OSU 31, Colorado 28: Thoughts and observations
by Brandon Chatmon
bchatmon@opubco.com
–I was very upfront about my belief that Zac Robinson shouldn’t play against Colorado. I felt OSU should be able to be Colorado with its running game and defense. Guess I was wrong…
–…or maybe I was right. If OSU had lost that game, it would have, again, been because they beat themselves. I didn’t envision five fumbles (three lost). I figured if OSU was going to turn it over it would be interceptions.
–What more can be said about Brandon Weeden. I wasn’t surprised by Weeden’s play. He just has that “it” factor much like Zac. Some people have it, some don’t it’s just that simple.
–The Cowboys need to do something about their kick coverage. A big part of the problem has been their battles with injuries. They had Donald Booker covering kicks last night, it just shows how depleted their depth really is. So I don’t know what really can be done at this point, unless they start pooch kicks.
–That Perrish Cox punt return was special. Excellent vision, excellent desire to make a big play.
–I wasn’t sure about the black uniforms at first but now I like them. That said, they are probably burning as I write this.
–OSU’s run defense was outstanding again. True enough CU only ran the ball 22 times but they averaged 0.6 yards per carry for 13 rushing yards.
–Once the coaches got the confidence in Weeden, he delivered. And his 16.8 per completion shows he is looking downfield and willing to take chances. Both good attributes.
–The last thing I expected was to see Keith Toston fumble AND Kendall Hunter fumble AND Perrish Cox to muff a punt.
–Give Colorado credit for capitalizing on OSU mistakes. They scored after Toston’s fumble, Cox’s muffed punt and the blocked FG. Then returned a kickoff for a touchdown. There’s their 28 points.
–This week I wrote about Patrick Lavine making big plays when the Cowboys need it… and who forced the fumble with CU driving late? Pat Lavine. He had eight tackles including two for loss and the forced fumble.
–Cornerback Andrew McGee played extremely well. But he’s been doing that all season, so it wasn’t a huge surprise.
–The Pokes were able to get a pass rush without having to blitz, which is a good sign for OSU heading into Bedlam.
–I wrote about Toston in my insider. If he’s not a all-big 12 running back, I’ll be shocked. He has earned it at this point, what more does he have to do?
–The biggest issue I saw with Alex Cate is that he didn’t play with confidence, almost like he didn’t EXPECT to play well. It’s hard to have success if you don’t envision success beforehand.
–When Weeden was asked if he was surprised how well he played, he said “Honestly, no.” His body language throughout the night showed he expected to have success when he was called upon. And he delivered.
–If you don’t think Quinn Sharp has a big effect on games, last night was a good example. He couldn’t kickoff the last few kicks and one was returned for a touchdown. And his punt average (34 yards) was not what the Cowboys have become accustomed to. They need him to be healthy for Bedlam.
–Weeden needs to be ready for Bedlam with Zac ailing. Even if Robinson starts, one hit on that shoulder and “hello Brandon”
–Bottom line: OSU will have to play A LOT better if they want to beat OU in Bedlam. It can be done however. Unless one team runs away with the turnover margin, OSU’s offensive line against OU’s defensive line will decide this game. And both units are among the Big 12’s best.
Cate To Start
By John Helsley, Staff Writer
jhelsley@opubco.com
STILLWATER – Alex Cate will start at quarterback for Oklahoma State tonight, replacing Zac Robinson, who was injured late in Saturday’s win over Texas Tech.
And that’s not all that’s new for this Thursday night ESPN showcase event – the Cowboys are in all black uniforms.
Cate, a junior and former touted recruit, will be making his first career start.
Robinson is in uniform, but has taken none of the pregame snaps and is not expected to play under any circumstances, according to sources close to the program. Robinson’s issue, stemming from a big hit from Tech’s Jamar Wall, is his throwing shoulder, not a head injury.
Check out the various angles on the hit and you can see where the shoulder takes the brunt of the blow.
The senior quarterback first injured the shoulder in last year’s Holiday Bowl game, playing much of the second half with a separated shoulder.
“My arm was done after that,” Robinson said during this preseason. “It just hurt every time. I had no arm strength, basically.
“I could throw it maybe 35 yards and there was pain and I didn’t have much zip on it.”
Robinson, according to sources, is expected to be ready for next week’s Bedlam game.
OSU hasn’t worn all-black uniforms since 1994, when Pat Jones was the coach. Jones’ Cowboys broke out black on occasion in the early ’90s.
