OSU notebook
OSU notebook

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Published: March 29, 2008

Quarterback competition

Brandon Weeden and Alex Cate, competing for the backup quarterback vacancy, produced mixed results in the 131-play scrimmage.

Weeden twice fumbled snaps from center. He is still learning the offense but threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Hubert Anyiam with the first-team offense late in the scrimmage. Cate threw an interception but overall was more consistent.

"To the naked eye, it looked like Cate probably played better just because of the overall execution,” said coach Mike Gundy. "I don't know (for certain). I'd have to watch tape to see what the calls were. But Cate fired two balls into coverage, too, that I didn't like. He can't do that.”

With two weeks left in spring practice, Gundy said it's highly likely the competition will continue into the first couple of weeks of two-a-days in August before someone wins the backup job.

Special visitor: Linebacker Tolu Malau attended the scrimmage on Friday, fueling speculation Malau might sign with the Cowboys this summer and be eligible to play immediately. Malau watched the scrimmage on the field with OSU's coaches.

Malau, who played last year at San Jacinto (Texas) Junior College, signed with BYU but couldn't meet entrance requirements. Malau's brother, Tevita, was an All-Pac 10 player at Oregon. His cousin, nose tackle Halota Ngata, plays for the Baltimore Ravens.

The punisher: Safety Lucien Antoine, a.k.a. "The Punisher,” had three vicious hits during the scrimmage. The second hit, on wide receiver Damian Davis, stopped a drive and got his defensive teammates howling on the sideline.

"He can strike you,” Gundy said. "We haven't had that here in two years, someone who can intimidate you. It's like when Mark Moore was here when I was playing.

"Mark Moore was an average player, but he'd hit you. He'd miss a lot of tackles, but nobody talked about tackles he missed.”

Injury update: Center David Washington, who suffered a broken leg last year against Troy, made his first appearance at guard with the third-team unit late in the scrimmage...

Tight end Brandon Pettigrew, still wearing a splint on his right ring finger, watched the scrimmage. It's a precautionary move. Pettigrew worked on his conditioning and could have played if it were a regular-season game.

Two turnovers: The only two turnovers in the scrimmage were a fumble recovery by Jamie Blatnick, when Weeden fumbled a snap, and an interception by T. J. Bell off a tipped pass thrown by Cate.

Stack of pancakes: During a pre-scrimmage special teams drill, wide receiver DeMarcus Conner celebrated a pancake block with a loud scream and impromptu dance. Conner was then pancaked by receivers coach Trooper Taylor, who blindsided Conner.

"I like having fun,” Taylor said. "I got caught up in the moment.”

Chinasa shines: Quarterbacks wear green jerseys and are off limits to being hit. But if early whistles hadn't been blown, defensive end Ugo Chinasa would have recorded two sacks.

Special visitors: Fort Scott (Kan.) Community College coach Jeff Sims, his staff and several players attended Friday's scrimmage. Antoine, already listed on the second team, pushing for a starting job, played at Fort Scott last season.

By Mike Baldwin