ESPN College Football

Keenan Robinson, Emmanuel Acho and Kheeston Randall were the only Longhorns selected in the NFL draft.

Max Olson writes: Being picked in the late rounds means Texas draft picks Keenan Robinson, Emmanuel Acho and Kheeston Randall will have to rely on their versatility to make their mark.

HornsNation has more coverage of the Texas Longhorns:

Carter Strickland writes : Texas returns to practice after taking off for spring break. With less than two weeks until the spring game, there are a few things left on the Longhorns' to-do list.

Another spring camp is opening, and it's time to take a closer look. Today, the Texas Longhorns get started.

Schedule: Practice starts today leading up to the spring game on April 1. Practices are closed to fans and media, though the team will have two open practices, a change from last year, when all 15 practices were closed.

What's new: Not much, as opposed to last year, when the answer was "almost everything." The Longhorns' staff all returned for 2012 after Mack Brown shook up his staff and replaced six assistant coaches after going 5-7 in 2010. Defensive coordinator Manny Diaz will have to replace defensive leaders Emmanuel Acho, Blake Gideon and Keenan Robinson, but the offense returns 10 starters, including both quarterbacks, David Ash and Case McCoy.

New faces: Quarterback Connor Brewer joins the fold, but the biggest news may have been a shift in recruiting philosophy with new assistants on staff with SEC ties. The Longhorns took a junior college signee for the first time since 2002. Offensive line coach Stacy Searels came from Georgia last season and will have offensive tackle Donald Hawkins from Mississippi to work with. Meanwhile, defensive tackles coach Bo Davis (Alabama) will work with Brandon Moore from Alabama.

Big shoes to fill: Linebacker Jordan Hicks. The Ohio native and No. 1 linebacker in the 2010 class made 55 tackles last season, but without Robinson and Acho, it's Hicks' time in Austin this year. Look out for a big year, and that starts this spring. He's battled through a broken foot, but if he can stay healthy, the sky is the limit for the 6-foot-2, 235-pounder who has added 20 pounds since leaving high school.

Don't forget about: Receiver Mike Davis. He was the team's top target this time last year, but had a slightly disappointing sophomore season and Jaxon Shipley surpassed him as the Longhorns' top receiver. Davis is very talented, though. He and Shipley could both be stars, but don't rule out Davis surging this spring. He turned the coaching staff's collective head last year.

Breaking out: Quandre Diggs was part of the freshman invasion at Texas last year, and he could have made a case for being the best freshman in the Big 12. He's a shutdown corner ready to become a star. In a league with the type of offensive talent the Big 12 has, his skills are invaluable. Don't rule out the sophomore cracking the All-America team next year.

All eyes on: Texas' quarterback battle. Texas will be best off if Ash asserts himself and boxes out McCoy with a strong spring, but there's no guarantee that happens. Ash's physical attributes (size, speed, arm strength) give him a much higher upside than his counterpart, but for now they amount to just that: upside. The two had comparable numbers in 2011 and neither was solid. Will we see separation this spring?

Thanks for all the questions in today's chat. Here's the full transcript.

Time for some highlights:

QueenP (Lubbock, Texas): Being that A&M is no longer in the Big 12, do you see the TTU/UT rivalry growing?

David Ubben: No, probably not. They've obviously had some great games over the year, but I don't think so. If anything, some of that energy may spill over into the Red River Rivalry, as hard as it is to believe.

Tony (Richmond, Calif.): Don't you have to feel the conference is yours for the taking in Austin this season with OU having to travel to both Morgantown and Fort Worth at the end of the season with archrival Okie State sandwiched in between? Texas gets WVU and TCU at home, so they really have no one to blame but themselves if they don't return to the top of the Big XII? Your thoughts?

David Ubben: Texas needs to worry more about its quarterback spot than Oklahoma's schedule. Develop David Ash. Then let's talk Sooners.

Jeremy from Parkersburg, W.Va. [via mobile]: The Mountaineers will have a need to find a new rivalry game now that the Backyard Brawl with Pitt is possibly done. Who from their new Big 12 brothern would most likely step in to fit that bill. By the way, thanks to all for our warm Big 12 welcoming. Looking forward to see how we stack up against big boys.

David Ubben: Texas Tech and Oklahoma State make some sense because of the Holgorsen connection. Ultimately, though, rivalries are born out of great games stacked back to back.

Hornsfan (Best City in the USA): Ubbs, any way that UT qb play is worse next season?

David Ubben: No. I think it'll be better, but still a decent chunk away from being good enough to win the Big 12.

Kevin (Kansas): Collin Klein have a shot at Offensive Player of the Year in the Big 12?

David Ubben: Definitely, but he has to improve as a passer and have similar rushing output. There's going to be some tough competition this year. Look out for the new QBs, Casey Pachall and Geno Smith, too. Landry Jones is probably the frontrunner for the award, though.

Tony (Richmond, Calif.): Will this Texas defense rank among the best in Mack Brown's tenure by season's end?

