Texas and Big 12 Football Capsules: Texas QB has losing record against rival A&M

AUSTIN — As losses go, Texas quarterback Colt McCoy doesn’t have many.

But there are a pair of them he finds particularly galling.

The NCAA record-holder for wins by a starting quarterback, McCoy has a losing record against rival Texas A&M. It’s a blemish he’d like to erase when the No. 3 Longhorns (11-0, 7-0 Big 12) and Aggies (6-5, 3-4) play Thanksgiving night.

"I think it’s a great opportunity, but I want to win every game," McCoy said. "It’s going to be tough. They’re going to fight."

McCoy is 1-2 against Texas A&M and 0-2 against Kansas State. Those are the only teams with winning records against the senior who is 43-7 in his career.

McCoy was a freshman in 2006 when Texas lost to A&M 12-7. He had been injured with a pinched nerve in his neck and shoulder two weeks earlier in a loss at Kansas State, and came back to play against the Aggies in a game that could have won the Big 12 South.

He really wasn’t ready to return to the field, but the Texas coaches felt they didn’t have much choice. Freshman Jevan Snead was the backup, had played little and it was widely assumed he would transfer, which he did later, to Mississippi.

McCoy started fine. He was 5-of-5 passing on the Longhorns’ opening drive but got weaker as the game wore on. He completed just 10 more passes and threw three interceptions.

"We shouldn’t have played him that day, in retrospect," coach Mack Brown said.

After Texas fell behind late in the fourth quarter, a hard hit aggravated the injury and he was carted off the field. Some Aggies fans have taunted him with the nickname "Cart McCry" ever since.

"I don’t think about that," McCoy said. "I put that behind me."

The consecutive losses to end the season knocked the Longhorns out of the Big 12 title championship game. It was a shocking fall for a team that still had a load of talented players from the 2005 national championship team.

The loss also snapped a streak of six consecutive wins over the Aggies.

In 2007, the Longhorns started 0-2 in conference play before rallying with five straight wins. They still had had an outside shot at the South division title when they drove to College Station.

Texas A&M jumped to a 17-0 lead. McCoy had three turnovers and was sacked four times.

Texas lost 38-30.

"I remember we had a shot at the Big 12, " McCoy said, "and we went over there and blew it."

McCoy finally beat A&M last season, passing for 311 yards in a 49-9 victory in Austin. It was payback for the losses and insults as Texas posted the largest margin of victory in the rivalry since a 48-0 Texas win in 1898.

Longhorns fans love McCoy’s three wins over Oklahoma. His Fiesta Bowl win over Ohio State last season was revenge for a 2006 loss, the first of his career.

He doesn’t have a Big 12 title and a win Thursday night won’t get him that. But it would settle some personal business.

McCoy will never get another crack at Kansas State but he can leave Texas with an even record against the Aggies.

"This is a new year and a new team," McCoy said. "Obviously, we haven’t taken care of business as we would have like to in the past. This is huge for us."

And for him.

TCU happy to be in title talk with 1 game left

FORT WORTH — With one more victory, fourth-ranked TCU will be waiting to find out where — not if — the Horned Frogs will be playing in the Bowl Championship Series.

All that stands between the Frogs (11-0, 7-0 Mountain West), their first undefeated regular season in 71 years and finally being a BCS buster is Saturday’s home finale against New Mexico (1-10, 1-6).

Coach Gary Patterson characteristically reminded everybody Tuesday that there is still one more game left, even telling a story during his introductory remarks about when he was an assistant coach for an 0-10 Tennessee Tech team that beat a 10-0 team in a season finale.

Patterson even pointed to the tiny, yet very obvious clear spot on the lower two-thirds of the team’s pyramid of goals: the New Mexico game waiting to be colored in purple if they win. The Frogs are listed as more than six-TD favorites.

Florida, Alabama or Texas will have to slip up to create a chance for TCU to be the first outsider to play in the BCS national championship game and an opportunity to fill in the to box and the loftiest goal: No. 1, national champions.

So there is the distinct possibility that the Frogs will be undefeated for the first time since 1938, when Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Davey O’Brien led TCU to its only national championship, and not get a title shot.

If that happens, Patterson said he isn’t planning to whine about it.

