Pokes' Disassemble Griffin and the Bears on Homecoming, 34-6

The Pokes put on another impressive display in Stillwater tonight on homecoming night. After pulling off a huge upset last weekend, the undefeated Cowboys were able to pick apart an improving Baylor team and improve to 7-0 for the first time since World War II (1945). 

The Pokes got off to an ugly start, beginning with a 3-and-out for the first time all year on the opening drive. On their next drive, the Cowboys turned the ball over on a toss play which Hunter was unable to hang on to. Baylor took advantage of the fumble and drove down the field that led to a touchdown. The Bears were unable to convert on the extra-point when Oklahoma State's special teams unit blocked the kick. 

On the next drive; however, the Pokes turned things around and drove down the field 61 yards for a score capped by a 4-yard Toston TD run. The Cowboys basically owned the game after that...

Zac Robinson Dez Bryant continued to improve their Heisman resume. Bryant had a great day recording 212 yards receiving and two touchdowns while Robinson went 13-for-20 for 238 yards passing. Kendall Hunter continued to pound the ball on the ground rushing for 93 yards on 26 carries while Keith Toston ran for 57 yards on 14 carries and 2 touchdowns.

The Pokes defense was outstanding again tonight, holding the Bears to only 204 total yards. One area on defense that really impressed me was our rushing defense. The defense allowed only 42 total yards on  31 rush attempts (1.4 yards/carry). As for our pass defense, they were pressuring Griffin the whole game forcing him to scramble and make inaccurate throws. Orie Lemon, Andre Sexton and Jeremiah Price were running around all over the field making big plays throughout the game. 

The Cowboys are one of the nine teams that still remain unbeaten and will play #1 ranked Texas next weekend in Austin. 

Oklahoma State Totals Last Year's Win Total, 7-0 for First Time Since WWII

 Post-Game to come soon...

Post In-Game/Post Game Thoughts or Comments Here

Post any concerns or comments you had/have with today's game? Where do we need improvement? What areas of the game did we improve or look good in? Who really stood out to you...etc?

Improvements I'll Be Looking For

Here are some areas in which I feel need improvement. Hopefully we'll see some of these today versus Baylor. You will notice that there is only one area on the defensive side of the ball that needs improvement. That is because last week, I felt like there was nothing our defense could have done better in bringing down the #3 team in the country.

1. Minimizing Penalties
2. Holding on to the Ball
3. Using more of the Clock
4. Getting more Tackles for Losses/Sacks *
5. Better Field Goal Kicking

What America Will Watch Saturday

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?page=coveragemaps2008

Inside the Match-Up: Baylor

The Baylor Bears (3-3) are coming to Stillwater this weekend for the most celebrated homecoming in the nation. After stunning the nation last week by defeating the number three ranked MU Tigers, the undefeated Pokes will look to go 7-0 for the first time since WWII. However, can the Cowboys will repeat the 45-14 massacre that took place last year? It won't be easy. The newly improved Baylor team is led by a very talented freshman quarterback in Robert Griffin. Griffin is not only a great passer (throwing 9 TD passes and 0 INTs), but he has shown great mobility and ability to run the ball (8 rushing TDs). Here is the match-up for what should be an interesting game on Saturday. 

Oklahoma State's Offense v. Baylor's Defense

Our offense was able to move the ball down field with ease last week; however, it was turnovers that ended up ruining our drives. (Zac's fumble near half, Dez's fumble) Give credit to Mizzou's defensive unit though, they are a hard-hitting unit. As for Baylor, their defense has been allowing about 135 yards rushing per game against pretty weak opponents (Iowa State, Northwestern State, Washington State). They lack depth and are very weak at the defensive end position and their linebackers have problems getting to the edge. To help the situation, our offensive line has been able to create massive holes for the run game all year, and I believe they are one of the best units in America. They shouldn't have problems continuing that trend against Baylor. I won't be surprised one bit if Gundy runs Hunter and Toston off-tackle all day long. Don't forget about Robinson either.

As for Baylor's pass defense, they have given up an average of 215 yards per game. Their secondary lacks speed and their but they have a great linebacker in Joe Pawelek. He is probably the best defensive player on their team and arguably one of the best linebackers in the Big XII. Regardless, they will have problems defending the pass if they can't penetrate our O-line and get to Robinson. Dez could have another big day.

