STILLWATER — The Texas defense has already figured out what it'll be coming as for Oklahoma State's party on Halloween Night — goons.

That means OSU quarterback Zac Robinson has two rather obvious costume choices for Saturday's 7 p.m. festivities at Boone Pickens Stadium — Superman or a doctor.

The defenders on the third-ranked Texas squad (7-0, 4-0 Big 12) revealed after last week's 41-7 smackdown at Missouri that they have nicknamed themselves the "Goon Squad."

Tackle Lamarr Houston, who came up with the name the rest of his defensive teammates quickly adopted, told reporters after the Mizzou win, "It means we're just a bunch of blue-collar guys who don't care about anything else but playing football."

The term "goon" doesn't have the best of connotations. Thug, punk and bully are some of the nicer definitions you'll find for the word.

UT linebacker Roddrick Muckelroy said none of those fit this defense. Instead of sinister, the nickname simply means the Longhorns' intend to give an all-out, dominating effort the entire game.

"It means throwing your body around without a care," Muckelroy told the Austin American-Statesman. "It means making the tackle, no matter what it takes. It means having fun."

It hasn't been fun playing against one of the nation's most pushing defenses. The Texas defense has knocked the last three quarterbacks it has faced out of the game (Missouri's Blaine Gabbert, Oklahoma's Sam Bradford and Colorado's Cody Hawkins). Along the way, the Longhorns have put together a unit that ranks second in the nation in total defense and first in both scoring and rushing defense.

So now you understand the costume choices for Robinson as he leads No. 13 OSU against the Longhorns on a night that has more meaning to it than just Halloween.

Because of the ramifications in the Big 12 Conference South Division race, longtime OSU observers are calling it perhaps the biggest home game in school history.

It could take a Superman effort from Robinson to pull off the upset. Or he may need a doctor after facing the ferocious Texas defense.

Texas players insist the intent of the "Goon Squad" is not to injure quarterbacks. Some of the Longhorns didn't like it when the nickname became public.

"I saw that about the Goon Squad," Robinson said Monday. "I don't really know a whole lot about what it means."

This isn't the first time Robinson's heard the name associated with football players.

"Actually, our tight ends named themselves the Goon Squad last year," he recalled. "So this is the second time I've heard it."

Too bad some of those tight ends aren't around to protect Robinson. Brandon Pettigrew is now making millions as a first-round NFL draft choice, while his heir apparent, Jamal Mosley, left the school for personal reasons.

Anyone who watched the severe pounding Robinson endured in last season's Holiday Bowl loss to Oregon knows the fearless 6-foot-3, 218-pounder can take a licking and keep on fighting.

"I heard about it, but I'm not worried about it," Robinson said of Texas' treatment of Bradford, Hawkins and Gabbert. "I don't know if they are intentionally knocking guys out, or it just so happened those guys got hurt. They're a great defense, so it's something you can't think about or worry about."

As the unquestioned leader of OSU's young offense, Robinson will have more important things on his mind than staying healthy. Before the season, he was considered one of OSU's offensive "triplets," but he's been on his own since the All-American duo of receiver Dez Bryant (suspended) and running back Kendall Hunter (ankle injury) has been MIA the past month.

Robinson has responded to the added burden in All-American fashion.

He has guided the Pokes (6-1, 3-0) to five consecutive wins, while helping develop a young receiving corps that has matured rapidly.

"A lot of the guys need somebody to look up to who's been in this situation," Robinson said. "Being a senior and playing in a lot of games and being in a lot of situations, I think they've looked to me."

Robinson's contributions in holding OSU together through a series of injuries and off-the-field problems hasn't gone unnoticed.

It was announced Monday that he's a semifinalist for the prestigious Davey O'Brien Award, which honors the nation's best college quarterback.

In last Saturday's 34-7 win at Baylor, Robinson set OSU's single-game completion percentage record when he went 23-of-27 against the Bears. In Big 12 play, he's passed for 633 yards and 10 touchdowns, which has the Cowboys joining Texas as the only Big 12 teams without a loss in league play.

"If you're not having fun, you're going to play uptight," Robinson said. "So I try to stay loose and joke around with a lot of the younger guys, and I think they've responded really well.

"We're playing with a lot of confidence, and we've put ourselves in position to win the Big 12 South title."

Is there a Halloween costume for "The Leader of the Pack"? If so, that's the one Robinson's earned the right to wear Saturday night against the Goon Squad.