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ASSOCIATED PRESS
Nebraska quarterback Cody Green looks down the field past Baylor's Earl Patin in the third quarter of the Huskers' game against the Bears last Saturday in Waco, Texas. Nebraska defeated the Bears 20-10.
By Kris Knowlton The Daily Nebraskan
LINCOLN, Neb. — Starting the first game of your career as a freshman on the road in the Big 12 Conference is not an ideal situation. Actually, it's probably one of the worst possible.
But for Nebraska quarterback Cody Green, Baylor's house was a lot like home on Saturday, and Cornhusker fans couldn't have asked for a better situation for their coveted new quarterback.
"We have some training wheels that we put on there for (Green) to try and help him out a little bit," Watson said. "He's got to grow into a lot of things, but he has a lot of talent."
Like many anxious youngsters, Green started out fast and then sputtered. But fortunately for Nebraska, offensive coordinator Shawn Watson was there to keep the offense from veering too far off course during the 2010 Husker victory.
The Dayton, Texas, native played in front of family and friends and one unusually red half of the east side of Baylor's Floyd Casey Stadium. They all cheered for him as he trotied onto the field for the first time. With that, Green began his test-drive behind the wheel of the Cornhusker offense.
We just have to keep finding the things that he does well — what he's comfortable with—and put him in those situations"
Watson described the offensive scheme he implemented for Green as "very simple." He said his freshman wasn't asked to look at more than two passing options on any play before he could revert to a check-down pass as a third progression. Or, as was the case several times Saturday, Green could always just tuck the football close to his chest and make something up on the ground.
Watson said he wanted to call between eight and 12 designed run plays for the freshman over the course of the game so he could gain his bearings at the helm and also help the struggling Husker running game. Nebraska's leading rusher this season, Roy Helu Jr., has been struggling with a shoulder injury in recent weeks, and Watson said one of the reasons Green started was because of his ability to make plays on the ground.
"It was just something (Green) could manage and we felt that he was comfortable with,"Watson said.
Green praised Watson's plan after the game, saying he was comfortable with it and that it allowed him to show off his diverse skill set. Green finished 12-of-21 for 128 passing yards and averaged 5.4 yards per carry.
TEXAS A&M AGGIES
Reshuffled offensive line a complete turnaround
COLLEGE STATION, Texas The Texas A&M offensive line is one of the most often criticized aspects of the 2009 Aggie football team.
By Brad Cox The Battalion
False start penalties plagued the line in non-conference play and broken blocks contributed to a three-game losing streak which included a 62-14 stomping at Kansas State.
That criticism changed when A&M head coach Mike Sherman found the winning combination, used in the Aggies' past two games.
"After the Kansas State game, we knew we needed to change something," said senior lineman Kevin Matthews. "[We] came into practice that week with a different mindset."
With the new mindset, A&M's rushing game exploded against Texas Tech on Oct. 24. Sophomore Cyrus Gray rushed for 131 yards and three touchdowns, and freshman Christine Michael had 121 yards and a pair of
touchdowns in the 52-30 win.
The Aggies followed the victory against the rival Red Raiders with a 35-10 win against Iowa State on Saturday. A&M established the running game for the second consecutive week as Gray ran for 119 yards, Michael had a touchdown and junior quarterback Jerrod Johnson also scored on the ground.
The Aggies combined for nearly 600 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on the ground in the two games.
"I've always had a lot of confidence in those guys, it just comes down to execution." Johnson said about the offensive linemen. "They all have the talent to do it; they just have to execute and get the job done."
The added protection also allowed Johnson to pass for at least 230 yards in each game and toss three touchdowns against the Cyclones.
"Really we've just pulled together as a unit," said sophomore lineman Evan Eike. "We're playing with confidence right now. We've done well. We're trying to stack practices, stack games and keep it going."
OKLAHOMA STATE COWBOYS
Cowboys plagued by turnovers in loss to Texas
STILLWATER, Okla. — After every Cowboy walked off the field with their heads hung low, one player remained.
Zac Robinson stayed on the field to congratulate Texas coach Mack Brown and tell him how great his defense was.
By Adam Kemp
The Daily O'Collegian
After one of Robinson's best performances last week against Baylor, the senior quarterback had possibly the worst game of his career in the Cowboys' 41-14 loss to Texas.
Robinson was 15-for-28 for 143 yards with one touchdown and four interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns.
Robinson's 143 yards passing were nearly matched by his 139 yards in interception return yards. Robinson entered the game with only three interceptions on the year.
"It was a weird, tough night," Robinson said. "You have to give them a lot of credit; they are a really good defense and probably by far the best defense I have faced in my career here."
"It seemed like nothing was really clicking and we were down there and things just kind of went downhill." Robinson said.
Robinson said the struggles early against Texas (8-0, 5-0) put the Cowboys (6-2, 3-1) in a hole.
Texas took advantage of the five Cowboy turnovers to put 27 points on the board.
Senior linebacker Andre Sexton said even with the turnovers, the defense should have helped the offense out.
"Our offense turned the ball over a couple times," Sexton said. "But the defense is there to stop the opposing offense. We should have held them to field goals or gotten off the field somehow."
Coach Mike Gundy said the Robinson against Texas is not the one Oklahoma State fans are used to.
"It just didn't work out very well for him tonight," Gundy said. "He made a few mistakes. The important thing is he keeps his head high and keeps playing. He's a good quarterback and a good player. He just had a tough night."
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THE WAVE NOVEMBER 6,2009