Okay, I feel a little better about the Baylor game...

[JasonB]

If UAB is favored to win there...

Southwest college game previews
04:53 PM CDT on Thursday, August 28, 2003

From Staff Reports

NORTH TEXAS AT NO. 1 OKLAHOMA


6 p.m. Saturday, Memorial Stadium, Norman, Okla.

TV/radio: FSN/KWRD-FM (100.7), KNTU-FM (88.1)

Line: Oklahoma by 32 1/2

Series record: Oklahoma leads, 5-0

Last meeting: 2001, Oklahoma won, 37-10

Key matchup: North Texas DT Brandon Kennedy vs. Oklahoma center Chris Bush. Kennedy is on the watch lists for the Lombardi, Outland and Nagurski awards and was last year's MVP of the Sun Belt Conference. He was third in the nation with 24 tackles for loss last year. Bush has supplanted Vince Carter as the starting center, and he may be helped by the OU guards in stopping Kennedy.

Colleges

Football Weekend

Longhorn defense: No running allowed

Ex-teammates go head to head in Norman

Whitmire: Topsy-turvy off-season makes openers unpredictable

Carter: Baylor football team offers distraction

Southwest game previews

Staff picks (.pdf)

Schedule | Odds

Weather


Why to watch: Oklahoma opens the season as the No. 1-ranked team and North Texas is just the first of four potentially dangerous nonconference opponents. The Mean Green has a talented defense that shut Texas down in the second half of last year's game. It's also the first test for quarterback Jason White, whose last two seasons have ended with knee injuries.

Update: Oklahoma running back Renaldo Works will start the season opener after beating out Kejuan Jones for the job. ... Center Chris Bush and left tackle Chris Messner are also expected to start. ... Receiver Will Peoples said that he should be ready to play Saturday after injuring his knee, but he was still sore earlier in the week. ... Blake Ferguson held off Cody Freeby for the punting job. ... OU has depth at tight end and several of them could play. ... UNT running back Patrick Cobbs rushed for 781 yards last season. ... UNT quarterbacks Andrew Smith and Scott Hall are expected to share duties Saturday. ... OT Weston Thaggard has returned after missing time with a hamstring injury. Thaggard and Jason May have battled for the starting left tackle job. ... UNT all-conference free safety Jonas Buckles will get a big test against the OU receivers.

— Rana L. Cash

ARKANSAS STATE AT TEXAS A&M


7 p.m. Saturday, Kyle Field, College Station

TV/radio: PPV/FOX-AM (1190)

Line: Texas A&M by 29

Series record: Texas A&M leads, 2-0.

Last meeting: Sept. 29, 1984, Texas A&M won, 22-21

Key matchup: Texas A&M offensive line vs. ASU DT Corey Williams. Williams, a first-team All-Sun Belt pick last season, has 13½ career sacks and will set the school record with one more. Blocking Williams will be a test for the Aggie line that has three new starters.

Why to watch: The mystery will end as to which quarterback – Dustin Long or Reggie McNeal – starts the game. But since coach Dennis Franchione won't announce the starter before Saturday and promises that both will play, the more interesting angle is seeing how well each performs.

Update: Franchione, making his A&M debut, is 4-1-1 in his first game at previous college head coaching stops. ... WR Earvin Taylor, OL Cody Wallace and LB Justin Warren are the freshmen most likely to play, Franchione said. ...Franchione calls starting OT Alex Kotzur, a redshirt freshman forced into action by injuries, the "pleasant surprise" of fall practice. ... Arkansas State went 6-7 last season, 3-3 in the Sun Belt. ... While the Aggies may have two co-first-string quarterbacks, ASU is seriously looking at five running backs. ... Arkansas State returns an experienced defense after ranking 39th in the country in total defense last season.

— Rachel Cohen

NO. 24 OKLAHOMA STATE AT NEBRASKA


2:30 p.m. Saturday, Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Neb.

TV/radio: Ch. 8/KSKY-AM (660)

Line: Nebraska by 7 ½

Series record: Nebraska leads, 35-3-1

Last meeting: 2002, OSU won, 24-21 Key matchup: Nebraska QB Jammal Lord vs. OSU DTs Clay Coe and Efe Mowarin. Lord rushed for 1,412 yards last season, third-most ever by a Division I-A quarterback. His ability to get out of the pocket creates a unique challenge to OSU's young tackles. Coe and Mowarin are first-year starters. DEs Antonio Smith and Greg Richmond are returning starters, and that will help.

