Now that “The Eyes of Texas” has become the official theme song of the 2008 season, let’s leave the infatuation with the top-ranked Longhorns and look at two Big 12 teams flying under the national radar.
Texas Tech and Oklahoma State are having seasons for the ages. The Red Raiders, No. 8 in The Associated Press and Sunday’s first Bowl Championship Series ratings, are 7-0 for the first time since 1976, when they went 10-2 under Steve Sloan.
Oklahoma State, ranked No. 7 by AP and No. 6 in the BCS, is 7-0 for the first time since 1945. That was the year the Cowboys went 9-0, finished fifth in the country and beat Saint Mary’s in the Sugar Bowl. That was their last major bowl win.
Texas Tech isn’t just doing it with its usual air raid offense, this one ranked second in the country at 557 yards a game. It leads the nation in fewest sacks allowed, and its rush defense is 12th. It blanked Texas A&M’s offense in the second half of Saturday’s 43-25 comeback win.
“Coach (Mike) Leach said, ‘Play like you practice on Wednesday and we’ll get the win,’ ” tailback Baron Batch told reporters after the game. “That’s what we did.”
A pimple on Texas Tech’s mug: Its kicking game is horrendous. It has had seven kicks blocked and a punt blocked for a score. Donnie Carona is 3-for-7 on field-goal attempts. That won’t cut it against a murderer’s row starting Saturday at Kansas, 19th in the AP poll, followed by Texas, Oklahoma State and at No. 4 Oklahoma.
Texas Tech has yet to play a ranked team, its five FBS victims are a combined 15-21, and its other two wins were against Eastern Washington and Massachusetts.
Not that Oklahoma State is looking ahead or anything, but the Cowboys’ wristbands are stenciled with “Dec. 6, 2008,” the date of the Big 12 Championship in Kansas City.
“This group of players felt that, hey, as a team we hadn’t talked about it enough,” Cowboys coach Mike Gundy said. “So that’s why they did it. They didn’t care what anybody else thought.”
The Longhorns might. They host Oklahoma State on Saturday.
Mercy rule at USC.
How bad is Washington State? It’s the Denver West of the Pac-10. A sixth-ranked Southern California team trying to crawl back up the rankings let the last 16 seconds of the first half run out without trying to score from the Cougar 10. USC led 41-0. The Trojans wound up winning 69-0. It was the fourth time this year Washington State had given up at least 60.
It’s a nightmare for first-year coach Paul Wulff, whose first two quarterbacks got hurt, and third- stringer Kevin Lopina played after returning from a broken bone in his back. The Cougars are 118th nationally in scoring offense (13.88 points a game), 118th in scoring defense (48.13) and last in confidence.
“A lot of guys are used to losing,” defensive end Andy Mattingly said after the game, adding it doesn’t tick them off “that we’re losing this bad.”
Swinney comes out swingin’.
Dabo Swinney didn’t waste time putting his own stamp on Clemson’s program of underachievers, despite an “interim” label that likely won’t be removed. He immediately fired offensive coordinator Rob Spence, then started some traditions.
He instituted the Tiger Walk to the stadium, he ran ahead of the team down The Hill onto the field and then had the whole team walk arm in arm from one end to the other. Then he continued another time-honored Clemson tradition by turning the ball over six times. The Tigers lost to Georgia Tech 21-17.
“This isn’t about me, guys,” Swinney said. “I don’t ever want it to be about me. I want it to be about the players. I’ll be fine. If they want me here, great. If not, I’ll go somewhere else.”
Who is Jarett Dillard?
He’s merely becoming one of the most prolific receivers in NCAA history. The Rice senior has the NCAA record for most career touchdown passes at 54, including three Saturday in a 45-40 win over Southern Mississippi.
Leading the country with 116.43 receiving yards a game and 14 TD catches, he was only all-area at Sam Houston High in San Antonio. It wasn’t just his 5-foot-11 frame that led him away from the Big 12 and to Rice. He was first in his high school class academically every year. He earned his political science degree last spring.
