College Football Preview – Part 2/7, BIG 12

BIG 12

BAYLOR

Offense
Brand new season, same old results. The Bears aren’t going anywhere this season in the tough Big 12 South. Even though Oklahoma State will be down a little this year, Baylor is still the worst team by a long shot. The starting QB will be decided between Shawn Bell and Terrance Parks. Bell is mostly known for the upset of Texas A&M last year by completing 32 passes for a school record. Parks wasn’t even the starting QB in his high school as he backed up Reggie McNeal in Lufkin. Paul Mosley returns as the leading rusher while David Gettis fills in for departed WR Marques Roberts with a pretty good high school prospect in David Gettis (#37 WR) who is a true frosh with 4.3 speed. The O-line returns 3 starters and let’s not waste any more space or time on Baylor’s offense.

Defense
The defense returns with some experience with 8 returning starters. The D-line returns 3 and hopes to improve on the sack numbers from last year when their safety led the team in sacks with 3! The 4-2-5 defense loses both linebackers, but 2 seniors might get the starting jobs. The secondary should be stronger this year starting all juniors and seniors. Willie Andrews (#20 DB) at SS is the star of the defense and might garner some honors by season’s end.

Prediction
Guy Morriss turned around a Kentucky team in his 2nd season, so don’t count him out on doing the same at Baylor. He returns 14 starters from last year and could make some improvements. But if you look at who he is competing against (Texas, Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, and Okla. St.), you just can’t expect this team to win in the conference. In addition to the throng of road games to start the season, youth at QB will land Baylor another losing season.

COLORADO

Offense
Someone try and clarify for me why a program like Colorado football fails to recruit a bona fide quarterback. Joel Klatt is the returning senior starter who used to be a walk-on will be backed up by James Cox (#64 QB), Bernard Jackson (#59 QB), and Brian White (#83 QB). The Buffaloes were able to churn out awesome running backs since 2001’s duo of Chris Brown and Bobby Purify. This year’s RBs will be weaker after losing Purify. Hugh Charles will start as the speed RB while Lawrence Vickers will line up at VB, a position created for Vickers who can block and run. Byron Ellis is a youngster at RB with good speed and showed flashes of brilliance in the spring. There aren’t a lot of experience WR after Jeremy Bloom became ineligible. Blake Mackey returns after starting 2 games last year along with JC transfer Alvin Barnett. Dusty Sprague could develop into the WR of the future with good size (6-4, 190) and the ability to catch in traffic. Overall, the WRs are young, but have the potential to become good players. Tight end Joe Klopfenstein has the ability to turn into the next Daniel Graham. 3 offensive linemen return as starters with good talented back ups this year. Mark Fenton and Brian Daniels are a pair of juniors who provide consistency. On paper, the Buffaloes look average on offense. The run-oriented team will struggle unless a go-to back is found.

Defense
Colorado could see great improvement on the defense if based on continuity alone. The Buffs return 10 starters from last year’s team including 9 upperclassmen. 3 starters return to a D-line that is fast and quick. Alex Ligon, James Garee, Vaka Manupuna, and Abraham Wright can all provide good pressure, but will be challenged in stopping the run. Linebackers Jordon Dizon, Thaddaeus Washington, and Brian Iwuh were the top 3 tacklers on the team last year and combined for nearly 300 tackles (295 to be exact)! The starting CBs Lorenzo Sims and Terrence Wheatley combine for 9 interceptions last year. Wheatley is also a formidable kick returner. Safeties Dominique Brooks and JJ Billingsley wraps up the defense, although Billingsley needs to shake off some rust after not playing last year.

Prediction
Colorado can take charge of the Big 12 North with a so-so offense and a good defense, but the schedule looks brutal. I hate rivalry games kicking off the season which is exactly what will happen to Colorado and Colorado State this year. When most teams are opening the season by running drills against mid-major or I-AA teams, Colorado will be playing for in-state bragging rights. Then, in their 3rd game, the Buffs travel to Miami, Fl. Other road games include Oklahoma State, Texas, Kansas State, and Iowa State. Although Colorado misses Oklahoma and Texas Tech, I still think the schedule is too much for them.

