By Kevin Lonnquist
Publisher
The Topper
Baylor men’s basketball preview coming late Sunday night. The No. 5 Bears open the 2022-23 season at 11:00 a.m. Monday against Mississippi Valley State.
Senior guard Adam Flagler is on the Jerry West watch list for the top shooting guards in the country.
Meanwhile NCAA.com national college basketball writer Andy Katz has named Keyonte George as one of the Top 11 impact freshmen.
Also, note Baylor’s first three games against Mississippi Valley State, Nov. 11 against Norfolk State (Baylor met them in the first round of the 2022 NCAA tournament in Fort Worth) and Nov. 14 against Northern Colorado will all be televised on ESPN+.
Kansas 2025 DE talks Baylor
Jayden Woods is just starting to scratch the surface when it comes to P5 programs pursuing him.
Baylor made sure it was one of the first to get the Shawnee (KS) Mill Valley weakside defensive end’s attention. When the Bears offered the rising standout, they joined Iowa, Kansas State, Kansas and Iowa State.
n.rivals.com
“I think it’s an amazing school from what I’ve read and talked to the coaches about,’’ “I haven’t gotten the chance to visit yet because of distance but I am looking forward to when I do.”
And Woods seems serious of making the effort to visit once Mill Valley’s season concludes. For now, his focus is on Mill Valley’s playoff run. That’s becoming old hat for this program. It’s in pursuit of it fourth consecutive state championship in its Kansas classification.
The playoffs begin Friday.
Like a lot of 2025s, who have reached growth spurts but still have a little more growing and development to do, Woods is one of those who could play defensive end or linebacker at the P5 level.
“I’m talking with coach [Caleb] Collins right now,’’ he said. “The vibe is great. They take a real interest in you beyond what you do in football. But he likes the physicality of how I play the game. I’ve watched Baylor a couple of times, and I love how their defense swarms to the football.’’
It’s a spread the wealth approach with the Mill Valley defense. Woods leads the defense in sacks (4.5) and second in TFLs (7.0).
“I would say mainly say effort and how I will make plays are my strengths,’’ Woods said. “I know I have to keep working on my game.’’
National 2025 DB talks Bears
It’s very early in the recruiting process. But Baylor has offered Katy Paetow defensive back Deyjhon Pettaway.
Rivals’ has him ranked as the No. 27 prospect for this state. However, there is a good start on Baylor’s part. Bears QB coach Shawn Bell, who covers the greater Houston area, has started the recruiting process with Pettaway.
https://n.rivals.com/content/athletes/deyjhon-pettaway-297603
“I’ve had a couple of great conversations with him,’’ Pettaway said. “He likes my ball skills and that I can get physical with receivers.’’
The SEC has taken notice in Pettaway. Texas A&M, LSU and Ole Miss have also offered. There are plans for Pettway to check out Baylor either for the Kansas State or TCU game. But if those don’t work out, look for Bell to swing by the school during the December contact period when coaches can visit schools.
Baylor Players Talk Oklahoma
Safety Devin Lemear, right guard Grant Miller and place-kicker John Mayers spoke with the media about the upcoming road trip to Oklahoma.
(On getting more INTs) Yeah, it was a confidence builder for sure. We’re a young secondary so I feel like we were all waiting to make plays for the team. And it was just nice to do it, especially against (an) old coach whose whole movement was “take three.”. So, a little extra added motivation for that.
(What happened, why were y’all able to do that?) I feel like we had a lot of motivation going into that game. You hear the noise from outside, you try to block it out as much as possible, but you hear it and it just adds a chip on your shoulder.
(Showed a little bit of that chip on your INT, right?) I don’t even know what I was thinking. I was just kind of in the moment. So, whenever you have a moment like that you don't really think too much about what you're doing. You (are) just living in it.
(How big was the pass rush?) It was huge. I mean, their quarterbacks were flustered the entire game. I think we had six sacks. So, they didn’t have any time to get the ball off. So, when you cause a quarterback to throw the ball off balance, off his back foot, it allows us to make plays.
