Submitted by admin on Fri, 2005-10-07 09:00. ::
After five consecutive losses against Oklahoma, Brown's Texas Longhorns trek to Dallas on Saturday confident they'll win the 100th game in the Red River Rivalry. Many on both sides of the river believe if Texas doesn't win this one, it might be, oh, another 100 years before a better chance surfaces.
Ranked No. 2, the Longhorns are unbeaten (4-0); the Sooners (2-2) are unranked for the first time since 1999. Even if Brown is being typically low- key, Texas fans and players sense this is the season to get Oklahoma, which has won the past five meetings 63-14, 14-3, 35-24, 65-13 and 12-0.
For the past month in Austin, hats and bracelets bearing the phrase "Operation Orange: Reverse The Curse" have been hot sellers, and the Longhorns bought in.
"I don't think we're going to have to answer that question this year," Texas defensive tackle said. "We plan on going in there and lifting a lot of weight off (Brown's) shoulders and walking out of that stadium with a smile on our face."
Oklahoma has lost against Texas Christian and UCLA, but in a 43-21 rout Saturday of Kansas State, some typical Sooners swagger might have returned. Also, after committing 14 turnovers in its first three games, Oklahoma was error-free against Kansas State.
Reflecting on the five-game losing streak, Brown says he "used to take (criticism) so personal. I'm not happy we haven't done better in this game. I feel like I've let our team and the school down. That doesn't mean I'm not going to get ready to coach it again."
Effusive , a former Oklahoma linebacker, believes "Mack is in Mack's head. I think he has a hurdle that he has to overcome. . . . I don't think he believes in the players he has around him. Otherwise, he wouldn't be switching quarterbacks around like he did the first couple of years."
ESPN commentator , a former offensive tackle with Pittsburgh, chirped last week often-rowdy West Virginia fans tossed pennies at Pittsburgh players because they couldn't afford nickels.
It has been awhile since a game bearing the magnitude of Saturday's has been played in Happy Valley, Pa., where some Penn State students have camped in tents outside the Beaver Stadium gates.
, Paterno's longtime defensive coordinator, also is advising caution. He has told players to "keep it in perspective and tend to their knitting. The same people patting you on the back were kicking you in the butt not too long ago."
The real tale told in Oregon's rout of Stanford is about the woeful Cardinal. Oregon was penalized 16 times for 170 yards, lost two special- teams fumbles, had an extra-point kick blocked, had a punt blocked for a touchdown and missed a 24-yard field goal. And won 44-20.
The pink decor of the visiting locker room at Iowa's Kinnick Stadium is legendary, but an Iowa law professor is claiming the color promotes sexism and homophobia.
stated her opinion at a public hearing on the school's NCAA certification review, adding she was not challenging 's decorative touch, which the former coach claimed would calm Iowa's opponents.
"It's stupid," fan told The Des Moines Register. "If that's the biggest thing we've got to complain about here, then Iowa is a great place to live."
Nebraska has waited for this week, but defensive coordinator won't admit it. No. 15 Texas Tech, which humiliated the Cornhuskers 70-10 last season, visits Lincoln on Saturday. Cosgrove told the Omaha World-Herald he isn't interested in revisiting Nebraska's all-time worst loss. "Really, I'm beyond that," he said. The Cornhuskers rank No. 2 in average points allowed (9.0), the Red Raiders No. 1 in scoring offense (57.2).
Kansas State's special-teams reputation took a major hit against Oklahoma when the ball was snapped through the back of the end zone with no punter on the field. Asked about the gaffe, an embarrassed coach Bill Snyder said, "Our punter's over on the sideline. . . . We have some guards against that, but we put our guard down."
Wyoming (4-1) could score a break-in victory - perhaps breaking into the top 25 - by defeating Texas Christian (4-1) in Laramie. First order of business: Halt TCU running back , who averages 85.5 rushing yards and is called by Wyoming coach "the best player I've seen on any of the teams we've played."
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