Lest anyone think that the Big Tuna is in any hot water with Dallas Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones over the rather pathetic turn in the Cowboys’ season, Reid Slaughter of the Frontburner makes a persuasive case to the contrary:

THE $300 MILLION FOOTBALL GAME
This morning, as Cowboys fans reach for the Prozac to stave off another post-game grief hangover, you have to wonder: just how HUGE was that thrilling October 31 win over the Detroit Lions at Texas Stadium? It put the ‘Boys at 3-4 on the season, and you had the feeling that somehow the home team might pull out a decent season. So, let’s go to the polls Nov. 2 and give our gridiron warriors a nice new stadium to play in.
Then come the next two games. Absolute, total butt-kickings. Humiliation. On TV, many shots of Jerry Jones up in the owner’s booth, arms folded, stroking his chin with that “What the hell is wrong with us?” look on his face. I don’t know about you, but such scenes do not inspire me to ante up half of $600 million to make that man richer.
During last night’s 49-21 loss to the Eagles, John Madden said of a disconsolate Bill Parcells, “Sometimes you just need a win.” At no time was the more true than Oct. 31. And The Tuna delivered a whopper for his boss.

This earlier post referenced Kansas Coach Mark Mangino’s comments after Saturday’s controversial ending to the Texas-Kansas game in which Coach Mangino alleged that the officials were favoring UT to preserve the Horns’ stature for a lucrative Bowl Championship Series Bowl game.
Well, it turns out that Lawrence, Kansas was not the only place where passions were bubbling out of control in Big 12 country this past Saturday. This article from Husker.com indicates that Darren DeLeone, a 6’4″, 315 lbs. offensive tackle hauled off and whacked a member of of the Oklahoma spirit before Saturday’s Nebraska-OU game in Norman:
During pregame warmups, an incident allegedly occurred involving Nebraska offensive lineman Darren DeLone and a member of the Ruf/Neks, an Oklahoma sideline spirit group.

According to Sunday’s editions of The Oklahoman, Adam Merritt, a Ruf/Nek, was transported from Owen Field on a medical cart and taken to Norman (Okla.) Regional Hospital after having several teeth knocked out and suffering facial lacerations in what witnesses described as an assault by the 6-foot-4, 315-pound DeLone.
Merritt was treated and released before the game ended.
DeLone was not arrested and was allowed to leave the stadium with the team, according to The Oklahoman.
The Nebraska athletic department Sunday released a prepared statement saying it was “aware of a collision that occurred on the field of play during the official pregame warmup period.”
The one-paragraph statement ? which doesn’t identify DeLone or any other Husker player ? said several members of the Nebraska football team, including two coaches, “witnessed the collision and immediately summoned a member of Nebraska’s medical staff to assist. Players and coaches spoke with officials immediately following the game.”
The Nebraska athletic department and football team “are sorry the accident happened and wish the young man a quick and full recovery,” the statement said.

However, there might just be more to the story than the Nebraska officials are letting on:

According to The Oklahoman, witnesses in the Sooner student section at Owen Field and on the sideline said DeLone head-butted Merritt in the face with his helmet and shoved him into the 3-foot brick wall.

Well, I guess that could be construed as a “collision.”
But that was only the “before game” incident. After the game, Nebraska coach Bill Callahan came unhinged as he was leaving the field and began yelling obscenities at several boistrous OU fans. The AP wire story on the incident relates the following:

While acknowledging he used a poor choice of words in a profane outburst directed at Oklahoma fans Saturday, Nebraska coach Bill Callahan said he was upset because a group of hecklers were allowed so close to his players during warmups and oranges were thrown onto the field late in the game.
As he walked toward the Nebraska locker room after a 30-3 loss, Callahan looked into the stands and called OU fans “[expletive] hillbillies.”
“I’m an emotional guy, and I’m a competitive coach, and on the field I stick up for my players,” Callahan said Monday on the Big 12 coaches teleconference. “I don’t think any team should be subjected to the type of treatment we were subjected to in that particular contest.”
Callahan also said he could not comment on what Nebraska called a
“collision” between a player and an Oklahoma student fan incident because the coach did not see it.

Welcome to the Big 12, Coach Callahan.

