DES MOINES, Iowa. (AP) -It was the week of the backup quarterback in the Big 12. Or in the case of Baylor, the backup to the backup.
Reserve quarterbacks Grant Gregory of Kansas State and Steven Sheffield of Texas Tech and third-stringer Nick Florence of Baylor all led their teams to victory on Saturday in the final weekend before conference play begins in earnest.
Gregory, a sixth-year senior, replaced Carson Coffman and threw for 206 yards and two touchdowns in the Wildcats’ thrilling 24-23 win over Iowa State, earning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week honors.
Sheffield stepped in for the injured Taylor Potts, tossing for 238 yards and three TDs in Texas Tech’s 48-28 victory over New Mexico.
Florence got the nod for Baylor because Blake Szymanski – who was expected to fill in for injured star Robert Griffin – missed significant practice time last week with a bruised shoulder.
The freshman was 20 of 27 passing for 216 yards and a pair of rushing touchdowns, including a 29-yarder early in the third quarter to help the Bears put away Kent State, 31-15.
aid Monday it “remains to be seen” whether Gregory will start at Texas Tech on Saturday.
“Grant did some really very, very positive things in the ballgame. He created some big plays for us,” Snyder said. “There was certainly some of his performance that needs vast improvement.”
Texas Tech coach Mike Leach wouldn’t say whether Potts would be able to return this week. Potts was released from a Lubbock hospital on Sunday, but officials did not disclose what Potts was treated for.
“He’s doing fabulously well,” Leach said Monday.
Florence might get another shot this week as the Bears travel to Oklahoma. Szymanski wasn’t available for a Sunday workout, and his status will be evaluated during the week.
“Nick did what we asked him to do, and that’s be careful with the football and give us an opportunity to be productive,” Baylor coach Art Briles said. “He played with a lot of awareness, a lot of intelligence and a lot of passion.”
The Big 12’s most well-known backup quarterback, Oklahoma’s Landry Jones, threw for 188 yards and a touchdown against Miami, but the Hurricanes won 21-20.
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THE NORTH RISES AGAIN: Missouri’s inclusion in this week’s Top 25 gives the Big 12 North three ranked teams: No. 16 Kansas, No. 21 Nebraska and the 24th-ranked Tigers. That’s the same number as the South, led by No. 2 Texas (plus No. 15 Oklahoma State and No. 19 Oklahoma).
iggest games in the North this season comes Thursday night when Nebraska travels to Columbia for a date with undefeated Missouri. The Huskers (3-1) have registered blowout wins over Florida Atlantic, Arkansas State and Louisiana-Lafayette to go with a 16-15 loss at No. 5 Virginia Tech.
“I think they’re really good,” Missouri coach Gary Pinkel said of Nebraska. “If it wasn’t for one play, they’d be undefeated right now.”
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D STEPS UP FOR KU: Kansas has raced out to a 4-0 start thanks in part to its defense, which is often overlooked because of the gaudy offensive numbers the Jayhawks put up.
Kansas is sixth in the nation with 3.75 sacks per game and ranks 10th nationally in third-down conversions allowed at 28.1 percent.
The Jayhawks host Iowa State on Saturday, where they’ll be seeking their 10th straight home win over a North opponent since 2004.
“On defense, I think we’ve improved in a lot of areas. I like the way our defensive line is playing. I think our young linebackers are getting better every week, and our secondary is really tightening things up and playing with more confidence, so I like where we’re at,” Kansas coach Mark Mangino said.
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-back games. … Emmanuel Lamur joined Gregory as honorees from the Wildcats, earning the special teams Player of the Week nod for batting down Iowa State’s potential game-tying PAT in the closing moments Saturday to preserve the win. Lamur had seven tackles against the Cyclones, and that block was his second of the season.
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QUOTABLE: “We’d love to have more wins, that’s for sure. I think, primarily on defense, we’ve just given up some big plays. That’s been the big bugaboo.” – Colorado coach Dan Hawkins on the Buffaloes’ league-worst 1-3 start.
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M’s Jerrod Johnson has thrown 186 consecutive passes without an interception dating back to last season. But Johnson had a pair of fumbles in the Aggies 47-19 blowout loss against Arkansas in Cowboys Stadium. … Baylor will need to shore up its defense in a hurry with a trip to Oklahoma looming this weekend. The Bears gave up 424 yards to Kent State, winning for the first time since 2006 when being outgained by their opponent.
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