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By Dic HumphreyCO R R E S PO N D E [email protected]

SMU's Men's basketball team opensConference-USA play this Saturday at TheReynolds Center in Tulsa. The Mustangscome into the game with an 8-6 recordafter losing Tuesday night to Ole Miss inOxford, 50-48. The non-conferenceschedule, which still has one more game toplay February 8 against TCU, has been amix of worthy opponents, such asOklahoma State, Fresno State, andColorado State in addition to Mississippi,as well as cupcakes such as McMurry andDallas Christian. There has also been agood balance of venues, with neutral sitesin the pre-season NIT as well as theAmerican Airlines Center. The Mustangsare 2-2 in true road games and 5-0 atMoody Coliseum. With just four playersback from last year's 20 win team, just twoof which saw material playing time, thereare lots of new faces. It has been a non-conference schedule to develop playingroles and team chemistry.

TOUGHER CHALLENGES AHEADA year ago, SMU was 8-8 in conferenceplay en route to a 20-win season and apost-season berth in the CIT. This year,the Mustangs have their work cut out forthem. The current Sagarin ratings haveSMU ranked 173 in the country, dead lastin Conference-USA. Memphis (25),Southern Miss (37) and Marshall (54) arethe only three from C-USA in the top 100.Fortunately for SMU, all three of thoseschools are in the East Division for foot-ball, such that SMU faces them just onceon the conference schedule. In SMU'sdefense, much of their current record wasaccumulated without Shawn Williams,who is now starting but was not eligibleuntil after the fall semester ended, andLeslee Smith, who was only recently med-ically cleared to play, and is now seeingmaterial playing time.

SMU is led by 6'-8” Robert Nyakundi,who is one of the most prolific three pointshooters in the country. He leads theMustangs in scoring (15.7 points pergame) and rebounds (5.8 per game). Hehas scored in double digits in 12 games. Ayear ago, he finished second in the nationmaking 97 of 195 three point attempts(49.7%). He is currently leading C-USAwith a three point shooting percentage of47.6%. He is an electric player that canscore points in bunches. As Doherty saidafter the Ole Miss game, “When Rob getsgoing, it's fun to watch.”

London Giles has quietly moved into sec-ond place in Mustang scoring. He's aver-aging 11.8 points per game and has a dou-


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AROUND THE AREASMU REGULAR SEASON OPENING

QUICK HITS

FISHERTIME TO MOVE ON FROM TYSON

GOLFNEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS

SPORTS SHORTS PARTY OVER FOR COWS

STARSBACHMAN A SAVIOR

COVER STORYBCS TITLE UP FOR GRABS

FOOTBALLA RATIONAL LOOK AT 2011 SEASON

COLLEGE FOOTBALLWHEN SMU ALMOST WERE CHAMPS

DININGAN AUTHENTIC VIETNAMESE EXPERIENCE

Jan. 6-12, 2012Volume 10, Issue 21

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TEXAS RANGERSBASEBALL

Mustangs: time for conference play

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ble digit point total in 10 games. Pointguard Jeremiah Samarrippas, who leads theteam with 59 assists, Williams, and AliakseiPatsevich round out the starting lineup. Theathletic and talented Ryan Manuel, a 6'-4”guard and a true freshman, redshirt fresh-man forward Smith (6'-7”), and true fresh-men Cannen Cunningham (6'-8”) and JalenJones (6'-6”) round out the playing rotation.Defensively, SMU has tried man-to-manand different zones, but has finally settledinto a match-up zone almost exclusively.Doherty says, “We've gotten good at ourmatch-up zone, mainly because that's whatwe play most of the time.” Offensively, theMustangs play a slow paced “Princeton”half-court offense noted for back door cutsto the basket. It is also an offense that reliesheavily on three point shots. They lead C-USA with 8.3 made three-pointers pergame.

DOHERTY SEARCHING FOR ROTATIONIt is obviously a young team, and looking atplaying time totals from game to game, it isdifficult to discern playing patterns. Forexample, Williams started Tuesday againstOle Miss and tallied eight of the team's firstten points, as the Mustangs jumped to anearly lead. Late in the game, when Dohertywas subbing offense for defense and vice-versa at every stopped clock, Williams was

not part of the offensive rotation. TheMustangs are still searching for definedroles, playing rotations and a team identity. This Saturday's opponent, Tulsa, is rated asthe fourth best team in this week's Sagarinratings for C-USA, and the GoldenHurricane was 11-5 in conference play ayear ago. They present matchup problemsfor the Ponies. 6'-11” Steven Idlet leads acorps of post players that have a formidableinside presence. Kodi Maduka (6-11.5”)and D. J. Magley (6'-9”) are two other con-tributors to Tulsa's inside game. Dohertythinks a key to Tulsa's team is guard JordanClarkson from San Antonio, who Dohertytried to recruit to SMU. He is the GoldenHurricane's leading scorer that returnedfrom last year's team despite not starting agame in 2010-2011.

Doherty is obviously pleased with how theteam has come along with so many newfaces. He said Tuesday, “I'm very excitedabout this team. We're getting better andbetter.” Tuesday night in Oxford, theMustangs had the ball at game's end with achance to win with a three or tie with a two.“If we can go on the road and have a chanceto win against an SEC team, we can go onthe road in conference play and win.”


Quick Hits The Metroplex is a sports fan's dream - great pro sports, college power-houses and some of the best high school sports programs in the country -

and we deliver it all with typical Texas hospitality.-Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price on D/FW being ranked the No. 1 sports area in the U.S.

by VANCE [email protected]

Destiny spoke last August and, just likethat, there was a world of possibility outthere for thirty-two NFL teams. Anythingcould happen - this is the NFL. But whilethe world of possibility was realisticallythe same for the Dallas Cowboys, some-thing seemed awry with the dangling car-rot. Although many said otherwise, anddespite that many would not or could notadmit it, it was destiny’s anthem for theDallas Cowboys that seemed only to beone in the same. Just as the message hadbeen the past three or four seasons, the out-come the Cowboys find themselves in sixmonths later seemed inevitable.

