ESPN College Football

MORGANTOWN, W. Va. -- At a recent practice, on the first play of a scrimmage, West Virginia's offense did what West Virginia's offense does: connected for a long pass play.

Echoing from the sidelines, though, were comments that brought a smile to co-defensive coordinator Joe DeForest's face, despite the struggles from the past play.

"Don’t worry about it. Don’t worry about it," teammates yelled. "Move on to the next one. Move on to the next one."

On the second play, the defense forced a sack.

"When kids start repeating what you’re saying out loud, you know they’re listening to you," DeForest told ESPN.com in a recent interview.

What West Virginia's coaches are saying out loud? A brand-new philosophy and culture for the defense.

The Mountaineers will encounter plenty of new faces, places and experiences in the Big 12, but it doesn't take a pigskin prodigy to see the biggest difference will come in the offenses WVU's defense will match up against.

West Virginia led the Big East in total offense in 2011, but only one other team (South Florida) ranked in the national top 60.

Meanwhile, the Big 12 had two of the nation's top three offenses, and six of the top 13. Missouri and Texas A&M were in the top 13 and will play in the SEC in 2012, but TCU brings the nation's No. 28 offense to the Big 12.

A new Mountaineer mindset was needed, and the spring in Morgantown was bent on pounding that into the defense.

"Guys that put their heads down when they give up a big play are going to be in for a long year when they get to the Big 12," coach Dana Holgorsen said. "You’ve got to develop that culture, which is taking place now."

There's no shame in giving up a big play, and nowhere on DeForest's list of goals is a ranking for total defense. After a decade at Oklahoma State, he's learned to focus on more applicable goals.

West Virginia's defense focuses on a three-letter acronym: EAT. DeForest demands Effort, Attitude and ... Turnovers.

"If we can create turnovers like I did at the previous place I was at, that gives you an advantage. It gives your offense possibly three more possessions a game than they would have," DeForest said. "Whether our numbers are good or not doesn’t really concern me. My numbers are wins and losses and how many turnovers we can get so our explosive offense can have another opportunity to score."

Oklahoma State forced 44 turnovers in 2011, six more than any other team in college football. Those wins and losses? The Cowboys went a hearty 12-1 and won the Big 12, even though they ranked 107th nationally in total defense.

Mission accomplished.

Every day in practice, co-coordinators DeForest and and Keith Patterson demand three turnovers from the defense, and the total number for the spring is compared to a goal set when the 15 practices began.

Not only are Big 12 offenses better, they're run at a faster pace. That means more plays for the defense, which requires DeForest and Patterson to develop more depth, while also making sure the players ready to play are better conditioned.

Four Big 12 teams ran at least 1,000 plays in 2011. Three more ran at least 972.

West Virginia ran 959 plays in 2011, but no other Big East team ran more than 944. Half the league ran fewer than 900.

More plays and better offenses means defenses better learn a new understanding of what to expect come Saturdays.

"It’s not about what happens, it’s about how you react to what happens. You’ve just got to forget the last play and move on to the next one, because the next one’s the most important one," DeForest said. "Whoever we’re playing, they’ve got good guys, too. They’re going to make a play. Just give ourselves a chance to play one more play. Get ‘em down and give ourselves a chance to create a turnover on the next play."

West Virginia's not only thinking differently, it's playing differently. The 3-3-5 that's been in place at West Virginia throughout its rise has been replaced by the 3-4 after coordinator Jeff Casteel left to follow former coach Rich Rodriguez to Arizona.

"We hired guys that understand how to stop our offense and how to play defense [against] an offense like this, which obviously exists in the Big 12 a lot," Holgorsen said. "It’s made us better offensively, because they know how to stop us, and those guys are doing a tremendous job on communicating how to get guys lined up quick, which you have to do when Baylor and Oklahoma are snapping that thing at 32 seconds on the play clock."

In the 3-4, offensive lines are pressed to communicate. Three defensive linemen are traditionally down in a stance, but offenses are ideally kept guessing where the fourth, fifth and sixth rushers will be coming from.

