The Des Moines Register from Des Moines, Iowa • Page 33

Sunday, October 26, 2003 Page 9C TURNOVER-LESS TIGERS Missouri, which entered Saturday's game against Texas Tech tied for the Division I lead with only five turnovers all year, had none vs. the Red Raiders. WHO'S THAT GUY IN THE JAYHAWK UNIFORM? Big 12 Football John Nielsen, a transfer from West MesaPalomar junior college who doesn't even have a bio in the football media guide, quarterbacked all but one play for Kansas in place of the injured Bill Whittemore. Big 12 Spotlight: Nebraska Defense Des Moines Sunday Register DM Saturday's Games CONF. ALL WORTH PF PA NEBRASKA 3 1 7 1 234 91 MISSOURI 2 2 6 2 265 183 KANSAS ST.

2 2 6 3 341 169 KANSAS 2 2 5 3 265 220 COLORADO 1 3 3 5 211 315 IOWA STATE 0 4 2 6 149 267 SOUTH OKLAHOMA 4 0 8 0 351 121 OKLA.ST. 3 1 7 1 332 146 TEXAS 3 1 6 2 338 174 TEXAS TECH 2 2 5 3 361 294 BAYLOR 13 3 5 143 276 TEXAS 1 3 3 5 222 264 Missouri's Smith runs for 5 scores to key rout FROM REGISTER NEWS SERVICES Columbia, Ma Brad Smith outplayed the nation's leading quarterback. Smith ran for 291 yards, only 17 shy of the NCAA record for a quarterback, and a school-record five touchdowns as the Tigers left Texas Tech's top-ranked offense in the dust in a 62-3 1 victory Saturday. The last three touchdowns came in the fourth quarter as Missouri (. I.

Ji 1 ft 9 1 I Down and out: Iowa State's Waye Teriy looks to make a desperation pass on the Cyclones' final offensive play as he is tackled by Nebraska's Brandon Teamer Saturday in Lincoln, Neb. The Cyclones suffered their first shutout loss since 1991, 28-0, to fall to 2-6. 6mnr A n7nTbnno9 A JLU Nebraska's 'work in progress' defense dominates Iowa State Notes from Nebraska's camp SATURDAY'S GAMES Kansas State 42. Kansas 6 Missouri 62, Texas Tech 31 Nebraska 28, Iowa State 0 Oklahoma 34. Colorado 20 Oklahoma State 38.

Texas 10 Texas 56, Baylor 0 SATURDAY, NOV. 1 1 1 :00 a.m. Nebraska at Texas (WOI) 12:30 Kansas at Texas 1:10 Baylor at Kansas State 2:30 Oklahoma State at Oklahoma 6:00 Colorado at Texas Tech Saturday's Best PASSING C-A Yds TD B.J. Symons, Tex. Tech 40-62 408 4 Jason White, Oklahoma 19-28 248 3 Josh Fields, Okla.

St. 16-25 208 2 Joel Klatt, Colorado 24-33 187 3 Reggie McNeal, 13-27 183 0 RUSHING AH. Yds TD Brad Smith, Missouri 19 291 2 Tatum Bell, Okla. St. 29 196 3 ZackAbron, Missouri 25 139 3 Renaldo Works, Oklahoma 20 130 1 Darren Sproles, Kan.

State 22 123 1 RECEIVING No. Yds TD Carolos Francis, Tex. Tech 8 126 2 Rashaun Woods, Okla. St. 4 109 2 Wes Welker, Tex.

Tech 13 102 0 Terrance Murphy, 6 98 0 Mark Clayton, Oklahoma 6 96 2 Quote of the Day "We lost this game because I'm not a good enough coach to get our defensive players to believe in themselves." Texas Tech coach Mike Leach after his Red Raiders were trounced by Missouri, 62-31, Saturday. Quick Snaps KANSAS LOSES QB: Kansas' starting quarterback Bill Whittemore sustained an undisclosed injury to his right shoulder or collarbone at the end of the first quarter Saturday against Kansas State. He left the game and did not return. Kansas coach Mark Mangino refused to disclose the nature of the injury, but did say his quarterback who was No. 6 nationally in total offense was probably through.

