CFB Forum

Big 12 Notes & Etc

Posted By: Ben Dover
Date: 16 Aug 03, 9:02 pm

Big 12

Baylor: Chris Lancaster was a lonely guy last spring. With only eight healthy bodies, including walk-on players, the first-year Baylor offensive line coach didn't even have enough for a simple 5-on-5 drill. The numbers problem was addressed by bringing in eight newcomers to training camp, but he's now faced with the distinct possiblity of playing and maybe even starting a true freshman. "I'm one-deep right now," Lancaster said Saturday. "And then behind them, who knows?" Head coach Guy Morriss will likely lose sleep over a plethora of problems going into his first season. But as a former NFL offensive lineman, his biggest concern is a thin, inexperienced offensive line. The Bears lost three starters and three backups off last year's line, plus had redshirt freshman tackle Jacob Pitman ruled academically ineligible.
Then last month, promising redshirt freshman Akeem Rettig (6-6, 362) suffered kidney failure after a heat-related problem that will wipe out his season and quite possibly his career. He is recovering at the Baylor Instititute for Rehabiliation in Dallas. "It kind of got to us for a while," said fifth-year senior center Cedric Fields (6-3, 271), one of just two returning starters in the line, "because we expected (Rettig) to start this year. But things like that happen that you just can't control. It's something you've got to accept and move on." "All he's had is 15 days with me in the spring," Lancaster said of Rettig, who redshirted last fall as a partial academic qualifier. "And he really needed this time to get going. But it would have given us some depth and he was listed as the starting guard. It just would have allowed me to do some other things with (Joe) DeWoody or Cedric or whatever." Joining Fields on the first-team line are junior tackles Quintin Outland (6-5, 329) and Brad Schlueter (6-5, 282), DeWoody (6-4, 280) at left guard and sophomore Lequalan McDonald (6-4, 280) from Waco High at right guard. "I'm ready to go on and show what I can do," said McDonald, who dropped 25 pounds in the spring. "I still have a lot to learn and a lot to refine. But I'm ready." Finding backup help is where Lancaster's job gets even tougher. He has sophomore Glen Oskin behind Fields at center, redshirt freshman Travis Farst backing up both guards and true freshmen Nick Pace and John Mahaffey as the second-team tackles. Ted Tanner (6-3, 304), one of the invited walk-on freshmen, has moved up to the second-team line at guard. Pace (6-3, 284) is considered the best of a class of newcomers that includes five scholarship players and three walk-ons. The Baylor offense took a step back in an afternoon practice Wednesday that was delayed 45 minutes by lightning and rain.
"We've got to learn how to put back-to-back practices together," first-year head coach Guy Morriss said after the second session. "The defense wasn't bad, but the offense was totally unfocused and made too many mental mistakes — dropped balls, fumbles on the ground, couldn't get lined up, couldn't get the right personnel on the field. They were just spaced this afternoon." Just a year removed from coaching the fourth overall pick in the NFL draft, Tom Adams' rotation at defensive tackle includes a converted tight end, a junior college scout-teamer and a freshman walk-on who has never played 11-man football.
Baylor's "paper-thin" defensive tackle position has freshmen M.T. Robinson and Quincy Jenkins, sophomores Michael Gary and Lorenzo Davis and junior Luke Groth. "Obviously we don't have a lot of depth in there," Adams said. "I've got five kids that I'm going to work with. But right now, we're just working and trying to get better." By process of elimination, Davis and Gary were the starters coming out of spring training. Sophomore Eric Jackson flunked out and didn't make it back into school, while redshirt freshman Corey Ford made it back to Baylor but is still academically ineligible to play. In the end, the Bears may also be forced to use more three-man fronts. "We'd obviously like to run the four-man line," Morriss said. "But if we can't hold up, then we've got to do something. You can't just sit in there and get pounded without trying another front or something."

Colorado: It appears James Cox has not resigned himself to backing up Joel Klatt at quarterback. "We're really splitting Klatt and Cox with the first team, and Cox is hanging in there pretty good," Barnett said. When Colorado opens the 2003 season against Colorado State on Aug. 30, the Buffaloes will be breaking in a new quarterback behind an inexperienced offensive line. It would shock no one if they line up with two tight ends and run Bobby Purify and Brian Calhoun right at the Rams. But who will be the tight end opposite veteran senior Quinn Sypniewski? It was probably going to be Joe Klopfenstein, a fast-developing sophomore But with Sypniewski becoming a question mark with a broken big toe that has been slow to respond to treatment, "the other" tight end may have to be whoever lines up opposite Klopfenstein.
Tight ends coach John Wristen, for one, is not all that concerned. "I still feel like I've got three guys who can play a little bit," Wristen said. Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Shawn Watson indicated that the first major fall camp scrimmage today either can solidify Klatt as No. 1 or further crack the window of opportunity for Cox or Greenberg.