(What will it take to keep forcing INTs?) It starts here in practice. Just practicing how you play. So, whenever the ball is in the air, turn to the receiver (and) go get it. I feel like (the) first couple of weeks we didn't do a great job at that. Just being intentional about going to get the ball in practice. And then in the game whenever we had our opportunities, it slipped.
(What do you see from Dillon Gabriel) He's experienced, real experienced. I feel like he knows where he wants to go with the ball. And if he doesn't have his read, he's gonna run the ball. So, he doesn't turn the ball over a lot. (He) has 14 touchdowns, one interception on the year. So, he takes care of the ball.
(Where has DB room taking biggest step?) Confidence. I feel like that's the main thing. As a DB on the field, you got to have confidence. Every every mistake is highlighted. So, it's not like you're a D-lineman, you get in the wrong gap. It's hard to tell who messed up. But when you’re a DB, every mistake is … it's very easy to see who messed up. So, just having the confidence to know, even if you make a mistake, we're still here to support you. So, go out there, have fun, play loose.
(How do you get confidence as a DB?) It has to start in practice. Because if you do it in practice, then you'll have the confidence that it will translate to the game. But if you're not intentional in practice, then you can't expect results.
(How do you balance that confidence with staying hungry and wanting to prove yourself more?)
Hmmm. I don’t know. I feel like we're always hungry. We're young. So, we feel like we have something to prove every week. So, even though we had five interceptions last week, we feel like people are still doubting us. So, we're gonna go out there and try to do it again. Lock our man down. Make sure they don't have a lot of yards, stuff like that.
(What do you see from Gabe Hall) He's a monster. I mean, three sacks is crazy. So, he works hard every day. The entire D-line room, really. I mean, we were just in meetings talking about intentional practices and stuff and how the drills are correlating to the game. And I mean, it was kind of crazy to see the exact drills that they were doing would show up in the game. And six sacks.
(What was going through your mind on that Tevin INT?) I didn't see the entire play. I just see Tevin had the ball and I saw the ref point our way and I went crazy because I think that was Tevin’s first drive of the game, or one of his first drives of the game. And I know that he was a little nervous coming in. So, it was just awesome to see him make a play. Because I mean he works hard in practice. Him, Coach Curtis pushes the corners every day just to be intentional in practice and focus on the reps that they do take. So, it was awesome to see that.
(Have y’all gotten a little more comfortable playing on the road?) Yeah, I think so. I mean, I like to think of it as like a SWAT mentality. Kind of like, there's a lot of noise happening. So, just to get in there, do our job and get out. That's kind of like the mentality that I like to take to it. I feel like a lot of the defense takes the same mentality as that.
(Standard JT, whole secondary set, how difficult is that to live up to?) I would say it's difficult. But you got to realize that you're a different type of player, so you can't try and be JT. JT was JT, Jalen Pitre was Jalen Pitre. So, what makes us, “us?” What makes us unique? So, play to our strengths. They had their strengths, so we gotta play to ours.
(Importance of Christian Morgan) It’s huge. I mean, the main thing I learned from Christian is just to go out there and have fun. I feel like it's easy to go in there inexperienced and kind of be real stiff, robotic and not wanting to make a mistake instead of going out there, playing free, playing green. So, Christian emphasized that a lot, just going into it. Just go out there, have fun. If you make a mistake, it's okay.
Grant Miller
(Is O-line playing better in recent games) Yeah, we had some huge tweaks in the offseason in terms of our scheme and everything like that. So I just think it takes a few tweaks sometimes to get everybody on the same page and get that synergy or chemistry back that we had. We had a few guys that were injured working back in the fold. It plays in with everybody a little bit, not just the O-line but the whole offense catching their stride and playing up to the level that we’re capable of.
(Getting Khalil back) It’s definitely good to have him back. I mean everybody knows the talent and skill set that Khalil brings to the table. But I think between Gavin Byers and Khalil, I mean I wouldn’t want to be a D-lineman lined across from either one of them when they’re rotating in the game and both of them are fresh. Getting Khalil back, and getting Gavin and Khalil more rest and bringing them into the game and rotating, I think that was a great thing for the O-line to have him back.