The return to black uniforms – the Cowboys are wearing black pants and jerseys – with white numbers and names, trimmed in orange, with Cowboys in orange across the chest.
All-Black for OSU against Colorado
by Brandon Chatmon
bchatmon@opubco.com
It looks like OSU will wear all-black uniforms tonight. Several Cowboys are warming up in black pants with white stripes and OSU logo on the hip. I haven’t seen the jerseys yet. I will post and tweet more as more Pokes come out to warm up.
Chat with Brandon Chatmon at 11 a.m.
Behind Enemy Lines: Colorado
In this week’s edition of Behind Enemy Lines, I did a question-and-answer session with Tom Kensler, the Colorado beat writer for the Denver Post.
Brandon Chatmon: It appears Hawkins in on the hot seat. How hot is it?
Tom Kensler: Scalding. At this point, the feeling is that Colorado could win big over Oklahoma State (unlikely) and Nebraska, and that still might not be enough to save Hawkins’ job. The momentum against him seems irreversible.
BC: In your opinion can CU afford to get rid of Hawkins AND pay someone else?
TK: Speaking in generalities, athletic director Mike Bohn said a few weeks ago that money would not stand in the way of his department making a coaching change if deemed necessary. I’ll take Bohn for his word. Like with Gary Barnett, the athletic department may have to borrow from the school because CU doesn’t seem to have a T. Boone Pickens ready to sign a check. That’s not ideal, but, as businessmen like to say, sometimes you have to spend money to make money.
BC: What has been the biggest contributor to Colorado’s poor season?
TK: It’s been a group effort, so to speak. The defense played poorly in upset losses to Colorado State and Toledo. Since then, the defense has vastly improved, but for the second consecutive year, Colorado has the worst offense in the Big 12 – by a relatively large margin.
BC: What has Hansen brought to the table that Cody Hawkins did not? Should he have been the starter to start the year?
TK: Hansen has wheels, a great feel for scrambling. Plus, he has a much stronger arm than Cody Hawkins. It’s easy to say now that Hansen should have been starting all along, but beat writers who attend practices agree that Cody was always more consistent during the week’s preparations. I can’t fault Dan Hawkins for playing the QB who was best in practice. Cody had some good moments, including engineering a second-half comeback victory over Oklahoma in 2007, but he seemed to have peaked, if not regressed. Hansen has promising upside.
BC: What is the most underrated part of the team?
TK: The pass defense stats aren’t particularly good, but CU’s secondary has some size and athleticism. New starters were inserted at safety during midseason, and that has solidified the unit.
BC: What is the Buffs biggest strength?
TK: There’s experience and savvy at linebacker, especially senior Marcus Burton and junior B.J. Beatty. They love to hit.
BC: Biggest weakness?
TK: Pass protection. Iowa State had only two sacks, but before that, Missouri and Texas A&M each dropped Hansen 10 times. It’s a wonder the sophomore can get out of bed on Sunday mornings.
BC: Freshman or sophomores you think will make a big impact on Thursday?
TK: Many of the best players are sophomores, including QB Tyler Hansen, TB Rodney “Speedy” Stewart and WR Markques Simas. The defensive line has several sophomores and freshmen, and they have been a pleasant surprise – even holding up pretty well against Texas.
BC: Will playing so many games on unusual days (Thurs,Fri,Sun) give CU an edge since they’re used to it in some ways?
TK: You might say that, but all three victories came on Saturdays.
BC: Name one player OSU fans should fear on Thursday.
TK: Burton. At 6-feet and 250 pounds, is built like a tank and is capable of punishing running backs. He has enough athleticism and drive to get a look from the NFL.
OSU scouting report: Colorado
by Brandon Chatmon
bchatmon@opubco.com
In the Denver Post, Tom Kensler writes about Colorado safety Ray Polk, who’s father played cornerback for OSU in the early 80s.
On cubuffs.com, B.G. Brooks writes about CU receivers Marques Simas and Toney Clemons. Simas is emerging as the top receiver for the Buffaloes.
Highlights of Colorado’s win over Kansas:
And its loss to Missouri:
Ford Takes Exception To Chat
Oklahoma State's Matt Pilgrim takes a shot between Dillard's Oscar Moore, left, and Avry Ingram (25) during an exhibition NCAA college basketball game in Stillwater, Okla., Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2009. (By Nate Billings, The Oklahoman)
By John Helsley
jhelsley@opubco.com
Out of nowhere it seems, an item in the Rumors section of ESPN’s college basketball page carried the title:
Matt Pilgrim: Chemistry Killer?