In a best-case scenario, Watson's first offensive unit will have two weeks to work with its starting quarterback - which would mean naming his No. 1 by Monday.

Iowa State: There are 17 days until Iowa State opens its football season against Northern Iowa, and the clock is ticking on the contenders for the Cyclones' starting quarterback position.

"There's no edge by either of them right now," ISU coach Dan McCarney said after Tuesday's afternoon session concluded the first week of preseason practice.

Austin Flynn and Waye Terry have split time with the first- and second-team offenses in their bid to succeed Seneca Wallace as the Cyclones' signal-caller. McCarney said the two have fared similarly.

Quarterbacks
UPSIDE: Austin Flynn and Waye Terry will keep defenses off balance with their ability to run and throw. Flynn, a redshirt freshman, averaged 8.6 yards per rush during his high school career. He also threw for 27 touchdowns. Terry put up some impressive numbers at two junior colleges before joining the Cyclones last season. He led all California juco quarterbacks with 410 rushing yards in 2001.
DOWNSIDE: Neither Flynn nor Terry has ever taken a snap at the NCAA Division I level. Cris Love, last season's backup, is suspended for Iowa State's first game. So the Cyclones will face Northern Iowa with an inexperienced passer.

Receivers
UPSIDE: The current corps of Cyclone pass catchers is being touted as the best in school history. Former walk-on Lane Danielsen is on pace to become Iowa State's all-time career leader in receptions and receiving yards. He enters his senior season with 117 catches for 1,918 yards. Jack Whitver, another former walk-on, had a breakout season in 2002 with 52 catches for 685 yards. Lance Young, who considered entering last spring's NFL draft, and Jamaul Montgomery bring acrobatic abilities and speed.
DOWNSIDE: Iowa State's receivers sometimes vanished against physical defensive backs last season. With an inexperienced quarterback delivering the ball, Danielsen and company must do a better job of getting open.

Running backs
UPSIDE: Stevie Hicks, Michael Wagner, Brian Thompson and Hiawatha Rutland give the Cyclones plenty of depth. Wagner, Thompson and Rutland all rushed for more than 90 yards in a game last season. Hicks may be the most talented of the bunch.
DOWNSIDE: Rutland, last year's leading rusher with 614 yards, is suspended for the first game. That means one of the other backs will have to step forward. Hicks, a redshirt freshman from Omaha, is expected to make his much-anticipated debut against Northern Iowa. It may be too early, however, for the former high school all-American to carry the burden of reviving Iowa State's ground game. Last year marked the first time in coach Dan McCarney's eight seasons the Cyclones did not produce a 1,000-yard rusher.

Offensive line
UPSIDE: The Cyclones' offensive line continues to be a work in progress. The front five jelled during the first half of last season and became a dependable unit, helping Iowa State average 423.4 yards through the first seven games. Casey Shelton, left tackle, and Cale Stubbe, right tackle, became starters. Bob Montgomery, left guard, established himself has an all-Big 12 performer
DOWNSIDE: Iowa State was pushed around most of the second half of last season, while the offensive average dipped to 330.1 yards during the last seven games. The development of freshman Aaron Brant, right guard, will play a big factor in how much the Cyclones improve this season.

Defensive backs
UPSIDE: The secondary has plenty of experience with six returners who made significant contributions in 2002. McCarney says his decision to switch JaMaine Billups from running back to safety was one the best moves he's made since taking over the program in 1995. Billups emerged as an impact player last season, recording nine tackles in the opening game against Florida State. He ended up with a total of 97 tackles in 13 games.
DOWNSIDE: The Cyclones made 10 interceptions in 2002, after picking off 18 passes in 2001. The four projected starters this season had a combined five interceptions last fall. Creating turnovers will be key for a team searching for scoring opportunities.

