In spite of economy, a record year at Oklahoma State
11/20/2009 2:20:55 PM
A review of the first eight-game home football schedule in Oklahoma State history:
The Cowboys were 6-2 at Boone Pickens Stadium. They defeated Georgia 24-10, Rice 41-24, Grambling State 56-6, Missouri 33-17, Texas Tech 24-17 and Colorado 31-28. OSU's home losses were dealt by Houston (45-35) and Texas (41-14).
Average attendance: 53,719. A school record. OSU obliterates the old record of 48,254, set last season.
Season-ticket sales: 45,694. A school record. OSU shatters the old record of 39,976, set last season.
Student season-ticket sales: 11,382. A school record.
In spite of a terrible economy, the OSU football program savored unprecedented growth in marketability.
-- Bill Haisten
Byron Eaton's other sport
11/20/2009 9:15:00 AM
Former Oklahoma State point guard Byron Eaton was a blue-chip football prospect back in the day at Lincoln High School in Dallas.
NCAA rules would have permitted him to play one season in another sport after he finished his OSU basketball career. Because the Cowboys are having a heck of a football campaign, does Eaton wish he had stuck around campus for an extra semester and joined Mike Gundy's team?
"I have been thinking about that a lot," Eaton said.
Eaton said football has always been one of his favorite sports. He said he still "kind of wants" to give football the old college try, but he will no longer have that option after this season.
As it turns out, Eaton could have played football for OSU without interrupting his pursuit of a pro basketball career. He is playing for Tulsa's NBA Development League team and the 66ers season hasn't started yet. He initially traveled overseas to play for a pro team in Israel, but said it was a "bad situation."
Now Eaton says he is in a good situation, though it's obvious he has regained some of the weight he lost before his senior season at OSU.
"I won't be making as much money as I probably would have, but NBA guys get to watch us play, plus I can see my family," he said. "I think I still have a shot. I've just got to continue to do what I did at Oklahoma State -- get my guys shots and have fun and win up here."
Eaton said the football Cowboys are doing a good job. He's glad for players like Perrish Cox and Pat Lavine and sad for Orie Lemon (injured) and Dez Bryant (ruled ineligible by the NCAA).
--Jimmie Tramel
The heart of the OSU program – the offensive line
11/16/2009 10:28:46 PM
Last week, the Tulsa World's John E. Hoover explained in detail one of the reasons why Oklahoma's offense has struggled this season. Because of injuries, transfers or dismissals, 10 of the 25 offensive linemen left the Sooner program before their eligibility was spent.
Conversely, Oklahoma State is ranked 12th in the country and about to make an unprecedented fourth consecutive bowl appearance, and a significant reason is its success on the offensive line.
Since 2005, OSU has signed 22 offensive linemen. Only four of the 22 left the program prematurely. Line coach Joe Wickline has done a masterful job of identifying prospects who aren't pursued by college football's super heavyweights, but who turn out to be very good Big 12 blockers. Wickline does a brilliant job of coaching. The Cowboys have allowed only seven sacks in 10 games, and they are on course for a fourth consecutive Big 12 rushing title.
When Cowboy left tackle Russell Okung was signed in 2006, he weighed 245 pounds. He now weighs 305 and is expected to be a first-round pick in the 2010 NFL draft. Center Andrew Lewis was a lightly regarded two-star prospect from Joplin, Mo. Right tackle Brady Bond played eight-man football at Garber.
Okung, Lewis and Bond have made a combined total of 119 career starts.