(What inspires O-line to want to block for Reese) I think he just has a real natural feel of the game as well as he’s not afraid to put his shoulder down and fight for extra yards, just kind of a mentality that all our running backs have. It really makes us want to go out there and win the line of scrimmage and fight for every extra yard. I mean if the guys in the backfield do that, it makes the guys up front to want to do that as well.
(Offensive success) It feels really good to keep on scoring touchdowns. Like they say in football, touchdowns are forever, you can never those them back. We never take one for granted. They just kind of up our run efficiency and impose our will, especially as offensive linemen, that’s what you love to see week in and week out. No matter what the score is, we’re never satisfied. We’re always looking to put more on top of what we’ve already got.
(OU defense) Oklahoma really isn’t afraid to run anything. They’ll throw everything but the kitchen sink at you, so you know there will be twists on the line of scrimmage, a lot of blitzes, even a lot of safeties getting into the mix in terms of like their front seven. They’re going to have a lot of moving pieces up front, they play physical, they have a lot of twitchy guys up front who can pass rush really well. I think we can see almost anything from Oklahoma, so we’ve got to prepare for a lot of different things when you’re playing their front.
(Feeling more comfortable on the road) Yeah, I think a lot of that comes from maturity. We’ve got a lot of younger guys playing, redshirt guys who maybe weren’t traveling last year, true freshman guys who haven’t necessarily been on some of these road games yet. I think a little bit of that was just getting their feet wet. We didn’t play great on the road last year, us older guys. That was just a self evaluation and thinking how can we improve in that situation in a hostile environment. So I think it’s another thing we’re catching our stride in and we’re feeling confident going into the weekend.
(Has there been a big difference in the approach to road games from BYU game to Tech) Yeah, I mean I thought we were just a lot more intentional in practice. We had in our heads what we want to do that weekend against Texas Tech, what we were setting out to accomplish, and we weren’t really thinking about the environment of the situation we’re heading into. We were more self evaluating and reflecting on what we needed to improve on, what we need to get better at to come out victorious.
(Do you think about this being your last few college games) Yeah sometimes those thoughts creep into your head. As a senior, you won’t want to take your moments for granted. You think about what’s life going to be like when you don’t have those moments every day in the locker room with you and your teammates. But there’s a certain part of that where you have to be where your feet are and focusing on each week because any week can be your last week when you’re playing football, no matter if you’re a senior or a freshman, whatever. So you can be too focused on thinking about the future. You’ve got to focus on what you can accomplish every single day, what you can get better at, and really focus on the game on Saturday.
John Mayers
(How satisfying has this year been, winning your job back, making some big kicks) Just ready for OU...Personally, for me, it feels really good, obviously. I’ve always been a team player and contribute, and feel like I have been ever since 2019 when I started playing. It certainly feels good and glad to be contributing and helping the team win.
(How do you stay engaged when you’re not the starter and you’re not getting those in-game chances) Yeah, it was tough. I feel like I really learned that last year, just to really be grateful for any opportunities I got, whether that was a few kicks in practice here and there, working with the scout team or whatever it was, just kind of learn to be grateful. I felt like it was God teaching me patience or gratitude or however you want to word it. Certainly new for me, because I hadn’t really experienced that since my true freshman year in 2018. So, it was kind of a weird flashback of going back to that, but certainly made me more grateful, for sure.
(Feel like you have to shake off the rust when you haven’t been kicking in games) I certainly hope not, and I feel like so far I’ve done fairly well. Just getting back into it, I think the Texas State game really helped me. That was the first game I started again, I believe. Just getting back into that game really helped me get ready for the conference schedule. But, I think just really practicing against the best line in the country in terms of field goal rush really helps to give me game-like looks. And then, just getting those game-like scenario reps in two minutes every week a couple times really helped a lot.