Linebackers
UPSIDE: Fleet-footed Nik Moser showed during spring practices that he could be a heavy hitter. Brandon Brown made significant strides last season as a sophomore. And Joe Woodley can finally devote all of his energy to playing defense, after spending time at fullback the past three years.
DOWNSIDE: Do these guys have enough bulk to match up with the best in the Big 12? The starting trio averages 5 feet 11 inches and 223 pounds. Brown's responsibilities will grow with the departure of Matt Word, who led the team with 139 tackles as a senior. A healthy Chris Whitaker, who has battled injuries throughout his career, could give the Cyclones much-needed depth.

Defensive line
UPSIDE: Jordan Carstens, a two-time all-Big 12 tackle, has the size (6-5, 303 pounds) and savvy to make an offensive coordinator cringe. Iowa State's bowl fate, however, may rest on the shoulders of Tyson Smith and Nick Leaders. Smith had six sacks last year and made 11 tackles behind the line of scrimmage. Leaders broke into the starting lineup as a true freshman and finished the 2002 season with 72 tackles and five sacks.
DOWNSIDE: The defensive front may be asked to take on more than it can handle. Carstens and his linemates will be responsible for keeping opponents out of the end zone while a young Cyclone offense tries to find its way downfield. Another demanding schedule - with home games against Oklahoma, Texas and Kansas State - could take a physical and mental toll.

Kickers
UPSIDE: Adam Benike won a duel with Tony Yelk for the kicking job and ended up earning all-Big 12 honors. Benike made 17 of 23 field goals and was 46-for-48 on point-after kicks. Yelk switched to punter and his career average of 43.1 yards ranks second-best in school history.
DOWNSIDE: Competition at both positions continues this summer. Benike and Yelk will vie for place-kicking honors. Yelk is being challenged for the punting job by Troy Blankenship, who averaged 40.8 yards in 20 attempts last season. This adds a little uncertainty to the special teams, but should keep all the players on their toes.

Kansas: Kansas coach Mark Mangino has one request for quarterback Bill Whittemore: Pass more, run less. Whittemore proved he's a dangerous runner by tearing loose for 549 yards and 11 touchdowns last season. But too much running led to a torn knee ligament that ended his season in the ninth game.
The Jayhawks weren't good last year, but they were at least competitive when Whittemore was in the game. Without him, Kansas was outscored by Kansas State, Nebraska and Oklahoma State by a combined 164-27 in the final three games. "If I have my way, Bill will not carry the ball as sort of a quasi-tailback like he did last year," Mangino said. "We need him for the long haul. He's an excellent passer and an excellent leader."
Already shy of veteran players, Kansas has lost its only two-year starter for half of the season.
Travis Watkins, a junior co-captain who has started at guard and tackle since his redshirt freshman season, suffered a broken metatarsal in his right foot and is expected to be out until KU's sixth game, said his father, Sam Watkins. Cats' defensive outlook

LINE: Replacing the man who started it all up front, Tank Reese, will be difficult. K-State returns two solid ends in Andrew Shull and Thomas Houchin, though Houchin missed some of spring drills and began fall practice listed third on the depth chart.Upstart: DT Jermaine Berry, jr. Redshirted a year ago and has impressed his coaches in drills.Bob Elliott: "Justin Montgomery is back with experience, is a tough guy and a slugger. He's capable of what we've had inside in the past. Another guy who's been really, really active and playing well is Jermaine Berry. Those two guys have probably stood out in that (interior) group."

LINEBACKERS: Talent, depth and experience makes this the premier group on defense. The range of senior Josh Buhl is incredible. He was in on 135 tackles last season, the most by a Wildcat since 1993. Bryan Hickman also returns outside and is vastly underrated.Upstart: MLB Marvin Simmons, so. Has three years to play three seasons after originally signing with USC.Bob Elliott: "Playing middle linebacker is tough, because we ask him to make all of our calls and set up our defense. That's got to be, mentally, the toughest position of all."

SECONDARY: Questions exist with the loss of invaluable speedster Terence Newman, though good cover men have long been the cornerstone of the K-State defense. Help from the safety position, particularly leadership from senior Rashad Washington, is vital.Upstart: CB Louis Lavender, jr. Redshirted a year ago, then emerged as a pleasant surprise during spring practice.Bob Elliott: "I was surprised in the spring by how much improvement (Lavender) made. He still continues to improve, but I'm not surprised by it anymore. My expectation levels for Louis Lavender have risen, so the pressure's on him now. Before, he was the new guy on the block."

