OMAHA, Neb.—If quarterback Sam Bradford can’t play at Miami on Oct. 3, Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops is confident Landry Jones will continue to be a more-than-adequate substitute for the 2008 Heisman Trophy winner.
Stoops wouldn’t speculate Monday on whether Bradford would be ready to play against the No. 9 Hurricanes. No. 10 Oklahoma has an open date this week.
Jones overcame an early interception to pass for 336 yards and a school-record six touchdowns in the Sooners’ 45-0 win over Tulsa. He was named the Big 12’s offensive player of the week.
“He started tough with his first play of the game,” Stoops said Monday in a teleconference with reporters. “He comes right back, and we throw it again, and he went on to have an excellent day. He’s been nothing but consistent and solid.”
Jones, a redshirt freshman, had never taken a college snap before Bradford hurt his shoulder against Brigham Young on Sept. 5. He’s completed 60 percent of his passes for 673 yards in two-plus games, and his nine TD passes are tied for second-most in the nation.
Stoops said Jones’ teammates have rallied around him in Bradford’s absence—none more than Ryan Broyles. The sophomore caught 11 balls for 128 yards and three TDs against Tulsa. His seven TD catches in three games is one more than he had last season.
“Ryan is a very explosive player and good for a lot of big plays, and he’s making more and more of them this year,” Stoops said. “Landry sure knows where he’s at out there.”
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PLAYERS OF WEEK: Texas linebacker Roddrick Muckelroy and Nebraska kicker Alex Henery joined Oklahoma’s Jones as conference players of the week.
Muckelroy made a team-high 10 tackles in a 34-24 win over Texas Tech. He had two tackles for loss and a sack, and he broke up a pass and had two quarterback pressures.
Henery made all five of his field goals in a 16-15 loss at Virginia Tech. It was the fourth time Henery kicked at least four field goals. He has connected on 6 of 7 field goals this season and has hit 32 of 36 in his career. The junior also punted six times for a 42-yard average.
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POSITIVE FROM NEGATIVE: Nebraska’s 16-15 loss at Virginia Tech was gut-wrenching, but coach Bo Pelini said the No. 25 Cornhuskers will be a better team because of it.
“Playing in a game like that helps you get ready for conference play,” he said. “You’ve been tested in a tough environment, and we know we’re going to face that when we get into conference play.”
The biggest lesson learned?
“You gotta finish things off,” he said. “You gotta execute for four quarters. Unfortunately, we didn’t do that, and it cost us.”
The Hokies’ winning series started at their 16 with 1:44 left. Danny Coale sneaked behind safety Matt O’Hanlon for an 81-yard pass play, and then Tyrod Taylor scrambled for 9 seconds before hitting Dyrell Roberts for the go-ahead touchdown.
“We stop them on that last drive or not, there is a lot of things in that game we’ve got to get fixed,” Pelini said. “We had plenty of opportunities to put that game away on both sides of the ball and special teams. Everybody contributed to not finishing that game off.”
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CHEERING THE OPPONENT: Iowa State officials are encouraging fans to give a standing ovation and hearty cheer to Army when the Black Knights take the field for Saturday’s game in Ames, Iowa.
ISU coach Paul Rhoads loves the idea of the “Take the Field Tribute.”
“It’s a super attitude to have toward the academy and everything they stand for and the work they put forward for our country,” Rhoads said. “It’s a sign of sportsmanship and a lot of things this great game stands for.”
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QUIRKY SCHEDULES: Kansas State didn’t arrive home in Manhattan until 5:45 a.m. Sunday after playing a 9:15 p.m. CDT game at UCLA.
Missouri plays at Nevada on Friday, then takes off a week before a Thursday night home game with Nebraska.
Colorado already has played Sunday and Friday games this season. In all, the Buffaloes will play twice on Thursdays, twice on Fridays and seven times on Saturdays.
K-State coach Bill Snyder had to tape his weekly television show shortly after landing Sunday morning, and his coaches were put behind in their early preparation for Tennessee Tech.
“Those are not the kinds of games I would prefer to schedule,” Snyder said.
Missouri coach Gary Pinkel said the allure of national television exposure is too much to pass up, so that’s why the Tigers agreed to play a road game at Nevada on Friday.
“It’s the only game on television in the nation at that time, so it’s a big plus for both programs,” Pinkel said.
Colorado coach Dan Hawkins said he would love to play every game on Saturday afternoons at 1:30 in his own stadium.
“You don’t always get it like that,” he said. “You just have to roll with it.”
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QUOTABLE: “We were 5-19 the last two years. We’re not overlooking anybody right now. There will be no danger of that.”—Iowa State’s Rhoads, on whether his Cyclones will take lightly an Army team that is 2-1 after going 3-9 last season.
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EXTRA POINTS: Nebraska will celebrate its NCAA-record 300th consecutive sellout against Louisiana-Lafayette this week. … Texas A&M receiver Jeff Fuller will be out four to six weeks. The Aggies’ leading receiver cracked the fibula in his right leg in the first half against Utah State . … Kansas running back Jake Sharp’s availability against Southern Mississippi could be a game-time decision. Sharp has an undisclosed injury that limited him to five carries for 13 yards against Duke. … After its 34-24 loss to No. 2 Texas, Texas Tech is 0-14 in road games against top-15 opponents under 10th-year coach Mike Leach.
