Dunn: Offense Has Got Much More Out of this Spring

STILLWATER – We’ll get into this topic on another day, but it was interesting when one reporter on Monday asked Kasey Dunn how tough last season was with all of the injuries. As part of the Oklahoma State radio crew, we met with Dunn and then defensive coordinator Derek Mason every Thursday and because of injuries those meetings the second half of the season were painful and usually started with which players were available that week. 

Bruce Waterfield/OSU Athletics

Dunn in his favorite cap with assistant strength coach Gary Calcagno.

Injuries hampered the Cowboys last spring. Spring started with roughly nine healthy offensive linemen capable of playing in offensive work and not scout team duty. This spring there are more than 15 of those capable offensive linemen meaning the offense could rep the three full offensive units that head coach Mike Gundy and Dunn always want to do in the spring.

"This year, we're running all the way through threes. That makes a difference for everybody,” said an enthusiastic Dunn, “Everybody's getting a lot more snaps. Last year, we were spoon feeding the offense because we could only really run one group, maybe one and a half… We're not doing that now; we've got more bodies out there. We're deeper at receiver, deeper at backs, obviously deeper at tight ends.”

It’s nice to have tight ends and large ones rather than the hybrid Cowboy back. The Cowboys have those in-line tight ends and are back to power run game schemes that are also fun. Guess what those tight ends are fun for the quarterbacks to throw to, four quarterbacks that are getting a decent number of reps.

Jerod Hill/OSU Athletics

Bowman cuts loose behind the offensive line.

“We're actually deeper at quarterback,” Dunn explained. “We lost Spencer (Sanders) but we got (Alan) Bowman in, any eye for an eye. Now the other quarterbacks, two guys (Garret Rangel and Gunnar Gundy) that have had experience helps us. Zane (Flores-freshman) is back there taking his first reps. We're going to have veteran guys stepping up that have been in there and called games, and been in games, been hit before and gotten up and gone another play. We're going to have those, and it's nice to have. It's nice thinking about having that coming up for the fall." 

Jerod Hill/OSU Athletics

Gunnar Gundy (12) hands to Jaden Nixon.

The quarterback competition will continue through the summer and will go into fall camp.

“In that position room it says ‘compete,’” Dunn said. “I like that competition will make them all better.”

The reps have made everybody better, a stacked group of receivers, a trio of talented running backs, and all of those offensive linemen. We will hit up with Dunn and defensive coordinator Bryan Nardo on so much more. Right now, there are two more practices before the spring is complete and while there has been so much team work and reps and not a single true scrimmage, there are thoughts that scrimmage could happen on the final practice day on Saturday with an expected eight recruits in for official visits.

More to do for Dunn and the Cowboys.