Texas and Big 12 Football Capsules: Father's memory stays close to A&M quarterback
COLLEGE STATION — Texas A&M quarterback Jerrod Johnson can't remember a time in his life without football or the Aggies.
Growing up in a Houston suburb, Johnson always found maroon-and-white coffee mugs in the cabinets, Aggies jerseys around the house, ornaments with A&M logos on the Christmas tree.
His late father, Larry, played receiver and defensive back for A&M in the late 1970s, a decade before Jerrod was born. Larry later worked as an offensive coordinator at Humble High School and by the time Jerrod reached second grade, his football education had started.
When the family went to restaurants, Larry Johnson drew plays on sheets of paper that Jerrod used for coloring. When Jerrod and his older brother exercised in the garage, Larry broke down defenses on a chalkboard between their reps. And instead of just watching games for enjoyment, Larry made sure his boys understood why plays worked.
The grooming has panned out perfectly.
Jerrod Johnson is wrapping up one of the greatest seasons for a quarterback in Texas A&M history as the Aggies (6-5, 3-4 Big 12) head into Thursday's showdown with No. 3 Texas (11-0, 7-0).
The 6-foot-5 junior has already set single-season school records for completions (241), passing yards (2,875), touchdown passes (24) and 300-yard games (4). He's also thrown more TD passes and fewer interceptions than Longhorns quarterback Colt McCoy, a contender for the Heisman trophy.
Johnson knows quarterbacks are judged by victories more than anything, and McCoy set an NCAA record with his 43rd career victory in Saturday's victory over Kansas.
A&M's mark is 9-12 since Johnson became the starter last season.
"I really haven't thought about the records much," Johnson said. "When I leave A&M, maybe I can look back at the things I've done. Right now, I'm in the present, I'm just trying to win games. It's frustrating that I haven't been able to win more so far."
Johnson never dwells on the losses, though, even the bad ones.
A few days after the Aggies were routed 62-14 at Kansas State on Oct. 17, Johnson rounded up a few teammates for a previously scheduled appearance at a local elementary school. A&M officials gave Johnson the option of backing out after the embarrassing defeat, but Johnson fulfilled the commitment.
"Keep moving forward," his father used to tell him. "You play the hand you're dealt. How you deal with it, that's what counts."
The messages reverberate, strong as ever, two years after Jerrod lost his father.
Larry Johnson suffered a stroke and died in December 2007 at age 50, two weeks before Jerrod and the Aggies faced Penn State in the Alamo Bowl. Johnson worked in the Humble school district for 22 years, and was the principal of the high school when he died.
About 3,000 people attended a memorial service and many left with purple-and-white wristbands with "His Legacy Lives On" carved into the rubber.
Jerrod still hasn't taken his off.
"It's kind of a mix of remembering my dad and where you were raised," he said. "Looking down at that, that brings back a lot of good memories."
Jerrod remembers how his father used to fondly reminisce about former teammates and seemingly minute details of games. He also watched his father grow increasingly frustrated as A&M faded from the national spotlight over the last decade.
Jerrod's mission wasn't just to play quarterback at Texas A&M, but to rebuild the foundation and turn A&M back toward greatness.
"That's a huge thing for me," he said. "That's one of the main reasons I wanted to come here. I felt like I was capable of helping lead this program back to prominence. With the coaching staff and the recruiting classes we've had, I think we're definitely close.
"It's unfortunate that we haven't been able to do that as quickly as everyone would like," he said. "but I'm proud that I'm part of that process, working to get us back to where we need to be."
Johnson threw for 2,435 yards and 21 touchdowns and completed 59.5 percent of his passes as a sophomore in 2008. Coach Mike Sherman said Johnson made vast improvement in the offseason on his footwork and decision-making.
"I don't know if I've ever been around a guy who takes what you say to heart and is able to make the adjustments as readily as he has made them," Sherman said. "And he has a long way to go. I knew he was a smart kid, but he has football smarts. And that probably has a lot to do with growing up with his dad being a football coach. But he has very good football smarts."
Johnson has become the undisputed leader of the team, setting a hardworking example in practices and a clean-cut one off the field. He doesn't mind opening up to teammates about his father's death, thinking that the more he tells, the more comfort they would feel coming to him if they faced a crisis.