"The flexibility, what we have within our scheme, and our players can help us disguise and create confusion," DeForest said.

The means and attitude are different. The goal is the same.

"You can’t be moaning about what happened last. You’ve got to refocus and move on. Our kids are trying to do that," DeForest said. "Ultimately, it’s making one more stop than [the opponent] at the end of the game."

MORGANTOWN, W. Va. -- West Virginia athletic director Oliver Luck would consider himself a man with foresight, but even he has to chuckle when he looks at his football head coach.

The Mountaineers are entering a brand-new world in the Big 12 in 2012, and the man in charge, Dana Holgorsen, happens to have nine seasons of experience in WVU's new conference.

"Dumb luck," says, uh, Luck.

That part may be luck, but the December 2010 hire was about a lot more. Holgorsen was hired as the coach-in-waiting, and 2012 was supposed to be his first season replacing Bill Stewart as head coach until a drama-filled scandal made Holgorsen's time come early.

"I brought Dana in because I thought he was a great, young coach and had tremendous potential," Luck said. "I’d be pulling your leg if I said I had any premonition that we’d be in the Big 12. Having said that, it’s great that both of our major sports -- football and men’s basketball --have coaches who have coached in the Big 12."

Bob Huggins, who spent one season at Kansas State, came to West Virginia in April 2007.

Holgorsen's arrival preceding Big 12 membership was an accident, but Holgorsen's offseason hires were anything but. Defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel ended an eight-year tenure at West Virginia to join former Mountaineers coach Rich Rodriguez at Arizona, and Holgorsen didn't have to look far to find his new coordinator.

Joe DeForest spent 11 years at Oklahoma State before following Holgorsen east to West Virginia, and he'll share defensive coordinator duties with Keith Patterson, who spent time as a high school coach in Oklahoma and Arkansas before stops at Tulsa, Pittsburgh and Arkansas State.

"Dana's put together a great staff with knowledge of the league we’re fixing to enter, which can only help us," said DeForest, who was the associate head coach, special-teams coordinator and safeties coach since 2005 in Stillwater.

Running backs coach Robert Gillespie was at Oklahoma State in 2009 and 2010, and the Mountaineers just welcomed Andrew McGee as a graduate assistant. The former Oklahoma State cornerback led the Big 12 in interceptions in 2010.

"It takes the element of surprise out," Luck said. "There’s a lot of Big 12 coaching experience in the group and an understanding of the conference and a comfort level with all the things you’ve got to put up with, travel and et cetera. Some of the traditions. And I think having some coaches with experience in the conference filters down pretty quickly to the players because they realize that their guys have been there, and it’s not all just brand new."

What can the coaches explain? DeForest will be sure to warn his players about the Paddle People in Stillwater, and the student section that sits just four yards behind the visitor's sideline.

"I’ll have recall on every team we play," DeForest said. "Whether it’s subtle things, tips that we’ve learned from previous years that they’re still giving away, or any possible thing you can use based on the time you’ve been there and the knowledge that you’ve gained, and I think it’s only advantageous for us."

For DeForest, suddenly he's bridging the gap between new guy and know-it-all. Instead of entering a brand-new world in the Big East, he's helping his players dip their toes into unfamiliar waters.

"There’s a comfort level there. I’ve been to every venue. I can relay things to our players about every venue and every crowd and every student body and a lot of the personnel we’re going to face. That excites me that I have knowledge and I’m not walking in here blind coming into the Big East, with them knowing and me not," DeForest said. "Knowledge is king. I’m just excited to see how our kids match up and how they respond each and every week in a big venue. I’m not saying the Big East didn’t have big venues, but in the Big 12, it’s a big venue every week."

DeForest knows well what Big 12 teams like to do on the field, especially Oklahoma State.

"Maybe they’re continuing to do the same tendencies and I can feed off that to help give them knowledge and help us make better calls," he said.

