Month: July 2016

People who know Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield say his success is attributed to one very important quality — his moxie. He describes his moxie as energetic, enthusiastic and “laid back at times.” That helps explain the nickname he received at Lake Travis High School, “Shake and Bake.” When he played for the Cavaliers, Mayfield said he developed another quality — being fearless — noting his teammates fed off of his moxie. “It’s about distributing the ball,” he said. “Distributing the ball to the playmakers. You have to make plays for…

Big 12 Conference fans should come to terms with the fact that conference leaders — the university presidents — are going to add new members. While there are no candidates that make me want to black out future dates on my calendar, it’s worth noting the four that seem to have picked up the most steam. The University of Houston is at the top of the Texas list, primarily because of several hundreds of acres of land purchased by Texas Chancellor William McRaven in the city of Houston. Looks like…

Don’t bother asking Caleb Bluiett whether he likes the role of the tight end in Texas offensive coordinator Sterlin Gilbert’s offense. He can keep a secret. “I’m happy to be on the field again,” he said. “I know how we’re going to be used. I can’t necessarily tell you that right now. The season hasn’t started.” Last year he caught eight passes for 167 yards and two touchdowns. The two scores came in the team’s two biggest wins — Oklahoma and Baylor. Bluiett has always tried to lead by example.…

Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes couldn’t help but laugh. Mahomes gave up baseball last spring to concentrate wholeheartedly on football. So what did the Red Raiders baseball team do? Only returned to the College World Series again. Mahomes laughed again as he recalled that even his old high school, Whitehouse, reached the Class 5A state tournament. But he has no regrets about passing on baseball. That extra time resulted in getting stronger in the weight room and putting on an additional 15 pounds. “I turned myself into a meathead,” he…

Fans of the Big 12 aren’t seeing the reason why university presidents have authorized Commissioner Bob Bowlsby to explore candidates for expansion. Fans are thinking in terms of competition. They want strong competition in order to help their teams secure playoff spots and win numerous trophies in prestigious bowls and in March Madness. But the university presidents are thinking in terms of money. Big money. Reports are surfacing that Oklahoma president David Boren said television contracts allow the conference to add up to six new members and that ESPN and…