AH YES, THE POTENTIALRecollect what has gone on since the endof last season till now. Leading up to train-ing camp, remember the front office talk-ing about the expectations of what mightbe this season? Offensively all the poten-tial was there, absent a small band-aidneeded in the offensive line. But the poten-tial was there. The offensive coordinator,Jason Garrett—that smart, intelligent, up-and-comer—would make an impact overthe organization as the permanent leaderand coach of this team. Jerry was elated.Another one of his golden boys would leadthis organization back to prominence.But also with that move that meant, defen-sively, Wade was out. Immediately, nearlya year to this very day, a new defensive

coordinator was brought in. Rex Ryanwould fix the ailing defense. Defense wasa large reason why the Cowboys stood tomake a comeback this season. You’ll seecome August.

TOO MANY PROBLEMS FOR THE DRAFTTO FIXNext was the draft. Remember the draft?You know, the day the Cowboys nabbed a

new offensive tackle, the same day theCowboys also had the opportunity toimprove an atrocious secondary, perhapswith a safety, but didn’t. They did manageto grab another running back, who did panout. But largely, the Cowboys ignored theinability to play defense.

August came. Dez Bryant would showeveryone this season. He’d show us that hecould play. He’d make the cameras clickand flash. He’d show the world how giftedhis athletic specimen truly was.

And then there was Tony Romo. He wasgoing to be a leader this season. He wasgoing to light defenses up with that passinggame, hitting up flashy Dez Bryant andMiles Austin with the deep ball, JasonWitten along the mid-sideline or for someshort gains. Felix Jones would run hard,injury free.

IS IT EVER GOING TO CHANGE?Everything was a world a possibility backin August. But let me ask this: in yourheart of hearts did you truly believe all ofthat possibility would rise into fruitioncome January? Probably not. August isn’ttoo far off again. But not much stands tochange.

Another season passes on by for the Cowboys

Tuesday night’s Sugar Bowl providedBrendan Gibbons the opportunity to delivera game-winning field-goal in overtime thatwould lead Michigan past Virginia Tech,23-20.

He succeeded. Clutch,

Gibbons’ 37-yarder was followed by a 37-

yard miss by the Hokies- renowned forspecial teams play. Gibbons’s foot gaveMichigan fans a great moment, fanswho’ve watched Wolverine kickers fail inbig pressure situations countless times. But the question is this: what allowedGibbons to maintain mental fortitude in thebig spotlight?

“Every time we were struggling in kick-ing,” Gibbons told the media after, “coachalways tells me to think about girls on abeach or brunette girls. So that’s what wedid.”

Clearly, Coach Brady Hoke did a fine jobat helping his kicker win one for the BigBlue, all while giving the oft-overlooked

brunette Lady some love.

So, Ladies, the next time you reach for thebleach (and gentlemen, the next timeyou’re pursuing that platinum) you mightwant to stop and ask: “why not brown?”

What makes a Virginia Tech kicker cluth? Girls.

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by Mike FisherF I S [email protected]

Tyson Chandler's claim that the Mavs are “not trying'' towin so they can instead be dealt into a future free-agentmarket is an incendiary one. But it's insulting and wrong,say Dallas' franchise and locker-room leaders.

“We know what Cuban is doing, we understand it, weget it,' said Jason Kidd in my exclusive interview, com-ments that as you will see are supported by Jet, Carlisleand, in two more 1-on-1 visits, with Donnie and Cubanhimself.

“Honestly, I'd kind of seen it coming,'' said Chandler ofthis year's slow Mavs start. “Because when you put a teamin a situation and you say, 'You're the defending champi-ons and we're not necessarily trying to repeat. … So you'rebasically telling all the players in the locker room we'replaying for free agency next year after a championship.''

Chandler's words deserve some level of respect fromme and from every corner of MavsLand.

But I don't have to be the one to scoff at Tyson's “nottrying'' claim.

ONE BY ONE, CURRENT MAVS DISPUTE CHANDLER’SCLAIMS

Jason Kidd, Rick Carlisle, Donnie Nelson, Jason Terryand Mark Cuban will do the scoffing for me.

I spoke with Kidd in a one-on-one setting for an extend-ed period of time. I relayed TY's words to the Mavs' lock-er-room leader and the NBA's basketball IQ leader.

“Is Tyson saying that the veterans here don't understandwhat Mark is doing?'' Kidd asked. “Well, no, that's notreally true. We know what Cuban is doing, we understandit, we get it.''

And then Kidd demonstrated exactly how specificallyhe understood.

“Listen, you can't have every guy on a $10-mil or $12-mil-a-year contract and then be making a total payment of$20 million for him because of the luxury tax,'' Kidd told

me, flashing his business IQ to bookend his BBIQ. “Thatdoesn't make sense. Cuban's the owner. He knows whathe's doing.''

What Dallas is doing, of course, it attempting to followup last year's title by being in contention again this year …and then in the Summer of 2012 have the financial flexi-bility to be dealt into to a free-agent card game that couldinclude Dwight and Deron as the prizes.

EVEN WITH ROSTER CHANGES, STILL NO EXCUSES“There's every built-in excuse in the world for our team

-- if you want to look for them and buy into them -- butwe're not going to have any of that,'' coach Rick Carlislesaid. “We have a different team this year. … Our ownerdid the right thing breaking up the team - (the right thing)for the franchise.''

At least one local news outlet is responding to Rick'ssummation by saying that Mavs players disagree withwhat “the right thing'' was. … but I challenge anyone toconduct an interview with a present Mavs personalitywho, as emotional as the change might be for them, trulyfails to understand.

“No offense to Tyson, because he's family,'' GM DonnieNelson tells me, “but it's not too often that anyone accus-es Mark of not being in communication with his players orof not knowing how to handle money. In both depart-ments, (Cuban) is pretty much the best.''

Added Terry, not exactly in the Tyson-is-family moodafter hearing about the comments: “I don't care whatTyson's saying or what he's doing right now. He's not aMaverick.''