Holgorsen, DeForest and the rest of the Big 12 will see just how big or small the impact will be come fall, but it's easy to see why Luck is confident in the men he put in charge as they bring West Virginia into its new world out west.

"It’s all positive," he said. "I can’t think of any negatives involved with the experience level of these guys."

West Virginia are the new guys on the block in the Big 12, but its coach has been around the Big 12 block plenty. Dana Holgorsen did stints at Texas Tech and Oklahoma State (with Houston in between) before being named the Mountaineers' head coach.

The Mountaineers kicked off spring practice Sunday, but he took some time over the weekend while in New York for the Big East men's basketball tournament ("It's a great event. ... It's the Garden, man, and it's right in the heart of the Big Apple," he said) to talk to ESPN.com.

Portions of this interview were cut for length.

We missed you in the Big 12 last season, but it looks like we're getting you back, finally.

Dana Holgorsen: Yeah, I was only gone a year.

What's been the best part of this whole transition process?

DH: The transition really takes place next year, not this year, so we really haven't been -- it hasn't been a whole lot different right now. We're excited about it, no question. What's cool about it is I know what we're getting into. I've been at every venue, and I've seen every team. I know what's out there and I know what we've got to do to get better and be able to compete.

Missouri talked a bit about shifting its recruiting focus some from Texas into Atlanta and Florida. What have you guys done that you wouldn't traditionally be doing this time of year?

DH: Nothing, really. Our recruiting base is still going to be the same recruiting base. We have been getting into Texas some little bit and we'll continue to get into Texas. You've got to focus primarily on the Dallas and the Houston area that have the airport next to it so you can get back and forth pretty quick, so we're just going to go get a lot out of Florida. I think we took 12 out of Florida this year. There's a whole lot of pretty good football right around here in Pennsylvania and Ohio and Maryland and Virginia and we don't need to change where we recruit too much.

Seems like every school that leaves a league -- Nebraska and Colorado, for instance -- faces a different set of challenges. What do you see ahead as the biggest challenge for West Virginia?

DH: I don't care where you're at, everybody's challenged in facilities. You've got to make sure that you have the best and going into the Big 12, all Big 12 schools' facilities are as good as there is in the country. You've got to be able to keep up with whatever the other schools are doing just based on the recruiting aspect of things. That's a challenge that everybody has to figure out. Other than that, the program is in great shape, our kids are good and the support is good, where we're at and all that is in pretty good shape. It's just trying keep up with what everybody else is doing. It's an arms race, you know.

The history you do have in this league, where will that show up the most and be an advantage vs. entering this league with a coach that wouldn't have the experience you do?

DH: Like I said a minute ago, I just know what we're getting into. I'm very familiar with what every team does and I've hired a lot of coaches who understand how things work in the Big 12 and what schemes are and what players are like and what the atmospheres are like. There's not a whole lot of unknowns when it comes to me going to play other teams and other venues and all that. There's a whole lot of unknowns for the rest of the league having to come to Morgantown, because nobody's ever been here. So, I feel like that's an advantage for us.

You guys are obviously a big geographical outlier. You hear Louisville and Cincinnati's names come up when people talk Big 12 expansion. What are your thoughts on Big 12 expansion, specifically as it relates to other Big East teams?

DH: Obviously, it came down to Louisville and West Virginia to get in this past time, so if they do expand, I would assume that Louisville would be the first team that would get in. From a geographical standpoint, I think it'd be fantastic. The one thing that I think is pretty cool about 10 teams is you play every team. When you start getting into 12 teams and 16 teams, you don't play everybody. Last year in the Big East, with eight teams you played everybody and everybody knew who the best team was based on head-to-head matchups.

Back on the field, Jeff Casteel is gone, but with Keith Patterson and Joe DeForest taking over the defense, what can we expect?

