2006 Oklahoma State Cowboys Season, Game Recaps, Scores and Reviews
Dec. 28
Independence Bowl
Oklahoma State 34 ... Alabama 31
Oklahoma State's Jason Ricks nailed a 27-yard field goal with
eight seconds to play to break a 31-31 tie and prevent a fourth
quarter collapse. Down 31-17 with under 11 minutes to play after OSU
scored on a ten-yard Adarius Bowman touchdown, Alabama's Javier
Arenas took a punt 86 yards for a touchdown. The Tide scored again
after recovering a fumble on the ensuing kickoff and using a little
trickery with tackle Andre Smith catching for a two-yard touchdown
pass. Despite how close the game became, the Cowboys never trailed
helped by two second quarter Keith Toston touchdown runs and a
one-yard Dantrell Savage dash to open up the scoring. Alabama was
outgained 419 yards to 276. Player of the
game ... Oklahoma State
RB Dantrell Savage ran 19 times for 112 yards and a touchdown and
caught three passes for 41 yards Stat Leaders: Oklahoma- Passing: Paul
Thompson, 7-11, 77 yds, 1 TD Rushing: Allen Patrick, 23-163, 1 TD Receiving:
Manuel Johnson, 2-19 Oklahoma State - Passing: Bobby Reid, 15-29,
212 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Dantrell Savage, 19-112, 1 TD Receiving:
Brandon Pettigrew, 4-65 Notes and Thoughts ... Oklahoma State
showed excellent offensive balance throughout the game, but two big
breakdowns in the fourth quarter made the score closer than it
should've been. Give the team credit for coming through with the
late scoring drive it needed to win the game when many teams
would've folded after a major momentum swing. ... And so ends the
bizarre, disappointing season of Alabama's Ken Darby, who only
gained 15 yards on ten carries. The aggressive OSU defense did a
great job of getting into the backfield, and even though there were
only two sacks, the consistent pressure made a difference. ...
Bama's offense needs more explosion. It has the receivers and John
Parker Wilson has the potential to be a more-than-solid passer. The
first thing the new coach has to do it find the pop. When offensive
tackle Andre Smith is your most dangerous option in the red zone,
there's a problem.
Nov. 25
Oklahoma 27 ... Oklahoma State 21
Oklahoma got two Chris Brown touchdown runs and a breathtaking
Allen Patrick 65-yard Allen Patrick scoring dash on the second play
of the second half, but had to hold on surviving a goal line stand
and a last second 25-yard pass that just went off the hands of OSU
WR D'Juan Woods in the back of the end zone. The Cowboys started off
the scoring with a five-yard Dantrell Savage touchdown run after a
12-play, 79-yard drive, got a one-yard Bobby Reid scoring run and a
two-yard pass to Woods. The key moment, until the final missed pass,
was early in the fourth when the Sooners stuffed the Cowboys four
times from inside the two finishing off with a fumble on fourth
down. Player of the
game ... Oklahoma RB
Allen Patrick ran 23 times for 163 yards and a touchdown Stat Leaders: Oklahoma- Passing: Paul
Thompson, 7-11, 77 yds, 1 TD Rushing: Allen Patrick, 23-163, 1 TD Receiving:
Manuel Johnson, 2-19 Oklahoma State - Passing: Zac Robinson, 8-17,
149 yds
Rushing: Dantrell Savage, 16-49, 1 TD Receiving:
D'Juan Woods, 6-95, 1 TD Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Oklahoma State
might have lost to OU, but it sure put up a major battle. The
passing attack was stunningly effective when the ground game wasn't
humming like the team might have wanted with Zac Robinson and Bobby
Reid throwing equally well. The team could've gone into the tank
after getting blown by for a long early second half touchdown run
and after getting stuffed on a big OU goal line stand. Even at 6-6,
the team proved it's more than good enough to be considered among
the league's better teams, but it has to build on the momentum of a
tight loss with a bowl win.
