Crazy second half retools Cowboys' image
Published: 10/20/2006 1:07 PM
Last Modified: 10/20/2006 1:07 PM
Before the Kansas game, and perhaps as recently as halftime of the Kansas game, some Oklahoma State football observers might have doubted whether the Cowboys would record even one conference victory this season.
When the Cowboys went to the halftime locker room with a 14-0 deficit, an anonymous malcontent posted a "Fire Gundy" message on one of the OSU fan Web sites.
Within minutes, the Cowboys had taken the lead.
You remember the rest – 42 second-half points, 457 total yards for Bobby Reid, 300 receiving yards for Adarius Bowman.
It's a good thing Mike Gundy wasn't fired at halftime. It might have resulted in a distraction for the offense.
That crazy second half at Kansas has completely retooled the Cowboys' image.
Reid became a presence on the ESPN.com Heisman Watch list.
Bowman is the subject of a "Rising Star" blurb in this week's Sports Illustrated.
In advance of Saturday's homecoming contest at the Boone Bowl in Stillwater, O-State is a slight favorite over a 6-1 Texas A&M team that last week conquered previously unbeaten Missouri.
OSU fans seem energized by the sudden possibility that their favorite team might be really good. That's fine. Fans are emotional, optimistic people. But a few facts are worth mentioning:
* In road games against Houston, Kansas State and Kansas (teams that have a current combined record of 11-10), the Cowboys lost twice. OSU played 180 minutes of football and had the lead for only 47 minutes.
* Both offensively and defensively, Texas A&M is the Big 12's best team on third-down plays. In A&M's last four games, opponents collectively have been only 7-of-44 on third down.
Can O-State beat A&M? Absolutely. Army nearly beat A&M. But the Aggies are too well-coached to let Bowman run free all evening, as he did at Kansas. For OSU, it won't be an easy Saturday night.
Has OSU has reached that "really good" stage? Not yet. But the signs of progress are obvious, and something "really good" could happen next season – when Reid is a junior and perhaps the best QB in the Big 12.
Saturday's contest should be extremely entertaining. If you witnessed any or all of the terrible 2005 season, you have to at least appreciate that O-State now plays entertaining football games.
If this young Cowboy squad secures any bowl berth this season, Gundy will have earned every cent of his salary.
-- Bill Haisten
Written by
Jason Collington
Web Editor