"You can't lead people if they don't respect you," he said. "I feel people will respect you more if they understand that you can relate to them and you try to relate to them. I can relate to guys who have to deal with adversity, guys who've lost someone and been through something similar to what I've been through."
Sherman says Johnson needs to refine his mechanics before he tries to make the leap to the pros. Beyond the NFL dreams, Jerrod envisions himself as an offensive coordinator someday, teaching budding quarterbacks how to read defenses and learn the game. Just like his father did for him.
"I was pretty much raised on football, and I can't really see myself without football," he said. "I was brought up around it and I wouldn't have wanted to be raised any other way. I feel like this is where I belong, this is what I was put on Earth to do, that's the way I was guided as a child. Hopefully, I can do the same for my kids."
Tebow, McCoy finalists for Maxwell, O'Brien honors
DALLAS — Tim Tebow and Colt McCoy are set for at least one showdown off the field.
The quarterbacks for No. 1 Florida and third-ranked Texas were chosen finalists Monday for two of the biggest postseason awards outside the Heisman Trophy.
Tebow, McCoy and Alabama running back Mark Ingram are the finalists for the Maxwell Award that goes to the best all-around player in college football. Tebow won the past two Maxwells.
Houston's Case Keenum joins Tebow and McCoy as finalists for the Davey O'Brien Award given to the best quarterback.
The winners of the Maxwell, O'Brien and seven other awards will be announced at Walt Disney World in Florida on Dec. 10, two days before Tebow and McCoy figure to be in New York as Heisman finalists for the second year in a row.
Tebow won the Heisman in 2007 and finished third behind winner Sam Bradford and McCoy, the runner-up, last year.
If the Gators and Longhorns win twice more each to get to 13-0, Tebow and McCoy will probably face off on the field in the BCS championship game at the Rose Bowl.
One of Florida's victories, though, will have to come against No. 2 Alabama in the Southeastern Conference championship. And Ingram figures to be a worthy opponent in Heisman balloting as well. The sophomore is fifth nationally in rushing at 127 yards per game with 12 touchdowns.
Tebow doesn't measure up statistically among quarterbacks, but has led the Gators to BCS titles two of the past three years. McCoy set an NCAA record with his 43rd victory Saturday against Kansas.
Keenum is the statistical darling of the bunch. He leads the nation in passing by more than 1,000 yards and is the leader in total offense and completions as well.
Ingram is also a finalist for the Doak Walker Award. The others are Toby Gerhart of Stanford, the national leader with 23 touchdowns, and Clemson's C.J. Spiller.
McCoy's favorite target, receiver Jordan Shipley, is a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award. He is joined by Freddie Barnes of Bowling Green and Golden Tate of Notre Dame.
Nebraska defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh is a finalist for the Outland Trophy (best interior lineman) and the Chuck Bednarik Award (best defensive player).
The other Outland finalists are Mike Iupati of Idaho and Russell Okung of Oklahoma State. The other Bednarik contenders are Alabama nose guard Terrence Cody and Florida linebacker Brandon Spikes.
The winner of the Jim Thorpe Award for best defensive back will come from the trio of Tennessee's Eric Berry, Florida's Joe Haden and Earl Thomas of Texas.
The Lou Groza finalists for best kicker are Kai Forbath of UCLA, Leigh Tiffin of Alabama and Blair Walsh of Georgia. The finalists for the Ray Guy Award (best punter) are Georgia's Drew Butler, Michigan's Zoltan Mesko and Florida's Chas Henry.
-- Schuyler Dixon
E. Washington to face SFA after making football playoffs
CHENEY, Wash. — Despite starting the year banned from postseason play, Eastern Washington has been selected to the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision playoffs.
The Eagles (8-3) will travel to Nagodoches, Texas, to play Stephen F. Austin (9-2) on Saturday.
The NCAA ban was lifted late last month, after the university appealed. The Eagles won their last four games to finish tied with Weber State for second in the Big Sky Conference.
That late surge likely persuaded the NCAA committee to give them one of eight at-large berths.
"Words can't really describe how we're all feeling right now," senior linebacker Makai Borden said. "It's just amazing, especially when you consider how we went from such a low to such a high."
Last winter, the NCAA slapped EWU with a one-year postseason ban after uncovering a series of minor infractions that had occurred under the watch of former coach Paul Wulff.
Eastern is one of three Big Sky teams competing in the postseason. Unbeaten conference champion Montana (11-0) was awarded the No. 1 overall seed and will host South Dakota State (8-3) on Saturday.
