College Confidential

Texas' D.J. Monroe a co-starter at tailback

Texas coaches list tailback D.J. Monroe (5-foot-9, 171 pounds), who has averaged 9.3 yards per carry, as a co-starter with Fozzy Whittaker for Saturday’s game. But Monroe has only seven carries, with six coming last week against UCLA.

Coaches are concerned about overusing Monroe, who struggles in pass protection and is not effective running between the tackles. But they want to get him the ball more often, which triggered his move back to running back after spending fall drills at receiver.

“It was so hard to get him the ball as a receiver,” Brown said. “Now, we can.”

-- Jimmy Burch

Texas QB Garrett Gilbert knows he must get better

Texas quarterback Garrett Gilbert saw a personal streak of 33 consecutive victories as a starting quarterback end with last week’s 34-12 loss to UCLA. But he said he learned a lot in his first defeat since his high school days. What did he learn?

Gilbert said the Longhorns have “got a ways to go” as an offense, with the first orders of business being to “protect the ball better and.....finish drives.” Gilbert, who has thrown four interceptions in the last two games, placed most of the blame himself.

“Being my own toughest critic, I feel like there was a lot of stuff that I could have done a lot better for our team,” Gilbert said. “Taking it from the film and applying it to Oklahoma is what matters.”

-- Jimmy Burch

Nothing the Big 10 Did Over the Weekend Should Count

SUNDAY MORNING HANGOVER FROM COLLEGE FOOTBALL ... 

* TCU coach Gary Patterson said after his team’s win against SMU it was like “Alabama-Auburn”. Do you think Alabama coach Nick Saban will say, “It was like TCU-SMU” after the Tide play the Tigers in November?

(OK, it’s a cheap shot, but I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t take it. It’s sports. Have fun, people.)

* A huge win for UNT coach Todd Dodge against Florida Atlantic. The Mean Green, who have been beset by injuries unlike no other team in Division I, are 1-3 and 1-0 in the Sun Belt.

Dodge was down to his third-string QB, Riley Dodge, who won all of those games for his dad when the pair were at Southlake Carroll High School. Riley completed 10-of-15 passes for 146 yards and a pair of touchdown passes. He also ran 11 times for 67 yards.

TD lives to coach another day.

* Texas State is 3-1 for the first time since 2005 after it defeated Southern Utah, 42-28. The Bobcats, ranked No. 23 in the I-AA poll, ran for 224 yards.

* Now that Houston is without QB Case Keenum for the season with an injury, the Coogs may be a running team. RB Bryce Beal ran for 123 yards and four touchdowns in UH’s 42-23 win against Tulane. The Coogs are starting a true frosh QB, Terrance Broadway.

* BYU’s last season in the MWC isn’t terribly memorable, mostly the Cougars aren’t very good. BYU lost at home against future MWC member, Nevada, 27-13. True frosh QB Jake Heaps made his first start for the Cougars, and was 24-of-45 for 229 yards.

* Boise State better watch out - Nevada can play. The Wolfies are 4-0, and host the Broncos on Nov. 26.

* Lamar returned to reality. The first-year program was blown out at Stephen F. Austin, 71-3. SR QB Jeremy Moses threw for 353 yards and four TDs, and went over the 10,000-yard mark for his career.

* I have no idea what to make of CUSA. I know no one cares, mostly because the conference has no top 25 team now that UH QB Case Keenem is out. But for the sake of TCU’s strength of schedule, it needs SMU to win that conference. Even if the Ponies win though, the voting masses won’t care anyone beat the CUSA champs’ because no one is clearly better than the other.

* Alabama is the best team in the nation, but I don’t like its chances of running the table again in the SEC. Alabama’s next two games are vs. No. 9 Florida, and at No. 12 South Carolina. On Nov. 6, the Tide play at No. 15 LSU. And, of course, the Tide finish with Auburn. The Tide have to lose eventually, right?

* How much money is being spent on the ad campaign for the new Wall Street movie? I'm seeing that ad in my sleep.

* We don’t know exactly how good Oregon is because it plays in the Pacific Time zone. It’s more proof how badly you need to be in the Central or Eastern time zone, or be Los Angeles, to really get noticed. That said, the Ducks are a serious threat to reach the BCS title game.

