Joseph Randle had a career game in Oklahoma State’s 61-34 season-opening win over Louisiana- Lafayette, running for 129 yards and a pair of touchdowns. His first 100-yard rushing game came in his first-ever start, and his two scores equaled his rushing total from his freshman year in 2010. Oklahoma State will need a whole lot more of that from Randle very soon. “He has to step up to that role now,” coach Mike Gundy said. “He has to be that guy that we lean on.” Gundy loved the versatility that Randle brought his offense last season with Kendall Hunter busy topping 1,500 yards for the second time in three years. Randle caught 37 passes for 427 yards and his lone receiving touchdown was a game-changer early on in a win over Texas A&M. Oklahoma’s DeMarco Murray was the only running back in the Big 12 with more receptions in 2010. But now, he’ll have to do everything. “We need him to make plays for us, we need him to protect well in our throwing game,” Gundy said
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OSU’s Randle bulking up his role, frame
Filed under Football by on Sep 8th, 2011. Comment. 
Yesterday, you saw our college football blog staff tab one player as the conference’s next household name, but what do you think? I pegged Texas A&M running back Christine Michael as the next player folks will know well, but here’s a few other suggestions. Vote in the poll for who you’re expecting to see a much bigger profile this time next year: Kenny Stills , WR, Oklahoma Stills caught 61 passes for 786 yards last year as a true freshman, the most of any freshman in Oklahoma history, even with the nation’s leader (131) in receptions, Ryan Broyles , across from him on the field. He’s got one of the best quarterbacks in the league tossing him the ball, and he’ll be back in 2011 with a year of experience under his belt. James Franklin , QB, Missouri Franklin is the key to Missouri’s rise in 2011. If he plays well, the Tigers should be a strong contender for the Big 12 title, something Blaine Gabbert, Chase Daniel and Brad Smith could never win. This Tigers team might be the best under Gary Pinkel, but there’s a gaping hole at quarterback where Gabbert used to be. Will Franklin fill it and become a star as the next in a long line of Missouri quarterbacks. Joseph Randle , RB, Oklahoma State Randle caught more passes last year than any running back in the league, other than Oklahoma’s DeMarco Murray, and figured to be a big piece of the backfield set to replace Kendall Hunter, who rushed for over 1,500 yards for the second time in his career last season. Randle has the advantage of a passing game that will require tons of attention and the Big 12’s best offensive line. Will he hold off Jeremy Smith and become a 1,000-yard rusher? Seth Doege , QB, Texas Tech Doege, a junior, hasn’t been a full-time starter since his sophomore year of high school, but Texas Tech stayed committed to him through a pair of serious knee injuries, and Doege has done the same. Now, he’ll get a chance to do what he grew up wanting to do, carry on the Texas Tech quarterback legacy that guys like Graham Harrell and Kliff Kingsbury helped build. He’ll do it under a different coach, but can he still produce the big numbers? Malcolm Brown, RB, Texas Brown hasn’t even gone through a practice yet, but hopes are high for the incoming freshman who was the nation’s No. 7 recruit in the 2011 class. The Cibolo, Texas, native runs with big power and if Texas’ offensive line can give him a few holes, should be able to punish defenders with his downhill style. A year from now, will he be the first 1,000-yard rusher at Texas since Jamaal Charles? Anyone else deserve some consideration?
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Who is the Big 12’s NEXT big star?
Filed under Football by on Jul 19th, 2011. Comment.