Weber State (7-4) will play at William & Mary (9-2) on Saturday.
Eastern last made the playoffs in 2007, beating McNeese State in the opening round before losing to eventual national champion Appalachian State.
Senior safety Kevin Hatch was one of several current starters on that Eagles team.
"It feels good to have been there before," Hatch said. "But we've pretty much been in the playoffs the last three or four weeks, as well, knowing if we had any more losses it wasn't even going to be a possibility.
Eastern also made the playoffs in 1985, 1992, 1997, 2004 and 2005.
Sam Houston State fires Todd Whitten as grid coach
HUNTSVILLE — Sam Houston State has fired Todd Whitten as head football coach after a 5-6 season and a fifth-place finish in the Southland Conference.
Athletic director Bobby Williams said he decided there was "need of a revised outlook and approach" after the season that saw the Bearkats finish 3-4 in the eight-team conference in the Football Championship Subdivision, formerly Division I-AA.
Whitten tells Houston television station KRIV that he thought he contributed to "a good five years." He says he wish they had won more games.
Whitten's teams had compiled a 25-28 record since he was hired in 2005 to replace Ron Randleman. In his six seasons previous at Division II Tarleton State, Whitten's teams went 45-23.
Williams named no successor but says he will begin a search.
Report: Frisco up for NCAA FCS grid title game
FRISCO — The Southland Conference says the NCAA has chosen Frisco as a finalist to host the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision football title game after 2012.
A Southland Conference statement issued Monday says the NCAA notified Frisco officials of the selection Monday afternoon. According to the statement, the NCAA did not disclose the other finalists.
The statement says the game would be played in the 23,500-seat Pizza Hut Park.
Frisco city officials and others promoting Frisco's candidacy will make a presentation to NCAA officials on Dec. 18 in Chattanooga, Tenn. Chattanooga is this year's host.
The Football Championship Subdivision was formerly called Division I-AA.
Big 12
Plenty up for grabs in Big 12's final week
DES MOINES, Iowa — The races in the Big 12's North and South divisions have been settled, but there's still plenty up for grabs during the season's final week.
The Big 12's five remaining matchups are rivalry games with major implications on bowl seeding and, for Oklahoma State, a possible trip to its first BCS bowl game.
Nebraska (8-3, 5-2 Big 12) beat Kansas State on Saturday night, earning the North's spot in the league championship game for the first time since 2006. No. 3 Texas (11-0, 7-0) clinched what had seemed inevitable since the middle of October with a 51-20 win over Kansas and their embattled coach, Mark Mangino.
Before they meet up in Cowboys Stadium on Dec. 5, the Longhorns and Cornhuskers have tricky road games to survive.
Texas closes its regular season at Texas A&M, perhaps the toughest team in the nation to get a read on. The Aggies (6-5, 3-4) have twice bounced back from losses of at least 48 points with huge wins the following week, including a 38-3 drubbing of Baylor last week that followed a 65-10 loss to Oklahoma. Texas A&M also beat the Longhorns in College Station in 2007.
The Huskers will face a Colorado team that nearly stunned No. 11 Oklahoma State in Stillwater last week. It's a huge game for the Buffs (3-8, 2-5) and their coach, Dan Hawkins, who has come under fire for yet another disappointing season in Boulder.
"I just know that the distractions are out there. You've got people out there taking about Texas and going to Dallas," Nebraska coach Bo Pelini said. "It's important that we keep our football team in focus because I know Colorado's going to be ready."
Oklahoma State (9-2, 6-1) is in position for its first BCS nod, but the Cowboys must first beat Oklahoma (6-5, 4-3) in Norman. Though the Sooners collapsed in a 41-13 loss at Texas Tech over the weekend, they've won six straight against the Cowboys and 29 straight at home, the longest such streak in the nation.
Kansas (5-6, 1-6) needs to beat Missouri (7-4, 3-4) in Kansas City to become bowl eligible. If the Jayhawks lose, it could be the final game for Mangino, who is under an internal investigation into allegations of verbal and emotional abuse of his players.
"You can only focus on the things you can control in life, and that's what I'm doing," Mangino said.
Texas Tech (7-4, 4-3) faces Baylor in Cowboys Stadium with a chance to reach eight wins and vastly improve its bowl resume.
