Kyle Whittingham Likens Oklahoma State and Utah Heading Into Season
LAS VEGAS, NV – With Big 12 Media Days in the rearview mirror, it’s time to speculate a bit more until the start of fall camp for Oklahoma State.
There are a handful of games on the Pokes’ upcoming schedule that you should have circled: Kansas State, West Virginia, even though I wouldn’t have believed you this time last year, definitely come to mind. I’m looking forward to seeing how Baylor, TCU and Texas Tech have hopefully improved from last season, as well as Colorado, but I wouldn’t say I have those games circled on July 11. Now, maybe in a few months, but we’ll see.
The one game I absolutely, positively have circled for the Pokes is their first Big 12 game of the season as they play host to Utah in the Utes’ first Big 12 game,
This will be a barometer game for both teams, especially according to Utah head coach, Kyle Whittingham.
“[Utah’s] first official Big 12 game will be against Oklahoma State,” Whittingham said at Big 12 Media Days. “Coach [Mike] Gundy has done a terrific job there, just competitive every single year. Fields quality football teams. They're tough, they're physical. Reminds me a lot of us. I think there's a lot of parallels between the two programs. I think myself and coach Gundy are weeks apart from when we took over these programs, so we both have been anomalies, I guess you could say, in our own respect. But it should be a hard-fought game. Never been to Stillwater. So, it will be a new experience for myself, and I'm sure very few, if any, of our players have been there. But we'll find out right away where we stand. They're a very good football team and looking forward to that opportunity.”
The game between the two programs is scheduled for September 21, and with how both teams are loaded at multiple positions, will most likely be a primetime game on one of the three major networks: ABC, CBS and ESPN. Heck, it’s possible we could see College Gameday in Stillwater.
It’s also a very real possibility one, if not both of these two teams, make the College Football Playoffs this season, with one of them hoisting the Big 12 Championship trophy at the end of the season.
The Cowboys return a multitude of talent across the board, starting with the one-two punch of quarterback Alan Bowman and running back Ollie Gordon, who will be playing by one of the most experienced offensive lines in the country. Bowman will be throwing to a talented group of receivers, comprised of Rashod Owens, De’Zhaun Stribling, Brennan Presley and Talyn Shettron among others. On the defensive side of the ball, Bryan Nardo returns a talented defensive line led by Collin Oliver, Kody Walterscheid, Collin Clay and Justin Kirkland, linebackers Nick Martin, Justin Wright and Kendal Daniels, cornerbacks Korie Black, Cam Smith and Kale Smith among others and safeties Lyrik Rawls, Cam Epps, Kobe Hylton, Trey Rucker, Dylan Smith and Raymond Gay among others.