Oklahoma State Spring Game set for April 21
Oklahoma State has announced that its Spring Game will be April 21 at a time still to be determined.
Coach Mike Gundy has tentatively set March 12 as the first day of spring practice.
We’ll post a full schedule when that becomes available.
Oklahoma State is Wide Receiver (Recruit) U
Oklahoma State added its fifth wide receiver commit Sunday when Jhajuan Seales from Port Arthur Memorial High School in Texas switched his pledge from Houston to the Cowboys. And there could still be more commits at the position coming before Signing Day.
OSU is the leader for four-star receiver Jaydon Mickens of Dorsey High School in Los Angeles, according to multiple reports and his Twitter account. Javon Williams, a four-star receiver from Chandler, Ariz., visited OSU this past weekend.
(Updated: I missed a report by Scout.com’s Inna Lazarev yesterday that Williams is down to UCLA and Arkansas.)
OSU does have holes to fill at receiver, with Justin Blackmon, Josh Cooper, Hubert Anyiam and Colton Chelf all leaving.
But placing this kind of emphasis on the position—and adding a pass-catching tight end in JUCO All-American Blake Jackson and big-armed quarterback Wes Lunt—shows that Todd Monken likely won’t deviate much from the wide-open, spread attack post-Weeden2Blackmon.
Someone on Twitter brought up how using a tight end would be different, which is somewhat true. But, as I wrote Sunday, Monken plans to use Jackson much like Tracy Moore was this season. Jackson is a big target, but he runs the 40-yard dash in 4.6 seconds. He’ll find holes in the zone, create matchup problems, break tackles and stretch the field.
Still, it would be interesting if OSU signed five or six wide receivers and two tight ends, but no running backs in this class.
Here’s a look at the wide receivers OSU has signed over the past three seasons and their production in the 2011 season.
2011
Torrance Carr (Dallas)–no action at receiver
David Glidden (Mustang High School)—no action at receiver
Johnny Haynes (Irving, Texas)—wound up at Navarro JC
Isaac McCoy (Alma, Ark.)—no action at receiver
Josh Stewart (Denton, Texas)—19 catches, 291 yards, two touchdowns
2010
Chris Dinkins (Tyler, Texas)—moved to linebacker, no longer on roster
Kevin Johnson (Houston, Texas)—no action at receiver
Montra Nelson (Arlington, Texas)—moved to fullback, no longer on roster
2009
Michael Harrison (Dallas)—20 catches, 255 yards, three touchdowns
Charlie Moore (Bullard, Texas)—three catches, 56 yards
Tracy Moore (Tulsa Union)—45 catches, 672 yards, four touchdowns
Mike Gundy’s second national Coach of the Year award: What does it mean?
Mike Gundy picked up another national coaching honor late Thursday night, winning the 2011 Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year.
National Coach of the Year awards are a bit like All-America teams—there are a lot of them. But there are five “main” ones—Bear Bryant, Eddie Robinson, American Football Coaches Association, Associated Press and Home Depot.
This season, those five awards were split between Gundy and Les Miles. Gundy also won the Eddie Robinson Award, while Miles won the other three. Another connection between the former OSU colleagues.
I thought it would be interesting to go back and revisit the Coach of the Year awards from the past 10 seasons. You’ll see expected names like Nick Saban, Gary Patterson, Urban Meyer, Jim Tressel, Joe Paterno and Chris Petersen. You’ll see some “huh?” names like Charlie Weis and Tyrone Willingham.
But the only coach to sweep all five awards during that time? Mark Mangino in 2007. My friendly colleague Travis Haney put it best: “It’s that hard to win football games at Kansas. Take ‘em to a BCS game, you’re going to get love.”