(What did you work on to get better) Yeah, I worked on a lot this offseason. Obviously, I had the goal of coming back in 2022 and winning the job back, having lost it in 2021. So really my height and elevation, getting the ball up quickly from the start to avoid blocks and things like that. And then also, just overall power, strength, distance. Getting with Coach Vic (strength coach Vic Viloria) in the weight room, getting stronger. Getting under the squat rack and just increasing my distance on field goals and kickoffs and anything else, if needed, as well.
(Defense has jackers and robbers, offense has RVO, what is the calling card for special teams) We like to say we have big quads. We like to break it out on ‘Quads!’ I feel like we’re the special bunch of the group. I feel like to be on special teams you’ve got to be an oddball a little bit. We break out with Quads. We say some crazy stuff to each other that I probably can’t say in front of the cameras. But, it’s good fun. We have a good time.
(You made so many clutch kicks in 2019, do you like being in those situations) I mean, I’d certainly rather it be on me than on the other team’s kicker, because I feel more confident in me making it than having to rely on their kicker missing it to win or lose the game. But, I feel like in the pressure moments, I think part of it is natural and part of it is we work on it in practice. Like I said, we practice two minutes and mayday situations, stuff like that. When it’s on the line and it matters most, you’ve just got to focus in your technique and your craft and just do your job and help your team win when it matters the most.
SicEmSports Big 12 Power Rankings
Each week, SicEmSports unveils its looks at the league who in its view deserves to be ranked where. Agree or disagree, here’s how they look.
1. TCU – Horned Frogs with CFB playoff hopes
2. Kansas State – HC Chris Klieman mum about starting QB vs. Texas
3. Oklahoma State – How does this team respond to 48-0 blowout KSU loss?
4. Baylor — Now, it’s about stringing it together
5. Texas – Longhorns on the Big 12 title race edge
6. Oklahoma – Night and day when Gabriel is the QB
7. Kansas – Hope that QB Jalon Daniels returns
8. Texas Tech – Playing musical QBs is very dangerous
9. West Virginia – Unfortunately, QB J.T. Daniels good season getting lost
10. Iowa State – Running game the worst in the Big 12 (97.5)
Big 12 Weekend
A look at the Big 12 schedule for the upcoming weekend. All games are Saturday unless otherwise listed. Rankings are from the coaches and AP polls. All times are central. TV is listed. All 10 teams are in action.
Texas Tech (4-4, 2-3) at No. 7 TCU (8-0, 5-0); 11:00 a.m., Amon Carter Stadium, Fort Worth (FOX)
Series: Texas Tech leads, 32-29-3
Notable: TCU QB Max Duggan leads the Big 12 in total TDs (26). Red Raiders appear to be sticking with freshman QB Behren Morton.
Baylor (5-3, 3-2) at Oklahoma (5-3, 2-3); 2:00 p.m., Owen Field/Memorial Stadium, Norman, OK (ESPN+)
Series: Oklahoma leads, 28-4
Notable: Baylor’s only win in Norma was in 2014. Sooner RB Eric Gray has the best ypc (6.8) in the conference.
West Virginia (3-5, 1-5) at Iowa State (3-5, 0-5); 2:30 p.m., Jack Trice Stadium, Ames, IA (ESPN+)
Series: West Virginia leads, 6-4
Notable: Cyclones the worst scoring offense in the league (21.3). Mountaineers the worst scoring defense in the league (34.6). Something should give.
No. 18 Oklahoma State (6-2, 3-2) at Kansas (5-3, 2-3); 2:30 p.m., Memorial Stadium, Lawrence, KS (FS1)
Series: Oklahoma State leads, 41-29-2
Notable: Cowboys last in total defense (455.3). Kansas +4 in the turnover ratio.
No. 24 Texas (5-3, 3-2) at No. 13 Kansas State (6-2, 4-1); 6:00 p.m., Bill Snyder Family Stadium, Manhattan, KS (FS1)
Series: Texas leads, 12-10
Notable: Both KSU QBs Will Howard and Adrian Martinez worked out this week. Unclear who will start. Texas QB Quinn Ewers coming off his worst outing (19-49) two weeks ago at Oklahoma State.
