Texas and Big 12 Football Capsules: Johnson gets start at TB for No. 5 Texas
AUSTIN (AP) — Cody Johnson, a pile-driving touchdown scorer Texas coaches thought would be a short-yardage specialist, is now the starting tailback for the fifth-ranked Longhorns for the season-opening game at Rice.
Considered the third option behind Tre' Newton and Fozzy Whittaker when training camp started, Johnson bulled his way into the starting role by reporting in excellent shape, then dazzling coach Mack Brown in the Longhorns' commitment to a finding a tough, new running game.
"He's quick, he's powerful and our guys don't like tackling him," Brown said Monday.
Johnson, a 5-foot-11, 250-pound junior, started one game and rushed for 335 yards and 12 touchdowns last season as Texas went 13-1 and played for the BCS championship. In his only start against Baylor, he ran for 109 yards and two touchdowns. Newton was Texas' leading rusher last season with 552 yards.
Johnson, who has struggled with conditioning and injuries, had a hamstring problem in spring drills. Brown said he had figured Johnson had settled into being a short-yardage back for his career.
"We said, 'That's OK, it looks like you've decided that's what you want,," Brown said. "You're really good at it and we're going to move on. And all of a sudden, we come back and all I hear is Cody, Cody, Cody. I've heard that for two years. He's worked really hard. I'm pulling for him."
Johnson's bullish running fits Texas' revamped running game that features more straight-ahead runs instead of the misdirection plays the Longhorns used the last few seasons.
"He's come on really strong as of late," left tackle Kyle Hix said. "He's not afraid to run people over."
Brown said Johnson, Newton and Whittaker all will play against Rice.
Texas' two-deep depth chart includes 13 true freshmen from a recruiting class hailed as one of the best in the country. Freshmen Jackson Jeffcoat (end), Ashton Dorsey (tackle) and Reggie Wilson (end) all are expected to shore up depth on the defensive line. Linebacker Jordan Hicks, just the second player out of the state of Ohio to sign with Texas, is listed at No. 2 at weakside linebacker.
Brown shrugged off any concerns that so many freshmen have pushed their way into playing time.
"It shows that we've recruited really well," Brown said.
Texas also named freshman Case McCoy, younger brother to two-time Heisman Trophy finalist Colt McCoy, as the No. 2 quarterback behind Garrett Gilbert. Case McCoy moved ahead of freshman Connor Wood after a good final scrimmage last week.
"He handled the huddle and took care of the ball the best," Brown said.
If McCoy remains the top backup, Texas will plan to redshirt Wood, Brown said.
Big 12 fans target Huskers during last go-round
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Cornhuskers shouldn't expect a fond farewell from fans when they go on the road this fall.
Century-old relationships will end when Nebraska leaves the Big 12 for the Big Ten in 2011, meaning this season's visits to places like Kansas State and Iowa State could be it.
Folks in those old Big Eight haunts already are planning raucous sendoffs.
The message from Iowa State fan Adam Gray: "Don't let the door hit you on the way out."
Kansas State fan Tyler Fike said, "There is some resentment, but I don't think it will come to riots."
That's good to know, but Nebraska coach Bo Pelini wasn't expecting problems anyway.
"You go through the conference, and the fans and institutions in the Big 12 are highly respected," he said. "Very classy programs, very classy fans."
That said, the Huskers should expect to see plenty of rather chilly signs, T-shirts and chants.
Some fans feel as if the Huskers are scoundrels for abandoning longtime conference partners for greener — meaning richer — pastures. Others understand why Nebraska jumped at the chance to increase its revenue, broaden its exposure and enjoy the stability of the tradition-rich Big Ten.
"I'm sure if K-State were in a situation like Nebraska, we would jump on it, too," said Brad Gober, a Kansas State senior majoring in secondary education.
Nebraska dominated series against the likes of Kansas State, Iowa State and Kansas, yet fans of those schools say they'll miss getting to see one of the nation's top programs in their backyards every other season.