Nov. 18
Texas Tech 30 ... Oklahoma State 24
Oklahoma State got out to a 17-0
lead on scoring runs from Dantrell Savage and Bobby Reid, but Texas
Tech roared back with a 27-point run on two Graham Harrell touchdown
passes to Robert Johnson a one-yard Shannon Woods run and two Alex
Trlica field goals. The Cowboys got back in it on a 34-yard Adarius
Bowman touchdown catch, but the Red Raiders put it away for good on
a 23-yard Trilca kick. A Dercel McBath interception stopped one of
OSU's final scoring chances, and Reid misfired in the end zone on
the game's final pass. Player of the
game ... Texas Tech QB
Graham Harrell was 28-of-44 for 353 yards and two touchdowns. Stat Leaders: Oklahoma State- Passing: Bobby
Reid, 11-31, 145 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Dantrell Savage, 22-120, 1 TD Receiving:
D’Juan Woods, 8-77 Texas Tech - Passing: Graham Harrell, 28-44,
353 yds, 2 TDs
Rushing: Shannon Woods, 15-84, 1 TD Receiving: Robert
Johnson, 8-108, 2 TDs Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
Everything appeared to be set up perfectly for OSU. With its running
game, and a 17-0 lead on Texas Tech, the offense should’ve been able
to pound the ball and control the clock while keeping the Red
Raiders off the field. It didn’t happen. The defensive front didn’t
generate enough pressure allowing the secondary to get lit up like a
Christmas tree, but the bigger problem was the play of Bobby Reid.
Under pressure, he was off throughout the second half and wasn’t
able to keep up with Tech’s offensive pace. He needs to be much
sharper against Oklahoma next week.
Nov. 11
Oklahoma State 66 ... Baylor 24
Oklahoma State converted five Baylor
turnovers into touchdowns and finished with six takeaways in the
blowout win. Tied at three in the first quarter, OSU went on a
48-point run with two Keith Toston touchdown runs, two Bobby Reid
touchdown passes to Brandon Pettigrew, and in the first four minutes
of the second half, a 23-yard Darnell Smith interception return for
a touchdown and a 57-yard Donovan Woods fumble recovery for a score.
Down 52-3, the Bears got two Blake Szymanski touchdown passes with
an eight-yard Paul Mosley scoring run. Player of the game ... Oklahoma State RBs Dantrell
Savage and Keith Toston combined for 208 yards and three touchdowns
on 24 carries Stat Leaders: Baylor- Passing: Blake
Szymanski, 24-41, 262 yds, 2 TD, 3 INT Rushing: Paul Mosley, 8-62, 1 TD. Receiving:
Carl Sims, 7-62 Oklahoma State - Passing:
Bobby Reid, 9-10, 88 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Dantrell Savage, 13-116, 1 TD Receiving:
Brandon Pettigrew, 3-33, 2 TD Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Oklahoma
State still has work to do with Texas Tech and Oklahoma ahead, but
to be bowl eligible is a great step in the Mike Gundy era. The
offense continues to show its explosive ability capitalizing on
every Baylor mistake to turn the game into an embarrassing blowout
in a hurry. Bobby Reid was ultra-efficient, but it was the play of
the offensive line opening up hole after hole for the running game
that put an end to the game. If the ground attack can be as
effective next week, the Cowboys will have a great chance to pull of
the win in Lubbock.
Nov. 4
Texas 36 ... Oklahoma State 10
Texas dominated Oklahoma State cranking out 510 yards of total
offense with Colt McCoy pitching a nearly perfect game throwing two
second quarter touchdowns and answering an 89-yard kickoff return
for a touchdown from Grant Jones with a 27-yard scoring pass to
Jermichael Finley. Jamaal Charles closed it out with a nine-yard
scoring run following an Aaron Ross interception of Bobby Reid. OSU
was held to 203 yards and turned it over three times. Player of the game ... Texas QB Colt McCoy completed 23
of 29 passes fro 346 yards and three touchdowns. Stat Leaders: Texas- Passing: Colt
McCoy, 23-29, 346 yds, 3 TD Rushing: Jamaal Charles, 21-67, 1 TD. Receiving:
Billy Pittman, 7-88, 1 TD Oklahoma State - Passing: Bobby Reid,
11-28, 123 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: Keith Toston, 7-48 Receiving:
Adarius Bowman, 5-66 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Oklahoma
State has played well over the last several weeks, but now it knows
where it stands compared to a national title caliber team like
Texas. This is still a young, young Cowboy team that'll go through
some ups and downs, and it's not going to play like it did this
week, every week. The aggressive, attacking defense wasn't able to
get to Colt McCoy enough to make a big impact, while the corners
struggled too much against the UT receivers. Bobby Reid had his
worst game of the season and needs to quickly find his groove again
against Baylor before facing Texas Tech and Oklahoma.