Missouri: Added Droege: "Receivers need to know their routes; quarterbacks, there's only one of them; the defensive line, maybe two of them are working together. But on the o-line, five guys have to know what they're doing. If one guy makes a mistake or misses a block, the play's dead." Seniors Ricker (6 feet 4, 295 pounds) and Droege (6-6, 300) were preseason all-conference picks and are expected to contend for All-America honors. The other first-teamers, at this stage of preseason practice, are Young, a 6-2, 300-pound senior; sophomore left guard Tony Palmer (6-2, 303); and junior right tackle Scott Paffrath (6-5, 290).

Nebraska: According to popular opinion, Nebraska's hopes for improving last season's 7-7 finish depend largely on whether quarterback Jammal Lord improves his play. Lord apparently has made progress.
"I think he's much improved," Nebraska head coach Frank Solich said Friday, the 10th day of preseason camp. "He's practiced well. I think he has a better handle on the passing game and has really taken to this offense very well. Lord said his focus today will be his passing. No surprise there. Solich has said he would like to see Lord complete at least 55 percent of his throws this season. Last season, Lord completed 46.6 percent as Nebraska finished 59th nationally in total offense. During the preseason, Lord said, his passing has been "up and down." His confidence, however, has been static. "I'm cool,"Lord said. "I'm ready to go. But we still have to iron some things out." Nebraska sophomore defensive tackle Le Kevin Smith would support Frank Solich if the Husker head coach decides to ban media from Saturday's first major scrimmage of preseason camp. Smith is thrilled Nebraska is opening its season against a high-caliber opponent. "I'm loving having an opener like this, especially because people are downgrading us and saying we shouldn't be in the Top 25. Iwant to come out and smash on them," Smith said. Solich retains one specific on-field coaching duty. For the first time in his Nebraska head-coaching tenure, he is overseeing punt and kickoff return men.

Oklahoma: Quarterback update Starting quarterback Jason White was inconsistent. He completed 10 of 20 passes for 150 yards, with two touchdowns and an interception. The good: On consecutive plays, he hit Peoples for a 25-yard gain and Mark Clayton for a 46-yard touchdown. The bad: White's first interception was returned for a touchdown by Teddy Lehman. White was nearly intercepted two other times. "I just thought he executed well," Stoops said. "He made a few mistakes in there that he'll learn from. But that's why you scrimmage." The big question about White centers on his two surgically repaired knees. Tuesday's scrimmage was his a big test. "So far, I haven't had any problems," he said. "I know people came to watch to see the knees were holding up. I haven't had any problems with it." Second-teamer Paul Thompson completed 11 of 20 passes for 62 yards. He also had a 13-yard gain on a keeper after a fake hand-off. Thompson "appeared to me to be much looser and more confident out here this year, which you would expect," said OU offensive coordinator Chuck Long. "He's not a true freshman anymore. Had a lot of experience. I thought he looked really good." That could have gone for the entire offense, which mostly played it conservative in the first of three preseason scrimmages. And coaches made the familiar point that OU's defense, with its extensive knowledge of the offense, has a decided advantage in scrimmages.
Still, it was a familiar performance. Led by Lehman, the first-team defense dominated against the run and allowed only one touchdown during the main scrimmage work. Tuesday, the defense mostly denied the offense good field position. Take offensive line coach Kevin Wilson's summation of the work of his unit, which itself has a formidable reputation. "In general, we got our butt kicked up front by the defense," Wilson said.

