As Charlie Strong has learned in two years as Texas coach, the Big 12 is not a conference for a team trying to find an offensive identity. In a league filled with fast-paced spread attacks, it is difficult to hide deficiencies at quarterback.So before diving into identifying six pivotal players in the Big 12 this season, it should be noted: It is a given that whomever plays quarterback (sophomore Jerrod Heard or freshman Shane Buechele) for the Longhorns could end up as the most important player in the conference.As usual, the Big 12 has some star quarterbacks. None bigger than Oklahomas Baker Mayfield. Though Oklahoma States Mason Rudolph and Texas Techs Patrick Mahomes will likely put up numbers to rival the Sooners Heisman Trophy contender.Looking past the stars, here six players whose performances will be pivotal for their Big 12 teams in 2016.Denzel Johnson, S, TCUJohnson is one of those of those hybrid-type defensive players that every good defense needs when facing spread offenses. Looks like a safety (6-foot-2, 205 pounds), often plays like a linebacker up near the line of scrimmage (two sacks, eight passes broken up, 11 1/2 tackles for loss). While the Horned Frogs retool their offense this season, a defense that ranked second in the Big 12 in yards per play allowed (5.16) can help pick up any necessary slack, with Johnson as a prominent playmaker.Seth Russell, QB, BaylorRussell is coming off neck surgery that ended his 2015 season just as he was starting to get rolling (2,104 yards and 29 touchdown passes). Hes been cleared to play, but the senior hasnt taken a hit since last season. Making Russells recovery even more vital is the fact that Jarrett Stidham, last seasons promising freshman backup, has decided to transfer. The Bears are a hard team to predict after a tumultuous offseason, but this much is certain: Russell must be as good as new for Baylor to have any shot to finish near the top of the Big 12.Ian Sadler, WR, Texas TechJakeem Grant, maybe the fastest player in college football last year, is gone and the Red Raiders need to replace 1,268 yards and 10 touchdowns from their inside receivers. No one is saying Sadler (42 catches for 596 yards and three touchdowns) needs to double his production and make up for what Grant did alone. But Mahomes will need reliable slot guys who can turn a short gain into a big one occasionally and either Sadler or Cameron Batson will be asked to fill that role.Rushel Shell, RB, West VirginiaShell is a bruiser at 220 pounds and a former four-star recruit. Hes been a good player for the Mountaineers, sharing carries the last two seasons but never emerging as the best of a bunch. With Wendell Smallwood (and his 1,519 yards rushing) gone, Shell is the go-to-guy. The senior will be running behind one of the best lines in the league, too.Charles Walker, DE, OklahomaThe Sooners were second in the Big 12 in sacks last season with 39, but Erik Striker and Charles Tapper (combined 14.5 sacks) need to be replaced. That means a bigger role for Walker (six sacks in 2015). The Sooners will need the junior to turn into a terror. At 6-foot-2, 305 pounds, he has the potential to be the best defensive lineman in the conference.Michael Wilson, OG, Oklahoma StateThe Cowboys running game was awful last season (3.58 yards per rush, ninth in the conference) and a line filled with new starters was a big part of the problem. The good news is all those guys are back with a year of experience. Or is that the bad news? Singling out Wilson is not entirely fair. The whole group needs to play better, and maybe the senior can lead the way.----Follow Ralph D. Russo at www.Twitter.com/ralphDrussoAPCesar Azpilicueta Chelsea Jersey . It was the kind of score that might make everyone else wonder which course he was playing. Except that Graeme McDowell saw the whole thing. Crouched behind the 10th green at Sheshan International, McDowell looked over at the powerful American and said, "Ive probably seen 18 of the best drives Ive seen all year in the last two days. 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He has a phone hearing with the department of player safety, which limits any potential suspension to five or fewer games.HOUSTON -- When the Houston Astros brought up Jonathan Villar from Triple-A they raved about his ability to make things happen when he gets on base. In just his second major league game, Villar showed exactly what they were talking about. Villar scored the winning run from second base in the ninth inning when catcher Derek Norris had a passed ball and then made a bad throw to first base on the same play to give the Astros a 5-4 win over the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday night. "Im running hard every time," said Villar, a speedy shortstop who stole 31 