Oklahoma State won a school-record 11 games last season, which only fuels fan desires for even more victories. They’ve tasted it, you might say, and were a few bounces away from the program’s first Big 12 Championship appearance. So what’s in store for the encore? KC Joyner says the Cowboys are one of his five teams that may be headed for a significant drop-off next season. You’ll need ESPN Insider access to read the whole thing, but here’s what Joyner has to say about Boone’s Boys. Offensive hurdle: The Cowboys’ offense will be going through more adjustments than a team that is replacing two starters normally would. Oklahoma State lost its offensive coordinator (Dana Holgorsen, now the head coach at West Virginia), an All-American running back (Kendall Hunter) and its No. 3 wideout ( Bo Bowling ). Defensive hurdle: Oklahoma State’s defense faced more plays from scrimmage than any other team in the Big 12 last year (1,069). Because the Cowboys’ offensive game plan this season figures to be as fast-paced as the one Holgorsen called in 2010, it means that the six new starters on this side of the ball will have their endurance tested quite often. X factor: Oklahoma State was the only Big 12 team to finish the 2010 season with a turnover margin of even or better in every conference contest. That feat will be hard to replicate. Joyner makes plenty of interesting points that aren’t quite so obvious, namely the increased impact of turnover on the defensive side of the ball for teams with high-paced offenses. I don’t see the Bowling loss as a big one; Josh Cooper can fill his role as long as he stays healthy, and I see Hubert Anyiam stepping in for a big season opposite Justin Blackmon . The turnover advantages may make last season’s accomplishments seem suspect, but Oklahoma State didn’t play many close games where turnovers might have shifted the entire game, similar to what Texas experienced in 2010. The season-defining Thursday night win over Texas A&M was the most obvious example (OSU won the turnover battle 5-3, and the game on a last-second field goal set up by, yes, a turnover), but the rest of the wins? Oklahoma State won just one other game by single digits, an early season near disaster against Troy. The only other remotely close game was a 24-14 road win over Kansas State, but the Cowboys were forced to play without the Big 12’s best player in 2010: Blackmon. So, this isn’t Michigan State in 2010 or Iowa in 2009 we’re talking about, i.e. teams hanging on with late heroics to win tight games. But what do you think? Is Oklahoma State headed for a drop-off? Vote in our poll.
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Is Oklahoma State headed for a drop-off?
Filed under Football, News by on Jun 22nd, 2011. Comment.
The best players in football play with something to prove. But some have more to prove than others. Tevin Elliot, DE, Baylor Elliot is raw, but the versatile 6-foot-2, 245-pounder led the Bears in sacks as a freshman, with five. Baylor’s defense held the team back from achieving much more than a bowl appearance last year, but Elliot could be a big piece of a defensive resurgence under Phil Bennett in 2011. A disruptive pass rush would be a huge help to a pass defense that struggled last season, and one player can make that happen. Can Elliot prove he’s the guy to do it and help push the team further than the seven wins it reached in 2010? Huldon Tharp, LB, Kansas Tharp showed tons of promise as a freshman, making 59 tackles and landing on a freshman All-America team. He looked like he’d be one of the leaders on Turner Gill’s first defense at Kansas, but his season cruelly ended in fall camp with a leg injury. Can he prove in 2011 that he’s that leader, and that there’s still reason to believe the potential he showed in 2009 is there? James Franklin , QB, Missouri The pressure is on for Franklin to continue Missouri’s quarterback lineage after Tyler Gabbert transferred following the spring semester . Brad Smith started it, Chase Daniel took the Tigers to new heights and Blaine Gabbert looks like he’ll make the biggest impact of the three in the NFL. Where is Franklin’s place? This could be his team for the next three years, but he’ll step into his new role with one of the Big 12’s most complete teams surrounding him. He has sure-handed receivers, a solid running game, an experienced offensive line and one of the league’s best defenses. Can he fill the void and help Missouri contend for a Big 12 title, proving that the bloodline will continue? Hubert Anyiam , WR, Oklahoma State Anyiam might be the guy who truly makes Oklahoma State’s offense unstoppable. He led Oklahoma State in receptions during Dez Bryant’s abbreviated 2009 season, catching 42 passes for 513 yards and three scores as a sophomore. Last year, though, he never got started and finished with 11 catches for 135 yards, thanks to an ankle injury similar to the one that ruined Kendall Hunter’s 2009 season. The 6-foot, 198-pounder has the potential to be a second game-changing receiver in the Cowboys offense, but can he return to 2009 form and prove he’s a dangerous complement to Biletnikoff Award winner Justin Blackmon ? Ryan Tannehill , QB, Texas A&M Tannehill was a big reason for the Aggies’ six-game winning streak to close the regular season, but so was Cyrus Gray ’s emergence, a rapidly maturing offensive line and a defense that played its best football in the second half of the season. All the pieces are there for Tannehill to lead the Aggies to the BCS, but last year it was obvious: without good quarterback play, the Aggies were not a great team.
