DALLAS -- Any reprieve from the unusually wintery weather that hit the Dallas-Fort Worth area was gone by New Year's Eve.
Should the snow and freezing rain that fell much of the day Sunday continue for today's 10 a.m. Cotton Bowl game, Kansas State wide receiver Aaron Lockett likes his team's chances against Tennessee.
"If it's not an advantage, it's definitely not a disadvantage," Lockett said. "We've had the opportunity to play in cold weather for years in the past.
"We played Nebraska in extremely cold weather and some snow flurries, so we definitely know how to handle ourselves in the cold weather."
The Wildcats edged Nebraska 29-28 in Manhattan as snow blanketed KSU Stadium by game's end. Tennessee, which plays in the Southeastern Conference, is accustomed to a more temperate climate.
"(Cold affects players) more mentally than physically," Lockett said. "Everybody can bear the cold.
"But the fact that if you let it bother you, if you think it's cold and you have your mind set on other things than just the game or the task at hand, then maybe the one play you do slip is the difference in the game."
The forecast for the game is partly cloudy with temperatures in the 30s.
Calling Peyton
Tennessee freshman quarterback Casey Clausen no doubt gets plenty of instruction from his coaches.
But there's nothing like a little positive reinforcement from a famous alum.
Former Tennessee All-America quarterback Peyton Manning, now with the NFL's Indianapolis Colts, has continued to keep tabs on his alma mater, and especially Clausen.
"After the Alabama game he called me, and from then on we've been talking weekly," said Clausen, who is 6-0 since taking over as the Vols' starting quarterback. "Basically I just ask him questions and I just listen.
"He's been here, he knows what it's like and what it is going to be like to go through. I ask him about everything. He still has knowledge of the offense. When I talk to him, he understands."
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