DH: Familiarity with who we're playing is incredibly important. They're going to understand that side of the ball, the people and the players, the atmospheres, I mean, that was one of the reasons we hired who we hired; they were going to be familiar with the teams we're going to play. It's all about the one thing Joe preaches more than anything, which is not to worry about giving up a play. Everybody's going to give up a play in the Big 12. The offenses are so good, but if you give up a play, it doesn't mean that you're going to lose a game. Oklahoma State was fantastic with that last year with him and (defensive coordinator Bill) Young. They just keep playing and make a play at some point to win the game, get turnovers and play with tremendous effort no matter what happens.

The 3-3-5 stack has been pretty ingrained in West Virginia's identity. With the new guys coming in, does that mean the 3-3-5 is officially dead at West Virginia?

DH: Yeah, what's always given me the most problems is the 3-4. It's just a lot of movement and a lot of stemming and showing looks and not necessarily what you line up in is what you're going to get. I think the 3-4 gives you the best opportunity to do that. So, Oklahoma State did that a little bit with Joe, but Keith Patterson, from a front standpoint, has been doing that. I've coached against him the past four years at Tulsa, and between the two of them, they're going to put something out there that's pretty tough to play against.

Anything else I should know?

DH: (Quarterback) Geno (Smith)'s playing well. For his first offseason -- we didn't really have him last year because of a foot injury -- we're getting a lot of work out of him right now and he's really improving himself from a physical standpoint. I can't tell you how special I think Tavon Austin is. He's one of the most dynamic guys I've coached. We should get a little bit more out of him next year than we did this year. Those two guys are special. They've got a chance to make a difference in this league.

I'm excited to see those guys on a week-to-week basis. I'll be heading your way next month. I've never stepped foot in West Virginia, so I'm looking forward to it.

DH: It's a unique place, it really is. It's really, really, really pretty. There's all kinds of stuff going on and it's probably the best-kept secret in the United States. These people are pretty passionate. I'm telling you, you're going to see nothing but blue and gold when you step in this state.

West Virginia has hired Mike Smith as a defensive assistant as expected, the school announced Friday. Coach Dana Holgorsen will announce the coaching responsibilities of his new hires once his staff is complete.

The move had been widely reported for the past week.

Here is more from the school release:

“Mike has a promising future in the coaching profession, and I look forward to him joining the West Virginia coaching staff,” Holgorsen said. “I knew him during his playing days at Texas Tech, while I was on the coaching staff. He helped lay the groundwork that led to our success. He brings playing and coaching experience on both the college and professional levels.”

Smith comes to West Virginia after working for the past two and a half years with the outside linebackers for the New York Jets. He was recently promoted to full-time outside linebackers coach after serving as a coaching intern for the first two seasons.

He coached some of the Jets’ top linebacker talent and was on a staff which oversaw one of the NFL’s top defenses for the past two years. Some of his pupils included Aaron Maybin, Bart Scott and Jason Taylor. He was credited by Maybin for revitalizing his career after he was named the NFL Comeback Player of the Year for the 2011 season. The Jets defense finished the 2011 season ranked No. 5 in total defensive yards and No. 13 in rushing defense, allowing just 111.1 yards for game. The 2010 defense was No. 3 in the NFL in fewest rushing and total yards allowed, giving up only 90.9 rushing yards and 291.5 total yards per game. The Jets were No. 6 in scoring defense, giving up an average of 19.0 points per game.

“West Virginia University is one of the elite college football programs with a lot of history and tradition, and I am excited to join the staff,” Smith said. “I have known Dana for a long time, and it is evident to see how much he already has brought to the program in the short time he has been there. Having played in the Big 12 Conference, I look forward to being on the staff, as West Virginia makes the transition into a new era. The atmosphere and people at West Virginia were the biggest sell for me personally. It was like being at home.”

West Virginia has also hired Oklahoma State assistant Joe DeForest. The Mountaineers are in search of a replacement for defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel, who is now at Arizona.

West Virginia hired Oklahoma State assistant coach Joe DeForest, the school announced Saturday.