* UTEP’s win against Memphis gives the Miners a 3-1 start, their best since 2005. It’s just the sixth time in the last 46 seasons the Miners are won three of their first four games. Lots of tradition in El Paso. But it could save Mike Price’s job.

The game was won after the Miners drove the ball 95 yards in the final minutes to set up Dakota Warren’s 18-yard FG.

* After handling Rice in rain-filled game, Baylor is halfway to six wins to qualify for the What Else Is There To Do In This Town Bowl. Can the Bears get there?

* The Big East is awful. Period. It’s only ranked team, however, No. 22 West Virginia, actually showed itself quite nicely in a 20-14 loss at No. 15 LSU.

* Auburn QB Cameron Newton may be better than Arkansas QB Ryan Mallett. Not as a pro, but as a collegian.

* Did any athletic department stuff their bank account on the backs of its football team more than San Jose State? The Spartans traveled to play at Alabama, at Wisconsin and at Utah; they lost those three games by the combined score of 131-20. If they didn’t clear $2 million off those three losses something is wrong.

* Suspend the idea that the best RB at Alabama is backup Trent Richardson. He’s good, but JR and defending Heisman winner Mark Ingram is better.

* Texas A&M’s best chance to beat Arkansas in two weeks is to get pressure on Hogs QB Ryan Mallett and hope he throws picks the way he did against Alabama.

But the way the Tide ran on the Hogs should give Aggies hope that Christine Michael and Jerrod Johnson can score points.

* Texas’ big home loss to UCLA has to have the people in Lubbock worried. This was the same Texas defense that dominated the Red Raiders.

* Oklahoma had to be looking forward to next week’s game against Texas. The Sooners probably should have lost at Cincinnati on Saturday night, but they were the better team.

* I’ll keep saying this - Nebraska is going to win the Big 12 title game in its last season in the conference. And no one will be grinning any bigger than Tom Osborne.

* The Big 12 North is almost as bad as the Big East. In fact, the whole Big 12 is a bit down this year.

* What the Big 10 did this weekend was shameful. The conference finished a collective 8-2, all at home, against a schedule that was so weak and so lame that fans should have been admitted for free.

The opponents were: Northern Illinois, Central Michigan, Bowling Green, Northern Colorado, Ball State, Austin Peay, Toledo, Eastern Michigan, Akron, Temple.

The eight teams that won did so by the combined score of 385-109. Two teams scored 70 points.

Lost in these stupid numbers is that two of schools from this “power” conference actually managed to lose. How?

Purdue should be kicked out of the conference after losing 31-20 to Toledo in West Lafayette. And Minnesota coach Tim Brewster all but signed his “fired” papers after the Gophers lost 34-23 to Northern Illinois.

* TCU needs more style points. Every margin needs to be at least 20 points.

 

- Mac Engel

CHEERLEADER CHAT - WEEK 2

LaShey Lanford
Texas Tech Pom Pom Squad

Age: 19
Major: Education specializing in math and science
Hometown: Allen
What do you want to be when you grow up?: 4-6th grade teacher
Favorite pro sports team: DALLAS COWBOYS!
Favorite athlete: Right now in the pros I like Tony Romo and Michael Crabtree, and in college every Texas Tech athlete!
Favorite movie: Twilight
Favorite book: Eat Pray Love
Favorite guilty pleasure movie: Enchanted
Favorite movie about cheerleaders?: The original "Bring It On".
Does college football need a playoff?: Yes. I feel like not every team's record shows the difficulty of their schedule. I believe that the Big 12 and SEC have very tough conferences so our records could not be as good.

THE MORE IMPORTANT STUFF
Mac Engel: What is the hardest part of being a Texas Tech cheerleader?
Lashey Lanford: I think just trying to manage your time well between practice, games, appearances, school, a social life, and Brodii, my puppy!

ME: What is the masked rider guy really like?
LL: She is very nice and loves midnight, the Texas Tech horse. I know that she is honored to be our masked rider, and is doing a wonderful job!