"As soon as I win this ball game, I’m not going to turn this into a negative season," Patterson said. "We’re going to let other people decide all the rest of that stuff. ... I’m not going to turn this into ‘Woe is us and you guys didn’t do what we needed to achieve.’ It’s still going to be a box we’ve ever gotten to on that pyramid."

The Frogs have never been closer to a BCS game. The closest previously was 2003, when they won their first 10 games before losing at Southern Miss. The only other time they won 12 games, which they have a chance to do Saturday, was 1935.

Even if TCU doesn’t get a title chance this season, Patterson believes the Frogs have been successful in the fact that they are being mentioned with Florida, Alabama and Texas in those conversations.

"Whether we play for a national championship at all, we’ve already won that battle because our name has been mentioned," Patterson said. "I would think 12 years ago, maybe five years ago, to ever think that we’d be in this situation where TCU would be mentioned in the same breath as a Florida, an Alabama and a Texas, we’ve already put ourselves in a position that I feel we’ve already won."

TCU will be playing for the 12th consecutive Saturday. The Frogs were one of only two FBS teams who waited until the second Saturday of September to play their first game.

It’s been a long grind, and maybe even tougher than usual despite the success.

"When you have these kind of seasons, actually you probably work harder," Patterson said. "I’ve stayed later doing things, trying to find more answers. Because when you have a group that’s playing like they’re playing, you want to make sure it’s not your fault. You cover every base that you could possibly cover with everything you can."

-- Stephen Hawkins

Big 12

Stoops: No "knee-jerk" reaction to struggles

NORMAN, Okla. — Bob Stoops has never had a season like this at Oklahoma.

The injuries keep piling up, along with the losses. For the first time in Stoops’ 11 seasons in Norman, the Sooners have lost five games in the regular season and are limping toward the postseason instead of trying to finish off another run to the Big 12 championship game.

"This is different, but there’s been a lot of unusual circumstances around this year," Stoops said Tuesday. "I’m not a knee-jerk guy and I’m not going to overreact to it.

"In the end, I understand what we’ve had to deal with the whole year and to think that with the strength of schedule along with all the different players that we’ve played without, to think it’s just going to be the same, it’s not very realistic."

After last season’s appearance in the BCS championship game, Oklahoma (6-5, 4-3 Big 12) has had to deal with the loss of tight end Jermaine Gresham for the whole season and Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford for most of it. Three offensive linemen have been sidelined with season-ending injuries.

Top receiver Ryan Broyles, tailback DeMarco Murray and left guard Brian Simmons have also missed games. Fullback Matt Clapp has played despite a broken hand, but his snaps have been diminished since he’s no longer a pass-catching threat.

"It’s made it incredibly difficult, not just when you have injuries but when you have them to seniors and guys that have played, have that experience, have that maturity and have the presence in the huddle and then you remove it," Stoops said. "There’s a void there and you can’t replace it."

Even while he admits he’s never endured a rash of injuries this extreme, Stoops doesn’t want that to be a crutch. Just look at Oklahoma’s opponent in Saturday’s annual Bedlam rivalry game.

No. 11 Oklahoma State (9-2, 6-1) has been without All-America receiver Dez Bryant throughout conference play after he was ruled ineligible. A slew of other starters, including All-Big 12 tailback Kendall Hunter, linebacker Orie Lemon and offensive tackle Brady Bond, have been hurt.

"Everything in life doesn’t always go your way. In the end, we’ve had a lot of fortune around here. This has been a very unusual year the way it’s all happened and you have to work through it," Stoops said. "The fact that all these guys are out, you can’t blame anyone for that."

Offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson said Oklahoma’s coaches have tried both positive and negative motivational tactics this year, but he’s sensed "a lot of negative vibes with our team this year" when past teams stayed upbeat even in hard times.

Last week’s 41-13 loss at Texas Tech was the team’s most lopsided defeat since 2005.

"We as coaches have tried each week, and sometimes we’ve connected and sometimes we haven’t — apparently, by our performances," Wilson said. "Regardless of any injuries we may have had, we still have had chances — until last Saturday — to have won games or been in games."

Stoops hasn’t been a part of a six-loss season since 1992, his fourth year on Bill Snyder’s staff at Kansas State during a massive rebuilding of the program that had the most losses in college football history when they took over.