2011
Eddie Robinson: Mike Gundy (OSU)
Bear Bryant: Mike Gundy
AP: Les Miles (LSU)
Home Depot: Les Miles
AFCA: Les Miles
2010
Eddie Robinson: Chip Kelly (Oregon)
Bear Bryant: Gene Chizik (Auburn)
AP: Chip Kelly
Home Depot: Gene Chizik
AFCA: Chip Kelly
2009
Eddie Robinson: Gary Patterson (TCU)
Bear Bryant: Chris Petersen (Boise State)
AP: Gary Patterson
Home Depot: Brian Kelly (Cincinnati)
AFCA: Gary Patterson
2008
Eddie Robinson: Nick Saban (Alabama)
Bear Bryant: Kyle Whittingham (Utah)
AP: Nick Saban
Home Depot: Nick Saban
AFCA: Kyle Whittingham
2007
Eddie Robinson: Mark Mangino (Kansas)
Bear Bryant: Mark Mangino
AP: Mark Mangino
Home Depot: Mark Mangino
AFCA: Mark Mangino
2006
Eddie Robinson: Greg Schiano (Rutgers)
Bear Bryant: Chris Petersen (Boise State)
AP: Jim Grobe (Wake Forest)
Home Depot: Greg Schiano
AFCA: Jim Grobe
2005
Eddie Robinson: Charlie Weis (Notre Dame)
Bear Bryant: Mack Brown (Texas)
AP: Joe Paterno (Penn State)
Home Depot: Joe Paterno
AFCA: Joe Paterno
2004
Eddie Robinson: Urban Meyer (Utah)
Bear Bryant: Tommy Tuberville (Auburn)
AP: Tommy Tuberville
Home Depot: Urban Meyer
AFCA: Tommy Tuberville
2003
Eddie Robinson: Nick Saban (LSU)
Bear Bryant: Nick Saban
AP: Nick Saban
Home Depot: Pete Carroll (USC)
AFCA: Pete Carroll
2002
Eddie Robinson: Jim Tressel (Ohio State)
Bear Bryant: Jim Tressel
AP: Kirk Ferentz (Iowa)
Home Depot: Tyrone Willingham (Notre Dame)
AFCA: Jim Tressel
Blackmon: Simply The Best
Oklahoma State's Justin Blackmon (81) celebrates a touchdown during the Fiesta Bowl between the Oklahoma State University Cowboys (OSU) and the Stanford Cardinal at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., Monday, Jan. 2, 2012. Photo by Sarah Phipps, The Oklahoman
By John Helsley
follow on twitter @jjhelsley
With the OSU offense sputtering in the second half and Stanford ahead 14-0, Justin Blackmon did what he does best, striking for a 43-yard scoring play to get the Cowboys started.
First, however, Blackmon got mad.
“I knew we could play better,” Blackmon said. “If that takes me getting mad, I guess I get mad and go out there and do it.”
Blackmon got mad and soon enough the Cowboys got even.
And eventually, after a full 60 minutes of game time, they pulled ahead, for the first time at the end of overtime, good enough for a 41-38 win in a Fiesta Bowl classic.
Andrew Luck was everything he’s been billed to be, maybe more. And Brandon Weeden was great, too, throwing for 399 yards and three touchdowns, although he wasn’t getting near the love of Luck.
But in the end, the Fiesta Bowl was Blackmon’s Big Show.
Eight catches and 186 yards and three touchdowns, with Stanford committed to stopping him and Blackmon supposedly slowed by a bum leg caused by an infection.
He did it, too, with a receiving corps that featured Colton Chelf as the No. 2 option, as more explosive wideouts Tracy Moore and Michael Harrison played only limited roles due to apparent disciplinary issues. Did it with the running game going nowhere.
Blackmon averaged 23.3 yards a catch, scored on receptions of 43, 67 and 17. And he made the defining play of the game for OSU, a fourth-down grab on the game-tying drive in the final minutes of regulation, rendering Stanford’s fifth-year senior corner Corey Gatewood helpless on a quick slant.
“If I know it is one-on-one,” Weeden said, “I’m going to Blackmon 100 percent of the time.”