More of Kidd: “It's a business and you make businessmoves based on talent and money. Maybe some youngerguys don't understand that it's a sport but it's also a busi-ness. And if I was a younger guy, I might not like it. Butat where we (Kidd, Dirk and Jet) are in our careers? Whatwe're doing? It makes sense to me.''

I also visited at length in a one-on-one setting withCuban, along with Nelson the co-architect of this manage-ment plan.

“Ridiculous,'' Cuban said. “Well, that's Tyson (beingemotional), right? Ridiculous. Tyson knows that I talk toour veteran players. Somebody who doesn't think Dirk orJ-Kidd don't understand ... that's really insulting to them.

“There is a strategy to this and at first, I suppose, sure,there is emotion in accepting change, even if it's changethat will end up being for the best,'' Cuban said. “But giventhe short camp, no practice time, a veteran team like ours,one that's not based on raw athleticism but is about trueteam play, and with older guys, we were probably going tostruggle a little bit early no matter what. Even if Tyson wasstill here.''

This is a provocative story because the Mavs are thedefending champs, because they are off to a poor start,because TY is a thoughtful ex-member of the team,because it was uttered in New York, because it's gottenESPN play and, most legitimately, because it theoreticallycan lead to Dallas' pursuit of Dwight and Deron.

But analysis that claims people like Cuban, Jet, Carlisle,Donnie and Kidd don't have a mutual understanding ismisguided, because people like Cuban, Jet, Carlisle,Donnie and Kidd just told you it's not so.

In the end, it may turn out that the only Mavs-relatedname who doesn't understand and accept the big-picturereasoning of why Tyson Chandler wasn't re-signed byDallas is … Tyson Chandler.

Follow the Fish on twitter at @FishSports andat www.DallasBasketball.com.

SPORTS TALK WITH MIKE FISHERTHE FISH

Mavs players dismiss Chandler’s charge


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Things to remember when yourclubs let you down.

by Tom WardS PE C IAL CO NTR I BUTO Rtompward@sbcglobal .net

Happy 2012 everyone!

A new year is upon us and it’s that timeagain when people make their annual res-olutions like to lose weight and othersweeping changes in their lives that areusually short lived. I have some ideas forall you golfers out there so take a look atthe short list I put together and see if youcan attain any of these this year.

So with your hand over your heart repeatafter me. We resolve: To play for the pureenjoyment and not take the game so seri-ously that it inhibits you from having fun.To consult with a good pro to help withany problems you are having. To choosethe easy route and play away from trou-ble. To learn the rules and etiquette. Tostick to solid fundamentals and stop tin-kering with your swing so much. To cutdown on swearing and club throwing. Toget into better shape so you can hit theball further. To spend quality time prac-ticing and not just banging balls endless-ly. To use more club on your shots andnot end up short of the green all the time.To relax and not tighten up. To hit theball where you are aiming with somedegree of control. To play the course andnot your opponents. To cut down on 3putts. To break 100 or 90 or 80 of evenshoot par or better. To rake the bunkerafter you hit your shot. To replace divotsand repair ball marks on the greens. Tonot try to blame other for your bad shots.To allow faster players to play through.To offer advice to others only if you are

asked. To have a firm but not tight grip.To bring plenty of golf balls to thecourse. To be ready to play when it’syour turn.

TOM’S TOP TWENTY LISTNext, Late night TV host and comedianDavid Letterman has his famous top 10list. Well, I have my own top 20 list toshowcase why we have such a crazylove/hate relationship with a silly gamethat drives us nuts. 1.) Remember thisrule: Hazards attract; fairways repel. 2.)It’s easier to get up at 6 a.m. to play golfthan it is to get up at 10 a.m. to mow thelawn. 3.) Never buy a putter until you’vehad a chance to throw it. 4.) If there is aball on the fringe of the green and ball inthe bunker, your ball is in the bunker. 5.)If a storm starts rolling while you’replaying, you’ll be having the round of

your life. 6.) You can hit a two-acre fair-way 10 percent of the time and a two–inch branch 90 percent of the time. 7.)A golf match is a test of your skill

against your opponent’s luck. 8.)Nonchalant putts count the same as cha-lant putts. 9.)It’s surprisingly easy to holea fifty foot putt for a ten. 10.)When yourshot has to carry over a water hazard, youcan either hit one more club or two moreballs. 11.)Since bad shots come in groupsof three, a fourth bad shot is actually thebeginning of the next group of three.12.)The shortest distance between anytwo points on the golf course is a straightline that passes directly through the cen-ter of a very large tree. 13.) Golf balls arelike eggs. They’re white. They’re sold bythe dozen and you have to buy fresh oneseach week. 14.) Every time a golfermakes a birdie, he must subsequently

make two triple bogeys to restore the fun-damental equilibrium of the universe.15.)Golf is the perfect thing to do onSunday because you always end up hav-ing to pray a lot. 16.) You can put a drawon the ball, you can put a fade on theball, but no one can put a straight on theball. 17.) Having a great drive on the18th hole has stopped many of a golferfrom giving up the game. 18.)There aretwo kinds of bounces; unfair bounces andbounces just the way you meant them toplay. 19.) Isn’t it amazing that a golferwho never helps out around the housewill replace his divots, repair ball marks,and rake sand traps? 20.) It takes longerto learn to be a good golfer than it doesto be a brain surgeon. On the other hand,you don’t get to ride around in a cart,drink beer, eat hot dogs and fart if youare performing brain surgery!

HERE’S TO A GREAT YEAR ON THECOURSE!Finally, my wish for everyone as it relatesto golf is that you have a break out yearand I hope my column can be of assis-tance on your journey to playing to yourpotential. I plan on having plenty ofinsightful golf tips as well as some funand interesting stories about friends ofmine from the world of professionalsports, music, movies and television whohave a passion for the game. I know weare still battling with a weak economy,but the game of golf has managed to keepits head above water. So I will be tossingout the proverbial life jacket to all of youwho want to stop from drowning in a seaof mistakes that rob you of the joy ofplaying the game well. Next week wewill set sail, with a final destination beingmarked improvement in all facets of yourgame. Tom Ward can be reached at www.teetimewithtom.com

WITH TOM WARDGOLF

Tom’s New Years resolution list for golfers


ARE YOU READY FORSOME MORE NAILBITING, COWS FANS?

by Kate DelaneyS PE C IAL CO NTR I BUTO [email protected]

Now what?

