Dez Bryant, the Cowboys' All-America wide receiver, was ruled ineligible this week amid allegations he lied to the NCAA about interacting with NFL players. The 6-2, 220-pound junior had 17 catches for 323 yards and four touchdowns in Oklahoma State's first three games before sitting out their last game with a hamstring injury.
The Cowboys (3-1) are hoping to get back running back Kendall Hunter (ankle) and cornerback/kick returner Perrish Cox (shoulder), though coach Mike Gundy would only say this week that each injured player was "day to day."
Regardless, the Aggies (3-1) will have to contend with quarterback Zac Robinson, and that should be enough to make them worry. Robinson threw three touchdown passes and ran for two scores in the Cowboys' 56-28 rout of A&M in Stillwater last year.
A&M faced dual-threat quarterbacks in its first three games, good preparation for Robinson, who ranks eighth in the Big 12 in total offense (224 yards per game). Robinson is second in the league in pass efficiency (155.3) and leads the league in yards per completion (14.1).
"He does a lot of different things," A&M defensive coordinator Joe Kines said. "When the water hits the wheel in a game, when it's really down to crunch time, he's always there to make a play."
Oklahoma State's overall offensive numbers are down from last season, but the Cowboys are again remarkably balanced, averaging 203 rushing yards and 217 passing yards per game.
Hunter, the Big 12's leading rusher in 2008, hurt his ankle in the Cowboys' Sept. 12 loss to Houston and hasn't returned. Senior Keith Toston is Oklahoma State's leading rusher, with 280 yards and four touchdowns. Freshman Jeremy Smith ran for 160 yards in Oklahoma State's 56-6 win over Grambling.
Without Bryant, Robinson will have to turn to a largely inexperienced group of receivers. Sophomore Josh Cooper has 10 catches for 157 yards in the first four games, after catching only two passes in 2008. Junior college transfer Dameron Fooks and sophomore tight end Wilson Youman have made four catches each this season.
Kines said the Cowboys' offense looks no different, no matter which players are executing it.
"They've been doing the same thing for the last three or four years now," Kines said. "They are well into their scheme, and know how to use their scheme. They present a lot of problems for a defense."
A&M's offense was the best in the country until running into problems in last week's 47-19 loss to Arkansas. The Aggies were leading the nation in total offense (574.3 yards) before the Razorbacks held them to 325 over the final three quarters.
Running a fast-paced, no-huddle attack, the Aggies still rank second in total offense (545 yards) and fifth in passing offense (334 yards).
"There's no question they're as fastball, speedball as you can get," Gundy said. "In watching them on tape, they're trying to play very, very fast. It's considerably different than what they were last year and some similarities to what you're seeing throughout the country in college football."
Junior quarterback Jerrod Johnson leads the Big 12 in total offense (376 yards per game) and has yet to throw an interception. But Johnson was often under pressure last week as the offensive line struggled to control the Razorbacks' strong and speedy pass rushers.
"Jerrod won't make it through the season if we have something like that again," said senior guard Michael Shumard, who left the game with a sprained ankle.
Shoring up the line was A&M coach Mike Sherman's main focus this week. He's also eager to see how his team responds to its first loss after three easy victories.
"It's been fun to come in in the morning and be with your teammates and your coaches after people have been patting you on the back all weekend saying, 'Great job in the game.' Now you don't have that," Sherman said. "Are you going to work, or are you going to feel sorry for yourself? With the schedule we have right now there is absolutely, positively no time to feel sorry."
No. 2 Longhorns, Buffaloes heading different directions entering Big 12
AUSTIN - Four years ago, Texas handed Colorado a crushing 70-3 defeat in the Big 12 championship game that had to feel like the absolute bottom for Buffaloes fans.
The Longhorns went on to win the 2005 national championship. Back up in the Rocky Mountains, Colorado coach Gary Barnett was forced out, fiery Dan Hawkins was hired to replace him and good times were supposed to follow.
They're still waiting.
Struggling Colorado (1-3) is headed back to Texas tonight to face a No. 2 Longhorns (4-0) team again in the hunt for the national title, not to mention the Big 12.
"Winning the Big 12 is one of the premiums on the list," said the eternally optimistic Hawkins. "It starts now."
Hawkins, who was 53-11 in five seasons at Boise State, is 14-27 with three losing seasons at Colorado. He tried to inject some life into the program when he said the goal for 2009 was "10 wins, and no excuses," but that is already out of reach after just four games.
The Longhorns have won at least 10 games eight seasons in a row, several of them including blowout wins over the Buffaloes. Texas has outscored Colorado 181-41 in the last four meetings and the Longhorns are 32½-point favorites tonight.
And that's exactly why coach Mack Brown has issued a warning to his team to avoid looking ahead to next week's showdown with Oklahoma in Dallas.
"They're desperate," Brown said of Colorado. "When you come in against a team desperate for a win, you have to expect anything."
Texas has cruised through the early part of its schedule, briefly stepping into Big 12 play for a 34-24 win over Texas Tech on Sept. 19. Then came a 64-7 whipping of Texas-El Paso before an open date to rest up for the big push over the next eight weeks.
After Colorado, four of Texas' next seven opponents are ranked in the Top 25.
"We're going to start the toughest stretch of the year," Texas quarterback Colt McCoy said.
