Coming Out Part

Wow! If you missed the Texas vs A&M game then you missed a good one. McCoy's arm and legs helped Texas to a 49-39 win but Jerrod Johnson also used his dual-threat talents to torch the Longhorns defense.The 6-foot-5-inch, 240-pound junior from Humble ran for 97 yards. He completed 26 of 33 passes for 342 yards and four touchdowns. The Aggies, consequently, rolled up 532 yards, the most allowed by Texas' defense this season. Coach Mike Sherman called it Johnson's "finest performance in many ways, not just on the field, but on the sideline." "There wasn't one time he thought we didn't have a chance to win it," Sherman said, "not one time when he didn't want the ball in his hands." Johnson has flown under the radar this season despite some impressive statistics for a mediocre team that has been on television only six times. In the final game of the regular season, he finally had a coming-out party on a large national stage. I have always been a fan of this guy because he reminds me of the A&M version of Vince Young. Next year he will be on a lot of GMs radar. For tonight though missed opportunities will haunt the Aggies when they turn on the film.

Act of Kindness

Shaquille O’Neal has paid for the funeral of a 5-year-old North Carolina girl whose kidnapping and slaying received national news coverage. The Fayetteville Observer in North Carolina reported Thursday that the Cleveland Cavaliers player was touched by the case of Shaniya Davis. More than 2,000 people attended her funeral Sunday. The girl’s body was found Nov. 16 beside a rural road. Her mother, Antionette Davis, is charged with human trafficking and child abuse involving prostitution. Mario McNeill is charged with murder, rape and kidnapping. I am glad to hear that a star of his caliber to step up and do something. I applaud him for that. If you haven't heard, documents said she "knowingly provide[d] Shaniya Davis with the intent that she be held in sexual servitude" and she "permit[ted] an act of prostitution.

Best Back in the NFL? A Lot Closer

Chris Johnson is on track to break Eric Dickerson single season rushing record, and has rushed for 150 or more yards in 5 straight weeks, he also remains a credible threat in the passing game coming out the backfield. Chris Johnson is currently averaging 6.2 yards per carry, only two other running backs in NFL history have averaged more than 6.2 yards per carry since 1967. Adrian Peterson became everyone's unanimous pick as the best running back in the NFL. However, this year, the argument has become more muddled with the emergence of Chris Johnson. Not only that, Chris Johnson is quite possibly the most exciting player in the NFL. In just over a year-and-a-half, Johnson has fumbled twice, while Peterson, in two-and-a-half-plus seasons, has put the ball on the ground 17 times. But you cannot argue that Adrian Peterson can break games wide open, and every time he touches the ball we expect to see big things happen. Whether it be running through the second level of the defense and hardly breaking stride or running somebody over. I do not know which one I would pick but for right now I'll enjoy the show of having two great backs in the NFL as one is leaving.

Batch Injury Opens the Door

The Steelers have signed former Pitt star Tyler Palko to their practice squad. The Steelers needed another quarterback with Charlie Batch out 2-4 weeks because of a broken bone in his wrist. Palko signed with the Saints in 2007 as an undrafted free agent, and spent four games that season on New Orleans' active roster. The Saints released him prior to the 2008 season. Palko spent training camp this season with the Arizona Cardinals but got released in early September. Now the Steelers have Dennis Dixon and Palko as Big Ben's backup incase he can not go this weekend.Steelers are showing enough faith in Dixon to not sign a veteran backup. Dixon has given them a lot of reasons to feel confident in him. In the preseason he's shown some running ability, a solid and relatively accurate arm and the leadership ability that stood out when he was starring at Oregon.

New Moon

Hester was trying to reach down and scoop up a low pass from Jay Cutler when Eagles cornerback Dimitri Patterson dragged him down by his britches, casting a full moon over NBC's telecast of the game. "I ain't talking about that,'' Hester said this afternoon as he walked off the practice field inside the Walter Payton Center. "I'm trying to let that die down." Hester was embarrassed by the incident but said it's one of the things that can happen when a defender grabs ahold of you just the right wrong place. "It done happened before. It's not the first time and it won't be the last,'' he said. "There's nothing you can do, man, when they pull your pants." Asked if he has received an outpouring of attention over the incident, he asked to change the subject. "Don't do this to me,'' he said. "Let it die down. I did got a lot of comments from chicks.