Cardinal coach David Shaw was fully aware of Blackmon’s potential impact heading into the game. Afterward, he was no less impressed.
“The fact that Justin Blackmon did not get Heisman votes is ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous,” Shaw said.
During the week, Shaw had compared Blackmon to Terrell Owens.
“Yards after catch, physical play, great blocker, plays with an attitude,” Shaw said. “Give the kid all the credit in the world. He deserves it.
“He’s going to do the same thing on the next level that he does on this level. Guys like that play that way in high school, junior high school, college and the NFL. He’s special.”
Don’t we all know it.
“To make big catches in crucial situations then make plays with the ball in his hands when the other team knows he is going to do it, it is pretty amazing, especially when the teams roll up on him like tonight,” Mike Gundy said.
“Stanford’s game plan, other than blitz, was to roll up and play a guy down on him. He still finds a way to get open and get the ball and the quarterback finds a way to get it to him.”
Blackmon found a way to will the OSU offense Monday night.
And to will the Cowboys’ victory.
The program has featured some elite wide receivers. Gundy played with Hart Lee Dykes and has long proclaimed his greatness. Rashaun Woods was all but unstoppable, once catching seven touchdowns in a single game. Dez Bryant dazzled with regularity.
Gundy hadn’t been willing to place Blackmon alone at the top of the list, until Monday night.
“I resisted in saying he was the best wide receiver that has ever played atOklahomaState,” Gundy said. “He is, bar none.”
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.
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?
Oklahoma State working on new contract for Mike Gundy
Mike Gundy has called Oklahoma State his “New York Yankees job.” He wants to stay in Stillwater long-term. Boone Pickens (and OSU in general) wants Gundy in Stillwater long-term after he led the Cowboys to their first outright conference title and a trip to the Fiesta Bowl.
And the school is now in the beginning stages of working on a new contract.
Here is the statement OSU director of communications Gary Shutt released on the matter:
“We certainly are pleased with Coach Gundy and the entire coaching staff. This year has been historic for Oklahoma State’s football program. Our program is well positioned for continued success. As we said we would do a few weeks ago, now that the season is over, we are reviewing Coach Gundy’s contract. We also have begun discussions with his representative. A new contract reflecting the success we have enjoyed the past three years and expect to continue for years to come is being discussed. We are striving to have a new long-term contract for Coach Gundy in place soon. In that regard, we will not discuss specific details at this time, as it is our practice to refrain from negotiating contracts in the media. We will announce the details of the contract when it is completed.”
Gundy’s 2011 salary is $2.1 million. Here’s what all the coaches in the Big 12 made this year, according to USA Today’s football coach salary database (a very handy tool, by the way)
Mack Brown, Texas: $5,192,500
Bob Stoops, Oklahoma: $4,075,000
Gary Pinkel, Missouri: $2,700,000
Mike Sherman, Texas A&M*: $2,200,000
Turner Gill, Kansas*: $2,100,000
Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State: $2,100,000
Tommy Tuberville, Texas Tech: 2,050,000
Bill Snyder, Kansas State: $1,925,000
Art Briles, Baylor: $1,549,396
Paul Rhoads, Iowa State: $1,150,000
*Fired at end of season
Power Lunch leftovers: Post-Bedlam
Once again, tons of Power Lunch leftovers from my post-Bedlam live chat on Monday. Let’s get to them.
Was there a single player that shined the brightest for OSU against OU or was that a true team effort?
Saturday’s Bedlam win was the most complete effort from the Cowboys this season, in my opinion. But if I had to give game balls, I would give one to the offensive line and one to Bill Young. The O-Line caught some heat after its worst performance of the season against Iowa State, but it was back to opening huge holes for the running backs and keeping Brandon Weeden upright against the Sooners. And Bill Young used the extra week to concoct an aggressive, blitz-heavy scheme that put Landry Jones under more pressure than he had seen all season. I wrote about that today.
