BOULDER, Colo. (AP) -While waiting for most-wanted recruit Darrell Scott to choose between Colorado and Texas, the Buffaloes landed Rodney Stewart as an insurance policy.
That turned out to be quite a Plan B for the Buffs.
Stewart, not the highly touted Scott, is leading Colorado in rushing going into its home game against No. 5 Texas on Saturday night.
Stewart is averaging 87.3 yards a game and 5.6 yards a carry, compared to Scott’s average 36 yards a game and 3.7 yards a carry.
“We know if Darrell Scott is not getting the ball every time, that Stewart must be really good, because we know how good Darrell is,” Texas coach Mack Brown said.
At just 5-foot-6, Stewart has become the big man on campus.
marr Houston said. “You can’t see him when he’s got 300-pound guys in front of him.”
The Buffs (3-1) believe Scott is ready to show off his stuff, too, just in time for the Longhorns (4-0) to get a firsthand look at the prized recruit who spurned them at the last moment.
There are several reasons for Scott’s slow start. They include groin and knee injuries and a late start in camp while he was taking an algebra course to gain eligibility. He showed up overweight and had to catch up on the play book and his footwork.
“Everybody wants the rookie or the freshman to come in and set the place on fire. Sometimes that happens, sometimes it doesn’t happen,” Buffaloes coach Dan Hawkins said. “I’m more concerned with all the intangible things because I know at some point he’s going to be a great player.”
Scott’s position coach, Darian Hagan, said Scott had his best week of practice yet. Scott’s teammates said his determination to catch up has him on the verge of a breakout.
dministrative position at Texas.
The Buffs’ ground game could prove vital against the Longhorns, who have 14 sacks in their last two games and are facing a Colorado team trying to protect quarterback Cody Hawkins with an offensive line missing star tackle Ryan Miller, who broke his leg last week in a loss to Florida State.
Replacing Miller is redshirt freshman Matt Bahr, who will be making his first start.
Bahr figures to see more of Henry Melton than Brian Orakpo, Texas’ best pass rusher, although the Longhorns might flip their senior defensive ends if they think Orakpo, who has six sacks already, can exploit the freshman.
With a healthier Scott and Texas’ pass rush, the Buffs might turn more to their ground game.
“Both of those guys are a step away from taking it to the house on every play,” Bahr said. “Speedy’s so shifty and Darrell’s more of a power back. Both of those guys have unbelievable ability. Just got to open a couple of holes for them and they’ll go.”
However, they’ll be running behind a line that lost guards Mike Iltis (knee) and Erick Faatagi (academics) before the season and didn’t make it through September with Miller and freshman guard Max Tuioti-Mariner (knee).
hrens, Bahr and sophomore Nate Solder.
“You have speed, talent and strength on one side, youth on the other,” Hawkins said.
The Longhorns have outscored their opponents 198-43 overall. Saturday starts a brutal stretch of schedule, with top-ranked Oklahoma, No. 4 Missouri, No. 21 Oklahoma State and seventh-ranked Texas Tech on deck.
“We’ve beaten the teams we were supposed to, like we were supposed to, but we still haven’t been tested by a really good football team that’s going to be physical. I think Colorado will be both of those,” Brown said.
“We will absolutely get Colorado’s best shot,” Brown said. “They were not happy with the way they played last week in the second half against Florida State and they’ll be excited.
Colorado and Texas haven’t met since the Longhorns embarrassed the Buffs 70-3 in the Big 12 championship in 2005 en route to the national championship.
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AP Sports Writer Jim Vertuno contributed to this report from Austin, Texas.
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