Tulsa World: OSU Notebook

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OSU Notebook

Ricky Price (right) tackles Dez Bryant during an Oklahoma State scrimmage earlier this year in Stillwater. Price, a senior safety, was named one of the Cowboys' team captains on Wednesday. JAMES GIBBARD/ Tulsa World file

By BILL HAISTEN, World sports writer
Published: 8/28/2008 2:19 AM
Last Modified: 8/28/2008 3:26 AM

Big ballpark: Last season, Swanson Miller, Lucien Antoine and Bo Bowling labored in tiny junior-college stadiums.

On Saturday, when the Cowboys open against Washington State, Miller, Antoine, Bowling and other first-year OSU players will perform at Qwest Field, the 67,000-seat home of the NFL's Seattle Seahawks.

"At first, everybody might be in awe," said OSU safety-linebacker Andre Sexton. "But after the opening kickoff, everybody will get right to business. It's just a business trip."

The OSU-Washington State game is expected to attract 50,000. About 2,000 OSU fans are expected to make the trip to Seattle.

Cowboy veterans are accustomed to large venues. Last season, OSU opened at Georgia's 92,000-seat Sanford Stadium and followed with games at Texas A&M (82,600 seats), Nebraska (81,067) and Oklahoma (82,112).

Cowboy captains: Following Wednesday's practice, Gundy announced that OSU's captains this season are senior safety Ricky Price, junior quarterback Zac Robinson and punter Matt Fodge.

Sexton's switch: After starting for two seasons at safety, Sexton this year occupies OSU's "star" role a hybrid safety-linebacker position. From that position last year, Donovan Woods led the Cowboys in tackles.

"You have to get used to fighting off linemen on an every-down basis," Sexton said. "It's a position I'm comfortable in — playing closer to the line of scrimmage."

Backup QBs: OSU coach Mike Gundy has not designated Alex Cate or Brandon Weeden as the team's No. 2 quarterback. Gundy says they continue to get an equal number of practice snaps. But if starter Zac Robinson were to leave Saturday's game for a series, it is believed that Cate would be sent to the field.

Last week, Gundy acknowledged that Cate's three-year exposure to the no-huddle spread offense could give him a slight edge over Weeden, who is a redshirt freshman.

Tough week: Washington State's roster has been diminished by this week's loss of two linemen. The more publicized situation involved second-team defensive tackle Andy Roof, who was expelled from school by the WSU student-conduct board.

Potentially more significant is the departure of fifth-year senior Dan Rowland, a returning starter at right offensive guard. He left the Cougar program because of chronic pain in both shoulders.

Quick learner: Junior-college transfer Beau Johnson is expected to get a significant number of carries against Washington State. A junior running back from Lawrenceville, Ga., Johnson qualifies for immediate playing time because he has such a strong command of the Cowboy playbook, Robinson said.

"With Beau stepping up in the spring and even more so in this fall camp — his knowledge of the offense is really good," Robinson said. "He knows the ins and outs and everything. He's a coachable kid. It didn't take him long to learn the offense." By BILL HAISTEN, World sports writer

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