ME: Have you ever been hit by a tortilla?
LL: Haha, yes I have! It's hard to avoid while you're on the field!

ME: Most embarrassing moment performing before a large audience.
LL: At times I get so into the game that I will start a dance late!

ME: Time to pick some games from this weekend's schedule.

1. Florida State at Oklahoma
LL: Oklahoma

2. Penn St. at Alabama
LL: Alabama

3. Texas Tech at New Mexico
LL: Texas Tech of course!

4. Miami (Fla.) at Ohio State
LL: Ohio State

5. Iowa State at Iowa
LL: Iowa State

6. Michigan at Notre Dame
LL: Michigan

- Mac Engel

Fun and games, Stoops family style

When Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops faces younger brother Mark, Florida State’s defensive coordinator, on Saturday afternoon it will be the first time any of the four Stoops brothers have been on opposing sidelines.

Both Mike, the Arizona coach who Mark worked for last season, and Bob made it plain during the last bowl-selection season that they opposed any berth that would put them across the field.

But Bob had some fun after Monday’s practice speaking fondly of the days he and the two other older Stoops brothers (including Ron) enjoyed the runt of the family—at least five years younger than any of his older brothers.

 “He is a bad guy, he is the black sheep of the family and nobody likes him,” Stoops said, laughing.

“No, he is being the youngest. . .he was the favorite of my parents and the favorite of us as siblings. When he is that much younger than you, then you enjoy him as a little guy, because you are old enough to take care of him, or take him with you.”

Then the stories started to come.

“I always thought it was hysterical when he first started playing Pop Warner or Little League football,” Stoops remembered. “He had been running around with three older brothers forever playing ball, at (his football-coaching dad’s) practices, and I mean he really understood how to play.

“So he was like Dick Butkus and Walter Payton out there. I  mean he would play middle linebacker and he would kill everybody. And he would play running back and he had all the moves as a young guy.”

Being the youngest had both its rewards and drawbacks in a family with three older brothers—all of whom shared one bedroom.

“Mark wasn’t like Mike, Ron and I as my brother Ron was three years older than me and we were always scuffling or into something, especially me,” Stoops said. “But Mark was too young he couldn’t be in the middle of it.

“So there wasn’t anybody fighting him, so we would pretty much throw him around the room in fun ways and he was in the hospital getting stitches about every other week. We would just be playing with him bouncing him off the bed because we were all in the same room and so we would have him jump on the board and we would try to take his feet out from under him with pillows.”

And, of course, the brothers put him up to things for their own amusement.

“He would do anything in the neighborhood,” Stoops said. “And that was the idea too; because I had a bunch of buddies in the neighborhood and we would get Mark to do just about anything.

“I remember I would get him up on the high dive when he was about five at the city pool and he would do anything. He would do back-flips and land on his seat or smack himself, and he would get up and do it again.

“So he was a little bit of a daredevil too, but I think he was doing it because we were all telling him too, you know. You know the little guy doesn’t want to tell you no.

“He knew he was entertaining us.”

It’s a wonder Mark still speaks to his brothers. He wasn’t, however, able to speak of their childhood together. Seminoles’ coach Jimbo Fisher doesn’t permit his assistants to talk to the media.

 
Among Stoops’ other observations this week:

*He twice mentioned that OU “held some things back” offensively last week that would surface Saturday against Florida State.

*He complimented receivers Cameron Kenny and Dejuan Miller, in addition to lauding Ryan Broyles.

*Said the secondary errors were caused by players who did not make plays they were in position to make. But said freshman nickel back Tony Jefferson “had an excellent game.”

*Seemed to indicate Ronnell Lewis would remain more in the end rotation than at linebacker, a premise later enforced by defensive coordinator Brent Venables discussing the return this week of ends Frank Alexander and Pryce Macon. Lewis played end and on special teams against Utah State when the Sooners were in essence in a nickel defense throughout.

“(Lewis) just needs to be in the rotation,” Stoops said. “He did well (vs. the Aggies).

“He’s still learning. He’s still getting upfield more than he should, those kinds of things, instead of closing on the tackle when he blocks down. But he’s getting it more and more and made a nice sack.