Publisher
The Topper
Baylor men’s basketball preview coming late Sunday night. The No. 5 Bears open the 2022-23 season at 11:00 a.m. Monday against Mississippi Valley State.
Senior guard Adam Flagler is on the Jerry West watch list for the top shooting guards in the country.
Meanwhile NCAA.com national college basketball writer Andy Katz has named Keyonte George as one of the Top 11 impact freshmen.
Also, note Baylor’s first three games against Mississippi Valley State, Nov. 11 against Norfolk State (Baylor met them in the first round of the 2022 NCAA tournament in Fort Worth) and Nov. 14 against Northern Colorado will all be televised on ESPN+.
Kansas 2025 DE talks Baylor
Jayden Woods is just starting to scratch the surface when it comes to P5 programs pursuing him.
Baylor made sure it was one of the first to get the Shawnee (KS) Mill Valley weakside defensive end’s attention. When the Bears offered the rising standout, they joined Iowa, Kansas State, Kansas and Iowa State.
Jayden Woods, 2025 Weakside Defensive End - Rivals.com
The definitive source for all Rivals news.
“I think it’s an amazing school from what I’ve read and talked to the coaches about,’’ “I haven’t gotten the chance to visit yet because of distance but I am looking forward to when I do.”
And Woods seems serious of making the effort to visit once Mill Valley’s season concludes. For now, his focus is on Mill Valley’s playoff run. That’s becoming old hat for this program. It’s in pursuit of it fourth consecutive state championship in its Kansas classification.
The playoffs begin Friday.
Like a lot of 2025s, who have reached growth spurts but still have a little more growing and development to do, Woods is one of those who could play defensive end or linebacker at the P5 level.
“I’m talking with coach [Caleb] Collins right now,’’ he said. “The vibe is great. They take a real interest in you beyond what you do in football. But he likes the physicality of how I play the game. I’ve watched Baylor a couple of times, and I love how their defense swarms to the football.’’
It’s a spread the wealth approach with the Mill Valley defense. Woods leads the defense in sacks (4.5) and second in TFLs (7.0).
“I would say mainly say effort and how I will make plays are my strengths,’’ Woods said. “I know I have to keep working on my game.’’
National 2025 DB talks Bears
It’s very early in the recruiting process. But Baylor has offered Katy Paetow defensive back Deyjhon Pettaway.
Rivals’ has him ranked as the No. 27 prospect for this state. However, there is a good start on Baylor’s part. Bears QB coach Shawn Bell, who covers the greater Houston area, has started the recruiting process with Pettaway.
https://n.rivals.com/content/athletes/deyjhon-pettaway-297603
“I’ve had a couple of great conversations with him,’’ Pettaway said. “He likes my ball skills and that I can get physical with receivers.’’
The SEC has taken notice in Pettaway. Texas A&M, LSU and Ole Miss have also offered. There are plans for Pettway to check out Baylor either for the Kansas State or TCU game. But if those don’t work out, look for Bell to swing by the school during the December contact period when coaches can visit schools.
Baylor Players Talk Oklahoma
Safety Devin Lemear, right guard Grant Miller and place-kicker John Mayers spoke with the media about the upcoming road trip to Oklahoma.
(On getting more INTs) Yeah, it was a confidence builder for sure. We’re a young secondary so I feel like we were all waiting to make plays for the team. And it was just nice to do it, especially against (an) old coach whose whole movement was “take three.”. So, a little extra added motivation for that.
(What happened, why were y’all able to do that?) I feel like we had a lot of motivation going into that game. You hear the noise from outside, you try to block it out as much as possible, but you hear it and it just adds a chip on your shoulder.
(Showed a little bit of that chip on your INT, right?) I don’t even know what I was thinking. I was just kind of in the moment. So, whenever you have a moment like that you don't really think too much about what you're doing. You (are) just living in it.
(How big was the pass rush?) It was huge. I mean, their quarterbacks were flustered the entire game. I think we had six sacks. So, they didn’t have any time to get the ball off. So, when you cause a quarterback to throw the ball off balance, off his back foot, it allows us to make plays.