Why to watch: This is the biggest game of the week and is critical for both teams. OSU needs to win to remain in the top 25 and launch what could be a big year for the Cowboys. Nebraska is seeking resurgence after going 7-7 last season. It's also a nationally televised game.

Update: Nebraska has six new coaches on its staff, including offensive coordinator Barney Cotton and defensive coordinator Bo Pelini. ... This is the first time in the series' history that Nebraska has been unranked, while OSU has been ranked in both the AP and the coaches poll. ... OSU has scored more than 14 points in just two of its 20 trips to Memorial Stadium. ... Nebraska has invited 800 of its lettermen back for Saturday's game. ... OSU has lost its last two season openers on the road. ... OSU hasn't opened at home since 1999 against Louisiana-Lafayette. ... OSU's win over Nebraska last year was its first against the Cornhuskers in 41 years. ... OSU will feature two local products at cornerback: junior Darrent Williams from Fort Worth and Vernon Grant from Duncanville. ... Kellen Davis will start at right tackle for Oklahoma State, but coaches also have been impressed with his backup, Corey Hilliard. ... Matt Hardison makes his debut at left tackle after switching from tight end. ... OSU receiver Rashaun Woods needs just 125 more receiving yards to tie Hart Lee ****s for all-time receiving yards (3,171 yards). Woods can also match ****s' touchdowns record of 29 with two more scoring grabs.

— Al Carter

NEW MEXICO STATE AT NO. 5 TEXAS


6 p.m. Sunday, Royal-Memorial Stadium, Austin

TV/radio: FSN/ESPN-FM (103.3)

Line: Texas by 29

Series record: Texas leads, 3-0

Last meeting: 2001, Texas won, 41-7, in Austin

Key matchup: New Mexico State QB Paul Dombrowski vs. Texas left defensive end Bryan Pickryl or Tim Crowder. The Aggies love to run the option and are likely to pick on Pickryl, an undersized end (240 pounds) who is coming off shoulder surgery. Look for Crowder (235 pounds), a freshman, to rotate with Pickryl and get significant playing time in his first college game.

Why to watch: Chance Mock, the rough-and-tumble antithesis to slick former UT QB Chris Simms, gets his first start for Texas at quarterback. New Mexico State has a history of being able to run the football, averaging 214.6 yards per game last season.

Update: New Mexico State went 7-5 last season for the school's first seven-win season since 1967. ... NMSU played North Texas for the Sun Belt Conference title and a berth in the New Orleans Bowl last season. The Aggies led, 20-14, at the half and, 27-24, before turning the ball over on their final four possessions of the game, losing, 38-27. ... Aggie QB Paul Dombrowski set school records for most rushing yards (868) and rushing TDs (12) by a quarterback. ... Texas has won 19 straight games at home, the longest such streak since UT won 42 straight at home (1968-76). Only Miami has a longer home win streak (22). ... Mack Brown is the only Division I-A coach with a string of seven straight nine-win (or more) seasons.

— Chip Brown

UAB AT BAYLOR


6 p.m. Saturday, Floyd Casey Stadium, Waco

Radio: WBAP-AM (820)

Line: UAB by 9

Series record: First meeting

Last meeting: N/A

Key matchup: Baylor quarterback Aaron Karas could spend the evening dodging UAB outside linebacker Zac Woodfin, a preseason All-Conference USA pick. Baylor's line is young, and the Bears expect UAB to apply plenty of press

[Hoop Fan]

I didnt realize OU was 32.5 point favs over UNT. How is UNT getting all these feel good, potential upset comments from the media?

[SMUguy]

Baylor High is a 9-point home underdog to a team picked to finish 8th in C-USA? We can beat that team, then. Not saying we will, but we can.

Hard to believe Nebraska is a 7-point favorite over Oklahoma State. OSU has one of the most powerful offenses in the country, and Nebraska has slipped in recent years. Plus, having 6 new assistant coaches on the NU sideline can't do anything for continuity (hope the influx of new coaches at Texas Tech has the same effect). I'd make OSU/Nebraska a pick'em game, at best.

Where's the SMU/Tech preview from the Morning News?

[KnuckleStang]

That Baylor point spread does raise eyebrows, but I still believe Baylor is much better than that. We can beat them, but don't forget, they are used to playing people who are one helluva lot better than most of the people we play. To them, the Big 12 schedule is like swinging a bat with a couple of donut-weights on it. When they play us (and UAB), it'll feel like finally stepping into the batter's box. We're going to have to play really well to beat them.