Would you say that Stanford has the edge at quarterback in the Fiesta Bowl or is it a draw? Can Weeden help his draft stock in that game or is his age really the big factor to going in Round 1?
I give Luck a slight edge, mostly because he doesn’t have the same talent at receiver as Weeden does. Luck also makes more play calls at the line of scrimmage, which will serve him well at the next level. But plenty of NFL scouts will be watching this game, and Weeden really can make a statement if he can outplay who everyone expects to be the No. 1 pick in the draft. Weeden said he’s excited to see how he stacks up with Luck. I think age, not talent, is going to keep Weeden from going in the first round, but someone will take a chance on him.
Can Brodrick Brown go to the NFL or will his size limit his chances?
Great question. I’m not a talent evaluator, but that dude plays so much bigger than his size and makes so many important (and athletic) plays. I feel like his leaping interception in the end zone, when he took the ball away from Jaz Reynolds, was one of the most underappreciated plays from Bedlam. And the job he did on Jeff Fuller of Texas A&M earlier this season was simply outstanding. I think he’s got a shot to go pro.
In order for OSU to win against Stanford they must be very physical and stop the run first. Do you expect Young to change the defense up to counter the pro style offense?
You are absolutely right. Everyone talks about Luck, but Stanford’s running game (especially the offensive line) is very underrated. I’m sure Young’s scheme will be tweaked a bit to go against a pro style offense versus the spreads more commonly seen in the Big 12, but I don’t think the overall philosophy will change. The Cowboys are going to be aggressive and try to force a lot of turnovers.
I don’t want all of us OSU fans to get caught up in the excitement and get carried away about next year. I am so proud, but we loose Weeden and Blackmon next year. There will probably be a few losses.
I think most fans understand that. You don’t lose two of the best players in college football—and two of the best players in school history—at such prominent positions and automatically expect to be a national title contender again. But I think Gundy has built this program up to a consistent level where fans can expect eight or nine wins in “down” years. There’s still a lot of talent coming back—Joseph Randle, Shaun Lewis, Brodrick Brown, just to name a few—that will help the Cowboys remain a solid team next year and beyond.
In your opinion, what was the biggest play of the night for OSU?
No question, Alex Elkins’ forced fumble and Jamie Blatnick’s return to the OU one-yard line. OU was inside the OSU 20 and down just 10-0. That turned a Sooner scoring chance into a 17-0 Cowboy lead. And that sent BPS into an absolutely frenzy, and I think made people believe not only that OSU was better, but a lot better that OU.
Have you ever been at a game where the fans rushed the field? What was it like to witness that?
I was at the Iowa State game two weeks ago, so the last two football games I’ve been to/covered, fans have rushed the field. At ISU, fans flooded from all angles and it seemed like it happened in a snap. Saturday night, it was a “slower” rush because the high walls/long jump meant it took longer for everyone to get on the field. I was standing on the patio by GIA when the goal posts came down, and it was pretty cool to see that type of excitement from fans. But, then Jenni Carlson and I decided we were going to try to weave through the crowd to get to the interview room. Unfortunately, the tunnel we had to get to is the one closest to the student section, so where the most people were packed in. We got squished in the crowd for about 10 minutes, which wasn’t the greatest experience ever. But overall, it was something I’ll never forget.
One word to describe the atmosphere at BPS on Saturday night?
Electric.
Did I see Herschel Sims in the game at running back near the end?
Yes you did. He had three carries for seven yards late in the fourth quarter.
Do you think Justin Blackmon is a lock to win the Biletnikoff?
I do. Broyles was the frontrunner until he got hurt, and with the way Blackmon finished the season so strong, I think the award is his. Quite a feat for a guy that barely anyone knew before the 2010 season.
Looking back at the season how would you rank the best wins for OSU? Give me a top 5.
1. Bedlam (no explanation needed)
2. Texas A&M (at the time, it was huge)
3. Kansas State (two game-winning drives against a team that finished in the top 10)
4. Baylor (complete domination against a pretty solid team and likely Heisman winner)
5. Texas (had never beaten the Longhorns twice in a row, much less in Austin)
You could argue for Tulsa (because of the wacky circumstances) and Tech (because of the complete domination), but that’s how I’d rank them.
Do you think OSU will try scheduling tougher out of conference opponents in the future? It seems to be a great resume booster when BCS bowl discussion starts.
I actually think OSU’s nonconference schedule was pretty solid this season. ULL coach Mark Hudspeth is up for Coach of the Year awards because of the way he turned around that program. Arizona seemed like it would be a good opponent from a major conference. Tulsa’s losses were to OU, OSU, Boise State and Houston. Would it be good to play a big-time nonconference road game like when the Cowboys traveled to Georgia a few years back? Sure. But sometimes it’s hard to know which teams will be good and which teams won’t when scheduling is done so many years in advance.
Step back to the first of the year. Someone told you the big 12 champ would have one loss. Don’t you think with the conference strength at that time you would have said that the Big 12 conference champ would have been playing in the national championship?
Absolutely, mostly because we’ve never had two teams from the same conference play for the title before. Like we’ve mentioned so many times, it all came down to the voters, and the voters put Alabama in.
I believe there was coaching poll voter fraud. SEC coaches voted OSU fourth to make sure Alabama got it. Les Miles abstained and said he couldn’t do that due to link with OSU. What would happen if this was proved?
Well, the final coaches poll votes have been released. Here’s how the SEC coaches voted:
Les Miles: Alabama second, OSU third
Mark Richt: Alabama second, OSU third
Nick Saban: Alabama second, OSU fourth
Steve Spurrier: Alabama second, OSU third
I don’t think it’s fraud as much as maybe a hint of bias, mostly because these coaches have seen Alabama a lot more in person and on film than OSU. Just like more Big 12 coaches voted OSU second than Alabama. It’s the same type of deal. Now, I don’t necessarily squash the idea that Saban was doing what he thought was best for his football team. Can you blame him? When we have other coaches deciding who plays for the national title with a ballot, that type of thing can happen.
I think OSU is lucky that the national media still perceived OU as a good team. If they realized how badly outmanned OU was with all of the injuries then the gap between OSU and Alabama would have been wider.
I still think OU is a good team. Not a great team, by any means, but the Sooners went 9-3, not 6-6. The dominating win was a good final statement for OSU, but not quite enough to get the Cowboys to that No. 2 spot in the BCS standings.
Any comments from Gundy about recruiting commitments like Kendall Sanders and Bralon Addison switching to Texas and Texas A&M. Any underlying concerns in recruiting?
No, because coaches cannot comment on recruits until they have signed their letter of intent. Commitment switches are going to happen every year—you’re dealing with 17- and 18-year old kids here. I think the biggest recruiting concern is with Wes Lunt if Todd Monken leaves OSU.
Is there any truth to the rumor that OSU only had 10 men on the field on the Blake Bell touchdown?
I have also heard that rumor, but I haven’t rewatched that play yet. I should.
Full transcript of Mike Gundy’s Bedlam postgame press conference
Here is the full transcript from Mike Gundy’s postgame press conference following Oklahoma State’s 44-10 win over Oklahoma to clinch the Cowboys’ first outright conference title and trip to a BCS bowl.
Opening statement: Defense
Obviously, that may have been the best game we’ve played as a group in a long time against a quality team. Before the game, at the hotel before we came over on The Walk, I had mentioned to our defense that this was an opportunity for them to shine. They’ll be on the big stage, on the spotlight. They had taken some heat throughout the year, and if they wanted to prove to people that just half of what I said during the season was right, that they needed to do it tonight. I thought our defense was better than what people thought or what people said. They had been out there for a number of plays. We had forced turnovers, but there wasn’t anything statistically to back it up. I mentioned to them that tonight was their night, and I don’t think there’s any question that they showed up in a big way. I don’t know that we’ve had as good a defensive effort around here in a long time in a big game. I thought the game plan was excellent. The coaches wanted to attack—they wanted to blitz and blitz a lot, and the players bought in. They played with great energy.
