Then there was Oklahoma last year. Against the Sooners, Crouch ran for 101 yards on 23 carries but completed an anemic 12 of 27 passes, including an interception for a touchdown that, he indicated this week, still bothers him.

After that game and a miserable 2 of 13 performance against K-State, Coach Frank Solich revealed that Crouch had been hampered by a shoulder injury - an injury that required surgery in the off season.

"My shoulder gradually just got worse and worse," Crouch said. "That really affected me.

"But (the surgery) and the rehab that I've gone through has made it a lot easier. I'm not throwing with pain. I'm sleeping better. . . I feel more comfortable. I feel more confident. I expect to play better this year."

But will he pass better in a big game? The verdict is still out.

When asked about Crouch's passing ability, Texas Tech coach Mike Leach said: "I don't think that's his best feature. His best feature is he's fast. He's the best option quarterback I've ever seen."

When asked whether Crouch has improved as a passer, Oklahoma co-defensive coordinator Mike Stoops said: "Yeah, but half the time those guys are wide-open."

Fullback Judd Davies said the Huskers' biggest problem is that, too often, they have relied on Crouch as their only crutch -- allowing defenses to key on No. 7.

"Eric is throwing the ball really well right now," fullback Judd Davies said. "Come Saturday, he's going to do a great job like he always does. And he's going to make big plays like he always does. But if we become one-dimensional and rely only on Eric's shoulders, they're going to have a really good shot at beating us."

The unfazed sophomore
White, who stepped in for Nate Hybl after the junior was injured against Texas, has shown the passing skills that both Miami and Oklahoma coveted when he came out of high school in Tuttle, about a half-hour from Oklahoma City. But, surprisingly, the 6-foot-2, 220 pounder also has shown Josh Heupel's ability to scramble out of pressure and make plays.

	Oklahoma QB Jason White has completed 68 percent of his passes this season.

In the three games that he has played in relief of Hybl, White has completed 69 percent of his passes with 5 touchdowns and two interceptions.

Against Texas, he directed two picture-perfect option plays that gave Oklahoma its first score. Against Kansas, he ran 12 times for 117 yards.

Last week against Baylor, though, White was sacked eight times for 66 yards. While some of that could be blamed on injuries on the offensive line, Stoops said White probably caused three or four sacks by waiting too long to unload the ball.

Even so, Baylor coaches said White clearly is a better runner than Hybl. And he displays a remarkable calm in the face of fury.

"The guy got hit a bunch of times," Steele said. "Not only did he get up. . .not only did he break out and scramble and run, but the biggest thing is he took all those hits and still completed (73 percent) of his passes. He got hit and he never got rattled."

But will he get rattled by the prospect by his biggest start, by the screaming, blood-red masses at Memorial Stadium?

For his part, White seems nonplussed. A down-to-earth, happy-go-lucky guy, he sounds a bit like Forrest Gump when he says: "I never thought I would get to play in an OU-Nebraska game. It's a privilege to get to play in a game this big."

But don't mistake White's innocence for insecurity. Stoops said White won't be overwhelmed by the atmosphere in Lincoln.

"Walking into the first quarter against Texas in the Cotton Bowl is about as wild as it gets," Stoops said. "And he did well there. He'll treat it the same. He'll go in ready to play."

You can bet Crouch will, too. Dubbed Jesus Crouch by some observers because of his near godlike following in the state, Crouch has a chance to solidify his legacy with a win over Oklahoma.

"I don't ever think of myself as being the best quarterback to come through this system," he said. "I feel that my duty is to win football games and to be as effective as I can in trying to help this program win.

"I'd love to win another Big 12 championship and a national championship. But I'm not going to leave this place concerned with my legacy as long as I know that I gave my best effort every opportunity I had."

And what an opportunity Saturday is. Whether it's your last dance or your first.