"You look at the records, and you would be a fool if you're a Jayhawk fan not to be delighted to get rid of them because we've won only about one out of every six games," said David Lawrence, a KU offensive lineman in the late 1970s who now is a radio commentator on the Jayhawk network. "But it's like losing a friend."
The final installment of the venerable Kansas-Nebraska series will be Nov. 13 in Lincoln. It will mark the 105th straight year the teams have met.
The Huskers also play at home against Missouri, a continuous series since 1922; Colorado, 1948; and Texas, a team they've met only 13 times but a bitter rival of late.
Nebraska's first Big 12 road game is Oct. 7 at Kansas State, a team the Huskers have played 94 times since 1911 and every year since 1923.
Gober said K-Staters were agitated for a few days in June after Nebraska athletic director Tom Osborne announced the school's intent to go to the Big Ten and the future of the Big 12 was in limbo.
Before the Big 12 found a way to stay together, without Nebraska and Pac 10-bound Colorado, there was speculation that K-State, Iowa State and even basketball juggernaut Kansas would be without a BCS conference affiliation.
"It was looking like we were going to be hung out to dry," Gober said. "At first there were a lot of people really, really angry at Tom Osborne. Nebraska was pretty close to destroying the Big 12."
Nebraska goes to Oklahoma State on Oct. 23. The Huskers and Cowboys don't have as lengthy a history, though they met every year from 1960-95. Their annual games ended when the Big 12 assigned them to separate divisions.
Iowa State, which has played the Huskers 104 times since 1896 and every year since 1926, is lying in wait Nov. 6.
It's always a special occasion when the Huskers visit Ames, and it's an even bigger deal this year, said Chris Williams, who runs the website Cyclonefanatic.com.
"Iowa State has had it out for Nebraska for decades," Williams said. "The realignment thing comes up and, right or wrong, Nebraska gets painted as the bad guy, and a lot of fans are upset about that. It's always hot when Nebraska comes to Ames. It's going to be a lot worse this year."
Williams said he expects ISU fans to come up with some creative ways to bid adieu to the Huskers.
"Nebraska fans don't realize what Iowa State fans were going through in June," Williams said. "They were talking about wiping Iowa State off the planet as far as big-time BCS college athletics go. A lot of people think Nebraska and Tom Osborne are the villain here."
Nebraska might catch a break Nov. 20 at Texas A&M. Kyle Field can't get much louder than it always is, and the Huskers and Aggies have only played 13 times.
No matter where the Huskers travel the next nine months, regardless of the sport, they can be sure that hecklers will not let them forget where they've been and where they're going.
"People see it as a last shot to beat Nebraska," said Gray, the Iowa State fan. "Whenever you have a chance to beat Nebraska going out, it's something the fans are going to want."
-- Eric Olson
Notebook: Fewer risks for Big 12 coaches with easy openers
Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops knows all too well the risks of starting a season against another powerhouse team.
Just picture Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Sam Bradford writhing in pain with a shoulder injury in the first half of the Sooners' season-opening loss to BYU last September.
"It's only good if you win and you don't get your quarterback hurt," Stoops said Monday. "It's high risk, and I think fairly low reward. ... You're not really rewarded for it as much as you used to be for playing a tough schedule. Pretty much everybody gets ranked in the column depending on wins and losses."
The seventh-ranked Sooners have a much easier opener this year. They are more than a four-touchdown favorite to beat Utah State at home Saturday.
Every Big 12 team is favored to win its opener, with lopsided scores also expected from No. 5 Texas against Rice and eighth-ranked Nebraska over Western Kentucky, which has lost an NCAA-high 20 games in a row.
Kansas State is even a slight favorite at home over UCLA, which beat the Wildcats 23-9 last season in Los Angeles.
Wildcats coach Bill Snyder would prefer to play somebody else.