Oklahoma State: One player who continues to make a good impression is freshman defensive lineman Brad Girtman, who had a handful of snaps with the No. 1 unit on Friday. Backup center Byron Machado left the team over the weekend, apparently upset he did not receive a scholarship. There have been several minor injuries, but Miles said he isn't concerned less than three weeks before the opener. Defensive tackles Antonio Smith (leg), Xavier Lawson-Kennedy (swelling in knee), and safety Charlie Ward (knee) did not practice on Monday. Defensive tackle Kyle Hix (shoulder), wide receivers D'Juan Woods (hip flexor) and Wohlgemuth (knee) and linebacker Paul Duren (hamstring) worked on the side with trainers. Matt Hardison has gained 25 pounds during the offseason, putting him at 6-foot-5, 295 pounds, solid for an offensive tackle.and is now OSU's starting left tackle, protecting quarterback Josh Fields' blind side. Considering the defense carries many of the team's concerns this preseason, Wednesday's solid performance in the squad's first major scrimmage is perhaps an encouraging sign.
"The defense had a good day," Fields said. "It's always the case at the start of the season, the defense is a little ahead of the offense. So, we're excited to have that defense with us.
"But we've got a ways to go on offense." Offensive highlights were few, although not without reason.
The aggressive and swarming defense batted passes and plugged running lanes. A defensive line in search of replacements for Kevin Williams and LaWaylon Brown showed up strong, with tackles Clay Coe and Mike Williams capably manning the spots in the middle. Fields was working without some of his usual favorite weapons. Top tailbacks Tatum Bell and Seymore Shaw and starting tight end Billy Bajema skipped the scrimmage with minor injuries. "Overall, the offense did some things well," Cowboys coach Les Miles said. "They just haven't put it all together yet. "I think the defense is further ahead than the offense. I think they're running to the ball well. They're tackling better. We're having a difficult time handling the inside of the defensive line. I think they're doing well." That not only includes the men up front, it focuses on them.
"They're doing real good, especially considering we've got those three returning starters inside," on the offensive line, Fields said. Said Miles, "The defensive line appears to be a strong factor on this football team." Defensive end Greg Richmond led the defense with five tackles, including a sack, and recovered a fumble. Coe and Williams combined for six stops. The Cowboys' ever-changing offensive line seems to have found some stability. Kellen Davis played right tackle and Sam Mayes returned to right guard on the first-team unit during a 70-play scrimmage Wednesday. Offensive line coach Chuck Moller likes the line-up with Mayes and Davis on the right, Ben Buie at center, Matt Hardison at left tackle and Chris Akin at left guard. "There were some good things," Moller said. "I saw some pass protections that I liked. The running game, not where we need to be, not where we want to be, but we are making gradual improvement every day and getting the right people in the mix." Only Fields and Jamie Beeghley saw snaps at quarterback Wednesday, Fields completing 14 of 24 passes for 192 yards and Beeghley completing 10 of 15 for 48 yards and two interceptions. The biggest difference, Miles said, is decision making.
"That's a guy who's been there and been the starter and understands what the call's for and when to throw it away and when to pull it down," Miles said of Fields. "He does that a little more naturally.
"Jamie, he's trying to let that ball out of his a little too much." With Kyle Hix limited by a shoulder injury and freshmen still learning the system, senior defensive tackle Mike Williams has served notice he will be in the mix. Williams should see plenty of action in the opener, possibly even start against Nebraska.
"He's in great shape and is ready to play," said coach Les Miles. "He'll give us some strength inside. He has proven his ability. It's good to see him pursuing the starting job." Top recruit Xavier Lawson-Kennedy continues to be slowed by a balky knee, the result of off-season surgery. Still, Miles said a redshirt decision on Lawson-Kennedy hasn't been broached, yet. "When he gets healthy, he's going to figure," Miles said.
Lawson-Kennedy has been noticeably down during practices, mostly relegated to work with trainers on the side. "I think he's a guy who expects a lot of himself," Miles said. "He probably came out here to play significant football in the first game. And he still may. But the odds are a little bit less every day."
"Our secondary is so much faster and better," said OSU coach Les Miles. "The linebackers -- and we really enjoyed Terrence Robinson, and Dwayne Levels the year before that -- but I believe we're going to be more athletic, and I think we're going to be tough inside."

An overhaul of the secondary began late last season when freshmen Vernon Grant, Daniel McLemore, Thomas Wright and Jamar Ransom were thrown onto the field. Grant started the last seven games at cornerback.

Since then, Grant has been shifted to strong safety, with junior college transfer Robert Jones joining McLemore at the corner opposite Williams. Senior Elbert Craig has moved from free safety to weak safety to take advantage of his physical play. "The right move was to get Elbert Craig to weak safety, where Chris Massey left. Elbert's the same kind of kid, big and strong who can tackle and cover when he needs to."
And Wright steps into Craig's vacated spot. "He played a lot last year and he's ready to be a starter," Clay said. Behind the starters are a cast of capable players pushing for playing time. "We've got some depth in the secondary," Clay said. "We really shored up our secondary really well." It was needed, after the Cowboys ranked 100th in pass defense. A few more takeways are also needed, after a No. 71 ranking in turnover margin. "This is my third year," said Williams, "this is the fastest we've ever been in the secondary. We've got athletes back there, 4.3 and 4.4 guys, who fly to the ball. And athletes who can make plays." In front of the secondary are more athletic types with more speed. But there are concerns as well.
Minor injuries have hampered several players this preseason. And inexperience brings question marks.
"At linebacker, we're probably more talented than at any time I've been here," Clay said. "But we're younger at linebacker. We've got no seniors. We've got no juniors. We've got three sophomores and three freshmen." And there's replacing Williams and Brown. Clay Coe, Mike Williams, Kyle Hix and Efe Mowarin get first crack. The hope is that experienced ends Greg Richmond, Antonio Smith and Khreem Smith bolster the line overall.