A review of OSU's 2005-09 offensive line recruits:
2005
* Brady Bond (3): now in fourth season as starter at right tackle
* Noah Franklin (3): currently a starter at left guard
* Andrew Lewis (2): a three-year starter at center or left guard
* Andrew Lawrence (2): career backup
2006
* Russell Okung (3): four-year starter and likely first-round draft pick
* Michael Booker (2): transferred to Northwestern State
* Myron McKinney (3): transferred to Southern Nazarene
* Trent Perkins (3): transferred to Texas A&M-Kingsville
* Jacob Secrest (3): after two years, career ended because of injuries
2007
* Grant Garner (3): sophomore is a second-teamer at center
* Nick Martinez (3): third-year sophomore a backup at guard
* Jonathan Rush (3): was expected to start at guard; sustained shoulder injury in August
* Marc Yerry (2): handles snapping duties on placement kicks and punts
2008
* Lane Taylor (2): as redshirt freshman, starts at right guard
* Andrew Mitchell (3): juco, currently starting for injured Bond at right tackle
* Dejuan Davis (2): redshirt freshman is a backup at guard
* Patrick Hoog (3): redshirt freshman is a backup at guard
2009
* Anthony Morgan (4): juco All-American a backup at guard
* Levy Adcock (no rating): Claremore native-NEO transfer has seen playing time this season
* Michael Bowie (3): Sand Springs freshman redshirting this season
* Brandon Webb (4): Owasso freshman redshirting this season
* Parker Graham (2): 6-7, 292-pound freshman redshirting this season
Four of 22 left the team (three transfers and one because of injury issues)
-- Bill Haisten
Cowboys dancing again?
11/16/2009 5:28:00 PM
It's incredibly premature for bracketology speculation, but Seattle University coach Cameron Dollar said he would be surprised if Oklahoma State doesn't return to the NCAA Tournament this season.
Dollar said it after his team was beaten by the Cowboys in a season opener Saturday.
OSU, which reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season, has an interesting mix of talented veterans (James Anderson, Marshall Moses, Obi Muonelo, Keiton Page) and promising newcomers, including Kentucky transfer Matt Pilgrim and six freshmen.
Will the rookies figure out the college game fast enough to help OSU finish high in the Big 12 standings and secure a second consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament? My gut feeling is yes, but can we at least get past November and December before fleshing out mock brackets?
--Jimmie Tramel.
Keiton Page's big year on hold?
11/13/2009 9:22:07 AM
Will injured guard Keiton Page play in Oklahoma State's basketball season opener Saturday against Seattle?
It depends on how Page looks today, according to coach Travis Ford.
Asked prior to a Thursday practice about Page's status, Ford said "He's not going to practice today. He'll be dressed out and paying attention to what we are doing in case he can play. Right now, it's going to determine a lot on what he does (Friday)."
Ford said Page participated in an individual workout Thursday and didn't look good.
The shame of that is Page practiced at such a high level in preseason that he seemed poised for a breakout year. Ford, asked what kind of sophomore season he was expecting from Page, said, "Big time. I am as high on him as any player on our team. I think he has improved as much as anybody on our team -- and this is somebody I don't compliment a lot. I'm hard on Keiton, but he knows I love him and have high expectations for him. I think he'll be fine, but he was playing at an extremely high level before he got hurt."
Page became a starter late in his freshman season, but Ford said Page added "a little bit of swagger" to his game this season. He also said, believe it or not, that the undersized Page might have been OSU's best perimeter defender in preseason "because he understands it and he's gotten quicker."
Ford said Page has never been injured before, so getting past an injury is uncharted territory for Page.
"We are having to push him a little bit," Ford said. "That's typical. Guys that haven't been injured, especially ankles, they don't understand. You have to just play through it. The pain will work itself out. He's taking it a little slow at this point."
Fumble!!!!
11/10/2009 3:00:00 PM
Point guard Byron Eaton was so turnover-prone during stretches of his Oklahoma State career that some fans couldn’t wait for him to leave.
Be careful what you wish for.
Eaton was a senior last season and, in OSU’s first exhibition game without him, the Cowboys committed 27 turnovers. A freshman guard -- and I won’t do him the disservice of naming him -- was responsible for nine turnovers in just 22 minutes of court time.
Fixing the turnover problem and healing injured players are coach Travis Ford’s priorities entering exhibition game No. 2 Tuesday night against Dillard University. Ford may have to be a miracle worker on both counts.
“Correcting turnovers it not an easy thing,” he said. “There’s not a drill you can do to correct turnovers.”
Ford said he has been spoiled throughout his coaching career.
“All my point guards, nobody could press them,” he said. “It doesn’t look like this is the type of group that is going to be able to (handle pressure) at this point.”
When the Cowboys are faced with pressure, they will try to break it by passing instead of relying on a point guard to get the ball up the court, according to Ford.
All of a sudden, the scariest game on the schedule could be a Jan. 30 trip to press-happy Missouri.