Oct. 28
Oklahoma State 41 ... Nebraska 29
Nebraska got up 23-13 on two Brandon
Jackson touchdown runs and a 22-yard pass play from Zac Taylor to
Maurice Purify, and then Oklahoma State kicked it in with a 45-yard
touchdown pass to Adarius Bowman with :16 left in the first half as
part of a 28-point run with Dantrell Savage scoring his second
rushing touchdown of the game, Julius Crosslin pounding it in from
one-yard out, and Nathan Peterson putting a cap on things with a
19-yard fumble recovery for a score. Nebraska managed a five-yard
touchdown pass to Purify with five seconds to play, but it was way
too late. Player of the game ... Oklahoma State QB Bobby Reid
completed 13 of 21 passes for 229 yards and two touchdowns with an
interception. He also ran eight times for 61 yards. Stat Leaders: Nebraska- Passing: Zac
Taylor, 21-39, 241 yds, 2 TD Rushing: Brandon Jackson, 21-182, 2 TD. Receiving:
Maurice Purify, 6-66, 2 TD Oklahoma State - Passing:
Bobby Reid, 13-21, 229 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing:
Dantrell Savage, 17-117, 2 TD Receiving: D'Juan Woods,
4-87 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Talk about your
dominant performances, the Oklahoma State showed for the third week
in a row how explosive the offense can be ripping off 21 points in
the fourth quarter against Nebraska. Even though the defense is
going to give up big yards all season long, its aggressiveness made
up for most of the problems with sack after sack of Zac Taylor and
shockingly good play throughout the second half. With a tough
finishing kick playing Texas, Baylor, Texas Tech and Oklahoma, all
the Cowboys need is one more win to go bowling. With the way the
offense playing, it wouldn’t be a shock if OSU pulled off at least
two more wins.
Oct. 21
Texas A&M 34 ... Oklahoma State 33
OT
Texas A&M's
Stephen McGee threw a two-yard touchdown
pass with three seconds to play in regulation, Jorvorskie Lane ran
for a one-yard score in overtime, and Red Bryant sealed the win by
blocking an extra-point attempt after Oklahoma State scored
on a 15-yard Adarius Bowman touchdown. In a wild fourth quarter that
started out with a two-yard Lane scoring run, Dantrell Savage gave
the Cowboys the lead on a 60-yard run, but McGee led a 65-yard drive
in 11 plays culminating in the game-tying score. Zac Robinson,
filling in for an injured Bobby Reid, threw three touchdown passes,
with two to Bowman, but McGee and the Aggie offense answered time
and again in the see-saw game finishing with 423 yards of total
offense. Player of the game ... Texas A&M QB Stephen McGee
completed 17 of 26 passes for 192 yards and two touchdowns and ran
17 times for 86 yards. Stat Leaders: Texas A&M- Passing:
Stephen McGee, 17-26, 192 yds, 2 TD Rushing: Stephen McGee, 17-86. Receiving:
Chad Schroeder, 6-52 Oklahoma State - Passing:
Zac Robinson, 7-16, 94 yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Dantrell Savage, 13-134, 1 TD Receiving:
Adarius Bowman, 3-48, 2 TD Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... That OSU
was able to come within three seconds of beating Texas A&M despite
losing Bobby Reid early on shows how improved the team is. Zac
Robinson was just good enough to keep the offense moving, while
Dantrell Savage and the running game did just enough to keep the
Aggies on their heels. A&M controlled too much of the clock in the
fourth quarter. Now the tough part really begins with Nebraska and
Texas coming up, but if the offense can be balanced and if the
defense can stop the run like it did against the Aggies, OSU will
have a shot in both games.