Texas - Chance Mock, who is entrenched as the team's new starting quarterback, will use the naked bootleg as both a run and a pass. And he'll throw screens to the wide receivers.• Offensive coordinator Greg Davis won't hesitate to toss in an exotic play, as evidenced by the throwback to backup quarterback Vince Young, who then completed a pass to reserve tight end Neale Tweedie for a 20-yard gain — a play the Longhorns refer to as a "Y screen."• The shotgun formation, installed at midseason last year, likely will be a primary offensive set on passing downs. Wide receiver B.J. Johnson said after last season ended that one of his main reasons for returning for his senior season was a desire to beat the Oklahoma Sooners. Johnson's Longhorns have dropped three straight games to OU, including a 35-24 setback last season, a game UT led going into the fourth quarter."I've lost to them too many times," Johnson said. "That's a team I want to go out my senior year having beaten them."Johnson and his teammates will get their chance Oct. 11. "We took a lot of flak last year about being soft," he said. "And toughness is an attitude, a temperament. You can't just decide on game day you want to be tough. You get tough out here (on the practice field)."
There is reason for such attention to detail. No doubt, the Texas offense this season will go only as far as the line will allow. Last year's line struggled, particularly at run blocking, which was one of the main reasons that the Longhorns had their worst per carry average (3.4 yards) in 14 seasons.
For the first time in his five seasons here, Coach Mack Brown fired an assistant, electing not to renew the contract of Tim Nunez, who was in charge of the guards and centers. Meanwhile, Brown widened the duties of McWhorter, who tutored tackles and tight ends last year, placing him in charge of the entire line.
McWhorter has simplified things for his linemen, with most of the changes coming in the running game. The Texas playbook for linemen contains notes for more than 100 different blocks. But the Longhorns have de-emphasized the gap scheme portions of the playbook, in favor of the more physical and less complicated isolation plays and zone blocking. Also, the line is using more double teams.

Texas A&M - But that requires depth, which is a major issue for A&M. The roster lists 18 defensive linemen, but only four -- Smith, Marcus Jasmin, Johnny Jolly and David Ross -- have gotten significant playing time. The 288-pound Smith admitted that was a problem last season, especially when elusive quarterback Jamaal Lord rallied Nebraska from a 31-14 deficit to a 38-31 win. "I was dead tired," Smith recalled. "The whole starting front wanted someone to come in and back them up." The Texas A&M offensive line, already looking for answers, was left with another question when Andre Brooks ended his A&M career for medical reasons. Brooks, who started at the guard and tackle for the Aggies last season, has been bothered by knee problems and decided after Monday’s morning workout to stop playing.
“In 31 years of coaching, this may be about as fine a group of offensive linemen as I’ve been around,” Franchione said. “We are impressed with the young linemen. Torbush, who coaches linebackers, isn’t likely to call off the dogs. His aggressive, attacking style fits the mold of former Wrecking Crew units.
“We’re going to be very aggressive and attack the line of scrimmage,” Torbush said. “We’re not going to be stupid. If we can’t man-blitz, we’re going to zone-blitz. “We’ll be bringing linebackers from every angle we can.” Last season’s 6-6 mark has not been lost on the returning players, who are aiming to turn things around, and in the process, put A&M back on the radar screen. “That’s not Aggie football,” Aggie quarterback Reggie McNeal said of the 6-6 season. “We’re just anxious to get out there this year and play.

“We’re going to shock a lot of people this year.” “We have to take Kyle Field back,” Franchione said. “Down through the last several years, Kyle Field has been a distinct home field advantage. We lost four last year at Kyle Field. We can’t have that happen, not with our road schedule.” Texas A&M coach Dennis Franchione said Monday that junior linebacker Randall Webb, who made only two starts last year but finished second on the team in sacks and tackles-for-losses, has been "dismissed from the team for a violation of team and athletic department rules."

