Random musings from the Big 12 coaches’ conference call:
WON’T be much on Kansas or Missouri. My respected colleague Rick Plumlee has commandeered most of that material, and you’re going to have sensory overload in the coming days regarding the so-called “Border War” anyway.
DISASTER has struck Norman, and no one seems to be crying about it — most of all, the opposition. Oklahoma lost to Texas Tech, and injuries took a toll. Running back DeMarco Murray was injured attempting to recover an on-sides kick, and Bob Stoops said he won’t be available this weekend against Oklahoma State. And quarterback Sam Bradford, who makes it all work for the Sooners, suffered a concussion early against the Red Raiders, and Stoops said his status will be wait-and-see.
BESIDES, it’s Bedlam. No more explanation is needed. “Most of people are either Oklahoma or Oklahoma State,” OSU coach Mike Gundy said. “Players know each other, always been a great game and it’s a lot of fun.”
HIS offense is already explosive, but Gundy doesn’t believe the Cowboys’ offense has done anything yet. He believes OSU is about a year or two away from optimum performance. “We really don’t have the ingredients to do all of the things we want to do,” he said. Gundy believes the Cowboys aren’t deep enough at wide receiver yet, so that is being addressed right now on the recruiting trail. By then, though, offensive coordinator Larry Fedora, a hot name in coaching circles right now, might be long gone.
RON Prince was asked roughly three questions about his team. The rest were regarding Kansas and Missouri. By the way, he is still worked up about Missouri, saying the Tigers are “very, very challenging.”
BECAUSE he has an opinion on virtually everything, Texas Tech coach Mike Leach is asked virtually everything during these calls. On fired Baylor coach Guy Morriss, who was not available on the call: “I hate to see any coach go down. … I know how much they worked at Baylor to make a top-notch program. Sometimes it takes more time. I think college is starting to follow the NFL, quick to pull the trigger rather than letting things build.” On whether bowl eligibility should be raised to seven wins: “I think six is good. I think everybody likes watching them, and everybody likes playing in them. If not, they’re in the wrong business. … I’m notorious for wanting a playoff. I’d like to have 64 teams in the thing, but that’s another story.” He said he plans to appeal his $10,000 fine from his comments last weekend about Big 12 officiating, and he believes it’s versatility that makes MU’s Jeremy Maclin so impressive, not his explosiveness. “There are explosive guys all over the place in this league,” he said.
GENE Chizik likes what is brewing in Ames. “Some positive things we can take from different moments in the year,” the Iowa State coach said. “We have so much room to grow. The future is very bright.” Think every sub-.500 team in the North — heck, throughout the Big 12 — isn’t pointing to Lawrence as a model of what can happen to their program? Why not the Cyclones? Why not anyone?
THE Big 12’s great gentleman, Texas coach Mack Brown, chimed in on the departures of Morriss and also Michigan coach Lloyd Carr; Brown was an assistant at Michigan State in the ‘70s while Carr was an assistant for the Wolverines. “They’re good friends of mine,” Brown said. “(Morriss) will be missed. … (Carr) will be in the Hall of Fame. College football lost two good men yesterday.”