Download the OSU-Texas Pregame Package
Click the image to download your quick look at this weekend’s OSU football game from The Oklahoman and NewsOK.com — in printable and portable form. (Please note that it is in PDF format.)
Scouting Report: Texas Longhorns
by Brandon Chatmon
bchatmon@opubco.com
In the Austin American-Statesman:
Suzanne Halliburton writes about Texas cornerback Curtis Brown starting to emerge and become the player the Longhorns expected when they signed him out of high school.
In this notebook, Mack Brown takes the blame for Texas’ poor starts against OSU.
In the Dallas Morning News, Chuck Carlton writes about Colt McCoy’s comebacks during his career.
Here’s Texas’ comeback against Colorado earlier this year:
Talking Dez, Defense and Dunks
By John Helsley
Did the NCAA really suspend Dez Bryant for the rest of the season? Really?
Because he lied to cover up, what exactly? No violation (that we know of). No wrongdoing. Just lied, basically because he was scared he might have done something wrong.
Seems severe.
Curious, why did Alabama’s Jerrell Harris only get a six-game suspension this season for lying during an NCAA investigation, when there were also “impermissible benefits” involved? Wouldn’t that qualify as a precedent?
Don’t get it. But then, I often don’t when it comes to the NCAA.
Lots of talk about the Texas defense this week, and rightfully so.
The Horns are good, No. 1 against the rush good. And we all know how much the running game means to getting OSU’s offense untracked.
But what about the Cowboys’ D? Coming off the best stretch of defense in recent program memory, spanning six quarters, OSU’s defense is clearly improved under first-year defensive coordinator Bill Young.
Improved enough to handle Colt McCoy and the Horns? TBD.
From Baylor and Mizzou to this is a leap in competition. And OSU’s one game against a strong offense, Houston, didn’t end so well, although the defense’s part in that was overplayed with the offense coughing up four turnovers.
Still, there are reasons to believe that a shootout isn’t the only winning scenario for the Cowboys this weekend. Defense could play a part, with a group of solid veterans putting together career-best seasons in the right spots: Andre Sexton, Donald Booker and Pat Lavine at linebacker, Perrish Cox at corner.
Zac Robinson and the offense still must produce, but don’t discount the defense’s impact.
Booker and Sexton get rough
Travis Ford found himself getting all fired up about dunks driven home by James Anderson in early practices.
“He has had some of the most ridiculous dunks,” Ford said. “You won’t believe the energy level and the peppiness he is playing with.”
Eventually, once the seven newcomers adjust to the pace — and it’s a frenetic pace — the Cowboys will play faster this season.
That’s right, faster.
And they should play higher, too, as in above the rim. With little height a year ago, the Pokes weren’t exactly a pound-the-paint team, preferring to pump in long-range shots instead.
This team will still fire away from the arc, but they’ll look inward, too, to Anderson and Marshall Moses and Matt Pilgrim, one newcomer creating much optimism around Gallagher-Iba Arena. And expect more dunks on the fly as well.
So long, Dez… enjoy your NFL millions
by Brandon Chatmon
bchatmon@opubco.com
I hate to say I told you so… so I won’t.
But if you’ve been following my coverage during Dez Bryant’s situation, you know how I thought it would turn out. Life experience had taught me not to hold my breath when it came to the NCAA showing Dez empathy in this situation.
So Dez moves on to the NFL and begins earning his millions in 2010, as he should.
One of my favorite sayings is “The play clock is running…” it’s a way to essentially say: “Look, we don’t have time to worry about what just happened, we have to focus on getting better and moving forward” so along that line of thinking lets look at how losing Dez will change OSU.
Not much, to be honest. They have played the last four games without the All-American so it’s not like the don’t know what they are dealing with. Hubert Anyiam has proven to be a playmaker, now he has to realize it is his time. He’s done great thus far but he could take it to another level and leave no doubt who the best receiver on the team is and force teams to start gameplanning to stop him.