The Longhorns' defense, anchored by a better-than-expected defensive line, seems to be improving every week. Texas forced five turnovers, including four interceptions, against UTEP.
Colorado quarterback Cody Hawkins, the coach's son, has thrown seven picks this season as the Buffaloes have scrambled to play catchup in their three losses.
The Texas offense looks to be getting rolling at the right time. After struggling early in their first three games, McCoy and the Longhorns have seemed to find their groove in the second half against Texas Tech and the blowout of Texas-El Paso.
McCoy has not been quite as sharp as he was last season when his 77-percent completion rate set an NCAA record. He is completing 71 percent so far but has been better in the last two games.
In the second half against Texas Tech and the game against UTEP, McCoy was 43-of-53 passing (81 percent) with five touchdowns. Those are the kinds of numbers Heisman Trophy voters will be looking for.
They'll also be looking for wins.
A slip-up against Colorado would cost McCoy and the Longhorns dearly in the chases for the Heisman and national championship.
Bradford, Sooners seek new start as Big 12 play begins vs. Baylor
NORMAN, Okla. - Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford came back to Oklahoma with a clean slate, hoping for a shot at another championship.
Time for Take 2.
Instead of the national championship, Bradford returns from a shoulder injury this week as the Sooners (2-2) turn their sights toward a fourth straight Big 12 title. It's not the goal Bradford and three other stars had in mind when they skipped a shot at the NFL Draft to come back to college, but who knows what lies ahead if Oklahoma can run the table in conference play as it has done three other times under coach Bob Stoops?
"With a Big 12 championship," left tackle Trent Williams said, "comes another BCS shot."
And maybe, just maybe, something more. Bradford said this week that he's still holding out hope that Oklahoma, with two losses, could get back into the national title picture with nine straight wins. After all, Louisiana State had a pair of losses just two years ago when it took home the crystal football.
"In nonconference play, we went 2-2 - two points away from being 4-0 - but that's over. Now you have the Big 12 season, which is equivalent to us as a playoff season," safety Sam Proctor said. "We have a chance to go undefeated in our conference, so that's what we're looking forward to doing."
First up is Baylor (3-1), which is 0-18 in the all-time series and comes to Norman without injured star quarterback Robert Griffin. Third-stringer Nick Florence started Baylor's 31-15 win against Kent State last week, when backup Blake Szymanski was out with a bruised right shoulder.
Szymanski returned to practice this week and said he hoped to play against Oklahoma, but coach Art Briles has yet to announce who his starter will be. Jay Finley, who averaged 106 yards rushing in the Bears' first two games of the season, could also return from an ankle injury in the Big 12 opener for both teams.
"We still have eight big games ahead of us going into conference play. We can still have a real good season if we win out," Oklahoma defensive tackle Gerald McCoy said. "The Big 12 Conference is no slouch by no means and we've got a tough task coming in this week. I think Baylor's 3-1, so we know Baylor's better than they've been in the past.
"Even with losing Robert Griffin, it's still a pretty good team and they're not going to come in here mesmerized by playing OU. They don't care."
Bradford's return could provide a boost for Oklahoma, which has lost one-point games against Brigham Young and Miami and won its only two home games by a combined score of 109-0.
Texas Tech's Potts doubtful tonight against Kansas State
LUBBOCK - Mike Leach won't need to tweak Texas Tech's offense should his backup quarterback start against Kansas State tonight.
Taylor Potts, the nation's No. 2 passer, is doubtful for the game against the Wildcats. He was hospitalized overnight with a concussion following the Red Raiders 48-28 win over New Mexico last week.
Steven Sheffield, a former walk-on, came in late in the first half after Potts was sacked twice in three plays. Sheffield, who threw for 238 yards and three touchdowns, brought a spark to Texas Tech's offense.
"I don't change anything with him. I don't have to change anything," Leach said. "Of our quarterbacks we have right now, he creates the best tempo for the group, and I think it's something everybody feeds off of."
The Red Raiders' high-octane offense will face one of the nation's best passing defenses. The Wildcats are ranked seventh nationally and first in the Big 12, allowing just 153 yards per game.
On offense, Kansas State quarterback Grant Gregory, who transferred from South Florida with a sixth year of eligibility, made his first start last week in a one-point win over Iowa State. Gregory ran for one touchdown and threw for two scores in the fourth quarter. He also ran for another.
No. 10 Texas Christian faces Air Force in conference opener
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - To keep the soaring confidence of his players in check, Texas Christian coach Gary Patterson simply makes practice a little more spirited.
His logic is that a tired player can't think too far ahead, just on the task at hand.
The No. 10 Horned Frogs have risen to rare heights, just the second time in 50 years they have reached the top 10 during the season.
That's reason enough for overconfidence. So are all the national accolades and articles that bill the Frogs, and No. 6 Boise State, as the best possible BCS busters this season.
While that might frighten some coaches, Patterson nudged his players toward a little more preparation for their Mountain West Conference opener today at Air Force.
Patterson has ways of getting his players to focus.
Namely, by pulling out video of last year's game at Utah. The Frogs (4-0, 0-0) dominated the Utes everywhere but the scoreboard, losing 13-10. There went any hope of a BCS berth, which went to the Utes as they capped off an undefeated season with a win over Alabama in the Sugar Bowl.