“So we feel the more he plays the more comfortable he’s going to be there. You’ve got to have four or five guys there to rotate to play as hard as you need them to, to rush the passer. And he will be one of those guys.”

*Said the offensive line was, “much further along than a year ago, but we want more.”

*Said Flower Mound Marcus freshman defensive tackle Daniel Noble “has really played well in practice” and should play this week.

-- Mike Jones.

Stoops names walk-on Patrick O’Hara the starting kicker

Walk-on Patrick O’Hara, who took over place-kicking duties in November for slumping Jimmy Stevens, will begin the season as the starter.
Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops picked the sophomore over a few candidates although he has expressed disappointment over the group’s inconsistency during August camp.
“[O’Hara] in my eyes has been a little more consistent than everyone else and needs to be given an opportunity to keep [the job] and improve with it, as opposed to some knee-jerk reaction after every kick,” Stoops said.
O’Hara is a former soccer player who converted 6-of-9 field-goal attempts and all 15 of his PATs.
—Mike Jones

OU's Warren declares for NBA Draft

The star-crossed college career of Willie Warren at Oklahoma  is over.

The former North Crowley star announced Thursday morning that he will enter the NBA Draft and hire an agent, meaning his decision to leave the program after two seasons is final.

"This was a stressful decision and one that I've been stuck in the middle on for a little while," Warren said in a statement. "I didn't like how things went this year with my injury and everything, but I also feel like I have the skills to take the next step.  Some of the things I need to work on like being a better leader and being more vocal are things I can do at the next level.

"I talked to my mom extensively the last few weeks and I feel like the best move for me is to make the jump.  Coach [Jeff] Capel is in my corner and said he'll help me out as much as he can.”

Warren was a consensus freshman All-American and a second-team All-Big 12 pick as the Sooners advanced to the Elite Eight in 2009. Coaches named him honorable mention All-Big 12 the past season when he led OU with a team-high 16.3 points per game. He missed 10 games--eight because of an ankle injury that required season-ending arthroscopic surgery on March 3.

But Warren’s leadership was in question all season -- dating back to the summer -- even though he scored at least 24 points six times in the season's first 11 games as the Sooners struggled early and then failed to live up to overly-optimistic preseason expectations.

"My freshman year I feel like I made some big contributions and I was somewhat satisfied," Warren said.  "I feel like I could have scored more, but I understood the makeup of our team and it was a great feeling to make it all the way to the Elite Eight.

“My sophomore year was up and down and tough on all of us.  It was a rollercoaster ride, especially for me with my ankle injury and being sick. But if I had to make my decision all over again, I would make the same one to attend OU.

“It was the best experience of my life and I want to thank all the Sooner fans who were behind me.  My ankle is doing great and now it's time to take the next step."

Capel has already lost standout freshman point guard Tommy Mason-Griffin to the NBA draft and now faces another major task in rebuilding the program for the second time in Capel's four seasons without a star like Blake Griffin to build around.

Freshman forward Tiny Gallon, who had a difficult freshman season, currently is unable to participate in the off-season program while the university investigates his relationship with a financial advisor. He remains in school, though his future at OU is uncertain.

OU signed two players in November--6-foot-6 winger Cameron Clark of Sherman and 6-3 combo guard T.J. Taylor of  Denison, both of whom were highly recruited. The Sooners also recently received an oral commitment from Oklahoma player of the year Tyler Neal, a 6-6 small forward from Putman City West.

Six scholarship players are currently on campus, including Gallon, leaving OU with four and possibly five scholarships (if Gallon leaves) to give.

-- Mike Jones

 

Thoughts from Saturday

A few thoughts about Saturday's games while waiting for the (drum roll please) first announcement of the BCS standings about 3:40 p.m. today on Fox.

1. Texas will probably be third in the first BCS rankings behind Florida and Alabama, especially with Virginia Tech's loss. Anything lower will be a shock. It will be interesting to see how the computers view the Longhorns. Texas proved it could win a defensive game against Oklahoma even though it registered few style points. The next two games, at Missouri and at Oklahoma State, will define the Texas regular season.

