OSU-SMU: Five Things
By John Helsley
@jjhelsley
Because it’s December and it’s still too soon to surrender on the season, OSU’s game against SMU tonight inAmericanAirlinesCenteris big.
Big enough even to call a must-win, if – if – the Cowboys still hold NCAA Tournament hopes.
Bottom line: The Pokes are better than SMU. They should win this game; not that just being better has assured anything this season. There hasn’t been a game yet in which you came away from a Cowboys win thinking they really looked good or produced a complete effort.
Still, let’s go on the assumption that OSU has the better players and should win. And forget theDallaslocale, this won’t be some sort of home-court advantage for SMU.
So it’s must-win.
Here are five things to watch:
1. The Point Plan. Keiton Page surely gets the nod at the point, a move necessitated by the failure of the other three guys to hold that spot – Fred Gulley, Reger Dowell and Cezar Guerrero. Of course, Gulley and Dowell have since left the program. Guerrero’s playing time figures to get a major bump. But it’s mostly about Page. And while a lot of folks have claimed this is what they’ve all been waiting for, it’s not ideal, for Page or the Pokes. Remember, Page was pushed to the point for a while last year. And it didn’t work out so well. Opponents pressured Page all the way up the floor, making him labor just to get the ball past midcourt. It wore him down on the offensive end, affecting his playmaking ability as well as his scoring ability.
2. Nash’s Homecoming. For freshman Le’Bryan Nash, this game represents a return home to theDallasarea where he starred as a prep player. How will he respond? Will it fire him up? Will he try to do too much? The Cowboys need Nash at his best.
3. The Rotation. Previously, a rotation that stretched as many as 10 deep created problems for Cowboys coach Travis Ford, who had to try to manage playing time for so many deserving players. With Gulley and Dowell now gone, some of that has been alleviated. Will that mean increased time for Brian Williams or even Marek Soucek?
4. About The Mustangs. SMU was pretty good a year ago, winning 20 games. But these aren’t those Mustangs. Even at 7-4, they don’t own a quality win and have lost toColoradoState,FresnoState, Oral Roberts andJacksonState. Did we say must-win?
5. Defining Roles. The buzz word surrounding this OSU team early was versatility. Now, you have to wonder if mixing and matching players and working guys at different positions may have set them back, with guys not fully recognizing their roles. That’s sure the way it’s looked. Maybe the trimmed roster allows for better definition.
Point Of Emphasis: What Do The Cowboys Do Now?
Cezar Guerrero is the point guard of the future. Is that future now?
By John Helsley
jhelsley@opubco.com
follow on Twitter @jjhelsley
Just last week, Reger Dowell talked excitedly about OSU’s game against SMU (coming up Wednesday night atAmericanAirlinesCenter), which offered a return home for theDallasarea product. Dowell was a high school standout at nearbyDuncanvilleand relished the chance to play before family and friends.
Presumably, Dowell is already home, having left the Cowboys program as the latest defector from the recruiting class of 2009.
Dowell’s departure appears curious on the surface, as his profile as the point guard on the team had seemingly been enhanced with Fred Gulley’s exit a week earlier.
Except Dowell’s rise in status was apparently brief.
The Cowboys, struggling to find an offensive identity – with point guard play a considerable factor in the ongoing struggles – seem ready to turn back to Keiton Page at the point.
Page, who played there some a year ago, offers the most stability and leadership, although his perimeter offense has typically suffered when he’s running the point. But then, Page’s offense was already suffering in a stagnant system that made it a challenge for him to even shake free for shots.
And with the season a teetering disappointment at 6-5, Cowboys coach Travis Ford seemingly has seen enough, and will place the offense in the hands of the one player he trusts the most: Page.
Freshman Cezar Guerrero, the point guard of the future, remains in place. His role should increase, either in sharing the position – allowing Page to still play predominantly at the 2 – or as a backup receiving significant minutes.
So, what to make of Gulley and Dowell leaving two weeks apart?
The answer is probably complex.
This we know: Ford is hard on point guards, as a former point guard with high standards himself. Gulley’s former Twitter photo was a shot of him standing there, taking a serious tail-chewing from Ford on the sideline.
This we also know: since Byron Eaton’s senior season, the Cowboys have gotten little from the point, rolling through several players at the position. Few assists. Few points. Fewer and fewer wins.