That’s the silver lining of all of this… the competition to fill the void will make everyone better. Every OSU receiver from Anyiam to Tracy Moore to Justin Blackmon to whoever. They all know they have an opportunity to prove their worth and show they have the playmaking ability to impact games. I’m all about competition, I think it makes people better and strive to be better than they normally would and these guys will be competing to earn touches.
If I’m Hubert Anyiam, Justin Blackmon or Tracy Moore or any of those guys, my entire focus is to go out, every day in practice then also in games, and prove to the coaches they have to start game planning to get me the football. I would be wanting to force them to create opportunities for me to make plays.
Another potential result: True freshman receiver Michael Harrison may be pulled out of redshirt. The Cowboys depth at receiver is getting slim with Bryant now gone for the season and Josh Cooper out for at least two more weeks due to injury. Teammates talked about Harrison in glowing terms in the preseason and the 6-2, 190-pounder was on OSU’s travel roster at Texas A&M and Baylor.
Tuesday’s Power Lunch chat transcript
Scouting report: Texas Longhorns
by Brandon Chatmon
bchatmon@opubco.com
In the Austin American Statesman, Suzanne Halliburton writes about Texas’ three wide receiver formation, which the Longhorns used quite a bit against Missouri.
The Stateman’s Kirk Bohls writes about Texas playing with fire against OSU but never getting burned.
In Tim Griffin’s blog on ESPN.com, Zac Robinson says he’s not worried about Texas’ tendency to knock opposing QBs out of the game.
Here are highlights of Texas 41-7 win over Missouri on Saturday:
Is there ever a good time to face Texas?
by Brandon Chatmon
bchatmon@opubco.com
Before working on my insider yesterday, I asked Cowboys coach Mike Gundy if it was fair to say this is a good time to face Texas with the Pokes playing as well as they have been.
“I don’t know that there’s ever a good time to play a team as talented as they are,” he said. “We feel good about our players and we are comfortable about their cohesiveness.”
One of the most consistent statements from the OSU program is how much chemistry they have. Everyone you ask seems to talk about the Cowboys senior leadership especially when you look at the obstacles OSU has overcome to be 6-1 entering Saturday’s battle with Texas.
“We have a lot more leadership on this team than we had in the previous years,” senior running back Keith Toston said. “This year, the seniors are talking a lot more and leading by example on the field, so that’s a big deal.”
Don’t underrate the job Gundy has done this season, he was named as a finalist for the Bear Bryant Coach of the Year trophy on Monday, and for good reason.
When asked how the Cowboys have overcome so much adversity this season, offensive coordinator Gunter Brewer said: “That’s a big sign of the leadership from Coach Gundy. (The mindset is…) Don’t flinch. How you react as a staff has a big (effect) on how they react.”
OSU 34, Baylor 7: Thoughts and Observations
by Brandon Chatmon
bchatmon@opubco.com
–OSU did exactly what elite teams do against a team like Baylor. They dominated the scoreboard, they controlled the rhythm of the game and got out relatively healthy.
–Zac Robinson may be playing the best football of his career. He is running the team like a savvy veteran, he’s throwing the ball extremely well and he’s using his legs to make plays. He definitely deserves strong consideration for all Big 12 honors and maybe even the Heisman if he plays well against Texas.
–The fact the tight ends got involved on Saturday just shows how well Robinson is playing. He’s reading the defense and finding the open receiver with no preconceived notion of where to throw the ball. He basically said as much when he talked about Cooper Bassett’s touchdown. He said he read the defense pre-snap and thought, “Cooper may get his first touchdown here if they play the defense I think they are in.”
–It’s clear the Cowboys learned from the Houston game. They came out early and took care of business.
–It was good to see Beau Johnson get some carries and Keith Toston get some rest. Both guys are going to be needed against Texas.
–After watching Kendall Hunter warm up on Saturday, I don’t think he’s close to returning to his pre-injury form. He wasn’t running smoothly nor did he have that explosiveness he’s become known for. After seeing him in warmups, I think he’s itching to come back but his body just isn’t ready for him to do so yet. Let’s face it, what makes Kendall Hunter special is his great feet and ability to change direction. And he didn’t look like he is ready to do what he normally does.
