Check back on Wednesday, February 12th, for the complete Crimson Slate recap of the heralded Sooners class, led by number 1 running back, Joe Mixon.
We will have a comprehensive look at each player and what we expect from them during their tenure as Sooners.
That magic. That excitement. That aura of loudness Gallagher Iba Arena echoed some 8 years ago seemed to re-enter the building last week. The Oklahoma State Cowboys stunned the number 2 ranked Missouri Tigers last Wednesday night to begin to state their case as a "bubble team". What a night for freshman LeBryan Nash. He scored 27 points and clearly felt comfortable in the spotlight. Students rushed the floor, the building was buzzing late in the second half and you could ALMOST hear the echoes of the early 2000's Cowboys.
I said "almost".
Continue reading Pokes Stun Mizzou, Lose to A&M
Three days later, the Pokes traveled to College Station to take on the Texas A&M Aggies. This was a game the Cowboys certainly needed. I won't call today's a loss a season ender, but it really had to kill what momentum Oklahoma State had going. The Aggies aren't bad, but they aren't that good, either. They have a couple of good players and a really enthusiastic fan base. Other than that, they are mediocre in the Big 12. The Cowboys needed this. The players knew it. The coaches knew it. The fans knew it. They just didn't have it all together today. After starting 9-15 from the floor, the wheels fell off and the Pokes couldn't get it back on track. They do have one good thing to take from this game…the have winless Texas Tech next. Should be an easy win.
The loss today drops the Cowboys to 10-11 on the season with a 3-5 conference mark. The team doesn't have that easy of a road in the near future. After Tech, the Pokes have Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas, Missouri, and Texas in their next 5 games. Their 6th will be Bedlam in Norman. The Pokes must turn things around QUICK. Personally, I think Travis Ford should be on the hot seat. Way too much talent and tradition to not have more success than this. However, it was brought to my attention by an avid Pokes fan a couple of days ago that Ford's buyout is crazy and most likely won't be broken.
Time will tell, but I think OSU basketball is staring the NIT right in the face.
Pokes fans, you can now breathe easy! Mike Gundy will be calling the shots in Stillwater until 2020. Recently, the OSU Board of Regents announced Gundy has received a contract extension worth 30 million dollars over the next 8 years. That's 3.7 million dollars per year. My only question to the people of OSU: "What took so long?"
Continue reading Teach Me How To Gundy!
I feel that Gundy is a top 10 college football coach in the country. He's been a proven winner, he's won a Big 12 Championship and he's finally beaten big brother, Oklahoma. That being said, I feel that the state of Oklahoma boasts 2 of the top 10 coaches in the nation. What a great thing Oklahoma has going.
Coach Gundy has been involved with the football program at Oklahoma State for 20 years combined. Four years as a player and sixteen years as a coach. Since 2005, he's served as the head coach, taking over for LSU's Les Miles. In his 7 years on the Pokes sidelines, Gundy has boasted a 59-30 overall record including 23-3 in the last 2 seasons. He's coached some of the best players the country has ever seen. Some notables are: Adarius Bowman (CFL), Brandon Pettigrew (DET), Zac Robinson (CIN), Dantrell Savage (FA), Dan Bailey (DAL), Dez Bryant (DAL), Kendall Hunter (SF), Russell Okung (SEA), Jacob Lacey (IND), Brandon Weeden (NFL Draft), Justin Blackmon (NFL Draft) and a host of others.
There's no doubt in my mind, Oklahoma State football is here to stay. Gundy has a very respectable recruiting class coming in for 2012 and with the facilities OSU boasts, I would imagine it's only going to get better. The stadium's namesake, T. Boone Pickens, isn't afraid to throw millions and millions of dollars around to better not only the football team, but the entire campus. As long as this continues, OSU will be on the national map for as long as anyone.
Teach Me How To Gundy here
Tonight is the night. Oklahoma State can officially stake it's claim as a BCS champion with a win over Andrew Luck and the Stanford Cardinal. In this post, I will dissect some things OSU fans probably won't want or expect to happen as the game unfolds.
Continue reading Fiesta Bowl Preview and Prediction
There is a name no one mentions when breaking this game down. Stepfan Taylor, Stanford's 5-11, 208lb bruising running back. One thing people forget about Stanford is they are run first, pass second. They just happen to have arguably college football's most accurate and dangerous passer once they set up the opposition for the pass. Taylor is a junior from Mansfield, Texas. He is in his second straight season of over 1,000 yards. He lines up behind sometimes three lead blockers and will "nickel and dime" you to death, only to have a play-action pass called where Luck loves to hit his tight ends down the middle. Taylor is the featured back, but Stanford will use 2 to 3 backs during the game to ensure fresh legs. One thing Oklahoma State has not done well is defend the run. Stanford has a great offensive line and uses it to it's advantage. If you're an Oklahoma State fan, Taylor and committee should have you as worried, if not more than Luck.
