Cowboys pick up tempo after a sluggish start.

Oklahoma State's encounter against Texas A&M was pretty much a tale of two halves.  And while it was the Aggies who got off to a quick start, the Cowboys were the ones laughing last after dominating the second half at every turn, winning 30-29.


The Cowboys extended their winning streak over A&M to 4 wins, after having suffered a 4 game losing streak of their own in the series (2004-2007).  Anyone who paid for a ticket to this game surely got their money's worth; this one lived up to all the pre-game hype.  Also another point to note: at least this game kicked off at a very considerable time of the day; I'll take a 2:30pm kickoff over a 12:15am kickoff any day.

Broderick Brown had himself quite the afternoon.

The most surprising stat of course is that Oklahoma State's potent offense was only held to THREE (!!!) first half points.  You'd think that a team averaging at least somewhere in the neighborhood of 50 points per game would do better, but that was not the case.  A lot of credit will of course go to A&M's defense, that had a good enough pass rush, making things harder for the abnormally poised Brandon Weeden.


However, rather than kick their opponent while down, A&M seemed to take the foot off the pedal.  They had their chances to extend the lead in the first half, and potentially put the game out of reach.  Or maybe they planned on coming back to close the deal in the second half.  I had a feeling that the tide was about to turn for the worse.

Blackmon!!  Oh no, you didn't!!

True enough, that is exactly what happened.  Oklahoma State state came back and played probably what was their most complete game in a while.  With his offensive line blocking well, Weeden went to work, finding his receivers, while the running game picked up steam of its own.


Hats off to the defense for nearly pitching a shutout against A&M's offense.  The defensive line made a point of getting to the quarterback often, and the defensive backs contested any pass that they could.  End result was 4 forced turnovers; a fumble recovery and 3 interceptions including one by James Thomas to clinch the win.  Defensive back Broderick Brown made yet another highlight reel play (why lie, he's making it look real easy), to pick off Aggies QB Ryan Tannehill, giving the Cowboys a short field.


On the ensuing drive, Justin Blackmon had a moment that he would have loved to take back if possible.  He found himself in single coverage (why again would you single cover this guy?), and after making a catch and running for what was a sure touchdown, he fumbled the ball which went through the end zone for a touchback.  Had he not fumbled (or at least if he'd been able to recover it in the end zone for a score), that touchdown would surely clinched the game for his team.  However, it only served to make things a little more interesting.  Luckily, the defense stepped up again with Justin Gilbert (who returned a kickoff for a score, only to have it erased due to a holding call), making the most of a poorly thrown pass by Tannehill.


It's been almost 30 years (maybe more) since Kyle Field hosted a game in which both A&M and its opponent were ranked in the Top 10.  So for Oklahoma State to win a game of such magnitude and in a very tough environment, the momentum will probably snowball all the way to (and maybe through) Bedlam (I don't know that December 3 could get here fast enough).  You really want to measure the negatives against the positives, but judging how the team bounced back, it's all positive.


Also the days leading up to the game had been very trying as the team was in mourning following the death of Angela Spencer, wife of Linbebackers' coach Glenn Spencer.  Coach Spencer had to be hurried home during the Tulsa game, and was able to spend few moments by his wife's side before she passed away.  So it was only fitting that the team send her off in style.  RIP Angela Spencer.


Oklahoma State will be off this weekend, before they return to action against Kansas.  Hopefully their momentum won't take the weekend off either. 

Oklahoma wards off Tiger upset bid.

The last time Oklahoma faced off against Missouri, they were ranked #1 in the newly released BCS rankings, but were left picking themselves off the mat after the Tigers sprung an upset in Columbia, MO.  It was the third successive week in which the top ranked team fell on the road; Alabama lost to South Carolina a fortnight earlier, and Ohio State followed up with a loss to Wisconsin the week after.


This time around, Oklahoma made sure not to stumble, despite a slow start in which they trailed 14-3, ending the 1st quarter at 14-10 after a Ryan Broyles touchdown catch.  In the absence of Kenny Stills and Trey Franks, Jazz Reynolds and DeJuan Miller had to step up and fill the void.  Both receivers were starters at some point earlier in their careers, but due to various issues (Miller suffered a season ending knee injury, while Reynolds was suspended due to violation of team rules), they had been firmly supplanted by the aforementioned duo.  Reynolds came up with a huge 39 yard reception in the 2nd quarter that possibly shifted the game's momentum in favor of the hosts.