The Bears, Colorado and Kansas State won't be eligible to play in the postseason.
K-STATE DONE
Kansas State entered last week's game against Nebraska in a unique spot — Big 12 title game or bust. The Wildcats not only needed to beat Nebraska to win the North but for bowl eligibility as well. Two of Kansas State's wins were over FCS opponents Massachusetts and Tennessee Tech, and only one of those counted toward bowl eligibility.
In the end, Kansas State was done in by its offense. The Wildcats were held without a touchdown in season-ending losses to Missouri and Nebraska, spoiling what had been a promising start to coach Bill Snyder's return to Manhattan.
"I was pleased with the progress that the youngsters made," Snyder said. "I think we made vast improvements, but it was not on a continuum."
CYCLONES IN LIMBO
Though Iowa State lost its season finale at Missouri, 34-24, the Cyclones are eligible for a bowl for the first time since 2005. Though Iowa State (6-6, 3-5) isn't guaranteed a spot in a bowl game, all signs point to the Cyclones playing somewhere in December.
Iowa State will gladly sign up for any bowl. The Cyclones were a near-unanimous pick to finish last in the North under first-year coach Paul Rhoads, their third coach in four seasons.
"In order to get them to believe, I think you just had to immediately get to work, show that there was a plan in place to develop and improve and win football games because of that," Rhoads said. "The players, the team, they were very hungry. They suffered through three straight losing seasons. They suffered through transitions and coaching changes, and so they were hungry for structure and discipline and commitment."
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Texas quarterback Colt McCoy was named the league's offensive player of the week after winning his NCAA-record 43rd game. McCoy completed 32 of 41 passes for 396 yards with four touchdowns in the win over Kansas. Nebraska safety Larry Asante earned defensive player of the week honors after making 10 tackles, causing a fumble and intercepting a pass in the Huskers win over Kansas State. Asante's teammate, punter/placekicker Alex Henery, won the league's special teams honor for the second time this season. He hit a field goal and two punts that pinned the Wildcats inside their own 3-yard line.
QUOTABLE
"My suspicion is Mark's in the middle of a witch hunt, you know, which is unjustified," Texas Tech coach Mike Leach of the investigation of Mangino.
EXTRA POINTS
Baylor's woes can be traced to its sluggish starts. The Bears have been outscored 153-26 in the first half in conference games. ... Kansas's six-game losing streak has coincided with a major drop-off in its running game. The Jayhawks averaged 189 yards rushing per game in starting 5-0, but they've gotten just 58 yards a game in losing six straight. ... Nebraska's defense was tremendous in home games this season, holding opponents to just 8.3 points per game. It's the fourth time since 1980 that the Huskers held teams below 10 points per game in Memorial Stadium.
-- Luke Meredith
Roles reversed for Bedlam rivalry
STILLWATER, Okla. — The Bedlam rivalry has been defined over the past decade by one Oklahoma team pursuing postseason greatness and another trying to stand in the way.
This year, it's no different — except the teams will be swapping roles.
After years of trying to dethrone mighty Oklahoma, it's No. 11 Oklahoma State (9-2, 6-1 Big 12) that will be playing for a potential berth in the lucrative Bowl Championship Series when the rivals meet Saturday in Norman. If the chips fall right, OSU could receive an at-large bid for its first BCS appearance.
It will be only the third time a ranked Cowboys team will play the Sooners when Oklahoma is unranked (1945, 1997). The opposite scenario has occurred 38 times.
"We're not going to expect to be favored down there just because of what we've done this year," Cowboys linebacker Andre Sexton said Monday. "We know that they're going to get the respect just because of what they've done in the past and how well-known their program is. That's why we need to put ourselves in a situation to take that next step toward gaining that respect by beating them this year."
Oklahoma State has lost six straight Bedlam games since pulling off back-to-back upsets of top-5 Oklahoma teams at the end of the regular season in 2001 and 2002. The first one knocked the Sooners out of the national championship picture.
This season, Oklahoma (6-5, 4-3) has matched its biggest loss total since Bob Stoops took over as coach in 1999.
"No matter if one team seems like you're overmatched, there's always a chance just because of the fact that's it's just a huge rivalry and means a lot to everybody," Cowboys guard Noah Franklin said. "At some point, it comes down to just who wants it more and talent or depth or whatever just kind of goes out the window."
Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said injured quarterback Zac Robinson resumed throwing over the weekend after having his streak of 34 consecutive starts snapped in Thursday's 31-28 win against Colorado. Robinson had injured his shoulder and head in a violent collision near the end of OSU's previous game against Texas Tech.
Gundy said Robinson should be at "full speed" in practice and play against the Sooners.
"Will he have some soreness? I would say he'd still be sore, but there's not anything structural that can affect him," Gundy said. "It's just working through soreness."
Sooners coach Bob Stoops said it wouldn't affect Oklahoma's preparation whether it's Robinson or backup Brandon Weeden who starts because both run the same offensive system. He also downplayed the impact of his team lacking its usual motivation heading into the rivalry game coming off a 41-13 loss at Texas Tech.
"Of the 11 years that we've been here, eight or nine of them we've been still in a position working toward a Big 12 championship and still having that opportunity coming into this week, so this is different," Stoops said. "But we still are in a position where we're trying to improve our situation.
"That's what our focus will be on is playing the best we can and trying to make our situation better."
Oklahoma will be without center Ben Habern, who had surgery Saturday after he broke his left leg against Tech and is expected to be out for three months. He's the third starting offensive lineman to suffer a season-ending injury for the Sooners, who already lost Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford to a shoulder injury and tight end Jermaine Gresham following knee surgery.
Stoops said middle linebacker Ryan Reynolds was also "doubtful" for Saturday's game with a strained hamstring.
"I don't think anything's in the bag and I don't think anybody really has a right to think that against a team that's as talented as this that's maybe gone through some tough things this year," Franklin said. "They're still a great team, and it's going to be a great challenge for us."
Since losing to Oklahoma State in 2001, the Sooners have won 49 of their last 50 home games and carry a 29-game winning streak on Owen Field.
"Playing Oklahoma, we haven't beaten them since I've been here," OSU tailback Keith Toston said. "It's one of those things, since I've been here, they've kind of been the big brother. We may be the favorites in this game, but we still feel like we're the little brother."
-- Jeff Latzke
Stoops: LB Reynolds doubtful vs. No. 11 Cowboys
NORMAN, Okla. — Oklahoma football coach Bob Stoops says it's doubtful starting middle linebacker Ryan Reynolds will play in the Sooners' rivalry game this week against No. 11 Oklahoma State.
Reynolds strained his hamstring in the Sooners' 41-13 loss at Texas Tech on Saturday and was replaced by Austin Box.
The Sooners will also be without center Ben Habern, who had surgery Saturday night after breaking his left leg. Stoops said Monday on the Big 12 coaches' conference call that Habern's recovery is expected to take three months.
He's the third offensive lineman to suffer a season-ending injury this season for Oklahoma.
Stoops says defensive tackle Adrian Taylor is expected to play against the Cowboys with an undisclosed injury.
Okung among Outland Trophy finalists
STILLWATER, Okla. — Oklahoma State offensive tackle Russell Okung has been chosen as one of three finalists for the Outland Trophy, given annually to college football's top interior lineman.
Okung leads the No. 11 Cowboys (9-2, 6-1 Big 12) with 45 consecutive starts. Oklahoma State has led the Big 12 in rushing the past three years while Okung has been in the lineup and currently holds the conference lead.
Nebraska defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh and Idaho guard Mike Iupati are the other finalists.
The winner will be announced Dec. 10 at the college football awards show in Orlando, Fla.
Nebraska's kicking star a dead-eye punter, too
LINCOLN, Neb. — Nebraska's Alex Henery says he always looks forward to kicking in the thin air at Colorado.
That's a bad omen for the Buffaloes, who host the Cornhuskers in Boulder on Friday.
They already know how well Henery performs in Lincoln. Henery's school-record 57-yard field goal gave the Huskers the lead in the final 2 minutes of last year's 40-31 win.
Since then, Henery has added punting to his repertoire. If the Buffs want to see how good he is at that, all they need to do is check out the film of Nebraska's 17-3 win over Kansas State last week.
Henery, trying to avoid a big runback by K-State star Brandon Banks, pinned the Wildcats at their 1 and 3 on two of his six punts. Both of those hit the ground and immediately bounced right, out of bounds, like those old-school coffin-corner kicks.
Henery has finessed 10 other punts out of bounds inside the opponents' 8 this season, including five inside the 5. He also has made 16 of 19 field goals.
