It looks like OSU will wear all-black uniforms tonight. Several Cowboys are warming up in black pants with white stripes and OSU logo on the hip. I haven’t seen the jerseys yet. I will post and tweet more as more Pokes come out to warm up.

In this week’s edition of Behind Enemy Lines, I did a question-and-answer session with Tom Kensler, the Colorado beat writer for the Denver Post.

Brandon Chatmon: It appears Hawkins in on the hot seat. How hot is it?

Tom Kensler: Scalding. At this point, the feeling is that Colorado could win big over Oklahoma State (unlikely) and Nebraska, and that still might not be enough to save Hawkins’ job. The momentum against him seems irreversible.

BC: In your opinion can CU afford to get rid of Hawkins AND pay someone else?

TK: Speaking in generalities, athletic director Mike Bohn said a few weeks ago that money would not stand in the way of his department making a coaching change if deemed necessary. I’ll take Bohn for his word. Like with Gary Barnett, the athletic department may have to borrow from the school because CU doesn’t seem to have a T. Boone Pickens ready to sign a check. That’s not ideal, but, as businessmen like to say, sometimes you have to spend money to make money.

BC: What has been the biggest contributor to Colorado’s poor season?

TK: It’s been a group effort, so to speak. The defense played poorly in upset losses to Colorado State and Toledo. Since then, the defense has vastly improved, but for the second consecutive year, Colorado has the worst offense in the Big 12 – by a relatively large margin.

BC: What has Hansen brought to the table that Cody Hawkins did not? Should he have been the starter to start the year?

TK: Hansen has wheels, a great feel for scrambling. Plus, he has a much stronger arm than Cody Hawkins. It’s easy to say now that Hansen should have been starting all along, but beat writers who attend practices agree that Cody was always more consistent during the week’s preparations. I can’t fault Dan Hawkins for playing the QB who was best in practice. Cody had some good moments, including engineering a second-half comeback victory over Oklahoma in 2007, but he seemed to have peaked, if not regressed. Hansen has promising upside.

BC: What is the most underrated part of the team?

TK: The pass defense stats aren’t particularly good, but CU’s secondary has some size and athleticism. New starters were inserted at safety during midseason, and that has solidified the unit.

BC: What is the Buffs biggest strength?

TK: There’s experience and savvy at linebacker, especially senior Marcus Burton and junior B.J. Beatty. They love to hit.

BC: Biggest weakness?

TK: Pass protection. Iowa State had only two sacks, but before that, Missouri and Texas A&M each dropped Hansen 10 times. It’s a wonder the sophomore can get out of bed on Sunday mornings.

BC: Freshman or sophomores you think will make a big impact on Thursday?

TK: Many of the best players are sophomores, including QB Tyler Hansen, TB Rodney “Speedy” Stewart and WR Markques Simas. The defensive line has several sophomores and freshmen, and they have been a pleasant surprise – even holding up pretty well against Texas.

BC: Will playing so many games on unusual days (Thurs,Fri,Sun) give CU an edge since they’re used to it in some ways?

TK: You might say that, but all three victories came on Saturdays.

BC: Name one player OSU fans should fear on Thursday.

TK: Burton. At 6-feet and 250 pounds, is built like a tank and is capable of punishing running backs. He has enough athleticism and drive to get a look from the NFL.

First some highlights of Colorado’s loss to Iowa State last weekend:

And the Buffaloes win over Texas A&M a couple of weeks ago:

— A great win… but what will be remembered is this…

— Get down, Zac… Get down!

—    Anymore questions about Bill Young’s defense? They shut down Texas Tech’s offense. Great gameplan, great execution.

—    After being the focus of my pre-game story, Markelle Martin made me look good. The sophomore had six tackles and two passes broken up.

—    One of the most impressive things about the game was the Cowboys remaining committed to the run. That’s why I wrote about it in my insider. They had a plan for the full 60 minutes and didn’t waver from it, even when they weren’t having success.

—    Early on, it looked like the Cowboys were having another bad tackling game but they improved greatly in the final two-and-a half quarters.

—    Zac ran for 99 yards and looked like the Zac Robinson of his sophomore year. He is simply a great player.

—    While he should have gotten down and shown better awareness on the play he got knocked out of the game, he didn’t. And the reason why is the same reason he’s special. He’s extremely competitive and confident.

—    The three-pronged attack of Robinson, Kendall Hunter and Keith Toston will create problems for any defense. Robinson keeps you honest, Hunter adds that little big of explosiveness and Toston is so physical and versatile. Tough to prepare and handle all of those options.

—    Patrick Lavine, Patrick Lavine, Patrick Lavine. I say it every week because the guy quietly makes key plays every game. Very consistent performer and he will be missed next season.

—    The Pokes have to do something about their special teams. They keep allowing big returns, largely because Quinn Sharp is so good on kickoffs, guys run don’t like they don’t expect to have to make a play.

—    Nice tackle by Sharp BTW, he was a superb shortstop in high school and he showed that athletic ability on that play.

—    Toston told me after the game that the Pokes poor field position had a lot to do with their running struggles in the first half. They felt like they couldn’t use their playbook when they kept getting the ball inside their own 5 yard line.

—    The Pokes got excellent pressure on the quarterback. That had as much to do with Tech’s lack of success as anything.