The item questioned Pilgrim’s two other stops (Hampton and Kentucky) in his college career and alluded to suggestions that he wasn’t a favorite of past coaches.
There was also a link to a live chat that FoxSports.com’s Jeff Goodman did with Kentucky Sports Radio, where Goodman suggested Pilgrim was a chemistry killer.
When given a heads up about Goodman’s lively chat, Cowboys coach Travis Ford took exception.
“I don’t know if Jeff Goodman has ever watched us practice. I’ve known Jeff fairly well, I don’t know if he knows Matt Pilgrim at all. From what I understand, I think that comes from something maybe he has heard form the past, long from the past. Last time I checked, Jeff Goodman has never seen my team play. Jeff Goodman has a lot of opinions. I don’t know if he’s ever even coached, I don’t know how we would know if he’s a chemistry killer.
“I hadn’t even heard until you told me that. That would be my least problem with Matt Pilgrim right now, my least problem. The biggest problem we have right now is keeping him out of foul trouble and just knocking off some of the rust. If I were Jeff Goodman I’d keep my opinions to myself until I watched the kid play.”
From my observations and conversations, Pilgrim is fitting in fabulously with his new team. He’s spoken about finally finding a home with a cast of teammates who have taken him in with open arms.
All that needs to be the case for the Cowboys, who need Pilgrim.
OSU scouting report: Colorado
by Brandon Chatmon
bchatmon@opubco.com
First some highlights of Colorado’s loss to Iowa State last weekend:
And the Buffaloes win over Texas A&M a couple of weeks ago:
OSU 24, Texas Tech 17: Thoughts and Observations
by Brandon Chatmon
bchatmon@opubco.com
— A great win… but what will be remembered is this…
— Get down, Zac… Get down!
— Anymore questions about Bill Young’s defense? They shut down Texas Tech’s offense. Great gameplan, great execution.
— After being the focus of my pre-game story, Markelle Martin made me look good. The sophomore had six tackles and two passes broken up.
— One of the most impressive things about the game was the Cowboys remaining committed to the run. That’s why I wrote about it in my insider. They had a plan for the full 60 minutes and didn’t waver from it, even when they weren’t having success.
— Early on, it looked like the Cowboys were having another bad tackling game but they improved greatly in the final two-and-a half quarters.
— Zac ran for 99 yards and looked like the Zac Robinson of his sophomore year. He is simply a great player.
— While he should have gotten down and shown better awareness on the play he got knocked out of the game, he didn’t. And the reason why is the same reason he’s special. He’s extremely competitive and confident.
— The three-pronged attack of Robinson, Kendall Hunter and Keith Toston will create problems for any defense. Robinson keeps you honest, Hunter adds that little big of explosiveness and Toston is so physical and versatile. Tough to prepare and handle all of those options.
— Patrick Lavine, Patrick Lavine, Patrick Lavine. I say it every week because the guy quietly makes key plays every game. Very consistent performer and he will be missed next season.
— The Pokes have to do something about their special teams. They keep allowing big returns, largely because Quinn Sharp is so good on kickoffs, guys run don’t like they don’t expect to have to make a play.
— Nice tackle by Sharp BTW, he was a superb shortstop in high school and he showed that athletic ability on that play.
— Toston told me after the game that the Pokes poor field position had a lot to do with their running struggles in the first half. They felt like they couldn’t use their playbook when they kept getting the ball inside their own 5 yard line.
— The Pokes got excellent pressure on the quarterback. That had as much to do with Tech’s lack of success as anything.
— OSU was 9 of 18 on third down conversions. The Pokes just proved they were better up front, it’s really that simple.
— Gundy pointed out Noble native Colby Whitlock as being particularly disruptive for the Red Raiders.
— OSU held Tech to 4 of 13 third-down conversions. Another sign of how good the Pokes’ defense has become.
— Hubert Anyiam’s touchdown catch was special. That guy has a talent to be a star and future NFL receiver. Whether he becomes that or not will depend on his mental approach. This offseason will be critical for him. If he commits to being great, I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if he’s an All-Big 12 receiver in 2010.
— Gundy mentioned after the game how proud he was of the team to overcome the loss of Victor Johnson with Tech looming on Saturday. They stepped up and got it done.
— Part of me thinks the Pokes should get their receivers involved more. But at the same time, if you’re running for 250-plus yards, why throw? It’s like in basketball, if you can get a layup, why would you sit around shooting 3s?
