DAVE MATTER'S BIG 12 FOOTBALL NOTES

Published Monday, November 3, 2008

Red Raiders on top - for now

Texas Tech not only shook up the Big 12 South Division balance of power with its 39-33 victory over Texas on Saturday night, but the Red Raiders are turning conventional pearls of wisdom into cheap costume jewelry. For years, it’s practically been accepted as fact that:

a. Texas Tech doesn’t play defense.

b. Texas Tech quarterbacks can’t win all-conference honors, much less the Heisman Trophy.

And …

c. Texas Tech will never unseat the South superpowers from Austin, Texas, and Norman, Okla.

For now, Mike Leach’s team is testing all three beliefs.

Texas Tech, up to No. 2 in the AP poll and the BCS standings, leads the Big 12 in total defense, giving up 349.6 yards a game. The Red Raiders forced two takeaways against Texas, sacked quarterback Colt McCoy four times and held the Longhorns to a season-low 374 yards, more than 100 yards less than UT averaged through its first eight games.

"Our whole team’s drawn from the play of our defense," Leach said during today’s Big 12 teleconference.

Then there’s senior quarterback Graham Harrell. If the two-time NCAA passing king hasn’t surpassed McCoy on the Heisman leader board, he’s at least closed the gap. If anything, the Heisman race looks like a three-way November sprint between McCoy, Harrell and Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford, who leads the country with 34 touchdown passes.

"I’ve said it before, and I say it again, I think the guy’s just a terrific player - the way he sits in the pocket and makes his reads and doesn’t get rattled," Kansas Coach Mark Mangino said of Harrell. "Plus he takes hits. People knock him down and get their shots on him. They’re clean shots, but he always bounces up."

With No. 8 OSU next on the schedule, Leach doesn’t expect his team to let the hoopla around its newfound place in the college football world sidetrack its focus.

"We’ve done a pretty good job of that, keeping everyone in perspective, and hopefully have the mental discipline to do that," he said. "We don’t really have a pile of special activities, but it’s been a point of emphasis among coaches and players. To me, it seems like everyone’s taking it pretty seriously."

Missouri update

Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel might have fallen off the Heisman radar, but MU Coach Gary Pinkel sounded surprised to hear a reporter ask him today if Daniel "is in a funk."

"No, I think he’s been playing pretty good, as a matter of fact," Pinkel said.

Daniel tossed two interceptions in No. 13 Missouri’s 31-28 victory at Baylor and nearly threw two more on the game-winning drive.

But through five conference games, some of Daniel’s passing numbers have exceeded last year’s averages.

In Big 12 action, Daniel has completed 78 percent of his throws and posted an efficiency rating of 164.4. With 14 touchdowns and seven interceptions, Daniel is averaging 316.2 yards a game.

Last year, in nine conference games, Daniel completed 71.5 percent with an efficiency rating of 153.7. He averaged 317.7 passing yards with 20 touchdowns to six interceptions.

Missouri is a 26-point favorite against Kansas State in Saturday’s 6 p.m. game that will be televised on Fox Sports Net.

Mildcats against the run

There’s no mystery what’s been haunting the Kansas State defense. The Wildcats are giving up a Big 12-worst 209.7 rushing yards per game, a figure that ranks 109th in the nation, worst among all BCS conference teams other than Washington and Washington State.

"The thing for us is we haven’t really been able to control the line of scrimmage when it comes to the run," Wildcats Coach Ron Prince said. "We’ve been very inconsistent with how we’ve fit on some of those runs. On first down, if you give up runs of any note, that really gives the offense the opportunity to be very versatile on second down."

K-State has given up an average of 5.8 yards per carry on first down.

He said it

"Any call is only as good as the dumbest guy at the point of attack. Whoever’s at the point of attack has to know and understand completely what his job is and be able to trigger it without any hesitation. No matter what you’re doing in football, that’s as complicated as you ever really ought to be." - Leach on his defense scaling down its playbook

Tribune power poll

1. Texas Tech (9-0, 5-0)

2. Texas (8-1, 4-1)

3. Oklahoma (8-1, 4-1)

4. Okla. St. (8-1, 4-1)

5. Missouri (7-2, 3-2)

6. Kansas (6-3, 3-2)

7. Nebraska (5-4, 2-3)

8. Baylor (3-6, 1-4)

9. Texas A&M (4-5, 2-3)

10. Colorado (4-5, 1-4)

11. Kansas St. (4-5, 1-4)

12. Iowa State (2-7, 0-5)

Game of the week

Okla. St. at Texas Tech, Saturday 7 p.m. (KMIZ)