"I'm not a big fan of playing a nationally prominent program in the early stages. The conference schedule is tough enough," Snyder said during the Big 12 coaches' conference call. "Our preference is to open up with a schedule that you can build into your conference. ... When the conference schedule begins, it's going to be eight weeks of very, very, very competitive football."
There are season-opening rivalry games at neutral sites for Missouri against Illinois in St. Louis and Colorado against Colorado State in Denver. But the Tigers and Buffaloes are both double-digit favorites.
Texas A&M (vs. Stephen F. Austin) and Baylor (vs. Sam Houston State) open against FCS teams while Turner Gill makes his Kansas debut at home against North Dakota State, a lower-division team that went 3-8 last season.
"We're not concerned about who is the name of the opponent," Gill said. 'It really doesn't matter who the opponent is from our standpoint. We're trying to get going and get going in the right way."
Things will be more difficult for Gill and the Jayhawks in Week 2 against 16th-ranked Georgia Tech, which played in the Orange Bowl last season.
Iowa State begins its second season under coach Paul Rhoads as only a slight favorite at home Thursday night against Northern Illinois, a team filled with returning starters that is a favorite in the Mid-American Conference.
"We have a very, very challenging opener," Rhoads said. "When these schedules are done (in advance), who's to say who's going to be real good, or coming off this kind of season or that kind of season. You always play the first game as it arrives."
Oklahoma State began the 2007 season with a three-touchdown loss at Georgia. In last year's opener at Stillwater, Okla., the ninth-ranked Cowboys beat No. 13 Georgia by two touchdowns.
"Most schools that are in major conferences see a tremendous amount of competition week to week," Cowboys coach Mike Gundy said. "When you play in these leagues, I just don't know many coaches that are fired up about playing difficult non-conference schedules. You put one more tough week on your players."
Oklahoma State has a new starting quarterback and is expected to play plenty of freshmen this season. Its opener is against Washington State, which is coming off a 1-11 season.
NOTES: There are 13 true freshmen and five redshirts on Texas' two-deep depth chart. ... Sophomore Kale Pick is the starting quarterback at Kansas, having beat out redshirt freshman Jordan Webb to replace record-setting three-year starter Todd Reesing. "Pick has set himself apart," coach Turner Gill said. "I love his intangibles, his body language and how he ran the team." ... New coach Tommy Tuberville has changed more than the plays at Texas Tech. Practice has been distinctly more physical for the Red Raiders under Tuberville. "We want them to be physical in a game so we've practiced that way," Tuberville said. "The players have picked up on it real well."
QUOTABLE: "There's a lot of difference between the whistle blowing when they get around you and the whistle not blowing until you get on the ground." — Baylor coach Art Briles on Robert Griffin, though he expects no problems for the dual-threat quarterback Saturday in his first game since a season-ending knee injury in the third game last season.
-- Stephen Hawkins
Young hopes to continue Cowboys' rise on defense
STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — When defensive coordinator Bill Young looks at the 11 players he sends onto the field for Oklahoma State's season opener against Washington State on Saturday night, he won't see many of the starters who helped the Cowboys make a defensive breakthrough last season.
After putting up the best numbers in Mike Gundy's five years as head coach, it'd be only natural to expect Oklahoma State to falter after losing eight starters.
Not in Young's eyes.
"We want to be better than we were a year ago," Young said Monday. "We've got to do a better job. We've got to get more sacks, we've got to get more turnovers and we'll see how it unfolds."
In his first year, Young achieved his predecessor's goal of turning Oklahoma State into one of the top 50 defenses in the country. After never doing better than 75th in either category the previous four years, the Cowboys ranked 31st in both scoring defense and yards allowed last season.
All three starting linebackers from that unit completed their careers, although 2008 starter Orie Lemon is back in the middle after missing last season with a knee injury. Gone, too, are three-fourths of the starting secondary and top defensive tackles Swanson Miller and Derek Burton.
