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Oklahoma State Football

OK, There's Hope for 2021 After All

December 29, 2020
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Mike Gundy’s era of football at Oklahoma State will be defined by winning.

Too-close, stress-filled, gut-churning winning most of the time, to the disdain of many Cowboys fans, but winning nonetheless.

So it was, again, Tuesday night in Orlando, where the Cowboys raced to a 21-0 early lead in dominant fashion, then hung on – by a Malcom Rodriguez takedown late – for a 37-34 win over Miami in the Cheez-It Bowl.

Just winning won’t be enough for some folks, those who claim reason to complain as a personal right. Watch four hours of football once a week and declare themselves experts. Kind of like the critics who once panned “It’s a Wonderful Life.”

And yet, for a lesser bowl in the waning days of the worst year most of us can ever remember, the game delivered much of what Cowboys fans should want and need.

Strong play from quarterback Spencer Sanders, who’s been inconsistent for much of his career, but enters the offseason off two big-time performances.

A breakout by freshman receiver Brennan Presley, who staked a claim to playmaker in waiting with Tylan Wallace’s premier career now over.

Two big statements from veteran linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez, the first a declaration to return for another season, the second a fourth-down stop of Michael Redding III shy of the sticks, essentially ending the Hurricanes’ final attempt at a rally.

The defense stopping Miami not once, but on back-to-back series at the end, after the Canes seemingly seized momentum by pulling within three with 5:39 remaining and possessing arguably the college game’s best kicker.

Tre Sterling doing what he does, totaling a game-high 13.5 tackles, including 2.5 for losses, with a pass breakup, then declaring his intention to return to what proved to be the best Cowboys D in quite some time.

“The boys are back in town. Let’s ball out next year,” Sterling proclaimed.

That’s the good news, rediscovered in the shadow of what a certain theme park claims as “The Happiest Place on Earth.”

Yeah, this season didn’t go as planned, far from it. But who’s going to claim joy in 2020 anyway?

Tuesday provided positive answers and plenty of reason for optimism in 2021, which has to be better than the year we’re just wrapping up, right?

The Cowboys will return a hefty roster, a quarterback seemingly gaining traction as a game-changer – Sanders was named the bowl MVP – and the bulk of a defense that stood up and stood out frequently.

That should be enough to keep the fanbase warm through the cold months ahead.

Mike Gundy likes to judge quarterbacks after they’ve played 15 or so college games. Sanders passed that mark this season and now carries two superb games into the offseason. Against Miami, he completed 27-of-40 throws for 305 yards and four touchdowns, with no turnovers. That came after he torched Baylor for 347 yards and three scores.

“Spencer did a great job out there, just finding everybody, multiple guys,” said Tay Martin, who enjoyed his best game with six catches for 73 yards. “Got us the win.”

Presley was electric, setting OSU freshman bowl records with 118 yards and three TDs.

And the defense denied the Canes when it mattered most, without corner Rodarius Williams (who opted out to ready for the NFL Draft) and end Trace Ford (recovering from surgery). Most of the defenders who played Tuesday night will return, including Rodriguez and Sterling, who announced their intentions Tuesday night.

So go ahead and move on, and look ahead, with optimism, 2020 be damned.

Leave it to Gundy to remind us that amid the disappointments, no thanks to injuries and the weirdness of the year, this season wasn’t all that bad after all.

The Cowboys finished 8-3, and missed out on playing Oregon State and Western Illinois.

“If we’d played a regular season, we probably win 10 games again,” Gundy said. “If you think about, this team almost won 10 games with a lot of injuries.”

Injuries that limited Chuba Hubbard and Tylan Wallace and shuffled an offensive line that already ranked as a question mark.

Still, Cowboys fans will point out, there’s a difference in beating Oregon State and Western Illinois and taking down Oklahoma and Texas and TCU, which accounted for three losses.

And they’re right.

Still, Gundy added another solid year of winning to his legacy.

And Tuesday’s win should offer just enough of what Cowboys fans want and need.

Until next fall.

Discussion from...

OK, There's Hope for 2021 After All

5,379 Views | 11 Replies | Last: 3 yr ago by Zach Lancaster
Bovine Lad
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John Helsley - "No Excuses for Oklahoma State's Loss to TCU" - Dec. 5, 2020:
Quote:

Not so rare: late-season disappointment, conjuring up another round of what-ifs and could-haves and should-haves.

When the season started, this OSU team didn't seem capable of three losses. Now the Cowboys are 6-3 and headed for Baylor's McLane Stadium, where they've never won.

Gone: the chance to play in the Big 12 title game, for all practical purposes, leaving another talented OSU squad on the outside of a first appearance in that event.

Gone: bigger, better bowl game options.

Gone: all that talk about a special season.

John Helsley today:
Quote:

Just winning won't be enough for some folks, those who claim reason to complain as a personal right. Watch four hours of football once a week and declare themselves experts. Kind of like the critics who once panned "It's a Wonderful Life."