Oct. 14
Oklahoma State 42 ... Kansas 32
Oklahoma cranked out 603 yards with
42 second half points in a breathtaking display of offensive firepower. Kansas,
thanks to the return of QB Kerry Meier from a shoulder injury, got up 17-0 at
halftime on two Meier touchdown passes, but Bobby Reid and Adarius Bowman took
over combining for 13 passes for 300 yards and four touchdowns with Bowman
scoring from 54, 25, 55 and 64 yards out. The big plays didn't stop with Reid
running for a 29-yard score and D'Juan Woods catching 25-yard touchdown
pass before KU finished off the scoring wtih an eight-yard Dexton Field scoring
grab. Player of the game ... Oklahoma State QB Bobby Reid
completed 23 of 35 passes for 411 yards and five touchdowns and ran 14 times for
46 yards and a score. WR Adarius Bowman caught 13 passes for 300 yards and four
touchdowns. Stat Leaders: Kansas- Passing: Kerry
Meier, 15-27, 187 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT Rushing:LKerry Meier, 20-70
Receiving:
Derek Fine, 4-58, 1 TD Oklahoma State - Passing: Bobby Reid,
23-35, 411, 5 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Mike Hamilton, 11-70 Receiving:
Adarius Bowman, 13-300, 4 TD Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
Yeeeeeesh! Talk about bombs away, the
future of the Oklahoma State offense arrived in Lawrence, Kansas in
the second half with Bobby Reid and Adarius Bowman coming up with an
unstoppable second half to blow the doors off the Kansas secondary.
They were just playing catch out there with an awesome performance
that has to get Big 12 South teams quaking about what this team
could become. Now the key is to be more consistent and to put
together a full sixty minutes. At the very least, the team knows
Reid really is a franchise quarterback who'll lead the team to
plenty of wins over the next few years.
Oct. 7
Kansas State 31 ... Oklahoma State 27
Kansas State scored twice in the
final three minutes with Leon Patton running it in from one-yard
out, the defense holding, and Josh Freeman leading a 58-yard drive
in three plays finishing with a 21-yard touchdown run. Oklahoma had
one last shot getting down to the Wildcat 23, but the final pass of
the game was picked off by Marcus Watts. Watts started off the
scoring blocking a punt which Daniel Gonzalez took for a touchdown.
The Wildcats got a 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown from
Patton, along with 151 rushing yards, but the offense struggled to
get going until late. OSU got two touchdown passes from Bobby Reid
along with an 11-yard Keith Toston touchdown dash. Player of the game ... Kansas State DB Marcus Watts
made four tackles, picked off a pass and blocked a punt that turned
into a touchdown. Stat Leaders: Kansas State- Passing:
Josh Freeman, 10-15, 177 yds Rushing:Leon Patton, 21-151, 1 TD
Receiving:
Jermaine Moreira, 4-95 Oklahoma State - Passing: Bobby Reid,
14-22, 138 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Keith Toston, 14-109, 1 TD Receiving:
Adarius Bowman, 5-59 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
A more experienced team closes out the
Kansas State game and comes away with the good win. Two big
breakdowns by the special teams, the inability to go on a
time-consuming late drive, and the problems with the defense to come
up with a stop in the final few minutes wouldn't have happened by
most veteran squads. Bobby Reid remains efficient, but he has to be
a bit more explosive in the passing game. Keith Toston ran well
adding yet another weapon to the backfield. Now the Kansas game next
week becomes a must-win for a bowl shot.
