Speaking Monday on the weekly Big 12 coaches teleconference, Texas A&M’s Mike Sherman said he “feels terrible” about the play in which Colorado freshman tailback Rodney Stewart suffered a fractured right fibula Saturday in College Station.
Stewart was injured on a horse-collar tackle by Aggies linebacker Von Miller.
“I’ve voted on this in the National Football League, and we really grabbed it (rule prohibiting horse-collar tackles) because players were breaking their legs,” said Sherman, a former Green Bay Packers head coach. “I feel terrible that young man broke his leg with a horse-collar tackle.”
Similar to most face-mask penalties, Miller’s horse-collar tackle was unintentional, Sherman said.
“I don’t how you can yell at a kid. … That was the only thing that he could have grabbed at the time,” Sherman said. “I wish he hadn’t, because I feel terrible about that young man. But I don’t know if he had a choice in the matter to make that tackle.
“We coach against that,” Sherman added. “Do we ask them to back off? No. But we ask them to grab the shoulder pad and not the back of the neck.”
Stewart is out for at least the remainder of the regular season, with a projected healing period of four to six weeks. Not heavily recruited out of Columbus, Ohio, he became one of the surprises of the Big 12. Through eight games, Stewart ranked fourth among the league’s rushers with 75.4 yards per game. He added 19 yards on five carries Saturday before getting hurt in the second quarter.
“That’s part of football, part of life,” Colorado coach Dan Hawkins said on the teleconference when asked about injuries. “You’ve got to roll with it. We’ve had a pretty liquid system for quite a while here, just because of in injuries and where we’re at (in the building process).
“It’s part of the course. It’s a very sad deal that Speedy got hurt. We’ve had other guys step up and step in. It’s kind of been our lot this year. … We’re getting our PhD in dealing with adversity.”
SCOUTING THE BUFFS
Iowa State coach Gene Chizik was asked about what concerned him about Colorado.
“Offensively, they do a lot of things well,” Chizik said. “They can run the football. They have a controlled passing game. It’s just going to be one of those games that’s going to be physical. When they’re hot and clicking, they can move the football with anybody. I don’t think there’s any doubt about that.
“Defensively, they’re very aggressive. They’re really aggressive on early downs. They don’t have a problem blitzing you. They do a good job of mixing things up.
“They’ve got a good football team. They’re like us. They’re just trying to search for a way to get a win.”
FOOTNOTES
CU’s Hawkins said freshman placekicker Jameson Davis, who suffered a concussion during a second-half kickoff on Saturday, “is going to be OK.” Davis is expected to be available for Saturday’s 11:30 a.m. home game against Iowa State. Davis has handled kickoff duties all season but made his first college field goal when he got the call after Aric Goodman hit the right upright with a 46-yard attempt in the second quarter. Goodman is three-for-11 on the season.
…Tom Suazo will remain the regular punter, Hawkins said. Suazo, a senior, averaged just 33.2 yards on six punts against Texas A&M but did get two inside the Aggies” 20-yard line.
…Hawkins on Iowa State: “They’ve got the makings of a really good club. They just haven’t had things go their way.”
Tom Kensler: 303-954-1280 or tkensler@denverpost.com