--Jimmie Tramel.
Big performance pushes OSU to top of Big 12 rushing chart
11/8/2009 10:50:00 PM
Saturday's 34-8 at Iowa State did more than just push Oklahoma State's record to 7-2 overall and 4-1 in the Big 12.
It reestablished the Cowboys as the Big 12's top ground-game team.
Entering the Iowa State game, OSU was fourth in the league in rushing. The Cyclones were the leaders at 200.3 yards. The Cowboy average was 179.1. When the teams met on Saturday, it was a mismatch in every sense – and particularly in the ground game. OSU rushed for 331 yards. Iowa State rushed for 54.
On the strength of its best rushing performance of the season, OSU vaulted from No. 4 to No. 1 on the Big 12 chart. The Cowboy average surged to 196.0 yards per game. The Cyclone average dropped to 185.7 and its ranking to No. 3.
The Cowboys are bidding for their fourth consecutive rushing title. If Keith Toston (206 yards at Iowa State) continues to run so effectively and Kendall Hunter becomes more involved, OSU has a good shot at pulling it off. The next two opponents are Texas Tech (eighth in the league in rush defense) and Colorado (ninth).
And then the question becomes this: In the Nov. 28 Bedlam clash at Norman, can Oklahoma State rush for at least 150 yards against Oklahoma? The Sooners have several problems, but its run defense is superb. OU allows only 86.8 yards per game and 2.7 per attempt.
The Cowboys and Sooners each have eight quarters of football remaining before Bedlam, but an extremely prominent match-up already is obvious. Can Toston and the Cowboys rush for chunks of yardage on Owen Field?
-- Bill Haisten
Funniest Cowboy? Best-dressed? Team leader? Cox provides opinions
11/4/2009 8:22:51 PM
Following a recent practice session, Oklahoma State cornerback Perrish Cox said Cowboy running back Keith Toston is the team's most underrated player, the team's most humorous player and the team's most distinguished "ladies' man."
Cox designated safety Lucien Antoine as having the best work ethic, wide receiver Dez Bryant as being "the most fun to watch" and offensive tackle Russell Okung as being the team leader. Cox described quarterback Zac Robinson as the "most unique" Cowboy.
When asked for the best-dressed Cowboy, Cox replied, "Me."
When asked to identify the worst-dressed Cowboy, he said, "There are a number of them."
He hides it from media and fans, but OSU coach Mike Gundy occasionally dances in the team circle. Cox says cornerback Terrance Anderson does the best impression of the Gundy dance.
"You have to see (Gundy) dance," Cox said. "It's like the bones are broken in his legs. It's crazy. You're like, 'Where are your bones at, man?' It's the funniest thing I've ever seen in my life."
-- Bill Haisten
Bill Young may have been the best coordinator hire in college football
11/1/2009 2:36:00 PM
Bill Young is at an age when a lot of coaches give strong consideration to retirement. OSU fans should pray that he coaches for another 10 years.
In his first season as the Cowboy defensive coordinator, Young has done a remarkable job.
Oklahoma State now ranks 13th nationally in rushing defense. Young has a weekly goal to hold the opposition to fewer than 100 rushing yards. The Cowboys limited Texas to 99 (3.1 per attempt). Saturday's Longhorn figures exactly match OSU's season averages of 99.0 rushing yards allowed per game and 3.1 allowed per attempt.
It is becoming more obvious that Young might have been the best coordinator hire in college football this year.
-- Bill Haisten
Big 12 coach of the year: in support of Gundy's candidacy
10/26/2009 3:01:57 PM
STILLWATER – I have been vocal and persistent about my disdain for Mike Gundy's counterproductive media policies, but I'll give the man some credit. If All-Big 12 ballots were due today, Gundy would get my vote as the conference coach of the year.
In the first season of his second tour of duty at Kansas State, Bill Snyder has coached the talent-starved Wildcats to records of 5-3 overall and 3-1 in the conference. Snyder will take this K-State team to a bowl, and on the basis of that, he should get coach-of-the-year consideration.
Texas' Mack Brown has done a typically masterful job of positioning the Longhorns for a run at the national title. If Bob Stoops can take Oklahoma to a finish of 9-3 or 8-4, in spite of an unimaginable blast of misfortune, he will have performed magic.
