The day after Missouri
Published: 10/12/2008 9:33 PM
Last Modified: 10/12/2008 9:33 PM
In this blog space on Friday, yours truly played up the silly "anything you can do, I can do better" comparison theme regarding the Oklahoma State-Missouri game.
Yes, it was silly. And in the end, the Cowboys made many, including me, look silly with their hard earned and well deserved 28-23 road victory over the team that was on the cusp of ascending to the No. 1 ranking in college football.
OSU is excellent on offense. The run-pass balance Zac Robinson and company displayed was essential in keeping the Tigers off-balance defensively and the Tigers offense off the field. Missouri's "outstanding" offense was not so much Saturday night. Defensive coordinator Tim Beckman's game plan of bringing a lot of pressure on Chase Daniel all night worked out. Think future Mizzou opponents will attempt to copy Beckman's plan?
The offense playmakers on both sides showed up as expected. But the determining X-factor was OSU sophomore receiver Damian Davis, who had his breakout game with two second-half TD catches that provided the difference. After searching the entire first half of the season for a second option at the receiver spot, OSU has now found that man in Davis.
OSU's defense is still developing. But it is finally safe to say it has improved considerably. There are too many veteran starters on that side of the ball who have endured too many heartaches, heartbreaks and pains over the past few years.
For Jacob Lacey, Ricky Price, Andre Sexton, Patrick Lavine and others on the defense, they have heard the talk about the defense being a liability way too often. Enough was enough. On Saturday night, they silenced that talk from the nay-sayers.
OSU was the tougher team Saturday night in Columbia, Mo. The Cowboys also were the better team on this night.
It was a heck of a game, and a heck of a sight seeing OSU's players and coaches let it loose in celebrating this win. That's not silly stuff at all. Now, at 6-0 and a No. 8 ranking in the Associated Press poll, it's not silly to say that the fun is just beginning.
Game balls
***Tim Beckman: This was the finest hour for OSU's second-year defensive coordinator. Beckman has said often he never has been a coach that likes to win shootouts. The hard-hitting, physical type of game his unit played was more his liking.
***Andre Sexton: The linebacker/safety was all over the place with 13 tackles and a big fourth-quarter interception. The junior has been OSU's most consistent and best defender going on three years now.
***Orie Lemon: The junior middle linebacker was very active in swarming to the ball to make 12 tackles. Don't overlook his big block of a second-quarter field goal.
***Damian Davis: The sophomore receiver is emerging as another go-to guy offensively. Don't be surprised if Saturday's performance is the start of something big for the big lanky receiver.
Cowboy checklist
***Handling success: This OSU team is now entering uncharted territory. The past two years, the Cowboys had to scrap and claw to get six regular-season victories and qualify for a bowl game. Now, at 6-0, it's a whole new ball game. The sky is the limit. But grand expectations can come crashing down if OSU does not take care of business this week against Baylor.
***The bandwagon: The Cowboys are a hot story right now in college football. Now is the time for Boone Pickens Stadium to be filled up. High ticket prices or not, it would be a darn shame if the renovated house Boone built is not full and rocking for Baylor this week.
---Matt Doyle
Written by
Bill Haisten
Sports Writer