Last year, even before a miserableCowboy season was over, it was thecoach, Wade Phillips, who took the fall.Who gets the boot this time around?

The second the Cowboys left Met Life sta-dium in New Jersey after losing 31-14 tothe Giants, the inevitable Jerry Jones bash-ing was in full swing. You are wastingyour breath, he's the owner of the teamand he's not stepping down as the GeneralManager. Pigs will fly before Jerry Jonessteps down as the Cowboys G.M.! He saidas much on his weekly radio show,emphasizing that since he took over theteam, he's been doing things the same way

for 22 years and it works best for the teamsince he's such an involved owner.

YOU CALL THIS SUCCESS?Hmm. Let's see the Cowboys haven't beento the Super Bowl in 16 years. In the lastdecade Dallas has been to the post seasontwice with just one playoff win an unac-ceptable situation in a city that could onceboast of being a perennial winner and atthe very least always in the hunt. TheCowboys have to stop living in the land ofthe lost, so many opportunities squan-dered in a season where they were a surefire lock to go to the playoffs. The gamesthat sting the most; losing to Arizona inovertime and blowing a 12 point lead inthe home December game against theGiants.

I'm trying to overcome my cynical naturewhen writing about the Cowboys for thiscolumn so I feel compelled to look for thesilver linings - yes plural believe it or not.Let's start with the DeMarco Murray, toobad this star running back was hurt downthe stretch. How fun was he to watch thisseason, his rookie year no less! Murray

ran for almost 900 yards and averaged justover 5 yards per carry going from backuprunning back to primary; swatting awaydefenders like they were flies.

Speaking of defense how bout' the produc-tion of Sean Lee! Like Murray he had hisown coming out party finishing the yearwith 105 tackles. He's your blue collar justlet me go to work kind of guy and he cameup with key moves in many of the Cowboywins. I don't want to get too carried awaybut let's include, Laurent Robinson, whohas become the good hands wide receiverfor the team finishing strong with 11touchdowns and like Murray almost 900yards. In the end despite my attempt atfinding the positives we still come back tothe same thing the Cowboys finish 8-8 andonce again are watching as other NFLteams move onto the playoffs.

CLOCK IS TICKING FOR THE RANGERSMeanwhile just a stone's throw away fromCowboy Stadium the Rangers were busyshowing off their digs to a Japanese “rockstar” pitcher, the club hopes to sign. YuDarvish was in town with his entourage in

town to check out Texas and he left animpression on some players who hap-pened to be around. Second baseman IanKinsler, who met Darvish this week dur-ing his ballpark tour, reportedly remarkedthat the 6-foot-5” Darvish was a big guywith a solid presence.

Unfortunately for the Rangers Darvishcame and left without an agreement,remember the clock is ticking on the nego-tiations. The Rangers shelled out a whop-ping $51.7 million just to talk to the Aceright hander with a firm window in placefor signing Darvish. Texas has untilJanuary 18th to get him signed but sup-posedly the team is close to making thishappen. Let's hope so otherwise it will godown as one of the Rangers biggest deba-cles in the off season.

Kate Delaney hosts "America Tonight,"which airs from 11p.m. - 2a.m. on KKGM1630AM.

The party is over early for the CowboysSPORTS SHORTS WITH KATE DELANEY

DALLAS STARSHOCKEY

Rookie goalie Bachman becomes Stars’ saviorby RICHARD S. POLLAK,The HOCKEY ATTITUDESPECIAL [email protected]

The Denver Broncos have their Tim Tebowand now,the Dallas Stars have their own lastminute savior of sorts in goaltender RichardBachman. The Rookie was only supposed tobe sitting on the bench in Dallas after hiscall up from the AHL Texas Stars. Thenstarting goaltender Andrew Raycroft ,whowas playing in the place of injured regularnumber #1 netminder Kari Lehtonen, wasbombed for 5 goals against the San Jose on24 shots through only twoperiods.Bachman, who was born in SaltLake City, replaced Raycroft in the thirdperiod.He made 12 straight saves in only hissecond NHL appearance.

Bachman started the next 5 straight gameson the road collecting 4 wins and only 1OTL with a 2.25 GAA Now, Bachman sitsback on the bench with 5 wins,2 losses anda 2.76 GAA while Andrew Raycroft willcontinue to earn $600,000 for the balance ofthe season down in Austin with the StarsAHL farm team,the Texas Stars. NHL

Hockey Analyst,Frank Bornstein observed,"since Raycroft cleared waivers to headdown to the AHL,it means that no otherteam was interested in him and thought thathe could help their team improve more thanone of the NHL other 30 backups"

This week,the Hockey News featuredBachman calling him,"not your typicalNHL Netminder. At 5'10 and only 175 lbs,the Utah born goalie played for a Prepschool in New England and if that's not ter-rifying enough,his name was the originalPen Name for Horror Novelist and big timeHockey Fan Stephen King."

Associated Press Hockey Reporter,BobStevens explained, "Raycroft will have toclear waivers,again before he can return tothe Stars but Newy could use him in a tradebefore the trade deadline."

TRADE BAIT, OR LONG TERM STAR?Is Stars general Manager Joe Niewendyk

is keeping Raycroft in his back pocket for apossible trade scenario once another teamloses one of their own goalies to injury? Oris Nieuwy keeping Bachman in Dallas asNew Dallas Stars Owner Tom Gagliardi

stated," we have begun to hold talks about amajor trade prior to the trade deadline,aslong as it makes long term sense. We are notgoing to just give up prospects for a shortterm fix." Bachman could be part of a tradedeadline deal of Stars Prospects to theColumbus Blue Jackets, for example. whoare rumored to be interested in movingSuperstar Rick Nash or All-Star JeffCampbell.They both have long term,no-trade contracts. Another very attractiveoption is Nashville's defenseman RyanSuter, who will become an unrestrictedFree Agent.

