First and second team honors chosen by The News' Big 12 staff writers

11/28/2000

By Keith Whitmire / The Dallas Morning News

FIRST-TEAM OFFENSE

QB Josh Heupel
Oklahoma, 6-2, 214, Sr.

Led the conference in total offense with 300.6 yards per game, including a league-best 288.4 passing average. Heupel threw 18 touchdown passes with 11 interceptions in 389 attempts for an efficiency rating of 143.9.

RB Hodges Mitchell
Texas, 5-7, 185, Sr.

The Skyline High graduate gained more than 1,000 yards rushing and 300 yards receiving for the second straight year. Texas' offense improved dramatically as his rushing numbers increased, including a 229-yard performance vs. Texas Tech.

RB Ennis Haywood
Iowa State, 5-11, 206, Jr.

The Carter High product led the Big 12 in rushing with 1,237 yards. In a breakout season for both him and the Cyclones, who qualified for their first bowl since 1978, Haywood scored eight touchdowns and ranked 10th in the nation in rushing.

WR Quincy Morgan
Kansas St., 6-2, 215, Sr.

Morgan, a South Garland High product, had 58 catches, and ranked eighth nationally with 1,109 receiving yards. His 13 touchdown catches were third in the nation.

WR Robert Ferguson
Texas A&M, 6-2, 220, Jr.

Led the Big 12 with 5.8 catches per game and had six touchdowns. Ferguson, in his first season in Division I, owned or threatened nearly every A&M single-season receiving record. His touchdown catches included strikes of 93, 46 and 40 yards.

TE Tracey Wistrom
Nebraska, 6-5, 220, Jr.

You can't play for Nebraska if you can't block, but Wistrom is also a big-play receiver. All 19 of his receptions have been for first downs or touchdowns. He averaged 16.5 yards per reception while catching a team-best five touchdown passes.

T Leonard Davis
Texas, 6-6, 365, Sr.

He's as big as a mountain and can lift one, too, with a 510-pound bench press. Davis helped key the Longhorns' mid-season resurgence in the rushing game, and as the left tackle provided protection for a big-play passing game.

G Marc Owen
Kansas, 6-3, 305, Sr.

Owen received the top offensive line blocking grade in all games this season. He led the Jayhawks with 33 pancake blocks and did not allow a sack all season. Owen was twice selected the offensive player of the week by his coaches.

C Dominic Raiola
Nebraska, 6-2, 300, Jr.

Raiola is the spearhead of a rushing attack that led the nation with 349.3 yards per game. He recorded 145 pancake blocks, surpassing his record of 140 set last year.

G Toniu Fonoti
Nebraska, 6-4, 330, So.

In his first year as a starter, Fonoti led the Huskers in pancake blocks in five games, including 15 in his first start against San Jose State. Set the school record for pancake blocks in a season with 155.

T Frank Romero
Oklahoma, 6-4, 280, Jr.

Romero was a key performer in an offensive line that allowed just 15 sacks. The Sooners didn't rush for a lot of yardage, but the line overpowered opponents when it had to for 31 rushing touchdowns.

FIRST-TEAM DEFENSE

DE Justin Smith
Missouri, 6-5, 265, Jr.

Smith was second in the league with 9.5 sacks and recorded a team-high 97 tackles. Combining tremendous strength, quickness and drive, Smith registered 65 solo tackles and was second in the Big 12 with 23 tackles for loss for minus-126 yards.

DT Casey Hampton
Texas, 6-1, 310, Sr.

The unquestioned leader of a Texas defense that ranked third in the nation, Hampton tied for the team lead in tackles with 76 and forced fumbles with four. He leads the team in tackles for loss with 18 and had 20 quarterback pressures.

DT Mario Fatafehi
Kansas St., 6-2, 305, Sr.

A big reason the Wildcats were ranked 15th nationally in rushing defense. He had 8.5 sacks and 14 quarterback hurries to go along with 73 total tackles. Fatafehi also recorded 14 tackles for loss.

DE Monty Beisel
Kansas St., 6-4, 265, Sr.

Recorded 10 sacks and led the Wildcats with 93 total tackles. Beisel hit double figures in tackles in four games this season. He had 18 tackles for loss for minus-101 yards.

LB Rocky Calmus
Oklahoma, 6-2, 234, Jr.

A Butkus Award finalist who averaged 10 tackles a game. Also recorded four sacks, forced two fumbles and recovered three fumbles. Calmus played with a broken thumb against Texas and had a 41-yard interception return for a touchdown.

LB Carlos Polk
Nebraska, 6-2, 250, Sr.

