Alamo Bowl coaches playing mind games

By KELLEY SHANNON / Associated Press

SAN ANTONIO - Spike Dykes and Hayden Fry are old buddies from West Texas, and neither is easily fooled.

So when the coaches from Texas Tech and Iowa couldn't stop saying enough good things about each other Saturday, they knew what this psychological game is all about.

"When you play a team that's got no weaknesses and I think that's really what Iowa's got ... it's hard to decide what to spend your time on so you've got to cover all the bases," Dykes said.

Said Fry: "I love to hear Spike talk. And I appreciate all those nice comments, Spike. I wish everything was as good as you said about the Hawks."

He'll find out tonight when No. 21 Iowa (8-3) faces Texas Tech (7-4) in the fourth annual Alamo Bowl.

Iowa is playing in the aftermath of the tragedy to strike the family of senior linebacker Mark Mitchell. His mother was killed and his father was injured Friday night when their van slid on an ice patch in Iowa and wrecked en route to San Antonio.

Mitchell flew home on a jet provided by an Alamo Bowl organizer and will not play today.

"Right now the difficult thing is to get our focus on the ball game. Everybody has heavy hearts," Fry said. "Our team is very tight, very close, like a family."

The Hawkeyes are bracing for Texas Tech running back Byron Hanspard, a junior who rushed for 2,084 yards this season and won the Doak Walker Award. He sat out practice Friday with a touch of the flu, but Dykes says he's fine.

Hanspard plans to announce Monday whether he will forgo his final year of eligibility and turn pro.

Iowa has faced seven of the nation's top 20 running backs this season and - with the exception of Darnell Autry of Northwestern - the Hawkeyes' defense held them all below their averages.

What helps make Hanspard and the Texas Tech offense so dangerous, Fry said, is the versatility of quarterback Zebbie Lethridge.

"If we're not disciplined against Zebbie, he'll look every bit as good as Hanspard," Fry said.

Dykes agreed Lethridge likely will set the tone for the Red Raiders. He has accounted for more than 2,000 total offensive yards this season and is adept at converting third downs.

"He's a catalyst. He's a guy that really makes a lot of things happen. Sort of, as he goes, we go," Dykes said.

The Iowa offense, led by quarterback Matt Sherman, has a standout running back of its own in Sedrick Shaw, whom Texas Tech once tried to recruit.

"We felt like Sedrick Shaw was the real thing," Dykes said.

Shaw was hindered by injuries this season but still managed to rush for 1,003 yards on 204 carries. He is healthy now.

All week the Hawkeyes have talked about Texas Tech's quick and hard-to-read defense. Fry said it brings to mind the Washington defense the Hawkeyes faced in the Sun Bowl last year.

Asked Dykes: "Coach, how'd y'all do against Washington last year, with a similar defense?"

"I forgot," Fry replied.

Iowa won that game 38-18.

"It's not my first rodeo," Dykes later said, laughing about what he said was Fry's attempt to overload him with compliments while plotting his assault.

"He starts telling how good you are," Dykes said. "Then they ... just kick your brains in."