IOWA STATE

Offense
Quarterback Bret Meyer did an admirable job last year as a redshirt freshman. Meyer has a good arm and is mobile. He even rushed for 122 yards in the bowl game against a stingy Miami, OH defense. I expect Meyer to further improve on his game as he will be helped out by WRs Todd Blythe and Jon Davis, the top 2 receivers from last year. There are an ample of running backs to choose from, but last year’s 1000-yard rusher Stevie Hicks will start with Jason Scales, Walter Nickel, and Greg Coleman backing him up. The offensive line is never the same after coach Steve Loney left for the NFL in 2002, but RT Aaron Brant and C Seth Zehr are back and will be aided by several JUCO transfers.

Defense
The defensive line returns 3 starters including Brent Curvey, Nick Leaders, and Shawn Moorehead. Jason Berryman had a tremendous 2003 season, but was red-shirted last year due to injury and might not be back this year either. Tim Dobbins returns as MLB with senior Jamarr Buchanan on his weak side; however, the strong side will be exploited by opponents where red shirt freshman Adam Carper takes over. Nik Moser is a former linebacker playing the strong safety position. He is definitely the team’s best defender and is joined by experienced DBs in Deandre Jackson and Steve Paris.

Prediction
No body expected a 7-5 season from Iowa State last year. After opening the season 2-4, the Cyclones won 4 straight conference games before losing 14-17 in OT in the finale against Missouri. A trip back to the bowls is very likely with a stable quarterback position and an easy schedule. I call it easy just because Iowa State draws the 3 weaker teams from the Big 12 South in Baylor, Oklahoma State, and Texas A&M. OSU and A&M are no push-overs, but I’m sure any team would rather face them than Texas, Oklahoma, or maybe even Texas Tech. If the Cyclones beat Nebraska on the road, They will have the inside track to winning the North crown.

KANSAS

Offense
I fully expected Mark Mangino to turn the Kansas program back to the June Henley era of the mid 1990s when he took the job in 2002. Mangino was a great offensive coordinator at Oklahoma and helped guide them to the 2000 National Championship. In 2003, the team improved their record by 4 wins, but slid back to a 4-7 record last year mainly due to the injury ravaged quarterback situation. Adam Barmann, Jason Swanson, Brian Luke, and John Nielsen all started as QB last year. The good thing about that is 3 of those 4 returns, so the QB position is fully experienced. Clark Green will return as the starting running back. He is a power runner as well as a good pass catcher as he looks to return to his pre-injured form in 2003. Jon Cornish could come in to be a surprise back if Green fails to impress. The receiving corps loses a lot of people but the senior Mark Simmons, junior Brian Murph (JC recruit), and sophomore Marcus Henry (6-4 195) could be better than last year’s squad. The line basically returns intact.

Defense
Although the Jayhawks loses 3 key players from a line that only gave up 3.3 ypc last year, Mangino thinks this year’s line could be the best in his tenure. Keep an eye on key JC recruit Rodney Allen. All but 1 of the back 7 starters return from last year, the only exception being the strong safety position. This group includes linebacker Nick Reid (2004 leading tackler with 12 tfl) and cornerback Charles Gordon (7 ints in 2004), who are both all-conference caliber players. This group could surprise many people in 2005.

Prediction
I think Mangino’s team has a chance at a bowl birth this year with an experienced defense and offensive line. The schedule should pave the way for a 3-0 start (versus Florida Atlantic, Appalachian State, and Louisiana Tech) which should infuse much needed confidence into the players. However, the 8 game Big 12 schedule is always brutal as they draw the 3 toughest opponents (Texas, OU, and Texas Tech) from the South as well as games at Colorado and Kansas State. This is also a crucial 4th year for Coach Mangino. A bowl birth would give him the chance to build the program by recruiting more high school prospects instead of relying on JUCO players. I believe this is the year Mark Mangino lives up to my expectations from the day he took this job.