Oklahoma was eventually able to wear down their opponents with a short passing game, and running the ball taking time off the clock.  Also defensively, they made enough plays to hold off the Tigers until the game was beyond reach.  It may not have been the most satisfying performance, but a win's a win, right?


Landry Jones to Ryan Broyles seems to be the key to get this offense going.  In their previous match against Florida State, they hardly connected much after the opening drive.  Jones went over 400 yards passing (AGAIN!!) and Broyles had yet another 10+ reception, 100yd receiving game; numbers that seem to be pedestrian to these two guys.

Despite giving up a lot of yards, OU's defense clamped
down when it mattered the most.

It was nice to see coaches try to get Roy Finch involved, including him in the kickoff return unit.  With Brennan Clay and Dominique Whaley getting the lion's share of the carries in the running game, the only time Finch gets to see the field is while on the sideline.  It would be nice to get him more touches, but that's really up to the coaches.


This was clearly not Oklahoma's best defensive showing.  They gave up 532 yards and two big scoring plays; L'Damian Washington's catch and run for 45 yards & score, as well as Henry Josey who ran 48 yards for a touchdown off an option pitch.  They didn't force any turnovers either, but you can credit Mizzou for protecting the ball.  The defensive unit played really well in between the 1st and 4th quarters, so that's a positive. 


At the end of the day, Oklahoma got the result that it wanted, and it's a lot easier to fix any errors - be they mental or tactical - after a win than a loss.

Crimson Tide stain Happy Valley "white-out"

Last season, in just his second start the collegiate level, Robert Bolden was overwhelmed by the defending national champion Alabama during Penn State's visit to Tuscaloosa.  It was just one of many early season showdown of football heavyweights across the nation.  Alabama won that contest by a score of 24-3, as they set on to try and defend their crown.


This time around was no different, as Alabama came away 27-10 winners in a rare visit into Big Ten country.  The Crimson Tide were returning a lot of starters on a defense that frustrated Penn State's offense for much of the afternoon; silencing a usually rabid Nittany Lion crowd.


Just like Penn State, Alabama have yet to "settle" their own quarterback situation.  AJ McCarron had to split time Phillip Sims in their opener against Kent State.  This time around, he played well enough and only left the game when the outcome was no longer in doubt.  


Alabama ran the ball well with Trent Richardson and Eddie Lacy, and McCarron made some good throws such as his lone touchdown pass to Tight End Michael Williams; a pass that was rifled through defensive traffic to open the scoring for 'Bama.  It's still early in the season, but I get the feeling that Alabama vs LSU might just be the game that decides how the West will be won; SEC West, that is.

Bolden found the going tough against 'Bama

The Nittany Lions seem to have their work cut out for them.  Over the last few seasons, they have enjoyed stability at the quarterback position.  From Zack Mills, Michael Robinson, Anthony Morelli and Daryll Clark.  With that stability came some success as the Lions were able to win some games and even successfully contend for conference titles.  


However, things seem a little different this time around.  Robert Bolden came onto campus as a highly regarded QB prospect, and beat out veterans Matt McGloin and Kevin Newsome for the starting job.  Bolden became just the first freshman QB to start a season opener under Joe Paterno; that's got to be a big deal.  Despite some good performances early in the season, Bolden struggled, and finished the season behind McGloin.  Bolden stayed with the program after plans of transferring out failed to materialize.


Against Alabama, he made some really good plays, but was found guilty of trying to go for the "big play" one time too many.  McGloin wasn't that much of an upgrade either, completing only 1 pass out of 10 attempts.  The Lions running game struggled against a stout 'Bama defense as well.


If Penn State are to really contend for the Big Ten title, they need to decide on who will be their signal caller, then settle on it.  Bolden is a scrambling QB with a strong arm, and if he is "the guy", the coaches should then call plays that are suited to his strengths.  McGloin can make plays with his feet as well, but lacks the "cannon" arm like that of his counterpart; still, he's capable of making things happen.  What we know is that a "QB by committee" isn't working for this team.  


Until they can get that fixed, Penn State may just get by beating the weaker teams, but will most likely struggle against the conference heavyweights.

Different venue, same script.