It's always great to begin an opine by characterizing all others that may take a differing stance as lesser humans, in advance. It's kinda like a Baptism of sorts in that it makes you feel like you've washed away all of your own sins as you preemptively pronounce judgement on those lesser others.
Danny Deck
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This was the best Sanders looked since his very first game against Oregon State right? It sure felt like it to me.

I thought this, "Spencer did a great job out there, just finding everybody, multiple guys," said Tay Martin" was the most heartening thing about his performance. One of the biggest frustrations has been that it was Tylan or bust for so long.
CaliforniaCowboy
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Danny Deck said:

This was the best Sanders looked since his very first game against Oregon State right? It sure felt like it to me.

I thought this, "Spencer did a great job out there, just finding everybody, multiple guys," said Tay Martin" was the most heartening thing about his performance. One of the biggest frustrations has been that it was Tylan or bust for so long.
He looked great for a quarter when Miami was doubling Wallace and until Miami figured out Wallace was out and that Sanders can't throw deep accurately.

I think it was the 3rd quarter when one of the announcers said Miami has that pass to the flat figured out now, and that slant pass and (name every other short pass). They said it about 3 plays in a row.

Perhaps it was because the OLine wasn't giving him time to go deep.

Sanders looked horrid on many of the roll-outs.

we were lucky that King went out injured, and still dang near lost the game by not being able to get a 1st down to run the clock out.


Bovine Lad
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Quote:

those who claim reason to complain as a personal right. Watch four hours of football once a week and declare themselves experts.
Must be the very same Strawmen that trashed Tylan Wallace last night.
John Helsley
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There are no lesser humans. All those things I wrote previously remain true about this season. And those are written from a non-biased view, not a fan's view. OSU fans are awfully hard to please. Now, in the bowl game, I saw reasons to think 2021 could be better. It's up to the team, again, to prove it is capable of that.
CaliforniaCowboy
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John Helsley said:

There are no lesser humans. All those things I wrote previously remain true about this season. And those are written from a non-biased view, not a fan's view. OSU fans are awfully hard to please. Now, in the bowl game, I saw reasons to think 2021 could be better. It's up to the team, again, to prove it is capable of that.
and just like that... Helsley takes the bait of the board troll.

Bovine Lad
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I'm all about optimism. I have no problem with that aspect.

As far as being "awfully hard to please", I don't know that I would characterize the Cowboy Nation as being any more demanding than any other and certainly not more-so than the Crimson Tide, let's say. They want to fire Nick Saban for a Playoff loss to the National Champion..

As you well know (or should), "lesser human" was an hyperbolic analogy that was not meant to be taken literally.

Is this that you penned meant to be taken literally:
Quote:

Just winning won't be enough for some folks, those who claim reason to complain as a personal right. Watch four hours of football once a week and declare themselves experts. Kind of like the critics who once panned "It's a Wonderful Life." ?
It seems to me that any and all with supportive investment into any program or venture are well within the bounds of civility to express disappointment with failure to meet reasonable expectations. Just as you did in the wake of the TCU loss.

Three conference losses didn't meet any preseason Cowboy expectation that I'm aware of. Expressing disappointment with that failure does not equal claiming a reason to complain as a personal right nor claiming to be an expert.
TUSKAPOKE
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Thank you John for another well written article. I always respect your view and appreciate your insight.
Joe Khatib
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Nice article John, You presented facts like you always do.
John Helsley
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Thanks for the kind comments. Much appreciated. And Happy New Year Year to all.

Just to add some context, I had to learn that what I thought I saw was not always what it seemed. Once upon a time, we were allowed to watch practice. There would be guys who would light it up in practice, but never play much. When I asked coaches, they would provide insight that I wasn't privy to. Receivers who run bad routes, which often explained QB interceptions. Receivers who wouldn't block, something the Cowboys count on. Guys who showed up late, or not at all, to morning lifts or to academic tutoring, and to maintain integrity and culture -- a culture that is at the heart of what OSU has accomplished -- those guys simply had to sit.



On Twitter the other night, there were folks complaining about not seeing more of Tay Martin. Then after the game, in the Zoom press conference, Martin talked about all the little things he had to get better at during the season.

I've had coaches literally pull up tape and show me what guys did wrong, keeping them off the field. It changed the way I watched games and critiqued players and/or coaches' calls. They are smarter than me on the subject of football; way smarter.

And I've been told, bluntly, when some past players were eventually let go because they couldn't push away from the drugs.

Simply put, there's more than meets the eye a lot of times.

I once was knee-jerk reaction guy. I get it. And, frankly, we see and hear it on TV all too often these days, with hosts shouting at each other in order to draw eyeballs. On Twitter, the dreaded Twitter, some fans were ripping on Tylan Wallace for not playing in the second half, without ever hearing an explanation.

Over the years, I've learned, been shown, that there's often other factors at play.

I hope that explanation helps clear things up a bit.
Zach Lancaster
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Staff
You should write an article on this response hahah might clear up a lot for people.
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