This makes sense since Dallas Stars

Coach Glen Gulutzan said, "Bachman isgoing to start,at least 7 more games by theend of February." It's rare in the NHL for acoach to announce in advance the projectedstarts for a backup goalie unless there is along term plan to showcase.

One day, we will see if he will battle withDallas Stars 2009 first round draft pick,Goalie Jack Campbell,who plays for theOHL Sault Ste Marie Greyhounds,is thenumber one Netminder for the the USA atthe World Juniors Tournament inEdmonton,for the number #1 job in Dallasor brings a top flight marquee player toDallas in 2012.

SLAPSHOTS:Dallas Stars Owner Tom Gaglardi has madefilling the building his top priority with the'YOU SPOKE,WE LISTENED" promotion.There will be $9 Upper Bowl tickets avail-able at the AAC ticket windows, the night ofthe game.Over 85% of the Upper Level isnow available just $25. The Stars haverescaled the entire lower seating bowl tooffer nearly two-thirds of the Lower Level at$70 and ther StarsClub Premium Tickets at$110!


BCS CHAMPIONSHIPCOVER STORY

by BO CARTERSPECIAL [email protected]

Special to Sports Page Dallas

NEW ORLEANS, La. - It was a game filledwith five field goals and a 9-6 LSU win inovertime.

It was good old, Buster-bustin' and head-knockin' football in the finest tradition ofthe Southeastern Conference: not much“sissy” passin' and a whole lot of line surgeand blocking fullbacks.

Yes, the 14th annual Allstate BowlChampionship Series title game atMercedes-Benz Superdome in New OrleansMonday has all the drama of aShakespearean Act IV as well as the firstrematch from a regular-season game in thehistory of the BCS - LSU's headknocker inTuscaloosa, Ala.

Plus, the SEC is guaranteed its sixth straightteam crown since Texas of the Big 12upended Southern California in the 2006Rose Bowl BCS Championship for the lastnon-SEC victor. By the same token, the loopcelebrating its 80th football season will loseits first game in eight appearances in thegrand finale after forging an amazing 7-0mark in seven previous trips.

That streak covers Tennessee (1998), LSU(2003), Florida (2006), LSU (2007), Florida(2008), Alabama (2009), and Auburn (2010)- two of the first six and then five years insuccession.

And just to glance at 13-0 LSU (ranked No.1 in virtually every poll since Week One thisseason) and Alabama at 11-1 (playing inarguably the nation's toughest division, theSEC West, which Texas A&M will enter in2012, and the Crimson Tide was unable tomake the SEC Championship because of

this sector), the teams are as evenly matchedas their Nov. 5 original tussle.

TIGER TURFThe Tigers of coach Les Miles (formerDallas Cowboys assistant and longtimeFellowship of Christian Athletes guestspeaker and advocate - 103-38 in 11 yearsoverall, four at Oklahoma State and seven atLSU, 75-17 for an astronomical .815 win-

ning percentage with the Tigers) are in a bitof a “home field” advantage in the Big Easy- some 80 miles from the hear of LSU'scampus in Baton Rouge.

Alabama of coach Nick Saban (the onlycoach to win BCS titles at two differentschools - LSU in 2003 and Alabama in2009, 140-54-1 in his 16th season atMichigan State, LSU and 'Bama, 49-12 fora .803 winning percentage in five years withthe Tide, also a catalyst with his family in

fundraising efforts to help victims ofTuscaloosa's spring 2011 tornadoes) hasenjoyed some of its most shining momentsat the Sugar Bowl and in New Orleans. TheCrimson and White downed Arkansas 10-3in the 1962 Crescent City classic, Ole Miss12-7 in 1964, Nebraska 34-7 in 1967, PennState 13-6 in 1975, Ohio State 35-6 in 1978,Penn State again 14-7 in 1979, Arkansas 24-9 in 1980, and Miami (Fla.) 34-13 in 1993

for some of its more memorable postseasontriumphs in New Orleans.

All but the 1993 national championship(wire services) were in contests coached byNational Football Foundation College Hallof Fame head coach Paul “Bear” Bryant.Texas A&M's “Junction Boy” GeneStallings, instrumental in the Aggies' moveto the SEC for 2012 after 98 years in theSouthwest and Big 12 Conferences, guidedthat monumental triumph over the

Hurricanes with help from a later DallasCowboys' legend and playmaker (star pro-tector) George Teague.

BOTH TEAMS COMFORTABLE IN THE BIGEASYGiven both teams' fond memories of bothold Tulane Stadium and the M-BSuperdome, there actually may not be ahome field advantage Monday night. 'Bamafans are calling in every whit from some oftheir Louisiana friends and relatives, and thedin on both sides may be enough to makeeven rowdy Auburn and Texas A&M fansblush.

Obviously, the toughest part of the game forboth teams will be generating offense. Plus,Alabama needs to find a way to rectify fourmissed field goals and a heap of overthrownpasses to open receivers in the Nov. 5 stand-off. LSU's secondary and rush line had amajor hand in those developments, but'Bama's Saban has had over a month to man-ufacture a new bag of tricks on both sides ofthe oval.

KICKER USES TICKET BITS TO RELAXAs a matter of fact, LSU placekicker DrewAlleman, who hit the game-winning 25-yard field goal in the extra period, is an avidonline listener to The Ticket sports radio inDallas and a definite P1 from his room inBaton Rouge and home in Abbeville, La. Hetold friends and teammates that he wasthinking about some of The Ticket's funnierbits to relax and clear his mind during theAlabama game and other contests beforekey placement tries.

Keys for both teams will be ball control.LSU has rugged runners in the duo of supersophs Michael Ford (123 carries for 755yards and seven touchdowns) and SpencerWare (174 attempts, 700 rushing yards,eight TDs). They provide the inside gruntwork for QBs Jarrett Lee (who starred inLSU's season opening win at Cowboys

Title game guaranteed to be a slobberknocker


Stadium over Oregon 40-27 and hails fromBrenham, Texas, of Blue Bell Ice Creamfame) and Jordan Jefferson.

