Helsley’s Back and Forth: Stay Awake Saturday
By John Helsley
Five things to review and anticipate in the world of OSU sports:
Rewind
1) Rice Remains. The biggest news coming out of the Rice win, other than the win, was the injury list. Jermiah Price (hand). Justin Blackmon (shoulder). Kendall Hunter (ankle). Dez Bryant (hamstring). Perrish Cox (shoulder). The hurts are mounting, and those don’t include the longer list of Cowboys playing with assorted bumps and bruises and aches.
2) Running in Place. OSU’s running game hasn’t been all that. The problem is three-fold: Struggles at guard, where two new starters are in place; Kendall Hunter’s injuries (past and present); an inability to adjust to either of the previous two. While it goes against the grain for Mike Gundy, if allowed to don the offensive coordinator hat (or bench), I’d work in reverse and pass to open things up for the run.
3) Richetti’s Ready? We’ve been waiting to see what made Richetti Jones the touted recruit before his very serious hip injury. Maybe Saturday night’s performance against Rice is a hint that he may be coming around and not becoming the next XLK. Jones looked quick off the ball and provided pressure at DE, something that’s been lacking. It was only a start, but at least it was something.
4) Zac’s Back? Answering a week of heavy questions concerning his health/performance, Zac Robinson played his best game of this season. Passes were sharper. Runs again featured a burst. Upon further review, the opinion (trotted out by yours truly first) that Zac was still overcoming the mental side of his previously sore hammy looks more accurate all the time.
5) Hoops Recruit. The Cowboys added another basketball commit, with Juco swing man J.P. Olukemi pledging to the Pokes. Sounds like a slashing scorer that Scout.com considers one of the top Juco recruits in the country. Travis Ford, with four commits to date, appears to be building something in Stillwater.
Fast Forward
Note: With the absence of opponent story lines — beyond the band — to consider this Saturday, we’re going to provide five players to watch against Grambling.
1) Beau Johnson. Because of a sore shoulder, Johnson wasn’t all that effective against Rice. If he’s better, we may get a better glimpse of what he has to offer. With Hunter’s status still in doubt, the Cowboys need to show some explosiveness at the RB spot, or risk becoming one-dimensional.
2) James Thomas. The sophomore linebacker out of LaMarque, Texas, played extensively against Rice, finishing with five tackles and a pass breakup. DC Bill Young said he made some mistakes, but overall played well. At a position loaded with seniors, Thomas represents the future of the position.
3) Tracy Moore. With Bryant ailing, the true freshman wide receiver from Tulsa Union could get a more prominent role in the offense. OSU coaches need to see what he can offer and there’s better time than this before hitting Big 12 play. At 6-2, 237 pounds and fast, Moore offers an appealing target.
4) Jeremy Smith. Watch to see if his redshirt is yanked. By all accounts, Smith is the real deal. And if the prognosis on Hunter and the running game don’t improve, coaches may be tempted to get Smith involved to help energize things and keep what was supposed to be a special season on track.
5) Alex Cate/Brandon Weeden. No sightings, so far, of the Cowboys’ backup QBs. Surely this Saturday.
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