Big XII: The haves and have-nots

By John Hillman  |   Monday, October 06, 2008  |  Comments( 1 )

College Football
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Four teams have it in the Big XII. On the opening weekend of conference action, it was revealed that their four opponents obviously don’t have it.

Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri and Texas Tech posted impressive road wins and defined “it” for the rest of their league brethren. In the Big XII, it means the combination of high-flying offense and bone-crunching defense.

The top-ranked Sooners wasted little time dispatching Baylor, 49-17. The Bears failed for the 18th straight time to notch a victory over Oklahoma and allowed Sam Bradford and company to bolt to a 28-0 first-quarter margin.

Bradford finished the day with 372 passing yards and 22-of-31 performance, while DeMarco Murray ran for two touchdowns and paced the OU ground attack with 96 yards on 26 carries.

No. 5 Texas blew away Colorado behind the running and catching of seldom-used Chris Ogbonnaya in a 38-14 thrashing. Ogonnaya (pronounced OH-bon-EYE-uh), who scored on a 65-yard reception and a 13-yard run, finished the game with a career-best 71 rushing yards on nine carries and caught six passes for 116 yards. The senior running back also saved a touchdown by tackling cornerback Jalil Brown after a Colt McCoy interception.

Oklahoma and Texas go head-to-head this weekend in their annual Red River Shootout at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. With the State Fair in the background, the annual showdown draws even more attention this year as both teams bring national championship aspirations to the playing field.

In past meetings, the outcome often turned on big plays and turnovers. Although both the Sooners and Longhorns possess prolific passers and power runners, defenses typically shine in this interstate matchup. Whichever team makes fewer mistakes usually winds up the winner.

Missouri avenged 30 years of frustration in Lincoln by blasting Nebraska, 52-17. The 35-point defeat represented the Cornhuskers’ most lopsided loss in 53 years and fifth worst in the program’s 119-year history.

Chase Daniel, who led the third-ranked Tigers to scores on eight of the nine possessions he directed, tossed three touchdown passes and totaled 253 passing yards while completing 18 of 23 attempts. Derrick Washington scored on touchdown runs of 3 and 43 yards and rushed for 139 yards on 14 carries.

The Tigers next face No. 17 Oklahoma State in their quest to remain undefeated and stay in the national championship hunt. The Cowboys, who blew away Texas A&M, 56-28, last weekend, bring an arsenal of offensive weapons into the contest. With these two jet engine offenses turning on the afterburners, the scoreboard may resemble arena football instead of college football.

No. 7 Texas Tech shook off the cobwebs from some less-than-impressive nonconference performances and blitzed Kansas State, 58-28. Graham Harrell notched six touchdown passes and 454 passing yards en route to becoming the Red Raiders’ all-time leader. The senior signal-caller has now accumulated 12,709 yards through the air, surpassing Kliff Kingsbury’s 12,429.

Lyle Leong snared three of Harrell’s scoring tosses, while Michael Crabtree caught two touchdown passes and tallied 107 yards in receptions.

The Red Raiders tangle with Nebraska in their next Big XII encounter. After watching Missouri torch the Cornhuskers, Texas Tech undoubtedly wants to turn up the heat even higher.
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About John Hillman

John Hillman graduated from Baylor University in 1974 with a BBA in accounting and earned an MBA from Baylor in 1987. He worked for accounting firms until 1982 when he became the chief financial officer for an independent insurance claims adjusting service, a position he still holds today. ...
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