David Ubben: It's got the talent to do it, but replacing the leadership from Acho, Robinson and Gideon is going to be tough. Those guys kept young players in position and motivated their teammates. UT will have the athletes, but who knows how it looks in Year 2 under Manny Diaz? I think it'll be really good, but you never know. Those guys left big holes.

ClarenceOveur (The Cockpit): David, you believe that TCU has more "potential upside" than WVU in the Big 12 due to its location in the DFW Metroplex and its familiarity with other schools in the conference. Did you consult TCU's prior record in the SWC at all before coming to that conclusion? At one point they went 35 years between conference titles. What about the Frogs makes their outlook that much better this time around? Also David, do you like movies about gladiators?

David Ubben: I think it's unfair to look at TCU's history. Look at it now. Gary Patterson's built something big there since. He's got them rolling. They'll be better with some more talent. He's also made TCU a much better job. He's got a lot of time there, but when he leaves, TCU will be in position to get a great replacement.

Steve (Philadelphia): I am thoroughly enjoying your coverage of my new league so far. However, I have never closely followed any Big 12 team and from BE country there was always a feeling that Big 12 teams were grossly unbalanced with high powered offenses and no defense to speak of. I would cite my Mountaineers Fiesta Bowl victory over the Sooners but that wouldn't be fair would it? Any evidence to the contrary?

David Ubben: Yeah, I think it's unfair to make that assumption. Teams like UT, OU and Nebraska have had some great defenses. The problem is one, the offenses are that much better than every other league, and they run a whole lot more plays. If I remember the numbers correctly, OSU faced something like 1,050 plays before its bowl game. LSU, meanwhile, had faced something like 615.

Our countdown of the Big 12's top 25 players continues. The official list is locked away in a vault in an undisclosed location, but we're revealing a new member of the list every day.

Here's a quick rundown on my criteria for this list.

No. 16: Emmanuel Acho, LB, Texas

2011 numbers: Made 117 tackles and 14.5 tackles for loss. He had three sacks, broke up five passes and forced a fumble.

Most recent ranking: Acho was ranked No. 24 in our preseason list of the top 25 players.

Making the case for Acho: Acho's older brother Sam carried Texas' defense in 2010. But it was Emmanuel who took the lead in 2011 as one of the leaders of the Big 12's best defense. Acho, Keenan Robinson and Blake Gideon were the elder statesmen of the unit, but Acho was the most productive.

His 117 tackles led the team by 19 stops and were third-most in the Big 12. His 14.5 tackles for loss were fifth-most in the Big 12. The 6-foot-2, 245-pounder is a solid rock in the middle of the defense and a sure tackler that plays with tons of instinct. He earned an All-Big 12 nod and was a semifinalist for the Academic Heisman and a finalist for the Lott IMPACT Trophy.
The rest of the list:

• No. 17: Kelechi Osemele, LT, Iowa State
• No. 18: Joseph Randle, RB, Oklahoma State
• No. 19: Arthur Brown, LB, Kansas State
• No. 20: Kenny Vaccaro, S, Texas
• No. 21: Grant Garner, C, Oklahoma State
• No. 22: Ronnell Lewis, LB, Oklahoma
• No. 23: Cyrus Gray, RB, Texas A&M
• No. 24: Nigel Malone, CB, Kansas State
• No. 25: Damontre Moore, LB, Texas A&M

We'll start taking a look at what each program in the Big 12 needs to deal with during the offseason, whether it be in the spring, summer or fall preseason camp. Maybe all three! Who knows?

Next up: The Texas Longhorns.

Invest in David Ash. Texas will bring on another true freshman this spring, Connor Brewer. The Longhorns have already been down that road. Ash is the most physically gifted of the Longhorns' quarterbacks, and that gives him the most upside. He's been in the program just one calendar year, and he got hardly any practice reps last spring and in the preseason while Texas was trying to prepare Garrett Gilbert to bounce back. If you ask me, forget competition with Case McCoy. Get Ash tons of reps and get him ready to take over in 2012. They'll be better off for it.

Find new defensive leadership. Leadership was one of the Longhorns' downfalls in 2010 after Colt McCoy left. Without Keenan Robinson, Emmanuel Acho and Blake Gideon, the Longhorns have a huge hole once again. Who's going to take over? Senior Kenny Vaccaro's probably the most talented player returning for the Horns, closely followed by junior-to-be Jackson Jeffcoat. What about Alex Okafor, the senior up front? Somebody's got to take hold of this team.

Figure out how the running backs will be used. Texas' backfield next year's going to be real crowded. Malcolm Brown and Joe Bergeron return, and Johnathan Gray, the nation's No. 1 running back and No. 2 prospect overall, will join them. All three could probably start for most teams in the Big 12, if not the country. The Longhorns need to utilize that strength, along with a maturing offensive line. Will offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin debut some new formations to get them on the field? Maybe a Wishbone redux? Copycatting Oklahoma and Oklahoma State's "Backs" or "Diamond" formation? Who takes over for Fozzy Whittaker in the Wildcat formation? Who gets the lion's share of the carries for these Horns? All are questions that have to be answered over the next seven months.