Opening statement: Offense
Offensively, our staff felt like that we had to be able to run the football. We had to use some tight ends and some heavy sets at times and run the football effectively in order to open up everything else that we thought gave us the best chance to win. We didn’t play as fast. We thought it would be best to use some of the clock to limit the number of plays that our defense was on the field.
Opening statement: Rebounding after Iowa State loss
It’s just a great win for our program. I’m very proud of our team, very proud of our coaching staff. Things happen for a reason. After we had lost at Iowa State, our players just bought in. They went through a couple days where they were struggling, but they were very resilient after a couple days. They continued to believe in themselves. They understood that, for whatever reason, it just wasn’t their night and they had an opportunity (to play another game). They were on the biggest stage in the history of this school (for) the football program. They knew they had a chance to be outright conference champions for the first time ever, and it was motivation enough. It says a lot about who they are and what they stand for, and so I’m just lucky enough to be the guy coaching them. I couldn’t be any more proud of a group of guys, coaches and players.
Opening statement: Thanking Boone Pickens
For a number of years, what would be three or four now, at night when I’ve laid in bed and thought about tough losses…those things never go away. But I’ve also laid in bed and thought about giving that Big 12 conference trophy to Boone Pickens. I’ve thought about seeing the smile on his face and trying to give him something back for what he started here, and then everybody else bought in. The entire OSU family, the fans, there’s been a sense of pride in this program for about four or five years now with our new facilities, and they players have bought in. Fortunately, I was able to achieve something personally for myself, which was to be able to hand that trophy to him and let him know that what he started has paid off.
Opening statement: Politicking (yes, politicking!) to be in the BCS title game
We’re very excited about the next opportunity. I don’t think there’s any question that Oklahoma State should play in the Big Game. People told me at the coffee shop, they were giving me a hard time about mentioning other schools last week…Oklahoma State hadn’t earned the right to talk about a game past a conference championship game, because we hadn’t won a conference championship. Our staff, including myself, had talked to our football team every day about winning a conference championship. But after what they accomplished tonight, and the way they did it against the No. 10 team in the country, I don’t think there’s a question they deserve an opportunity to play for it all. We have tons of respect for LSU. I’ve watched them a few times. I have a lot of respect for Coach (Les) Miles and what they do. But I think there comes a time that people across the country, if they want to see and stir up some interest in what would be one heck of a football game and an offense that is maybe different than what they’ve seen and a defense that’s going to play better than what some people may think they would play across the country, this is their opportunity to find out if we can play them.
(Yep, that was just the opening statement. Now onto questions.)
On comparing Alabama vs. OSU:
We lost in double-overtime on the road. We didn’t lose at home.
On bringing a conference title to his alma mater:
It’s really not about me. Either way, these players have bought in. They understand the big picture and they play for each other. They have accountability, toughness, discipline and heart. Honestly, I wanted it for them. I wanted it for the Oklahoma State people. I wanted it for those fans. I only saw part of (the celebration). When they started piling over, I got out of there as fast I as I could. I look forward to seeing it on the news. I wanted it for the families of the coaches more than anything, for the people that have put all the hard work and have come up just a little short the last few years, for them. I told my wife this during the week that I’m going to be OK, because I see what’s going on in this organization and I’m proud of what these guys are accomplishing. I wanted it for all of them. I want them to feel what it’s like, so they understand the hard work’s worth it. Those are good kids. Honestly, it doesn’t mean near as much to me as it does to me that they’ve had a chance to succeed and be the first team to ever be an outright conference champion.
On the big defensive plays:
I believe those things stem from a football team flying around and playing hard and diving and attacking and being relentless. And then I think the return is good things come our way.
