Tulsa World: Cowboys have the drive to contend in the Big 12

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Cowboys have the drive to contend in the Big 12

OSU quarterback Zac Robinson, shown against Troy, gives the Cowboys a triple threat at quarterback. STEPHEN HOLMAN/Tulsa World

By DAVE SITTLER Sports Columnist
Published: 10/4/2008 2:03 AM
Last Modified: 10/4/2008 2:55 AM

STILLWATER — Are you among the skeptics who require additional proof that No. 21 Oklahoma State is really for real this football season?

OK, fine. I can give you 99 reasons to believe the undefeated (4-0) Cowboys have a legitimate shot to be contenders in a Big 12 race that finally gets under way Saturday with all conference members opening league play.

The evidence of OSU's potential came on a 99-yard, 11-play touchdown drive in last Saturday's 55-24 rout of Troy University at Boone Pickens Stadium.

The most significant factor in that impressive drive, which came on the Cowboys' first offensive possession of the second half, was that the Pokes didn't go to the air at all in the drive.

That's right. In a conference that has gone absolutely bonkers over the forward pass, OSU quarterback Zac Robinson didn't go up top a single time as the Pokes put together a relentless, hard-nosed ground assault.

Now here's the kicker. The validation that OSU might have season-long staying power in the Big 12 race: The drive consumed 5 minutes and 25 seconds of the third quarter.

Look, it isn't exactly a national secret that OSU's defense remains the team's biggest area of concern as it kicks off conference play at home Saturday in a 6 p.m. contest against Texas A&M (2-2).

An offense that can devour big chunks of time off the clock can be a team's best defense. Keeping OSU's defensive unit off the field could be the key to cracking into the Big 12's upper echelon.

Time of possession will be critical in a conference that is top heavy with offensive scoring machines. In the Troy game, OSU held the ball for 40 minutes, 35 seconds, while the Trojans had it for 19 minutes, 25 seconds.

Former Southern California and NFL coach John Robinson told the Sporting News that Oklahoma (4-0) deserves the No. 1 ranking it received this week over No. 2 Alabama. But Robinson believes the Sooners' quick-strike offense could be their downfall.

"They tend to score a lot on big plays and go three-and-out too many times during their games," Robinson said of the Sooners, who open Big 12 play today at Baylor (2-2). "Alabama has eight-, 10-, 12-play drives and grinds it out. I think the grinding team has less chance to get upset over the long run."

OSU might have the best grind-it-out offense in the Big 12. Robinson is a triple-threat at quarterback, while Kendall Hunter, Keith Toston and Beau Johnson give the Cowboys the top trio of running backs in the conference.

The Pokes lead the nation in rushing, averaging 340.2 yards a contest. Hunter (154.5), Toston (92.0) and Johnson (63.0) rank first, second and 11th among Big 12 rushers.

A 5-foot-8, 190-pound sophomore, Hunter has the talent to join the long list of excellent running backs produced at OSU. So does Toston, a 6-1, 210-pound junior, who has rebounded from a knee injury and fumble problems last season.

The versatile Robinson can throw it as well as he runs and pitches it out of OSU's spread-option scheme. The junior from Colorado has seven touchdown passes in four games and is averaging 212.3 yards passing per contest.

With Gundy calling the plays in the aforementioned 99-yard masterpiece, Robinson had two carries, Hunter five and Toston four, including a 1-yard touchdown run.

Gundy said an unselfish attitude has aided the offense's impressive start. With All-American-caliber players in wideout Dez Bryant and tight end Brandon Pettigrew, OSU has a slew of talented players who want the ball.

"The mental aspect of a team and the chemistry and how they care about each other is so much more important than I think most people realize," Gundy said. "If your team's not first, you're going to have issues. We've been around teams that had individuals, and hopefully we've eliminated that here.

"I like right now where we're at as a football team, and we just have to keep pressing on."

Whether it presses forward by land or by air, OSU has the capabilities to send a message tonight that it has the drive to stay in the Big 12 race until the finish. By DAVE SITTLER Sports Columnist

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