More offseason to-do lists.

Excluding the shy guys, most players love interviews at first. After time, though, it does get old. Still, these are the players who made stories like mine and others great throughout the season.

With a nod to our buddies in the SEC, here is the Big 12 All-Interview team.

Brandon Weeden, QB, Oklahoma State: Weeden and the man below him on this team probably did more interviews than any player in the entire league in 2011. It was close for both. Through it all, though, Weeden showed up every week and held court, often for 30 minutes to an hour after games, offering up refreshing honesty and insight, as well as some good humor, often.

Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor: Speaking of humor, RG3 is more than a Heisman winner with catchy socks. He's always good for a one-liner and his relentless positivity is more than a shtick. It's a huge reason why his team rallied around him the past few seasons and why so many talented players came (and will come) to Baylor. If you saw his Heisman acceptance speech, it's easy to see why he's on this team.

Fozzy Whittaker, RB, Texas: Whittaker's been through it all at Texas. Injury after injury, including a devastating knee injury that ended his career at Texas. A national championship run -- and title-game loss. A losing season. Being replaced by a freshman at the top of the depth chart. Every step of the way, he answered questions with a smile on his face and intellect in his answers. His teammates gave him a standing ovation the week after his knee injury, and I wish this blog could do the same.

Ben Habern, C, Oklahoma: More often than not, offensive linemen are a team's best interview. Throughout his career, Habern's held that title, and that was the case this season. He's smart, and helps guys like us in the media better understand the game from the inside, much like some coordinators do. It's appreciated.

T.J. Moe, WR, Missouri: So, maybe Moe got out of hand once, but he's good for an honest answer and a catchy one-liner to put in a story pretty often.

Blake Gideon, S, Texas: Like Whittaker, Gideon's been through a lot, too. Almost every year, it seems he's willing to sit and answer questions about one of the most painful football moments of his life. It's not fun to talk about, but it endears him to fans and provides a compelling story. Gideon was also great for insight into Texas' changing defense (and offense) this season.

Steven Johnson, LB, Kansas: Johnson, a former walk-on turned Big 12 tackles leader, plays with an intensity and answers questions with a smile on his face that comes from being a guy who feels blessed to be where he is.

Jake Knott, LB, Iowa State: Knott gave some memorable interviews this season helping put into context two of the most emotionally rewarding wins in his career: Iowa and Oklahoma State. He's also good to tell fans what it's like to be the toughest guy in the Big 12.

James Franklin, QB, Missouri: Franklin doesn't have much in common with his predecessors, Chase Daniel and Blaine Gabbert, outside of starting his career with an eight-win season and looking like a player with tons of potential, much of which was realized in 2012. Along the way, he offered up lots of disarming honesty (perhaps too much at times) and a look back on his roots to help fans better understand who he is and what he's about.

Collin Klein, QB, Kansas State: Klein gets the award for maybe the most impressive thing I've ever heard in an interview. He's probably not the only one who can, but I've never heard anyone rip off Bill Snyder's 16 Goals for Success in about 10 seconds without so much as a pause. He's also great for a look inside the life of a QB who takes a beating every week and gets up hungry for more. The Big 12's version of the Honey Badger will be fun to watch and talk to in 2012.

Seven Big 12 players will take part in the East-West Shrine Game on Jan. 21 in St. Petersburg, Fla.

• Tysyn Hartman, S, Kansas State
• Nicolas Jean-Baptiste, DT, Baylor
• Blake Gideon, S, Texas
• Dominique Hamilton, DT, Missouri
• Steven Johnson, LB, Kansas
• Cody Johnson, FB, Texas
• David Snow, OL, Texas

Good to hear from each of these guys, who have all been extremely productive over their careers. Traditionally, the Senior Bowl the following week is a more prestigious display, but all seven of these guys will get valuable exposure in front of NFL scouts.

We'll see who takes advantage and improves their draft stock.

You can see the full roster here.

We're in the final week of the season for college football before bowl games get started, but there's time for one more round of fun facts. As always, these come courtesy of ESPN Stats & Information and various sports information departments across the Big 12.