–I think the Cowboys need to deliberately try to get Justin Blackmon involved. In both road wins at Baylor and at Texas A&M, Blackmon made excellent catches with defenders on his shoulder. If I was OSU, I would call a play or two with the sole purpose of getting him the football early in games from this point forward.
–Turns out Hubert Anyiam is pretty good, huh? Looks like it was a good decision to move him to the spot behind Dez. Clearly that’s a position that is highlighted in OSU’s offense and it’s a spot where you want to put your best playmakers. And Anyiam has shown signs of being that type of guy.
–The Pokes allowed 2.3 yards per carry. That’s simply outstanding. It hasn’t been talked about much because of all the spread teams OSU has played but the Cowboys defense has been solid.
–With Zac’s record-setting performance, Toston quietly had 15 carries for 109 yards (7.9 per carry). And he again showed his versatility, finishing with 140 all purpose yards.
–Pat Lavine is so solid and overlooked. Another solid game from the senior: 6 tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss and an interception.
–Donald Booker is a beast. I could see him playing on Sundays just strictly as a special teams demon. And he has a really good knack for getting to the quarterback. Though he doesn’t have the ideal NFL size, he could be a pass rush specialist and special teams terror in the league if he plays his cards right and finds the right situation.
–Another game, another solid performance on third down for the defense. OSU allowed only 5 of 13 third down conversion attempts.
–Bottom Line: The Cowboys impressed me with their mindset and mental approach in the Baylor game. It was all business, exactly what you expect from elite teams and teams which compete for championships. Is there any reason to think OSU can’t win the Big 12 South?
Talking Kendall Hunter, James Anderson and Andrea Riley
By John Helsley
Remember Kendall Hunter?
Reigning Big 12 rushing champ.
One-third of the Triplets.
Potential Heisman candidate.
Seems so long ago, doesn’t it?
Well, maybe it’s time for a Hunter resurfacing. We haven’t seen – or heard – from “Spud” since he left the Houston loss with an ankle injury that went from sprain to fracture in the rumor mill that serves as the OSU injury report.
On Monday, Mike Gundy essentially called out Hunter subtly, saying team doctors had ruled him healthy, it was just up to Hunter to decide he could go.
Well, Hunter is on the trip to Waco and will be suited up for Baylor. Will he play? How much will he play? Only Spud knows for sure, but ideally he shakes off the rust, suffers no relapse and returns in full for what looms as a major showdown with Texas next week.
Hunter may return against Baylor.
The OSU basketball program isn’t putting on any fronts when it comes to James Anderson.
If he stays healthy and has another strong season – as expected – he’s off to the NBA after this, his junior season.
So enjoy him, Cowboys fans, and by all indications, he’ll be a joy to watch.
Check out this from Travis Ford:
“He has had some of the most ridiculous dunks. You won’t believe the energy level and peppiness he is playing with. He dunked over Teeng (Akol) the other day. It’s something I don’t know if he had ever tried and I don’t know if he could even could have done it, and he he caught a rebound and dunked it from outside the paint, just dunked over two guys. It’s just the step you hoped he would take. It’s early and you hope it continues. I don’t hype it up too much because we’ve got a long ways to go.”
Anderson is bigger and stronger and noticeably more comfortable, almost chatty by his standards.
The good news is there won’t be a need for regular questions about his future, whether he’s staying or going, even though we’d all know he’s going. That part is out of the way.
So enjoy, while you can.
On the women’s hoops front, the Cowgirls face their final season with Andrea Riley.
Her career is a mixed bag, as she’s been at the trigger of some of the program’s great recent moments, but also some embarrassments, which is why her one-game NCAA Tournament suspension still hangs over the squad and its chances to do much in March.
Still, Riley has a chance to improve her legacy, if not by leading these Cowgirls to great things, then by bridging things for a promising young core of players who figure to brighten OSU’s long-term future.
Riley is always worth watching.
This season, there’s plenty of reasons to pay close attention.
Download the OSU-Baylor Pregame Package
Click the image to download your quick look at this weekend’s OSU football game from The Oklahoman and NewsOK.com — in printable and portable form. (Please note that it is in PDF format.)