LSU also has a literal All-America cast ofconsensus A-A defensive backs TyrannMathieu (a Heisman Trophy finalists as asophomore, Bednark Award recipient) andMorris Claiborne. They were the first two-some of Associated Press All-America DBsfrom the same team in modern history.

Alabama counters with fellow Heismanfinalist and human bulldozer TrentRichardson, whose 23 carries for 89 yardsjust were not enough to cram the ball intothe end zone in the initial defensive master-piece between the teams. No one else hashad much luck with Richardson, who has1,583 yards rushing and 23 touchdowns -good for fifth and second nationally,

respectively, in NCAA FBS individual sta-tistics. More All-America defenders LBCourtney Upshaw and DB Mark Barron aretwo more reasons LSU was held without aTD in Tuscaloosa for the only time in 13contests.

POINTS WILL BE AT A PREMIUMThough many college fans had rematches,who can argue with another No. 1 vs. No. 2- especially after it produced the second-

best (by points allowed) 1-2 struggle sincethe 0-0 tie between Nos. 1 and 2 Army andNotre Dame in 1946?

Monday's BCS trophy game could andshould be another one for the ages, andeven a 7-6 or 2-0 nailbiter looks like a base-ball line drive in the scorebook to these tra-ditional SEC and national powerhouses.


It’s a knee-jerk reaction to blameJerry, but looking deeper, thereare many reasons for mediocreyear.

by MIKE KRAVIKCO R R E S PO N D E [email protected]

There was a time in my life when I was anavowed hater of the Dallas Cowboys. Igrew up in Southern California and rootedfor the Los Angeles Rams. LawrenceMcCutcheon, Harold Jackson and JackYoungblood were the NFL heroes of myyouth. We moved to Dallas when I was 11years old and I brought my Rams baggage,errrrr, fandom with me.

Those 1970s Cowboys featured some ofthe greatest teams in the history of theNFL while the Rams were always brides-maids. I had to annually deal with thealmost but not quite good enough Ramswhile living in the belly of the beast. Itwas awful.

By the early 80's I hated the DallasCowboys.

At that same time, Georgia Frontiere start-ed running the Rams into the ground and Iswitched allegiances to the OaklandRaiders. For some reason, that intensehatred I had for the Cowboys subsidedafter Barry Switzer was fired. I still live inthe belly of the beast but I'm neither aCowboys-Hater nor a Cowboys-Homer.

A LEVEL-HEADED VOICE IN THESTANDSThis is all a long-winded attempt to estab-lish my credentials as an objective voicewhen it comes to the Dallas Cowboys.After living in Dallas for nearly 40 yearsI've discovered in both good times andbad, the Dallas Cowboys fan is prone tooverreaction and quite often logic istossed out the window. The team is neveras good or bad as the fans say.

This past week, The Ticket's Craig Miller(who picked the Cowboys to go 8-8) railedon the team for being such a disappoint-ment. I'm not sure where that disappoint-ment comes from when they finish withthe exact record Miller predicted but histhoughts were consistent with most of thefans I've heard. He's pissed off, ready tolash out and wants somebody to blame.

Jerry Jones the GM, always makes for a

convenient target and Miller said lastTuesday morning “the Cowboys onlyhope is when part of Stephen's weeklyduties (Jones' son) include a trip to aHighland Park gravestone where he willplace flowers.”

That's not only dark but it's an overreac-tion. It also means Junior thinks Cowboysfans have no hope for improvement aslong as Jerry is the GM.

Is this true?

This year the San Francisco 49ers took agiant leap forward and seemed to shockthe NFL world by going from 6-10 in2010 to 13-3 in 2011. What the 49ersachieved seems rare but some team hasmade the jump from mediocrity (9-7 orworse) to 12 or 13 wins the following sea-son since 2005.

- 2005 Seattle Seahawks go from 9-7 to13-3 and their only Super Bowl- 2006 Baltimore Ravens go from 6-10 to13-3- 2007 Dallas Cowboys go from 9-7 to 13-3- 2008 Carolina Panthers go from 7-9 to12-4- 2009 New Orleans Saints go from 8-8 to13-3 and win Super Bowl- 2009 San Diego Chargers go from 8-8 to

13-3 - 2010 Atlanta Falcons go from 9-7 to 13-3

The Cowboys have some of the very bestskill players in the NFL. Tony Romo hadthe number 4 QB rating this year. JasonWitten is in the sunset of his prime but he'sstill a Hall of Fame tight end. Miles Austin(when healthy), Dez Bryant and LaurentRobinson are one of the best threesomesof WRs in the NFL while RB DeMarcoMurray made a huge splash as a rookie.

The Cowboys also have nice buildingblocks on defense with DeMarcus Ware,Jay Ratliff, Mike Jenkins and Sean Lee.

SO WHY DID THE COWBOYS FINISH 8-8?Tyron Smith had a solid rookie year butthe rest of the offensive line was in a stateof flux the entire season. Romo (whosomehow went 29 for 37) was under siegeall night in the second New York Giantsgame and was sacked 6 times. The last 52NFL teams that allowed 6 sacks in a gamehave a collective record of 8-44.

The 2011 Cowboys defense gave up 89fewer points than in 2010 so there wassome improvement but the inability of thedefense to get crucial fourth quarter stopsthat would have put games (New York Jetsand Giants, Detroit, New England,

Arizona) on ice was a huge issue. Thedefense was especially exposed againstboth Philadelphia and the New YorkGiants (129 points allowed in four games).

Perhaps the biggest Cowboys weaknesswas simple execution when games wereon the line. The Cowboys did things incrunch time that teams with mediocrerecords tend to do and everybody in theorganization and team share guilt.

Romo had a pair of crucial turnovers in thefourth quarter against the Jets and brain-dead interceptions against Detroit. JasonGarrett played not to lose against the NewEngland Patriots (put the game on hisdefense v Tom Brady) and mangled theclock in the final minute of the ArizonaCardinals game. The defense collapsedwhen stops could have iced games againstNew England, Detroit, Arizona, the Jetsand the Giants.