So it may not have been the Alamo Bowl, but not much seems to have changed between Oklahoma State and Arizona since their last encounter in December.


The Cowboys got off to a fast start, scoring on their first three possessions.   Brandon Weeden looked he was going to complete every pass he attempted, Joseph Randle and Jeremy Smith looked like they were going to run over, around or through any defender in sight, and Justin Blackmon looked like he was going to catch everything thrown in his direction.  Oklahoma State operated with surgeon-like precision, and machine-like efficiency jumping to a quick 21-0 lead.


Then either Arizona got a little better, or the Cowboys got bored; but somewhere along the way, someone took their foot off the pedal.  Arizona finally got on the scoreboard in the second half, and had enough chances to actually turn a potential blowout into a contest, but credit to the Cowboys defense for hanging tough and making plays when they needed to.

Arizona really had no answer for Justin Blackmon

The Wildcats suffered from the same problems that plagued them in their last encounter against the Cowboys.  They could move the chains, make some plays, but just could not score.  The running game was held in check, and while they gained momentum with their passing game, they faltered at crucial moments; such as turning over the ball on downs despite reaching their opponents goal line.


What left me scratching my head for a few moments was the Wildcats execution on defense. For some reason they opted for a "man-to-man" approach leaving Justin Blackmon free to take their lunch money.  The end result; 12 catches for 128 yards and 2 touchdowns.  They probably forgot that he's the current Biletnikoff Award winner.


If this is any indication, it looks like the sun will be setting on Arizona a little faster than they are planning.  Their next two games will be against Oregon and Stanford; two teams that will  feature heavily not only in the conference title race, but also the in the national picture as well.  Luckily, Arizona plays in the Pac-12 South Division, and with USC on probation, might actually get to make something out of whatever's left.


Oklahoma State's next plays Tulsa next; a game that serves as a great warm-up ahead of their showdown against Texas A&M the week after.  I wonder what uniforms they'll break out next.

OU vs Tulsa: The review

In their first season opener at #1 since 2003, Oklahoma did what they had to do against an overmatched opponent, they dominated.  Not that Tulsa is a "run of the mill" kind of team, but the last time the Golden Hurricane visited Norman in 2009, they were on the receiving end of a 45-0 mauling.  Landry Jones was making his 2nd start in an unexpected, yet speedy acceleration to the reins after Sam Bradford's injury in the season opener a fortnight earlier.

Dominique Whaley was the toast of the town.

It took a while for Oklahoma to kind of settle into the groove, but I guess that's just the result of running a "no-huddle" offense.  It might be just me, but sometimes it seems like the players are on the same field, just not on the same page.  Everything settled down once the points started rolling in.


A major improvement of course was in the run-blocking.  Last season, Oklahoma started off well trying to establish the ground game, but kind of went away from it, favoring the aerial attack more.  That really hurt them in during their 2 losses to Missouri and Texas A&M.  Granted, Faurot Field and Kyle Field aren't exactly easy venues to play in, but Oklahoma's offense became a tad predictable.  That will need to change this season.  They'll need to run the ball a lot more efficiently especially on the road.  Translation?  Let's hope it doesn't come down to Landry Jones having to throw 62 passes just to give the team a chance to win.

I know Bob ain't looking forward to seeing
li'l brother Mark so soon.

The redzone issues are still prevalent, but not as much as last season, when Oklahoma settled for field goals when it seemed easier to score touchdowns.  The Sooners won some close games - that should have never been that close to begin with -, and lost games because they were unable to impose themselves in the redzone.  Considering how many offensive plays the team runs, you can understand why the redzone dominance is a big deal.


When it comes to defense, there's a few loose ends that will need to get tied.  It was great to see them shut down Tulsa's offense for majority of the game, but Hurricane QB GJ Kinney was still able to complete some deep passes.  Some of those went for long gains and one of those resulted in a touchdown.  Tulsa receivers were also able to get open and make catches without a crimson jersey in sight.  Seminoles' QB EJ Manuel is just as athletic if not more than his Tulsa counterpart, and that could pose problems for the secondary.


All in all, it was great start to the season.  The team being able to run 100+ snaps on offense without a single penalty is a huge plus and they'll need to carry that momentum with them against Florida State.  The team will put in some more work and you can expect them to be ready in a couple of weeks.

