• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Kansas-Texas Preview

Nov 17, 2009 - 10:16 PM By SANTOSH VENKATARAMAN STATS Senior Writer

Kansas (5-5) at No. 3 Texas (10-0), 8:00 p.m. EDT

Colt McCoy is poised to become the all-time winningest quarterback in NCAA history with Texas set to book a trip to the Big 12 championship as it faces a team that appears to be in turmoil.

McCoy and the third-ranked Longhorns can clinch the South Division in his final home game Saturday night when they meet Kansas, which has lost five straight and is conducting an internal investigation involving coach Mark Mangino.

Last week, Texas (10-0, 6-0) built a 40-point halftime lead and cruised to a 47-14 victory over Baylor. McCoy completed 23 of 34 passes for 181 yards and two touchdowns and sat out most of the second half.

The Longhorns star tied former Georgia quarterback David Greene's record of 42 victories as a starter. McCoy can break it in his final game at Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium and put Texas into the Big 12 championship Dec. 5 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington.

"We win this game we clinch the South," McCoy said. "It's a big game, so you can't let your emotions get too high, you have to treat it like another game. After the game you can think about it a little bit. Twenty years from now, you can look back and really appreciate what has gone on."

McCoy remains the nation's most accurate passer at 72.4 percent as he completes a steady season in which his numbers won't reach last year's totals of 2,628 yards and 34 touchdowns when he was the Heisman Trophy runner-up to good friend Sam Bradford of Oklahoma. That's not a concern for the Longhorns as they close in on a BCS title game berth.

"I did not realize that he is the only quarterback to lead his team to 10-plus wins each of the four years, and that again is a phenomenal stat when you start looking at what he's done," coach Mack Brown said. "The seniors and Colt have 42 wins."

Texas isn't expected to face much of a challenge from a struggling Kansas team that has lost all seven Big 12 meetings with the Longhorns. The Jayhawks (5-5, 1-5) fell 35-7 at home to Texas last year as McCoy was 24 of 34 for 255 yards and two touchdowns.

Kansas would like the storyline of this visit to Austin to center around Big 12 passing leader Todd Reesing's return to his hometown, but the situation surrounding Mangino has overshadowed that.

Athletic director Lew Perkins issued a brief statement Tuesday confirming the review of the eighth-year coach. Perkins met with the entire team Monday night and Mangino, the national coach of the year two seasons ago, was not present.

Mangino said he met with Perkins for "10 or 15 minutes" on Tuesday and would not disclose details. Kansas has not won since its 5-0 start.

"You lose a few games in a row, those type of things surface. It's not uncommon," Mangino said. "I don't take it lightly, but I'm focused on Texas and I'm very comfortable the way we manage and run the football program here. This is what comes when things aren't going well. You're going to find disgruntled people."

The coach got a vote of confidence from Reesing, who has thrown five touchdowns during the skid after having 13 over the unbeaten start.

"There's been certain things that have been said but I don't really want to focus on that right now," Reesing said. "It is what it is. It's happening. It has nothing to do with playing Texas so I don't really see the relevancy for me talking about that."

Reesing holds nearly every Kansas passing record as he plays for the first time in Austin, where he was a star at Lake Travis High School and was Central Texas player of the year as a senior. Reesing was not recruited by Texas, and Brown admitted two years ago that "anyone who did not recruit him made a mistake."

The Longhorns coach is full of admiration for the player he didn't go after.

"Todd Reesing is a great story," Brown said. "He did a tremendous job at Lake Travis. We were all able to watch him for many years and admire what he's done. He's been for Kansas what Colt's been for us. He's accurate, he's got a quick release, they have some great receivers, and they can move the ball."

Reesing could be in for a difficult night against the nation's top-ranked defense, which is allowing 232.3 yards per game. He went 25 of 50 with one touchdown last season against Texas.