—    OSU was 9 of 18 on third down conversions. The Pokes just proved they were better up front, it’s really that simple.

—    Gundy pointed out Noble native Colby Whitlock as being particularly disruptive for the Red Raiders.

—    OSU held Tech to 4 of 13 third-down conversions. Another sign of how good the Pokes’ defense has become.

—    Hubert Anyiam’s touchdown catch was special. That guy has a talent to be a star and future NFL receiver. Whether he becomes that or not will depend on his mental approach. This offseason will be critical for him. If he commits to being great, I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if he’s an All-Big 12 receiver in 2010.

—    Gundy mentioned after the game how proud he was of the team to overcome the loss of Victor Johnson with Tech looming on Saturday. They stepped up and got it done.

—    Part of me thinks the Pokes should get their receivers involved more. But at the same time, if you’re running for 250-plus yards, why throw? It’s like in basketball, if you can get a layup, why would you sit around shooting 3s?

—    Bottom line: I don’t think Zac should play against Colorado. They can beat the Buffaloes without him, Kendall looks like he’s slowly regaining his explosiveness and Keith will be his normal consistent self. So rest Zac, make sure he’s ready for Bedlam. If you can’t beat Colorado without Zac, you have no business asking for consideration for a BCS berth anyway.

by Brandon Chatmon
bchatmon@opubco.com

Oklahoma State running back Keith Toston galloped for a 69-yard run late in the Iowa State game but was stopped at the two yard line.
I couldn’t help but ask Zac Robinson about it, just to see if he gave Toston a hard time about getting caught so close to the endzone:
“I ran down and said, ‘How are you going to get tackled on the three like that?’” Robinson said on Monday. “He was so tired he wouldn’t even look at me. He didn’t want to hear it at that time… and I haven’t talked to him about it since then.”
Toston did eventually get the touchdown after Beau Johnson gained one yard on first down then Robinson was stopped on second down.
“I intentionally didn’t get in (on second down) so he could get that touchdown because I felt bad for him,” Robinson said with a smile.

In this story on Lubbockonline.com, the Red Raiders discuss going against OSU’s offensive line, which they consider one of the best they have faced this season.

Another key player for Tech is Brandon Sharpe. The senior defensive end has 10.5 sacks this season (1.3 per game).
“I think he’s starting to realize the potential of how good he is,” Texas Tech coach Mike Leach said. “I think he’s a little better than you’ve seen so far.”

The one-on-one battle between Sharpe and OSU left tackle Russell Okung will be one of the best battles to watch on Saturday.

Here are some highlights of Texas Tech’s 66-14 win over Kansas State:

Perrish Cox Will Be Watching Who Starts At QB for Tech

By John Helsley

jhelsley@opubco.com

Texas Tech has quarterback issues.

Like, who will start?

And who’s available?

And who’s best?

While much of the talk this week will center around OSU’s ability to slow the Red Raiders — something the Cowboys have long struggled to accomplish, as our man Brandon Chatmon addressed this morning in The Oklahoman — the difficulty of the job could be tied to who stands behind center on Saturday.

Could be Taylor Potts, the early season starter.

Could be Seth Doege, the freshman who replaced Potts a few weeks back.

Could be Steven Sheffield, the surprising former walk-on who has played the best, yet is trying to return from Oct. 18 foot surgery.

And it could be Saturday at 7 p.m. before we know which of the three it will be.

Here’s what Leach said Monday, when it was revealed Sheffield would give it a go this week at practice:

“We’ll see how it comes. It always is good to have more options. The more the merrier.”

Cowboys coaches say they’re preparing for anybody and everybody. And that it doesn’t matter in Tech’s system.

But for a change, it does matter. Check out the numbers.

Potts 67.2 completion percentage, 2,221 yards, 15 TDs, 9 INTs

Sheffield 74.5 percentage, 1,014 yards, 12 TDs, 2 INTs

Doege 62.3 percentage, 369 yards, 2 TDS, 0 INTs

More to consider, Tech’s record when each starts:

Potts 3-3 (W – North Dakota, Rice, New Mexico; L – Texas, Houston, A&M)

Sheffield 2-0 (Kansas State, Nebraska)

Doege 1-0 (Potts actually relieved and sparked the win over Kansas)

Sheffield seems to bring something special to the Raiders, including a toughness that teammates can feed from. And all indications are that he gives them the best chance to win.

But will his foot allow him to return so soon after surgery?

“I know Sheffield,” Tech wide receiver Alex Torres told reporters Monday, “his leg is still tentative. I don’t know exactly the whole injury situation and what’s the deal with that, but right now I’m not too sure what (the QB spot is) going to look like.”

Most likely, we can rule out Doege. The Pickens Palace is no place for a freshman who has been inconsistent and had to be replaced in his only career start.

Assuming that, it comes down to Sheffield’s tolerance for pain, as he’d likely be Leach’s Option A, considering Potts’ so-far shaky season, which includes an ugly scene in which he was booed off the field — at home — against A&M.

Stay tuned, although Leach isn’t likely to leak news. This is a major development in a game that could all but lock in the Cowboys for no less than the Cotton Bowl.

by Brandon Chatmon
bchatmon@opubco.com

In the Lubbock Avalanche Journal has a story on the last time OSU and Texas Tech played in Stillwater.

Here are highlights of Texas A&M’s road win over Tech: