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Showing posts with label Oklahoma State University. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Oklahoma State University. Show all posts
While some potential NFL players are eagerly waiting for their name to be called on draft day, beginning April 22, most players are waiting just for a chance to make a team. Texas Southern quarterback Bobby Reid is one of those players just searching for an opportunity. Reid tore the ACL and meniscus in his right knee during the 2008 season with the Texas Southern Tigers, missed all of the 2009 season rehabbing it and now is ready to take his career to the next level.
Reid is mainly known for being the spark of Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy's "I'm a man. I'm 40" rant in 2007. After that season, Reid transferred to Texas Southern, after toying with the idea of entering the NFL Draft. His preparation has included working out at the Michael Johnson Performance Center in McKinney in February, participating in Pro Days at Texas Southern and LSU, and even throwing passes to former Oklahoma State wide receiver Dez Bryant during Bryant's workout for scouts last month in Lufkin. On Tuesday, Reid's agent, Brian Overstreet, said the quarterback has worked out for the Green Bay Packers and Houston Texans since LSU's Pro Day.
Following Saturday's 56-6 win over Grambling State, the Oklahoma State Cowboys improved two spots in this week's Associated Press poll, released Sunday. OSU (3-1) is ranked No. 14 after spending the last two weeks at No. 16. The Cowboys reached a high of No. 5 in the AP after beating Georgia to start the season, but fell to 16th with the loss to Houston. The Cougars, who beat Texas Tech Saturday night, are No. 12 this week. Florida remained No. 1, with Texas second, Alabama third, LSU fourth and Boise State fifth.
Slideshow: Oklahoma State Football vs Grambling Offensive line gets back to the basics in victory Oklahoma State running back Keith Toston’s only job is to run through the gaps that his offensive line makes, so he knows those spaces well. Against Grambling State on Saturday, he noticed his job was somewhat easier than usual. “The holes were a little bit bigger than normal,” he said. OSU’s much-needed crushing of Grambling State helped to improve the performance and mood of the Cowboy offensive line, but there’s still a long way to go. OSU racked up 56 points on the Tigers’ defense and totaled 587 yards of total offense. The running game, where offensive lines shine in their blocking ability, was key for OSU’s victory. The Cowboys had 43 carries for 321 yards.
“Of course, those are the type of numbers you like, we prefer not to pass that ball at all,” senior offensive tackle Russell Okung said. “You’re just seeing things all come together and things starting to work. We are still a ways off, but we are seeing improvement each week.” But all of the line’s responsibilities don’t lie within the running game. Quarterback Zac Robinson needs time to make a read and find the right receiver in the passing game. The O-line fended off the GSU defense, allowing Robinson to go 13 of 16 for 189 of OSU’s 266 passing yards.
Rookies play well If Oklahoma State had any questions about the future of its running attack, they were answered on Saturday night. True freshman Jeremy Smith saw the first action of his collegiate career and set a record for the most rushing yards ever by an Oklahoma State freshman in his first game. The Tulsa Union product carried the ball 15 times for 160 yards and one touchdown, becoming the third Oklahoma State running back to record more than 100 yards in a freshman debut. Smith is at the top of the list.
Terry Miller held the previous record of 128 yards against Wichita State in 1974. Vernand Morency ran for 108 yards against Louisiana Tech in 2002. But Oklahoma State expected this from the running back, whose redshirt was removed Saturday. “I think everybody on the team saw that one coming,” quarterback Zac Robinson said. “He can make you miss and has great speed.”
Oklahoma State rolls past Grambling 56-6 Saturday night went about as expected. Oklahoma State dominated the football game. Grambling State’s marching band dominated halftime. Next up for the 16th-ranked Cowboys after their 56-6 rout over the lower-division Tigers is some much-needed rest. Perhaps never before in the history of OSU football could a bye week have been more well-timed. With all due respect to the visitors from northern Louisiana, getting to play Grambling essentially equates to a bye-and-a-half for the Cowboys as they enter Big 12 play with a 3-1 record. OSU is nicked up, and among the injured are three players who many categorized as preseason All-Americans — wide receiver Dez Bryant (hamstring), cornerback/kick returner Perrish Cox (shoulder) and running back Kendall Hunter (ankle). None of the aforementioned played against the Tigers, nor did starting defensive end Jermiah Price.
While the OSU offense featured old and new stars in rolling up big yards and points, the Cowboys defense did its job, too. Grambling State managed just 156 total yards, 66 of which came in the fourth quarter against mostly reserves. The Tigers scored with two field goals, one coming after an OSU turnover. "I think anytime you play a game, you’d like to get a shutout,” said Cowboys defensive coordinator Bill Young. "We didn’t get that done. But we hold them to two field goals, and we feel awful good about that. And we were able to play a lot of people.” For what it’s worth, the Tigers entered the game as the second-ranked scoring offense in the SWAC, averaging 32 points a game.
Loud and proud The Grambling band, considered quite a bonus in the visit by the Louisiana program, did not disappoint, although there was some concern before the game even began. The band actually exited the stadium just before kickoff. While gone, OSU security and police emptied a scattering of fans from the section devoted to the visiting band. Eventually, the Grambling band returned and delivered on its halftime show to a rousing response, playing – and dancing – to Michael Jackson’s "Thriller.”
Two of Oklahoma State’s preseason All-Americans attended the game in street clothes. Several other Cowboys also were no-shows Saturday against Grambling State. The highlight for many of the record crowd of 56,901 came when neither team was on the field (Grambling State’s Tiger Band was worth the price of a ticket, by the way). And with all the that the game against the Tigers couldn’t have gone any better if OSU coach Mike Gundy had scripted it. Well, maybe he did. I would imagine in his dreams he envisioned something like a 56-6 win where everybody wearing an OSU uniform got a chance to play and nobody got hurt any more than they already were.
Saturday’s victory over Grambling was the perfect cure to what had been ailing the Cowboys the past two weeks. It was a win that should put a little swagger back in a team that had plenty of it coming off its win against Georgia to open the season.
Stillwater, OK -- T. Boone Pickens has donated $284 million to Oklahoma State University’s sports program the past six years and the billionaire oilman and hedge-fund manager says he’s confident his investment is about to pay off. His money renovated the stadium that bears his name, beefed up recruiting and now is helping win more football games. The Cowboys, ranked No. 9 by the Associated Press before the season started, opened with a 24-10 victory over No. 13 University of Georgia.
Pickens, a 1951 graduate of the Stillwater, Oklahoma, school, said the money has been spent well. Now the 81-year-old, who Forbes magazine reported in March had a net worth of $2 billion, is looking for the Cowboys to earn a slot in one of the five Bowl Championship Series postseason games. “I expect to get there,” Pickens said in an interview Sept. 4. “We have a good football team this year. If we can stay healthy, we’re going to be tough.”
Oklahoma State’s bid for a trip to this season’s national championship game took a hit in the second game of the season after it blew a fourth-quarter lead and lost to the University of Houston, 45-35. The Cowboys are ranked 16th in the AP poll this week after beating Rice, 41-24, Saturday at Boone Pickens Stadium.
ATTENDANCE: (Stadium Record): 56,901 Boone Pickens Stadium, Stillwater, OK.
When a major-college football team’s schedule includes a meeting with a Division I-AA opponent, it is a competition not usually viewed by fans or media as compelling. Texas Tech coach Mike Leach puts into perspective the relevance of such a contest: “It is reckless and haphazard not to take those games seriously. If you don’t think it is a big game, try losing one of them and see how big of a game it is.”
For Oklahoma State, a loss to Division I-AA Grambling State would dissolve any shot at once again becoming nationally significant this season. The Cowboys’ confidence would be rocked before they delve into Big 12 play. The 16th-ranked Cowboys (2-1) and defending black college national champion Tigers (2-1) clash at 6 p.m. Saturday in Stillwater. Because of various promotions, a school-record crowd is expected at Boone Pickens Stadium. The record of 53,012 was set for the Sept. 5 Georgia game.
Since a season-opening win over a ranked team catapulted Oklahoma State to its highest ranking in 24 years, the Cowboys have failed to live up to the high billing. To rebound from two uninspired performances and get the season back on track, Oklahoma State will have to overcome more than just its disappointment. The No. 16 Cowboys have to deal with injuries to several key players as they host Grambling State in their non-conference finale Saturday night. Oklahoma State (2-1) climbed to No. 5 in the AP poll after a 24-10 win over then-No. 13 Georgia in its season opener. The Cowboys, though, suffered an immediate letdown, falling 45-35 to Houston the following week.
The last time an OSU home football game was sold out, it was played in Lewis Field. Officials in the Athletic Department want to make this Saturday’s game against Grambling State the first to sell out at the completed Boone Pickens Stadium. To spearhead the effort, the Athletic Department created a viral marketing campaign directed through the Web site http://www.selloutgrambling.com/ . The Athletic Department spent $4,000 on the campaign to create the site and make small yard signs and door hangers to advertise it. Those who visited the site were rewarded with half-price tickets to this weekend’s game. The half-price tickets are now sold out.
Associate Athletic Director Amy Weeks said the Athletic Department chose the Grambling State game because it appealed to more than just football fans. “We felt it would be a fan-friendly game,” she said. “The halftime show that our band and their band would put on would appeal to people who aren’t our regular customers.”
Texas Southern University quarterback Bobby Reid
