Helsley’s Back and Forth: Down Time
By John Helsley
Looking back and forth at key items in Cowboys sports:
Rewind
1) Grand Introductions. With Kendall Hunter, Dez Bryant, Perrish Cox and Jermiah Price on the sidelines in jean shorts Saturday night, we wondered where the fizz would come from in a game against Grambling. We found it in unexpected places. Wideout Dameron Fooks and tailback Jeremy Smith were superb. And while we consider the competition, we also like what we saw in two potential playmakers going forward.
2) The DL. College football doesn’t use a DL – disabled list – yet the aforementioned injured players were clearly on the shelf last week. And question remains about their availability when Big 12 Conference play opens next weekend. The Cowboys have come a long way in adding depth, but Bryant, Cox and Hunter represent three of the team’s core players. They’ll be needed at Texas A&M.
3) Backup Plan. Most of us wanted a look at OSU’s backup quarterbacks, Alex Cate and Brandon Weeden. We saw both, although in a mixed bag. Cate suffered a head injury on his first play and didn’t return. Weeden stepped in and played well, throwing his first career touchdown passes. In doing so, he climbed into the No. 2 quarterback role after a tightly contested battle for the job that spanned the spring and preseason.
4) High Stepping. The Grambling band proved as good as advertised, delivering their brand of flair to the halftime festivities. The band had some fun, playing and dancing through a Michael Jackson tribute that featured “Thriller.” Felt sorry for the OSU band, which had to follow the Grambling outfit onto the field.
5) Crowd Count. OSU didn’t get the sellout it was seeking, but the crowd of 59,000-plus still made for a record attendance in Stillwater. Next in the sellout crosshairs: Texas on Halloween. Isn’t that a spooky thought?
Forward
1) Down Time. This is my ninth season overall as a beat writer on Cowboys football. In all those years, I can’t recall a team that needed an open week as much as these Pokes. Not only are they battling the injuries to missing stars, there are several Cowboys who have been playing banged and bruised.
2) A&M-Arkansas. When the Aggies and Hogs collide in Jerry Jones’ new stadium, it will provide a revealing look at A&M. In a second season rebuild job under coach Mike Sherman, the Aggies are 3-0, yet have played nothing but cream puffs — New Mexico, Utah State and UAB. Arkansas, 1-2, isn’t great, yet represents a major upgrade over those other slackers. We’ll soon know whether the Aggies are imposing or imposters with OSU due in College Station.
3) Safety First. Cardinals coaches have raved about their two-deep at safety, with Lucien Antoine, Victor Johnson, Johnny Thomas and Markelle Martin giving the Cowboys their best collection of talent at the spots in recent memory. So far, due to injuries and suspensions, we haven’t seen much of them in the same game. With them all in play, the Pokes will be better on defense.
4) Uncommon Road. The game at A&M is OSU’s first away from the Pickens Palace this season. Kyle Field is not a comforting place to play, so it will be interesting to see how the Cowboys respond.
5) Zac Looks Back. OSU’s last trip to Kyle Field didn’t go so well for Zac Robinson, who was early in his role as the Cowboys’ starting QB. Robinson led OSU to an early lead, then was lost to a concussion and the Aggies rallied to win with him out. Still, he considers College Station one of his favorite places to play.
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.