Colts 49 Texans 14. In a game that was not as close as the score indicates ;^), the Texans reinforced the fact that last week’s debacle at Denver was no aberration. Peyton Manning toyed with the Texans secondary as he threw five TD passes in the first three quarters. He would have had a couple more had the Colts not called off the dogs. On the other hand, David Carr continued his up and down season with a horrid performance (22-41/215 yd./3 picks) behind an offensive line that looked like a sieve against one of the weakest defenses in the NFL. Carr spiced his poor performance by giving up a fumble and an interception that were returned for TD’s. Meanwhile, the Texans’ defense would have had a hard time stopping a hard charging marching band as Manning sliced and diced them for 320 yards on just 18 completions. Things do not get any easier for the 4-5 Texans as the red-hot Packers come to town next week for the ESPN Sunday night game at Reliant Stadium. That could be very ugly.
Eagles 49 Cowboys 21. In another game not as close as the final score indicates, the Eagles overwhelmed the hapless Cowboys at Texas Stadium, again increasing the chances that the Big Tuna will explode at any time. The Eagles’ 35 first-half points were more than they had scored in any game this season as Eagles’ QB Donovan McNabb was 15-of-28 for 345 yards with four TD passes and no interceptions. It was the Cowboys’ fifth loss in six games, and they have lost the last three by 21, 23 and 28 points. The Pokes now get the pleasure of going to Baltimore next Sunday to have Ray Lewis and the Ravens defense hand their hat to them.
Texas Longhorns 27 Kansas 23. For the second straight week, the Horns flirted with a disastrous upset loss, but pulled it out with a last minute TD drive spiced by QB Vince Young‘s incredible 22 yard run for a first down on 4th and 18. The game was spiced with controversy as the Horns benefitted from an offensive pass interference call that forced the final Kansas punt and allowed the Horns one more chance at pulling it out. Based on the following post-game comments, Kansas Coach Mangino did not think much of the offensive pass interference call:

“You know what this is all about, don’t you? The BCS. That’s right. That’s what made the difference today in the game. That’s what made the difference on the call in front of their bench ? dollar signs.”

After conferring with the Kansas Athletic Director and his investment banker over the probable amount of the fine from the Big 12 Conference stemming from those comments, Coach Mangino issued the following “public statement” later on Saturday afternoon:

“After an emotional loss, in our seniors’ last home game, I made remarks that I regret. Any implications that BCS standings played a role in Saturday afternoon’s game was inappropriate. I have always supported the BCS system and will continue to do so.”

At any rate, the 9-1 Horns are now off until their annual rivalry game with the Aggies on the day after Thanksgiving. I do not expect the Horns to play as soft against the Ags as they did in parts of their last two games. If they do, then the Aggies have enough firepower this year to beat the Horns.
Texas Aggies 32 Texas Tech 25 OT. In a hugely entertaining game, the Aggies played their third overtime game in their last four in finally beating the Red Raiders, who have tormented the Ags in recent seasons. Everybody was betting the over before this game (it was 66), but these two high-powered offenses combined for 13 points in the first half, and only 19 through three quarters, so the under bet looked golden. Then, almost as if each team turned on a switch, both offenses started scoring almost at will in the fourth quarter and, as the overtime commenced, the over bet looked within reach. Alas, Tech’s offense sputtered in overtime, handing the Ags the win before a delirious crowd of over 82,000 in College Station. The 7-3 Aggies (5-2 in the Big 12) are now off until their annual showdown with the Horns in Austin on the day after Thanksgiving. The Aggies have lost four straight games to the Longhorns and seven of the last nine, but this one is shaping up to be a serious battle. I give the Horns the edge because of their superior defense and running game, but the Ags will likely make a game of it.
UAB 20 Houston 7. You can stick a fork in the Coogs. Even though they must endure one more beating at the hands of high-powered Louisville at Robertson Stadium next Saturday, the Coogs have packed it in. The probable 3-8 mark in Coach Art Briles‘ second season is highly disappointing, and will be the subject of much soul searching over at UH.
UTEP 35 Rice 28 OT. The Owls almost pulled off the upset of their season against the Mike Price-rejuvenated Miners, but a fumble near the goal line in the second OT doomed the Owls’ hopes. The game was played in a cold drizzle and the finish was a madhouse. After UTEP grabbed a 35-28 lead on the first play of the second overtime, the Owls appeared to have tied the game again when the Owls’ Ed Bailey was tackled at the goal line by his facemask. However, the official closet to the play ruled Bailey was down inches from the end zone even though Bailey clearly hit the pylon following the infraction on the UTEP defender. On first and goal, the Owls handed the ball to Bailey again and he appeared to cross the goal line, but he fumbled on the play and UTEP recovered. The refs ruled it a fumble and that was the game. The 3-7 Owls now have a week off before finishing their season on the Saturday after Thanksgiving at Rice Stadium against Louisiana Tech.
And Kevin Whited has his weekly Big 12 wrap-up over at PubliusTx.net

