STILLWATER – Oklahoma State has long been known for great specialists, a tradition which has been continued the past few seasons. Senior punter Tom Hutton has been so crucial for the Cowboys the past few seasons, while kicker Tanner Brown has been one of the most consistent players on the roster since arriving in Stillwater last year.
I certainly didn’t forget about long snapper Matt Hembrough. In fact, in this week’s episode of the Pokes Report Podcast, which will drop on Thursday, I said Hembrough very well might be the best player on the team when it comes to doing their individual job duties.
It’s one of those things where if everything goes well, you’re not having to talk about the snapper or the kicker. However, it’s one of those things where Mike Gundy recognizes and has talked about several times this season, including following the OU game.
“Those guys are aware that they can come here and walk on and if they end up doing it, they get put on scholarship,” Gundy said on Monday. “We knew that he was a good player but not like that. It's hard to know when you have a young kid that they're going to be like that good. Like, he's really good."
"The biggest difference between a good and average long snapper is being consistent. At this level, there are guys that can throw the ball really fast or really hard or they're athletic down the field. There's not a lot of guys that can do all that and be consistent. It's something that you have to work on, you have to be mentally strong because you can't be going out there worried. Can't be thinking about other things… You just have to have that strong mentality and be able to go out there and execute every time."
Hembrough’s been money the entire time he’s been on campus and will most likely end up playing in the NFL for a long time. A really good long snapper is hard to come by and Hembrough’s a really good one. It’s one of the main reasons he’s a semifinalist for the Patrick Mannelly Award, which is given to the top long snapper in the country.
"I'm super blessed and super lucky to be on the list,” said Hembrough. “There's a ton of really good snappers on there. I hope that I will be there in Chicago as one of the finalists, and hopefully win it. But right now, I'm just focused on West Virginia and winning, and finishing my career here strong and with a win. Whatever happens, happens. If I'm fortunate enough to make it on the finalists list, I'll be very blessed and enjoy the process after that."
A really good long snapper and a really good kicker go hand in hand. Just like Hembrough, Tanner Brown’s been money since arriving on campus last year. He’s 19-of-20 on field goals this year, including a long of 52, and is 39-of-39 on extra points this season. He went a perfect 36-of-36 on extra points last year.
All that adds up to being name a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award.
"It's nice,” said Brown. “The main thing is just going out and performing on game day and making my kicks. But it's nice being recognized. It's been a goal of mine, that was the main thing coming in. Obviously, make every kick, but having accolades and awards at the end of the year is nice too."
There have been a handful of games since Brown arrived on campus in which field goals have been the different in winning and losing. Take the 2021 Texas game for instance. Brown made four FGs in that game and two extra points, a total of 14 points in a 32-24 win. Or this year’s game against Texas Tech. The Cowboys won 41-31 and Brown went 4-of-4 on field goals and made three extra points for a grand total of 15 points in a 41-31 win over the Red Raiders.
"Really he brought himself -- he and [Brandon] Weeden; it worked out good,” Gundy said. “He kind of brought himself and has developed into being a really, really good player.”
There’s no question there’s going to be position and skill players who walk on Saturday during the Senior Day festivities who have made a significant impact. However, game days for the Cowboys will have gone quite differently without two guys who people don’t talk too much about: Tanner Brown and Matt Hembrough.