(What will it take to keep forcing INTs?) It starts here in practice. Just practicing how you play. So, whenever the ball is in the air, turn to the receiver (and) go get it. I feel like (the) first couple of weeks we didn't do a great job at that. Just being intentional about going to get the ball in practice. And then in the game whenever we had our opportunities, it slipped.
(What do you see from Dillon Gabriel) He's experienced, real experienced. I feel like he knows where he wants to go with the ball. And if he doesn't have his read, he's gonna run the ball. So, he doesn't turn the ball over a lot. (He) has 14 touchdowns, one interception on the year. So, he takes care of the ball.
(Where has DB room taking biggest step?) Confidence. I feel like that's the main thing. As a DB on the field, you got to have confidence. Every every mistake is highlighted. So, it's not like you're a D-lineman, you get in the wrong gap. It's hard to tell who messed up. But when you’re a DB, every mistake is … it's very easy to see who messed up. So, just having the confidence to know, even if you make a mistake, we're still here to support you. So, go out there, have fun, play loose.
(How do you get confidence as a DB?) It has to start in practice. Because if you do it in practice, then you'll have the confidence that it will translate to the game. But if you're not intentional in practice, then you can't expect results.
(How do you balance that confidence with staying hungry and wanting to prove yourself more?)
Hmmm. I don’t know. I feel like we're always hungry. We're young. So, we feel like we have something to prove every week. So, even though we had five interceptions last week, we feel like people are still doubting us. So, we're gonna go out there and try to do it again. Lock our man down. Make sure they don't have a lot of yards, stuff like that.
(What do you see from Gabe Hall) He's a monster. I mean, three sacks is crazy. So, he works hard every day. The entire D-line room, really. I mean, we were just in meetings talking about intentional practices and stuff and how the drills are correlating to the game. And I mean, it was kind of crazy to see the exact drills that they were doing would show up in the game. And six sacks.
(What was going through your mind on that Tevin INT?) I didn't see the entire play. I just see Tevin had the ball and I saw the ref point our way and I went crazy because I think that was Tevin’s first drive of the game, or one of his first drives of the game. And I know that he was a little nervous coming in. So, it was just awesome to see him make a play. Because I mean he works hard in practice. Him, Coach Curtis pushes the corners every day just to be intentional in practice and focus on the reps that they do take. So, it was awesome to see that.
(Have y’all gotten a little more comfortable playing on the road?) Yeah, I think so. I mean, I like to think of it as like a SWAT mentality. Kind of like, there's a lot of noise happening. So, just to get in there, do our job and get out. That's kind of like the mentality that I like to take to it. I feel like a lot of the defense takes the same mentality as that.
(Standard JT, whole secondary set, how difficult is that to live up to?) I would say it's difficult. But you got to realize that you're a different type of player, so you can't try and be JT. JT was JT, Jalen Pitre was Jalen Pitre. So, what makes us, “us?” What makes us unique? So, play to our strengths. They had their strengths, so we gotta play to ours.
(Importance of Christian Morgan) It’s huge. I mean, the main thing I learned from Christian is just to go out there and have fun. I feel like it's easy to go in there inexperienced and kind of be real stiff, robotic and not wanting to make a mistake instead of going out there, playing free, playing green. So, Christian emphasized that a lot, just going into it. Just go out there, have fun. If you make a mistake, it's okay.
Grant Miller
(Is O-line playing better in recent games) Yeah, we had some huge tweaks in the offseason in terms of our scheme and everything like that. So I just think it takes a few tweaks sometimes to get everybody on the same page and get that synergy or chemistry back that we had. We had a few guys that were injured working back in the fold. It plays in with everybody a little bit, not just the O-line but the whole offense catching their stride and playing up to the level that we’re capable of.
(Getting Khalil back) It’s definitely good to have him back. I mean everybody knows the talent and skill set that Khalil brings to the table. But I think between Gavin Byers and Khalil, I mean I wouldn’t want to be a D-lineman lined across from either one of them when they’re rotating in the game and both of them are fresh. Getting Khalil back, and getting Gavin and Khalil more rest and bringing them into the game and rotating, I think that was a great thing for the O-line to have him back.
