Game day thoughts – Week 5
Published: 9/29/2007 12:03 AM
Last Modified: 9/29/2007 12:03 AM
Nobody asked me. But if the marketing folks in the Oklahoma State athletic department wanted a brilliant idea to fire up the fans in Boone Pickens Stadium tonight, they would play a video on the temporary video board attached to the Gallagher-Iba Arena side of the stadium.
No, it would not be the most recent addition to the YouTube.com Hall of Fame. I think everybody by now has seen that video.
No, how about a little Hank Williams Jr. from Monday Night Football fame: "Are you ready for some football?"
I don't know about you, but I think that's a brilliant idea. After a week where the Mike Gundy, Jenni Carlson, Bobby and Rajika Reid saga has been front and center the main story surrounding the OSU program, football had been pushed to the backburner.
Truthfully, after the past seven days, I am ready to watch some football. Three things I'll be watching tonight.
*** The OSU defense: Overshadowed and practically forgotten in the midst of the "he said/she said" controversy has been the harsh reality regarding the Cowboys defense. OSU gave up 562 yards in the loss at Troy and 718 yards in the win over Texas Tech. The cockroach defense under Vance Bedford was not this bad. With Big 12 play resuming next week, Tim Beckman's unit needs a stretch of good and consistent play similar to the Florida Atlantic game to restore some sort of confidence.
*** Building blocks: Will there be a positive carryover effect from what transpired on the field against Texas Tech – the tempo and effectiveness of the offense, the stops the defense delivered late and winning – this week against Sam Houston State?
*** Reid's reaction: If the Cowboys can go out and take care of business early, it will be interesting to see how Bobby Reid responds if he gets inserted at quarterback at some point in the game. Reid is still a valued member of the team. And, as the backup QB, he really is just "one play away" from regaining his starting job.
Prediction: This week's game didn't make our list that we pick in the Saturday paper. So my fellow World colleagues should feel fortunate that I didn't get to add another victory to my overall lead. Anyway, the pick is OSU 45, Sam Houston State 20. The offense performs well, the defense plays a little better and Gundy calmly answers questions about the game afterwards.
--- Matt Doyle
Written by
Bill Haisten
Sports Writer