Earlier this week, DeForest told The Tulsa World he had resigned to join the Mountaineers. According to the West Virginia release, coach Dana Holgorsen will announce the coaching responsibilities of his new hires once his staff is complete.

“Joe is an outstanding addition to the West Virginia football staff and brings years of experience, expertise and knowledge of the Big 12 Conference,” Holgorsen said in a statement. “He is not only a good coach, but a great teacher. I worked with him at Oklahoma State and look forward to him and his family joining the Mountaineer program.”

DeForest spent the past 11 years at Oklahoma State. Both were on the Cowboys’ staff in 2010. At Oklahoma State, DeForest was the associate head coach, special teams coordinator and safeties coach since 2005. From the 2001-05, he was the special teams coordinator and secondary coach for the Cowboys. He worked under Les Miles from 2001-04, and the past seven years under current coach Mike Gundy.

“I am happy to come to West Virginia University and be a part of Dana Holgorsen’s staff,” DeForest said in a statement. “Dana has done great things here already, and I look forward to helping him and the staff continue to build on what has already been started. As West Virginia enters the Big 12 Conference and with Dana’s previous knowledge of the conference, I am hopeful that my experience in the league also will be helpful in the transition as well. The Mountaineer program has a lot of history and tradition, and I look forward to West Virginia going to more BCS bowls in the future.”

Oklahoma State assistant Joe DeForest told the Tulsa World that he has resigned his position with the Cowboys to join the West Virginia staff.

DeForest had been at Oklahoma State for 11 seasons, serving as associate head coach, special-teams coordinator and safeties coach in 2011. West Virginia just lost defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel to Arizona, along with two other defensive assistants.

West Virginia has not made any official announcements about new hires. But DeForest told the newspaper:

"It’s always hard to say goodbye. No one ever wants change. Do I want to leave? No, but I have to leave. I have to leave for my family and my career. I’m just trying to advance my career."

Markelle Martin sees a lot of good from 2009. So do his coaches. His career day to close the season, a nine-tackle, one pass break-up crescendo from an impressive sophomore campaign, tops the list.

But Martin sees a lot of missed opportunity in his 11 pass break-ups on the year. Oklahoma State obviously never led in its 27-0 Bedlam loss to Oklahoma, but Martin thinks they should have. Trailing 3-0 in the second quarter, quarterback Landry Jones' pass to the flats was tipped and Martin stepped in. But what should have been seven points and a 7-3 Cowboys lead in Norman resulted in just a wasted down. Martin went on to finish the season without an interception.

"That could have changed the game -- the momentum from that play," Martin said.

Instead, Oklahoma finished that drive with a touchdown to take a 10-0 lead.

This year, he wants to turn those pass break-ups into turnovers, make those plays and snatch that momentum.

"I focused a lot over the summer on ball drills and my hand-eye coordination," Martin said. "We do a lot of ball drills now with [safeties] coach [Joe] DeForest, just attacking the ball."

Having a more complete knowledge of the Cowboys defense is helping Martin chase the coveted tag of "ballhawk." He has defensive coordinator Bill Young to thank for that. Young, an Oklahoma State alum, brought his feared defense to Stillwater before the 2009 season. In 2007, Young helped Kansas win the Orange Bowl and the Jayhawks finished the year with the fourth best defense in the country.

"I've made a lot of strides with coach Young. You have to be patient and you have to actually learn the defense from the outside in," Martin said. "I know the responsibilities of the corners, the linebackers, the D-line. It made mature a lot more and make me more responsible for the players around me."

The Cowboys jumped from eighth to fourth in total defense under Young in Year 1. Martin was one of the reasons why. They'll try to climb higher, past top defenses from Texas, Nebraska and Oklahoma in Year 2.

If they do, Martin should once again earn plenty of credit.

"We think he's going to be a really special player," Young said. "We've got two or three guys like him, and in the secondary, he's really the ringleader of that group."

Martin's already one of the team's hardest hitters. He'll try to become one of its biggest playmakers in his second time around as starter.