Around the Big 12

Baylor
Yes, Baylor still hasn't won a Big 12 road game in school history. But make no mistake, the Bears are becoming tougher with every outing. The Bears battled Oklahoma, trailing only 27-17 early in the fourth quarter before losing 33-17. Baylor held the Sooners to 16 yards in the first 18 minutes of the second half. "It's obvious they are a team on the rise," OU coach Bob Stoops said. ... Baylor coach Kevin Steele continues to make bold moves, even while his team is facing the top teams in the nation. Instead of simply sticking with junior Greg Cicero at quarterback, Steele threw true freshman Davon Vinson into the fire at Norman. Vinson promptly fired a ball so far out of bounds that it nearly landed in Oklahoma City. Steele said he didn't feel like he wasted a drive by taking Vinson out of his redshirt year. "We're in the business of doing what's best for the football team whether it's long term or short term," he said. ... Steele admits he's a bit frustrated at how close the Bears have come without pulling off the upset: "I've just got to make sure we get it figured out how to make that next step. There's got to be a way."

Colorado
Though it would have been hard to argue that Colorado could have beaten Texas even with Craig Ochs, the Buffs would just as soon not be without him the rest of the way. Ochs was held out of the Texas game after suffering headaches apparently stemming from a mild concussion last month in CU's win over Kansas. Ochs said he will play at Oklahoma State. "I'm going to play," he said. "It was the hardest thing in the world watching." ... Coach Gary Barnett could barely watch as his Buffs suffered from another case of the muffs -- four turnovers in all -- the most since their five turnovers cost them the season opener against Fresno State. "We went to Texas and laid an egg," he said. ... Receiver Cedric Cormier (separated shoulder) is questionable and running back Bobby Purify (sprained wrist) is probable for Saturday's game.

Iowa State
Seneca Wallace is sick. There's no other explanation for his performance in his past two home games, against Baylor and Oklahoma State: 38 of 43 (88 percent) including 16 of 19 Saturday against the Cowboys. "The difference in the game was really the quarterback Seneca Wallace," Oklahoma State coach Les Miles said. "The amazing to me is he was awfully accruate in his throws. He did not overthrow his players. Even the ball that were incomplete were pretty close." ... For a defense that returned virtually no regular starters from a year ago, the Cyclones just continue to defy reason -- and school history. The Clones held Oklahoma State to 42 yards rushing after giving up even fewer against Baylor. It was the first time the Cyclones have held two conference opponents under 43 yards rushing in the same season since 1943. ... He's got a heavyweight boxer's stature and a heavyweight kind of name. So it's only fitting that Ennis Haywood said he enjoys going 15 rounds. Haywood went the distance Saturday with a staggering 39 carries for 196 yards against the Cowboys. It was the 11th time Haywood has gone over 100 yards in his career. He earned Big 12 player of the week for his performance.

Kansas
If you had told Terry Allen that he would be above K-State in the Big 12 standings and would have the same overall record as the Wildcats midway through the year, he probably would be thinking contract extension. But now, he's just hoping for a shot of job security as his Jayhawks prepare for the Wildcats Saturday. K-State has lost four in a row, is 2-4, and is at the bottom of the Big 12 north. And a week after a huge win over Texas Tech, Kansas is close to the Big 12 basement with its narrow loss to Missouri Saturday. ... Forgive Allen if he doesn't sleep much this week. Chances are, he'll be tossing and turning for a long time over his decision to punt on fourth and one instead of going for it with 5 minutes left Saturday against Missouri. "If I had known we weren't going to get the ball back, I would have gone for it on fourth down. ... I know that's one I'll lose sleep over." ... The KU defense will lose some sleep as well. Despite getting two interceptions for touchdowns, KU allowed Farmer to bounce back and complete 19 of 32 passes for 246 yards.

Kansas State
How do you lose a game in which you outgain the opponent 358 to 189 yards and have the ball for nearly 10 more minutes? You give up three turnovers in two minutes, that's how. K-State's three third-quarter turnovers Saturday led to 17 A&M points and the Wildcats' ultimate demise. ... With Ell Roberson's health and his performance flagging (lagging), quarterback Marc Dunn probably will get the start against Kansas. Dunn almost got the job done Saturday against Texas A&M, completing 8 of 11 passes for 69 yards before the Wildcats came up just short at the Aggies' 3-yard-line. Meanwhile, Roberson, who has been hampered by turf toe and a bum ankle, completed just 4 of 13 passes for 31 yards and one interception, though coach Bill Snyder said Roberson ran the option well. ... Aaron Lockett may not have been thrilled with his performance Saturday -- in which he fumbled a punt that led to an A&M field goal -- but he did march into the record books. Lockett, who atoned for his fumble with a crucial 52-yard punt return in the fourth quarter, became K-State's all-time all-purpose yardage leader.