Broncos 33 Texans 13. After a month of strong performances, the Texans looked absolutely awful against the Broncos. The offensive line play was horrible, and David Carr — who does not throw particularly well under pressure — was mediocre (22/41 for 245 yds, no turnovers) as he was sacked four times. Meanwhile, the offense’s incompetence left the Texans’ shaky defense over-exposed, and Broncos’ QB Jake Plummer took advantage, flinging four TD passes on the day. Just to give you an idea of how bad it was, the Texans’ best player — receiver Andre Johnson — had three catches for 28 yards. Things don’t get any easier for the 4-4 Texans as they travel to Indianapolis next week to be lit up by Peyton Manning and Co., and then return to Reliant Stadium for games against Green Bay and Tennessee the following two weeks.
Bengals 26 Cowboys 3. Not to be outdone, the Cowboys looked even worse than the Texans as the Bengals pummeled them in Cincy. Making things worse was that the Bengals were wearing possibly the worst looking uniforms in NFL history while administering this whipping on the Pokes. Cowboys QB Vinnie Testaverde looked all of his 41 years, spraying three interceptions to go along with a fumble in the pocket. The 3-6 Cowboys are a horrible football team right now. An over-the-hill QB, no top flight running back, and a questionable defensive secondary. This could end up being the Big Tuna‘s worst professional football team since his first Giants team in 1983, which finished 3-12-1. The Pokes get Philly at home and Baltimore on the road in their next two games before hosting the Bears in what is stacking up to be a forgettable Turkey Day game.
Oklahoma 42 Texas Aggies 35. Like a champion heavyweight fighter, the Sooners got off the mat before a wild crowd in College Station after the Aggies had taken 14 point leads on three occasions in the first half. OU systematically took the lead in the third quarter, and then hung on for dear life as a final Hail Mary pass fell just short of an Aggie receiver at the buzzer. OU’s Jason White showed again that he is a marvelous college QB, as he shredded the Aggie secondary for five TD passes. This was simply a whale of a college football game in which the Aggies threw the kitchen sink at the Sooners, scoring TD’s on a fake punt and a fake field goal. Meanwhile, both teams’ secondaries looked a bit shell-shocked as both teams combined for almost 700 yards of passing yardage. OU has two relatively easy games (Nebraska and Baylor) before the Big 12 Championship game against one of the Big 12 weak sisters, so it is looking like OU and USC will meet in the BCS National Championship game. The Sooners are a top flight team, but my sense is that Coach Stoops will really have to coach around their defensive limitations to beat USC. Meanwhile, The 6-3 Aggies have no time to feel sorry for themselves, as they face tough Texas Tech in College Station next Saturday before their finale in Austin against the Longhorns on the day after Thanksgiving.
Texas Longhorns 56 Oklahoma State 35. A tale of two halves. As my wife and I went into a charity gala dinner on Saturday night, I turned off my car radio with the score Oklahoma State 35 Texas 7 with just a minute left in the first half. After the salad at dinner, a friend with a son text messaging him from the game told me it was 35-21. Then, midway through the entree, it was tied, and just as we were getting dessert, Texas was leading 49-35. You gotta love college football. The 8-1 Horns play at Kansas next Saturday before entertaining the Aggies in their finale on the day after Thanksgiving. The Horns are finally looking like a BCS bowl team to me.
Houston 34 East Carolina 24. The Coogs continued their mini-recovery after a 1-6 start by beating mediocre East Carolina at Robertson Stadium in Houston. The Coogs were behind 17-14 at halftime, but put this one away by scoring 20 straight points in a 10 minute span at the end of the third quarter and beginning of the fourth. The 3-6 Cougars have two tough games remaining, next Saturday at 5-3 Alabama-Birmingham and then the following week at home against nationally-ranked and Louisville (6-1), so a 3-8 finish for the Coogs is still a distinct possibility.
Fresno State 52 Rice 21. The bottom has fallen out of the season for the Owls, who are now 3-6 and bleeding badly. Fresno just manhandled the Owls at Rice Stadium in Houston, as the Owls trailed 28-7 at the half and 52-7 after three quarters. Rice (3-6) should get ready for more of the same next week as they must go to El Paso to take on the Mike Price-revived UTEP(6-2)squad before finishing at home the following week against 4-5 La Tech.
By the way, in a reflection of the continued polarization of college football, the Longhorn and Aggie games on Saturday drew a combined total of about 165,000 fans. UH and Rice’s games drew a combined total of barely 30,000.
And, as usual, Kevin Whited has his excellent review of Big 12 games over at PubliusTx.net.

