College Confidential

Baylor forges ahead of Texas Tech 13-7

LUBBOCK _ Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin scored his second touchdown of the game and the Bears bolted ahead of Texas Tech 13-7.

Griffin's second TD came when he faked everyone on an inside handoff and scooted around the left end untouched from 13 yards out wth seven seconds remaining in the first period. Ben Parks missed the PAT kick for the Bears.

The Baylor drive started at the Tech 34 after linebacker Antonio Johnson intercepted his first pass of the season.

_ Dwain Price

Baylor bounces back to tie the game

LUBBOCK _ Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin snuck into the end zone from a yard out to help the Bears tied their game with Texas Tech at 7-7 at Jones AT&T Stadium.

Like Tech, the Bears also used 14 plays _ and 52 yards _ before hitting paydirt. In additiion, Baylor chewed up 7:16 of clock time.

Griffin rushed for 2 and 6 yards to complete a pair of fourth-down conversions in the drive.

_ Dwain Price

Texas Tech races ahead 7-0

LUBBOCK _ A week after getting pounded by Oklahoma, the Texas Tech Red Raiders wasted little time getting ahead of Baylor.

Quarterback Graham Harrell fired a 6-yard touchdown pass to Eric Morris to climax a 14-play, 60-yard drive on the game's opening possession as the Red Raidiers jumped out to a 7-0 lead less than five minutes into Saturday's game. The TD pass moved Harrell within two of catching Colt Brennan for the most touchdown passes in an NCAA career.

Brennan finished his career last year with 131 TD passes, and Harrell now has 129.

_ Dwain Price

In case anyone wondered...

Arkansas State leads North Texas at halftime 17-14 in the Mean Green's season finale in Denton. UNT's Giovanni Vizza threw a touchdown pass to Brock Stickler and ran for a score. All three ASU scoring drives started on short fields.

ASU scored TDs after UNT receiver Breece Johnson coughed up the ball in Mean Green territory, and Truman Spencer had to dig out a low punt snap for a 20-yard loss. ASU's late field goal came after a 57-yard kickoff return. As usual, UNT's special teams are sparkling.

At least Spencer ran 13 yards on a fake UNT punt for a first down, but that drive ended with Vizza forcing an interception in the end zone. The wind is messing with ASU's offense; quarterback Corey Leonard has but 75 yards passing.

Good news, Mean Green fans. The season ends in 30 minutes.

--Troy Phillips

Texas Tech fans match Texas' flyover for ESPN GameDay

The skies above Stillwater, Okla. will be busy Saturday morning.

In response to a move by Texas fans who hired a private plane to pull a pro-Longhorns’ banner over the site of Saturday’s ESPN’s College GameDay telecast, the move has been matched by Texas Tech fans eager to remind the world that their Red Raiders took down the Longhorns, 39-33, on Nov. 1.

 
According to a report today in The Daily Oklahoman, a group of about 20 Tech fans have set up a flyover of their own in Stillwater, where Oklahoma (10-1, 6-1 in Big 12) will meet Oklahoma State (9-2, 5-2) at 7 p.m. Saturday in the last of three high-profile games this week involving teams that can finish in a tie for first place in the South Division.

If there is a three-way tie between OU, Texas (11-1, 7-1) and Tech (10-1, 6-1), the team that places highest in Sunday’s BCS standings will advance to the Big 12 Championship Game on Dec. 6.

Texas fans used Thursday night’s ESPN national telecast of the Longhorns’ 49-9 rout of Texas A&M to draw attention to their team’s 45-35 victory over Oklahoma in head-to-head play on Oct. 11. Approximately 20,000 signs with the “45-35” message were distributed at the game in Austin, many of them gaining air time on ESPN. A similar message will be displayed this morning in Stillwater during the Texas-financed flyover.

Tech’s banner will read “www.39-33.com,” drawing attention to the final score of Tech’s victory over Texas in Lubbock. Tech graduate Shane Walker told the Oklahoman that he contributed $500 to today’s flyover to draw attention to a day that “Longhorn fans have forgotten.”