Sept. 23
Houston 34 ... Oklahoma State 25
The two teams put on an offensive show with 955 yards of total
offense, but things slowed down late when a heavy downpour kicked
in. The Cougars were able to break open a close game with a
seven-yard touchdown catch early in the fourth quarter. OSU had two
late drives, but misfired on a fourth down pass and later lost a
fumble on the Houston five. Kevin Kolb threw four touchdown passes
highlighted by a 42-yard scoring play to Donnie Avery, but Oklahoma
State's Bobby Reid was up to the ask throwing a 75-yard scoring pass
to Adarius Bowman and two touchdown passes to D'Juan Woods. Player of the game ... Houston QB Kevin Kolb completed
21 of 28 passes for 313 yards and four touchdowns and ran 11 times
for 42 yards. Stat Leaders: Houston- Passing: Kevin
Kolb, 21-28, 313 yd, 4 TD Rushing: Jackie Battle, 23-108. Receiving:
Mark Hafner, 4-58, 1 TD Oklahoma State - Passing: Bobby Reid,
13-22, 28 1yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Bobby Reid, 7-85. Receiving: Adarius
Bowman, 7-166, 1 TD Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
The defense finally faced an offense
with a pulse struggling to stop Houston, but there are positives to
come out of this going into the Big 12 season. Bobby Reid continues
to be fantastic and finally showed off his rushing skills with 85
yards. On the down side, none of the other runners got going since
the game quickly turned into a shootout. The offense cranked out big
plays, but it only held on to the ball for 23:53.
Sept. 16
Oklahoma State 48 ... Florida Atlantic 8
Oklahoma State blew past the Owls with a 41-0 lead before the
run was finally broken with a nine-yard William Rose touchdown run
in the fourth quarter. Bobby Reid ran for a nine-yard score and
threw a 71-yard touchdown pass to Adarius Bowman to go along with
two Mike Hamilton touchdown runs and two Jason Ricks field goals.
Dantrell Savage closed out the scoring with a 70-yard dash from
Dantrell Savage. Player of the game ... Oklahoma State RB Mike Hamilton
ran 11 times for 85 yards and two touchdowns. Stat Leaders: Florida Atlantic - Passing:
Rusty Smith, 10-15, 110 yds, 1 INT Rushing: Willie Floyd, 7-31. Receiving:
Frantz Simeon, 3-30 Oklahoma State - Passing: Bobby Reid,
9-16, 188 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Dantrell Savage, 8-96. Receiving: Adarius
Bowman, 2-96 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
Is this Oklahoma State offense for real?
It's been fantastic over the first three weeks against Missouri
State, Arkansas State and Florida Atlantic, but it hasn't faced any
adversity and hasn't had to make a play under pressure. Bobby Reid
continues to be tremendous and Mike Hamilton is running well enough
to keep the offense balanced. Now the Cowboys need a fight from
Houston next week to be more battle tested for the start of the Big
12 season. With a three-game road trip ahead, the team will get its
chances to see how good it really is.
Sept. 9
Oklahoma State 35 ... Arkansas State 7
It took Oklahoma State QB Bobby Reid about a quarter to settle
down, and then he was outstanding running for a 13-yard touchdown
and throwing for two scores on the way to 35 unanswered points.
Reid's first touchdown pass of the game went the wrong way as Khyyam
Burns returned an interception 51 yards for an ASU touchdown. The
Cowboy defense held ASU to 188 yards of total offense. Player of the game ... Oklahoma State QB Bobby Reid
completed 11 of 18 passes for 167 yards and two touchdowns with
three interceptions, and he ran seven times for 45 yards and a
touchdown Stat Leaders: Arkansas State- Passing:
Travis Hewitt, 4-13, 47 yds, 1 INT Rushing: Reggie Arnold, 18-51. Receiving:
Patrick Higgins, 1-15 Oklahoma State - Passing: Bobby Reid,
11-18, 167 yds, 2 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Mike Hamilton, 17-73, 1 TD. Receiving: Adarius
Bowman, 3-78 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Bobby
Reid was strong for the second game in a row, but it took him a
little too long to settle down and be effective. That's fine against
Arkansas State and Missouri State, and it'll be fine next week
against Florida Atlantic, but he has to come out razor-sharp at
Houston and when Big 12 play starts. The defense has been
outstanding so far, but it hasn't been tested.
