OSU football notebook: Pickens speaks
BY GUERIN EMIG & BILL HAISTEN World Sports Writers
Tuesday, January 03, 2012
1/03/12 at 6:30 AM
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During a pregame conversation with media members, Oklahoma State donor T. Boone Pickens addressed the Mike Gundy contract negotiation.
The negotiation is known to have been ongoing for about a month. Gundy, who in Monday's Fiesta Bowl concluded his seventh season as the Cowboy head coach, is represented in the negotiation by nationally known agent Jimmy Sexton.
"If I told you I don't know what's going on, you'd know I was lying to you," Pickens said. "That all got put on the shelf until we get through this game. And I think it should have. You can't focus on several things at one time. I can't. But I'm not the negotiator and I'm not the coach, either."
It is believed that Gundy does not want an extension of his current contract, but rather a new contract. Four years remain on his current deal - a seven-year, $15.7 million contract signed in 2009. His current salary is $2.1 million.
"I don't know when negotiations (resume)," Pickens said minutes before the Fiesta Bowl kickoff.
Asked whether he is confident that Gundy and OSU might soon arrive at an agreement, Pickens replied, "Sure, you're going to make some sort of deal for a football coach. There's no question about that."
Get the ball to Blackmon: Brandon Weeden threw in Justin Blackmon's direction one time in the first quarter. It's probably not a coincidence that the Cowboys were shut out in the quarter for the first time all season.
On the fourth play of the second quarter, things began to change. And OSU began to score.
Weeden took advantage of Stanford's first blown coverage of the night and found a wide-open Blackmon for a 43-yard touchdown to pull the Cowboys within 14-7.
OSU forced the Cardinal to punt, got the ball back, and on the second play went back to the Biletnikoff Award winner. This time, Blackmon took a short slant, shook free of cornerback Terrence Brown and outran the pursuit for a 67-yard touchdown, which tied it at 14-14.
Top Chelf: It figured that if Blackmon wasn't making the big catch against Stanford, it would be Josh Cooper, Tracy Moore or Isaiah Anderson. Moore, however, didn't see the field in the first half. Cooper and Anderson combined for 31 yards.
OSU's complementary receiver became Colton Chelf, who entered with 16 catches all season.
Chelf grabbed three in the first half for 68 yards, and made the play that finally got the sputtering Cowboys in gear.
Two snaps before Blackmon's 43-yarder, Weeden found Chelf over the middle for 29 yards and OSU's second first down in 20 minutes.
This and that: Weeden scored his first career touchdown on a third-and-goal quarterback draw to tie the score at 21-21. ... The Cowboys wore all black uniforms for the first time this season. They went all-black against Texas A&M last year, and against Colorado in 2009. ... OSU had an estimated 60-40 advantage over Stanford in the University of Phoenix Stadium crowd. It appeared at least 30,000 orange-dressed fans made the trip west. ... PGA golfer Rickie Fowler was the Cowboys' honorary captain during the pregame coin toss. Stanford countered with Tiger Woods.
Associated Images:
Pickens
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