bases in Triple-A this season. Houston ended a 10-game losing streak against the As this season and a six-game skid overall. The Astros trailed 4-2 entering the ninth before Matt Dominguez hit a two-run homer off closer Grant Balfour (0-2) to tie it. "It got a little bit ugly, and I didnt make good pitches," Balfour said. "I should have never put the team in that situation. Im better than that." The home run ended a franchise-record streak of 44 saves for Balfour, the sixth longest run in major league history. It was his first blown save since April 29, 2012. "It was a good run," Balfour said. "I should have had more, but I guess 44 is a remarkable number, so you cant be too upset about it. Were starting all over again. To me, its just a number, but Im happy I did it." Justin Maxwell hit an infield single to start the ninth and advanced to second when Balfour attempted to make a throw to first from his knees and bounced it in the dirt for an error. The homer by Dominguez bounced off the wall in left-centre as Coco Crisp desperately tried to climb to grab it. Villar, who finished with three hits, doubled with one out, and Jose Altuve walked before the defensive miscue ended it. "It speaks to the resilience of that group in there," Houston manager Bo Porter said of the rally. "Every once in a while good things like this happen because you put yourself in position when you just keep fighting." Brandon Moss put Oakland on top 4-2 with a two-run homer in the eighth inning. Josh Fields (1-1) pitched a scoreless ninth for the win. The game was tied 2-2 when reliever Jose Cisnero plunked Josh Donaldson with two outs. Moss then sent a 95 mph fastball into the second deck in right field for his 17th homer. Houston starter Jarred Cosart, yielded seven hits and two runs -- one earned -- in seven innings in his second major league start after being recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City on Tuesday. Cosart, Houstons top pitching prospect, grew up in the Houston suburb of League City. He left more than 60 tickets for friends and family to see his first major league game iin Houston.dddddddddddd "I couldnt feel any part of my body in the first inning," Cosart said. "There was a lot pressure, no matter what anyone says. Pitching in front of 30-something thousand, and I feel like I know half of them." Oakland starter Jarrod Parker allowed five hits and one earned run in seven innings. The Athletics took a 1-0 lead when Moss reached on an error by third baseman Dominguez that allowed Jed Lowrie to score in the first inning. Villar got things going for Houston with a double in the first. The Astros tied it 1-1 with back-to-back singles by Altuve and Jason Castro. The bases were loaded in the third when Moss grounded into a double play that Crisp scored on to put Oakland up 2-1. The 23-year-old Cosart took a no-hitter into the seventh inning and got the win in his debut against Tampa Bay just before the break, allowing two hits and no runs in eight-plus innings. He was sent to Oklahoma City after that game. He wasnt as sharp early on Tuesday, but starting rolling in the fourth, pitching a 1-2-3 inning. Crisp singled with one out in the fifth, but Cosart faced the minimum in that inning after Houston turned a double play. Donaldson hit a one-out double in the sixth before Cosart retired the next two batters to end the threat. Pinch-hitter Yoenis Cespedes grounded into a double play in the seventh to erase a leadoff walk by Chris Young. Eric Sogard doubled, but Cosart finished his night by battling Crisp on a seven-pitch at-bat before he struck him out looking, leaving Crisp angrily shaking his head at the plate. Barnes robbed Young of a hit with a nifty diving catch in centre field in the fourth inning. NOTES: The series wraps up on Wednesday when Oaklands A.J. Griffin opposes Bud Norris ... CF Barnes left before the seventh with a mild left calf strain. ... Cespedes, the Home Run Derby champ, was out of the starting lineup for the fifth straight game because of a sore left wrist. ... As LHP Brett Anderson, on the disabled list since May 1 with a stress fracture in his right foot, is scheduled to throw 45 pitches in a bullpen session on Wednesday. He felt good after throwing 35 pitches on Monday. ... Longtime former Astros announcer Milo Hamilton, who had the memorable call on Henry Aarons 715th home run, said Tuesday that he is giving up on his quest to call a game from his 60th ballpark because he is no longer able to fly because of poor health. Though he retired at the end of last season, he had hoped to travel to Target Field in Minnesota so he could reach the milestone. He is currently undergoing chemotherapy for treatment of a chronic form of leukemia he has had since the 1970s, but says he is feeling good. ' ' '