Baylor QB Seth Russell out for season
The Bears’ road to their third-straight Big 12 title and a potential playoff berth got even tougher Monday when the team announced that quarterback Seth Russell would undergo season-ending neck surgery. Russell suffered an injury to his cervical vertebra during the Bears’ win over Iowa State on Saturday. In his place steps freshman Jarrett Stidham. The Stephenville native saw action in each of Baylor’s seven previous games, throwing for 331 yards, six touchdowns and no interceptions. The Bears also moved sophomore Chris Johnson from receiver to quarterback to back up Stidham.
Oklahoma State changes perspective after homecoming tragedy
Oklahoma State pounded Kansas on Saturday afternoon, but the homecoming feel surrounding Boone Pickens Stadium was more solemn than celebratory. Earlier in the day, a car drove into the Cowboys’ homecoming parade, killing four people and injuring more. The scene unfolded just two blocks from the stadium. The tragedy had an obvious effect on the team. Upon arriving at the stadium, the Cowboys huddled around the midfield logo. After the game, head coach Mike Gundy put the game in perspective with the incident and the two plane crashes since 2003 that claimed the lives of Oklahoma State personnel.
“We’ve had some tough situations here at Oklahoma State, and this one was as difficult as any we’ve ever had,” Gundy said in a postgame press conference. “When it gets to a certain point, how is one any worse than the other?”
The driver of the car, Adacia Avery Chambers, was arrested at the scene and is charged with four counts of second-degree murder.
Perine takes home conference award
Samaje Perine ran all over Texas Tech, then ran away with this week’s Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week Award, announced Monday. Perine finished Oklahoma’s win over the Red Raiders with 201 yards and four touchdowns. Both of those numbers were season-highs for the sophomore running back from Pflugerville. Baylor senior defensive end Shawn Oakman grabbed the conference’s Defensive Player of the Week Award following a strong performance against Iowa State. Oakman recorded 3.5 tackles for loss — including a sack — and a forced fumble. Texas freshman punter Michael Dickson rounded out the awards with the Special Teams Player of the Week title. Dickson tallied punts of 45 and 51 yards, respectively, in the fourth quarter of the Longhorns’ win over Kansas State. Dickson’s biggest moment came when a bad snap went over his head, but Dickson still managed to kick the ball to the Wildcats’ eight-yard line.
Oklahoma State marches toward the top of AP poll
Despite the tragic situation before the game, Oklahoma State continued its climb toward the top of the rankings Sunday, moving up two spots to No. 12 in the latest AP rankings. Baylor held onto its No. 2 spot, but lost ground to No. 1 Ohio State and garnered just seven first-place votes. TCU fell one spot to No. 5 during its bye week, getting jumped by LSU. Oklahoma continued to improve after its loss to Texas, climbing three positions to No. 14 after a blowout win over Texas Tech. The Big 12 tied the Big Ten for most teams in the top 12, with three teams each.