KANSAS STATE

Offense
Dylan Meier and Allen Webb battled for most of the 2004 season for the starting QB position. Meier was plagued by injuries but was effective most of the time. If Meier stays healthy, I believe he should lock up the position by the 4th game against Oklahoma. Thomas Clayton (#13 RB) will fill the huge shoes vacated by Darren Sproles. Clayton is a speedster who transferred from Florida State. Carlos Alsup will also see carries, but his knee problems raise doubts in my mind. 2 returning starters at the WR position will no doubt help Meier at quarterback. Yamon Figurs has blazing speed while Jermaine Moreira will be the possession receiver. There are much to worry about on the O-line as only one starter returns in senior Jeromey Clary at RT. The other positions will be filled by a bunch of red shirt freshmen and sophomores. If the line doesn’t gel fast, another 4-7 record isn’t out of the question even for Kansas State.

Defense
Last year’s failure can be attributed to the defense as they gave up 4.1 yards per carry and only had 21 sacks. The line returns 2 seniors in Scott Edmonds and Derek Marso who combined for 11 of those sacks. Being traditionally built on JUCO players, this year is no different as Bill Snyder recruits Steve Burch and Willie Williams for the DL. Quintin Echols and Tearrius George are also JUCO players who might start on the line. Marvin Simmons (#5 LB) returns at linebacker as well as Brandon Archer. Ted Sims looks to bounce back from last year’s injury and play effectively as the middle LB. The secondary only returns free safety Jesse Tetuan as a starter, but the replacements at CB and SS all played significant minutes last year. Kyle Williams and Maurice Porter are JC transfers who are favorites to start at CB.

Prediction
You can call last year a fluke, but you never know if it will turn into a streak since KState is a JUCO-based program where not many starters return each year. This year’s schedule is tough after 3 inferior out-of-conference opponents (Florida International, a down Marshall team, and North Texas). The Wildcats will go on the road against Oklahoma and Texas Tech in a 3-week span and finishes the season with 2 straight road games against Iowa State and Nebraska before finishing with Missouri. I don’t expect Kansas State to contend for anything this year due to the young offensive line, the uncertainty at QB, an unproven RB corps, and a defense that only returns 5 players.

MISSOURI

Offense
Many expected Missouri to win the 2004 Big 12 North after Brad Smith’s monstrous 2003 season, however, inexplicably, both Smith and Missouri took a step back as they finished 2004 with a 5-6 record. In 2004, Brad Smith had 853 less rushing yards and his completion percentage dropped from 60.3 to 51.8. Many people blamed head coach Gary Pinkel for trying to make Smith more of a pocket passer, but I think the fact that the Tigers only had 1 returning starter on the OL had something to do with it also. Smith’s rushing average dropped from 6.6 ypc in 2003 to a meager 3.4 ypc last year. This year’s line only returns 2 starters but should definitely be better than last year. A pair of hot prospects, Chase Patton (#12 QB) and Chase Daniel (#7 QB, might redshirt), will backup Smith and should be the future of Tigers football. Phenom recruit Tony Temple (#4 RB) will line up at running back in his 2nd season in Missouri. The receivers are a speedy group with Sean Coffey, Brad Ekwerekwu, and William Franklin. I look for them to spread the defense and create room for Smith to roam.

Defense
This year’s defense only returns 4 starters. The D-Line loses 2 NFL draft picks and has to replace them with JUCO transfers and underclassmen. The linebackers were very disappointing last year despite having hot recruits. I look for Dedrick Harrington (#20 WR) to be better after switching positions and David Richard (#10 LB) to win his starting spot back. The DB positions need to replace a CB and the SS, but FS Jason Simpson is a good senior who led the team with tackles for loss (13) last year.