"We've only had one scrimmage, but certainly in the time we've seen him this fall, he looks like an improved player," Young said. "He looks bigger, he looks stronger, he looks faster, and certainly more experienced."

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

STILLWATER, Okla. -- If it seems like old times for Mack Brown tonight, it’s understandable.

Tonight should be the toughest remaining challenge for the Longhorns en route to the Big 12 championship game. If they can win tonight, it should be smooth sailing to the Dallas Cowboys Stadium on Dec. 5.

It was similar in 2005, when the Longhorns similarly opened up a lead in the South after beating Oklahoma. They overcame a big deficit in Oklahoma State in what turned out to be their biggest challenge of the game en route to their first undisputed national championship since 1969.

A victory tonight puts the Longhorns in control of their BCS destiny. With Florida and Alabama bound to either lose or play each other in the SEC title game, the Longhorns are positioned to be in the top two if they can win out.

Here are some things I’m watching for tonight before what should be a record crowd at Boone Pickens Stadium.

• Colt McCoy will have a chance to state his Heisman case in a national spotlight. The game will either be on ABC or ESPN2, so a big night will receive a wide national spotlight. McCoy threw for 269 yards and three touchdowns last week. He needs another big game tonight -- particularly after Tim Tebow’s big game against Georgia earlier this afternoon.
• But don’t discount Oklahoma State’s Zac Robinson. If the Cowboys could engineer an upset tonight, his Heisman candidacy will get a boost. The fact he’s done it most of the season without Dez Bryant and Kendall Hunter makes him a good story. But a victory tonight would introduce him to the nation.
• Oklahoma State needs to seal the deal if they get Texas behind. The Longhorns came back from a 19-point second-quarter deficit in 2005, to win a 47-28 game. In 2007, the Longhorns came back from a 21-point deficit at the start of the fourth quarter to escape with a 38-35 victory -- the largest fourth-quarter comeback in school history. In those two games, Texas outscored the Cowboys, 100-7, in the second half.
• While Mike Gundy claims his team isn’t snakebitten against Texas, it might be hard to believe that after losing 11 straight games. Gundy has been around as the head coach for the last four of them.
• Whether Kendall Hunter plays in the game or not, it is critical for the Cowboys to run the ball effectively. That would give them the ability to keep Texas from being able to tee off on them with their variety of blitzes that have been so successful this season.
• Texas’ “Goon Squad” defense has knocked out three straight rival quarterbacks in their last three games. They’ll be gunning for four tonight against Robinson.
• The Cowboys must do a good job stuffing the Longhorns’ short passing game, particularly passes to Jordan Shipley. In order to do that, a big game from cornerback Perrish Cox will be critical. Look for Cox and Shipley to be hooked up often in one-on-one coverage.
• Whoever wins the special teams battle will likely win this game. The Longhorns lead the conference with a 31.4 kickoff return average and have produced two touchdowns. Oklahoma State leads the conference in punt return average and Texas is third with four touchdowns.

Oklahoma State special teams coordinator Joe De Forest typically plays as many starters on his special teams than any team in the Big 12. He’ll need a big game out of his unit tonight.

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

Even in the middle of his summer vacation, Oklahoma State special teams coach Joe DeForest still gets charged about his plans for the upcoming season.

	Donald Miralle/Getty Images
	While he stars as a receiver, Dez Bryant also excels as a punt returner.

The Cowboys' Sept. 5 opener against Georgia might be 2½ months away, but DeForest's excitement is understandable even as he relaxed last week on a Florida beach with his family.

The Cowboys traditionally have been one of the nation's best in special teams. And it could be even better this season with the return of game-breaking players like Dez Bryant and Perrish Cox to help charge those units.

"It's how you approach it with the kids," DeForest said. "We emphasize that aspect and people want to be a part of it. It's respected as a big part of what we do and the fans understand that as well."

The best example of the importance that Mike Gundy places on that facet of the game can be seen with the fact that Bryant was a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award.