Texas Tech: Projected starting defensive end Chauncey Clark is the only signee who has been declared ineligible to join the team this fall. Clark hasn't graduated from City College of San Francisco, meaning he can't accept the scholarship he had at Tech. Defensive tackle Jeremy Milam, wide receiver Armon Dorrough and defensive backs Michael Brisco and Dwan Carroll will not be on the Texas Tech football team this season, Tech spokesman Chris Cook said Tuesday.None of the players checked in for preseason workouts that begin today. The reasons for Brisco's and Carroll's absences were not disclosed.
Milam has been ruled out for the year because of continuing back problems, according to the team's medical staff. He tried to begin spring practice but couldn't go. Texas Tech linebacker Kellen Tillman will miss the season because of two torn ligaments in his right knee. Tuesday afternoon, Tommie Pratt got to put on shoulder pads in Texas Tech training camp for the first time, and probably not a moment too soon. Now Tech assistant coach Ruffin McNeill has five defensive tackles with whom to work instead of four. McNeill could take every interior lineman he coaches down to Olan Mills for a group portrait and squeeze them all into the same sitting. That says a lot about how few 300-pounders are left to shore up the middle of the Red Raidersą defense.

Wyoming: Last season, Wyoming's defense couldn't stop anybody, giving up 36 points a game. It was so bad that even though the offense scored more than 30 points in five games, the Cowboys won only two all season. That's what new Wyoming football coach Joe Glenn was most concerned about when the Cowboys began practices last week - particularly the team's last line of defense. But he's not as worried anymore.
"We were really concerned about it because of the numbers," Glenn said Friday at the Cowboys' picture day. "We were a little worried about our secondary, but I think those guys have been playing the lights out. (Senior cornerback) Chris Dixon, the veteran guys ... even (cornerback) Derrick Martin, the freshman from Thomas Jefferson. He's made a couple of huge plays in practice already that really showed us some athleticism. "Our three linebackers (junior Guy Tuell, junior Randy Tscharner and senior Tyler Gottschalk, who was moved from the middle to the strong side) - that's probably our strength. The defensive line, that's where we're more concerned now, because we're not very deep."It may not be good news for the Cowboys that seven starters return, but Glenn said lack of talent was not the biggest issue."I really think some of that was also their philosophy," he said. "If you're just going pass, pass, pass and never huddle up, and all of a sudden your defense is right back out there? I hope we can protect our defense a little better than maybe what they had in the past.""In some areas on defense, we've got to stay healthy because we're not very deep, and we might have to play some younger kids."With an established quarterback in senior Casey Bramlet and an offense loaded at wide receiver, Glenn said the Cowboys won't just use the huddle to give their defense a chance to catch its breath.The Cowboys open the season Aug. 30 at home against Montana State."We're also going to try to be more balanced with our running game," Glenn said.

Air Force: "We feel encouraged by the overall athletic ability of our back five in our secondary," AFA secondary coach Vic Shealy said. "There's no question that experience is the greatest quality a defensive back can have. Experience gives you dependability."Duncan said the backfield will be helped by the front seven."Our front seven is going to get better pressure on the quarterback," Duncan said. "I know we're very solid at linebacker. All of them are a year older, they're faster and they're stronger." Air Force coach Fisher DeBerry didn't just give his traditional guarantee of a Colorado State victory over Colorado. De- Berry said his prediction is that "CSU is going to beat the heck out of Colorado."

PURDUE: Running back Joey Harris, the Boilermakers' leading rusher with more than 1,100 yards last season, was ruled academically ineligible for his senior season. Sophomore Brandon Jones, who rushed for nearly 700 yards last year, likely will replace Harris.

VIRGINIA: Wide receiver Michael McGrew suffered a broken leg in practice and will miss the 2003 season. The senior was Virginia's top returning wideout with 27 receptions for 428 yards and two touchdowns last season.

Messages In This Thread

Big 12 Notes & Etc -- Ben Dover -- 16 Aug 03, 9:02 pm

source? -- FrankB -- 18 Aug 03, 3:59 pm

Local papers, team websites, why do you ask? (nt) -- Ben Dover -- 18 Aug 03, 5:47 pm

re: why do you ask? -- FrankB -- 19 Aug 03, 2:40 pm

No one spot, it took many hours to gather those (nt) -- Ben Dover -- 19 Aug 03, 7:29 pm

CFB Forum is maintained by Pi Yee Press