Turnovers Key to Cowboy Win:
Jury Still Out on the Pokes
Stillwater - Contrary to popular belief by some Oklahoma State “insiders”, Mike Gundy led the Oklahoma State Cowboys onto Lewis Field Thursday evening wearing all black uniforms for the first time since the Pokes faced Colorado in a Thursday night game, that, oddly enough, saw now quarterback Brandon Weeden take over for an injured Zach Robinson and lead the Cowboys to a come-from-behind 11 point deficit for the win.
On September 30, 2010, no back-up quarterback would need to step in for Weeden, but his team did trail their Texas A & M rivals 21-7 going into halftime after Weeden committed all three Cowboy turnovers with a fumble and two interceptions.
“There’s areas where we have to improve in. We have to do a better job taking care of the ball,” Gundy said about his team’s turnovers. “Offensively, we started really, really slow and we put ourselves in a difficult situation.”
During that halftime period, Weeden told his team, “I told the [offensive] line, ‘We are going to win this football game, just give me time and we are going to make throws and they are going to make catches. This game isn't over, we have a lot of football left.’”
The second half saw the Cowboys come out with a fire and determination that the Pokes obviously lacked in the opening periods of the game. That preparedness and readiness to play hard and fight back without giving in proved to be the difference in the game.
The Poke defense allowed Aggie quarterback Jerrod Johnson to pass for 135 yards and 3 scores in the first half, but picked him off twice, stopping what very well could have been 14 more Aggie points Sherman’s group left on the field at the half.
While the OSU’s defense allowed the Aggies to gain 535 yards on 106 offensive plays - a record for most plays in a single game by A & M - the Pokes would force 3 additional turnovers from Johnson and stuff a fourth-and-one rushing attempt from Christine Michael on the OSU 32.
The difference in the game came down to the Aggies inability to force any more Cowboy turnovers, a true freshman making his mark on the game on the Aggies’ last drive of the game, and a clutch field goal kicker’s accurate leg.
But don’t think for a moment that this Cowboy’s staff will be content to simply let the offense bail out the defense as the team has relied on in the past. "Obviously we have a long way to go and a lot of improving to do, but it is a win.” Cowboy defensive coordinator Bill Young said after the game. “We are going to relish it, keep working hard, move on and try to get better."
Coach Gundy also weighed in on the Cowboy struggles on defense after the game, showing his disdain for the way some members of the Cowboy team were playing and acting during the first half’s action.
“When we got down 14, I was a little disappointed because I thought that we we’re showing signs of being weak. We had some guys that were limping and guys that had their head down, “ Gundy said, “We made a big point of that in the locker room at halftime because no matter what happens in a game, we’re not going to show signs of being fatigued or weak.”
It is this type of mindset that has helped lead the Pokes to a 4-0 start and what can only be labeled as a big win for the team as they appeared on national television as the marquee match-up - albeit the only - of the evening against the Big XII’s pre-season offensive and defensive players of the year.
Gundy and his squad were able to showcase the Cowboy football program to fans, alumni, general fans, recruits, etc. And don’t think for a moment these facts were spared on the staff, per Gundy’s opening statement to the media post-game.
“We did ESPN some justice on the ratings. It was quite a game.”
That it was for the Pokes. This game saw 73 combined points, a Cowboy team that shut down all-conference linebacker Von Miller and continually harassed and forced Jerrod Johnson into 5 total turnovers, showcased what should be an all-conference selection in receiver Justin Blackmon and proved yet again that - in most college football games - the team that wins the turnover battle will win.
Speaking of turnovers, there will likely be none better for the Cowboys the entire season than the one true freshman linebacker Shaun Lewis recorded with only 16 seconds to play as the game seemed sure for either an overtime or possible pong field goal attempt from A & M.
Johnson dropped back on a second-and-seven from the A & M 46. When he tossed the ball, he failed to notice Lewis dropping back into coverage over the middle. Lewis had made the right call to drop to his left and was in perfect position to make the pick.
In true rookie style, Lewis began to run back the ball and instead of keeping his feet, the freshman went down seemingly untouched at the A & M 40. It was of no consequence for the Pokes as they would pick up 17 yards on two plays in just 15 seconds.
As A & M’s Sherman attempted to ice senior kicker Dan Bailey, Gundy had some instruction for him as he trotted out to give the Cowboys the win: “I just told him to keep his head down, “ Gundy said, “Every once in a while he’ll peek in practice some, but if he keeps his head down – he’s a veteran and experienced – we expect him to make it, and he expects to make it.”
And make it he did, splitting the uprights with ease, lifting the Cowboys to their 4th win of the season keeping the Cowboys perfect and giving Coach Gundy his 40th win as Head Coach.
There is still yet more to learn about the Cowboys in the coming weeks.
The Pokes will take their game on the road for the first time this season on October 8th to Lafayette, Louisiana for a tilt with the Cajuns, then they will face a team on the road that they have not beat outside of Stillwater in 66 years: Texas Tech.
Other tests this season will include a bout with current Big XII heavyweight and top ten ranked Nebraska at home on October 23rd, trips to Kansas-State and Texas on October 30th and November 13th, respectively. And lastly, the annual Bedlam game with OU on November 27th.
If the Cowboys can clean up their pass coverage skills on defense and continue the opportunistic play they have exhibited over the last two games on defense throughout these upcoming tests, Gundy’s team might be ripe for a Big XII South Division push of perennial powers Oklahoma and Texas. Falter in two or more of those four games, and the Pokes will find themselves back in the middle of the south division yet again, something many expected going into the season with the losses of key players off of last year’s 9-4 group that lost in the Cotton Bowl Game.
Mark me down as one that feels the jury is still out on these Cowboys.
What was proved on Thursday evening was that: Texas A & M quarterback Jerrod Johnson is not fully recovered from shoulder surgery over this past offseason; Brandon Weeden, when given time, can find open receivers; Kendall Hunter is still very capable of rushing for over 100 yards per game against tough defenses; Justin Blackmon is developing into an all-conference type receiver akin to names like Bryant and Woods; and it proved that this young, inexperienced team is growing.
They got the win in the way that will be most conducive for this team to go back, study the film and learn from their mistakes, and there is clearly more work that needs to be done on both sides of the ball. What should make those things a bit easier to fix might be the hunger and desire of such an overall young team experiencing success on the field in front of family and fans, any way they can get the “W”.
For me, Coach Gundy couldn’t have wrapped it up any better, saying, “We have a lot of areas to improve, but for those young men to find a way to win a game was the most important part of it. I firmly believe that winning this game will do more for us than winning 65-10.”
For more NCAA and high school football coverage, check out my blog at http://footballimp.blogspot.com, or email me at brett_t_hill@hotmail.com.
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