Then training camp brought even more attrition. Three reserve middle linebackers and safety Daytawion Lowe were lost to injuries. And Gundy said Monday he still hasn't decided whether defensive end Jamie Blatnick, a part-time starter last season, and safety Victor Johnson will play in the opener following their offseason arrests.
"We're putting the pressure on ourselves and on our players that we need to show up, we need to play," Young said. "We've got a lot of talent. We're a little bit thin and we've got to be a little bit lucky and not get anybody hurt. If we can do that, I think we can be really good."
Gundy's message from the start of training camp has been that the Cowboys may be lacking in experience, but hopefully can make up for that with athleticism. He's trying to be patient, realizing that there's no way to instantly give a young player the experience that his departed starters possessed.
"There's a lot of uncertainty this year because of guys that haven't been on the field," Gundy said. "That's just the way it is."
Gundy said the makeup of this year's team — which also had four linemen and quarterback Zac Robinson among heavy losses on the offensive side — reminds him of his early years at Oklahoma State. Like then, the seniors in starring roles are greatly outnumbered by freshmen.
"With us being young, it's made us hungry," safety Markelle Martin. "Everybody wants to play and contribute to the defense. Everybody wants a role, and I think that's going to be our strength."
Young will be hard-pressed to have his squad match last season's improvement that knocked a touchdown and 70 yards off opponents' per-game averages. Oklahoma State allowed 21.7 points and 332.5 yards.
"Last year, we set our bar kind of medium range where we just wanted to be a good defense. Now, we're setting it higher, that we want to be a great defense," Martin said.
"We want to force that many more turnovers. We want to limit the mistakes that we make."
Young said he reviewed game film of schools in the Big Ten, SEC, Pac-10 and elsewhere during the offseason looking for ways to build on his defense's success.
"Anything we can find that fits our system and gives offenses trouble, we'd like to incorporate it, as long as it doesn't involve too much thinking on our players' part," he said.
That thought process has been central to Young's approach. Instead of making players learn new terminology when he arrived, he adjusted his calls to match what players already knew. He's not planning to add a layer of complexity just because some players have had another year to learn.
"We're trying to base everything on simplicity," Young said. "We want to be where we're a little bit complicated for the opponent, but we don't want to be complicated for ourselves."
-- Jeff Latzke
Iowa State set to debut new-look defense
AMES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa State cobbled together a decent defense last season with a bunch of players few people had ever heard of.
The Cyclones will try to do the same in 2010 with a new cast of unknowns.
Iowa State will break in three new linebackers during Thursday night's opener against Northern Illinois, and strong safety David Sims' one-game suspension leaves the Cyclones with just one returning starter in the defensive secondary.
Iowa State also has two new starters along its defensive line, and veteran end Rashawn Parker will see his first action since a knee injury ended his 2009 season just four games in.
If the Cyclones are going to prove wrong the doubters that picked them to finish last in the Big 12 North, their new-look defense is going to have to get up to speed in a hurry.
"It's a work in progress is how it's developed. I think it will continue to be throughout the season," second-year Iowa State coach Paul Rhoads said Monday. "Those guys are going to have to improve daily, they're going to have to improve game-by-game."
The hot spot for Iowa State's defense will be the linebacking corps, which lost first-team All-Big 12 pick Jessie Smith. The coaching staff is high on all three starters; sophomores A.J. Klein and Jake Knott and junior Matt Tau'fo'ou (ta-FOH-oh), but the trio has yet to carry such a heavy load in game action.
Klein, a 6-foot-1, 240-pounder from Kimberly, Wis., got on the field for all 13 games last season and made 17 tackles, and Knott had six tackles in wins over Baylor and Kent State.
Tau'fo'ou was a highly regarded junior college transfer, but he barely saw the field in 2009. The three linebackers listed as second-stringers — sophomores Matt Morton and Kevin Hamlin and freshman Jeremiah George — don't yet appear ready for significant playing time.