Missouri
Justin Gage continues to put up ungodly numbers. The 6-foot, 5-inch part-time basketball player skied for 11 catches and a jaw-dropping 148 yards against Kansas. His best catch may have been an acrobatic end-zone grab that would have been the game winner had it not been nullified by a penalty. Said coach Gary Pinkel: "When I first got here, I saw him play basketball and I noticed what a remarkable competitor he is. He's a warrior." ... Tailback Zach Abron had a standout day, rushing for 102 yards on 19 carries. Abron is ranked 59th nationally in rushing, averaging a respectable 75 yards a game. ... How much does coach Gary Pinkel hate mistakes? After an illegal formation nullified a fourth-quarter touchdown, Pinkel said he was about ready to stab himself. By Monday, he had calmed down enough to swear off self-mutilation. Still, he said. "we certainly made errors that are still frustrating to me."

Nebraska
Some observers say Texas Tech's pass-happy offense is better than Oklahoma's. Nebraska better hope so after Kliff Kingsbury and the Red Raiders blitzed Nebraska for 373 yards on 34 of 64 passing. "We kind of showed that our defense has a hole in it," said tackle Jeremy Slechta. "It's almost like a wake-up call for us. It will give us a sense of urgency on what we have to do this week." ... The biggest thing Nebraska has to do is heal in a hurry before Saturday's noon ET matchup with the Sooners. The following starters are questionable for Saturday after suffering injuries against Tech: Fullback Judd Davies (ankle), tackle Dave Volk (shoulder), tackle Dan Waldrop (ankle), winback John Gibson (ankle) and cornerback Keyuo Craver (ankle). Tight end Tracey Wistrom (knee) is expected to return. ... Beyond getting healthy, Davies said Nebraska knows what it needs to do against Oklahoma -- stick to its battering ground game. Plain and simple, he said, the Huskers panicked after the Sooners stormed back from a 14-0 first-quarter deficit to win 31-14 last year. Crouch completed just 12 of 27 passes as the offense got away from what it does best. Davies said every Husker used that game as fuel in the offseason. "We showed in the first quarter what we could do," Davies said. "To be able to go up and down the field and score and then to just be shut down like that was really disheartening. They took it to us and the score showed it."

Oklahoma
Though they've won 20 straight, the Sooners aren't without worries. Namely, Oklahoma's O-line looked like Swiss cheese Saturday against Baylor. The Sooners gave up eight sacks, after having given up seven all season. Coach Bob Stoops said about half of the sacks could be pinned on the offensive line's poor performance and half on quarterback Jason White's desire to hold onto the ball like it was a Teddy bear. ... Here's a stat from the twilight zone: Oklahoma managed just 16 yards in the third quarter and were easily outgained by the Bears. At one point, Baylor had cut Oklahoma's lead to 27-17 with 12 minutes left. "Pathetic," linebacker Rocky Calmus said. The bad news for Nebraska? The last time Calmus and Roy Williams were ticked about a performance -- after OU's 38-37 win over Kansas State -- the Sooners came out and stuffed Texas, allowing just 3 points. ... Stoops, on the No. 1 ranking in the BCS: "I guess that's good. It would be better if we were already finished."

Oklahoma State
Tatum Bell will return for the Cowboys' matchup with Colorado this week. Coach Les Miles left Bell in Stillwater for Saturday's Iowa State game for violating an undisclosed team rule. They also must have left their running game there, too -- managing just 42 yards in Saturday's 28-14 loss. "We need a tailback so bad it makes me sick," coach Les Miles said afterwards. ... They could use a defense, too. Once heralded as hard-hitting, the Cowboys' defense has been obliterated in the past three games. The 'Pokes gave up 424 yards to Missouri, 479 yards to Texas and 435 yards to Iowa State. ... Quarterback Aso Pogi had decent numbers (24 of 39 for 234 yards and two touchdowns) but the Pokes must find a way to stay on the field, or get the other team off of it. Iowa State had the ball for a stunning 40 minutes Saturday -- twice as long as the Pokes. Perhaps more stunning, the Clones almost chewed up the entire first quarter. "They literally had one drive that was 110 yards (with penalties)," Miles noted.