The Dallas Cowboys won easily their biggest victory of the season Tuesday as Arlington voters approved a $325 million proposition to help build the team a new stadium.
The proposition authorizes tax increases to pay for half of a $650 million stadium for the Cowboys. The proposition will raise the city sales tax by a half-cent, its hotel occupancy tax by 2 percentage points and its car rental tax by 5 percentage points. A tax of up to 10 percent on tickets and up to $3 on stadium parking will also likely be levied, but proceeds from those taxes are earmarked for retiring a portion of the Cowboys’ debt on the project.
Opponents of municipal funding for the stadium kept the race reasonably close despite being widely outspent by stadium proponents. The Cowboys funded a political action committee funded that spent $4.6 million on the campaign through the end of October. Opponents raised only about $120,000.
The site of the stadium, which is scheduled to open in 2009, will be in the area adjacent to the Six Flags of Texas Amusement Park and Texas Rangers’ Ameriquest Field. A couple of weeks ago, the Cowboys and the Rangers announced that they were working on a joint master planned development, similar to Southlake Town Square, for the area near the football and baseball stadiums.
Stadium supporters estimated that the 75,000-seat retractable-roof stadium would provide the city an additional $5 million in rent and sales tax revenue from spending at the facility, plus other economic activity throughout the city. Stadium backers pointed to a city-commissioned study by Economics Research Associates projecting that the venue would pump $238 million into Arlington’s economy each year.
Opponents of the stadium contend that the project would cost far more than it injects into city coffers and would hamstring efforts to attract other businesses. They also said that other economists have criticized the city-commissioned report for being unreasonably optimistic. Virtually all academic research — summarized nicely by Craig Depken here — has concluded that major sports facilities typically do little to boost local economies.
One of the civic motivations for the stadium project is Dallas’ desire to attract a future Super Bowl game, which was not possible so long as Dallas area relied on Texas Stadium as its professional football venue. Although Dallas stadium and convention facilities are not as well coordinated as Houston’s, the new stadium will undoubtedly attract a Super Bowl for Dallas, probably between 2010-12.

It’s not everyday that a Texas high school football team makes the Washington Post. Read about the inspiring tale of the Santa Maria Cougars here.

Texans 20 Jaguars 6. In their most impressive overall performance to date, the Texans beat the Jags decisively at Reliant Stadium in Houston. The Texans actually should have had another TD except that Jabbar Gaffney somehow fumbled the ball out of the endzone in the second quarter without being hit a moment before reaching the goal line. The Texans’ often shaky defense was outstanding in this game, holding the Jags to a paltry 39 yards rushing and about 3.5 yards per pass, and tacking on a TD on DeMarcus Faggins‘ fourth quarter interception return to ice the game. Meanwhile, David Carr had probably his best game as a pro, hitting on 26-34 throws for 276 yards, a TD, and most importantly, no turnovers (well, actually he did have a fumble, but the refs blew the call). The Texans are now an improbable 4-3, but face tough road games at Denver and then Indianapolis over the next two weekends.
Cowboys 31 Lions 21. Meanwhile, the our north, the Cowboys avoided sending the Big Tuna toward another coronary infarction with a win over the visiting Lions at Texas Stadium. The Cowboys finally found a run defense in this one, something that has been strangely absent this season for their usually formidable run defense. The 3-4 Pokes have a winnable game next Sunday at Cincinnati before returning home the following week for a showdown with the NFL East-leading Eagles.
Texas Longhorns 31 Colorado 7. The Horns’ increasingly formidable defense keyed this win, as Colorado could muster only 3 yards rushing and 221 yards total offense. The Horns still can’t pass a lick, which will be a problem against teams that have the defensive strength to stuff their rushing attack. However, a big difference in Texas this season is that their defense is good enought to win low scoring games. My friends in college coaching told me before the season that Dick Tomey would make a difference in Texas’ defensive unit, and I am now a believer.
Baylor 35 Texas Aggies 34. The Aggies almost laid an egg at home last week against Colorado, but they went ahead and laid a whopper in Waco against the Bears. Frankly, I was not surprised that Baylor gave A&M a game, as I had been on the sidelines of the Baylor-Iowa State game the weekend before and concluded then that the Bears — although undermanned at several line positions — were very well motivated and well-coached. The Ags put the ball on the ground a few times and, before you now it, the Bears determined that they could win the game. The decision of Baylor coach Guy Morris to go for two points after pulling to within 34-33 in the first overtime is one of those decisions that anyone who enjoys college football just has to admire. The 6-2 Aggies must now try to regroup before Oklahoma comes to College Station next Saturday night. Given the performance of the Aggie defense over the past two games, here is a betting recommendation on that game — take “the over.”
Houston 24 Tulane 3. The Coogs, who really have played a brutal schedule this season, finally caught a break and pounded a poor Tulane team at Roberston Stadium in Houston. This one was over by halftime as the Coogs coasted in the second half against either a dominating defensive effort or an imcompetent Tulane offensive performance, depending upon your viewpoint. The 2-6 Coogs have another winnable game next Saturday at home against 2-5 East Carolina.
Tulsa 39 Rice 22. The Owls’ once promising season has now officially fallen apart as they lost decisively to a bad Tulsa team in Tulsa. The 3-5 Owls now face Fresno State and the Mike Price-revived UTEP in two of their final three games. Those games could be very ugly for the Owls.
And remember to review Kevin Whited’s excellent weekly review of Big 12 games.

