Mirror Image?

Wide receiver Justin Blackmon gets all of the publicity, but he’d be nowhere without senior quarterback Brandon Weeden.

“They’ve got a top-level quarterback,” said head coach Mike Stoops. “He’s a very talented player.”

The 27-year-old senior finished third in the nation in passing yards last season and did a good job managing the game against the Wildcats in 2010, throwing for 240 yards and two touchdowns.

“It seems like yesterday we played them,” Weeden said. “It’s funny because it has been eight months but it’s fresh. Like I said, it’s completely different because we are a different team.”

The 6-foot-4 Edmond, Okla., native is right behind Foles in a list of the nation’s top passers as he threw for 388 yards and three touchdowns against Louisiana-Lafayette on Saturday. While Weeden continued his torrid pace, he did throw three interceptions last week, but he’s sure he’ll be sharp against the Wildcats.

“I watched the tape; it’s never as bad as you think it is,” the Cowboys’ quarterback said. “I made some throws I was really excited about. Obviously, the last decision was not smart and I knew that but the first interception was a freak play. The second one, unfortunately, we had mixed up the signals, ran the wrong route and Louisiana’s guy ended up making a play. The third one was on me.”

“Sometimes those things are going to happen and I have to eliminate my mistakes and take care of the football.”

Foles wants redemption

Last year’s embarrassing Alamo Bowl loss was tough to swallow for every member of the 2010 Wildcats, but given the circumstances, quarterback Nick Foles had to have taken it harder than most.

In his home state of Texas at the Alamodome — where he’d played five times throughout high school — in front of a handful of NFL scouts, Foles threw three interceptions, one of which was taken back for a touchdown.

“You play in your home state for the first time in college and you play like that, it’s something that you don’t want to do,” Foles said. “I made a couple of bad plays. I forced a couple of throws that I shouldn’t have. That’s something I learned in the offseason. It happens. It’s a tough game. You’re going to have those games. You’re not going to last in this game if you dwell on it and let everything beat you down.”

Foles made a point to not look back at the Alamo Bowl blunder and move on to 2011, which he did against NAU, throwing for a nation-best 412 yards in Week One to go with five touchdowns and no interceptions.

The Cowboys’ secondary is one of the few mediocre elements of head coach Mike Gundy’s team, and Thomas, one of Oklahoma State’s top defenders, was ruled academically ineligible for the 2011 season on Tuesday.

Although the Wildcats may be without top receiver Juron Criner, Foles’ experience and motivation after last season’s hiccup could result in a big game for the Texan.

“He’s played in a lot of games, so anytime you compete against a quarterback who’s got a number of games experienced, you’re always concerned about that,” Gundy said. “He throws the ball well. He’s been accurate and throws a deep ball well.”

Foles

2010

Yards: 3,191
Comp %: 67.1
TDs: 20
INTs: 10
QB Rating: 140.9

Alamo Bowl:

280 yards
64.0 comp. %
TD 1
3 INTs
105.6 QB Rating

2011

Yards: 412
Comp %: 81.0
TDs: 5
INTs: 0
QB Rating: 202.6

Weeden

2010

Yards: 4,277
Comp %: 66.9
TDs: 34
INTs: 13
QB Rating: 154.1

Alamo Bowl:
240 yards,
61.0 comp. %,
2 TDs,
0 INTS
126.2 QB Rating

2011