But no one has been a better coach than Mike Gundy.
Having battled through layers of turmoil, Oklahoma State is 6-1 overall, 3-0 in the Big 12. The Cowboys are 13th in the AP poll and 14th in the BCS standings. Entering Saturday's Boone Pickens Stadium showdown with Texas, OSU has a five-game win streak.
Gundy's offensive game-planning and play-calling have been outstanding. In four games with Dez Bryant on the sideline, the Cowboy passing game has actually gotten better. The knock on quarterback Zac Robinson was that he lacked accuracy, and now he leads the conference in passing efficiency.
It was Gundy who hired Bill Young as defensive coordinator, and so far it looks to have been among the best coordinator hires in college football.
As Kendall Hunter was injured and Bryant was suspended, you knew Gundy's guts were churning. But the coach has sustained an outward calm, and the Cowboys have continued to win.
On only three occasions has an Oklahoma State football coach been honored as the conference coach of the year. It happened in the Big Eight with Jimmy Johnson in 1979, and with Pat Jones in 1984 and 1992. If Gundy can beat Texas and squeeze a 10- or 11-win performance from a Cowboy team that hasn't had both Hunter and Bryant since Sept. 12, he should be the recipient of the Big 12 coach-of-the-year trophy.
-- Bill Haisten
More than 57,000 tickets sold for OSU's Oct. 31 meeting with Texas
10/22/2009 12:02:26 AM
Having already sold 57,050 tickets for the Oct. 31 Texas game at Boone Pickens Stadium, Oklahoma State is assured of yet another school-record attendance figure.
With a price range of $110-$200, fewer than 300 tickets remain for the 7 p.m., ABC-televised Big 12 showdown.
OSU set a school record for attendance on Sept. 5, when 53,012 watched the Cowboys defeat Georgia; and again on Sept. 26, when 56,901 saw the Cowboys rout Grambling State.
OSU has broken records for overall season-ticket sales (45,952) and student season-ticket sales (11,400).
Through five of this season's eight home dates, OSU's attendance average is 53,699. The university is on pace to shatter last year's school-record attendance average of 48,788.
-- Bill Haisten
Dallas-area offensive lineman becomes OSU's second 2011 commitment
10/21/2009 5:23:19 PM
Travis Cross, a 6-foot-5, 270-pound guard from Plano (Texas) West High School, verbally committed to Oklahoma State on Wednesday. Cross is a junior and the second prospect to have committed to being a member of the Cowboys' 2011 recruiting class.
Last week, Glenpool junior safety Isaac Maselera became OSU's first 2011 commitment.
Plano West coach Mike Hughes told GoPokes.com that Cross was recruited also by Notre Dame, LSU, UCLA, Syracuse and Stanford.
-- Bill Haisten
Randle commitment brightens OSU's backfield future
10/21/2009 9:00:00 AM
On Saturday, Joseph Randle was among the 55,752 who convened at Boone Pickens Stadium for the Missouri-Oklahoma State football game.
On Sunday, Randle, rated by Scout.com as the nation's no. 17 running back recruit, telephoned Cowboy coach Mike Gundy and announced his commitment to the Cowboys.
Randle attends Southeast High School in Wichita, Kan. The 6-foot, 180-pound Randle is the only running back on OSU's 2010 commitment list. He has rushed for a career total of 2,500 yards and reportedly was recruited also by Missouri, Stanford, Ole Miss, Boston College, Kansas, Kansas State and Miami (Fla.).
If Randle does sign with the Cowboys in February, OSU will have on its 2010 roster three running backs – Jeremy Smith, Dexter Pratt and Randle – who were four-star prospects in high school, along with veterans Kendall Hunter, Travis Miller and Kye Staley. The backs will work behind a rebuilt offensive line, but that doesn't necessarily have to result in a production decline. OSU's Joe Wickline is among the best O-line coaches in college football. He says he loves the potential of young Cowboy linemen like Michael Bowie of Sand Springs, Brandon Webb of Owasso and Parker Graham of Webb City, Mo.
In 2010, Smith and Pratt would be redshirt freshmen and Randle a first-year freshman. OSU seems equipped to run the football effectively for years to come.