Off to the races

Coming off the best year in the school history, Oklahoma State showed that they haven't slowed down, and won't be doing so anytime soon; and they have the uniforms to prove it.

Even after Dana Holgorsen's move to West Virginia (eventually ascending to the head coaching job), new offensive coordinator Todd Monken has fit in well as the Cowboys will be looking to settle for nothing less than the 11 wins from last season.  Of course being ranked in the Pre-Season Top 10 - due in part to the return of QB Brandon Weeden and WR Justin Blackmon - helped raise expectations in Stillwater.  After coming oh so close to earning a berth in BCS games the last 3 seasons, not too many people are surprised by the "BCS or Bust" mode.

The Cowboys opened up with a 61-34 win over the Ragin' Cajuns of Louisiana-Lafayette, and will have a very tricky set of fixtures in their next 3 games.  They play Arizona at home, before taking to the road to face Texas A&M and Tulsa.  None of these games are "gimmes"; they are capable of losing them just as they are of winning them.  That being said, they'll more than likely be favored in all 3.

Outside of Weeden and Blackmon, running back Joseph Randle stepped in to fill the shoes of the departed Kendall Hunter.  During spot appearances last season, Randle showcased his ability as an all-purpose back; he's a very good receiver out of the backfield and can run between the tackles as well as around the corners.  He may not have that "make the first man miss" ability like Hunter, but it's not like there's been a downgrade at the position.

Also making an impact were receivers Tracy Moore, Isaiah Anderson and Michael Harrison. Since Blackmon will more than likely receive a lot of double teams from defenses (not like it'll matter), and Josh Cooper doing a lot of damage underneath, Weeden will need vertical options down the field who are also physical enough to battle for jump balls should the need arise.  Anderson and Harrison did well on the road against Kansas State - a game in which Blackmon was suspended - when they received extended playing time.

There was a some discontent among "Poke Nation" after the Cowboys gave up 34 points to the Ragin' Cajuns.  That would be a concern to anyone, but for what it's worth, this game wasn't much of contest by the time the 4th Quarter came around.  What would the Cajun faithful say about their team which gave up 61?  Just wondering.

Arizona will be the Cowboy's first major test of the season, but they should be fine if they just keep doing what they're doing.  The team has yet to lose a Thursday night game under Mike Gundy, and I doubt that this will change in this fixture.

A Whale of a time.

After the departure of DeMarco Murray to the NFL, many among the Sooner faithful wondered who was going to fill the shoes of the multi-purpose, record setting running back.  Not that there is lack of talent or depth at the position, but we're talking about someone who scored more touchdowns than Steve Owens and Billy Sims (two Heisman trophy winners, I might add).  You just don't replace that kind of production overnight.


All Murray did during his 4 year career was rack up 65 total touchdowns, a number that is made impressive when considering a couple of things: 

1. He suffered season ending injuries during his freshman and sophomore years, and was severely limited by a high ankle sprain during his junior year.
2. In the Bob Stoops era, Oklahoma has been more committed to passing; a completely different mindset from the famed "wishbone" offense that was a staple for the Sooners for almost two decades (from the 1970s and 80's).

The names familiar to fans were the "usual suspects"; Brennan Clay, Jermie Calhoun, Roy Finch (who wowed the crowds during spot appearances last fall), and Brandon Williams (a highly touted freshman).  However, word got out that there was guy named Dominique Whaley who was making waves during spring and summer drills.

Whaley, a walk-on and Lawton, OK native, wasn't even a starter during a stint at Langston University.  At night's end, his numbers were: 18 carries for 131 yards and 4 touchdowns.  Here's just a few of the things he accomplished.

1. 1st walk-on running back to rush for 100 yards in 36 years (Jim Culbreath in 1974) 
2. Most rushing touchdowns by a walk-on in a single game
3. 2nd Sooner to score 4 touchdowns in their debut (DeMarco Murray in 2007)
4. His 100+ rushing effort on his debut saw him join a list that includes names such as Adrian Peterson. 

Simply put, Whaley walked on to campus, onto the football field, and right into school history books.  Given that Oklahoma's running game wasn't exactly a strength last season, it will be interesting to see how other running backs get in the mix, now that we know Oklahoma will employ a "running-back by committee" format.

Oklahoma have the weekend off as they await their September 17th showdown against Florida State.  Until then, take a bow Dominique Whaley, you've earned your spot in the limelight.