Stock report: A chance for a new star

Published: October 15, 2006

Larry Birdine and Calvin Thibodeaux may not have recorded a sack, but they kept Iowa State quarterback Bret Meyer on the run all day, neutralizing his impact. Birdine and Thibodeaux did each produce tackles for losses and combined for eight stops overall.

Perhaps responding to earlier-week challenges to produce big plays, Rufus Alexander and Zach Latimer came through with their best combined game to date. Latimer finished with seven tackles, including one for loss, while Alexander added seven tackles and came up with a diving interception of Meyer.

Allen Patrick, Jacob Gutierrez and a cast of freshmen find themselves thrust to the forefront in the effort to replace Adrian Peterson. It's a chance for one to not only shine this season, but lay claim to the job for 2007.

Usually a heavy contributor to the highlight tape, Smith suffered through a rare rough day. He was beaten for two big pass plays, fumbled one punt and allowed another to bounce and roll to the OU 2, where Iowa State trapped the Sooners for a sack moments later. "Special teams wise, I had my mishaps."

By John Helsley