Prediction
The underachieving Tigers from 2004 should be very hungry for 2005. Brad Smith is still one of the most electrifying players in college football, but I don’t expect him to make Missouri this year’s version of the 2004 Auburn Tigers, who went undefeated after a 5-loss season. The schedule is fairly easy compared to other Big 12 teams as they get Texas, Nebraska, and Iowa State at home. The biggest road challenges are Colorado and Kansas State toward the end of the season. Despite the fair schedule, Brad Smith, and Tony Temple, I am still skeptical about the Tigers only returning 10 starters.

NEBRASKA

Offense
The 1st losing season since 1961 can be attributed to a dramatic change in Nebraska’s offensive philosophy. 1st year coach Bill Callahan from the Oakland Raiders replaced the run-oriented Husker offense with his West Coast offense in 2004. It’s hard to ask an option quarterback in Joe Dailey, who had more INTs than TDs, to perform in Callahan’s offense. This year, 2 JC transfer quarterbacks will battle for the starting position. Jordan Adams was last year’s starter but was injured. Zac Taylor is the newcomer who had 3000 passing yards at the JC level last year. Despite the conversion to a pass oriented offense, Nebraska lured high school prospect Marlon Lucky (#3 RB), who is a big back. Last year’s 1000-yard rusher Cory Ross is back for his senior year who also had 21 catches. The receiving corps needs to develop just like the QBs. The leading returning receiver only had 308 yards and that was 2nd best on the team 29 yards shy of the leader. Improvements are expected but how much out of this young group can you expect? SR Mark LeFlore looks to lead this group along with TE Matt Herian. The switch from run blocking to pass blocking yielded a surprising 4.7 ypc and only 16 sacks. Although 2 starters departs, 2 senior starters return. Red shirt freshman Gary Pike (#4 OL) will take the LG spot. One note on special teams is true frosh Jordan Congdon (#1 K) will be the starting kicker.

Defense
The Huskers are anchored by a tremendous D-line. 2 returning senior starters in Titus Adams (#14 DL) and LeKevin Smith (#31 DL) will head the DT positions. A healthy Adam Carriker at DE will help getting much needed pressure on the opposing quarterbacks. Jay Moore had 8 QB hurries in limited time last year and will start opposite of Carriker. Losing a player like LB Barrett Ruud, who had 143 tackles last year, will be a big question, but Stewart Bradley returns while 2 JC players (Dontrell Moore and Steve Octavien) provide some experience while Phillip Dillard (#16 LB) and other youngsters develop. Just like Ruud, it’s going to be hard to replace DBs Josh Bullocks and Fabian Washington who were 2nd and 1st round NFL draft picks respectively. The cornerbacks could be impressive with sophomore phenom Cortney Grixby (#6 DB) who started 2 games as a true freshman and JC recruit Zack Bowman who can blaze with 4.25 speed. Daniel Bullocks is the senior leader of this defense at his SS position. Bullocks returns as the leader in INTs (5) and had 58 tackles in 2004. Despite having both J. Bullocks and Washington last year, Nebraska gave up a whopping 268 passing yards per game last year and only had 25 sacks. Even with J. Bullocks and Washington gone, this secondary has a good chance on improving upon last year’s numbers, especially with a healthy and more experienced D-line to provide more pressure.

Prediction
The schedule will give Callahan’s squad all the time they need to warm up to Big 12 play. The first 5 games are at home including an opener against Maine. A pair of BCS non-conference foes follow in Wake Forest and Pittsburgh, both winnable games. The critical game of the season should be the Homecoming game against Texas Tech, who slashed Nebraska for 70 points last season. This will be a revenge game and also will test the Husker secondary mightily. Oklahoma and Kansas State will both come to Lincoln this year before the annual season finale against Colorado which could decide the Big 12 North Champion. Don’t expect Callahan’s 2nd year to bring the Huskers back to powerhouse status, but do expect better than last year’s losing record. Callahan did a good recruiting job, both from the high school ranks and the JC environment. Several JC recruits will play immediately which would be huge for Nebraska.

