TCU, Baylor QBs: Texas 6A champs to Big 12 in less than year
LUBBOCK, TX - NOVEMBER 18: Shawn Robinson runs past the Texas Tech defense during the game against the Red Raiders on November 18, 2017 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. TCU defeated Texas Tech 27-3. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images)
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) - Shawn Robinson and Charlie Brewer played in the same NFL stadium on the same day just more than 11 months ago. They were in different championship games.
The two Texas Class 6A high school state champion quarterbacks are now Big 12 freshmen and could play in the same regular-season finale.
Brewer is set to start his fourth straight game for Baylor (1-10, 1-7 Big 12) in the season finale Friday at No. 10 TCU. The Horned Frogs (9-2, 6-2) are in position to claim a Big 12 title game spot after winning at Texas Tech in Robinson's first college start last Saturday.
"I think he handled himself well. He was calm, he was communicating well, ran the offense well, made some big plays," TCU senior center Austin Schlottmann said. "It was cool to see him go out there and make some of the plays he did."
Just weeks after playing in those championship games last December at the Dallas Cowboys' home stadium, Robinson and Brewer graduated high school and were able to get a head start in college by going through spring drills. Texas has two divisions for each of its six prep classifications, with Robinson and Brewer the champions in the state's highest.
Robinson, starting with senior Kenny Hill out because of an undisclosed injury, became the first true freshman quarterback to start for the Frogs in Patterson's 17 seasons as head coach. TCU won 27-3.
While nowhere near the kind of big numbers he had leading DeSoto High to a state title last December, Robinson ran for 84 yards and had a key second-half touchdown pass while going 6-of-17 passing for 85 yards.
"He won a ballgame. ... He managed it," Patterson said. "You really saw how athletic and big and physical that he is. There's a lot of positive things going forward for the next three years for TCU football."
Patterson on Tuesday described Robinson as questionable for the game against Baylor. Patterson didn't elaborate on why Robinson was questionable, and also said Hill was the same, though on the Big 12 coaches teleconference a day earlier had described the senior "as probably closer to probable now."
Brewer led four scoring drives in the fourth quarter of a near-comeback Oct. 21 against then-No. 23 West Virginia after coming in that game for banged-up sophomore Zach Smith.
In the Class 6A Division I title game last year, %href_on(file: