Texas and Big 12 Football Capsules: Record, title, turmoil in Kansas vs. No. 3 Texas

AUSTIN — When Colt McCoy started his first game at Texas in 2006, the second pass of his career was a sign of things to come: a 60-yard touchdown in a rout of North Texas.

He still calls it one of his fondest memories at Royal-Memorial Stadium.

On Saturday night, McCoy will trot onto the home-field turf for the last time with a chance to grab a record of a lifetime.

If the third-ranked Longhorns beat a Kansas team mired in a losing streak and a school investigation of coach Mark Mangino, McCoy will set the NCAA record for career victories by a starting quarterback with 43.

And he will get his first Big 12 South championship.

Over his four seasons as a starter, McCoy has built a resume that ranks among the best in college history in terms of wins, school records and name recognition — a Texas QB named Colt is pretty catchy.

McCoy credits some of that success to being in the right place at the right time.

"It’s rare for somebody to have the opportunity to play four years at a program that has the ability to win 10 or 11 games each year," McCoy said. "This has been an awesome four years. We have a lot of goals still in front of us."

What McCoy is missing is a championship. Texas hasn’t won a Big 12 or even a division title since the national championship season of 2005 when Vince Young was leading the Longhorns. A win over Kansas clinches a berth in the Big 12 title game at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington on Dec. 5.

If the Longhorns (10-0, 6-0 Big 12) remain undefeated, they’ll likely earn a shot at the Bowl Championship Series title game in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 7.

"It just feels good to get the program back in the direction of how it used to be when VY was here," safety Earl Thomas said. "We’re just trying to get this win and see what happens after that."

While Texas is aiming for records and titles, Kansas (5-5, 1-5) seems on the verge of imploding.

The Jayhawks have lost five in a row and the university confirmed this week that Mangino is being investigated on allegations of verbal and emotional abuse of his players. Mangino was the 2007 coach of the year.

Mangino defended himself Thursday night on his weekly radio program, saying there were "people who are embarrassing this program just for their 15 minutes of fame." He also said some allegations are just wrong.

Mangino said he has not lost the support of his current players.

"I may have lost some people around here but it’s not players," Mangino said.

Kansas senior quarterback Todd Reesing said Jayhawks players are trying to focus on the game, not the losing streak or the allegations about their coach.

"There’s no turmoil within the team. No one’s pointing fingers as anybody. All we can do is keep fighting," Reesing said. "We’ve played hard for each other and you can never say anything against that."

The trip to Austin was supposed to be a special one for Reesing, who grew up and played high school football in the area. He was one of the top high school players in Texas when he signed with Kansas.

He dreamed of playing for the Longhorns, but they didn’t offer a scholarship.

"All I want to do is spend the last (two weeks) that I have guaranteed as a football player at this university to be fun and to be enjoyed with my teammates and coaches," Reesing said.

Aggies look for bowl eligibility — again

COLLEGE STATION — Two weeks ago, the Texas A&M Aggies spoke confidently about achieving bowl eligibility and finishing the season strong.

Back-to-back losses have turned optimism into pressure, and A&M (5-5, 2-4 Big 12) has two chances left to earn that elusive sixth win, starting with Saturday’s game against Baylor (4-6, 1-5).

If the Aggies lose to the Bears — who whipped them 41-21 in Waco last year — then they’ll have to upset No. 3 Texas on Thanksgiving to avoid a third losing season since 2005.

"We feel a sense of urgency, just for the fact that the season’s ending," junior quarterback Jerrod Johnson said. "We have two more games left and we want to win those games. It’s kind of getting down to the last. Of course, the bowl eligibility thing is still on our minds, but we just want to win every game we play."

Baylor has dropped five of six games since a 3-1 start, but will still have a shot at a bowl game with wins against A&M and then Texas Tech on Nov. 28. The Bears say the possibility of a bowl adds helpful incentive this week.

"It’s huge, every game still matters," freshman quarterback Nick Florence said. "Last year in this situation, we weren’t going to a bowl game, we were just playing for pride. But this year it’s more than that, so we’re going to practice hard and play for each other. We’re going to leave it all on that field and so are they. They’re in the same boat."

Both teams are trying to bounce back after humiliating setbacks last week.

The Bears gave away four turnovers — three of them interceptions thrown by Florence — in a 47-14 loss to Texas. Baylor also mustered only 6 yards rushing against the nation’s top-ranked defense.

"With a team like that, we have to play extremely well, pretty error-free and win the three majors: field position, turnovers and momentum," coach Art Briles said. "I think the outcome shows that we did not do that."

The Aggies, meanwhile, lost three fumbles in the first half of a 65-10 rout at Oklahoma. The most distressing aspect for A&M coach Mike Sherman was that his team fumbled five times in the game on punt or kick returns.

"We definitely will put extra emphasis, more than we already have, on that part of the game," Sherman said. "That is very important."

As long as both offenses can keep the ball, Saturday’s game sets up as a shootout because the defenses are so bad.

Baylor ranks last in the Big 12 in stopping the run (167 yards per game), while A&M has the league’s worst overall defense in both yards (428.2) and points (34) allowed per game.

The Aggies feel fortunate that they won’t have to face quick-footed quarterback Robert Griffin, who accounted for 297 yards and threw two touchdown passes in last year’s Baylor victory. Griffin suffered a knee injury in the Bears’ third game this year, forcing the freshman Florence into the starting role.

But Florence threw for a school record 427 yards in the Bears’ 40-32 win over Missouri on Nov. 7, and the Aggies rank last in the Big 12 in pass defense, giving up 263 yards per game.

A&M defensive coordinator Joe Kines is concerned not only about Florence, but that the Aggies’ defense seems to have stopped improving.

"A couple of weeks ago, I was really pleased with how we were getting better," Kines said. "Individually, we’ve got some guys still doing that. But this isn’t an individual sport. Collectively, we’ve got to all keep moving forward."

A&M’s offense, meanwhile, still ranks eighth nationally after its worst game of the season. Johnson completed only 12 of 33 passes for 115 yards in Norman, and the Aggies mustered a season-low 226 yards.

Johnson is only 70 passing yards shy of setting a single-season school record. He already has 22 TD passes this year, breaking his school record from last season.

The milestones all can wait — Johnson just wants one more victory.

"We realize we’re at the end of the season, we’ve got two games left," Johnson said. "Give it everything you have, try to bottle up as much energy as we can, and put it to the next two weeks. You can’t hold anything back. We should be playing our best football right now."

-- Chris Duncan

Texas Tech needs win to become bowl eligible

LUBBOCK — Mike Leach wants his Texas Tech team to leave behind last year’s loss at Oklahoma when the Red Raiders play the Sooners on Saturday.

The 65-21 rout last November ended Tech’ unbeaten season and eliminated their chance of playing for the national title. The win kept the Sooners ahead of Texas in the BCS standings and sent OU to play for the national championship against Florida.

This year, Texas Tech needs a win to become bowl eligible for a 16th straight season (a win over FCS team North Dakota does not count). And Oklahoma, unranked last week for the first time since 2005, in looking to improve its bowl position.

Leach says he’s put the 2008 loss to his former boss, OU coach Bob Stoops, in the past.

"Any reflection on that is a complete waste of time," said Leach, who was Stoops’ offensive coordinator in 1999. "Nothing from that game impacts this game. There’s not one play that we made or they made that affects this game."

The memory of the raucous OU crowd hasn’t faded much for players on both teams.

In fact, Red Raiders linebacker Bront Bird is looking to Saturday’s game to erase it.

"That was embarrassing and probably the most embarrassing loss I have ever been a part of, and I am sure the rest of the team feels the same way," he said. "Getting a win this week would get that out of our memories and get that sour taste out of our mouths."

Oklahoma (6-4, 4-2 Big 12) fed off its fans’ frenzy as the Sooners built an insurmountable lead by halftime.

"Last year’s game was one of the greatest atmospheres I’ve ever played in," said junior running back DeMarco Murray, who averages 65.8 yards per game. "I’m sure their fans are going to be going crazy for them and making it as loud as it can be come Saturday."

The Sooners bounced back last week with a 65-10 win over Texas A&M, which beat Texas Tech 52-30 in Lubbock last month. The Red Raiders are coming off a 24-17 loss at Oklahoma State, a game in which Leach swapped quarterbacks twice.

Taylor Potts, who leads the Big 12 in passing yards per game (301), started against the Cowboys and probably will again on Saturday. Against Oklahoma State, Potts was replaced for about two quarters by backup Steven Sheffield, who remains hobbled with a bad foot.

Leach has said he juggled the QBs because he grew "tired of flat spots," but not just from Potts and Sheffield. He also took aim at receivers and offensive lineman.

"Right now, we are a team that is explosive, but we’re not real consistent," Leach said. "We’re preparing to do the best we can and see where it takes us."

The Red Raiders (6-4, 3-3) will face a "basic sound defense," Leach said. The Sooners pass defense is ranked 18th in the nation (178 yards per game) and will go against Texas Tech’s No. 2 passing offense in the nation, (391 yards).

"They go out there with great fundamentals and energy," Leach said. "I think they do that as good as anybody."

One of the lineman likely to cause Tech’s offense some difficulty is Gerald McCoy, a 6-foot-4, 297-pound junior who ranks fourth in the Big 12 and 15th nationally in tackles for loss (13.5 for 55 yards).

Stoops, whose Sooners’ team is 7-2 against Leach, said the Red Raiders are always tough.

"It’s always challenging playing Mike’s teams," Stoops said. "Mike’s offense at Tech is very unique. Everyone has their different ways they want to move the ball, but (his) is a definite different way than most spreads."

-- Betsy Blaney

TCU not wanting to repeat past in Wyoming

FORT WORTH — The last time TCU played at Wyoming, the Horned Frogs lost. The last time they were 10-0, they lost.

Be assured that coach Gary Patterson has reminded his team of that 2007 trip to Laramie, Wyo., where the fourth-ranked Horned Frogs play on Saturday. And the 2003 season when they won their first 10 games before losing at Southern Miss and even 2005, when after winning at Oklahoma to start the season they lost at SMU.

"We were quickly reminded," defensive tackle Cory Grant said.

But this season is already much different. TCU has reached unprecedented heights while showing no signs of faltering.

The Frogs (6-0 Mountain West) are fourth in the Bowl Championship Series standings, higher than any team from a conference without an automatic bid has ever been this late in a season. Win their last two games and they likely play in one of the big-money bowl BCS games, and maybe even have a chance to be the first outsider to play for the national title.

They are coming off a 55-28 victory over Utah, when they built a 35-7 lead before a record home crowd of more than 50,000 against last season’s BCS buster. And there was an earlier 31-point victory at BYU, the other perennial Top 25 team from the Mountain West.

Patterson is still cautious and reminding his team that they have to go on the road and "take the game." Yet he also realizes how close the Frogs are to accomplishing something special.

"We’ve been at this point in time," Patterson said. "I don’t see why this football team would have a letdown."

Especially since the Frogs are heavy favorites in their last two games, at Wyoming (5-5, 3-3 MWC) where they can clinch at least a share of the Mountain West title, then the home finale the following Saturday against winless New Mexico.

"The thing that makes them so tough is they have no weakness," Wyoming coach Dave Christensen said. "They have no spot on the field you would consider a weakness. ... They’re a complete team."

TCU is fourth nationally in total defense (245 yards per game) and total offense (468 yards), the only team that even ranks top 15 in both categories. The Frogs have scored more than 50 points in consecutive games for the first time in school history and had at least 500 total yards the last three — and they gave up only 53 total points the last five games.

"We are very confident in what we have as far as this football team, what we’ve established thus far," Grant said. "I believe if we keep on all the cylinders we are right now, we should do what we have to do and win the next two games and get to the place we want to go."

The Frogs’ last undefeated regular season was 1938, when Heisman Trophy-winner quarterback Davey O’Brien led TCU to their only national championship.

Still, Patterson’s cautious nature will point out that the Frogs lost 24-21 their last trip to Wyoming. What he will fail to mention is that they beat the Cowboys 54-7 at home last season.

He might note that third-ranked Texas, which went to Wyoming as a nearly five-touchdown favorite in September, trailed late in the second quarter and led only 13-10 at halftime. The rest of that story: Texas won 41-10.

But ask Patterson about his 2003 team that was 10-0 before losing 40-28 at Southern Miss, ending its hope of making the BCS or even winning the Conference USA title that year, he provides a stark and telling comparison that shows his confidence.

"We’re a lot better team," Patterson said. "We were running of gas when we went to Southern Miss."

Wyoming needed a 24-point rally in fourth quarter last weekend to win 30-27 at San Diego State, where TCU won 55-12 a week earlier. The Cowboys were outscored 110-16 their previous 15 quarters — including two shutout losses — before that outburst.

Regardless, Patterson wants his team to approach Wyoming the same way they did Utah, BYU and everybody else.

"We’ve got quite a task at hand this week, just because of playing a team that also has a chance to be bowl eligible. So for us, we just need to keep minding our own business," Patterson said. "Playing at home (to end the regular season), if you could get by this ball game, then I think you can start letting your mind think a little bit more."

-- Stephen Hawkins

Cougars prepare for struggling Memphis

HOUSTON — Through the big wins and high rankings of this season, the Houston Cougars remained focused on a goal of winning the West division of Conference USA.

After their latest surprising loss, a 37-32 defeat by Central Florida, that goal is in serious jeopardy and reaching it is no longer strictly up to them. No. 24 Houston is in second place in the C-USA West with two games remaining, starting with Saturday’s contest against Memphis.

The Cougars (8-2, 4-2 CUSA) will have to win Saturday and next week against Rice to have a chance to play in the conference title game. They would still need division leader SMU to lose at least one of its last two games.

"There’s still a lot of football to play and who knows what’s going to happen," Houston coach Kevin Sumlin said. "We can’t be concerned with speculating or worrying about what other people do. We have to worry about the games that we play and winning those games, then we’ll see what happens."

Quarterback Case Keenum echoed Sumlin’s sentiments and said his job is to keep the team focused this week.

"If you get worried about who is playing who and who has to win then you get thinking about things that aren’t important," he said. "It all doesn’t matter if we don’t go out and win Saturday."

Next up is a Memphis team that is simply trying to get through a difficult season that has already led to the dismissal of coach Tommy West. He was fired Nov. 9 but agreed to finish the season. The school said it wanted to go in a different direction after the season and West said Memphis (1-5, 2-8) needs to dedicate more money to the football program or shut it down.

This week, West is burdened with finding a way to slow down Keenum and the Cougars’ prolific passing game with an injury-depleted secondary. Keenum leads the nation with 419.4 yards passing a game and Memphis is allowing 255 yards passing a game, 105th in the country.

"They are as good of an offensive team as I have seen in the nine years I have been in the league," West said. "We’ll have to put together a good plan to give our guys a chance to compete. This isn’t a very good matchup for us being the way we are in the secondary right now and with them being a passing team."

The Tigers lost safety Akeem Davis to a season-ending knee injury early in the season and will likely be without fellow safety Marcus Ball because of a foot injury. Ball leads the team with two interceptions.

"I never figured out how to cover people without secondary people," West said. "We have worked some miracles through the years. I told our players how good (the Cougars) are. But ... to have a chance we have to try to limit their big plays."

West hopes to control the Cougars passing game by making running easier for the team.

"We have to invite them to do some things and take them away," West said. "I have never been in a game where I’ve invited a team to run the ball, but this may be it. We will get the defense playing. We will see what we can do. It’s a heck of a challenge, I will say that."

Despite its problems, Sumlin knows they can’t overlook Memphis.

"All of our focus right now is on Memphis and what we need to do to win this game," he said. "When I look at Memphis, I see a big, talented athletic team. There’s been a lot of controversy this year particularly with Tommy (West) being let go. He has a tremendous amount of pride and so does that program."

Keenum is looking forward to playing at home after two tough weeks on the road. The Cougars stay at home next week to finish the regular season against crosstown rival Rice.

"It’s always nice coming home after an away stretch and have some people cheering for you instead of people booing and heckling you — that’s never fun," he said. "I do enjoy playing at home."

-- Kristie Rieken

Nebraska, K-State to play for Big 12 North title

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The North Division representative in the Big 12 championship game will be decided in a back-to-the-future matchup Saturday night.

Nebraska (7-3, 4-2 Big 12) and Kansas State (6-5, 4-3) will play their most meaningful game against each other in a decade, since their days as the dominant teams in the division.

For Bill Snyder, a win and a berth in the Dec. 5 title game in Arlington, Texas, would rival any of his many accomplishments in his first run as the Wildcats’ coach. Snyder, 70, came back after three years in retirement to revive a program picked last in the North after being left in a shambles by Ron Prince.

Bo Pelini, Nebraska’s second-year coach, won nine games in 2008 and a share of first in the North but lost the tiebreaker to Missouri. For him, a victory over the Wildcats and an outright division title would mark another milestone in his effort to return the Cornhuskers to national relevance after they slid to mediocrity under Bill Callahan.

"All we’ve done right now is put ourselves in a position to have this opportunity," Pelini said. "Being in this position won’t do us any good if we go out there and lay an egg on Saturday. I still believe we have not played our best football yet across the board. I think there is still so much out there for our football team."

Kansas State faces an all-or-nothing situation. If the Wildcats lose, they won’t be invited to a bowl because they’re allowed to count only one of their two wins over Football Championship Subdivision opponents toward the required six-win threshold.