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Big 12 players with the most to prove
Filed under Football by on Jun 8th, 2011. Comment.
We’ll kick off our polls with a look at which players across the league leave behind the biggest voids. Lots of big names stuck around for 2011, but others will take their talents to the NFL next season. Von Miller is the only defensive player on the list, but can Texas A&M find a way to replace his one-of-a-kind combination of size and speed? Kendall Hunter was a constant for the Cowboys last year, running for 100 yards nine times in 2010. Can Jeremy Smith and Joseph Randle fill in? Blaine Gabbert left early, and his younger brother transferred earlier this week. Is James Franklin the answer? DeMarco Murray scored more touchdowns than any player in Oklahoma history. Will the Sooners’ committee approach to replacing him be enough to prevent a drop-off? Despite having a struggling passing game, Daniel Thomas led the Big 12 in carries and rushing yards the last two seasons. Can Bill Snyder’s team get back to a bowl game behind Bryce Brown and John Hubert ? Which player will be the toughest to replace?
Filed under Football by on May 12th, 2011. Comment.
And it wasn’t just that they couldn’t stop powerful downhill runners like Kansas State’s Daniel Thomas, Oklahoma State’s Kendall Hunter or Texas A&M’s Cyrus Gray. The Longhorns’ defensive line couldn’t stop UCLA , who ran for 264 yards against Texas or… Source: Dallas Morning News – Blogs
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Longhorns’ defensive line outlook: Texas needs to stop the run in 2011
Filed under News by on May 10th, 2011. Comment.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — It’s early, real early, this spring for West Virginia, which began practice later than any Big East team. But one thing seems pretty clear in the initial going: the Mountaineers have a wide-open competition at running back. This is something new around these parts, as West Virginia could count on Noel Devine and Steve Slaton before him to claim the ball-carrying load for the past several years. With a new offensive system and different types of backs on the roster this year, though, that position looks uncertain. “I have not seen that Noel Devine or that Steve Slaton guy,” head coach Bill Stewart said. “I have not seen that jump cut. Is it there? We’ll see. But I haven’t seen it yet.” The most experienced running backs on the team are 230-pound Ryan Clarke , 220-pound Shawne Alston and 235-pound Matt Lindamood . Those aren’t the types of runners that Dana Holgorsen is used to using in his spread offense. “The main back has always been a little quicker, a shiftier guy,” Holgorsen said. “Someone who can get involved in the passing game, get the ball out in space and go score.” Kendall Hunter , who ran for more than 1,500 yards under Holgorsen last season at Oklahoma State, was a 200-pounder. He coached smaller, quicker backs at both Houston and Texas Tech before that. Holgorsen will adapt his offense to his personnel — see his three-back, diamond formation last season at Oklahoma State — and West Virginia will be able to throw some serious power looks at teams with Clarke, Austin, Lindamood and even Tyler Urban , who will see some time in the backfield as the tight end is phased out. But it seems likely that a younger, more fleet-footed tailback will get some opportunities in an offense based on speed. “A guy like Daquan Hargrett or a Trey Johnson , those guys have got a chance to see the field and touch the ball a lot more than they did last year,” Holgorsen said. “That doesn’t mean we’re giving up on Alston and Clarke.” The Mountaineers will also bring in two shiftier players this summer in highly-regarded running back prospect Andrew Buie, a 190-pounder, and highly-productive Texas high school runner Dustin Garrison, who measures 5-foot-8 and 160. Both could see some action right away, just as Slaton and Devine did as true freshmen. It might be until the summer, at least, before West Virginia discovers the heir to those former stars.
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West Virginia searching for top tailback
Filed under Football by on Apr 5th, 2011. Comment.