(What inspires O-line to want to block for Reese) I think he just has a real natural feel of the game as well as he’s not afraid to put his shoulder down and fight for extra yards, just kind of a mentality that all our running backs have. It really makes us want to go out there and win the line of scrimmage and fight for every extra yard. I mean if the guys in the backfield do that, it makes the guys up front to want to do that as well.
(Offensive success) It feels really good to keep on scoring touchdowns. Like they say in football, touchdowns are forever, you can never those them back. We never take one for granted. They just kind of up our run efficiency and impose our will, especially as offensive linemen, that’s what you love to see week in and week out. No matter what the score is, we’re never satisfied. We’re always looking to put more on top of what we’ve already got.
(OU defense) Oklahoma really isn’t afraid to run anything. They’ll throw everything but the kitchen sink at you, so you know there will be twists on the line of scrimmage, a lot of blitzes, even a lot of safeties getting into the mix in terms of like their front seven. They’re going to have a lot of moving pieces up front, they play physical, they have a lot of twitchy guys up front who can pass rush really well. I think we can see almost anything from Oklahoma, so we’ve got to prepare for a lot of different things when you’re playing their front.
(Feeling more comfortable on the road) Yeah, I think a lot of that comes from maturity. We’ve got a lot of younger guys playing, redshirt guys who maybe weren’t traveling last year, true freshman guys who haven’t necessarily been on some of these road games yet. I think a little bit of that was just getting their feet wet. We didn’t play great on the road last year, us older guys. That was just a self evaluation and thinking how can we improve in that situation in a hostile environment. So I think it’s another thing we’re catching our stride in and we’re feeling confident going into the weekend.
(Has there been a big difference in the approach to road games from BYU game to Tech) Yeah, I mean I thought we were just a lot more intentional in practice. We had in our heads what we want to do that weekend against Texas Tech, what we were setting out to accomplish, and we weren’t really thinking about the environment of the situation we’re heading into. We were more self evaluating and reflecting on what we needed to improve on, what we need to get better at to come out victorious.
(Do you think about this being your last few college games) Yeah sometimes those thoughts creep into your head. As a senior, you won’t want to take your moments for granted. You think about what’s life going to be like when you don’t have those moments every day in the locker room with you and your teammates. But there’s a certain part of that where you have to be where your feet are and focusing on each week because any week can be your last week when you’re playing football, no matter if you’re a senior or a freshman, whatever. So you can be too focused on thinking about the future. You’ve got to focus on what you can accomplish every single day, what you can get better at, and really focus on the game on Saturday.
John Mayers
(How satisfying has this year been, winning your job back, making some big kicks) Just ready for OU...Personally, for me, it feels really good, obviously. I’ve always been a team player and contribute, and feel like I have been ever since 2019 when I started playing. It certainly feels good and glad to be contributing and helping the team win.
(How do you stay engaged when you’re not the starter and you’re not getting those in-game chances) Yeah, it was tough. I feel like I really learned that last year, just to really be grateful for any opportunities I got, whether that was a few kicks in practice here and there, working with the scout team or whatever it was, just kind of learn to be grateful. I felt like it was God teaching me patience or gratitude or however you want to word it. Certainly new for me, because I hadn’t really experienced that since my true freshman year in 2018. So, it was kind of a weird flashback of going back to that, but certainly made me more grateful, for sure.
(Feel like you have to shake off the rust when you haven’t been kicking in games) I certainly hope not, and I feel like so far I’ve done fairly well. Just getting back into it, I think the Texas State game really helped me. That was the first game I started again, I believe. Just getting back into that game really helped me get ready for the conference schedule. But, I think just really practicing against the best line in the country in terms of field goal rush really helps to give me game-like looks. And then, just getting those game-like scenario reps in two minutes every week a couple times really helped a lot.
