Atlantic Coast Conference News and Notes
posted 9:35 am Mon October 06, 2008 -
(Sports Network) -
BAYLOR - As expected, the top-ranked Oklahoma Sooners were simply too much for
Baylor (49-17). It was a rough way to open Big 12 play for the Bears, who have
never beaten Oklahoma in 18 tries. Robert Griffin completed only 11-of-26
passes for 75 yards, though he did add 102 rushing yards and a pair of scores
on 21 attempts. Currently, Baylor ranks 17th in the nation in rushing offense
(218 ypg). Griffin leads the team with 87.2 ypg and seven TDs, while Jay
Finley is averaging 73 ypg and has scored three times. But, the defense had no
answer for OU quarterback Sam Bradford, who threw for 372 yards and two TDs.
Each of Oklahoma's opponents have had similar struggles this year, and coach
Art Briles said after the game that he feels his team is much better than it
showed on Saturday. The Bears will have a chance to prove him right against
Iowa State this weekend.
COLORADO - After a 3-0 start, the Buffaloes have now dropped two straight.
They opened their Big 12 schedule by falling to fifth-ranked Texas, 38-14 on
Saturday. One of the few positives the Buffs can take from the loss is that
they intercepted Texas quarterback Colt McCoy twice while holding the
Longhorns under 40 points for the first time all season. Colorado scored on
only one of its three red zone chances. As a team, the Buffs managed just 49
rushing yards on 28 attempts. Cody Hawkins had a rough day in the passing
game, as he completed only 13-of-33 passes and finished with 118 yards and a
touchdown. Meanwhile, the Longhorns racked up 431 yards of total offense.
Colorado will get back to the drawing board this week, in preparation for
Saturday's bout with 16th-ranked Kansas.
IOWA STATE - With two full weeks of practice, the Cyclones jumped out to a
20-0 halftime lead over the Jayhawks, only to fall apart in the second half in
losing, 35-33. It was Iowa State's third straight setback. Austen Arnaud
completed 27-of-45 passes for 268 yards, three TDs and one INT. He threw two
of those touchdown strikes to Marquis Hamilton, while R.J. Sumrall caught a
game-high 10 passes for 106 yards, and the other TD. As mentioned, the
Cyclones were a handful in the first half, particularly on defense. They came
away with three turnovers in the first 30 minutes, while holding Kansas to 93
yards of total offense. But things fell apart in the second half, and a
suddenly rattled ISU squad wasn't able to keep its composure. The Cyclones
play at Baylor on Saturday.
KANSAS - The Jayhawks tied the third-largest comeback in school history with
their 35-33 win over Iowa State. It was also the team's fifth straight win on
the road against a Big 12 opponent. KU was idle the previous weekend, and the
team looked sloppy early on in this one. After managing just 93 yards of
offense in the first half, they overcame a 20-point deficit by racking up 343
yards of offense after the break. Todd Reesing completed 18-of-26 passes for
319 yards, three TDs and one INT. Kerry Meier caught two of those touchdown
passes. Meier has morphed into Reesing's favorite target this season, having
caught a team-high 44 balls while averaging 103 ypg. Meier is completing 70.2
percent of his passes and is throwing for 345 ypg. He has thrown 14
touchdowns, with only three interceptions. The Jayhawks host Colorado this
Saturday.
KANSAS STATE - The Wildcats couldn't keep pace with No. 7 Texas Tech and fell,
58-28. K-State is a tough team to figure at the moment, considering its three
wins have come against FCS schools North Texas and Montana State as well as
UL-Lafayette. Red Raider quarterback Graham Harrell picked apart the K-State
secondary for a career-high six touchdown passes. On the other sideline,
Wildcat quarterback Josh Freeman had a day to forget, as he completed only 13-
of-28 attempts and finished with 170 yards and a TD. He did add two rushing
scores, but it was not enough to match Harrell. Head coach Ron Prince was
critical of his team afterwards, saying they were thoroughly beaten on the
offensive and defensive line. The Wildcats play four of their next five on the
road, beginning at Texas A&M this Saturday.
MISSOURI - The third-ranked Tigers went on the road and easily dismantled
Nebraska, 52-17. It was Missouri's first win in Lincoln in 30 years. Through
five games, Missouri ranks second in the nation in scoring offense (53.4 ppg)
and third in total offense (569 ypg). The catalyst is quarterback and Heisman
hopeful Chase Daniel, who is completing a ridiculous 76.3 percent of his
passes while averaging 333 ypg. He has thrown 15 touchdowns, with only one
interception. Of course, running back Derrick Washington helps keep defenses
honest. Against Nebraska, he ran for 139 yards and scored three times. Daniel
completed 18-of-23 passes for 253 yards and three TDs. Jeremy Maclin finished
with five catches for 89 yards and a TD. This week, the Tigers take on
Oklahoma State.