2. We don't know if we've seen Sam Bradford's last game in an Oklahoma uniform. That's his call. Hopefully, we did. He came to Oklahoma when he could have been a Top 10 (and maybe higher) NFL pick. He bounced from a serious shoulder sprain to return, showing grit. Now he's hurt again. He has nothing left to prove at OU and nothing he can prove to the NFL. Shut it down, heal, get surgery if necessary and get ready for the draft.

3. A couple of weeks ago, the pirate ship at Texas Tech looked to be taking on water. Now, the Red Raiders can make a legitimate claim, along with Oklahoma State, to being the second best team in the Big 12. (Hey, both lost to Houston). Backup QB Steven "Sticks" Sheffield was unfazed by a road start in Lincoln. And the defense - yes, the Tech defense - absolutely dominated with five sacks. Ndamukong who?

4. Speaking of a ship that may be sinking ... yeah, that's a transition to Texas A&M. At worst, I figured the Aggies could get two or three wins against the worst of the North and get to a bowl. After Saturday's 62-14 loss at Kansas State, the Aggies could be descending beyond the 2008 depths. "We got our butt kicked every which way," A&M coach Mike Sherman said. Unless Michael Bishop just gained some more eligibility, this isn't exactly a vintage Bill Snyder team. The Wildcats were coming off a 66-14 butt kicking of their own at Texas Tech.

5. SMU is 3-3 but could easily be 5-1 and a win away from bowl-eligibility. The Mustangs held second-half leads against Washington State and Navy and then lost in overtime in both games. SMU could still cobble together six victories, if it can post home wins against Rice, UTEP and Tulane. 

6. TCU has done pretty much everything it has needed to do as a potential BCS Buster. The Horned Frogs' biggest test comes Saturday at BYU, which has regrouped since that loss to Florida State. Since joining the Mountain West, TCU has split at Provo, winning 51-50 in 2005 and losing 27-22 in 2007. A win over Max Hall and Co. would be a major boost as TCU tries to climb past Boise State.

-- Chuck Carlton

OU receiver Ryan Broyles could be back in a month

Oklahoma’s leading receiver, Ryan Broyles, could return to action in a month or less, coach Bob Stoops said Monday morning.

“They have identified a fracture in his shoulder blade,” Stoops said. “[The medical staff’s] best estimate is somewhere between two to four weeks until he can return to play.”

That estimate is slightly more optimistic than the four-to-six week estimate offered Saturday night. Broyles was injured on the Sooners’ first series in a 21-20 loss at Miami after a 37-yard reception, OU’s longest play of the night.

He entered the game with a national-best seven touchdowns on 22 receptions for 309 yards.

Stoops also said the yardstick would be the same as last week to determine if quarterback Sam Bradford would play Saturday against Baylor.

“It’s making all the throws and making them comfortably, being able to execute the offense and make the throws he needs to make,” Stoops said. “And to be able to do them in a precise way and in a way that he is not aggravating [his right shoulder injury].

“I said that a week ago as well.”

-- Mike Jones

 

Bradford's evaluation will continue through the week, Stoops says

Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said Monday morning that the evaluation of quarterback Sam Bradford’s status for Saturday’s game at Miami would continue through the week, but refused to speculate on Bradford’s chances of playing.

“I would think we would know here later in the week what Sam is able to handle and where we are with it,” Stoops said Monday morning.

He said he doubted the decision would go to game time.

“I would think it would be earlier than that,” he said. “We just have to feel comfortable that he feels healthy, that he is good enough to make the throws we need to make and he’s ready to do it.

“All his rehab to this point, everything has been positive.”

Stoops described Bradford’s weekend trip to Alabama to consult with noted orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews as nothing more than a checkup and that he was not seeking a “clearance” to play as some had speculated about the visit.

“As much as anything [it was] an extra opinion,” Stoops said.

“Our [medical staff has] been awesome in their evaluations. When it first happened, they got multiple opinions and everybody’s were all pretty similar and felt our guys were definitely on the right track and doing the right things. And I think that was the outcome the other day as well.

“Our doctors, through all the MRIs and everything, visited with many, many people, including Dr. Andrews.”

-- Mike Jones