"The linebacking corps is talented, as we know, but it's extremely thin," Rhoads said. "We're going to have to be healthy there all season long to be effective."
Rhoads said the secondary will be the strength of the defense, though it'll miss Sims' experience and play-making skills against the Huskies. Sims was the Big 12's Defensive Newcomer of the Year in 2009 and led the Cyclones with five interceptions.
Speedy junior cornerback Leonard Johnson, who will also factor heavily in the return game, appears primed for a breakout season after making 64 tackles in 2009, and fellow junior corner Ter'Ran Benton could also emerge after a broken leg cost him most of last season.
Senior free safety Michael O'Connell came out of nowhere to become a leader on last year's unit, and he and Sims will be counted on heavily.
"We're not where we want to be," O'Connell said. "Until this first game, that's kind of when we can see how far we've really come. That'll be the true test for our defense."
The Cyclones' interior is loaded with veteran players who've yet to emerge, including senior defensive tackle Bailey Johnson and nose tackle Stephen Ruempolhamer. Starters Parker and Patrick Neal return on the edges, though at 6-feet and 250 and 235 pounds, respectively, they'll often be facing size disadvantages.
Iowa State's defense had a knack for allowing teams to march up and down the field last season without letting them find the end zone. The Cyclones, who finished 7-6, were fifth in the Big 12 with just under 22 points allowed per game last season despite giving up nearly 420 yards an outing.
The odds are that Iowa State can't afford to bend so much without breaking this season, especially against teams that combined to finish 97-56 in 2009.
"Rush yardage, pass yardage, total yardage are all areas that we need to improve upon if we're going to begin to become a good defensive team in the Big 12," Rhoads said.
-- Luke Meredith
Prosecutors charge Mizzou RB with assault
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Suspended Missouri running back Derrick Washington was charged Monday with sexually assaulting a former tutor in her apartment over the summer.
Assistant Boone County prosecutor Andrea Hayes said that a single count of felony deviate sexual assault was filed against Washington, a senior from Raymore, Mo., and the Tigers' rushing leader the past two seasons.
Coach Gary Pinkel suspended Washington last week without disclosing details. Boone County court documents show Washington had been served with a protection order in late June and accused of sexual assault by a former Missouri tutor.
A campus detective's probable cause statement filed Monday says Washington entered the woman's closed bedroom while visiting her roommate and allegedly assaulted the woman while she slept.
A July hearing was delayed at the woman's request and the case appeared dormant after both Washington and the alleged victim failed to show up for the rescheduled hearing. But prosecutors continued to investigate and Washington's family has hired an attorney.
Washington surrendered to police Monday and was released after posting a $4,500 bond, attorney Bogdan Susan said. Susan said the back planned to plead not guilty.
Washington's legal troubles didn't prevent him from being named one of four team captains in July while also getting a school-paid trip to Dallas for the Big 12 Conference's annual preseason media gathering.
Before the charge was announced, Pinkel said that he is "kind of embarrassed" by a series of off-field problems involving the Tigers.
"We've worked hard to develop and build a program that has a very good reputation of being first-class and disciplined," Pinkel said as Missouri prepared to open its season against Illinois on Saturday in St. Louis. "We've taken a few hits."
The latest occurred Sunday with the early morning arrest of reserve tight end and long snapper Beau Brinkley, who was charged by state troopers with driving while intoxicated. That came one week after reserve linebacker Will Ebner's arrest — and several weeks after assistant coach Bruce Walker's arrest — for possible drunken-driving violations.
Susan, who is also representing Walker, said that the coach has been charged with an alcohol-related offense. Ebner has not been charged. Both are scheduled to appear in court next month.
Asked if he could shed any light on Washington's suspension or the other cases, Pinkel demurred.
"For 10 years, I've never discussed anything (related to) discipline," he said.