Dana Holgorsen’s stay in Stillwater is officially a short one. The former Cowboys offensive coordinator will be West Virginia’s offensive coordinator in 2011 before taking over for Bill Stewart as head coach in 2012. “I think the transition year for coach Holgorsen will be very beneficial to the football program, and the opportunity to learn from coach Bill Stewart should not be underestimated,” West Virginia athletics director Oliver Luck said in a release. “Coach Holgorsen is one of the top coaches in college football. His success at Texas Tech, Houston and Oklahoma State speaks for itself. We know that coach Holgorsen will bring a high-powered offense that will be incredibly entertaining to watch at Milan Puskar Stadium.” Holgorsen, a finalist for the 2010 Broyles Award as college football’s top assistant coach, helped Oklahoma State rank third nationally in scoring offense and first nationally in total offense in his first and only season with the Cowboys. Quarterback Brandon Weeden , running back Kendall Hunter and receiver Justin Blackmon were only the second trio in NCAA history with at least 3,000 passing yards, 1,5000 rushing yards and 1,500 receiving yards in the same season. “I look forward to the opportunity to join West Virginia University as offensive coordinator for the 2011 season,” Holgorsen said in a statement. “It will be a privilege to work alongside two great football coaches in Bill Stewart and Jeff Casteel. Naturally, I am excited about succeeding coach Stewart in 2012 and becoming the head coach of the Mountaineers and leading the West Virginia football program to even greater heights. My goal is to win a national championship at West Virginia University, and I firmly believe that coach Stewart has built a solid foundation, which will allow us to compete with the very best in the country.” After Holgorsen takes over as head coach in 2012, Stewart will remain at West Virginia in an administrative role.
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Holgorsen officially headed to West Virginia
Filed under Football by on Dec 15th, 2010. Comment.
There were definitely plenty of tough calls in this group, and a lot of deserving guys who got left off, but here is my All-Big 12 team for the 2010 season. For reference, here is how the media voted , and how the coaches voted. OFFENSE QB: Brandon Weeden , Oklahoma State RB: Kendall Hunter , Oklahoma State RB: Daniel Thomas , Kansas State WR: Justin Blackmon , Oklahoma State WR: Ryan Broyles , Oklahoma TE: Michael Egnew , Missouri C: Tim Barnes, Missouri OL: Levy Adcock, Oklahoma State OL: Nate Solder, Colorado OL: Ricky Henry, Nebraska OL: Danny Watkins, Baylor DEFENSE DE: Jeremy Beal, Oklahoma DT: Jared Crick, Nebraska DT: Lucas Patterson, Texas A&M DE: Sam Acho, Texas LB: Von Miller, Texas A&M LB: Lavonte David, Nebraska LB: Orie Lemon, Oklahoma State CB: Prince Amukamara, Nebraska CB: Alfonzo Dennard, Nebraska S: Quinton Carter, Oklahoma S: Byron Landor, Baylor SPECIALISTS P: Quinn Sharp, Oklahoma State K: Alex Henery, Nebraska KR: Coryell Judie, Texas A&M PR: Niles Paul , Nebraska I’ll stop short of listing who I had to snub on my own team, but the easiest positions for me to pick were receiver, linebacker, kicker and tight end. The most difficult were cornerback, kick returner, safety, defensive tackle and quarterback. Here’s how it shook out by team: 1. Nebraska (7) 2. Oklahoma State (6) 3. Texas A&M (3) 3. Oklahoma (3) 5. Missouri (2) 5. Baylor (2) 7. Texas (1) 7. Kansas State (1) 7. Colorado (1) 10. Kansas (0) 10. Iowa State (0) 10. Texas Tech (0)
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ESPN.com’s All-Big 12 team
Filed under Football by on Dec 8th, 2010. Comment.
Early in the season, Oklahoma State trailed at halftime to Louisiana-Lafayette, Troy and Texas A&M. They came back to win all three games, including a 31-point second half that resulted in a last-second win against the Aggies. The Cowboys don’t need a comeback in this one, but after a lackluster first half, might be ready for another big half with a 20-14 lead against Kansas, whose only conference win came against Colorado two weeks ago. Unlike in the win against Texas A&M, the offense has played well. Brandon Weeden has completed 14-of-20 passes for 189 yards and a touchdown. Kendall Hunter has 85 yards on the ground and Justin Blackmon has caught four passes for 76 yards. The biggest reason the Cowboys only have 20 points has been a string of long drives from Kansas, as well as having to settle for field goals deep in Kansas territory. That solid play by the offense should continue, but any impressive margin of victory in the second half is going to have to be spurred by the defense, which has been unable to get the Jayhawks off the field, giving up a staggering 15 first downs and 224 yards of offense.
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OSU needs second-half selves to show up
Filed under Football by on Nov 20th, 2010. Comment.