"It's unlikely they will Whittemore see him the rest of the year," Mangino said. "We have to move on and get ready to play. There is a slim chance he might be back for Iowa State." The Jayhawks (5-3, 2-2 Big 12) meet Iowa State in the regular-season finale Nov. 22. Whittemore, a senior who missed the last three games of his junior season with a knee injury, had been averaging more than 320 yards and had 22 TDs through the first seven games this year.

TOO HOT TO TALK: After Texas Tech allowed Brad Smith and Missouri to run all over its defense, and the Red Raiders top-ranked offense came up short, a furious coach Mike Leach made a short statement after the game and refused to make players available. "We lost this game because I'm not a good enough coach to get our offensive players to play in control when the other team scores a couple of points," Leach said. INSPIRATION DESPERATION: Baylor showed highlights of its 42-30 win over Colorado on the giant scoreboard replay screen before the opening kickoff against Texas Saturday. But any inspiration was quickly squandered when Aaron Karas was sacked and fumbled on the opening drive en route to a 56-0 pummeling against the Longhorns. pulled away after its lead had twice been whittled to 10 points.

"He's still Superman, that's all I can say," offensive tackle Rob Droege said. Pregame attention was focused on BJ. Svmons of Texas Smith Tech, who led Division I in eight statistical categories and was averaging 500.9 yards passing. Symons got his numbers, going 40-for-62 for 408 yards and four touchdowns, but he also threw a season-worst three interceptions. "The whole game we were on eggshells because they're a great offense," Smith said.

"They score so quick. Every time they dropped back to pass, it was a big play that could have come." Smith's rushing total is the second highest in school history, trailing only Devin West (319 in 1998) and he needed only 19 carries to do it. He fell just short of the NCAA record for yards rushing by a quarterback, 308 by Stacey Robinson of Northern Illinois in 1990. "All I have to do is just follow my guys and get up there and run," Smith said. "So, I didn't do too much." Smith was elusive on designed runs and scrambles, scoring on runs of 10, 27, 2, 41 and 61 yards to help Missouri (6-2, 2-2 Big 12) become bowl eligible for the first time since 1998.

He added 128 yards passing, going 13-for-24. "He's a special athlete," coach Gary Pinkel said. Zack Abron added 139 yards on 25 carries and scored the Tigers' other three touchdowns on runs of 3, 4 and 2 yards, shaking off a sprained left ankle near halftime. He has 38 career touchdowns, tying the school career record set by Corby Jones in 1995-98, and has scored 228 points to tie another Jones record. Texas Tech entered the game leading the nation with a 47-point average, but couldn't recover from three turnovers in the first half that led to 17 points.

Other Games OKLAHOMA 34, COLORADO 20 Boulder, Colo. Jason White threw three touchdown passes, including a 59-yarder to Mark Clayton with 1 minute 59 seconds left, as top-ranked Oklahoma escaped Colorado. The Sooners built a 27-7 third-quarter lead before Colorado closed to 27-20 with two touchdowns in the fourth. Facing a third-and-6 from their 41 with 2:13 remaining, White hit Clayton along the left sideline, and the receiver cut back and outraced the Colorado secondary for the clinching score. Joel Klatt threw three touchdown passes for Colorado.

OKLAHOMA ST. 38, TEXAS 10 College Station, Texas Tatum Bell ran for 196 yards and three touchdowns and became the third player in Oklahoma State history to have back-to-back rushing seasons, leading the No. 18 Cowboys to their seventh straight win for the first time since 1 997. Bell, ranked fifth in the nation in rushing, had touchdown runs of 40, 1 and 26 yards, giving him 1,081 rushing yards this season. Thurman Thomas and Terry Miller are the only other Cowboys runners to have back-to-back seasons.

Rashaun Woods caught touchdown passes of 21 and 45 yards. KANSAS STATE 42, KANSAS 6 Manhattan, Kan. Darren Sproles broke Kansas State's career rushing record and added a 63-yard touchdown punt return as the Wildcats romped to their 1 1th straight victory over Kansas. Sproles wound up with 98 yards on 19 carries, giving him 2,619 career yards and breaking the previous record of 2,537 by Eric Hickson in 1994-97. TEXAS 56, BAYLOR 0 Waco, Texas Vince Young ran for 101 yards and two touchdowns as No.