PLENTY OF BLAME TO GO AROUNDIs Jerry Jones the GM THE problem onthe Cowboys? If I'm rating GM's, I'd puthim somewhere in the upper-middle ofNFL. Why? Since Bill Parcells left, theCowboys are 47-33 (9th most wins in NFLsince 2007). How else do you evaluateGM other than in wins and losses?

Sure, that entire 2009 draft was a bust andJones has said that he'd love to have theRoy Williams trade back (Clay Matthewswould have been available that year to theCowboys) but the Cowboys have also hiton Smith, Murray, Bryant and Lee in thelast two drafts. In free agency, Robinson,Dan Bailey and Chris Fiammetta were allcrafty moves.

The biggest issue facing the Cowboys isthat Romo turns 32 next season whichmeans the window of opportunity is clos-ing. Yes, Jerry Jones needs to be better athis job but he's not alone. Jason Garrettneeds to step it up with game managementand Rob Ryan's defense needs to be better.The offensive line needs huge improve-ments and while Romo was a borderlineMVP candidate this past season, his gamecan be cleaned up.

Given the recent history of the NFL andthe current talent on the Cowboys roster,all this hand-wringing over Jerry Jonesbeing THE problem is silly. The fans havea reason to be optimistic as long as theorganization knows the future is now.

OPINION

A rational fan’s assessment of the Cowboys

spor tspagedfw.com | The Sports Page | -January 6-12, 2012 13

DAN MCVICKER

SCOTT BOYTER

THE REDROOT

VANCEGONZALES

ROGEREMRICH

TRAVISPRICE

NCAA BASKETBALLRK TEAM RECORD1 Syracuse 15-02 Kentucky 13-13 North Carolina 13-24 Baylor 13-05 Duke 12-16 Ohio St 13-27 Missouri 13-08 Connecticut 12-19 Georgetown 12-110 Michigan St 13-211 Louisville 12-212 Indiana 13-113 Florida 11-314 Kansas 10-315 Mississippi St 13-216 Michigan 12-217 UNLV 15-218 Wisconsin 12-319 Murray St 14-020 Marquette 12-221 Virginia 12-122 Harvard 12-123 Kansas St 11-124 San Diego St 12-225 Gonzaga 11-2

9-7 10-6 9-7 13-3 10-6 9-7140-133 (.553) 147-126 (.666) 146-127 (.649) 140-133 (.553) 140-133(.553) 146-127 (.649)2011-12 REGULAR SEASON RECORD

LAST WEEK

FINAL RESULTS

Each week, we’ll ask some area mediamembers to put their forecasting skills tothe test. This season, TSPW publisher DanMcVicker, Scott Boyter, editor of TSPW, Themysterious Red Root, TSPW columnist VanceGonzales and Roger Emrich, KRLD-AM Sportsand oilman and former Texas Tech widereceiver Travis Price will pick vs. the line.

25THE SPORTS PAGE WEEKLY’S PIGSKIN PROGNOSTICATORS

TOP

By Dic HumphreyCO R R E S PO N D E [email protected]

This Saturday, SMU faces Pittsburgh inBirmingham in the BBVA Compass Bowl.It's a rematch of universities that facedeach other 29 years ago in the 1983 CottonBowl. Pittsburgh was ranked sixth in thenation, while SMU came into that gameranked fourth with a 10-0-1 record, hopingto overtake number one Georgia for theNational Championship. Georgia wasundefeated and untied and faced a one-lossPenn State team that evening in the SugarBowl. The formula for a SMU nationalchampionship was a solid win overPittsburgh and a close Penn State win overGeorgia. It almost happened.

On the surface, the SMU - Pitt matchuplooked to be a high scoring affair. TheMustangs were known for the “PonyExpress”, their tandem of running backsthat included future NFLers EricDickerson and Craig James, who wereplaying their final college football game.Pittsburgh was just as prolific offensively,but they did it through the air; led byanother future NFL standout also playinghis final game in college, quarterback DanMarino.

The SMU defense was overshadowed bythe offense PR-wise, but it was very good.Michael Carter, who went on to a tremen-dous NFL career anchored the defensiveline, which also included Richard Neely.Kit Case was an outstanding linebacker,and defensive backs Wes Hopkins andRussell Carter also played in the NFL. Asit turned out, the defense made some of thebiggest plays on the day.

The Cotton Bowl sponsored a luncheon atthe Hyatt Regency for both teams and theirfans as part of the week's activities.Toward the end of the luncheon, both quar-terbacks were summoned to the podium

SMUCOLLEGE FOOTBALL

When Mustangs almost won it alland were provided with a football to gentlytoss to a nearby fan. Marino went first andmade his pass. SMU quarterback LanceMcIlhenney then took the spotlight, butinstead of tossing an overhand pass, hepolitely turned to the side and tossed hisfootball to waiting arms like a pitch out onthe option play. It drew a nice round oflaughter and applause, but in a nutshell, itsummed up the teams' different offensiveapproaches.

On game day, my group crammed six peo-ple into one automobile to take advantageof a parking pass inside the Fair Grounds.As we exited the car, we noticed JackieSherrill getting out of the car that parkedimmediately next to ours. Sherrill had justcompleted his first year as Texas A&Mhead football coach. He had left Pittsburghfor the A&M job, and he was there to seethe team he had essentially put together.Foge Fazio was his replacement for thePanthers.

SMU also had a first year coach. RonMeyer had left after the 1981 season, a yearthat saw the Ponies win the SouthwestConference Championship. Meyer hadtaken the New England Patriots' headcoaching job, and Bobby Collins had beenhired away from Southern Mississippi totake over the talent laden Mustangs. SMUwas expected to win the SWC again, andCollins did not disappoint.

On a personal note, I knew the minute Iwoke up that morning that SMU would notwin a National Championship that day. Thetemperature was below freezing. The pre-dicted high was only 34, and precipitationfell intermittently throughout the game.The field conditions would never permit thehigh scoring performance SMU needed toimpress the voters, and it didn't.