Sept. 9
Oklahoma State 35 ... Arkansas State 7
It took Oklahoma State QB Bobby Reid about a quarter to settle
down, and then he was outstanding running for a 13-yard touchdown and
throwing for two scores on the way to 35 unanswered points. Reid's first
touchdown pass of the game went the wrong way as Khyyam Burns returned
an interception 51 yards for an ASU touchdown. The Cowboy defense held
ASU to 188 yards of total offense. Player of the game ... Oklahoma State QB Bobby Reid
completed 11 of 18 passes for 167 yards and two touchdowns with three
interceptions, and he ran seven times for 45 yards and a touchdown Stat Leaders: Arkansas State- Passing:
Travis Hewitt, 4-13, 47 yds, 1 INT Rushing: Reggie Arnold, 18-51. Receiving:
Patrick Higgins, 1-15 Oklahoma State - Passing: Bobby Reid,
11-18, 167 yds, 2 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Mike Hamilton, 17-73, 1 TD. Receiving: Adarius
Bowman, 3-78 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Bobby
Reid was strong for the second game in a row, but it took him a little
too long to settle down and be effective. That's fine against Arkansas
State and Missouri State, and it'll be fine next week against Florida
Atlantic, but he has to come out razor-sharp at Houston and when Big 12
play starts. The defense has been outstanding so far, but it hasn't been
tested.
Sept. 2
Oklahoma State 52 ... Missouri State 10
Oklahoma State started off the season on a great note with
Perrish Cox taking the opening kickoff 96 yards for a score sparking
a 45-0 lead. MSU finally broke the run late in the third quarter on
a 29-yard field goal and only got into the end zone with less than
seven minutes to play ona one-yard run from Jonathan Davis. Bobby
Reid threw four touchdown passes for the Cowboys in the first half
highlighted by a 72-yard pass play to D'Juan Woods. Player of the game ... Oklahoma State QB Bobby Reid
completed eight of 17 passes for 165 yards and four touchdowns and
ran five times for 15 yards. Stat Leaders: Missouri State- Passing:
Matt Krapfl, 11-19, 126 yds Rushing: Gerald Davis, 14-45. Receiving:
Jeremy Nicholson, 4-94 Oklahoma State - Passing: Bobby Reid,
8-17, 165 yds, 4 TD
Rushing: Mike Hamilton, 16-155. Receiving: Adarius
Bowman, 3-47, 1 TD Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Missouri
State wasn't going to provide much of an obstacle for OSU, but it
was still a big plus to have an offensive explosion after the
struggles of last year. This had to have been a big confidence
boosting performance for Bobby Reid, who finally showed off his arm
more than his legs. The offensive line gave Mike Hamilton and the
running game plenty of room to run and, for the most part, gave Reid
time to work. Everything was working including the punting game;
Nathan Stokes had a strong outing averaging 45.8 yards per kick.
2006 Oklahoma State Preview
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Further Analysis
Former head coach Les Miles was just starting to make
things interesting in Stillwater before jumping to LSU.
Coming
off three straight winning seasons and three bowl appearances,
Oklahoma State hired former star quarterback Mike Gundy to take over
and keep the momentum going. Instead, Gundy and his staff started
from scratch.
Outside of a stunning win over Texas Tech and an even more
shocking first half against Texas, the Cowboys appeared to be
overmatched and out of sync all season long. There were concerns
that the no-huddle spread offense wasn't working when it had
problems scoring on Montana State, Florida Atlantic and Arkansas
State, and then it looked lost most of the time in Big 12 play.
Combine the offense's issues with a defense that finished
11th in total D and last in scoring defense, and 2005 signaled a
crashing thud for the once-surging team. However, it might have been
a case of taking a step back to jump three big steps forward.
Gundy needed to get his guys in place as quickly as possible to run
his offensive system, and he played so many true freshmen that there
wasn't any hope of the team turning in a consistent season. Last
year's team was so young that it still needs another year of
seasoning before it start to think about challenging for the Big 12
South title and being good enough to hang with the top dogs.