“We realize we got thumped by OU … but we want to go to a BCS bowl,” Walker told the newspaper. “Based on Texas’ head-to-head argument, we should get the BCS bowl over them.”

Tech fell to Oklahoma, 65-21, last week.
_ Jimmy Burch

Mack Brown's BCS lobbying efforts

Texas coach Mack Brown made sure to state his case about the Longhorns’ worthiness for BCS inclusion after Thursday’s 49-9 rout of Texas A&M.

Texas (11-1, 7-1 in Big 12) is No. 2 in this week’s BCS standings, percentage points ahead of No. 3 Oklahoma (10-1, 6-1). Texas Tech (10-1, 6-1) is No. 7. If OU and Tech win their regular-season finales on Saturday, all three teams will finish in a three-way tie atop the South Division standings and the team that places highest in Sunday’s updated BCS standings will advance to the Big 12 Championship Game.

Below are some of Brown’s thoughts in the wake of Thursday’s victory:

On possibly remaining the top-rated Big 12 team in the BCS standings and earning a berth in the Big 12 title game:
“I feel like we deserve to go,” Brown said. “If that’s not good enough, then the system’s messed up.”

On not running up the score against A&M late in the game:
“That’s what we always do,” Brown said. “I can’t sit here and act like we really believe in sportsmanship and sit there and throw it every snap at the end. If the difference between 49-9 and 56-9 is going to make the difference in whether we go to Kansas City or not, then the system is more screwed up than I think it is. If it takes 56 points to get somebody to vote for you, then, folks, we’ve got a bad system.”

Overall thoughts on the evening:
“I’m proud of our guys, proud of tonight. Whether we get to play next week or not, I hope we do. But whether we do or not, I think we’ll end up in a BCS game somewhere and, hopefully, we’ll continue to play like we did tonight,” Brown said.

On whether he’ll directly lobby coaches poll voters in the coming days:
“No.  They all saw it. Everybody saw the game. If they can’t see the game and decide what’s best, it doesn’t do any good for me to call them,” Brown said. “I really think it’s demeaning for me to have to call them when they all sat there and watched it. They’ll make their decision based on our body of work and we think our body of work is good enough.”

On this Texas team:
“They’re one play away from being No. 1 in the country and undefeated,” Brown said. “The last play of the game on the road … I really think this team is special.”

On QB Colt McCoy and his Heisman hopes:
“I felt like we made the statement that we needed to make, starting with Colt,” Brown said. “I thought he made a huge statement tonight. Because I do think he’s the best player. He’s the most valuable player on one of the best teams in the country. We would not be where we are without him.”

On future changes he’d like to see in the BCS system:
“What I’d like to see is to not send conference champions to the BCS unless they deserve to go,” Brown said. “Then, we’d at least have the eight best teams playing in the BCS. That’s be a place to start. If you’ve got a horrible conference one year and three really good teams in the Big 12 South, that’s not fair to those three teams. That’s what I see. It should be about the best teams. Right now, it’s about the conference champions. I’d like to see it about the best teams, if we’re not going to have a playoff. And then Tech doesn’t suffer. Oklahoma doesn’t suffer. Texas doesn’t suffer. Because you get rewarded for a great year.”

_ Jimmy Burch

Texas 49, Texas A&M 9: Postgame reaction

Texas coach Mack Brown

On the win: I'm proud of the guys. There was a tremendous amount of pressure on our guys tonight because A&M had nothing to lose and we have everything in the world to lose. I felt like they made the statement they needed to make. ... I thought [Colt McCoy] made a huge statement tonight because I do think he's the most valuable player on one of the best teams in the country. I've said it repeatedly, and I'll say it again tonight -- we would not be where we are without him.

On the BCS rankings: This team has been unbelievable this year, and whether we get to play next week [in the Big 12 Championship Game] or not -- I hope we do -- I think we'll end up in a BCS game somewhere. Hopefully we can continue to play like we did tonight.

Texas quarterback Colt McCoy

On the fans: That's the loudest I've ever heard it. I thought the Missouri game would be the loudest, but tonight was just awesome.

