Texas and Big 12 College Football Capsules: A&M QB Johnson learns a few lessons as teacher

COLLEGE STATION (AP) — Jerrod Johnson is always looking for ways to become a better football player and sometimes that happens in unusual places.

The star quarterback from Texas A&M spent last spring student-teaching elementary and high school kids, and football wasn’t necessarily the first thing on his mind. Now that he’s back with his teammates, he’s found that the skills he used in the classroom have helped improve how he deals with things on the field.

"The biggest thing for me was understanding that people have different strengths and weaknesses," Johnson said. "Kids have different strengths and weaknesses, and whether it’s in the classroom or on the field, every guy has their strength and you try to use their strengths and try to build up those weaknesses. It’s kind of parallel in that sense."

Johnson’s mother is a teacher and his late father was a longtime coach, teacher and high school principal. He believes the lessons he took from them along with what he has learned while following in their footsteps has shaped the way he sees the world.

"I think it has," said Johnson, who already has his undergraduate degree and is certified to teach. "I think all my experiences, whether it be working at camps, student teaching, I think all the things I’ve been fortunate enough to do have molded me as a person. I think all of that does help a little bit on the field."

Johnson is hoping to get the best out of himself and his teammates as the Aggies try become one of the Big 12’s elite in his last year in College Station. They’ll get the first chance Sept. 4 in their opener against Stephen F. Austin.

The 6-foot-5, 245-pound quarterback led the league in total offense last season with more than 314 yards a game. He threw for 30 touchdowns and 3,579 yards and ran for 506 yards and eight more scores.

But those gaudy numbers didn’t equate to many wins with the Aggies finishing a disappointing 6-7.

"As I told him, his legacy is somewhat like mine, the stats and all that stuff don’t mean a whole lot," Texas A&M coach Mike Sherman said. "The only one that really matters is whether you win or you lose. That’s how they’re going to remember him. No matter how many touchdown passes or how many records he breaks, his legacy will be on whether he won or lost."

Texas A&M coaches don’t like the games last season where Johnson had great statistics, but the team lost. One example that stands out is a 49-39 defeat by Texas where he threw for 342 yards and four touchdowns and ran for 97 more yards.

"The (No. 1) thing is that he do everything he can to win games and not win anything else but games," quarterbacks coach Tom Rossley said. "Our bottom line every game is to come out with a ‘W’ and if it means he throws three passes and completes all three or if he throws 40 passes and completes 39, whatever he has to do to win is more important than anything else."

Johnson is proud of the numbers he put up last season and of the honor of being picked by the media as the preseason Big 12 offensive player of the year. Still, his only goal this season is helping the Aggies be better than they were last year and build a foundation for success in the future.

"That’s one thing that I feel like I do have a little bit of control over," he said. "I’m just trying to work my hardest and prepare myself for us to win as many games as possible. I think with all these young guys and the talent we have, I think if we set a good example for them, they can take that and roll with it ... and just kind of put A&M back where it needs to be."

Sherman marvels at how Johnson has grown into his role as team leader.

"His teammates have a lot of respect for him," the coach said. "He doesn’t mind calling people up and calling them when things aren’t right. He holds people accountable and I think in order to be a great leader you have to really hold yourself accountable first and foremost which he does."

Johnson decided this summer that he needed to improve his skills and found a willing tutor in former Aggie quarterback Kevin Murray, who played for Texas A&M in the 1980s and is now a high school football coach in the Dallas area.

"You can never be too fundamentally sound," Johnson said. "It’s still a work in progress. I’m just holding the ball a little higher and trying to have the urgency of getting it out of my hand and just trying to deliver it as quick as I can."

He believes the work he put in with Murray and in the grueling two-a-day practices of August will pay off when the season begins and the pressure mounts.

"You try to put yourself in as many situations as you can and you just try to prepare for the moment," he said. "You try to get as many triggers for yourself so that you know that when they do this coverage or when that moment comes when you’re tired and it’s on national television that you can just react. So it’s all about preparation."

SMU extends June Jones’ contract two years to 2014

DALLAS (AP) — SMU coach June Jones has signed a two-year contract extension that would keep him at the school through the 2014 season.

After going 1-11 in his first season, SMU improved to 8-5 last year and went to the Hawaii Bowl to end a 25-year bowl drought. The Mustangs' seven-win improvement was the largest for any team in Division I college football last season.

The extension announced Friday was agreed on by Jones and athletic director Steve Orsini before the final regular-season game last year, even before the Mustangs received a bowl bid.

"Coach Jones has brought a winning culture to our football program, and under his leadership, I know he will soon exceed my goal for the football program here at SMU, and that is to be a perennial Top 25 team," Orsini said. "He has more than earned this extension."

Before taking the job, Jones was 76-41 in nine seasons while taking Hawaii from a national embarrassment to a BCS bowl game. The Warriors were coming off an 0-11 season when Jones got there, but his final game was the Sugar Bowl after a 12-0 regular season in 2007.

Jones initially signed a five-year contract with SMU. The two-year extension pushes his current deal back to five years.