"That’s why he’s such a great coach is he always keeps his composure and he stays focused, and he’s kept us that way and kept our energy up," defensive tackle Gerald McCoy said. "He hasn’t let anybody get down. He’s never been down. He comes in every day, high energy ready to work. That’s just how he’s been all year."

Stoops said he believes his players have continued to work hard and put in the effort to get ready for games.

"I’m always critical of what we’re doing as coaches and I think sometimes we’ve handled it better than at other times," Stoops said. "But I also understand the handicap we’ve had to play with."

Mainly, Stoops said the Sooners’ issues come down to inexperience — an issue that has only been compounded by the injuries forcing more young players into the lineup.

"You get caught too inexperienced, it’s tough to overcome it," Stoops said. "I don’t care what. To me, talented guys in college, still the talent needs to be experienced before you really start to see a special player.

"The Adrian Petersons are rare. Most of the other guys, it takes experience before you really start to see that talent."

-- Jeff Latzke

Kansas player: Mangino has been inspiration

LAWRENCE, Kan. — Two players defended embattled Kansas coach Mark Mangino on Tuesday as an internal investigation into claims that he mistreated his team entered its second week.

"We look to him to see how he reacts, and the way he’s handled everything has been an inspiration to us," said safety Darrell Stuckey. "To see him go out there and be mentally tough — everything he’s preached to us about being mentally tough, to see him live it out, means a lot."

The probe was announced a week ago after athletic director Lew Perkins met with the team without Mangino and said he would look into the allegations. No one has accused Mangino of physical abuse; the complaints center on things he allegedly said in the heat of discussion during games or practice.

Wide receiver Kerry Meier said he and some other players have been interviewed in connection with the probe. He said he gave his coach his full support.

"College football is a tough game and everything that comes with it is tough as well," Meier said. "If you’re going to try to get something done, a lot of times you’re going to have to raise your voice and say some things to get people moving."

For his part, Mangino vowed to keep his focus on Saturday’s regular-season finale against archrival Missouri in Kansas City.

"I’m coaching. And I’m focused and I’m still standing and I’m going to keep going because I believe in what we’re doing," he said at his weekly news conference.

The controversy erupted last Monday following the Jayhawks’ fifth straight loss. Kansas (5-6, 1-6) can become bowl-eligible with a victory over Missouri.

Mangino dismissed any suggestion that he might be coaching his final game.

"I believe in my players," he said. "I believe in this program. We’ve got a lot of hard work invested here. This job for me has been something that I’ve put my heart and soul into making better."

Mangino’s contract was extended after he took the team to a 12-1 record in 2007 and runs through 2012. If fired without cause, the school could be on the hook for about $6.6 million. If the university builds a case and is able to fire him for cause, he could be gone with nothing.

With so much money at stake, a compromise could be a possible solution. Perkins has said nothing publicly other than to insist the probe by assistant athletic director Lori Williams will be thorough and unbiased.

Mangino has made it clear that his relationship with Perkins, who did not hire him, has cooled.

"I stated already what my relationship is with Lew," Mangino said. "It’s a good working relationship. Perhaps you should pose that question to him. I think that would be fair."

In a terse e-mail to The Associated Press, Perkins echoed Mangino’s characterization.

"I agree with Mark’s perception that we have a good professional relationship," he said.

Some former players have told stories of Mangino saying what appeared to be terribly insensitive comments. But others have come to his defense and Mangino said he has received support from all over the country.

"I have had overwhelming support from former players, fans, people that I’ve coached with and coached against, and strangers," he said. "There have been so many e-mails and phone calls and text messages in the last week to me, my family, my staff, my support staff. A lot of parents have contacted the office. My only regret is right now I’m focused on Missouri and I can’t return those messages. But I will."

-- Doug Tucker

Why do Neb, Colo. dislike each other? They just do

LINCOLN, Neb. — The Nebraska-Colorado game in recent years has more often foretold the fate of soon-to-be-fired coaches than determined Big 12 North supremacy.

Yet this rivalry — contrived or not — still is a Thanksgiving week staple, and all signs point to it remaining one well into the future.

The Big 12 North champion Cornhuskers (8-3, 5-2 Big 12) and Buffaloes (3-8, 2-5) will meet in their 14th straight day-after-Thanksgiving game in Boulder on Friday. The story line this time revolves around whether Dan Hawkins will still be Colorado’s coach on Saturday.