Snyder, who led the Wildcats to four division titles and the 2003 conference championship, has no clue whether his experience in big games will rub off on his players. Twelve of them are first-year starters, and six of those are in their first year in the program.

"Well, it’s like being a parent," Snyder said. "You think you have all the experience, and you try to share what you think might be the right way for young people, your children, but they don’t always want to listen. You would like to think there would be some things we could share with our players and they could respond to it appropriately, but they’re still 18 years old and it remains to be seen."

The Wildcats looked overmatched in last week’s 38-12 loss to Missouri at home. K-State failed to score a touchdown for the first time this season, and it had no answer for Danario Alexander, who caught 10 passes for 200 yards and three touchdowns.

K-State quarterback Grant Gregory said the game against Nebraska is like a second chance because the Wildcats can still win the division.

"I know there’s a sense of urgency," he said. "This is it."

Nebraska has rebounded from back-to-back home losses to Texas Tech and Iowa State to win three straight.

A defense that ranks among the nation’s best has carried Nebraska through the season. Lombardi Award finalist Ndamukong Suh and his defensive mates will go against the Big 12’s leading rusher in Daniel Thomas, who’s averaging 106 yards a game.

The Huskers’ offense has overcome uncertainty at quarterback and has begun to show signs of life after moving away from the spread to more power-I. They mustered a total of just four touchdowns in four games, then scored three in last week’s 31-17 win at Kansas.

"If you told us at the beginning of the season that we would be in this situation, I think we would be pretty happy," quarterback Zac Lee said. "Who cares how we got here? We’re here, let’s focus, let’s really take advantage of it."

-- Eric Olson

Sophomore QB getting seasoned for senior day

COLUMBIA, Mo. — Blaine Gabbert is coming off one of his best games, even if he occasionally threw to the wrong guy. That’s a good sign for Missouri heading into the finale of what has been a most disappointing home schedule.

Gabbert threw three touchdown passes to Danario Alexander, his best in Big 12 play, in a 38-12 victory at Kansas State last week. He didn’t see a wide-open Jared Perry on one of them, forcing Alexander to beat double coverage, and the sophomore knew when he walked off the field he’d made a big play off an inaccurate read.

"He said ‘Perry was wide open, wasn’t he?"’ offensive coordinator Dave Yost said. "I said ‘Yep.’ It’s happening less and less. When we’re sitting there next year going through video, you’ll have a point of reference."

Missouri (6-4, 2-4 Big 12) has lost three in a row at home entering Saturday’s game against Iowa State (6-5, 3-4), costing the Tigers a shot at a third straight North title and leaving them angling for bowl position on senior day. They collapsed in the second half in two of the losses, to Nebraska and Baylor, but played a complete game while pulling away at Kansas State.

Coach Gary Pinkel constantly reminded players in practice this week that they’ve yet to play two straight quality games. He’s leaned on all the motivational tricks in the book to inspire a team rebuilding after the departure of several stars, and joked he’s got 6,000 books on the subject.

"I’ve got it all, it’s all there, and you kind of choose the best things," Pinkel said. "You keep persevering. Every year presents different issues and sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t."

Players don’t need reminders, aware of the opportunities they’ve let slip away.

"You kind of sense the urgency," senior linebacker Sean Weatherspoon said. "This week is really big."

Both Missouri and Iowa State became bowl eligible last week, the Tigers for the fifth straight year and the Cyclones for the first time since 2005 under new head Paul Rhoads after holding off Colorado 17-10.

Iowa State is one of the most improved teams in the country after going 2-10 last season, and has been especially stout on defense. For the first time since 1965, the Cyclones have held three conference opponents to 10 or fewer points.

"Now we’ve put the program a little bit more on the national map," Rhoads said. "It helps people’s perception of you, it begins to build tradition, and hopefully all the things we can follow up with."

Colorado had three trips inside the Iowa State 10 last week and totaled three points. The Cyclones also forced three turnovers in the second half and despite allowing 390 total yards held the Buffaloes to 2 for 14 on third down.

"We don’t intimidate or scare anybody," Rhoads said. "But we’ve done a great job of keeping points off the board."

Iowa State has a dual threat in quarterback Austen Arnaud, who has passed for 1,550 yards and 12 touchdowns and rushed for 479 yards and seven touchdowns. He’s gotten top-notch protection from a line that has allowed 11 sacks, second-best in the conference.