19 Texas whipped Baylor. Young and Longhorns rolled to a 35-0 halftime lead, despite missing starting tailback Cedric Benson. He didn't make the trip after being charged earlier in the week with misdemeanor criminal trespassing. ill BILL NEIBERGALLTHE REGISTER The Cornhuskers, ranked second in the nation in defense, have not given up a touchdown in eight consecutive quarters and have held their opponents to an average of 11.1 points per game. 'We say that we are a work in progress," said Ruud, who led the team Saturday with 10 tackles five of them unassisted.

"We still haven't played the complete game yet." Defensive end Bernard Thomas said the defense's improvement took some of the sting out of last year's 36-14 loss to Iowa State in Ames. "When you get whipped, the next time you remember what happened and make sure it doesn't happen again," said Thomas, who recovered a fumble by Flynn to set up Nebraska's final touchdown. Flynn said the shutout the Cyclones' first since 1991 was a major disappointment. "Your goal is to put a lot of points on the board and to have to have a goose egg at the end of the game really hurts you," he said. Pelini, brought to Nebraska from the Green Bay Packers to reestablish the Cornhuskers' defensive prowess, admitted that he did smile after the game.

But, he said, there is plenty of work to do. "We take the approach that we are never satisfied and work to improve ourselves every week" Pelini said. "There are lot of little things that need to be corrected because those are the things that will be the difference down the road." overhaul coach with the Minnesota Vikings, the Purple led the NFL in rushing in 2002 and are tops in total offense this fall.) "You're going to win some, you're going to lose some. We're evaluated by how many (times) we win," Fine said. "That's the nature of the beast." Look no further than Lincoln.

Faced with a crossroads last winter, to say nothing of his job security, Solich fired three assistants and reassigned another to an administrative position. Two longtime staff members retired. The subtle makeover has done wonders, especially on defense, where new coordinator Bo Pelini, a former University of Iowa assistant, lit a fire under a unit that was too often burned last year. The Huskers are back in black. Solich is safe (for now).

Pelini's national rating is creeping into StoopsFerentz territory. Meanwhile, in the fieldhouse adjacent to Memorial Stadium, Fine told reporters: "Like any job in the country, I do the best I can." After Saturday, you wonder if that is good enough. By TOM WIT0SKY REGISTER STAFF'WRITER Lincoln, Neb. Nebraska so dominated Iowa State's offense Saturday that even first-year defensive coordinator Bo Pelini looked happy. "I saw him smile a little," Cornhusker linebacker Barrett Kuud said witn a laugh after the 28-0 victory for the team's seventh overall victory and third Big 12 Conference win.

"We played well, but we didnt have a complete game. We can Pelini get better, and we are going to have to get better. We have a bunch of big games coming our way." But the famed Nebraska "Black-shirts" defense had one of its best games of the season. The Huskers, leading the Big 12 North Division, play at Texas next weekend. Consider that Nebraska's defense: Kept Iowa State from penetrating beyond the Cornhuskers' 42-yard line until the Cyclones' final drive of the game, which ended on the Nebraska 20.

Iowa State had only five offensive plays in Nebraska territory until the final drive. Pressured Cyclone quarterback Austin Flynn so severely he was hit by defenders on 17 of the first 23 offensive plays of the game. Flynn led Iowa State rushers with 26 yards on 15 carries. Held Iowa State to 230 yards total offense well below its Cyclones KEELER, from Page 1C neutral. Nebraska was content to land a few roundhouses early, then wait for the Cyclones to bleed to death on the canvas.

If you paid to watch this game in person, you should demand a refund. If you paid to watch this at home, you should seek counseling. "It was not the finish we were looking for," Nebraska coach Frank Solich said. "It is a win, which is the kind of send-off you would like to have. You would like to have four quarters of great football." Husker fans got a quarter-and-a-half Solich called off the dogs with 7 minutes left in the second quarter, cementing the feel of a glorified scrimmage or Week 4 of the NFL preseasoa Quarterback Jammal Lord watched the last 38 minutes from the sideline, a nod to the Blackshirts; to No.