• Baylor is the only team in FBS history to win four consecutive games in a single season while also allowing at least 30 points in all four of those games.
• With a victory over Oklahoma State, Oklahoma would break a tie with Alabama for the most 10-win seasons in program history, with 32.
• The past five weeks, only two teams have allowed fewer yards per game than Texas: Alabama and LSU.
• Oklahoma has beaten Oklahoma State by 30 points or more 26 times. OSU has beaten OU by 30 points or more once.
• Oklahoma receivers dropped seven passes last week against Iowa State, including two in the red zone. That was the most in any game for the Sooners over the past two seasons.
• Kansas State has 13 turnovers this season. None has come in the red zone.
• Texas is 6-0 in Waco under Mack Brown. The Longhorns have allowed a combined 34 points in those games, with three shutouts.
• Texas is 0-4 this season against the current BCS top 25.
• Oklahoma's eight consecutive wins in Bedlam is the longest streak in the rivalry since the Sooners won 15 in a row from 1977-1991.
• Oklahoma has faced two top-10 passing offenses this season; it gave up 450 yards passing in both games — and lost both. Oklahoma State, at No. 2, is ranked higher than Baylor and Texas Tech's passing offenses.
• Texas is 0-of-9 on third-down passes in the red zone in conference play. If they don't complete such a pass against Baylor on Saturday, the Longhorns would be the first Big 12 team to go without a completion in that scenario in eight seasons.
• Texas is still the nation's only team that hasn't allowed a touchdown pass of longer than 20 yards. No other team has allowed fewer than two.
• Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III has thrown 22 touchdown passes this season longer than 25 yards.
• Oklahoma State had five touchdown drives that lasted less than a minute against Baylor this season. That's tied for the most of any team in any game this year. The Cowboys lead the nation with 20.
• Since Oklahoma lost receiver Ryan Broyles to injury, Sooners quarterback Blake Bell has six touchdowns on 11 red-zone rush attempts, the highest percentage of any player in FBS.
• Since losing Broyles, Oklahoma quarterback Landry Jones has zero touchdowns on 13 red-zone passing attempts.
• Before Broyles' injury, Jones was 35-of-64 in the red zone for 15 touchdowns and no interceptions. He's 4-of-13 since for no touchdowns and no interceptions.
• Oklahoma State has clinched a share of its first conference title since 1976.
• This is the third consecutive year OSU has been ranked higher than OU when the teams met. Before 2009, it had only happened twice.
• Oklahoma State and Texas are the only two Big 12 schools to beat Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops' teams in consecutive seasons.
• On 41 scrambles this year, Griffin has 17 runs of 10 yards or longer and averages 9.1 YPC. On 84 called runs, he has 13 runs longer than 10 yards and averages 5.1 YPC.
• Griffin has completed 42 passes longer than 15 yards this season, and 19 have been to Kendall Wright. He's completing 65 percent of his attempts targeting Wright longer than 15 yards for eight touchdowns and no interceptions.
• Baylor's five Big 12 wins this year are the most in school history.
• Last week's victory over Texas Tech was Art Briles' 12th at Baylor in four seasons. In the previous 12 years, Baylor had 11 Big 12 wins under four coaches.
• Saturday, Baylor could beat Texas in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1991-92.
• Iowa State leads the series with Kansas State 49-41-4, but Kansas State is 17-4 in the past 21 meetings.
• In Iowa State running back Jeff Woody's first 18 games, he had 254 yards rushing. He has 212 in his past four.
• Kansas kick returner D.J. Beshears set the single-season school record for kick-return yardage, with 1,014 yards.
• Kicker Michael Hunnicutt is the first Sooner in history with two games of at least four made field goals.
• The last time Kansas State won 10 games in a season was in 2003, when it won its last Big 12 title. The Wildcats enter Saturday's game against Iowa State at 9-2.
• Oklahoma has pitched second-half shutouts four times this season.
• Missouri is 16-4 in November since the 2007 season.
• The Tigers scored 14 in the third quarter against Kansas last week. It had scored 40 third-quarter points all season prior to that game.
• Safety Blake Gideon is one of just three Texas players ever to start 50 games.
• Texas Tech's 18-year streak of bowl eligibility ends with the current 5-7 season.
• Last week against Baylor, Red Raiders receiver Eric Ward set a single-game school record with 16 catches.

AUSTIN, Texas -- Texas knows Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III is going to let it fly. Repeatedly.

But the Longhorns also believe they know how to keep those throws from turning into long touchdowns.

“The way our defense and coverage is structured, it is big-play proof because there is always going to be a safety overlapping,” safety Blake Gideon said. “There are a lot of eyes on the ball. If a few tackles are broken we always have a chance to get the guy on the ground.”

Which is why, in the passing game at least, Texas has not given up a touchdown pass of 20 or more yards. The Longhorns are the only team in the FBS that can say that.

“We always say the worst thing that can happen if we don’t give up big plays is that they end up in the red zone, and red zone defense, that's just a mindset,” Gideon said. “That's a toughness thing and obviously we prove ourselves on wanting to be the toughest team.”

Griffin does present a few more problems than the average quarterback. With that in mind, Texas will deploy a few other things to try and disrupt his flow.

“You gotta rattle a guy like that,” linebacker Emmanuel Acho said. “You have to get after him from the jump. You have to make sure he feels our presence. That's really the starting point.”

Texas does that with its myriad defensive fronts and blitz schemes. The Longhorns have more than 180 of the latter. But they will have to be judicious in deploying their blitzes. Griffin is adept at slipping through tackles, and if he makes the player blitzing miss, he will have plenty of room to run.