Polk led Nebraska with 89 tackles, including 40 unassisted tackles. While holding together a defense thin on experience, Polk had 13 quarterback hurries, 9.5 tackles for loss, five pass breakups and a blocked kick.

LB Jason Glenn
Texas A&M, 6-1, 235, Sr.

Before going down with a knee injury in the 10th game, Glenn had 67 tackles and led the Aggies in sacks (five for minus-33), tackles for loss (16 for minus-57), forced fumbles (two) and passes broken up (15).

CB Gary Baxter
Baylor, 6-2, 195, Sr.

Baxter collected 87 tackles, including 53 unassisted, and broke up 11 passes for the Bears. Baxter tallied a sack and forced a fumble against Texas, registered 14 tackles vs. Texas A&M and had a career-high 16 tackles vs. Nebraska.

CB Sammy Davis
Texas A&M, 6-0, 180, So.

In his first season as a starter, Davis emerged as the Aggies' top pass defender with four interceptions. He broke up 10 passes, and opponents quickly learned to avoid his side of the field.

S Kevin Curtis
Texas Tech, 6-2, 209, Jr.

A repeat first-teamer, Curtis took to a new defense at Tech and flourished. He ranked fourth in the Big 12 in total tackles with 121 in 12 games. He collected 15 tackles for loss, two interceptions and two fumble recoveries.

S Carl Nesmith
Kansas, 6-3, 215, Sr.

Nesmith led the Jayhawks in total tackles with 102, including 65 unassisted. He came up big against Nebraska with 16 tackles and had 14 tackles twice on the season. Over the last three games, against Nebraska, Texas and Iowa State, Nesmith tallied 44 tackles.

FIRST-TEAM SPECIALISTS

K Kris Stockton
Texas, 5-9, 195, Sr.

Stockton was among the nation's leaders with 22 field goals made out of 26 attempts. He was also 41-of-44 on PATs. Stockton was 3-of-4 from 40 yards and beyond, including a long of 47 yards. He tied a UT record with five field goals in a win over Texas Tech.

P Jeff Ferguson
Oklahoma, 5-10, 190, Jr.

Ferguson ranked sixth nationally and led the conference with a punting average of 44.4 yards. He also had the second-longest punt in the Big 12 with a 66-yarder. As a unit, the Sooners ranked first in the Big 12 in net punting with a 37.9 net average.

RET Aaron Lockett
Kansas State, 5-7, 165, Jr.

David Allen was supposed to be the star return man for the Wildcats, but when he went down with an injury, a new star emerged. Lockett ranked second in the nation in punt returns with a 21.6-yard average. Lockett became just the third player in NCAA history with punt returns for touchdowns in back-to-back games.

BIG 12 SECOND TEAM
OFFENSE
Pos.	Player	School	Ht.	Wt.	Yr.
QB	Eric Crouch	Nebraska	6-1	205	Jr.
RB	Dan Alexander	Nebraska	6-0	245	Sr.
RB	Reggie White	Oklahoma State	5-11	225	Jr.
WR	J.J. Moses	Iowa State	5-6	170	Sr.
WR	Roy Williams	Texas	6-5	210	Fr.
TE	Daniel Graham	Colorado	6-3	240	Jr.
T	Milford Stephenson	Kansas State	6-2	275	Sr.
G	Russ Hochstein	Nebraska	6-4	290	Sr.
C	Seth McKinney	Texas A&M	6-3	290	Jr.
G	Mike Hayes	Missouri	6-3	292	Jr.
T	Josh Lind	Oklahoma State	6-6	290	Sr.
DEFENSE
Pos.	Player	School	Ht.	Wt.	Yr.
DE	Kyle Vanden Bosch	Nebraska	6-4	270	Sr.
DT	Ryan Fisher	Oklahoma	6-1	291	Sr.
DT	Nate Dwyer	Kansas	6-3	300	Jr.
DE	Chris Johnson	Kansas State	6-1	265	Sr.
LB	Torrance Marshall	Oklahoma	6-2	247	Sr.
LB	Brian Gamble	Texas A&M	6-2	231	So.
LB	Lawrence Flugence	Texas Tech	6-1	221	So.
CB	Quentin Jammer	Texas	6-1	198	Jr.
CB	Keyuo Craver	Nebraska	5-10	190	Jr.
S	Roy Williams	Oklahoma	6-0	221	So.
S	Terrance Kiel	Texas A&M	5-11	192	So.
SPECIALISTS
Pos.	Player	School	Ht.	Wt.	Yr.
K	Jamie Rheem	Kansas State	6-2	190	Sr.
P	Dan Hadenfeldt	Nebraska	5-11	195	Sr.
R	J.T. Thatcher	Oklahoma	5-11	217	Sr.