Though he doesn't have the name recognition of defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh, his field-goal kicking and punting put him in the conversation about the Huskers' biggest weapons.
Coach Bo Pelini took note of the former walk-on's value after last year's Colorado game and put him on scholarship before this season.
"When he made that 57-yarder, I think it became pretty clear to me," Pelini said. "He bailed my butt out. I tried everything I could to lose that football game, so he earned it right there in my mind. He's done so much. What more can you ask of a guy? If anybody has earned it, he has."
Henery said he approaches his punting like his short game in golf. He worked at a Lincoln golf course over the summer and shoots in the mid 70s playing with women's clubs that belong to his mom.
The strength of his golf game is attacking the pin inside 100 yards, kind of like trying to get his punts to stop close to the goal line.
Henery, who leads the Big 12 with 22 of his 59 punts downed inside the 20-yard line, said there is some luck involved.
"You have to put it in the right place and then hope," he said. "You can get different spins on the ball so it'll bounce a certain way. But it's a little bit luck."
Kicking conditions should be perfect in Boulder on Friday. The forecast calls for sunshine and temperatures in the 50s. The thin air could give Henery some added distance if he needs it.
The strong-legged junior cleared the cross bar with lots of room to spare on his 57-yarder last year — a kick that is just a blur to him now.
He said people sometimes come up to him and tell him where they were when he boomed the record-setting field goal.
"I never really thought I'd do something like that, and it's a little overwhelming," he said. "It seemed like it was going so fast. As a kicker, it's something you try to do. Everyone steps up at some time. That's the time I had to step up."
Henery and his teammates go into Friday's game having already clinched the Big 12 North title, which puts them in the Dec. 5 conference championship game against third-ranked Texas.
Pelini imposed a gag order on any Texas talk this week.
"I told our people in the offices, the coaching staff, I don't want to hear about plans, travel plans, about tickets or anything else about the Big 12 title game," he said. "That will come. Our full focus is on Colorado."
-- Eric Olson
Nebraska's Suh finalist for 2 more major awards
LINCOLN, Neb. — Nebraska defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh is a finalist for two more major awards — the Outland Trophy and the Chuck Bednarik Award.
The Outland goes to the best interior lineman. Oklahoma State offensive tackle Russell Okung and Idaho offensive guard Mike Iupati are the other finalists.
The Bednarik goes to the defensive player of the year and is presented by the Maxwell Football Club. Suh is joined among the finalists by Alabama nose guard Terrence Cody and Florida linebacker Brandon Spikes.
Suh already is a finalist for the Lombardi Award and Bronko Nagurski Award.
Suh on Monday also picked up the Lott Trophy defensive player of the week award for the third time this season.
Watson: Huskers need strong finish against Buffs
LINCOLN, Neb. — Nebraska begins a short week of preparation for Friday's game at Colorado with a two-hour practice on the grass fields north of Memorial Stadium.
Offensive coordinator Shawn Watson said after Monday's workout that he's not worried about the players looking past the Buffaloes to the Big 12 championship game against Texas. He said they understand a win over Colorado would give them a surge of momentum heading into the Dec. 5 game against the Longhorns.
Watson said he's impressed with Colorado's run defense, even though the Buffs are giving up 163 yards on the ground to rank 10th in the Big 12. Watson said the Buffs make opponents work for everything they get.
Huskers' Hickman knows what Buffs going through
LINCOLN, Neb. — Colorado could be playing for its coach's job on Friday against Nebraska, just like the Cornhuskers were in 2007 during their last visit to Boulder.
The Buffaloes go into the game 3-8 and will post their fourth straight losing record under Dan Hawkins. In 2007, Nebraska fired Bill Callahan the day after a 65-51 loss at Colorado ended a 5-7 season.
Center Jacob Hickman said he remembers the turmoil well. He said there's probably a split between players who like Hawkins and those who don't. Hickman says no matter how the players feel about their coach, it'll be an emotional game for them.
Hickman said CU played tough in a 31-28 loss at Oklahoma State last week and that he expects nothing less than the Buffs' best effort Friday.
Colorado coach second guesses recruiting son
BOULDER, Colo. — University of Colorado coach Dan Hawkins says in hindsight he would not have recruited his son Cody to play quarterback for him.
Dan Hawkins, speaking at his weekly news conference Monday, said bringing in his son in his first recruiting class in 2006 was not fair to Cody.
