2006 Big 12 Surprises, Disappointments, Bests & MVPs
CFN 2006
All-Big 12 Team and Top 30 Players Coach of the
Year
–
Bob Stoops, Oklahoma
Baylor's Guy Morriss, Oklahoma State's Mike Gundy and Kansas
State's Ron Prince all deserve mention, but Stoops overcame the
loss of Adrian Peterson to lead the team through the loss to
Texas, through the Oregon fiasco, and to the Big 12
championship. Fine, so he whined a bit too much about getting
hosed in the loss to the Ducks, and you could argue that Peterson didn't need to get so much
work with Allen Patrick and Chris Brown
later proving to be capable backs, but he provided the
confidence and attitude needed evidenced most by the fourth and
one call deep in OU territory to seal the win against Texas A&M.
Worst Coaching Job of the Year – Dan Hawkins, Colorado
You could make a very strong case for Mack Brown of Texas for
losing three games with one of the nation's most talented teams,
and it's really not fair to rip too much on Hawkins considering
he has to tear the team down to rebuild it back up, but the
defending Big 12 North champs went 2-10 including losses to
Montana State and an awful Colorado State team. The offense
never got on track while the defense was inconsistent.
Best Performance of the Season - Oklahoma State QB Bobby Reid
completed 23 of 35 passes for 411 yards and five touchdowns and ran 14 times for
46 yards and a score in the 42-32 win over Kansas. WR Adarius Bowman caught 13 passes for 300 yards and four
touchdowns.
Top Freshman – Texas QB Colt McCoy
Remember when it was a battle between McCoy and Jevan Snead for
the starting job? McCoy came through better than anyone could've
ever dreamed. Kansas State RB Leon Patton and QB Josh Freeman
certainly look like keepers, as does Texas A&M RB Mike Goodson
and Baylor LB Joe Pawelek.
Most Disappointing Player –
Texas RB Jamaal Charles
Even though he finished the year as the Big 12's second leading
rusher and scored four touchdowns over the final three games, he
only ran for 805 yards and didn't make the leap up in overall
production after getting more work. His only 100-yard day of the
season came early against Rice.
Biggest
Surprise – Kansas
State
Oklahoma State's strong season was certainly a bit of a shocker,
but head coach Ron Prince inherited a program in need of
revamping and got it to a bowl game despite lthe growing pains
of freshman QB Josh Freeman along with several defensive
replacements.
Biggest
Disappointment – Colorado
This was supposed to be a rebuilding year, but the first season
under Dan Hawkins showed just how far the program has to go to
get back to a title level. Hawkins will get them there
eventually, but it's not going to be an overnight fix..
Best Game of
the Big 12 Season
Kansas State 45 ... Texas 42
Kansas State jumped on Texas
mistakes for a big third quarter run breaking a 21-21 tie with a
21-point run as RB Leon Patton threw a 18-yard touchdown pass to
Cedric Wilson and Josh Freeman hit Yamon Figurs for a 30-yard score
and ran for a one-yard touchdown. Texas mounted a huge comeback with
an amazing four-play, 75-yard drive with an 18-yard Jamaal Charles
touchdown run to spark a big run with Limas Sweed catching a 33-yard
touchdown pass and Chris Ogbonnaya running for a score from one-yard
out, but a line drive 51-yard Jeff Snodgrass field goal kept KSU
ahead. The Wildcats pounced on the onside kick after the Ogbonnaya
touchdown and were able to run out the clock. Longhorn QB Colt McCoy
was knocked out of the game early with a neck injury after running
for a one-yard score.
Second Best Game –
Texas 22 ... at Nebraska 20, Oct. 21 Third Best Game –
Oklahoma State 42 ... Kansas 32,
Oct. 14
Worst Game of
the Big 12 Season
Kansas 41 ... Iowa State 10
Kansas took four Iowa State
turnovers converting them into 20 points while Kerry Meier threw two
touchdown passes and Todd Reesing ran for a score and throwing for a
touchdown. Derek Fine caught two touchdown passes, but the big score
came from a 50-yard Brian Murph scoring pass for an early 7-3 lead.
Iowa State started off the scoring on a 36-yard Bret Culbertson
field goal and ended it with a one-yard Ryan Kock touchdown run to
stop a 41-point KU run. The Cyclones only managed 213 yards of total
offense. Team MVPs North
Colorado – PK Mason Crosby, DE Abraham Wright CFN Preview 2006 predicted record: 8-4,
final
regular season record: 2-10
Iowa State – QB Bret Meyer, LB Alvin Bowen CFN Preview 2006 predicted record: 8-4,
final
regular season record:
4-8
Kansas – RB Jon Cornish, CB Agib Talib CFN Preview 2006 predicted record: 6-6,
final
regular season record: 6-6
Kansas State – QB Josh Freeman, DE Ian Campbell CFN Preview 2006 predicted record: 4-8,
final
regular season record: 7-5
Missouri – QB Chase Daniel, S David Overstreet CFN Preview 2006 predicted record: 7-5, final
regular season record: 8-4
Nebraska – QB Zac Taylor, DE Adam Carriker CFN Preview 2006 predicted record: 9-3,
final
regular season record: 9-4 South
Baylor
– QB Shawn Bell, LB Joe Pawelek, P Daniel Sepulveda CFN Preview 2006 predicted record: 4-8,
final
regular season record: 4-8
Oklahoma – QB Paul Thompson, LB Rufus Alexander CFN Preview 2006 predicted record: 10-2, final
regular season record: 11-2
Oklahoma State – QB
Bobby Reid, DE Victor
DeGrate CFN Preview 2006 predicted record: 4-8, final
regular season record: 6-6
Texas –
QB Colt McCoy, CB Aaron Ross CFN Preview 2006 predicted record: 11-1,
final
regular season record: 9-3
Texas A&M –
SS Melvin Bullitt, QB Stephen McGee CFN Preview 2006 predicted record: 8-4,
final
regular season record:
9-3
Texas Tech –
WR Joel Filani, DE Keyunta Dawson CFN Preview 2006 predicted record: 9-3,
final
regular season record:
7-5
