Big 12 Insider: The conference buzz
By DAVE SITTLER World Sports Writer
8/29/2006
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Brother act: It's going to be a family football affair in the Sunflower State this season. In a first in the Big 12 and perhaps in college football history, brothers are going to start at quarterback in the same league at the same time.
The unique situation became a reality Sunday when Kansas State coach Ron Prince informed senior Dylan Meier that he had beaten out true freshman Josh Freeman and will be at the controls in the Wildcats' opener against Illinois State.
Kerry Meier, a redshirt freshman at Kansas, has known for several weeks that he was the Jayhawks' starter. KU opens Saturday against Northwestern (La.) State.
The brothers' parents, Dennis and Valerie Meier of Pittsburg, Kan., won't be able to watch their boys' games together. KU kicks off the season at 6 p.m. in Lawrence, with K-State's opener scheduled to start 10 minutes later in Manhattan.
Dennis Meier told The Kansas City Star that the parents would split up (temporarily) with one going to K-State and the other to KU. The KU-K-State game is Nov. 18 at KU.
KU coach Mark Mangino said he isn't concerned with Kerry Meier's lack of experience.
"He ready to play both emotionally
and physically," Mangino said. "He has a lot of savvy and he's hard to rattle.
"We're going to bring him along slowly. We're only going to ask him to play quarterback, we're not going to ask him to carry the offense."
Prince said Freeman had an impressive fall camp, especially for a true freshman. But the first-year K-State coach said Dylan Meier is definitely No. 1.
"I feel that if you have two starters, what you really have is two backups," said Prince, who is opposed to alternating quarterbacks. "I've been involved with that, I've seen it and I haven't been satisfied with the results."
Dylan Meier started six games in 2004, but sat out the 2005 season because of shoulder injury. A tendon from his leg was needed to help rebuild his right shoulder.
"The players on this team really respect Dylan, and he has good chemistry with them," Prince said. "Josh is going to have a very bright future; he has some tremendous gifts.
"But we thought Dylan had all the right stuff."
Not all cupcakes: The normal diet of creampuffs will be featured when the Big 12 starts this season with games on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.
But the Baylor-TCU and Iowa State-Toledo games should provide some healthy competition. It wouldn't be a total surprise if both Big 12 teams lost.
Toledo coach Tom Amstutz is 45-18 in six seasons, while building the Rockets into perennial contenders in the Mid-American Conference. The Rockets have the 11th-best winning percentage since 2000 in Division I-A and have wins over Penn State and Minnesota of the Big Ten.
"I don't think I have to fabricate how good the Rockets are," Iowa State coach Dan McCarney said. "It's all right there in black and white."
Iowa State was scheduled to open up Thursday night at home against Army, but the Cadets bought themselves out of the home-and-home contract after they lost to the Cyclones last season at West Point.
McCarney said Army's decision left ISU struggling for a replacement. The only other options were games at Florida State or Georgia.
"There were not a lot of choices out there," McCarney said. "So here we are, we're going to play a team that's been No. 1 in the Mid-American Conference in total offense and total defense. They have an outstanding program."
Spoiling the image: Baylor's Daniel Sepulveda is going to give punters a good name if he isn't careful. Kickers aren't generally known for their toughness, but Sepulveda is an exception.
The 2004 winner of the Ray Guy Award as the nation's top punter, Sepulveda was expected to miss several early games after he injured his knee in a pickup basketball game this spring.
Baylor coach Guy Morriss said Sepulveda informed him on Sunday that he intends to play this Sunday against TCU. Sepulveda insists he's been cleared by the team's doctors and trainers.
Morriss said he's concerned opposing teams will go after a vulnerable Sepulveda. He could get hurt when a player runs into him while attempting to block a kick.
"That's what scares me," Morriss said. "I think he feels he's mobile enough to avoid all of that.
"But I'll talk with his dad and make sure they understand the risk factor. I want them to make the decision as a family."
Wide open: Several Big 12 coaches agree that the national championship race is wide open this season. Mack Brown, whose Texas team won it last year, said he can't see one program dominating like USC and OU did in recent years.
"If Vince (Young) had come back, people probably would have been talking about us more for the national championship," Brown said of losing his quarterback a year early to the NFL. "Most people don't have us in that (title) picture.
"I think we're seeing parity throughout now. The scholarship limits are limited to a point (85) that it gives more teams an opportunity to be good."
Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said it's possible for a team to pull off a surprise this season like the Sooners did in 2000. Ranked low in the preseason, OU shocked everyone when it won the title in Stoops' second season.
"The past four or five years there were always a few teams that seemed to be so far ahead of everyone else," said Stoops, who had OU in the national title game three out of four seasons. "So whoever is able to bring it together and improve as they go through the year has got a chance at it."
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Dave Sittler 581-8312
[email protected].