On the bye week:
Our guys had a good game plan. The open week was huge. We were able to get some guys healthy. We were able to get two good practices in. Your first thought as a coach is to get four in. We made the decision as a staff to get two in and let them go home for three days and get away from here after a tough loss.
On the running game:
We knew we that we had to find a way to run the ball, because they can still run fast side to side and tackle good. You can’t just throw it every snap and be effective. We also felt like they would think that we weren’t going to try to run the ball. That’s us as coaches—I’m not putting words in their mouth. But we felt like that they would probably just defend pass.
On the possible LSU/Alabama rematch:
They had their shot. Give us ours.
On a playoff vs. the BCS:
I don’t think there’s any doubt that the best way to settle this would be a playoff, but I don’t know how you do it. Some schools are on semesters, some are on quarters. Some are in finals, other teams aren’t in finals. You’re not supposed to practice during finals week, certainly (not) “dead week.” So I just don’t know how they work it out. But there’s no question that we all would like to get to a final 16 or a final 8 and play the thing off. I just don’t have an answer. I’ve seen a lot of different proposals. I just don’t know that anybody’s come up with a way for it to actually work yet.
On the feelings if Alabama goes to the national title game:
If they go, they go. I don’t know. That’s a tough one. I still say that our team and the coaches held their own until we accomplished something. We won by 34 points, and it was the 10th-ranked team of the country.
On beating OU for the first time as a head coach:
There hasn’t been a problem with them believing—we just hadn’t gotten it accomplished. And part of the reason why is, in the last five years, they’ve pretty good, too. That run they had there with Sam Bradford and those guys, they were pretty good. They scored 50-something and we scored 40-something or whatever it was. You lose to pretty good football teams. But it was our time. Our team was in better health than theirs was. With the exception of turning the ball over at Iowa State, we were on kind of a run, so it was our time to win that game.
On the OU players coming over to the OSU tunnel before the game:
I’m the last one out, and I saw it. And I was a little concerned, because I don’t think anybody wants any confrontation before a game. One thing about football is you’ve got about 125 guys out there in pads, and they’re big guys. And if ever something gets started, it’s tough to stop it. I was glad that nothing came out of it. I don’t know how that happened—I didn’t see how it all transpired. But I don’t think that Coach (Bob) Stoops and their staff would ever initiate anything like that. I think that they were kind of in the wrong place or somehow they got closer to our group. I just can’t imagine they would do that. Bob was very cordial after the game. We have a lot of respect for them. We have a lot of respect for their staff. So I just can’t imagine that they would have planned that.
Power Lunch leftovers: Bedlam edition
I got a ton of great questions in Thursday’s Power Lunch chat. Here are some of the ones I didn’t get to. Hopefully it’s a good way to kick off your Bedlam Saturday.
If OSU is going to win, the defense must ______?
Get pressure on Landry Jones, who gets a bit skittish and makes bad throws when that happens. If weather becomes a serious factor, stopping the run will be the biggest key and those defensive tackles become the most important players. And, of course, this defense needs to force turnovers to offset the yards it will likely give up.
Which is more likely, Justin Gilbert housing a kickoff return or getting a pick-six?
I’ll say housing a kickoff return, mostly because he’s done that twice this season and the Cowboys have (surprisingly) only taken one turnover to the house all year. OU ranks fourth in the Big 12 in kickoff coverage (43.9 net average). But remember Bedlam last year?
The outcome of Bedlam will come down to who gets the ball last or who can force the most turnovers?
Yes. Oh, you want me to pick one? I’d say which team can force the most turnovers. If one team can win the turnover battle by two or more, then that might be enough possessions for it to build a big enough lead that the other team can’t keep up in what I think is going to be a shootout with very few punts. But don’t be surprised to see this game come down to who has the ball last and who has the best kicker. Quinn Sharp might have a chance to redeem himself for the miss at Iowa State.