OKLAHOMA

Offense
Oklahoma loses Heisman QB Jason White, a few key members of the O-line (C Vince Carter, RT Jammal Brown, and LT Wes Sims), and almost the entire receiving corps (Mark Clayton, Mark Bradley, Brandon Jones, Will Peoples, and Ataleo Ford), 3 of whom were drafted. This would almost immediately mean a move to the cellar for any other team, but this is OU. They still have Heisman runner-up in RB Adrian Peterson as well as 2 good receivers in Travis Wilson and Jujuan Rankins. Peterson put up unbelievable numbers last year, which is only another reason for an expected decline in his production due to the heavy loss in other offensive units. Travis Wilson is possibly the most underrated WR in the nation and is due for a big year. He was in the mix last year with big names like Clayton, Bradley, and Jones, but this year, he will get to shine. On the other hand, Wilson could also be a bust just as easy as he can be a star since the QBs are not experienced, and he is the featured WR on the team. There are many highly touted players to fill in for the departed players, but there should be a transitional period for expected offensive starters like QBs Rhett Bomar, Paul Thompson, and Tommy Grady; WRs Malcolm Kelly, Tristen Ross, Lendy Holmes, and Eric Huggins; OLs Chris Bush, Brandon Keith, and Akim Millington.

Defense
Like the offense, the defense also only has a handful of returning starters. 4 players are lost to the draft in Lance Mitchell, Dan Cody, Brodney Pool, and Konte Nicholson. Dusty Dvoracek will anchor a D-line that lost 3 starters. Larry Birdine will start this year after posting an impressive 7 sacks off the bench last year. This year’s #1 prospect at DL, DeMarcus Granger might see playing time as a true freshman. The linebacker position loses Mitchell, but returns Rufus Alexander, Zach Latimer, and Clint Ingram. The backups are also high prospects out of high school, which means this year’s LB recruits, Ryan Reynolds (#3 LB), Curtis Lofton (#10 LB), and Lamont Robinson (#25 LB) might see little time or be red-shirted. The secondary also returns 1 starter (SR CB Chijioke Onyenegecha), but has a bunch of speedy blue chippers stepping into the other positions. SO CB Marcus Walker (#2 DB) had 4 starts last year as a true frosh while SO FS Tony Cade (#4 DB) has CB speed. Bo Pellini left as co-defensive coordinator from 2004. The other DC, Brent Venables, returns with Bobby Jack Wright as his co-DC.

Prediction Another 10-win season is almost guaranteed, but the morale in Norman is low due to back to back bowl losses. Oklahoma only plays 3 road games this year (plus 2 neutral site games in Dallas and Kansas City), but will end the year playing 8 consecutive weekends. The last game is in Lubbock against Texas Tech which could be a potential upset in the making due to fatigue on the Sooners’ sideline. The Red Raider’s offensive style is not favorable for any defense that might be banged up or worn out. OU will play 4 games and have a bye week before heading to Dallas to take on Texas. Even if the new starters manage continuity by then, I expect them to struggle in the game due to the combined atmosphere of the Cotton Bowl and the Texas State Fair. This year’s Texas-OU matchup should be different since gone is the invincible mystique of the Sooners after being obliterated by USC 55-19 in last year’s Orange Bowl. It is interesting to point out that up until the 2003 Big 12 Championship, everyone related to college football would say Bob Stoops is the best “big game” coach in the country, including some Longhorn fans. In just over a season, Stoops turned into possibly the biggest “big game chokers” by going 1-3 in championship games from 2003-2004, including 2 losses (1 blowout) in the national championship game.

