After Moore’s Big Night, Who’s Next?
Tracy Moore enjoyed a breakout against ULL. Now it may be somebody else's turn.
By John Helsley
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Tracy Moore’s big breakout against Louisiana-Lafayette (seven catches, 112 yards, one touchdown) offered no surprise to those who have witnessed the junior receiver’s recent maturation.
“Nothing we didn’t know he could do,” said fellow wideout Justin Blackmon. “He’s done it in practice. He made plays his freshman year. It’s not a surprise to me. That’s just Tracy showing that he can play ball.”
And don’t be surprised if next time, it’s Josh Cooper or Mike Harrison or Hubert Anyiam or somebody else cashing in on the opportunities opposite Blackmon, who demands extra attention from defenses.
“(Moore) just had the opportunities,” said OSU offensive coordinator Todd Monken. “It’s a stat position, to where unless you get a bunch of stats, everybody thinks you didn’t play well.
“Coop played really well. Hubert Anyiam played well. All our guys on the perimeter played well, they just didn’t get the same opportunities.”
And that, Monken said, is fluid.
“So last week, it happened to be Tracy. This week it could be Coop, Hubert, somebody else,” Monken said. “You never know. The defense dictates where the ball goes, to a certain extent.
“He made the most of his opportunities. We didn’t have a drop all night, so everybody made the most of his opportunities. They just didn’t get as many. That’s the main thing.”
With so many capable options, it’s up to Monken and Brandon Weeden to keep everybody involved.
And happy.
“It’s a good problem to have, but it takes some managing,” Monken said. “A lot of guys would like to have the ball, would like to be involved in the offense. The defense dictates where you go with the ball.
“We want them to be selfish. They should be selfish. They should want the ball. But if they base their whole self worth and well being on how many balls they catch, we’re going to lot of son-of-a-guns disappointed, because we don’t have enough to go around.”
Not that Monken is hinting at any dissension issues, far from it.
OSU’s football food chain, at least in the passing game, requires Blackmon – the reigning Biletnikoff winner and Big 12 Offensive Player of the year – to be fed and fed often.
Still, Monken acknowledges the depth of talent he enjoys at the position.
“When I first got to LSU, we had two first round picks, two guys who were in the Olympics, a third, a third and a fourth-round pick. So we had some pretty good players there,” Monken said.
“But this group is as good as that group, when it comes to actual play on the field. Maybe not in terms of what their potential was, but in terms of playing on the field, wanting to get better, being coached, those things, it’s a great group.”
OSU-A&M Already On The Radar
Brandon Weeden says last year's A&M win "catapulted" the Cowboys.
By John Helsley
jhelsley@opubco.com
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OSU’s time in Dallas at the Big 12 Media Days went well, with all three representatives – Brandon Weeden, Justin Blackmon and Markelle Martin – presenting themselves well, to no surprise.
They are solid ambassadors for the program and each delivered in every way as an interested media gathered to gauge the Cowboys for the season ahead.
And it’s a season that brings an early major matchup: OSU’s trip to Texas A&M for the Big 12 opener in the opening month on Sept. 24.
The Cowboys will be coming off a beginning stretch of games that includes home dates with Louisiana-Lafayette and Arizona, followed by a road test at Tulsa.
The Aggies start against SMU, Idaho, with an open week between those two.
Then, for two teams hoping to breakthrough for a Big 12 title, it’s on.
And despite the early date, it smells of an elimination game.
“Truthfully,” said Aggies coach Mike Sherman, “I prefer playing them a little later. We have Arkansas in there as well (the week after OSU), which is another big game for us.
“Certainly, Oklahoma State, a team that we have not found a way to win against since I’ve been at A&M. We’ve lost to them three games in a row.
“That’s going to be a key game on our schedule. Put a lot of effort into that in the offseason to see exactly what they’re doing, how we can play better and coach better.”
The Cowboys would surely like to ease into Big 12 play as well, if that’s possible.
But a win in College Station could also propel them, much the way beating the Aggies in Stillwater a year ago did.
“A&M catapulted us through the middle part of the season,” Weeden said.