"I'm very excited about the direction of the program and the university, and I'm happy to sign this extension," Jones said. "I want to thank Steve and President (Gerald) Turner for this and for their help and cooperation in rebuilding our program. Their support and the support of the SMU community will allow us to be successful for years to come."

SMU had not been to a bowl game since the Aloha Bowl in 1984, prior to the so-called "death penalty" from the NCAA for rampant violations that included paying players. The program was not allowed to field a team for the 1987 and '88 seasons.

After it restarted in 1989, there had been only one winning season before last year.

SMU returns six offensive and seven defensive starters this season. The Mustangs open Sept. 5 at Texas Tech in a nationally televised game.

Big 12

Receiver still chasing dream after broken back

EDMOND, Okla. (AP) — As Artrell Woods lay motionless on Oklahoma State’s weight room floor, Hubert Anyiam looked on in shock.

A freshman, Anyiam was just getting acquainted with the Cowboys’ conditioning program when he witnessed an accident that would make anyone cringe. His teammate, Woods, had just completed a step-up drill when he went to return his 185-pound barbell and slipped.

The weight came crashing down on top of Woods, who knew something wasn’t right with his spine.

As Anyiam looked on, he and his teammates could only wonder, "Is he going to get up?"

That was three years ago. The spinal cord injury left him partially paralyzed, but a determined Woods is back on the path toward becoming a top-notch receiver again. Now at Central Oklahoma, a Division II school in suburban Oklahoma City, Woods could make his debut as early as Saturday night when the Bronchos open their season against Pittsburg State.

He has a football dream he refuses to let die.

"That’s one thing I always believed in, just keeping my faith," Woods said. "After what happened with the back situation, I was allowed to walk again, I was allowed to run again. God put it on my heart, so I felt like it’s something I need to do.

"I also owe it to my family because I’m still that one last hope. I feel like the pressure’s on."

Just getting back on the field to catch a pass isn’t enough for Woods. He already did that at Oklahoma State, getting a standing ovation for a 7-yard reception after he’d made his initial recovery following the July 2007 accident.

Now, he’s after something more. He wants to develop far enough that he gets the chance to play after college and improve his family’s way of life back home in Bryan, Texas.

Coach Tracy Holland believed in Woods’ dream enough that he extended a scholarship offer when he heard that the one-time speedster was looking for a new place to play. Woods said he needed a change of scenery instead of walking into the same weight room where his life changed so dramatically.

The time has also given Woods time to grow stronger. He stayed in school but didn’t play through all of 2009, then arrived at Central Oklahoma in January. Then he tore an Achilles’ tendon, another potential hurdle in his recovery.

"Basically, Artrell said, ‘No, that’s not acceptable,"’ Holland said.

Woods has done all he can to speed up his rehab to be ready for the season. Still, Holland is cautious about rushing Woods onto the field and risking a setback for a player he believes can be a difference-maker when he’s healthy again. Even if he doesn’t play Saturday night, Holland said "he will play and I think he will make a significant contribution to this team."

"I know with the drive and the heart that he’s got, he’s going to get it back where he wants it," Holland said.

Back in 2007, Woods had a breakout spring and appeared on his way to being Oklahoma State’s next star receiver when everything changed. He was rushed to the hospital, where doctors determined he had a fracture dislocation of vertebrae and an incomplete spinal cord injury. At first, he was unable to move his legs.

The morning after surgery, Woods surprised everyone when he was able to wiggle his toes. Within weeks, he was up walking again without aid. Just over a year later, he was playing again.

"If he says he’s going to come back and play football and try to get back on the field, then I believe he’s going to be able to make some type of impact to it unless something else backs him down to where he can’t," said Anyiam, now OSU’s top returning receiver.

Anyiam said Woods was part coach, part motivator after returning to the Cowboys — and he still feels a lingering effect today. Compared to what Woods had been through, Anyiam didn’t see his recovery from offseason ankle surgery as being nearly so daunting.

Holland believes Woods’ perseverance will rub off on his Bronchos, too.

"Most players who have gone though what he went through would quit," Holland said.

Woods simply doesn’t see that as an option. He’s long considered football a path to a better life and remembers how it was usually running backs from his hometown that got noticed and were given a chance at the next level.

That’s how it happened for him, too.

When he started playing organized football in seventh grade, Woods was playing cornerback and not very happy about it. He got into an argument with his coach and the team’s running back one day and was challenged: "You come do it then!"

From that moment until he arrived at Oklahoma State, he played running back. He’s determined now to make the most of the opportunities he’s been given.

"I’m going to play as long as I have legs and feet. You’ll see me trying out somewhere, regardless of what happens and wherever it happens," Woods said. "You’ll see me trying to play somewhere."

There’s certainly hope for Woods. Former UCO players Jermelle Cudjo and K.C. Asiodu are currently competing for spots on NFL rosters, and another victim of a weightlifting mishap — Stafon Johnson from Southern Cal — got to play for the Tennessee Titans this preseason before he was injured again.