"Here's a guy who's trying to do his best to win games and help his team and does everything right and is a good student and he's getting killed on Facebook and getting killed on his cell phone," Hawkins said.
Hawkins said Cody has taken unfair criticism for the Buffaloes' 3-8 record heading into Friday's season finale against Nebraska amid speculation the coach might be on his way out.
Cody Hawkins, a junior, started Colorado's first five games before being benched in favor of sophomore Tyler Hansen in the third quarter the Buffaloes' 38-14 loss at Texas on Oct. 10.
"When we took him out of the Texas game people were going, 'I bet that hurt because you had to bench your kid,'" Dan Hawkins said. "What it hurt to me was you're basically telling the whole world it's one guy's fault. And it's not. It's not one guy's fault, but that's kind of the implication."
Cody has thrown for 1,277 yards, 10 touchdowns and 11 interceptions this season.
Hawkins was hired in December 2005 and signed his son in early 2006. Cody redshirted before taking over as the starting quarterback in 2007.
Hawkins said his own optimism and interest in Cody around the country were factors in the decision to offer him a scholarship.
"I'm looking around the country and I got a lot of these quarterback gurus going, 'Hawk why not walk down the hallway and knock on your kid's door and beg him to come to school there?'" Hawkins said. "I'm looking what's the best possible scenario, I'm looking at a kid that's a good player, that other people have offered (scholarships to), that other people want and he's going to come to our place. I know what kind of kid he is and what kind of player he is and how bad we need a quarterback in this class. So it was probably selfish on my part."
Cody's best year was his freshman season when he threw for 2,693 yards and 19 touchdowns and led the Buffaloes to an upset of then-No. 3 Oklahoma and a berth in the Independence Bowl.
Colorado is 8-15 over the past two seasons.
Hawkins said the Buffaloes' youth and inexperience is a major factor in their struggles the past two seasons.
"You look at Cody when he was a freshman and look at the guys he had around him, look at the experience he had around him," Hawkins said. "There were several of those linemen that played in the National Football League. He had his best year when he was a freshman. You can say what you want about the guy but he did beat Oklahoma and he did beat Nebraska in the same year. The guy's a good player and he's a great kid."
In three years at Colorado, Cody Hawkins has climbed up the school's career passing list. He is first in touchdown passes with 46 and third in passing yards with 5,862. But as the team struggled this year, the coaching staff turned to Hansen.
Although he's no longer the team's starting quarterback, Cody Hawkins retains the respect of his teammates, wide receiver Scotty McKnight said.
"Cody's handled it great. If you know Cody, he's a positive kid, he stayed positive throughout the whole thing," McKnight said. "That's a testament to him. Even with Tyler going in Cody's still remained the leader on this team, which is tough for some guys. A lot of guys would go in the tank and be upset. He stayed up."
Dan Hawkins is 16-32 at Colorado, where he's had four straight losing seasons. If he's fired, he would be due more than $3 million from the school.
Pinkel expects Washington to play against Kansas
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Missouri coach Gary Pinkel says he's "very confident" that leading rusher Derrick Washington will play this week in the Tigers' regular-season finale against Kansas.
Washington has been cleared to practice by Missouri's training staff after suffering a mild concussion in the second quarter of Saturday's 34-24 win over Iowa State. The junior tailback said Monday he doesn't remember anything about how he was hurt.
Missouri (7-4, 3-4 Big 12) plays Kansas (5-6, 1-6) on Saturday afternoon at Kansas City's Arrowhead Stadium.
Washington has made 25 straight starts for the Tigers. In 11 games this year he's rushed for 692 yards and eight touchdowns on 164 carries.
Ex-Missouri player arrested after Columbia fight
COLUMBIA, Mo. — A former Missouri wide receiver working as a volunteer practice coach has been arrested after a weekend fight outside a downtown Columbia nightclub.
Columbia police say 23-year-old Tommy Saunders was arrested for allegedly punching a man once in the face outside Tonic about 1:30 a.m. Saturday. Saunders was released on $4,500 bond.
No charges had been filed as of Monday.
Police say the unidentified male victim was treated at University Hospital and suffered a concussion, chipped tooth and broken facial bones.
Saunders graduated in 2008 and spent his senior year as a captain. A Missouri athletics spokesman did not respond to an Associated Press request to clarify Saunders' coaching status.