The Cowboys can’t get ahead of themselves, not with Arizona seeking revenge for an Alamo Bowl beating and dangerous Tulsa circling OSU’s visit on its schedule.
But it is a fun game to look forward to – perhaps the key game in either team’s schedule.
Poke-Ing Around
Dez: Again A Cowboy?
By John Helsley
Doing some web reading this morning and found a tasty bit at espn.com’s NFL insider spot, with Adam Schefter sending up a flare in a tweet.
Former Cowboys wideout Dez Bryant is rumored to be dining with Jerry Jones Wednesday night somewhere in Big D.
The Cowboys have apparently been long intrigued by Bryant, who would add a much-needed weapon to Dallas’ receiving corps. Bryant’s draft stock may be in decline, pending his pro day workout in his hometown of Lufkin, Texas, where a fast 40 time is needed in what is considered a critical workout.
Some draftniks have Bryant slipping all the way to No. 27, where Dallas sits and would have to make a decision on the enigmatic talent from right there in the Lone Star State. If Jones is serioustly interested, maybe he’d like to check out Bryant for himself, breaking bread and going eye-to-eye with him.
If Bryant wows in Lufkin, he could halt any downward draft momentum. So maybe Jones needs to get his own take on Bryant, in case landing him requires a trade up in the first round.
Put nothing past Jones.
No matter what, it’s all intriguing, for one of the more intriguing prospects in the entire draft…
Ford Targeting Big 12 Titles — Indirectly
In a chat with Cowboys basketball coach Travis Ford Monday, the question was raised about the timetable for OSU becoming a legitimate player in
Ford said a conference championship would be nice, but as part of the spoils to reaching greater goals.
“I don’t look at it as putting a team together to win (league championships). We’re trying to build this thing to win as many games as possible. That does mean, yes, a Big 12 championship, a national championship. That all falls under the same category. It’s not something you become obsessed with. You become obsessed with trying to become the best team you can be and that all correlates to other stuff.
“People will ask every year, they will ask in October, ‘What’s your goals for this season. It’s the same goal as everybody else. Everybody wants to win the Big 12. That’s what everybody is trying to do. But I don’t look at it and bring my staff in and say, ‘We need to do this to win the Big 12 championship.’
“We need to figure out how to win as many games as we possibly can and that’s what it’s all about. ”
Cox Gaining Notice
By John Helsley
We’ve witnessed the growth of Perrish Cox.
The outside world is catching on, too.
Cox has elevated himself from great return man to great defender as a senior, putting in the work necessary to be considered one of the best in the college game.
And that’s exactly the view, with Cox making the semifinalist cut for the Thorpe Award, given annually to the nation’s top defensive back and an award generated right here in Oklahoma City.
A first-team midseason All-American by SI.com, Cox leads the nation with 1.86 passes defended per game. And he’s defended some of the best, winning matchups with Georgia’s A.J. Green and Texas’ Jordan Shipley.
It’s what we expected of Cox when the Cowboys landed a much-hyped recruit out of Waco four years ago. There were thrills, for sure, but mostly in the return game, where he’s simply electric every time he touches the ball.
As a defender, however, Cox was always viewed as a great athlete playing corner.
Not anymore.
Credit the kid for a realizing he had to grow up. On the field and off the field. In the video room and in the weight room. Away from the parties and the other distractions of college life.
He’s a lesson that it’s never too late to reach for your potential. And it’s paying off. And will continue to pay off.
According to a report in the Tuesday edition of Sporting News Today, Cox is “winning over doubters who had questions about his character. He is making big plays in ’09 and making good impressions off the field. He could rocket up draft boards if the background checks continue to come in clean and he makes a good impression in formal interviews with G.M.s, coaches and personnel men this spring. He came into the season as a late-round gamble and ultimately could go in the third round.”
Cox denies A.J. Green
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.
OSU photo of the day
We’re going to showcase some of our best photos from The Oklahoman archive from time to time.
Here’s OSU tight end Brandon Pettigrew diving in for a touchdown against Texas Tech.