On the other side, Joseph Randle and Jeremy Smith will be ready for the challenge to run it right back at Stanford. Randle's elusiveness and Smith's power will provide plenty of mismatches on Stanford's defensive side of the ball, only to set up the pass where Weeden will undoubtedly have his eyes locked on Justin Blackmon the majority of the game. Stanford hasn't faced a receiver all year like Blackmon, with maybe the small exception to Robert Woods from USC, who torched Stanford early in the year. The Cowboys need to use the tight ends in this game and continually move the ball. Turnovers aren't an option, because I just can't see the Pokes forcing The Cardinal to punt the ball that much.
Luck and Weeden's "Swan Song's" will provide a lot of emotion as both of these quarterbacks have so much passion for what they do and where they play their college football. The similarities are almost scary between these two teams. Great quarterbacks, great running backs, great coaching and sidelines full of winners.
Quarterbacks: Edge – Stanford
Running Backs: Edge – Stanford
Wide Receivers: Edge – Oklahoma State
Tight Ends: Edge – Stanford
O-Line: Edge – PUSH
D-Line: Edge – PUSH
Linebackers: Edge – Oklahoma State
Secondary: Edge – PUSH
Special Teams: Edge – Oklahoma State
Coaching: Edge – Oklahoma State
I'm probably most excited about THIS game than any game in the entire bowl season. Most people expect a high scoring, shootout. I don't completely disagree with that, but I think Stanford's ground and pound game will use a lot of the clock. This is shaped up to be an instant classic. I just hope both teams play well and leave nothing to chance on the field.
In the end, we expect fireworks, but not as many as most think:
TCS Score Prediction:
Oklahoma State Cowboys – 31
Stanford Cardinal – 27
As we've all heard, freshman running back Brandon Williams and a host of other Sooners players are asking for a transfer from the University of Oklahoma. Why? Williams used the excuse of having a baby in Houston and he needs to take care of it better. Why not go to Houston? Why Texas A&M? I know College Station is semi-close to Houston, but why not just go to Houston if you need your baby in your arms every night? As for the others, who really knows. I have some thoughts, though. Bare with me as I might get a little animated.
Continue reading What’s Happening in Norman?
Has Stoops lost this group? I think partly, yes. I think these players are upset with the coaching staff. Here's my first example.
Justin McCay – 5 star rivals recuit – WR – 6'3" – 215 lbs. He's never played one snap as a sooner. Played in the Army All-American game out of high school. One of the most highly touted receivers in the country. Yet, not good enough to beat out playing time from "Pan Hands Miller"? I don't buy that. I think it's something more than that. Broyles went down. Jaz Reynolds went down. Why didn't the coaching staff play McCay? I don't get it. Sure, Kameel Jackson is going to make a very solid receiver for OU, but why not try McCay. His redshirt year is over. No sense in shelving him for a whole year again. At least let us see what he's got.
Torrea Peterson – 4 star rivals recruit – DT. Has OU ever been this thin up front? JaMarkus MacFarland and Stacy McGee did well. No doubt. But why didn't OU get to see this beast most thought he would be? OU has been notorious over the years for swapping in and out defensive lineman. This year, the Sooners ran MacFarland and McGee into the dirt. Hardly any substitutions were made up front. It was baffling. Now, rumors speculate he's leaving as well.
These are just two examples of players leaving. Rumors are swirling that there are up to 15 players applying for a transfer, which would be a mind-boggling number. Also, Ronnell Lewis is most likely going to the NFL. Personally, I think he's super raw, but kudos to him for being able to take care of his family now. Some have speculated that he's never really been happy at OU. He could have been a monster at linebacker, but the coaches insisted he play at defensive end. Not sure what that was all about.
There can be a million reasons why this is happening. My guess, "OU is full of a team of characters, not a team OF character" – Chris B. Callahan.
Stoops and the staff has always prided themselves with being a team of prestige, graciousness, gratitude, integrity and loyalty. I think this year was different. It seemed at the first of the season, the players were dedicating this season to their fallen teammate, Austin Box. I don't know if that kind of went away, or after their first loss to Tech, it kind of killed that mojo. It did seem this year that it was all about the name on the back of the jersey instead of the name on the front. Maybe OU should go back to the season of 2005 where all the name were taken off the back of the jerseys. Maybe I'm over thinking and maybe I'm not giving enough credit to the staff. There was just something missing from this season. The swagger left the team after OU/Texas completely. A 55-17 drubbing of your arch rival and you tank? I don't get it. I hope to get a lot of responses to this. Maybe someone can enlighten me on what exactly is going on in Norman. I can guarantee you this. If there's no changes made with the staff, players and overall persona, Oklahoma will never get to number 8 in our lifetime.