OKLAHOMA STATE

Offense
After getting used to the Woods to Woods connection last year, we might never hear that again as Donovan Woods will be challenged by redshirt freshman Bobby Reid (#5 QB) for the starting QB. Reid would have been the starter last year if not for an injury. While Woods is more of a dual threat, he only averaged 3.5 ypc in 2004. Reid is bigger with a stronger arm. New head coach Mike Gundy still has the record for most passing yards as a Cowboy, so I look for him to go to Reid who is a drop back passer much like himself. OSU managed to produce some good backs in recent years in Tatum Bell and Vernon Morency. This year’s starting RB will be Seymore Shaw (#14 RB) who produced 377 yds on only 81 carries (4.7 ypc). A 1000-yard season for Shaw is not only possible, but is expected. D’Juan Woods is the leading receiver from 2004, but either Tommy Devereaux or Tevin Williams need to step up and relieve some of D’Juan’s pressure. The O-line is returning 4 starters, but could take a while to get used to new head coach Mike Gundy.

Defense
DE Nathan Peterson (#26 DL) is only a sophomore, but showed what a great pass-rusher he is with 3 sacks in his 1st game last year. He returns along with Marque Fountain as the ends while Xavier Lawson-Kennedy (#7 DL) and Walter Thomas fills in as the tackles after Clay Coe and Efe Mowarin departs. Both Lawson-Kennedy and Thomas are strong players who should have no problem holding up the point of attack. Rodrick Johnson and Lawrence Pinson return as starting linebackers as well as Pagitte McGee who also had starting experience. Daniel McLemore and his 4.2 speed will line up at CB across the field from returning starter Vernon Grant. Jamie Thompson led the team in tackles in 2004 with 85 and returns to his SS position but will have Thomas Wright as his fellow safety instead of the departed Jon Holland.

Prediction
1st year coaching is always hard, especially when you are one of the weaker links in America’s toughest division, the Big 12 South. Les Miles did a marvelous job at Oklahoma State, but even his best season (9-4) is barely good enough for the worst season for Mack Brown (9-3) and Bob Stoops (7-5). Gundy should open with a 3-0 start. If he doesn’t he should probably be fired considering the opponents are Montana State, Florida Atlantic, and Arkansas State. From there, the schedule is a nightmare with home games versus Colorado, Missouri, Texas and Texas Tech and road games against A&M, Iowa State, Oklahoma, and Baylor. You know it’s tough when your homecoming game is against a possible top 10 Texas team. Hey, at least they can end the season on a positive note at Baylor.

TEXAS

Offense
The hype is the scariest thing in sports, and the hype started for Texas 6 months ago when they won the Rose Bowl in what was known as Vince Young’s come out party. Because of that performance, Vince Young is one of this year’s Heisman favorites, and the Horns are national title contenders as well. Before I jump on the bandwagon and start losing my head as a Longhorn alum and fan, I went back to the Rose Bowl game to see how good UT really was in that game. Upon further inspection, Vince Young shredded an average defensive team that allowed 368, 190, and 205 rushing yards the previous 3 weeks. Despite Young’s 192 rushing yards and 5 TDs, Texas only won by 1. So, I’m not going to get all excited yet about this year’s Longhorn team. I’m not being skeptical, just cautious. Vince Young will be great, but unless he can keep defenses honest with his arm, the offense will struggle, especially without Cedric Benson in the backfield. This isn’t all Young’s fault either. One of the prospects at WR (Nate Jones, Jordan Shipley, Limas Sweed, George Walker, Tyrell Gatewood, Jermichael Finley, and Myron Hardy) needs to step up this year and let the safeties know they can’t just sneak up to the line of scrimmage. Another major issue is the running back situation. Four year starter Cedric Benson left school as the 2nd all-time Longhorn rusher behind Rickey Williams. Now, it is up to Selvin Young, Ramonce Taylor, Jamaal Charles and Henry Melton to battle for the position. I expect Young to start the season until Taylor, Charles, or Melton is ready to take over. Whoever becomes the running back, they should have great lanes to run through since the offensive line returns 4 starters, all capable of All-American honors in Jonathan Scott, Justin Blalock, Will Allen and Kasey Studdard. If the line can pave the way for a 4.7 yard average for the running back corps, then they’ve done their job.