NEBRASKA - Coach Bo Pelini took the blame for Saturday's 2-17 loss to fourth-
ranked Missouri, saying he didn't have his players well enough prepared. He
vowed to do a better job preparing for Texas Tech this week. Joe Ganz
completed 26-of-38 passes for 290 yards, two TDs and one INT. Menelik Holt
caught five passes for 67 yards and a score. But after falling behind early,
the Cornhuskers were forced to abandon the run, which obviously played to
Missouri's advantage. After opening the season with three straight wins,
Nebraska has now lost two straight. The team will face its third straight
ranked opponent this weekend.
OKLAHOMA - There certainly wasn't much for coach Bob Stoops to complain about
in his team's 49-17 thrashing of Baylor. The Sooners grabbed a stronghold of
their No. 1 ranking and now boast the nation's fourth-ranked scoring offense
(49.6 ppg) and fifth-ranked total offense (540 ypg). They are almost equally
impressive on defense, as they rank 11th in total defense (256.2) and 15th in
scoring defense (13.8). One of the nation's elite quarterbacks, Sam Bradford
is completing 73 percent of his passes while averaging 333 ypg. He has thrown
18 touchdowns with only three interceptions. Against Baylor, he threw for 372
yards and two TDs. DeMarco Murray added 96 yards and two touchdowns on the
ground. Of course, the real test will come this week against unbeaten Texas.
OKLAHOMA STATE - The 17th-ranked Cowboys remain undefeated thanks to a 56-28
win over Texas A&M. Dez Bryant found the end zone four times (three receiving,
one punt return), while the OSU defense added two more scores. Bryant finished
with five catches for 106 yards for the Cowboys, who snapped a four-game
losing streak to A&M. Bryant has caught 27 passes this season, with nine of
those going for touchdowns. Zac Robinson was efficient, completing 10-of-13
passes for 186 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran for 66 yards and
another two TDs. Kendall Hunter has established himself as one of the
conference's premier running backs, having amassed 141.6 ypg on the ground
this season. He is averaging a whopping 7.0 ypc and has notched eight rushing
touchdowns. The Cowboys will have to be at their best when they take on No. 3
Missouri this weekend.
TEXAS - The Longhorns set the stage for this weekend's Red River Rivalry by
knocking off Colorado, 38-14. The game clock hadn't yet expired before the
Longhorns student section began chanting "Beat OU!" As for the win over
Colorado, Colt McCoy threw for 262 yards and two TDs, though he was also
intercepted twice. Chris Ogbonnaya caught six passes for 116 yards and a
touchdown, while he also ran for 71 yards and a touchdown. It was the first
time this season Texas failed to eclipse 40 points. On the season, he is
averaging 256 passing yards per game, while completing nearly 80 percent of
his throws. McCoy has tossed 16 touchdowns, with only three interceptions.
Against OU's Sam Bradford, the audience will be treated to a shootout between
two of the nation's top quarterbacks.
TEXAS A&M - The Aggies got bulldozed by Oklahoma State over the weekend,
56-28. Jerrod Johnson had a particularly rough outing, as he threw two
interceptions that were returned for touchdowns. Among the few bright spots
for A&M were Mike Goodson and Ryan Tannehill. Goodson ran for 112 yards and
two touchdowns, while Tannehill paced the receiving corps with seven catches
for 49 yards and two TDs. Defensively, the Aggies are allowing 225 rushing
yards per game, which ranks 114th in the FBS. However, they did manage to hold
OSU's Kendall Hunter under 100 yards (21 carries for 90 yards). Still, with
the A&M secondary giving up big play after big play, the Cowboys didn't need a
very big game out of Hunter.
TEXAS TECH - Following Harrell's six-TD performance, coach Mike Leach said he
feels his guy is the best quarterback in the nation. While some would argue
that Harrell is a "system quarterback," his performances from week to week
cannot be ignored. He finished with 454 passing yards, while becoming the
school's all-time passing leader in the process. Harrell has already eclipsed
2,000 passing yards this season, after just five games. Michael Crabtree
continued to make his case for a second straight Biletnikoff Award, catching
nine passes for 107 yards and two scores. Through five games, Crabtree has
amassed 38 catches for 564 yards (112.8 ypg) and has found the end zone eight
times. Lyle Leong caught three touchdown passes in the win. The Red Raiders
will take on Kansas State this weekend.
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