— Bottom line: I don’t think Zac should play against Colorado. They can beat the Buffaloes without him, Kendall looks like he’s slowly regaining his explosiveness and Keith will be his normal consistent self. So rest Zac, make sure he’s ready for Bedlam. If you can’t beat Colorado without Zac, you have no business asking for consideration for a BCS berth anyway.
Travis Ford Talks Recruits
By John Helsley
Back from a spin through the ESPN “Car Wash,” the hip term attached to a full day’s run through the many studio’s — TV and radio — Travis Ford finally had a chance to talk about his latest recruiting class.
The newest Cowboys: 6-foot-9 power forward Michael Cobbins of Amarillo’s Palo Duro High School; 6-4 shooting guard Markel Brown of Peabody Magnet High in Alexandria, La.; 6-4 shooting guard Brian Williams of Glen Oaks High in Baton Rouge, La.; and 6-6 small forward J.P. Olukemi of Vincennes University Junior College.
It’s a group gaining steam as a consensus top-20 recruiting class, ranked as the best in the Big 12 and No. 10 nationally according to HoopScoop.com, and the top class in the league and ranked 18th nationally by Scout.com.
A closer look:
Brown is a four-star recruit, ranked as the No. 24 shooting guard in the country by Scout.com. He averaged 28.5 points, eight rebounds, three assists, three steals and three blocked shots per game as a junior last season.
Also recruited by LSU, Marquette, Michigan, USC and Texas A&M, Brown was a first-team Class 4A All-State selection and was named the Most Valuable Player for District 3-4A. He was also named the All-Cenla MVP in 2009, voted on by local sports writers and consists of all the central Louisiana schools. He also started on the team his sophomore year as the Warhorses went 38-1.
“Markel is a kid I went and saw play and the first five minutes I watched him play I said, ‘that’s our guy’,” Ford said. “He plays for a big-time high school program. He can play the point, the two and also the three. He’s arguably one of the most athletic guys we’ve recruited.
“He’s just like a grasshopper. He can shoot it and has a great in-between game. He will fit into our system well. He can shoot it, which we need because we could be losing our two best shooters next year in James (Anderson) and Obi (Muonelo). He’s very quiet, but I think he will be a fan favorite.”
Cobbins is a consensus four-star and top-50 recruit, ranked as high as 38th nationally by Rivals.com. Scout.com lists him as the 12th-best power forward in the country.
As a junior last season, he averaged 18.3 points and 10.5 rebounds per game, leading the Dons to the Region I-4A finals. Also recruited by Memphis, Oklahoma, Missouri and Georgia Tech, he was also named the Player of the Year of the 5A-4A Golden Spread Super Team by the Amarillo Globe-News.
“Michael is someone we’re very excited about,” said Ford. “He’s a very versatile player and before he got hurt, was having a top-10 player-of-the-year season. He came to our elite camp and we fell in love with him.
“He plays a lot of different positions. He has recovered from his injury and is 100 percent, so I’m anxious to see him. He has a great attitude and is a player who has just gotten better and better. He’s very versatile and very long. We don’t really have anybody like him on our team that’s his size with the skills that he has.”
Olukemi could be a vital cog next season, when James Anderson and Obi Muonelo have moved on. The 6-7, 215-pound forward played during the 2008-09 season at Vincennes University in Indiana. He averaged 14.9 points and 4.2 rebounds per game while shooting 51.6 percent from the floor.
Olukemi is a consensus three-star player, and was ranked as the top junior college recruit this season by Midwest Scouting Service. He is sitting out the 2009-10 season and will have three years of eligibility remaining once next season begins.
“Many publications have JP rated as the No. 1 junior college player in the country,” said Ford. “We targeted him right away. He’s special in that he has three years to play. He has a great attitude and a great presence about him as a person. He has a big, strong basketball body and is someone who will step in and play right away. He’ll bring size to our team.”
Williams is a consensus three-star recruit, and ranked as high as the No. 26 shooting guard in the country by Scout.com. He was also recruited by LSU, Oregon State and Baylor.
Williams averaged 25.9 points, 13.6 rebounds, 4.1 blocked shots and 3.5 assists per game as a junior last season, pacing Glen Oaks to a No. 1 ranking in Class 4A. He was named Class 4A’s Outstanding Player by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association, and one of two juniors — joining Brown — named first-team All-State for Class 4A. He was also named the District 6-4A Most Valuable Player.
“Brian’s game is a lot like Obi’s,” Ford said. “He’s 6-4 to 6-5 and much more athletic. He can jump over the rim. He averaged 30 points a game last year in high school. He can step out and shoot it, he’s very athletic and has a great in-between game.”
