STILLWATER – Fall camp is over and if you asked Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy and his coaching staff how they feel the answer would likely be positive. To the naked eye this team is improving. Sunday’s practice was a nice gut check as the Saturday practice in full pads was moved to the afternoon as Gundy went to the memorial service for former Cowboys tight end and Gundy’s teammate J.R. Dillard. Then the team came back to the Sunday morning practice, also in full pads, to wrap up fall camp.
“I see this team coming together,” said the Cowboys new director of player development and former Oklahoma State defensive end Richetti Jones. Jones was a starter along with Cowboys new strength coach Jamie Blatnick as they were the book ends on that Big 12 Championship team in 2011. That is my standard (2011), so I have high standards. I see the offensive and defensive lines coming on strong. This program is always going to be stocked with skill players.”
Jones is right, the inside drill was crisp with the defense continuing to have the most success, but the offense had some big plays with the offensive line giving backs like Dezmon Jackson, Jaylen Warren, freshman Jaden Nixon, and Zach Middleton holes to run through. There was a good balance in the inside drill on Sunday.
That balance continued into the team period as the defense got three stops to begin, but Spencer Sanders hit another big pass to Tay Martin on the outside. Later against the second offense safety Jason Taylor II picked off a pass. You had to like the way the offense bounced back as quarterback Shane Illingworth hit wide receiver Langston Anderson for a score and then the offensive line’s tough blocking got Jackson in the end zone.
The third team offense had some success late in the team period with quarterback Ethan Bullock connecting in the end zone with freshman receiver Jaden Bray on a sliding grab for a score. Jaylen Warren broke open with a broken tackle and got in the end zone toward the end of the period.
We’ve said it multiple times that the defense has been the more doinant side of the football in fall camp. If it weren’t that way, then you would be highly concerned. The reason is the defense is loaded with talented and very experienced players. The defense knows this offense. If they couldn’t excel at a high level stopping this offense. then there is a problem.
The best thing for the offense will be to go against a different defense. When they do it may surprise them how well things open up. Gundy really expected the continuity with his team coming out of the spring.
"So, what's happened is, what we wanted to happen was, now you're getting two or three players a day that miss a day with a hamstring tight or an ankle, whatever it might be,” Gundy explained. “So, the guy that's working with the twos moves to the ones. The guy that's been working with the threes moves with the twos, and the twos don't slow down now, because the guy that's had all the reps, he can move into that role and we can function as a unit.
“In the past you have a couple guys that get banged up, and then you throw young players in with the twos, if they can't function, then all 22 guys on both sides of the ball struggle, because of what they're doing,” Gundy continued. “Now, I'm seeing these guys move up, and we're still practicing at a really good pace.
"The other thing I'm seeing is the attitude and body language of the young players here that are getting just as many reps as the ones, their attitude and body language is better than what it's traditionally been here because they're not just standing around,” Gundy said of all the freshmen, newcomers, and many of the walk-onss They're out there getting work. They make mistakes, they see themselves make mistakes, they're coached on film by their coaches, and they come back out. There's a little bit of excitement. You know, I'm sure they're calling their mom and dad saying, 'Hey, I'm practicing. I mean, I'm actually doing it.’ So that's pretty cool."
Normally, Oklahoma State has taken the day off from practice for the first day of classes. For the second year in a row Gundy is going to have the Cowboys out there in the afternoon following the first morning and early afternoon of classes. This is when the team generally splits into the top two units plus and form scout teams to run the opponents’ plays and schemes. There are still three weeks until the first game, so they are likely going to wait a few days and keep practices the same for now.
For the second day in a row, cornerbacks coach Tim Duffie missed practice. It was his mother that passed away and we were told it was kind of sudden. Mike Gundy has always been very good about telling his coaches and support staff to take the time they need and putting family ahead of football. It will be a focus of the staff, support staff, and players to make Coach Duffie feel loved when he gets back with his football family.
).... That was a good story. Heartfelt sympathy to Coach Duffie with the passing of his mother, prayers of peace & comfort. 