Defense
The defensive line is questionably the best Texas D-line since the 1999-2000 line which featured 1st round draft picks Casey Hampton and Shaun Rogers. This year’s line is composed of All-American candidate Rodrique Wright (#2 DL), Larry Dibbles (#8 DL), Tim Crowder (#17 DL) and Brian Robison. Backing them up are hot prospects in Frank Okam (#2 DL) and Aaron Lewis (#9 DL). The linebacker corps loses All-American Derrick Johnson, but returns senior Aaron Harris (#7 LB). It seems like Eric Hall and Eric Harris will battle out the strongside LB position while Robert Killebrew takes on the weakside. Harris and the crew will do an admirable job this year, but it’s hard to match Johnson’s 9 forced fumbles last year, which set an NCAA record. Cedric Griffin and Michael Huff is a pair of shutdown senior cornerbacks. It’s going to be tough to decide which one to pick on since both have great speed, both are big (6-2 193 for Griffin, 6-1 205 for Huff), and the two combined for 62 games started at the collegiate level. DC Greg Robinson left for the HC position at Syracuse, but filling his position is Auburn DC Gene Chizik who led the #1 scoring defense in the nation last year.

Prediction
This team is loaded for a national title run. Since many key players are seniors (TE David Thomas, RG Will Allen, LT Jonathan Scott, DT Larry Dibbles, DT Rod Wright, LB Aaron Harris, LB Eric Hall, CB Cedric Griffin, and CB Michael Huff), this is a make or break season. However, the schedule is fairly tough. A non-conference game against Ohio State in early September will be a pace-setter for the rest of the season. That’s only the 1st hurdle as Texas still has to face the team that owned them for the last few years Oklahoma as well as Texas Tech’s rising program. The season wraps up in College Station against arch rivals Texas A&M Aggies who is an improved team under Dennis Fanchione. This year’s Red River Shootout against Oklahoma is 100% mental for the Longhorns since they are a better team on paper this year. Texas need to find who is the 3rd CB before the Texas Tech game since Tech is known for their aerial attack which could line up 3-5 receivers for most of the game. The A&M game should continue to be as one-sided as the Texas-OU games in the last few years.

TEXAS A&M

Offense
QB Reggie McNeal enters his 4th season as the starter. The senior can pass as well as run and should enjoy a fine senior year. Walk-on Ty Branyon won the backup job last year, but I expect Stephen McGee (#7 QB) to beat out Branyon for the position and could eventually lead to a starting job next year. Courtney Lewis can be a 1000 yard rusher this year if he stays healthy enough to build upon a successful 2004. The O-line returns 4 starters and should also be solid in paving the way for Lewis and McNeal. The star of the line is senior Jami Hightower (#5 OL). Martellus Bennett (#1 TE) is this year’s key recruit and could play right away, but sophomore Joey Thomas (#9 TE) will challenge for playing time. The receiving corps returns 5 of the top 6 from 2004 and only loses Terrence Murphy. Senior DeQawn Mobley is a JC transfer in his 2nd year at A&M. He is a gifted athlete at 6-2, 201 and an incredible 41.5 inch vertical leap. We might see a lot of passes going his way inside the red zone.

Defense
Texas A&M’s recent defenses hardly deserve the “Wrecking Crew” moniker it possessed for so long. This year’s defense returns 8 starters and could make improvements. The D-line has 3 returning starters, including 2 sophomores in Jason Jack (#12 DL) and Red Bryant. Another sophomore will start at end in Chris Harrington. Overall, the line has good depth, but lacks the pass rusher they desperately need. Keep an eye on redshirt freshman Cyril Obiozor. All 3 starting linebackers return from last year. Justin Warren (#4 LB), Archie McDaniel, and Renuel Greene are all upperclassmen, but none of the 3 even cracked the top 5 in tackles on the team last year. The cornerbacks are very green, featuring mostly freshmen (Danny Gorrer, Alton Dixon), sophomores (Erik Mayes, Broderick Newton), 1st year JC transfers (Marquis Carpenter), and converted players (Ray Ray Jones from SS). However, everyone is very high on redshirt freshman Danny Gorrer who has 4.4 speed. The safeties has thunder and lightning qualities in big hitter Jaxson Appel and speedy Japhus Brown (4.3 speed). Appel led the team with 85 tackles in 2004, but lacks the coverage skills and size. Despite the negatives, Appel is one of the best in the nation.