The Texans were off in Week 7 of the NFL season. They play the Jags at Reliant Stadium in Houston next Sunday.
Green Bay 41 Dallas 20. If there was any doubt that the Cowboys were in deep trouble to date, then this game removed all doubt. The Packers toyed with the Cowboys, who were incapable of stopping either the Pack’s ground or aerial game. In the meantime, the Cowboys have no rushing attack and no real deep threat in the passing game. This 2-5 Cowboy team is a good bet to reach 10-12 losses this season. The improved Lions are up next for the Pokes at Texas Stadium next Sunday.
Texas 51 Texas Tech 21. The 6-1 Horns proved again that they can dominate a team that cannot stop the run. Unfortunately, Texas’ problem is with the teams that can stop the run and force the Horns to rely on their questionable passing game. None of the Horns next four games are going to be picnics — at Colorado, home against Okie State, at Kansas, and the annual Thanksgiving weekend grudge match against the Texas Aggies. Interestingly, it may be Texas’ relatively unnoticed but much improved defense that pulls the Horns through these next four games.
Texas Aggies 29 Colorado 26 (OT). After back-to-back impressive road wins over the past two weeks, the Ags came home and almost laid an egg before winning their sixth straight. The Aggies came out flat in the first half of this game, but mounted a couple of impressive second half comebacks to tie the game in regulation. The Buffs sprayed the ball all around Kyle Field in generating almost 400 yards of passing offense, so the Aggies’ secondary better shore up quickly if they want to stay on the same field with OU’s high-powered offense in two weeks. The 6-1 Ags tune up for the OU showdown by taking on Baylor next week in Waco.
TCU 34 Houston 27. The Coogs are in a clear freefall as their record deteriorates to 1-6 in a game that was not as close as the score reflects. Houston is looking like a 1-10 or 2-9 team to me. What a comedown after Art Briles’ magical first season as UH’s coach.
Navy 14 Rice 13. The Owls made a nice fourth quarter comeback against a strong Navy squad only to undermine their chance for victory in overtime by blowing the PAT after the second TD. The 3-4 Owls are just a couple of breaks away from being 5-2 and in the thick of the race for a minor bowl appearance, but the Owls are now facing a brutal final month of the season beginning next Saturday at Tulsa. Rice will struggle to finish with a .500 record this season.
And, as usual, Kevin Whited has his excellent weekly review of Big 12 games.

