Oklahoma State Football Names Captains for Guaranteed Rate Bowl
Oklahoma State preparing for a showdown with Big Ten opponent Wisconsin in the upcoming Guaranteed Rate Bowl on December 27.
Cowboys head coach Mike Gundy took to Twitter on Thursday to announce the team captains for the bowl game.
Wide receiver John Paul Richardson and cowboy back Braden Cassity are the offensive captains, defensive end Brock Martin and safety Jason Taylor II are the defensive captains and kicker Tanner Brown, and long snapper Matt Hembrough are the special teams captains.
These six captains were voted by their teammates to hold this honor.
There’s a lot of combined experience in this group of Cowboys. Super senior Brock Martin has been with the program since the 2017 season and has made significant contributions in every season since 2018, including 2021 when he was tabbed first team All-Big 12 by the league’s coaches and second team by the AP. He also earned Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year honorable mentions.
A guy who’s dealt with and played through some serious injuries during his time in Stillwater, Martin finished the 2022 regular season with 37 total tackles, 26 of which were solo stops in 11 games. He also recorded 9.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, one fumble recovery and one pass break up.
When it comes to bowl games, Martin’s been very impactful as he’s combined for Eight total tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, one fumble recovery and two quarterback hurries. He missed the Texas Bowl against Texas A&M in 2019 with an injury and redshirted in 2017.
As for Jason Taylor II, it’s going to be difficult for someone to try and find a player who’s been more impactful while on the field than JT. The redshirt senior recorded an impressive 87 total tackles, 72 of which were solo stops, two tackles for loss, 1 whopping 13 pass break ups, one fumble recovery and six (!) interceptions. That’s up from the two he recorded in 2021.
This is a big honor for John Paul Richardson as I can’t imagine there have been too many true sophomores who have been voted as a team captain at the end of the year. The receiver out of Missouri City, TX, has played a big role since arriving on campus last year, having finished the regular season with 47 catches for 482 yards and four touchdowns. He was also a perfect 1-of-1 passing for 32 yards.
Braden Cassity came to Stillwater in 2018 as a defensive tackle, before being moved to the cowboy back position. He finished the season with five receptions for 57 yards but made most of his impact for the Cowboys as a blocker. He could come back as a super senior next year, a move which would greatly benefit the Pokes.
As for Tanner Brown, the Cowboys wouldn’t have had near the number of wins the past two season they did without the leg of Brown. He finished the 2022 regular season going 21-of-22 on field goals, with a long of 52, and a perfect 40-of-40 on extra points.
He also played a pivotal role in the Pokes’ historic comeback win over Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl last year, going 3-of-4 on field goals and a perfect 4-of-4 on extra points.
Brown wouldn’t have near as successful if it wasn’t for the perfect snaps from long snapper Matt Hembrough. Hembrough’s been the starting long snapper for the Pokes the past three seasons and has so far been perfect on all of his snaps. He’s also one of a handful of Cowboys who will get a shot in the NFL this spring, with most people believing he’ll have a long and productive career as a pro.