-- Bill Haisten
By necessity, OSU offense becomes more complete
10/18/2009 2:11:17 PM
The 2008 Oklahoma State offense was prolific and pretty.
Lots of yards (488 per game). Lots of actual points (41 per game). Lots of style points. Big catches and big returns by Dez Bryant. Big runs by Kendall Hunter.
The '08 Cowboys were extremely reliant on Bryant and Hunter, and that would have worked again this season – if Hunter had stayed healthy and if Bryant had not established residence in the NCAA's doghouse.
After it became apparent that Hunter's ankle-foot injury was a potentially long-term situation, and when Bryant was indefinitely suspended for having lied to an NCAA investigator about his association with Deion Sanders, there was no all-out freak-out at Boone Pickens Stadium.
Coach Mike Gundy and his assistants sustained calm within the Cowboy camp. Without the presence of two All-Americans, other Cowboys have emerged as capable playmakers.
Not by design but by necessity, Oklahoma State has become a more complete offensive football team. Yardage and scoring are down, but the bottom line is fine. The Cowboys are 5-1 and ranked 14th in the country.
Without Hunter-Bryant, the Cowboys are 3-0. Texas A&M isn't very good, but a 36-31 victory at Kyle Field still counts for something. Missouri has a nice team, and OSU methodically conquered the Tigers 33-17 on Saturday.
Last season, Bryant and Hunter scored a combined total of 36 offensive touchdowns. This season, 21 offensive touchdowns have been scored by Cowboys who aren't Hunter or Bryant.
In 2008, Bryant had 87 catches. Other wide receivers had a combined total of 40. This year, Zac Robinson is involving every available target in the passing game. At the midway mark of the season, the other wide receivers already have 45 catches.
While Keith Toston may lack Hunter's flash, Toston is the equal of any Big 12 running back when it comes to substance. He has rushed for 497 yards (5.2 per attempt).
When Hunter and Bryant were rendered inactive, the Cowboys needed winning plays from guys like Toston and Hubert Anyiam.
So far, so good. A 2-0 Big 12 record trumps style points.
-- Bill Haisten
Now more than ever, OSU's anchor is Zac Robinson
10/16/2009 1:11:09 PM
With Dez Bryant sentenced to an indefinite suspension and Kendall Hunter expected to miss a fourth consecutive game because of an ankle-foot injury, Oklahoma State is left with only one of its nationally renowned skill-position stars.
Now more than ever, this is Zac Robinson's team.
This year, because coach Mike Gundy wants to lessen Robinson's injury risk, the Cowboys' quarterback run game is nearly non-existent. As 16th-ranked OSU as arrives at midseason with Saturday's 8:15 p.m. homecoming battle with Missouri, Robinson has rushed for only 22.6 yards per game.
Instead of being so frequently vulnerable to 240-pound linebackers on option plays, Robinson is passing the football better than ever before. Over OSU's last three games, he has completed 67 percent of his attempts for 595 yards and five touchdowns.
"The whole thing starts with Zac Robinson," Missouri coach Gary Pinkel said. "I think he's a great player – a calming force."
In last week's 36-31 victory at Texas A&M, on important plays during the second half, he launched perfectly placed passes to a variety of wide receivers.
During the third period, Robinson connected with freshman Tracy Moore for a 51-yard touchdown that gave the Cowboys a 21-15 lead. Six minutes later, on third-and-8 from the Aggie 46-yard line, there was a 32-yard throw to Justin Blackmon. During the fourth quarter, on third-and-9 from the A&M 48, there was an 18-yarder to Hubert Anyiam. Three plays later, on third-and-9 from the Aggie 29, a 15-yarder to Dameron Fooks.
During the second half at A&M, he was 8-of-11 passing for 156 yards. In passing efficiency, he currently leads the Big 12 and ranks 11th nationally. Already OSU's career leader in total offense and touchdown passes, Robinson now has a career total of 7,303 passing yards. With 695 more yards, he will have supplanted Gundy as OSU's all-time leader in passing yards.
"Zac is just being Zac," Cowboy running back Keith Toston said. "He's doing what it takes for us to win football games."
-- Bill Haisten
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