This season was no different, with Gulley, Dowell and Guerrero all failing to seize opportunity. It all comes down to playing the way Ford wants them to play, which is unselfishly. It’s his way or…
And that brings us back to the 2009 recruiting class, Ford’s first at OSU. From that group, all three point guards – Gulley, Dowell and Ray Penn – have all bolted from an overall group of defectors that stands at a staggering six players, seven if you count Karron Johnson, who signed but never made it toStillwater.
Jarred Shaw, Roger Franklin and Torin Walker have also moved on, making for the washout of an entire recruiting class.
What to make of that?
Well, in hindsight, a class that was originally highly ranked has been revealed as something far less. As players, no one from that list will be missed with great regret.
Still, that many players bailing out doesn’t look good. And some of them could have been solid role players, although they’d first have to accept such a role. Guys today are less inclined to think of themselves as anything less than stars.
Going forward, Ford would be wise to get Guerrero as much time at the point as possible, as he’s clearly the guy going forward.
Phil Forte, signed in November, is more of a shooter, although he could help at the point. And there’s no one else coming who projects as a point guard, although the Cowboys will surely be on the search again with scholarships opened up.
In the meantime, the Cowboys will have a different look going forward this season. And, considering what we’ve seen, that may not be all bad.
John Helsley’s Power Lunch Chat Recap
Gina Mizell’s Power Lunch Chat Recap
HireCoachGundysCoaches.com takes off
Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy was asked at his Monday press conference if he was worried about keeping his staff together because assistants like offensive coordinator Todd Monken and associate head coach/special teams coordinator Joe DeForest are or have been in the mix for various head-coaching positions. This was Gundy’s response:
“I’m thinking about starting a website that says “HireCoachGundysCoaches.com” and just let people come in and fill out an application. And then at the end of the day, I’ll just go through. I don’t type good enough, (so) I’ll have somebody type and email them back, and then they can catch me up the next day.”
Sorry, Gundy. Someone beat you to it. Most likely an OSU fan.
HireCoachGundysCoaches.com went live sometime Moday afternoon after the press conference. It plays off the “Hire OSU grads” campaign and has a Twitter feed of Gundy news. And, best of all, it features a slowed-down version of the now-famous video of the man himself doing “The Gundy” in the locker room after the Texas A&M game.
Brandon Weeden chops down the Stanford Tree
Some OSU fans having fun with a holiday Ecard program…
OSU football commitment Trace Clark video highlights
I realize that high school recruiting videos showcase only a player at his best. But this video features eight and a half minutes of Wichita, Kan. defensive end Trace Clark, Oklahoma State’s latest commitment, mauling people. That’s a lot of mauling.
Clark comes from a family of athletes. His father, Stevan, was played at Kansas State and was as defensive end for the New England Patriots in the early 1980s. His brother, Zac, is a senior defensive tackle at Oregon. His two sisters are or were Division I volleyball players. Here’s an interview with Trace Clarke as a sophomore talking about his football future.
Cool love hair, sort of an Anderson Varejao look.
Southern Miss: Oklahoma State University–Southeast?
A fellow journalist tweeted at me yesterday that Southern Miss should rename itself “Oklahoma State University-Southeast.” I thought that was funny and clever—and also somewhat true.
The Golden Eagles’ last two football coaches, Jeff Bower and Larry Fedora, were OSU’s offensive coordinator before taking the head job at USM.
Could Todd Monken be next?
The Hattiesburg American is reporting that Monken interviewed for the head coaching position at USM earlier this week after Fedora left for North Carolina. USM offensive coordinator Blake Anderson, South Carolina assistant head coach Ellis Johnson and Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart are other top candidates, according to the newspaper. A new coach could be named as early as Friday.
Monken has been a popular name during the coaching carousel. He was contacted by Tulane before taking himself out of the running for that job. He was also mentioned for the Illinois job before Tim Beckman, another former OSU assistant, was hired last week.
Whether Monken is hired at USM or not, Mike Gundy’s coaching tree continues to grow. Beckman and Fedora both landed big-time jobs last week. Former offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen did the same last year and led West Virginia to the Orange Bowl in his first season. Monken is drawing interest from major programs after just one season directing OSU’s high-powered offense.
