ESPN College Football

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

STILLWATER, Okla. -- Curtis Brown provided some cushion for Texas with a 77-yard pass interception return for a touchdown, extending Texas' lead to 17-0 over Oklahoma State with 6:21 left in the second quarter.

Brown jumped in front of a Zac Robinson pass intended for Dameron Fooks and raced untouched for a touchdown.

On the previous play, Kendall Hunter returned to action for the first time for a 1-yard gain. But Brown's interception snuffed out what momentum the Cowboys have generated.

It's the eighth non-offensive touchdown the Longhorns have scored this season. Texas has now returned two punts, four kickoffs and two interceptions for touchdowns this season.

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

You might not recognize their names -- yet.

	AP Photo/David J. Phillip
	Zac Robinson threw for 279 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another score against A&M.

But Oklahoma State quarterback Zac Robinson said his group of runners and receivers who have taken over in the absences of Dez Bryant and Kendall Hunter has played well so far.

The Cowboys’ makeshift rotation came up big in their 36-31 victory at Texas A&M last week. And they likely will use them again this week as Hunter shows no signs of immediate recovery from his foot injury and Bryant remains ensnared in his NCAA suspension.

“We have some other players and everybody is doing a little bit more,” Robinson said. “And the guys who are going out there are just getting a little bit better.”

Keith Toston emerged at running back, producing a game-high 130 rushing yards and adding two receptions for 74 yards. And a rotation of receivers headed by Hubert Anyiam, Dameron Fooks, Tracy Moore, Justin Blackmon and Wilson Youman combined for nine catches for 192 yards as they capably filled in for Bryant.

“Look around the league and there’s always something that’s going on,” Robinson said. “Coach Gundy always stressed that the next guy has to make the most of his opportunity to make plays. Our guys have embraced that and have the ability to step up. They feel good about where they are at and their opportunities.”

It was a traumatic week for Robinson and his family, even discounting the Cowboys’ football injury woes. His grandfather, Frank Robinson, passed away last week after being diagnosed with a brain tumor two months earlier. His grandson told him goodbye for the last time earlier in the week when he visited him at an Oklahoma City hospital.

Robinson paid tribute to him by wearing the words “Press On” written on his eye black strips at the A&M game.

“That was always a saying he had for my family,” Robinson said. “Every time I saw him, he would tell us to ‘Press on.’ That was my tribute to him.”

And much like their quarterback, the Cowboys are doing the same as they try to keep winning with the substitute skill-position players around him.

“That game was huge for us,” Robinson said. “Texas A&M is always a huge game for us and under the circumstances with his death and all of the injuries; it was good for us to get a big win. Our offense play well and we were excited to get the win. A lot of guys got more confidence. We feel good where we are at.”

Despite the heavy emotion, Robinson threw for 279 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another score in his personal tribute to his late grandfather.

"Believe it or not,” Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy told reporters after OSU’s victory, “there are a few more things more important than college football. Family is one of them.”

The Cowboys will attempt to build on that victory Saturday night against Missouri. An OSU win would keep the Cowboys undefeated in South Division play and keep the tam on pace with the Texas-Oklahoma winner as the divisional favorite.

Last season, Oklahoma State gained national credibility when they stunned then-No 3 Missouri in Columbia in a 28-23 upset.

That triumph helped catapult the Cowboys on a 7-0 start that saw them raise as high as No. 7 in the national polls.

“The Missouri game was huge for us,” Robinson said. “It jump-started our season and put us on the map of where we are now. Going up and winning that game was a huge confidence booster for the team. And it’s helped us out ever since.”

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

Here are 10 things I’m looking for this week from around the Big 12

1. Colt McCoy vs. Sam Bradford: The two runner-ups in the Heisman Trophy balloting get to re-stage their storied rivalry one more time at the Cotton Bowl. Both players have won one previous game with Saturday’s winner claiming the rubber match. Bradford will be throwing to a gaggle of young receivers while McCoy will be aiming mainly for Jordan Shipley and Dan Buckner. Whoever gets the best protection likely will win this battle.

2. The BCS controversy revisited: Texas fans are still irate that Oklahoma claimed the Big 12 South Division title despite losing to the Longhorns last season. Those ill feelings prompted airplane flyovers and even an asterisk in the Texas meeting room where they "claimed" a share of the Big 12 title. Those feelings haven’t gone away on either side and will simmer until kickoff on Saturday.

3. Texas Tech's quarterback controversy: Steven Sheffield and Taylor Potts are involved in the first quarterback controversy that Mike Leach has ever had on one of his Tech teams. Sheffield threw seven touchdown passes last week against Kansas State while Potts recovered from a concussion. Earlier in the season, Potts similarly threw seven touchdown passes against Rice. Whoever gets the start will be facing a huge challenge against Nebraska’s strong defense key by the Cornhuskers' fearsome pass rush.

4. Suh vs. Carter: The Big 12’s top defensive tackle, Nebraska’s Ndamukong Suh, will be often matched up against the Big 12’s most notorious guard in Texas Tech’s Brandon Carter. Suh was mentioned on some Heisman watch lists this week after his big game against Missouri last week. Carter is back in the lineup after a one-week suspension for an undisclosed violation of team rules earlier this season. He'll need a big effort to protect whoever is his starting quarterback.

5. How Missouri’s secondary responds to last week’s late struggles: The Tigers allowed 27 points in the fourth quarter to allow Nebraska to escape Faurot Field with a wild comeback victory. It won’t be any easier for them at Oklahoma State -- even without Dez Bryant playing. The Cowboys displayed a deep collection of wide receivers like Hubert Anyiam, Josh Cooper, Dameron Fooks and Tracy Moore. It will be a test for the Tigers to blot memories about that late collapse.

6. Missouri tries to gets its running game untracked: The zone reads of Missouri’s rushing attack haven’t been nearly as effective this season as some basic north/south runs for the Tigers earlier in Gary Pinkel’s tenure. The Tigers are averaging 3.6 yards per carry and 132.6 yards per game this season, compared to 5.2 and 153.8 yards per game last season. The wheels started coming off for the Tigers last season when OSU limited them to 64 yards. They must do better Saturday night in Stillwater.

7. Can Kansas’ defense rebound: The Jayhawks were blistered for 512 yards by Iowa State and were lucky to escape with a 41-36 victory. Coach Mark Mangino promises personnel changes as the Jayhawks get ready for their upcoming meat-grinder schedule that begins next week against Oklahoma. Colorado should provide a tune-up for the Jayhawks’ defense.

8. Colorado installs Tyler Hansen at quarterback: After initially strongly hinting he would take a redshirt season, Hansen decided to play this season and took over for Cody Hawkins in the latter stages of Colorado’s loss to Texas. It will be interesting to see what the addition of Hansen will do to a Colorado offense that has sputtered most of the season.

9. Jerrod Johnson’s interception streak: The Texas A&M quarterback has stretched his Big 12 record streak without an interception to 228 passes. He’ll be facing a Kansas State secondary that was blistered for eight touchdown passes by Texas Tech quarterbacks last week. If Johnson can be productive and keep his streak alive, the Aggies should have a good chance to escape Manhattan with a victory.

10. What losing streak will fall in Ames? Baylor approaches the game at Iowa State with a streak of 12 straight conference road losses, dating back to a victory at Colorado on Oct. 7, 2006. Iowa State has lost 11 conference games in a row since beating Colorado on Nov. 10, 2007. Something will have to give Saturday night.