By John
Harris
-
2007 Preseason Lookaheads -
Big 12
Baylor
– Senior running back Brandon Whitaker scored the only touchdown in
Baylor’s spring game to lead the Green team over the Gold squad 7-0.
But, it was the defense on both sides that shone brightly, as it did all
spring, registering four interceptions and four sacks. Overall, the goal
was to improve the running game. Let’s just say it’ll be a work in
progress.
Colorado
– The Buffs battled through a live scrimmage, in addition
to some 7-on-7 work in their version of the spring game. The
quarterback battle had no distinct winner as junior Nick Nelson and
freshman Cody Hawkins waged a battle through the air against live
competition and in 7-on-7 drills, while last year’s starter Bernard
Jackson saw most of his time under center in designed running
situations. Basically, the quarterback situation wasn’t settled.
Iowa State – WR R.J. Sumrall was the main man in the final spring
scrimmage with six catches for 134 yards and a touchdown looking like a
potentially solid number two target on the other side of Todd Blythe
(who sat out the spring game). Bret Meyer completed 11 of 16 passes for
196 yards and a touchdown as the offense beat the defense 31-22.
Kansas
– 8,200 fans filled Memorial Stadium to watch the Blue and White spring
game. Quarterback Kerry Meier who threw for 204 yards, although he
completed less than 50 percent of his throws. His counterpart Todd
Reesing completed 50 percent of his throws for 171 yards. The offensive
star, though, was wide receiver Marcus Henry who caught three touchdowns
and totaled 150 yards on six receptions. Former fullback Brandon
McAnderson continues to be the leader in the hunt to replace top
tailback Jon Cornish.
Kansas State
– The White defense gave up a grand total of zero yards against the
Purple offense, leading the way to a White 19-0 win in Manhattan.
Starting quarterback Josh Freeman had a rough afternoon completing nine
of 22 for 44 yards and two picks as he struggled to move the Purple
offense effectively.
Missouri
– The Tiger offense showed why it might one of the most
potent units in the nation this fall as it torched the Tiger defense
72-27 in the Black/Offense vs. Gold/Defense spring game. Quarterbacks
Chase Daniel and Chase Patton lit up the defense for 287 yards passing
and three touchdowns. Daniel was good last year and appears ready to
become truly special after a great spring.
Nebraska
– 54,000 plus filled Memorial Stadium to see the Red team crush the
White squad 38-0. Former Arizona State transfer Sam Keller was nearly
perfect, completing nine of his 11 throws for 185 yards and a
touchdown. The White defense yielded 511 total yards to Keller and the
Red offense. Don’t just hand the job to Keller quite yet. Joe Ganz has
been rock-solid in practices.
Oklahoma
– Who needs Adrian Peterson when DeMarco Murray is toting the mail? It
took Murray all of four carries to pile up 103 yards rushing and a
touchdown to lead the offense to a 53-30 victory in the annual spring
game in Norman. In the much ballyhooed quarterback derby, Sam Bradford
was the best of the bunch, completing nine of 14 for 110 yards and a
touchdown.
Oklahoma State
– The Orange-White spring game became a nail-biter as quarterback Zac
Robinson led two scoring drives late in the game to propel the White to
a victory over the Orange 35-27. Robinson was sharper than counterpart
Bobby Reid, as he completed 13 of 20 passes for 149 yards and two
touchdowns, in addition to 55 yards rushing on only eight carries.
Texas –
The Orange dominated the White 38-8 behind an effective performance by
incumbent starting quarterback Colt McCoy. But, it was the play of two
freshmen quarterbacks who got most of the attention. True freshman John
Chiles and redshirt freshman Sherrod Harris are more Vince Young than
Colt McCoy, but each one made enough plays to be the 2007 version of Tim
Tebow.
Texas A&M – The run game dominated much of the action in the
annual Maroon-White spring game, a 27-13 victory for the White squad.
Although true freshman Ryan Tannehill, T.J Sanders and Stephen McGee
completed 70 percent of their passes for the White, Jorvorskie Lane and
Cornell Tarrant combined for 213 yards on 28 carries to lead the way for
the White offense.
Texas Tech – The defense beat the offense 46-35, but the real
story out of spring ball was the demotion of starting RB Shannon Woods
to the scout team to send a message to the top runner about his practice
habits. Pete Richardson and Nathan Stone each returned Graham Harrell
interceptions for touchdowns, while Taylor Potts completed 16 of 27
passes for 139 yards with an interception.