How young is OSU? On the projected two-deep depth chart there are 24
players with sophomore, redshirt freshmen, or freshmen eligibility with
new recruits like linebackers Chris Collins and Donnell Williams and
guard Jacob Secrest expected to start at some point this year.
Throw into the mix a potentially shaky quarterback situation and this is
a year to get everything in place for a big 2007.
One-time superstar quarterback recruit Bobby Reid has all the tools to
be a great one, but he has to stay healthy and has to figure out how to
throw with some semblance of accuracy while utilizing his running skills
as much as possible. If the light turns on for him, the offense should
be far better with a decent line, a dangerous 1-2 receiving punch in
D'Juan Woods and Adarius Bowman, and a productive backfield tandem of
Mike Hamilton and Julius Crosslin.
The defense will need at least another year of seasoning in the back
seven, but the time is now up front with five good seniors that should
finally make for a solid Cowboy defensive line. This won't be the type
of defense that will shut anyone down and it has to force more
turnovers, but it should be more aggressive and it has plenty of upside.
It does appear that things are on the right track under Gundy as long as
the fan base can be a little patient. The Big 12 South is a nasty place
to try to build a power, but Oklahoma State will be in the hunt ... next
year.
The
Schedule:
Few teams have had lighter non-conference schedules in recent year than
Oklahoma State, and this season isn't any different starting with
Missouri State, Arkansas State and Florida Atlantic before the one
decent game against Houston. There's a welcome off-week before the Big
12 run starting off on the road against both Kansas State and Kansas.
Playing at Texas, at Texas Tech and Oklahoma in three of the final four
weeks means the Cowboys have better have bowl eligibility wrapped up
after the Baylor game.
Best
Offensive Player:
Senior OT Corey Hilliard. Able to play guard or tackle,
the 310-pound senior is one of the Big 12's best linemen with the
next-level type of talent to be the one the team runs the offense
behind. He could stand to be a little bit better in pass protection, but
he's good enough.
Best
Defensive Player: Senior DT Ryan McBean. McBean came from the JUCO
ranks and came up with a tremendous season. If he can continue to
progress and can be a bit stronger against the run, he could be the type
of All-Big 12 talent who can anchor the entire defense.
Key player
to a successful season: Sophomore QB Bobby Reid. It'll all be about
staying healthy. His raw talent is undeniable, but he needs more time to
learn how to be a D-I quarterback; the game has to slow down for him.
He's 6-3, 225 pounds, and has the running skills to do far more than the
139 net yards he came up with last year.
The season
will be a success if ... the Cowboys come up with a winning season. Considering OSU
will likely be the underdog in every Big 12 game except the home date
against Baylor some upsets are needed and there can't be any misses in the non-conference schedule.
Key game:
Oct. 7 at Kansas State. KSU is one of the few Big 12 teams Oklahoma
State has a reasonable shot of beating on the road. A win might be a
must before going on the road to face a solid Kansas team and before
getting into the start of the of the South slate.
2005 Fun
Stats:
- Fourth quarter scoring: Opponents 102 - Oklahoma State 50
- Fourth down conversions: Oklahoma State 10 of 13 (77%) - Opponents 10
of 19 (53%)
- Interceptions: Opponents 17 for 186 yards - Oklahoma State 5 for 57
yards
The Last Time Oklahoma State…
…played in a bowl game…2004 (Alamo Bowl vs. Ohio State)
…missed a bowl game…2005
…pitched a shutout…2001 (Northwestern State)
…was shutout…2005 (Colorado)
…scored 50 points…2004 (SMU)
…went undefeated…1945
…won a conference title…1976 (share, Big Eight)
…had a 3,000-yard passer…2002 (Josh Fields)
…had a 1,000-yard rusher…2004 (Vernand Morency)
…had a 1,000-yard receiver…2003 (Rashaun Woods)
…had a first-round draft choice…2004 (WR Rashaun Woods)