A lot of Cowboy fans have expressed concern or frustration to me about assistants, particularly offensive coordinators, bolting (or potentially bolting) Stillwater after only one year.
The question I pose is this: Would you rather Gundy hire the very best coach he can find, which quickly makes him a candidate for a head job in the near future, or would you rather Gundy hire a “worse” coach who would stay in Stillwater for a number of years because he’s not ready or wanted as a head coach?
So many All-America teams, so little time
Oklahoma State wide receiver Justin Blackmon became a unanimous All-American for the second consecutive season Thursday, meaning he was a first team selection on the five “recognized” All-America teams—the Football Coaches Association, the Walter Camp Football Foundation, the Associated Press, the Football Writers Association of America and the Sporting News.
Then there are the—not recognized?—organizations that also pick All-America teams, mostly national media outlets like Sports Illustrated and ESPN.com. To put it bluntly, there are a lot of All-America teams.
In all, seven Cowboys have earned some type of recognition this season. And interestingly? Brandon Weeden is not one of them.
Here’s a breakdown:
Walter Camp Football Foundation
Justin Blackmon, first team
Levy Adcock, second team
American Football Coaches Association
Justin Blackmon, first team
Levy Adcock, first team
Football Writers Association of America
Justin Blackmon, first team
Levy Adcock, first team
Quinn Sharp, first team (kicker)
Associated Press
Justin Blackmon, first team
Markelle Martin, second team
Levy Adcock, third team
Grant Garner, third team
Brodrick Brown, third team
Quinn Sharp, third team (kicker)
Sporting News
Justin Blackmon, first team
SI.com
Justin Blackmon, first team
Grant Garner, first team
Brodrick Brown, first team
Markelle Martin, first team
Levy Adcock, second team
CBSSports.com
Justin Blackmon, first team
Levy Adcock, first team
Markelle Martin, second team
ESPN.com
Justin Blackmon, first team
Levy Adcock, first team
Rivals.com
Justin Blackmon, first team
Levy Adcock, second team
Quinn Sharp, second team (punter)
Scout.com
Justin Blackmon, first team
Lane Taylor, second team
Markelle Martin, second team
Phil Steele
Justin Blackmon, first team
Levy Adcock, first team
Quinn Sharp, first team (kicker)
Markelle Martin, second team
Brodrick Brown, third team
Grant Garner, fourth team
Pokes Named National Champs!
Celebration time! Cowboys No. 1.
By John Helsley
follow on Twitter @jjhelsley
Finally, some all-out love for the Oklahoma State Cowboys.
And if cyber-love is your thing, or you’ll welcome any love from any corner when it comes to the Cowboys and their place outside of the BCS title talk, here’s a hug: OSU has been declared National Champion!
And it gets better – a second helping of Bedlam beatdown better.
The folks at nbcsports.com, namely columnist Michael Ventre, put together a 16-team “make believe” playoff.
OSU emerged No. 1.
The Cowboys clobbered OU – again – in a first-round re-matchup, routed Arkansas in the quarterfinals, outlasted Alabama and outscored Oregon (yeah, the Ducks upset LSU in the other semi) to claim this most mythical of national titles.
What does it all mean? Nothing, of course, except that none of us are satisfied with this year’s road to the BCS coronation. So we keep grousing and complaining and wishing for something better to determine our national champ.
In an absence of that, we’re left with a pretend world that isn’t at all satisfying.
As Ventre concludes:
How are you feeling about that? Overjoyed? Outraged? Satisfied? Irritated?
Whatever your emotions, you’ll agree that letting it play out on the field is more in keeping with the spirit of competition than letting computer geeks match wits. LSU and Alabama certainly are deserving, but I’d rather seem them get there with brawn than with math.
In football, goons are better than geeks any old day.
***
The Cowboys basketball team returns to the floor Saturday in the All-College Classic, taking on New Mexico in a tipoff scheduled for 9:30 p.m. inside Chesapeake Energy Arena.
OSU is 6-3 and still in search of a true identity in this season.
But Le’Bryan Nash is starting to play better and coach Travis Ford has begun to tighten his rotation and experimentation, just as the Cowboys prepare for a rugged three-week run into Big 12 play.
Here’s an e-mail discussion I did with Anthony Slater at The Daily O’Collegian, OSU’s student newspaper.
We talk about some of the issues facing the Cowboys, as well as a guess at their outlook.
