The days after the Holiday Bowl
Published: 1/1/2009 7:11 PM
Last Modified: 1/1/2009 7:11 PM
Tuesday was a long night for Oklahoma State on that crummy Holiday Bowl turf. Wednesday was a very long day for yours truly trying to leave America's Finest City.
After a long day of planes, trains and automobiles trying to get back home from San Diego to kiss my beautiful wife Jennifer before the clock struck midnight to bring in 2009 (made it with minutes to spare), I am literally out of the fog and ready to examine what happened in the Holiday Bowl.
It was very simple. After navigating the 12-game regular season with very few injury issues, that good fortune finally caught up to the Cowboys against Oregon. When your top three offensive players are banged up and not completely 100 percent healthy, you are in trouble.
Kendall Hunter's return after an undisclosed knee surgery following the Bedlam Game on Nov. 29 did not show the Spud everyone saw in the regular season. Maybe shelving Spud earlier in the night and going with dependable Keith Toston would have been a better play. But even Toston had trouble getting started against an Oregon defense that did what no other OSU opponent could do – stop the run.
Even though the running game was not clicking, Zac Robinson and Dez Bryant were on fire for the game's first 25 minutes. But Robinson was getting hit repeatedly whether it was passing or running. The quarterback's throwing shoulder was separated and he also had a slight concussion. Bryant's left knee gave out on the slippery Qualcomm Stadium turf with four minutes left in the second quarter. The sensational sophomore and his quarterback gutted it up to continue to play. But as we saw, they were not the same.
The defense was under enough pressure trying to slow down the explosive Duck attack. It did not need the added burden of its offensive standouts playing bruised and battered. It has been said time heals all wounds. But can it heal the missed opportunity to finish with a 10-win season?
Game balls
***Robinson and Bryant: Only injuries, and not Oregon, could slow this dynamic duo down. They were on pace to join coach Mike Gundy and Barry Sanders in the Holiday Bowl Hall of Fame.
***Patrick Lavine: The junior linebacker tried to do his part to help the defense with seven tackles and a sack.
Cowboy checklist
***Gundy and co-offensive coordinator/quarterback coach Gunter Brewer must have a definite second-team quarterback ready to play next season. Robinson was admirable in trying to play through the painful shoulder separation. But one must also think how much confidence there is for backups Alex Cate and Brandon Weeden.
***The lack of success in quarterback recruiting in recent years is catching up to OSU. Robinson will be a senior next year. OSU did not sign a quarterback the past two years. Cate was a late addition the class before those two and has seen minimal action. OSU has a commitment from Enid's Clint Chelf for February's class. But there are some rumblings the Cowboys may add another QB in this class with talented Sulphur Springs, Texas product Tyrik Rollison as the main target.
***Bryant is brilliant. But would it be a bad thing if a few more passes were distributed to other wide receivers? It showed up when Bryant was out. Damian Davis must become more consistent on and off the field. He has plenty of ability to have games on a weekly basis like he did against Missouri earlier this season.
***Russell Okung's decision in the next week or so on whether to stay at OSU or leave for the NFL draft is huge. With Okung back and returning starters Andrew Lewis and Brady Bond, the offensive line will be solid. If Okung decides it is best for him to head to pro football, the O-Line will be breaking in three new starters.
***The secondary will have a new look with three seniors graduating. If Terrance Anderson and Markelle Martin do not regain their eligibility, this position group will be very green. That's not a pleasant thought if Matt Stafford decides to return to Georgia for the 2009 season opener in Stillwater. And the thought of facing Houston's Case Keenum in week 2 is not pleasant, either.
***Who will be the next defensive coordinator? As mentioned in this blog last month, this is a much bigger decision for Gundy than two years ago when he replaced Vance Bedford with Tim Beckman. The defense took big steps backward with losses in three of the last four games of 2008.
Coming up
Check back in the next few days for my thoughts on the best and worst of OSU football 2008, and an early look at the 2009 schedule.
Happy New Year to all you loyal readers of the Tulsa World and tulsaworld.com!
---Matt Doyle
Written by
Bill Haisten
Sports Writer