Prediction
You gotta give it to RC Slocum for scheduling tough games to begin the season instead of I-AA pushovers. The Aggies played at Utah in 2004; Utah, Pitt, and at Virginia Tech in 2003; VT and at Pitt in 2002; and Notre dame in 2001. Now in Franchione’s 3rd year, A&M starts the year at Clemson, SMU, and Texas State. With scheduling like that and the decision to play Texas Tech in Dallas, it seems like Texas A&M athletic director Bill Byrne really is admitting A&M doesn’t belong with the big boys of the Big 12 South in Texas and Oklahoma. A&M might get their 4-0 or 3-1 start, but it should be very tough having to go on the road against Colorado, Kansas State, and back to back games at Texas Tech and Oklahoma. No matter how badly those games go, the big one is always against Texas on November 25 for the season finale. The Aggies might get into a lot of shootouts this season, but it remains to be seen if their offense can hang with the top tier defenses of Texas and Oklahoma. My guess right now is no.

TEXAS TECH

Offense
Mike Leach can be dubbed as the Steve Spurrier of this decade. He has consistently proven his offensive system by plugging in sub-par quarterbacks who churns out record-shattering numbers. Just to show you the numbers, Kliff Kingsbury had 5017 passing yards and 45-13 TD-INT ratio in 2002, BJ Symons had 5833 yds and 52-22 in 2003 as a 1st year starterin 2003, Sonny Cumbie had 4744 yds and 32-18 in 2004. For 2005, Leach actually has 2 talents at QB to work with in Phillip Daugherty (#22 QB) and Graham Harrell (#16 QB), but the early favorite is another senior Cody Hodges who might be the next Symons or Cumbie. Leach will also get more talented skill position players this year. RB Taurean Henderson is a converted WR who rushed for 16 TDs last year and caught 60 passes. There will be probably 3 or 4 WRs with at least 50 receptions this year, but none are more talented than Jarrett Hicks who could be an All-American in 2005 with a weak group of WRs in the college game. Cody Fuller, Joel Filani, and LA Reed are the other possible starters at WR. The offensive line loses 3 starters including the entire left side.

Defense
A veteran D-line returns for the Red Raiders. The only returning non-starter might have the most talent in Keyunta Dawson who can rush the QB with his 4.48 speed at the end position. Dawson led the team with 6.5 sacks last year despite only 2 starts. Brock Stratton leads the linebackers despite only being 5-11. On the other hand, his fellow linebacker John Saldi is 6-5 playing the strong side. The secondary consists of Khalid Naziruddin who took over the starting job last season at cornerback. The former walk-on had 83 tackles last year. Antonio Huffman is the other corner while Vincent Meeks and Dwayne Slay are the safeties.

Prediction
It’s tough to build a program in the Big 12 South with teams like Oklahoma, Texas, and Texas A&M soaking up all the talents and headlines, but Mike Leach is doing just fine. Although Tech’s program is still not in the upper echelon of college football, it is showing steady progress toward that status. Last year’s Holiday Bowl upset of California was a great statement game for the program and high school prospects around the nation. This year, a win against Oklahoma at home in the season finale will really sound some alarms. I think they have a great chance at beating the Sooners. Tech plays only one game on grass in 2005 and faces basically 3 Division I-AA schools to start the season (Florida International, Sam Houston St., and Indiana St.). Come on Leach, do you want to be seen as the bully who picks on retarded kids?