College Sports Notebook

NORMAN, Okla. – With 309 yards of total offense against Texas, Oklahoma quarterback Josh Heupel moved past Jack Mildren (1969-71) and Jamelle Holieway (1985-88) and into the No. 2 position on the Sooners' all-time total offense charts. Heupel, in less than two years, has 4,943 yards, but that's still well behind the 6,389 compiled by leader Cale Gundy (1990-93).

Heupel (4,980) also is second to Gundy (6,142) in passing yards.

– Charlie Smith

Levels leads OSU

STILLWATER, Okla. – Oklahoma State suffered a third straight loss at Missouri, but middle linebacker Dwayne Levels of Richardson tried to light a defensive fire for the Cowboys. Levels had 15 tackles, including 13 unassisted and three for 8 yards in losses.

"He was a great example for us," said coach Bob Simmons. "All of them [OSU defenders] didn't play that well at times. You can point to him and say, 'Here's how you've got to play throughout the whole ballgame.'"

– Charlie Smith

Big 12 honors

Nebraska quarterback Eric Crouch, Oklahoma linebacker Rocky Calmus and Oklahoma defensive back J.T. Thatcher, all of whom were honored earlier this year, are the Big 12 Conference's players of the week.

Crouch gained a career-high 302 yards of total offense in the Cornhuskers' 49-27 victory over Iowa State. Calmus had a 41-yard interception return during Oklahoma's 63-14 victory over Texas, four solo tackles, two pass deflections and a sack as Oklahoma held Texas to its fewest yards rushing (minus-

7) ever in a regular-season game. Thatcher had three punt returns for 65 yards, including one of 53 yards, to earn special teams honors.

–Associated Press

Around the nation

GEORGIA: The famous English privet hedge that allowed the Bulldogs to play their opponents "between the hedges" at Sanford Stadium will be pruned back to stubble after being trampled by fans after Saturday's victory over Tennessee. The hedges will grow back for next season.

NEW MEXICO: Sophomore Marlon Parmer, expected to be the starting point guard, was suspended from the basketball team until Oct. 15 because of a complaint filed against him by a female student. The student has decided not to pursue charges.

TULSA: A section of Eighth Street running along the university's Skelly Stadium will be renamed Glenn Dobbs Drive, honoring the school's former All-America player, athletic director and head football coach. The renaming ceremony will take place before the Tulsa-TCU game on Oct. 21.

UTAH STATE: Former Utah State football coach Dave Arslanian has sued the university, contending former Utah State president George Emert secretly hired Montana's Mick Dennehy as head coach five weeks before Arslanian was fired on Dec. 2, 1999.

–Associated Press

Basketball commitments

OKLAHOMA: Antoinette Wadsworth, who averaged 17.7 points and 8.1 rebounds for South Grand Prairie last year, has orally committed to play basketball at Oklahoma. She chose the Sooners over Baylor, Wake Forest and Campbell University in North Carolina.

SMU: Tiara Cruse, a 5-9 guard from James Madison High School in Vienna, Va., has orally committed to SMU. She chose the Lady Mustangs over Delaware, Harvard, Wake Forest and Alabama-Birmingham.

TEXAS A&M: Daryl Mason, a 6-6 swingman who averaged 18.4 points and seven rebounds for Bryan High School, has orally committed to play at Texas A&M. He chose the Aggies over Southern Mississippi, Vanderbilt and Tulsa. Mason is rated the 14th-best senior in the state by Texas Hoops Magazine.

SMU's defense improves

UNIVERSITY PARK – SMU's defense appears to be getting better each week, but it's hard to tell when the offense isn't keeping up, coach Mike Cavan said Monday.

"The shame of it is that it's hard to evaluate where you are when they keep getting put in [bad] positions," he said. "They need an opportunity to win instead of giving it away on offense. If given an opportunity, maybe the defense will play even better."

The San Jose State offense ran just 63 plays, while SMU ran 92. Also, the Spartans converted just one of 12 third-down plays, and their time of possession was almost 10 minutes less than the Mustangs'.

–Rana L. Cash

Baylor LB suspended

Baylor redshirt freshman linebacker Anthony Simmons did not travel to Texas Tech last weekend for undisclosed disciplinary reasons, coach Kevin Steele announced Monday.

Simmons, who had started at weakside linebacker the first four games, also will miss the next two games, at home against Texas A&M this weekend and at Nebraska on Aug. 21. Simmons is tied for second on the team with 42 tackles.

–Dan Noxon

Break time

TCU coach Dennis Franchione believes his team's bye this week couldn't have come at a better time. For one thing, the 12th-ranked Horned Frogs have survived a number of injuries to players such as defensive end Aaron Schobel (hip), safety Russell Gary (leg) and safety-punt returner LaVar Veale (ankle). And in Saturday's victory over Hawaii, offensive linemen David Bobo (knee) and Victor Payne (neck) also went down briefly, as did cornerback Greg Walls (hand).

Franchione also believes his team now can regroup for a stretch run after playing five consecutive weeks.

"We can kind of take a deep breath,'' Franchione said. "It gives us a chance to look at ourselves more, instead of an opponent, and evaluate and try to get better at some things.''

–Dan Noxon

Tomlinson honored

TCU senior tailback LaDainian Tomlinson was named the WAC's Offensive Player of the Week for his 294-yard, four-touchdown effort in the Horned Frogs' 41-21 victory over Hawaii. It marks the second time this season Tomlinson has received the honor and the seventh time in the past two seasons.

–Dan Noxon

Injury update

BAYLOR: C Joe Jackson (lower leg, ankle) is probable.