19 Texas, whom the Huskers visit next; and to Iowa State's mercurial descent. "It was a low point for us," senior receiver Lane Danielsen said of the Cyclones' first shutout loss since 1991. AIL JOE WHO? Reserve quarterback Joe Oailey's less than stellar performance Saturday may quiet a lot of Cornhusker fan criticism of starter Jammal Lord. Dailey replaced Lord midway through the second quarter, but seemed out of sync. He completed only two of four passes for 16 yards and one interception while also running for 55 yards on 15 carries.

"He was OK, not great, not poor," coach Frank Solich said. Dailey said he knew his performance was subpar. "I wasn't happy with any of it," he said. "I have a lot of work to do." TURNOVER MARGIN GROWS: Nebraska's turnover margin grew by one as the Cornhuskers took the ball way three times and lost it twice. The Cornhuskers are a 15 in takeaways against turnovers and have converted those turnovers into 103 points.

Controlled the game so well that Nebraska's coaching staff gave banged-up quarterback Jammal Lord the rest of the day off starting at the 725 mark in the second quarter. Backup Joe Dailey played the rest of the game. "We decided at that point that we could go with Joe," said Nebraska coach Frank Solich. "It was a good thing Jammal could get some rest and Joe could get a lot of plays." Cyclone receiver Lane Daniel-son credited Nebraska's defense. "It's a low point for us," Daniel-son said.

"We didn't do anything offensively." up, not an No question. A winning season is out, a bowl is a pipe dream, perceptions are dimming, the back of the bandwagon is covered in Teflon. But those who would call for McCarney's head in lieu of the Cyclones' regrowing pains are suffering from delusions and short-term memory loss. This engine needs a tune-up, not an overhaul. The Cyclones have had four punts blocked this fall, all of them backbreakers.

Iowa State's 70 rushing yards were a season low. The Cyclones haven't produced a 100-yard rusher since Michael Wagner dropped 115 on sad-sack Ohio on Sept. 6. After seven straight seasons with at least one 1,000 yard rusher, Iowa State will likely be without one for a second straight year. The compass needle keeps coining back to Fine, a stand-up guy who has been beset by rotten luck Luke Vander Sanden, Bob Montgomery, etc.

and even worse depth since coming over from Indiana after the 2001 season. (And it doesnt help that since his predecessor, Steve Loney, took over as offensive line HUSTON RETURNS: Nebraska cornerback Kellen Huston, a junior walk-on from Ankeny, slammed the door on Iowa State's final scoring bid Saturday with an interception on the Cyclones' final offensive play of the game. Huston, who is also the holder for kicker David Dyches on field goals and extra points, returned to the lineup Saturday after serving a one-game suspension for hitting a Missouri fan, who had confronted Huston after Nebraska's 41-24 loss at Columbia Oct. 11. "I just think it is a great thing for Kellen to come back that way," said Jeff Jamrog, the Cornhuskers' special teams coach.

"He has been through a lot and has handled it pretty well. He is moving on." Huston's interception was the first of his college career. season average of 352 yards. On the ground, Iowa State gained only 70 yards its lowest total of the season after averaging 137 yards. Broke up nine passes, with defensive linemen and linebackers knocking the ball away six times.

The Cornhuskers also had one sack five tackles for losses, two interceptions and recovered one fumble. Prevented Iowa State from getting a first down on 13 of 16 third-down plays. On fourth-down plays, Iowa State's offense was thwarted four out of five times. need tune Then again, what did you expect? The Cornhuskers allowed opponents an average of 72 points per game at Memorial Stadium going into Saturday. Iowa State hasn't had a lead in a game since a 16-14 advantage at Northern Illinois on Sept.

27. After getting sand kicked in their faces for 22 minutes, the Cyclones played toe-to-toe with Nebraska's junior varsity. Even moral victories tasted like fresh cowpie. "We have played a lot of freshmen," McCarney said, "but it had nothing to do with the problems we had in the kicking game." Those problems stemmed from Paris, a sophomore; the outside punt protectors who were steamrolled by Josh Bullocks and Demorrio Williams; and Fine, who preferred to bite his lip rather than rip his kids. "It's my responsibility to make sure the unit is sound," the coach said "And they didn't hold up.

Somewhere in there, we've got to get it right." The same could be said, right now, of Iowa State's coaching staff. The Cyclones are in a rut..