(What did you work on to get better) Yeah, I worked on a lot this offseason. Obviously, I had the goal of coming back in 2022 and winning the job back, having lost it in 2021. So really my height and elevation, getting the ball up quickly from the start to avoid blocks and things like that. And then also, just overall power, strength, distance. Getting with Coach Vic (strength coach Vic Viloria) in the weight room, getting stronger. Getting under the squat rack and just increasing my distance on field goals and kickoffs and anything else, if needed, as well.
(Defense has jackers and robbers, offense has RVO, what is the calling card for special teams) We like to say we have big quads. We like to break it out on ‘Quads!’ I feel like we’re the special bunch of the group. I feel like to be on special teams you’ve got to be an oddball a little bit. We break out with Quads. We say some crazy stuff to each other that I probably can’t say in front of the cameras. But, it’s good fun. We have a good time.
(You made so many clutch kicks in 2019, do you like being in those situations) I mean, I’d certainly rather it be on me than on the other team’s kicker, because I feel more confident in me making it than having to rely on their kicker missing it to win or lose the game. But, I feel like in the pressure moments, I think part of it is natural and part of it is we work on it in practice. Like I said, we practice two minutes and mayday situations, stuff like that. When it’s on the line and it matters most, you’ve just got to focus in your technique and your craft and just do your job and help your team win when it matters the most.
SicEmSports Big 12 Power Rankings
Each week, SicEmSports unveils its looks at the league who in its view deserves to be ranked where. Agree or disagree, here’s how they look.
1. TCU – Horned Frogs with CFB playoff hopes
2. Kansas State – HC Chris Klieman mum about starting QB vs. Texas
3. Oklahoma State – How does this team respond to 48-0 blowout KSU loss?
4. Baylor — Now, it’s about stringing it together
5. Texas – Longhorns on the Big 12 title race edge
6. Oklahoma – Night and day when Gabriel is the QB
7. Kansas – Hope that QB Jalon Daniels returns
8. Texas Tech – Playing musical QBs is very dangerous
9. West Virginia – Unfortunately, QB J.T. Daniels good season getting lost
10. Iowa State – Running game the worst in the Big 12 (97.5)
Big 12 Weekend
A look at the Big 12 schedule for the upcoming weekend. All games are Saturday unless otherwise listed. Rankings are from the coaches and AP polls. All times are central. TV is listed. All 10 teams are in action.
Texas Tech (4-4, 2-3) at No. 7 TCU (8-0, 5-0); 11:00 a.m., Amon Carter Stadium, Fort Worth (FOX)
Series: Texas Tech leads, 32-29-3
Notable: TCU QB Max Duggan leads the Big 12 in total TDs (26). Red Raiders appear to be sticking with freshman QB Behren Morton.
Baylor (5-3, 3-2) at Oklahoma (5-3, 2-3); 2:00 p.m., Owen Field/Memorial Stadium, Norman, OK (ESPN+)
Series: Oklahoma leads, 28-4
Notable: Baylor’s only win in Norma was in 2014. Sooner RB Eric Gray has the best ypc (6.8) in the conference.
West Virginia (3-5, 1-5) at Iowa State (3-5, 0-5); 2:30 p.m., Jack Trice Stadium, Ames, IA (ESPN+)
Series: West Virginia leads, 6-4
Notable: Cyclones the worst scoring offense in the league (21.3). Mountaineers the worst scoring defense in the league (34.6). Something should give.
No. 18 Oklahoma State (6-2, 3-2) at Kansas (5-3, 2-3); 2:30 p.m., Memorial Stadium, Lawrence, KS (FS1)
Series: Oklahoma State leads, 41-29-2
Notable: Cowboys last in total defense (455.3). Kansas +4 in the turnover ratio.
No. 24 Texas (5-3, 3-2) at No. 13 Kansas State (6-2, 4-1); 6:00 p.m., Bill Snyder Family Stadium, Manhattan, KS (FS1)
Series: Texas leads, 12-10
Notable: Both KSU QBs Will Howard and Adrian Martinez worked out this week. Unclear who will start. Texas QB Quinn Ewers coming off his worst outing (19-49) two weeks ago at Oklahoma State.