"I think the kid has a lot of heart, a lot of grit. He’s obviously got talent but injuries prevented him from being as good as he could be," said Gunter Brewer, Woods’ former receivers coach at Oklahoma State. "But he’ll stick with it and he’s still got a lot of talent.

"It just depends on what level you play at, and — who knows? — God may give that back to him."

-- Jeff Latzke

Suspended Missouri RB had been accused of assault

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Missouri running back Derrick Washington was accused of sexual assault by a former tutor in June and could still face criminal charges related to the incident that may be behind his indefinite suspension.

Boone County court records show the woman, a Missouri graduate, obtained a protection order against Washington on June 22. She accused the senior captain and starting tailback of entering her off-campus apartment three days earlier in the middle of the night and sexually assaulting her.

The complaint accuses Washington, 21, of entering her bedroom "unwilling and unprovoked." The Associated Press generally does not identify people alleging they have been sexually assaulted.

"I am pressing criminal charges," she wrote. "I fear physical retaliation."

However, a July hearing was delayed at the woman's request and the case was dropped late last month after both Washington and the alleged victim failed to show up for the rescheduled hearing. A prosecutor is still investigating and Washington's family has hired an attorney.

Missouri coach Gary Pinkel announced Washington's suspension for undisclosed reasons on Thursday. Washington has led the Tigers in rushing yards each of the past two years.

Missouri athletics director Mike Alden told the Columbia Missourian that he has been aware of the accusations against Washington "for a few weeks" but would not confirm that the suspension was connected to the assault claim.

Washington and his attorney, Chris Slusher, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. In a Wednesday night Twitter post, Washington quoted a Biblical passage: "God is my strength and power: and he maketh my way perfect," said Washington, a former high school star in Kansas City.

Quarterback Blaine Gabbert said the Tigers will move on without their top rusher. Sophomore Kendial Lawrence is expected to start when Missouri opens the season against Illinois next weekend in St. Louis.

Should Washington be charged with a crime, his suspension could extend beyond the Sept. 4 game. School policy says that athletes charged with a felony cannot return to the field until the case is resolved.

Washington's suspension is the latest setback in a difficult preseason for Missouri.

Earlier this week, linebacker Will Ebner — the team's third-leading tackler last season and a probable starter before he was slowed by injuries — was arrested by a sheriff's deputy on suspicion of driving while intoxicated. Assistant football coach Bruce Walker was arrested by campus police in early August for possible drunken-driving violations after a bus trip by Missouri coaches and their wives to the Lake of the Ozarks resort community. Neither has been charged with a crime.

On Thursday, senior cornerback Munir Prince was taken to a hospital by ambulance after a collision with a teammate on a punt return. He was listed in intensive care on Thursday night after an initial diagnosis of transient quadriplegia, a temporary loss of sensation and movement in the arms and legs.

-- Alan Scher Zagier

Oklahoma State DE pleads guilty to reduced charge

STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — Oklahoma State defensive end Jamie Blatnick pleaded guilty Friday to an assault and battery charge that was reduced from a felony to a misdemeanor.

Payne County District Attorney Rob Hudson said he filed for the charges to be reduced Friday after being approached by former Oklahoma State offensive lineman Steve Denning, who was struck with a beer bottle by Blatnick at a Stillwater bar on July 31.

Hudson said Denning asked that prosecutors not pursue a felony charge against Blatnick and told a judge the same during a court hearing Friday afternoon. That fact, along with Blatnick agreeing to plead guilty and being a first-time offender, convinced Hudson that reducing the charge was the right thing to do.

Coach Mike Gundy had said Blatnick would not play for the Cowboys as long as he was accused of a felony.

"It would probably be hard to get a felony conviction (from a jury) when the victim doesn't want that," Hudson said.

Blatnick was sentenced to one year of probation and 30 hours of community service to be performed within the next six months. He must also complete an anger resolution class and pay a series of fines in addition to Denning's medical bills.

"I think the punishment fits the crime in this case," Hudson said.

Blatnick started nine games for Oklahoma State last season and is one of only three defensive starters returning from that squad heading into the Sept. 4 season opener against Washington State. Spokesman Kevin Klintworth said he did not expect Gundy to comment on Blatnick's status.

Blatnick has already been punished by being held out of practice and forced to climb a stair-stepping machine along with safety Victor Johnson, who faces misdemeanor charges of driving under the influence of alcohol and marijuana possession from separate arrests this summer. He has pleaded not guilty.

Blatnick was arrested after police were called to a Stillwater bar to find that Denning had been hit in the face with a beer bottle and suffered a broken orbital socket around his eye. Denning started 23 straight games at guard for the Cowboys, finishing his career in 2008.

Blatnick had faced a felony count of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and a misdemeanor count of obstructing an officer before both were dismissed Friday. Denning still faces a misdemeanor charge of obstructing an officer. He has pleaded not guilty.

Hudson said that while the two now characterized it as a fight between friends, he didn't consider dismissing the charges against Blatnick entirely because police had to be called into the situation.

"He's still going to be held accountable by having to plead to a misdemeanor," Hudson said.

-- Jeff Latzke