Texas defensive end Brian Orakpo

On holding A&M to negative rushing yards: You have to control the line of scrimmage. That's the main thing in each and every ball game. If you can't do that, that's when they can take advantage and ruun the ball and work the play action. Roy [Miller] and company did a great job up the middle. They did a great job pushing the pocket and making our job easier off the ends.

Texas defensive coordinator Will Muschamp

On UT's six sacks: We've done a great job all year pressure the quarterback with four guys rushing. We feel like we had some advantages based on some protection things they did, and the kids did an outstanding job of executing in those situations.

Texas offensive coordinator Greg Davis

On Texas' focus: We told the guys that they cannot go out with the attitude that we needed to follow a bunch of polls. We just needed to play. It was a rivalry game and we knew they were going to play hard. All we wanted to do was win the ballgame.

Texas A&M coach Mike Sherman

On the loss: Texas played a whale of a ball game, and we didn't. I thought our guys played their hearts out. We were overmatched at different times in the ball game and didn't handle that very well. I thought our guys played hard, but obviously, playing hard doesn't guarantee a victory. You have to play well, coach well and get it done, and we didn't get it done.

On Texas' offensive success, including 14 of 17 on third down conversions: We just didn't stop them on third down. Give Texas all the credit. They've got a heck of a football team, and [Colt McCoy] is a heck of a quarterback. ... We didn't convert on third downs, and they did.We didn't stay on the field, and they did. That was the name of the game.

McCoy plans to examine NFL draft prospects

Texas quarterback Colt McCoy, a junior who is a Heisman Trophy candidate, plans to file the necessary paperwork with NFL officials after the season to request feedback about his prospects in the 2009 draft.

Although he said his intent is to return for his senior season, McCoy said it would be “foolish” not to check out his NFL prospects.

“You have to look at it. I think that would not be right if you didn’t check into it,” McCoy said. “I don’t know what will happen, but I plan on being back here … I want to play four years here. Not very many people have had the opportunity to do that.”

McCoy, who set the school record for career victories as a starting quarterback (31) with Thursday’s 49-9 triumph over Texas A&M, indicated only a first-round projection would trigger his early departure. As of Thursday, he was not projected as a first-round pick by any scouting service that lists underclassmen players.

“All I’m saying is, if you were a first-round pick, would you go?,” McCoy said. “We’ll see what happens. You have to weigh everything. You have to weigh coming back for your senior year and playing with your teammates and your coaches and your best friends. I think that’s something really hard to leave.”

Asked if being projected as someone targeted to go in the second round or later would make his decision easier, McCoy said: “Yes.”

Reflecting on the possibility of being a four-year starter at Texas, McCoy said: “That’s something that’s really special to me and important to me. I think we would win a lot of games next year, too.”

_ Jimmy Burch

Aggies missing key pieces up front

The game hasn't kicked off yet and already Texas A&M looks like it's in trouble against No. 4 Texas. Senior offensive tackle Travis Schneider, the Aggies' most experienced lineman, was not cleared to play tonight after suffering a concussion against Baylor. Guard Lee Grimes will slide into Schneider's spot, and Danny Baker will get his first start at guard after earning starting at tight end against Miami earlier this season. The Aggies were already without guard Robbie Frost because of an earlier concussion. That's bad news for A&M and a rough way for Schneider to end his college career.

-- Lori Dann

Bradford, Murray smart guys

Two of Oklahoma's record-setting offensive players also get high classroom marks.

Sooners quarterback Sam Bradford and running back DeMarco Murray have both been named second-team academic All-Americans on a school-nominated team sponsored by ESPN the Magazine.

Bradford carries a 3.95 GPA in finance, which should prove useful to him in the future. Murray has a 3.31 in communications. In only two seasons, Bradford has broken the initial 2-year record for touchdown passes with 78--shattering the former record of 55 by former Florida quarterback Rex Grossman. Murray has scored 32 touchdowns in two seasons, breaking the OU record of 29 set by Adrian Peterson.--Mike Jones.