TEXAS: DT Shaun Rogers (ankle) is probable; LB O.J. McClintock (knee) is questionable; DT Stevie Lee (foot) is out.

TEXAS A&M: DE Evan Perroni (back) and TE Michael de la Torre (hamstring) are questionable.

Rogers to return

AUSTIN – Texas is expected to get starting defensive tackle Shaun Rogers back for its game at Colorado this week.

"It's getting better," said Rogers, who suffered a sprained ankle after being illegally chop-blocked against Houston three weeks ago. "I just hope to play this week."

DT Casey Hampton said Rogers would make a big difference.

"We need him back bad," Hampton said.

UT LB O.J. McClintock, however, suffered a twisted knee against Oklahoma and is questionable.

–Chip Brown

Colorado surge

AUSTIN – Texas tight end Mike Jones said Colorado, the Longhorns' opponent this week, just found out how good it is with a road win at Texas A&M after opening with four losses.

"When a team like that finally clicks, they become very dangerous," Jones said. "They don't have anything to lose, and they are a lot better than their record indicates."

–Chip Brown

No finger pointing

AUSTIN – Texas QB Major Applewhite said there has been no finger-pointing after a 63-14 loss to Oklahoma on Saturday.

"Our team is staying together," Applewhite said. "We are a family."

Applewhite said the team is in the same place it was last year – with one non-conference loss and one conference loss – at mid-season.

"It will be a great test of character to see how we respond," Applewhite said. "I won't let one guy hang their head."

–Chip Brown

Ochs impresses Brown

AUSTIN – Texas coach Mack Brown said the last thing he needed to see after watching film of his team's loss to Oklahoma was film of Colorado freshman QB Craig Ochs tearing up Texas A&M.

"Ochs looked like [Josh] Heupel," Brown said. "He was scrambling, throwing off his back foot and hitting everything. I was very impressed by his play, considering he is a true freshman."

Ochs was 15-of-25 for 239 yards, the second-most passing yards for a true freshman at Colorado in his first start. Koy Detmer had 418 yards passing against Oklahoma in 1992.

–Chip Brown

The streak is over

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Before Saturday's 26-19 loss to Colorado, none of

Texas A&M's players had ever played in a game the Aggies lost at Kyle Field.

A&M had won 22 consecutive games, the third-longest streak in the country.

A handful of Aggies seniors were redshirted during 1996, the last time A&M had been beaten at Kyle Field, but none had played in a home loss.

"Losing on our home field is devastating," senior linebacker Jason Glenn said. "That breaks your heart. I couldn't do anything after the game but cry."

–Larry Bowen

A&M looks to rebound

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Texas A&M has lost consecutive games in a season just five times in R.C. Slocum's 12 years as head coach.

A&M lost two in a row in 1995. It happened twice in 1996 and 1997, when the Aggies lost the Big 12 championship game to Nebraska and the Cotton Bowl to UCLA.

Under Slocum, the Aggies are 19-5-1 after losses, not including season finales. A&M is 3-1 in "rebound games" after home losses.

The Aggies will try to bounce back this week against Baylor after losing at home to Colorado on Saturday, 26-19.

–Larry Bowen

Baylor switches QBs

Baylor coach Kevin Steele said Monday that true freshman Kerry Dixon will be the starting quarterback in Saturday's home game against Texas A&M. Redshirt freshman Guy Tomcheck has started the previous three games. After leading Baylor to a non-conference victory over South Florida, Tomcheck has been largely ineffective in losses to Iowa State and Texas Tech, completing only 9-of-36 attempts.

Dixon, from Houston Washington, played one series against South Florida, then did not see action against Iowa State. On Saturday, he relieved Tomcheck early in the third quarter and completed 3-of-6 attempts before giving way to junior Michael Odum.

–Dan Noxon

UNT rushing mark

North Texas freshman quarterback Scott Hall rushed for 91 yards in the Mean Green's 41-6 win over Samford, the most rushing yards by a UNT quarterback since Nov. 2, 1990, when Scott Davis rushed for 97 in a loss to Arkansas State.

Hall also passed for two touchdowns. The last UNT quarterback to throw more than one touchdown pass in a game was Jason Mills on Nov. 22, 1997 in a win over Utah State.

–Tim MacMahon

Briefly ...

Baylor goalkeeper Dawn Greathouse was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week and Bears freshman Emily Fukuchi was named Newcomer of the Week in women's soccer. Nebraska's Christine Latham was the Offensive Player of Week. ... Nebraska's Marcus Witter and Baylor's Kara Newton were named Big 12 Men's and Women's Cross Country Runners of the Week. ... Texas right side attacker Gipy Duarte was selected Big 12 Volleyball Player of the Week.

–Keith Whitmire

Big 12 TV on hold

ABC has exercised its six-day option again to delay announcement of its Big 12 television schedule for Oct. 21.

One of three games will be selected for the 2:30 p.m. telecast: Missouri at Texas, Texas Tech at Kansas State or Texas A&M at Iowa State. One of the two games not chosen by ABC will be the 6 p.m. Fox Sports Net telecast. ABC can exercise the six-day option just one more time this season.

The Colorado-Kansas game has been confirmed for 11:30 a.m. on Ch. 27. Baylor-Nebraska will not be televised unless it is offered on pay-per-view.

This Saturday's games:

Texas A&M at Baylor, 11:30 a.m., Ch. 27

Oklahoma at Kansas State, 2:30 p.m., Ch. 8

Nebraska at Texas Tech, 6 p.m., Fox Sports Net

–Keith Whitmire