In 2003, Nebraska fired Frank Solich the day after he beat the Buffs, and in 2007 the Huskers canned Bill Callahan 12 hours after a loss to CU.

Not since 2001 has Nebraska-Colorado truly decided the division champion. Four times, including this year, one or the other team came into the game having already clinched the North. Colorado twice backed into the division title after beating the Huskers and having things break their way in other games.

Nebraska leads the series 47-18-2 and have won nine of the last 13 meetings.

Second-year Nebraska coach Bo Pelini can’t say exactly why the game is considered a rivalry.

"I judge that from the fans," Pelini said. "I haven’t been a part of this program for a real long time. I know this is a game special to our fans, and it’s special to the Colorado fans."

The Big 12 schedule pits Nebraska against Colorado during Thanksgiving week through 2015. Big 12 senior associate commissioner Tim Allen said he believes the game will keep its place on the calendar when scheduling beyond 2015 is discussed within the next year.

Allen said the matchup remains appealing to television partner ABC-ESPN even though the stakes haven’t been high in recent years.

"We believe Nebraska and Colorado will return to where they were years ago," Allen said.

Colorado used to play Nebraska in late October or early November but replaced Oklahoma as the Huskers’ final regular-season opponent in 1996, when the Big 12 began play.

There have been some great games. Nebraska’s five wins from 1996-2000 were decided by a total of 15 points.

But the series bears little resemblance to those Nebraska-Oklahoma Thanksgiving week classics that almost always decided Big Eight championships and often had a bearing on who played for the national title.

Longtime fans will remember that the Nebraska-Colorado rivalry was borne not from a history of great games but from CU coach Bill McCartney’s mandate that his team must have a red-letter game each year. The Huskers, longtime powers from the bordering state to the east, were his choice in 1982 as he began to build a program that had hit hard times under Chuck Fairbanks.

Nebraska, McCartney told anyone who would listen, was the evil empire. He went so far as to forbid players and staff from wearing red.

Tom Osborne, Nebraska’s coach at the time, never acknowledged Colorado as a true rival, something Colorado fans and media considered a slight.

The current players know only that Nebraska-Colorado is somehow a special game.

"Even if they were 8-3 or 3-8, they’re always going to throw everything at us," Nebraska center Jacob Hickman said. "They’re going to do whatever they can to beat Nebraska. I would expect nothing less from them."

Whether the game keeps its place in the Friday afternoon time slot is subject to change. That decision is made on a year-to-year basis in June, Allen said.

Pelini said it’s fine with him if the game continues to be played on a Friday.

"Who am I to buck tradition?" he said. "We get a good national audience watching the football game, and I always enjoy that because it’s good for our program at this point."

Osborne, now the Nebraska athletic director, said he likes playing the day after Thanksgiving because the game is televised on a day when not a lot of people are working.

Asked if he believes the opponent should remain Colorado, he said: "As far as being married to that, no. But if the TV people want to keep Colorado-Nebraska, you have to listen."

Colorado athletic director Mike Bohn was with the Buffs’ basketball team in Hawaii and not available for questions.

Buffs quarterback Tyler Hansen said Nebraska-Colorado has developed into a holiday tradition worth preserving.

"When I was young and into football, the day after Thanksgiving, you don’t want to watch those parades, the cartoons, so you flip the channels and see this game is on," he said. "You may not have an affiliation with it, but you’ll watch it because it’s on. Most of the nation will do that. It means a lot."

Nebraska tight end Mike McNeill said he knows that Colorado is a rival and that the games are hard-hitting.

He wasn’t quite sure, however, why the game seems to get more buildup than some others the Huskers play against Big 12 North opponents.

"I really have nothing against those guys," he said.

-- Eric Olson

Dennard toe injury heals, he’ll play vs. Colorado

LINCOLN, Neb. — Nebraska defensive coordinator Carl Pelini says cornerback Alfonzo Dennard has recovered from a toe injury and will be able to play against Colorado on Friday.

Dennard missed last week’s game against Kansas State.

The Cornhuskers practiced Tuesday for more than two hours in full pads on the grass fields north of Memorial Stadium.

Pelini said that even though the Buffaloes tend to pass much more than run, the Huskers probably will play more base defense and rely less on the nickel and dime packages that are routinely used against spread offenses.