Live from Kyle Field…
By John Helsley
Just caught Mike Gundy on the pre-game broadcast with Dave Hunziker.
Gundy addressed the Dez Bryant situation and the affect it could have on the Cowboys today.
“Been an interesting week, to say the least,” Gundy said. “As a coaching staff, especially being the head coach, the weight falls on my shoulders to make sure the team is in great spirits.”
Gundy acknowledged the initial shock.
“There was a state of shock at a certain time,” he said. “A player who’s been involved with our organization, Dez is a unique personality, but he’s a good kid at heart.
“People have always grown accustomed to liking him. Same with the team.”
Now he’s gone, at least temporarily.
“When we found out this fell on him, there was the state of shock,” Gundy said. “But we had a team meeting and were very up front with the players. We told them the truth. Mistakes were made.
“We’re in a reinstatement phase for the team and with Dez Bryant. I think it’s important people realize we have done everything we can and should do. Our football team has practiced very well the last couple of days.
“Offensively, the question comes up all the time, ‘How are you going to score points?’
“We’re going to run our offense.”
And we’re minutes away from finding out how well the offense runs without Bryant.
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.
Yo, Where’s the O?
By John Helsley
There was reason to wonder if OSU really deserved top-5 status in the national polls.
But the questions didn’t figure to focus on the offense.
If anything in OSU’s disappointing 1-1 start to this season, a sputtering offense has been the most puzzling development.
With the Triplets back, along with key personnel up front, we all expected the Cowboys to install a scoreboard spinner this year, with records surely going down.
Now you’re hoping it’s simply a slow start. Or then what?
Cowboys fans are concerned with their offense, as I found out in Thursday’s live chat on newsok.com. Lots of questions about the offense. Did my best to provide some answers, but those really have to come on the field, beginning Saturday night against Rice.