School policy says that athletes charged with a felony cannot return to the field until the case is resolved. With a Sept. 23 arraignment hearing, Washington will miss the Tigers' first three games, if not more.
Later Monday, speaking to more than 200 Missouri boosters in the Tiger Quarterback Club, Pinkel acknowledged that Washington would not play against Illinois, though he never mentioned the player by name. Instead, Pinkel named sophomore Kendial Lawrence and De'Vion Moore as likely starters, with true freshmen Henry Josey and Marcus Murphy also expected to see playing time.
Missouri athletic director Mike Alden said that he and Pinkel didn't become "fully aware" of the Washington incident nor receive "credible information" until a week and a half ago.
"When that took place, Coach (Pinkel) took appropriate action," Alden said.
Missouri did receive a welcome dose of good news over the weekend. Senior cornerback Munir Prince was released from the hospital after a frightening collision with a teammate on a punt return the same day as Washington's suspension.
He was initially diagnosed with transient quadriplegia, a temporary loss of sensation and movement in the arms and legs, but by Saturday was reported to be walking on his own. By Sunday, Prince had returned to practice, Pinkel said.
At the booster meeting, Alden offered strong support for Pinkel, calling him a "man of integrity." And Pinkel told the fans that he takes responsibility for the program's recent missteps.
"The buck stops here with me," Pinkel said. "I am embarrassed, and disappointed. Hopefully we can get this cleaned up."
-- Alan Scher Zagier
Missouri wide receiver Jackson to start opener
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Missouri wide receiver Jerrell Jackson will start in the opener against Illinois, less than a month since breaking a bone in his left wrist, the team announced Monday.
"He has recovered remarkably well," coach Gary Pinkel said. "We could have never predicted he would do what he's doing out there."
Jackson, a junior, is the Tigers' top returning wide receiver with 37 receptions and two touchdowns last year. Pinkel said Jackson would be in the lineup Saturday against Illinois in St. Louis and would wear a small cast on the wrist.
"Having Jerrell back is a big boost to our offense," quarterback Blaine Gabbert said. "He hasn't been hindered one bit from his injury and we're looking for big things from him."
Jackson had surgery Aug. 16 to insert a pin into the wrist and original estimates were he'd miss the first two or three games. Eight days after the operation, though, Jackson began catching passes on the sidelines at practice.
"I knew (I'd be ready) last week when I started catching balls and it felt good," Jackson said.
Jackson said he hadn't dropped any passes the last few practices. He leads a group of largely untested wide receivers for the Tigers, 8-5 last season.
"Everyone is pumped up," Jackson said. "We know it's our year to step up."
Two players leave Oklahoma State football team
STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy says he does not expect running back Travis Miller and linebacker Kye Staley to rejoin the team.
Gundy said Monday that Miller is "not willing to do what it takes to play" for the Cowboys. The sophomore from Marlin, Texas, had 59 yards rushing in six games last season.
Gundy says Staley decided to stop playing after attempting to come back from a serious knee injury that forced him to miss all of last season.
Staley had been one of the marquee players in Oklahoma State's 2008 recruiting class after leading Guthrie to the state championship in Class 5A the previous year. He moved from running back to linebacker during his comeback bid.
DT Taylor a "gameday decision" for No. 7 Sooners
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Whether or not defensive tackle Adrian Taylor plays for No. 7 Oklahoma in its opener Saturday against Utah State will be a gameday decision.
Taylor is recovering from a broken ankle sustained in the Sooners' Sun Bowl victory in December and said Monday "it's a day-by-day process" at this point. He plans to meet with team doctors on Saturday.
Taylor says "don't be surprised if I'm out there, don't be surprised if I'm not out there."
Taylor and No. 3 overall NFL draft pick Gerald McCoy teamed to make up a dominant force in the middle of Oklahoma's defensive line last season. The two played nearly every snap until Taylor was injured.