McCoy Looking to Fill-In

LeSean McCoy should be headed for some good numbers again as the Philadelphia Eagles' starting running back, based on how he's done knowing he's starting going in. Coach Andy Reid pointed out last week how McCoy, a rookie who's been spelling injured Brian Westbrook for most of the season, does better when he spends the whole week of practice beforehand with the first team. This is another one of those weeks as the Eagles prepare to play the Washington Redskins. "It means a lot for Coach Reid to say that," McCoy said. "It means he has a lot of confidence in me. I just think it's the norm. You play, get some carries, get some reps. You know that mistake or no mistake, you're going to be out there and perform. "And also, when you're a backup, you don't know when you're going to go in, what quarter. So I think just knowing you're going to be in the game make it a lot better."

1 Yard Short of 1K

Adrian Peterson stands at 999 through 10 games. Here is Peterson ...

On whether rushing for 1,000 yards is a big deal or an expectation: "Expectation. It's something I look forward to each year. With the offensive line we have, I feel we can get that every year."

On how much easier it is to run the ball now that Brett Favre is making defenses think twice about crowding the line to stop him: "He makes it a lot easier. Teams come in and they stack that box, too. We're able to put guys on the perimeter and make big plays and bounce it out with the run game."

On slow starts the past two games against Detroit and Seattle: "We haven't come out with the starts we'd like, but we were able to pick it up and pull away from guys. That's good."

On whether he has become a better receiver since Favre joined the team: "I've definitely become a better receiver. He does a great job of finding us out there. It's up to us to make a play."

On advice Favre has given him: "Make sure you open your eyes and expect the ball at all times. I kind of call him the Allen Iverson of football, because he might be running to the left side, and you might have a route to the right. He might throw it across his body to get it to you. You've got to make sure you're aware."

Notes: Peterson nicked his ankle in last week's win over Seattle but returned to the game. His limited participation in practice was probably a precaution.

Bedlam Rivalry

After years of trying to dethrone mighty Oklahoma, it’s No. 11 Oklahoma State that will be playing for a potential berth in the lucrative Bowl Championship Series when the rivals meet Saturday in Norman. If the chips fall right, OSU could receive an at-large bid for its first BCS appearance. It will be only the third time a ranked Cowboys team will play the Sooners when Oklahoma is unranked. Oklahoma State has lost six straight Bedlam games since pulling off back-to-back upsets of top-5 Oklahoma teams at the end of the regular season in 2001 and 2002. The first one knocked the Sooners out of the national championship picture. This season, Oklahoma (6-5, 4-3) has matched its biggest loss total since Bob Stoops took over as coach in 1999. Since losing to Oklahoma State in 2001, the Sooners have won 49 of their last 50 home games and carry a 29-game winning streak on Owen Field.

Thorpe Finalists

Taylor Mays, a two-time All-American, was not among the three announced finalists for the Thorpe Award, presented annually to college football's top defensive back. But Mays suffered a knee injury against Ohio State that sidelined him for the Trojans' loss at Washington. And his only interception came against California in the fifth game of the season. Among the Thorpe finalists, Texas' Earl Thomas has seven interceptions, Florida's Joe Haden three and Tennessee's Eric Berry two. This of course will stir up the debate of who will be the first DB taking off the board.

Star QB Punched

Notre Dame Quarterback Jimmy Clausen was "sucker-punched" by an angry, sociopathic so-called fan Sunday morning in South Bend, Indiana. But that's not the right report; it's not what happened at all. Clausen was not "sucker-punched." the place where it all took place was a bar and restaurant called "C.J.'s Pub", and that Clausen had left initially without incident, but his female friend left her purse in the establishment, and as she went to get it at 2 AM with Clausen, she was pushed by a man outside the bar. Then words were exchanged between Clausen and the man. The QB pushed him away placing his hand to the man's neck; the man punched Clausen in the eye and the two started to wrestle on the ground before the fight was broken up.