Texas
Texas coach Mack Brown said quarterback Chris Simms, who completed 17 of 28 passes for 234 yards and three touchdowns against Colorado, has shrugged off the criticism he has received since the Oklahoma loss, in which the Texas offense failed to get in the end zone. "I've been so impressed with Chris," Brown said. "Chris doesn't let the positive things that are said about him affect him and he really isn't bothered by the bad things. I think a lot of that comes with him watching his dad in New York. He knows you're going to get some criticism." ... Cedric Benson might be the fastest maturing freshman in the nation. Benson quickly is living up to his out-of-high-school hype, especially after he posted 159 total offensive yards on 23 rushes and three receptions against Colorado. ... Senior linebacker D.D. Lewis was named Big 12 defensive player of the week for his six tackles, including a sack and two tackles for losses, in Texas' 41-7 win over Colorado. Lewis also set a school record with his 10th career fumble recovery.

Texas A&M
With an upstart Iowa State defense coming to Kyle Field, A&M desperately needs to find a way to generate some offense this week. Though the Aggies beat K-State 31-24, it largely was through a gift of three turnovers that led to 17 points in the third quarter. For the game, quarterback Mark Farris finished with only 138 yards passing. ... A&M reportedly is upset at the ESPN documentary "Sidelines" because it has carried footage of -- close your eyes, you're not going to believe this happens -- off-campus parties. Administrators even have considered pulling the plug on the school's participation. With or without the show, the football team could hold its own episode of M*A*S*H. Put simply, A&M's training room looks like a triage center. You needn't look any farther than the tight end and receiver positions to see the toll. All four tight ends have suffered season -- or career-ending injuries. The latest victim, standout Michael De La Torre, has quit football after having been diagnosed with a herniated disc in his back. Converted defensive lineman Thomas Carriger and walk-on Haven Massey are the Aggies' only healthy tight ends. Injuries to receivers Bethel Johnson and Greg Porter have depleted the receiving corps. Slocum said the injuries have put the Aggies in such a bind that they haven't been able to line up in a power-running formation with two tight ends. Yet, they also can't run an empty backfield because they haven't had four wideouts to depend on. ... Texas A&M freshman receiver Terrence Murphy has stepped up, though. Murphy posted his second 100-yard receiving game in as many weeks when he hauled in five passes for 107 yards, including a 44-yard touchdown Saturday.

Texas Tech
Texas Tech wide receiver Wes Welker was the Big 12 special teams player of the week after he bounced outside a wall of blockers and returned a punt 85 yards for a touchdown in Tech's 41-31 loss to Nebraska. A second punt return for a touchdown was nullified when the officials determined that a blocker was lined up offsides -- even though no flag was thrown. Coach Mike Leach said he didn't think the phantom flag was warranted. "I don't think he was offsides at all," Leach said. ... Leach wasn't quite as convinced that officials were wrong on a fourth-down pass from Kliff Kingsbury to Carlos Francis that could have tied the score. Down by just seven points in the fourth quarter, Kingsbury threw into the end zone. Carlos Francis made the catch but a referee ruled he came down out of bounds, giving the ball to Nebraska. It was hard to tell whether Francis was pushed out or not. "The camera was too far away," Leach said. ... After beating Kansas State and coming close against Nebraska, Tech would do well to not let down against Baylor. Yes, Baylor. The past three weeks, the Bears have been within 10 points of A&M, Nebraska and Oklahoma long into the third quarter. The 3-3 Red Raiders, who lost to Kansas on homecoming night, have proven that they can beat anyone -- or get beat by anyone.

Todd Cooper covers the Big 12 for the Omaha World-Herald.