What was coach Mike Gundy's secret for turning former Oklahoma State quarterback Brandon Weeden into a star?
Hypnotherapy.
As the Oklahoman reports, Weeden and other Cowboys have utilized a hypnotherapist in Stillwater to help them relax on the field.
"Playing quarterback, in particular, is a lot of pressure, a lot of stress," Weeden said. "For me, it was more she relaxed me. She got the mental state of my game (right) as far visioning good things happening all the time, taking the bad thoughts out, whether it was throwing an interception or whatever it may be.
"I think it's just taking all the good thoughts and building on those."
Apparently, Oklahoma State is not the first school to introduce hypnotherapy to its athletes; OSU associate athletic director for speed, strength and conditioning Rob Glass witnessed the benefits during his time at Florida. The next project for Paige Wacker, who worked with Weeden, is freshman QB Wes Lunt.
Hey, it's hard to argue with the results.
More news and notes from around the Big 12:
- The Big 12 released its TV schedule for the first three weeks of the season.
- Nice feature at Yahoo Sports on Baylor QB Nick Florence, who is not overwhelmed by the pressure of replacing Robert Griffin III.
- TCU senior Aundre Dean and freshman B.J. Catalon are battling for the No. 3 running back spot, Stefan Stevenson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported. Coach Gary Patterson said neither has earned the spot, calling both No. 4s.
- Texas Tech scrimmaged on Wednesday and the unexpected happened: Texas Tech's high-powered offense was shut down by its defense, the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal reported.
- As reported on Tuesday, Texas coach Mack Brown named QB David Ash the starter for the Sept. 1 opener against Wyoming. Brown also released the rest of his depth chart, which the Austin American-Statesman reported revealed a few surprises, including sophomore Greg Daniels moving from defensive end to tight end and Chris Whaley's transition from a pass-rush specialist to nose tackle.
- Oklahoma RB Dominique Whaley told the Oklahoman that he's not thinking about the ankle injury that ended his season last year.
- Kansas has had some success converting wide receivers to defensive backs, most notably Charles Gordon and Bradley McDougald. The most recent experiment is JaCorey Shepherd, Matt Tait of the Lawrence Journal-World reported.
- K-State CB Nigel Malone led the Big 12 with seven interceptions last season. That's not too shabby, but the Wildcats are looking for Malone to improve in other areas, as Kellis Robinett of the Kansas City Star writes in his feature on Malone.
For more up-to-the-minute news and analysis on the Big 12, follow bloggers C.J. Moore and Patrick Southern on Twitter @CBSSportsBig12.