Running is exactly what Texas doesn’t want Griffin, or ay dual-threat quarterback, to do.

“You have to make them one dimensional,” Acho said. “You have to be able to stop their run and make them into a pocket passer. When they're a pocket passer then they become essentially the same as every other quarterback. But that's much easier said than done.”

Texas was successful turning Kansas State’s Collin Klein into a one-dimensional player by getting a solid outside rush from the ends. That kept Klein in the pocket and allowed the defensive tackles and linebacker to clog any of his running lanes. Klein finished with four yards on 26 attempts. He had averaged 101 yards per game.

Griffin is a better athlete than Klein. He’s not as tough, but is a much smoother runner. Still, the same principles will apply. Where the worry comes into play, is that unlike Klein, Griffin has learned to throw on the run. That forces the defensive backs to hold their coverages longer.

“We have to cover twice because he is going to scramble out of the pocket,” safety Keny Vaccaro said. “Now that he has developed his passing game when he scrambles out of the pocket he is going to look downfield and try to make the play. In the Oklahoma game right at the end he could of took off but he just made the great throw.”

Texas will have to use a mix of zone and man-to-man coverage in the secondary. Against Texas A&M, they were able to go with more man coverage with Vaccaro, Quandre Diggs and Carrington Byndom.

But if they play man, and Baylor sends three or four guys 40 yards down the field, that leaves a huge gap for Griffin to exploit with his legs. Now, the Longhorns could deploy a spy on Griffin, but that isn’t possible on every play.

“They are so dynamic as far as how they spread the field and where they place their people around,” defensive coordinator Manny Diaz said. “If you try to spy them, you will have more spies than the CIA. You can't all spy. Someone has got to go play.”

And someone has to figure out how to stop Griffin.

Texas says, "Sorry, our schedule's booked up."

Turner Gill says the rivalry belongs in the Big 12.

Thursday night, Texas and Texas A&M will play for the 118th time. Only two rivalries have been played more.

It might be the last time. It will be the last time for the foreseeable future.

On Saturday, Missouri and Kansas will meet for the 119th time. Minnesota and Wisconsin are the only teams that have met on more occasions.

Realignment will claim two more victims upon Missouri and Texas A&M's exits to the SEC: Two of the nation's best rivalries.

"It’ll be difficult to ignore. Everybody knows what’s out there," Texas A&M coach Mike Sherman said. "It’s all part of it. I think there’s enough things on the table to motivate them. It’s certainly something everybody’s aware of."

That includes players. Here's thoughts from a few that grew up around the rivalry think about the rivalries' existence and ending.

Additional reporting by Carter Strickland of HornsNation.

What's your best memory in this rivalry, whether you played in the game or watched it?

Ryan Swope, WR, Texas A&M: Growing up as a Longhorn, I just remember how intense these games were. It didn't matter, the rankings didn't play a factor. Every game was just a battle. It was hard-nosed football. So much tradition involved in the game, and that's the main thing.

Tanner Hawkinson, OT, Kansas: Most recently, the one in '08 when Todd Reesing hit Kerry Meier at the end to win the game. I was redshirting, but I was at the game and it was just a crazy, crazy game. One of the better games I've witnessed.

There's quite a bit of hatred between the two schools going back to the Civil War and the battles between the Jayhawkers and Missouri. There's just a lot of hatred between the two schools.

T.J. Moe, WR, Missouri: The one in '07, the big one, was when I started watching because (former MU corner) Carl Gettis was playing and he was my high school teammate. Everybody knows what kind of game that was. That was kind of the start of, when both teams had great seasons, they started calling it the Border Showdown. That was a big game and a fight for No. 1. We got that safety in the end zone on Todd Reesing, and in 2008 they came back and got us, and thats how rivalry's supposed to be, back and forth like that. The '09 game was great, too. We had to win on a last-second field goal.

Are you for or against Texas A&M leaving for the SEC?

Blake Gideon, S, Texas: Against.

Does it matter that they're leaving?

Gideon: It doesn’t matter to me. This is my last year playing them anyway. It’s definitely one of those deals kind of like Nebraska last year that we want to send them off the right way. At Missouri we failed to do that this year.

What did you think when you heard it was probably ending?

Hawkinson: It's something that's gone on for a ton of years now, I'm not even sure how many. Obviously, it's disappointing. I wish it could go on, but we wish them well. It's something I feel like should stay in the Big 12, and they're going to the SEC, so, it's something they're going to just have to deal with if they're not in the Big 12 anymore.

Moe: I don't have any control over that. As far as players go, I think both sides would love to play each other. I can't speak for the administration. I think the administration over there keeps saying it's done if you're not going to be in the Big 12 anymore, but I'm sure players on both sides would love to continue the rivalry and we hope to do that.

Swope: There's so much tradition and history involved, it's going to be tough not to see Texas on the schedule, but it's a fun game. We're going to enjoy this one and we want to go out the right way.