"It all starts with the head coach and the fact that he gives me the ability to use our best players," DeForest said. "The fact we use Dez Bryant to run back punts says a lot about the importance we place on it."

Talent plays a part in OSU's success, but the Cowboys have developed a distinctive attitude on their special teams that permeates that aspect of their program.

OSU special-teams players wear special black T-shirts that aren't given out, but are earned on the field of play. They eat first, before any of their teammates. And they are held to a different standard than the rest of the squad.

"Our motto for our special teams around here is 'one play and out,' and that's what we've been able to build on over the years," DeForest said. "There aren't eight plays like you get on an offensive drive or several plays on defense. We've got one play to make something happen -- one chance. And that's what we try to do."

(Read full post)

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

Ah, bowl time. I feel like I've missed out on a lot of the early fun from a lot of great games already.

The Big 12 finally starts on Monday night when Missouri faces Northwestern in the Valero Alamo Bowl in San Antonio.

We'll have Oklahoma State and Oregon Tuesday in the Pacific Life Holiday Bowl in San Diego and Kansas and Minnesota in the Insight Bowl in Tempe, Ariz., on Dec. 31.

• How Missouri handles the stinging disappointment of another Big 12 championship game loss: The Tigers say they are intent on finishing strong, becoming the first team to win 10 games in back-to-back seasons in school history. But they have struggled defensively at the end of the season, allowing 102 points in losses to Kansas and Oklahoma. Northwestern's offense shouldn't prove troublesome, considering the Wildcats scored at least 28 points in a game only once in their final nine games of the season. What Missouri defense will show up in its bowl game?
• The end of an era at Missouri: Chase Daniel and Chase Coffman will end illustrious careers with the Tigers, along with offensive coordinator Dave Christensen, who is off to his new job as head coach at Wyoming. Jeremy Maclin likely could be playing his final college game. This potent offensive mix has been the most productive offense in the school's recent history. Could they have one more huge outburst left in them in their final game together?
• Better health for the Jayhawks: Key players like Kerry Meier, Jake Sharp and Todd Reesing were banged up most of the second half of the season for Kansas. After a month of rest and playing in the warm Arizona climate, will the potent Kansas trio be ready to take advantage of slumping Minnesota? The Gophers arrive with a four-game losing streak, compared to Kansas' excitement after a thrilling upset victory over Missouri in the Jayhawks' season finale.
• Can the Jayhawks protect Reesing?: When Kansas was at its most successful offensively this season, Reesing was afforded protection and Sharp was a consistent runner. But the Wildcats often struggled to do that against the Big 12's power teams. It will be critical for Kansas redshirt freshman tackle Jeff Hatch to protect Reesing's blind size from Minnesota defensive end Willie VanDeSteeg, who led the Gophers with nine sacks.
• Oklahoma State's defense without Tim Beckman: The Cowboys' former defensive coordinator left immediately for his new job as head coach at Toledo, leaving Mike Gundy without a coordinator for the bowl game against Oregon. First-year defensive line coach Glenn Spencer takes over Beckman's job of coaching linebackers. A game plan has been formulated with his work along with that of cornerbacks coach Jason Jones and safeties coach Joe DeForest. It could provide a big challenge against an Oregon offense that ranks fourth nationally in rushing, seventh in scoring and eighth in total offense.
• A Holiday Bowl of points: Want to see a bowl game where the two teams combine for triple digits in points and into the thousands in yards between them? This could be your game. Oklahoma State features a talented array of offensive weapons like quarterback Zac Robinson, wide receiver Dez Bryant, running back Kendall Hunter and tight end Brandon Pettigrew. Oregon will counter with quarterback Jeremiah Masoli, running backs Jeremiah Johnson and LeGarrette Blount and tight end Ed Dickson. Considering that both teams have scored at least 40 points six times apiece this season, brace for a shootout in San Diego. Who needs a San Diego delicacy like fish tacos when you can gorge yourself on a delicacy like this?