Baylor's Offense v. Oklahoma State's Defense

Two words: Robert Griffin. He is a stud and has ridiculous amounts of talent. Not only does he have that sub 10.5 one-hundred meter speed or the record for the 400 meter hurdles, but he has a cannon. The Pokes' defense proved a lot last weak, just about ruining Daniel's Heisman resume, but they will be up to another big task in stopping Griffin. 

Pressuring Griffin will be key on Saturday. Griffin hasn't looked comfortable in the pocket all year and unlike Daniel, he wont just sit in the pocket and wait for a play to develop. He looks a lot more comfortable when he is able to scramble and move out of the pocket. If our DEs create pressure from the outside and keep Griffin contained in the pocket, he could have problems. Hopefully we can contain Griffin as well as Iowa State did last week, when Griffin had -15 rushing yards...

Q&A With Mike Gundy

For any of you who didn't know, Mike Gundy was at the Reserves on Perkins (where I reside) tonight for a live radio broadcast.  I was fortunate enough to ask him a few questions after the broadcast. I did not have a recorder, but here are the questions and answers to the best I can remember...

PP: "First off, the fake punt.. You already talked about it during the broadcast, but honestly, it almost costed us the game. Was it your play-call or was it Fodge's option to run it himself?"

Gundy: "Well, you're correct. We don't really talk about fake punt schemes just because we don't want to give any indicators to opponents on when or how we use them. However, we will not see a fake punt on a fourth and fourteen ever again."

PP: "Brandon Pettigrew... He wasn't able to play on Saturday, what is his status for this weekend?"

Gundy: "Brandon was able to practice with us some tonight. He's still suffering from a high ankle sprain. It's one of those injuries that just irritates you. It just depends on how the body is able to handle it but it can take anywhere from 2-8 weeks. We're just taking it one day at a time."

PP: "The defense looked great on Saturday. How were they able to stop such a high-powered defense."

Gundy: "Well, give all the credit to Tim Beckman and the defensive staff. They did a great job of switching up coverages and blitzes to get to Daniel. We stayed aggressive and it payed off in the long run. Our defense continues to learn and improve every week."

PP: "Kendall Hunter had yet another great game on the ground and is now being recognized across the country as one of the best backs in the nation. Your thoughts?"

Gundy: "Kendall has been great. He continues to run the ball well and the line continues to create openings."

OSU / Texas Game to be Televised on ABC

The Big XII announced today that the Oklahoma State/Texas game on October 25th is scheduled for a 2:30 kickoff and will be nationally televised on ABC. This is the second year in a row the game between the two has been televised on ABC and the sixth straight year on national or network television.

http://www.okstate.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=200&ATCLID=1602374

Andre Sexton Named Big XII Defensive Player of the Week

Today, Pokes' Andre Sexton Jr. was named the Big XII player of the week for his spectacular performance this weekend. On Saturday, Sexton had 13 tackles, a sack and an interception to help lead the Pokes upset the #3 Missouri Tigers. His interception gave the Cowboys great field position, which ultimately led to the game-winning touchdown. This means Sexton will be carrying the 'Big Stick' on homecoming this coming Saturday against the Baylor Bears.

ESPN's Tim Griffin Ranks Oklahoma State #2 in Big XII

Tim Griffin released his new Big XII rankings. He puts Oklahoma State at #2 which puts us only behind Texas! Here are his full rankings.

1. Texas
2. Oklahoma State
3. Oklahoma
4. Missouri
5. Texas Tech
6. Kansas
7. Kansas State
8. Baylor
9. Nebraska
10. Colorado
11. Iowa State
12. Texas A&M

Here is the link:
http://myespn.go.com/blogs/big12/0-3-92/Texas--Oklahoma-State-soar-in-Big-12-rankings.html

Cowboys improve to #8 in AP Poll After Win at Mizzou

The Cowboys advanced to #8 in the AP Top 25 and #10 in the Coaches Poll. The Pokes were finally able to prove themselves worthy to pollsters after their display on national television last night. The Cowboys' much doubted defense came up huge stopping Missouri's Chase Daniel & Co. while Zac Robinson and the offense continued to move the ball with ease. The Pokes look to go 7-0 and remain undefeated next (homecoming) weekend when they take on the Baylor Bears (3-3) at Boone Pickens Stadium. 

OSU v Mizzou Animated Drive Chart

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