Big 12 Football Report

(AP)_BAYLOR: STILL FIGHTING <br/><br/>The Bears played well defensively and on special teams in Saturday's 30-10 loss to Missouri, coach Guy Morriss said, but the offense only mustered 173 total yards.

Tuesday, October 12th 2004, 8:27 am

By: News On 6

(AP)_BAYLOR: STILL FIGHTING

The Bears played well defensively and on special teams in Saturday's 30-10 loss to Missouri, coach Guy Morriss said, but the offense only mustered 173 total yards. Still, Morriss didn't think the loss on national television represents a step back. He said the Bears were "fighting and scratching until the end."

Up next: at Nebraska, 1:05 p.m. Saturday

KANSAS: FROM SPROLES TO PETERSON

In two weeks, the Jayhawks will get an up-close look at newly-minted Heisman Trophy candidate Adrian Peterson of Oklahoma, who rushed for 225 yards in the Sooners' win against Texas. On Saturday, the Jayhawks contended with preseason Heisman candidate Darren Sproles of K-State.

Up next: at Oklahoma, Oct. 23

MISSOURI: FOR COMPARISON'S SAKE

With Texas on the schedule for Saturday, Tigers coach Gary Pinkel was asked about the development of Longhorns sophomore quarterback Vince Young, a stellar runner but lackluster passer. Pinkel's quarterback, junior Brad Smith, is also a great runner, but wasn't a very polished passer early in his career, either. "He's maturing," Pinkel said of Young.

Up next: at Texas, 2:30 p.m. Saturday

COLORADO: KLATT QUESTIONABLE

Buffaloes quarterback Joel Klatt missed the second half of Saturday's 42-14 loss to Oklahoma State after being hit in the head and is questionable for this week's game against Iowa State. Coach Gary Barnett said Klatt's neck is sore, but Klatt didn't suffer a concussion. Barnett said he was impressed with the poise sophomore James Cox showed (15-for-21, 175 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs).

Up next: vs. Iowa State, 12:30 p.m. Saturday

IOWA STATE: SLOW PROGRESS

Iowa State's offense scored three points against Texas A&M on Saturday, but Cyclones coach Dan McCarney feels his offense is getting better each week and is very close to a breakthrough. ISU's offensive woes are traceable to playing with a sophomore running back, a freshman quarterback and a handful of freshman wide receivers.

Up next: at Colorado, 12:30 p.m. Saturday

KANSAS STATE: TITLE REMATCH

The Wildcats (2-3) haven't suffered a losing season since 1992 and have appeared in 11 straight bowl games. The Wildcats face Oklahoma, which K-State shredded 35-7 in last year's Big 12 Championship Game. "I'm sure they're not lacking for motivation," Wildcats coach Bill Snyder said. "But this is this team and last year was that team. There's a distinct difference between the two."

Up next: vs. Oklahoma, 11 a.m. Saturday

NEBRASKA: HISTORIC DEFEAT

Saturday's 70-10 loss to Texas Tech was the most points a Nebraska opponent has ever scored and the 60-point loss was the largest in school history. Still, first-year Cornhuskers coach Bill Callahan said one loss, no matter how lopsided, would not define this team or this season. This week, the Huskers get Baylor, 0-2 and outscored 74-24 in the conference in 2004.

Up next: vs. Baylor, 1:05 p.m. Saturday

TEXAS TECH: NO APOLOGIES

Coach Mike Leach hasn't apologized for running up the score in previous victories and wasn't going to start this week after the Red Raiders massacred Nebraska by 60 points in Lubbock. "Football is the only sport where you quit playing when you get a lead," Leach said, citing golf, basketball, hockey and boxing as sports where you never see teams or competitors letting up.

Up next: vs. Texas, Oct. 23

OKLAHOMA: LET'S GO POLLING

One of the main tweaks to the Bowl Championship Series ranking system for this season was the added weight given to human polls. One of those polls is the USA Today/ESPN coaches poll. Coach Bob Stoops wishes the coaches' rankings were made public. "What I've said all along is that we have agendas. Anytime you have an agenda it can skew or change a poll. "

Up next: at Kansas State, 11 a.m. Saturday

OKLAHOMA STATE: BALANCING ACT

Freshman quarterback Donovan Woods, 8-for-11 for 193 yards and three touchdowns in Saturday's 42-14 win against Colorado, has seen his passing yards increase in each of his five games (23, 70, 99, 139 and 193) as he gets more comfortable. His pass-efficiency rating is 171.4, and he's thrown seven touchdown passes against two interceptions.

Up next: vs. Texas A&M, 6 p.m. Saturday

TEXAS: BOUNCING BACK

The Longhorns haven't lost back-to-back games since dropping the final three games of the 1999 and have a history of playing well post-Oklahoma. Texas, loser of five in a row to the Sooners, is 23-1 the past four seasons in the regular season (25-4 overall) after losing to Oklahoma. Coach Mack Brown said the Longhorns take a lot of pride in not allowing a loss to beat them twice.

Up next: vs. Missouri, 2:30 p.m. Saturday

TEXAS A&M: TURNOVER TURNAROUND

Texas A&M's plus-12 turnover margin is second-best in the Big 12 behind Oklahoma State's plus-15. In the first five games, the Aggies have only one turnover. In 2003, the Aggies were minus-11, a statistic Aggies coach Dennis Franchione knew needed to turn around if A&M was to improve on a 4-8 finish. "Our first goal was for A&M to quit beating A&M," Franchione said.

Up next: at Oklahoma State, 6 p.m. Saturday