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.
If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
I think the running game has improved greatly with Kendall Hunter back. The past couple games reminded me why he is so special. Not only that, but it seems that he’s made Toston much better as well, where he has broken longer runs. It’s even better when you add Zac to the mix.
The upcoming game could be interesting in light of Hawkins almost being a lame duck coach if he’s still around this week.