinder his mobility Tuesday....full story from the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram

'Poor planning' takes toll on OU: NORMAN, Okla. - Oklahoma offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson and the Sooners are trying to do too much on offense and they must regroup going into Saturday's showdown against Texas.

"I always think when you struggle, if you're not playing well, you're doing too much," said Wilson, who took the blame for Saturday's 27-24 loss at Colorado. "That doesn't mean you vanilla back, but I have to look at my preparation and thoughts and what we're doing....full story from The Dallas Morning News

Sweed, Kelly need to play tall, not small like last week: Two big bodies, both physical specimens, playing on opposite ends of the field Saturday at the Cotton Bowl.

Each has something to prove.

Texas receiver Limas Sweed, a preseason All-America, caught two passes for 14 yards in the Longhorns' 41-21 loss to Kansas State on Saturday....full story from the Austin American-Statesman (requires registration)

McCoy returns with simplified plan: AUSTIN -- Texas will change its offensive approach for Saturday's showdown against Oklahoma. But not its starting quarterback.

That much became certain Monday when quarterback Colt McCoy was cleared by team trainers to practice and compete in this week's Red River Rivalry....full story from the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram

Longhorns need to sit McCoy: AUSTIN - Colt McCoy, a name seemingly plucked from the pages of a Louis L'Amour novel, is as tough as a rodeo cowboy.

No questions exist about his intestinal fortitude.

Not after the physical beatings we saw him take last season against Kansas State and Texas A&M. And certainly not after the pounding we watched him absorb in last weekend's embarrassing 41-21 home loss to Kansas State....full story from The Dallas Morning News

What the Horns need: less fear, more focus: "We're not scared."

Those three words should reverberate throughout Longhorn Nation in the days leading up to what many see as a State Fair execution this Saturday afternoon.

The big message from that small sentence: Texas will not go into the Red River Rivalry looking for an excuse to lose 65-13....full story from the Austin American-Statesman (requires registration)

Dangerous OU lurking ahead: Mondays can be blue enough without the prospect of a Texas smackdown by mega-rival Oklahoma looming in five days.

Wish we could help, but I'd recommend aspirin.

Here are three reasons to further worry your socks off if you're a Longhorns fan....full story from the Austin American-Statesman (requires registration)

OU offense cools a bit: NORMAN, Okla. - Oklahoma's offense was so unbelievably dominant through four games that it was hard to fathom how it could improve.

But to a man, the Sooners believed they could top their non-conference offensive output that was leading the nation in scoring average at 61.5 points per game.

Then came the Big 12 opener Saturday at Colorado....full story from The Dallas Morning News

What makes a rivalry?: One key ingredient to a rivalry is competition. Just because you play a team every year doesn't make it your rival.

Balancing the thrill of victory with the agony of defeat raises the stakes significantly....full story from the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram

Luster busters: UT, OU losses take shine off of matchup: AUSTIN - Texas quarterback Colt McCoy looked like a prize fighter begging his corner to let the fight go on. Knocked woozy right before halftime, McCoy returned improbably in the third quarter to throw a few haymakers, only to be knocked flat again.

After a career-high four interceptions that led to 20 Kansas State points, McCoy was taken to the locker room with extreme nausea, a concussion symptom, in the final minutes of a 41-21 upset by the Wildcats....full story from The Dallas Morning News

Wildcats stun Horns, Texas QB injured: An hour after the game ended, Texas quarterback Colt McCoy still was being evaluated by the Longhorn doctors.

A statement about his condition should be released sometime tonight.

The problems came on a hit McCoy took late in the second quarter, he was taken to the locker room early....full story from the Austin American-Statesman