Where you're from [Gilmer, Texas], are there a lot of Aggies?

David Snow, OL, Texas: Let’s just be honest — I’m the only one in my top 10 percent that came here. Everybody else is at A&M. Once they went to the dark side, I haven’t really stayed in that much contact with them. Changing my phone number and stuff.

Is there more pressure to win because it is the last one?

Snow: We have a lot of pressure every week to win, hell we’re Texas. You don’t expect to lose and you don’t want to lose.

Would you call it a nasty rivalry?

Snow: Yeah. I mean certain things happen there. When you hate two people certain cheap shots go on, especially on the other side. Never by us.



What's this rivalry mean to you?

Swope: It's a very personal game for me. I've got a lot of friends that are graduated from Texas or at Texas right now. Growing up in Austin, growing up a Longhorns fan, it's going to be real personal. My dad graduated from Texas. I have friends that go to school there and friends that are players for the other team.

Hawkinson: It's a great sense of pride for not only the university, but for the state of Kansas. It'd be a huge win not only for the university, but for the people that live in Kansas.

Moe: I didn't watch a whole lot of college football growing up, but when I did, it was Missouri-Kansas. It's a pretty special thing. It's been so close. It's almost tied up for the 100-something years we've been playing. It's just fun and something you look forward to. It doesn't matter if either team is bowl-eligible. We might have both gone winless and this game would still be special. It goes back to the Civil War days when it was a lot more serious than it is now.



What will you miss most about it?

Hawkinson: Getting prepared. The week leading up to it, this week, guys come in to practice and they're already excited. It's kind of an easy week to get pumped up for and practice hard for. Especially going up and playing at Arrowhead, it's a great environment, especially with two teams playing against each other with all the hatred toward each other. All that leading up to the game and one you get to the game, just playing in that atmosphere.

Swope: All the tradition and the history in this game. It goes back to the Bonfire and how big this game is and how much history it holds. It's one of those things. Everyone pulls tickets for this game. It's on Thanksgiving. It's a very traditional game being played and they've been doing it for so long, I think I'm just going to miss almost everything about the game.

Moe: If I miss a year of it, that's pretty sad. It's your rival. We had Nebraska, we lost them and we had Kansas. Those were our two big rivals. Now, of course, we'll move to the SEC and we'll kind of have A&M maybe as our new rival or whatever, but I don't know if it's ever going to be the same without Kansas because it has such deep roots, especially the guys on the team from Kansas City. They live in the war zone over there and it's pretty special to them.

I did my best to answer your questions. I've been more or less banned from speaking about Kansas this year, so I couldn't have a whole lot of fun.

AUSTIN, Texas -- Fozzy Whittaker brought Blake Gideon to tears.

That’s his effect. More than anything that emotion showed what Whittaker has meant to Texas football. It also showed how much Whittaker, who suffered a season-ending knee injury, would be missed.

“He would lay down in the street for any one of us,” Gideon said. “The type of guy that he is … the type of character that Fozzy has and what he will do for anyone one of us, that just shows you the type of person he is and why all of us think so much of him.”

Whittaker is in their thoughts now because he can no longer be on the field with them. The senior leader, who had made every right step this season, made one ill-fated cut and went down in against Missouri.

“You don’t understand why he gets hit all year and on this play he didn’t get touched,” Texas coach Mack Brown said. “He planted his foot and his knee went.”

“I felt it,” Whittaker said. “I just knew the way I planted, just feeling my knee buckle in and then kind of reposition itself back out it was kind of a nasty feeling.”

He didn’t blame the turf. He didn’t blame anyone. Whittaker had his mom, Gloria, come down to the locker room from the stands, place her hands on his knee and together they prayed about it.

A day later, it was Whittaker consoling his coach and his teammates. Typical Fozzy.

“Here he is picking up the 60-year-old who just lost some football game when his knee is torn up, and he'll have to have an operation, and he said, ‘Hey, let's go in there. We've got to beat Kansas State. Let's pick these guys up and let's move forward and see what we can do. I'll be fine. They're fixing these things better than ever before,’” Brown said.

That’s the thing about Whittaker, he has been there to pick the entire team up all year. In the two games when Texas needed a burst, there was Whittaker, who had never returned kicks before, going 100-plus yards for touchdowns.

When Malcolm Brown and Joe Bergeron needed someone to lean on, someone to help them find their way through the offense, there was Whittaker not just offering advice, but giving them carries, sharing the spotlight that should have been his.

On Monday, when he should have been depressed, angry, emotional, there was Whittaker maneuvering an orange scooter, knee wrapped and braced, smile plastered on his face, talking about a future in football administration, how he has six more hours to go to get his masters, saying don’t worry he’ll be fine.

“I'm not really the type to appear as immobilized as it seems,” he said with a nod to the scooter.

No he is not. Whittaker is someone, who regardless of what has been thrown in front of him, is always on the go. Life for him is not full of obstacles, but challenges. This is just the next one.