All this hype for OSU. Don’t count Bob Stoops out. He will be ready. Maybe that is why he has a great W-L record. What do you think about that?
I think the hype for OSU is warranted—this could be a historic night in Stillwater. But, of course, Bob Stoops will be ready. Our man Berry Tramel wrote about Stoops’ success when the Sooners have their backs against the wall the other day, and there’s a reason why OU hasn’t lost Bedlam since 2002. Everyone picked the Cowboys to win last year and the Sooners came out on top. It’s a similar situation this season, and OU has a great chance to win the game.
It seems like losing to ISU is the worst thing for OU. It exposed some weaknesses (linebacker, offensive line play) and OSU had 10 days to fix them. Do you know if they have focused on those or any other weaknesses this week?
One thing that I know has been a focus is Joseph Randle’s fumbling troubles. I wrote a story about that last week. I’m sure the other weaknesses have been addressed. The offensive line has not been a weakness—in fact, it’s been a big strength—all season until the ISU game, so I’d imagine there didn’t need to be any huge adjustments there. I think the bye week most benefitted OSU because it gave the Cowboys two extra practices to prepare for OU—especially things like the Belldozer package.
Who will have a bigger game, Landry Jones or Brandon Weeden?
I’ll take Weeden, based on how poorly the OU pass defense has played against really good quarterbacks. I touched on this a lot in my pregame story in today’s paper, but Seth Doege hit the Sooners with the short passes and Robert Griffin III hit them with the long ball. Weeden and those receivers can do both.
Do you think OSU’s defense will be able to handle OU’s running game?
Again, if the weather gets messy, that becomes the game’s biggest key. OU isn’t the same without Dom Whaley, but Roy Finch has played well as his replacement and the Sooner offensive line has been strong. And, OSU’s defense has struggled against the run all season. That will be an interesting development to watch if the game turns that way.
What will the Cowboys have to do to slow Frank Alexander down? I’ve only seen him twice, but he seems to be as disruptive as Von Miller was?
Alexander has had a heck of a season—he’s the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year in my mind. But, the Cowboys catch a break since Alexander got hurt in the Iowa State game and is not 100 percent. I’m sure he’ll still be disruptive, but not as nasty as when completely healthy. And on the other side, Ronnell Lewis won’t play. That’s a big blow for OU. I think the only way the Sooners stop the Cowboy passing attack is if they get pressure on Weeden, and not having either end in top shape certainly hurts those chances.
Over/Under: Justin Blackmon 200 yards receiving?
I will say under, but not by much. I’ll go somewhere in the 150-yard range and two touchdowns. This is his last game at BPS. He’s a monster when there’s an extra motivational factor. I expect a huge game from him.
Percentage that the fans rush the field if OSU wins?
100 percent. I have no doubt Cowboys fans will rush the field if OSU beats OU for the first time since 2002, captures its first conference title and earns its first trip to a BCS bowl. The orange and black faithful will want to celebrate. That’s why the theme of our Bedlam Extra section was “Storming the Field.”
Does Mike Gundy get an extension and raise even if they lose to OU?
I don’t make those calls, but I wouldn’t be surprised. Even if the Cowboys lose tonight, he took the program to unprecedented heights this season. He will get rewarded.
OK, you haven’t experienced the game yet, but how would you now compare Bedlam with the Arizona State/Arizona rivalry?
You said it—it’s hard for me to fully compare it without experiencing the game day atmosphere and the game itself. The ASU/UA rivalry is underrated. It’s extremely heated. But it rarely gets attention outside Arizona because both programs are rarely good at the same time. Or good, period. Let’s get real—both programs fired their coaches this year. I will say that OSU and OU fans seem to be more cordial the other 364 days of the year than Sun Devils and Wildcats. But I’m sure that won’t be the case today. Anyway, I can’t wait to soak in the entire environment today, even if the weather does not cooperate much. To say I’m excited to cover this game is a huge understatement.