Texans 29 Titans 10. In the sweetest win for the young Texans franchise since the win against Dallas in the team’s first NFL game, the Texans defense picked off four Steve McNair passes and beat the Titans 20-10 in Nashville. The Texans defense — which has looked pathetic for much of the season — held the Titans to 210 passing yards on 41 attempts. I know it’s juvenile, but how can one not feel good about kicking the collective butts of a Bud Adams team? Here’s hoping the Texans make a habit of it. The Texans have an off week next Sunday before taking on the Jacksonville at Reliant Stadium in Houston on October 31.
Steelers 24 Cowboys 20. Rookie Pittsburgh QB Ben Roethlisberger cuts up the Pokes with 14 points in the fourth quarter to pull out the win. Uh, Big Tuna, have you noticed that the Texans have a better record than your Cowboys? The Pokes play at Green Bay next Sunday.
Texas Aggies 36 Oklahoma State 20. This was the resurgent Ags most impressive win to date as they extended their winning streak to five. Okie State is pretty good, and they had no answer for the Aggies offense under Reggie McNeal, who ran up almost 400 yards total offense. The Aggies take on Colorado at College Station next Saturday.
Texas Longhorns 28 Missouri 20. The Horns overcame their increasingly mediocre passing game to hold off Mizzou at Austin. Texas is a good team with a solid rushing attack and a quick and generally effective defense. However, the lack of any meaningful passing attack is a huge problem, particularly against good teams. The Horns take on Tech next week in Lubbock, which will be no picnic, and both Oklahoma State and the Aggies will be difficult games for the Horns. This team could easily end up 8-3, which will not go over well in Austin.
Nevada 35 Rice 10. The big bugaboo of the triple-option oriented attack is that it does not play well from behind — it simply takes to much time running the ball to overcome a big deficit. That’s what happened to Rice in this game as Nevada took a big lead and Rice’s offense simply could never get on track. This is a disappointing loss for the Owls because Nevada was a team that they should have beat and the Owls’ next game is against a very tough Navy squad next Saturday at Annapolis.
The Houston Cougars were off this week as they prepare to go 1-6 against TCU next Saturday in Ft. Worth.
And remember, for a more thorough weekly review of Big 12 games, check out Kevin Whited’s analysis over at PubliusTX.net.

Vikings 34 Texans 28 (OT). Down 21-zip midway through the third quarter, the Texans came charging back to tie the game at 28 behind a gutty performance from QB David Carr and extraordinary efforts from WR’s Andre Johnson and Derick Armstrong. Unfortunately, the Texans defense could not stop a hard chargin’ marching band, so early NFC Pro Bowl QB candidate Dante Culpepper threw for over 400 yards, five TD’s, and the hit the 50 yard gamewinner in overtime. And Dom Capers is supposed to be a defensive coach? The Texans go to Nashville next Sunday to play the well-balanced (at least if Steve McNair is playing) Titans.
Giants 26 Cowboys 10. With no passing offense, 11 penalties, and two turnovers, this performance will not be on Bill Parcells‘ career highlight film. The Cowboys remind me of the NFL version of the Texas Longhorns. The Pokes play the Steelers next Sunday in Dallas.
Oklahoma 12 Texas Longhorns 0. As noted in earlier weekly reviews, Texas simply does not have the passing game to force OU’s DB’s to play defensive back rather than linebacker. Consequently, OU stuffed the Horns’ running game and Vincent Young was incapable of making the Sooners pay for stacking their defense to stop Ced Benson. Texas’ defense did an admirable job stopping OU’s vaunted passing game, but OU freshman phenom Adrian Peterson shredded the Horns’ rushing defense for 232 yards. Based on their performance on this game, the Horns are going to have tough games against Tech, Oklahoma State, and A&M, although they get Okie State and A&M at home, which will help. However, Bob Stoops continually outcoaches Mack Brown while Texas continues its mystifying inability to develop their quarterback talent — Major Applewhite is the only UT QB in recent memory to develop reasonably well over his career. If the Horns slip to third or fourth in the Big 12 South this season, how long will UT’s alums — who have invested an enormous amount into the UT program over the past five years — put up with this obvious inability to reach the top tier of college football? The Horns get Missouri next week in Austin, which should be reasonably easy, but Tech looms in two weeks in Lubbock.
Texas Aggies 34 Iowa State 3. The Ags are starting to gain some confidence as they reel off their fourth straight win. Next week is a tougher test — Okie State at Stillwater. Man, is the Big 12 South looking tough this season or what?
Southern Miss 35 Houston 29 (OT). The Coogs beat the spread in this Thursday night ESPN game, but allowed USM to score the last 14 points of the game to grab the loss from the jaws of victory. The Coogs somewho lost this game despite almost 520 yards of total offense and no turnovers. Oh, well, the Coogs are off next weekend before trying to avoid a 1-6 record at TCU the following weekend.
Rice 44 SMU 3. The Owls crushed the Ponies while racking up 501 yards of total offense, 496 of which was on the ground. The word in the coaching community is that SMU head coach Phil Bennett is in hot water, and performances like this one will only make the hot seat even warmer. The Owls go to Nevada next week for another WAC game that they should win.
And remember, for a more thorough weekly review of Big 12 games, check out Kevin Whited’s analysis over at PubliusTX.net.