Although the program is down a bit, Missouri has some individual standout seasons from Alexander and defensive end Aldon Smith, a redshirt freshman.

Smith needs one sack to tie the school’s season record of 11. Alexander has had consecutive 200-yard games, totaling 414 yards and four scores, and is closing in on school single-season records for yards receiving, receptions and touchdowns set by Jeremy Maclin last season.

Alexander is among the top wide receivers in the country and has been Big 12 player of the week twice his senior season, overcoming injuries that dogged his first three seasons.

"He’s an impact player," Pinkel said. "He’s not a one-man band, but certainly it’s been nice for him and for me to see him be successful."

Perry, the Tigers’ second-leading receiver, will miss at least the last two regular-season games with a hairline fracture in his right leg. The school is hopeful Perry could return in time for a bowl game.

-- R.B. Fallstrom

Weeden becomes No. 2 QB for Oklahoma State

STILLWATER, Okla. — With his background as a former pitching prospect for the New York Yankees, No. 12 Oklahoma State had no doubt in Brandon Weeden’s right arm.

What knocked him down to No. 3 the depth chart was something less tangible.

Instead of Weeden, it was junior Alex Cate who got the call when starting quarterback Zac Robinson was unable to play Thursday night against Colorado due to a shoulder injury and lingering effects from a blow to the head.

Weeden, however, came on in the second half and saved the day, throwing two touchdown passes as OSU rallied from 11 points down to win 31-28.

Cowboys coach Mike Gundy defended his decision to go with Cate, based on what he’d seen from the two backups in practice.

"(Weeden) doesn’t practice poorly, but he almost looks like he gets somewhat bored at practice," Gundy told reporters Friday.

Cate was 0 for 9 with an interception in the first half before being replaced by Weeden, a 26-year-old who was taken by the Yankees in the second round of the 2002 baseball draft.

"I know there will be some talk about Alex Cate not playing real well, and he really didn’t play that well, and he understands that," Gundy said. "He’s very much a part of this team and he’s worked very hard, and he deserved the right to have an opportunity to play.

"I know that question was going to come at me of why we started him because he’s been in this program a number of years and we felt like he was the one that was next in line. That’s the decision we went with, and that falls on me as the head coach."

Gundy said he expects Robinson to be able to play in the Bedlam rivalry game Nov. 28 at Oklahoma — a game that could earn the Cowboys (9-2, 6-1 Big 12) an at-large BCS bid — but he gave the same prognosis for this week’s game. If Robinson can’t play again, Gundy said Friday that Weeden had "earned the No. 2 spot" and would get additional practice time ahead of Cate.

With the game on the line, Weeden showed an ability to be a playmaker and not just hand the ball off. He led two go-ahead scoring drives in the fourth quarter, punctuating the second by scrambling and turning a broken play into a 28-yard touchdown pass.

"He’s got a great arm and puts some balls in the air that probably he’s the only guy on this team that could throw a couple of those balls," offensive coordinator Gunter Brewer said. "They don’t get head high and they travel 40 or 50 yards. He’s blessed with that, and that’s probably why he was in pro baseball."

Justin Blackmon, who caught the decisive pass, said he expected Weeden to tuck the ball and run instead of launching it into the back, right corner of the end zone.

"That’s something you just don’t see out of any typical quarterback," cornerback Perrish Cox said. "Probably any other quarterback probably would have threw it away."

What Gundy wants to see is a new level of focus from Weeden, including a commitment to practicing and studying to better prepare for games.

"The good ones that play at this level and beyond are into it every single day and every step in practice and every read and every call they make," Gundy said.

Weeden, who had to give up pitching because of shoulder issues, admitted his shortcomings after leading the comeback.

"I’m not a practice player. I’m more of a game-type player. It’s just more fun," Weeden said. "You get out there and it just happens so fast. You just try to stay in the flow with everything."

Gundy hopes that will change after Weeden’s first chance to take significant snaps since he quit baseball and enrolled at Oklahoma State prior to the 2007 season.

"He’s been around here two years and hasn’t had a chance to play, so you would think that if he got a taste of it, it would make him want more," Gundy said.

Even if his practice habits haven’t been the best, Weeden has proven he can make the plays when the lights are on. That could make him the front-runner to start next season after Robinson’s college career is over.

"I really don’t know much, but they tell us that he really didn’t know the playbook like the other players do," Cox said. "But he’s got the total package: The size, he can read defenses and especially the main thing — he can throw the ball."

-- Jeff Latzke