By Wendell Barnhouse | wendell@big12sports.com
Big12Sports.com Correspondent

Adrian Taylor isn’t all the way back. But he’s fighting the good fight when he could be taking the year off as a redshirt.

In last year’s Sun Bowl, Taylor suffered a gruesome broken ankle. How gruesome? CBS’s production crew wisely decided not to show a replay. When you’re 6-4, weigh 300 pounds and your lower body gets caught in the maelstrom of line play, bones and ligaments give way when they’re bent in a manner not intended.

Ten months later, Oklahoma’s senior defensive tackle is back on the field, helping the Sooners’ defense in the middle of the line. After suffering the injury, Taylor was told that it might be two years before he could walk. Taylor also had people advising him to spend the 2010 season rehabbing and preparing himself for a healthy 2011 season.

“I was willing to do whatever my brothers needed me to do, because I know they’d do the same for me,” Taylor told the Oklahoman. “I’m not a quitter. I wasn’t raised to be a quitter. I knew I wasn’t going to come out the first game and play 60 snaps. And when I first got out there I got pushed around and I wasn’t used to that.

“But I’m proud I’ve been able to fight through it to be part of this great team.”

Taylor still runs with a limp. He plans with pain. He’s not the player he was last season, when he teamed with Gerald McCoy to give OU a solid run-stopping duo in the middle of the defensive line.

“Of course, there’s been some physical things there, but being honest, the hardest part for me has been the mental aspect of it,” Taylor said. “Not to sound cocky, but I thought I had a pretty good year last year, and I was expecting to have an even bigger year this year. This injury has hindered me.

“Not being what I’m used to being and being even better this year has been hard for me.”

Taylor, though, is making progress. In Saturday’s game against Colorado, Taylor found himself battling double-team blocking. Defensive tackles who are double teamed are considered threats. OU linebacker Travis Lewis said that Taylor returned to defensive huddles happily reporting, “They’re double teaming me! They’re double teaming me!’”

“You complain about double teams all the time,” Taylor said. “But right now, I want the double team, if that makes sense. Shows how far I’ve come. … I’m gaining steam. If it continues like this every week, I might be full power before the end of the season.”

Injury report
* Texas A&M running back Christine Michael is out for the season after suffering a broken tibia in last Saturday’s game with Texas Tech.

* Texas senior offensive lineman Michael Huey suffered a knee injury in the first half against Baylor. He’s listed as being out for four to six weeks so it’s likely he’ll miss the rest of the regular-season.

* Texas Tech wide receivers Jacoby Franks (foot) and Alex Torres (knee) will miss the rest of the season. Franks suffered his injury against Colorado but was reevaluated this week. Torres was injured in last Saturday’s Texas A&M game.

* Colorado wide receiver Travon Patterson sustained a sprained ankle against Oklahoma and is doubtful for Saturday’s game at Kansas.

* Oklahoma running back Jermie Calhoun suffered a season-ending knee injury in the fourth quarter of the Sooners’ victory over Colorado.

Audibles
Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III on the Bears being on top of the South Division standings:
“The tide has changed. We are the team to beat, and we are going to keep rolling with that. The guys in our locker room believe the sky’s the limit.’’

Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops was asked about Penn State coach Joe Paterno, who at the age of 83 needs one victory for No. 400 in his career:
"He's the best. You just really admire him. But as far as looking at 400 as a benchmark, there's no way I'd look at that. More power to him, I love him for it, but I have no interest in hanging around that long."

With Texas Tech at 4-4 overall and 2-4 in Big 12 play, first-year coach Tommy Tuberville is getting a lot of criticism from fans:
“I don’t worry about it. We’ve obviously been struggling in a lot of areas, and it’s not these kids’ fault. This is not my first rodeo. I’ve been through a couple of these before. You’re not ever going to please fans anyway. The good ones will stick with you. We’ve got a plan. We started the plan about 10 months ago.”

Oklahoma State quarterback Brandon Weeden on one of the reasons why the Cowboys are 7-1:
"We've got guys that all they do is eat, drink, think, bleed and everything (about) football. When I first got here, it wasn't like that. And I think that's half the battle. … They love to play football. They're mentally stronger than we've been in the past."

Quick slants
* Baylor is 1-13 against Oklahoma State in Big 12 games. The only victory was a 44-34 decision in Waco in 2005. In seven losses in Stillwater, the Cowboys have outscored Baylor 323-128, an average score of 46-18. In Oklahoma State’s 13 victories over the Bears, the Cowboys have a 536-220 scoring edge (average score of 41-17).

* Oklahoma senior running back DeMarco Murray, who earlier this season became the school’s career leader in touchdowns, needs just 32 yards to break Joe Washington's career record for all-purpose yards.

* In half a game against Kansas and a full game against Texas Tech, Texas A&M junior quarterback Ryan Tannehill has completed 48 of 66 passes for 604 yards and seven touchdowns.

* Nebraska’s Alex Henery, who is on pace to become the best kicker in school history, has been the Huskers’ punter the last two seasons. Henery is averaging 45.5 yards per punt, which is good for 14th nationally – and fourth in the Big 12. He trails Quinn Sharp, who is fifth nationally, No. 9 Derek Epperson of Baylor and No. 10 Kirby Van Der Kamp of Iowa State.

* Saturday’s Oklahoma at Texas A&M game Saturday features two teams that like to play fast on offense. The Aggies have run 690 plays, more than any team in the Football Bowl Subdivision. The Sooners are second at 687. Those plays have produced 485 yards per game in total offense for A&M and 473 yards a game for OU.