Big 12 Bookend

October 8th, 2009 by James Lawrence

Important Roster Updates!

OSU WR Dez Bryant has been ruled ineligible for having illegal contact with an NFL agent. It sounds like his collegiate career is over.

OU WR Ryan Broyles suffered a broken shoulder after just one catch in his team’s 21-20 loss to Miami. Broyles is expected to be out 2-4 weeks.

RodneyStewart-1 And so it goes in the Big 12…

Week 5 Review

Colorado had a surprisingly strong showing on Thursday night, and by that I mean they still lost, but it was an entertaining road game against West Virginia. Rodney Stewart (pictured left, thanks Icon SMI) ran for 105 and a TD, and Scotty McKnight added 9 catches for 98 yards and a score.

Kansas State at Iowa State was the terrible game we all knew it would be, but Austen Arnaud threw a pair of TDs and ran for another, despite compiling only somewhat above average passing and rushing totals.

In a game in which Taylor Potts left with an injury (expected to play in week 6), Tramain Swindall hauled in 139 of the Red Raiders 453 yards passing, as Mike Leach’s offense proved that it really doesn’t matter who’s out there, it’s all the Air Raid baby. Players bold enough to start Harrison Jeffers were rewarded as he hauled in 90 yards of catches and a score — but ran the ball for 3 TDs on just 29 yards!

Baylor without Robert Griffin was Baylor without Robert Griffin. Although they did win, the Bears were outgained by Kent State in an uninspiring effort. At this point, you might as well dump their players from your fantasy roster. *sigh*

Texas A&M was beaten down the way you’d expect the Aggies to get beaten down against a big 6 conference opponent. Jerrod Johnson owners will be happy with the 345 yards he threw for as well as 2 TDs, but Johnson was completely held in check on the ground. Mind you the Hogs gave up 87 points against Alabama and Georgia, quality teams but not teams known for their offenses.

And lastly, we have Oklahoma. What does it take for a Longhorns fan to feel sympathy for the Sooners? Losing the nation’s top QB, the conference’s #1-stats QB (no, you won’t get more than that), and the team’s leading WR will do the trick. Oklahoma fought valiantly in a hostile road environment against Miami, but in the end just didn’t have enough on the field. The best performance offensively came from Demarco Murray, who rushed for 80 and a TD while scooping up a 21 yard pass to boot. Tough luck.

Week 6 Preview

This must be blowout weekend in the Big 12, as we’ve got Texas matched up against Colorado, Kansas vs Iowa State, Oklahoma vs Baylor, and Texas Tech vs Kansas State. Any Texas player you have, Todd Reesing and the Kansas WRs, Demarco Murray (with Chris Brown #2), and Taylor Potts plus any Tech WR; should all have big weeks.

Nebraska vs. Missouri is a big Thursday night game that is going to be instrumental in shaping the Big 12 North race, as there seems to be a 3-way race for the top spot there. Nebraska looked good on defense for 58 minutes against Virginia Tech, and they’ve looked strong over the opening month. Ditto for unbeaten Missouri, which has at the very least, has been a surprise for me. As it’s likely the most competitive game this week, I can’t say I’m expecting any particularly strong fantasy players here. Roy Helu will get his yards, and Missouri should be able to throw it for a decent amount just because that’s what they’re going to try to do, all game. But I wouldn’t start these players over someone on one of the favorites in the above game.

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