Pittsburgh took the opening kickoff anddrove deep into SMU territory, all the wayto the SMU one, but failed to score by los-

ing the ball to the Ponies on a fumble recov-ered by Hopkins. SMU responded with adrive that lasted more than nine minutes,but ended inside the Pittsburgh 10 whenMcIlhenny fumbled. In the second quarter,SMU dodged another bullet when Pittmissed on a 24 yard field goal attempt.

With the wet, slippery ball Marino wasreduced to short passes. He finished theday 19-37 for 181 passing yards. The samewetness on the Cotton Bowl turf negatedthe SMU running game, though Dickersonended up with a healthy 124 rushing yardson 27 carries, and James chipped in with 54more on 14 carries. At halftime, there wasno score. Pittsburgh finally drew first bloodwith a 43 yard field goal with about 4.5minutes remaining in the third quarter. Atthe time I remember thinking those threepoints might be enough for a Panther winwith the weather conditions.

The third quarter ended with the 3-0 score.Coming from behind in the fourth quarterwas nothing new for the Ponies, as they haddone so four times to win conferencegames, and a fifth to tie Arkansas. SMUfinally put together a drive, starting at theirown 20. It was Dickerson's turn to be therunning back in the SMU rotation, and heproceeded to rack up more than 25 rushingyards on the drive. The two big playsthough were passes to Bobby Leach,already known as the “Miracle Man” for thewinning touchdown he scored running backa kickoff on a throw-back play againstTexas Tech with less than a minute left inLubbock.

When the drive got into the red zone,Collins used both James and Dickerson inthe backfield at the same time for the firsttime all season. SMU ran in for a touch-down from the nine, but it was neitherDickerson nor James that carried the mail.McIlhenny faked the inside handoff toDickerson and the outside pitch to James,before taking it in for the score, the first

touchdown in his college career.

There was still almost 14 minutes remain-ing in the game after the score. It wasenough time for two Pittsburgh posses-sions; and on the first, the Panthers againdrove inside the SMU 10. That drive wasfoiled with a Blane Smith interception onthird and goal from the seven. Pitt didn'tscore on their last possession. SMU 7,Pittsburgh 3 was the final score. Later thatnight in the Superdome, Penn State beatGeorgia 27-23, leaving both teams with11-1 records. The sympathetic AssociatedPress writers voted the Nittany Lions theNational Championship over SMU's 11-0-1 record. SMU finished second with theonly undefeated record in Division I thatseason.

There won't be National Championshipimplications this weekend when theseschools play again. Pittsburgh is leavingthe Big East for the ACC, while SMU isone of the schools joining the Big East.This is also the first game for the Mustangssince head coach June Jones' disastrousflirtation with the Arizona State for theirvacant head coaching job. SMU certainlylet last year's bowl game slip away toArmy, and does not want to extend theirbowl losing streak. A win over PittsburghSaturday would be a good step for theMustang program.





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Chili Shrimp, Black Pepper Tom andVietnamese Fried Rice. Khanh being theperfect hostess in addition to guiding methrough the true art of eating VietnameseStreet Food even prepared a Banh Mi sand-wich of grilled Beef Tenderloin to takehome with me to enjoy for lunch the nextday. The $9.50 Sandwich fills a foot longbaguette and is cut into 4 sections for easeof eating. Filled with your choice of meats,Bean Sprouts, Daikon, Cilantro, Carrots,Cucumbers, Chili Peppers and a rich secretsauce.

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Jason Witten visits with BAD Radio

BAD RadioWeekdays, Noon - 3:00 PM

Dan: Do you even watch this gameagain?

Witten: Oh yeah, you always go inthere and watch the tape. This one is nodifferent. You've got to go watch it.Obviously it's tough when the seasonends like this, especially with all that wasriding on that game Sunday night.You've got to watch it, and then have the

end of year meetings. It's a long off-sea-son for all of us.

Bob: Let me set a record for theshortest question ever. What happened?

Witten: I think it's pretty obvious.We got behind the 8-ball there. You can'tdeny that, and there is no reason to bedown 21-0 on the road. You can't digyourself a hole like that and try to com-pete in this league. Far too many threeand outs early on, and they got aheadearly to the point where it was 21-0 at thehalf. We tried to bounce back with thehurry up offense, and had some success,but ultimately didn't make enough toplays to dig ourself out of it. You can'tplay that way in those type of games.That's the bottom line, and there's nodenying that and we've got to get better.

Dan: In context of the entire season,have you been thinking that same ques-tion? What happened?

Witten: I think you look at the wholeyear, and there were some great wins

along the way. Obviously there weresome heart breaking losses. Ultimatelyyou look down and we lost too manyclose games. You've got to find a way towin those games. The good teams dothat. For us, that's the way it went andwe didn't do a good enough job of finish-ing some of those games off. That's themost disappointing thing I think. I don'thave any excuses.

Dan: Is it tougher as your career goeson, does it get worse every year when theseason ends?

Witten: Absolutely. Anytime youlose, it's hard when your season ends, butlet's be honest it's a lot easier when youare Tyron Smith and you've got yourentire career ahead of you. He takeslosses harder than anybody, but theopportunity is now. It's right in front ofus, for a lot of us. It's all about champi-onships and when you lose an opportuni-ty like this after year nine, there's noquestion it's really hard. It's a tough pillto swallow, especially at this point in mycareer. I think we have a lot of the right

pieces when you look across the board atour football team from the head coach toour players. I think we've got great lead-ership in Romo, to Jay Ratliff, DeMarcusWare, and Miles Austin. We've got goodyoung players like Tyron Smith, SeanLee, and DeMarco Murray that haveshown theirselves and their future isgoing to be bright, but it takes all of thatcoming together for sixty minutes everyweek and that's how championship teamsare formed and obviously we didn't playwell enough to do that.

Dan: Well it sucks. What else canyou say? We appreciate you this year,and we enjoyed talking with you everyweek and we hope we can do it againnext year.

Witten: Yeah I appreciate you guys.We're going to work our tails off this off-season and get it resolved, and get it backright I can assure you that.

TICKET WINDOW



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