“I'm not really worried about Fozzy,” tight end Blaine Irby said. “I know that it sucks that he has had such a great career here, especially his senior year here, he really came out. But he's going to fine. Fozzy is a very strong individual and he's going to get through it.”

But can the team get through the last three games without Fozzy?

“It’s like you lose part of your heart and your soul,” defensive coordinator Manny Diaz said.

Diaz coaches defense. He doesn’t sit in on offensive meetings. He hasn’t been up close to see Whittaker bond with the freshmen. He is on the other side of the practice field from the offense most days, not even glancing at what is happening with the offense. And still he knows. He knows how much Whittaker meant to Texas.

They all know. And so too does Whittaker, which is why he has put on a brave face. He knows that this team, fragile as it is at this time, still needs him.

“I will still be out there with them,” Whittaker said. “I won’t be on the field obviously. I will be on the sidelines and they are going to make sure that I am still here and I'm still part of the team.

He never was one to fade. And now, because of him, his teammates are refusing to fade away as well.

“We have a cause in Fozzy,” guard Mason Walters said. “I am going to go out there and play my guts out for him.”

So what if Halloween was last week?

Tell that to the ghosts roaming around Texas Tech's Jones AT&T Stadium these days.

Back in 2007, there was a woozy Sam Bradford of Oklahoma sidelined with a concussion on the game's opening drive. National title hopes? Gone.

A year later? An easy interception inexplicably slid through the hands of Texas' Blake Gideon. A play later, an ill-advised, unnecessary throw by Graham Harrell somehow became one of the most famous plays in college football history.

Beware the winds of West Texas, Oklahoma State.

The Cowboys travel there on Saturday, to the place where two Big 12 national title runs have been buried. The Cowboys will go there with the intention of preventing a third.

Gundy's players watch the weekly BCS rankings get unveiled, and this week, they saw themselves at No. 2, higher than any team in Oklahoma State history and firmly in control of their postseason destination.

"They’re being told that they’re having a great year and everywhere you go, it’s ‘Make sure you keep it going’ and this and that," said coach Mike Gundy.

The odds say Oklahoma State will. The Cowboys enter as 17-point favorites over this particular band of Red Raiders that haven't wrecked much in recent weeks.

"There’s examples every Saturday, and just speaking for our staff, we’re able to use examples of teams that, on paper or people thought may have had a better team, but for whatever reason, they didn’t play as well that Saturday and didn’t win," Gundy said. "Because of that, you have to stay focused and understand the importance of preparation going into each game."

The Cowboys won't have to look far for inspiration. Texas Tech is just 1-4 in its past five games, and its past two losses have come by 32 and 34 points.

Its one win?

Tech made it count. The Red Raiders raced to a 31-7 lead and beat Oklahoma, who entered the game as 28-point favorites. Oh, and they hadn't lost at home since 2005 or in a home conference game since 2001, concurrent streaks of 39 and 32 games.

Oklahoma State should -- should -- win on Saturday. Last year's win in Lubbock was Oklahoma State's first since 1944.

Whether it does or doesn't do it again is likely up to the superior team.

"We just have to stay focused, absorb information in meetings and have good practices on Wednesday and Thursday," Gundy said.

So how does that happen?

"There’s not really anything other than trying to keep them in the moment and in the right frame of mind so they can stay focused on what’s important here and not get caught up in all the hype outside the program," Gundy said.

We'll find out on Saturday if the Cowboys did it. Iowa State awaits a week later, and win that one?

Bedlam.

After Saturday's 55-17 win over Texas, Oklahoma receiver Ryan Broyles decided to drop some knowledge on a secondary that struggled throughout the day.

"The media doesn't watch film like we do, and doesn't see the matchups we can expose," Broyles told reporters. "They're young. We knew there would be spots in the secondary they'd leave open."

Texas has experience at safety with senior Blake Gideon, but had almost none at cornerback entering 2011. The Longhorns gave up over 300 yards in the first half on Saturday, but it won't get any easier this week when Oklahoma State comes to Austin with the nation's No. 2 passing offense, ahead of No. 5 Oklahoma.

What kinds of things could Broyles have seen to tip him off on how to exploit youth?

"Either you’re scared to get beat deep or you’re playing slow. Those two things kind of correlate," Weeden said.

It was a little early this week to say whether that was the case with new corners Quandre Diggs and Carrington Byndom at Texas, but despite the statistical struggles, Texas wasn't burnt deep against Oklahoma. It also took bad angles often and gave up yards after the catch.

"We made some mistakes, obviously, but that’s also an encouraging thing, that we made mistakes that are correctable," Gideon said. "There’s certain things you can’t correct like effort, intensity, passion, things inside of players, so it was encouraging that we kept fighting to the end, every single player."

Didn't pass that test against Oklahoma? Fine, here comes another one. Weeden threw for 288 yards and five touchdowns last week against Kansas before being benched with five minutes left in the half. Oklahoma State led, 56-7, at the break.

"We get better every week," Weeden said. "That’s part of being a good offense. Early on, my play the first couple of nights was subpar, and I feel like I kind of made it my goal to get better every week and make this offense better every week. I think we have."

Weeden's completing just under 76 percent of his passes this season, which for obvious reasons, is alarming to Longhorns coach Mack Brown.

"That was the height of what Colt [McCoy] was completing when he was here to lead the nation," Brown said. "We’re playing two of the best teams in the country here back to back."

The Longhorns secondary looks a bit overmatched after last week's debacle, but Texas at least pinpointed the problems.

"You just have to try to disguise more, and we did not get to the quarterback," Brown said. "Sometimes the uptempo caught us when we were disguising and caught us off guard. You just have to hope that, especially your young corners, have another week to see a great passing attack and they improve, because of the speed this team will put on you."

Don't expect that to change. If anything, OSU might make it more difficult on the Longhorns.

"We’re executing and our tempo is something we take pride in," Weeden said. "We’re moving fast and we’re really not letting defenses dictate what we do."

Episode 2 of Year of the Quarterback’s latest series “Depth Chart” airs Wednesday night at 7 ET on ESPN, featuring Oklahoma State.

DALLAS -- It got so bad in the second half, even Bevo had to look away.

The Longhorns' signature steer spent most of the third quarter behind the end zone with his horns pointed at the slowly draining Texas side of the 96,009 fans in the Cotton Bowl.

This was a forgettable stop on this 2011 Longhorns Revival Tour, a season-long crusade to erase the memories of a 5-7 season in 2010.

Oklahoma didn't hit 60 points, but that was about the only positive for Texas, whose 55-17 beatdown did not, at least to my knowledge, come complete with Sooner Schooner tracks along the back of the Longhorns' white pants and burnt orange uniforms.

"I thought they tried," said Texas coach Mack Brown, whose 38-point loss is the third-worst ever suffered in his tenure at Texas. The other two were delivered in 2000 and 2003 on the same field from the same team by 49 and 52 points.

As for what went wrong? Well, where to start?

Three turnovers for touchdowns seems as good a place as any to start digging into this performance, which stunk only slightly less than the gifts Bevo leaves behind on the way to his artificial turf mat behind the end zone.

"Can't have five turnovers and win games," Brown said.

No worries. They didn't.

Demontre Hurst kicked off the party in the end zone with a 55-yard interception return to put Oklahoma up 27-3 in the second quarter.

Any halftime locker room dramatics didn't follow Texas onto the field. Frank Alexander sacked Case McCoy and forced a fumble, which David King casually picked up and strolled 19 yards into the end zone to make it 41-10 early in the third quarter.

"They were just out there flying to the ball, playing faster than us," said Texas running back Fozzy Whittaker, one of the bright spots for the Longhorns on Saturday. Whittaker ran hard all day, returning a kick 100 yards for a touchdown and carrying the ball six times for 43 yards.

"It's one of those things where you just have to stand back and give them credit for doing what they do best," he said.

Saturday was 60 minutes of reality setting in for Texas: It might be better than it was last year, but Texas needs some high-quality binoculars to get a glimpse of the national elite.

The Longhorns' No. 11 ranking was gone sometime in the second quarter, at some point between one of Landry Jones' 23 completions, 305 yards and three touchdowns in the first half.

"They've got all the athletes and stats for a reason," said Texas safety Blake Gideon.

Texas' offense? The only offensive touchdown of the day came with 2:31 left to play and the Longhorns trailing 55-10.

Texas had a great opportunity with a 1st-and-10 at Oklahoma's 14-yard line late in the third quarter.

Then came a bad snap. Then David Ash got sacked by speedy Tony Jefferson, who intercepted Ash earlier, too.

Then Ash got sacked by Ronnell Lewis, who forced a fumble and ... "Hey, how'd we end up with a 4th-and-49 on our own side of the field?"

Games like this, in raucous environments against very, very good teams, expose inexperience. Texas didn't have much covered when it was all over.

"We mixed it up. We played man, we played some zone, we mixed up some man zones," said defensive coordinator Manny Diaz. "[Jones] knew where to go with the ball, he knew how to manage the play, he took what was there when it was there."

Diaz, despite Oklahoma's assertions after the game, said the youth of his cornerbacks wasn't to blame.

"Defending the run and defending the pass is an 11-man job," Diaz said.

Official numbers are sketchy, but the 11 men Texas put out on the field weren't getting much of a job done against an offense that the Longhorns couldn't compliment enough after the game.

"I can see why they're No. 1 in the country," Brown said, later noting that the coaches kept the Sooners at No. 1 while the media polls slipped the Sooners to No. 3, behind Alabama and LSU.

Wherever Texas falls in the polls after Saturday's forgettable turn at the State Fair of Texas, it'll be far, far behind Oklahoma.

And just like every Saturday, for this one, Bevo had the most enjoyable seat in the house.