A Must Read over the Texas Game

[CoachOSU]

We got dominated in every aspect of the game... Offense, defense, special teams, coaching...

We don't deserve to be considered a Big 12 Championship contender... We just don't have the athlete's or the attitude to show up and compete with the Texas's and OU's of the world... FOLKS WE ARE A LITTLE ABOVE AVERAGE TEAM..

I know I am speaking out of frustration.. but we didn't even show up and act like we wanted to play...

We had the opportunity to show up and really show what we were made of and we couldn't even be competitive on National TV in our stadium ...

Congrads Texas... you deserve to be in the National Title game.... We are going to be a mid level team and we will never be anything more....

Sorry if this offends some posters but the truth hurts... we just can't keep up with the better teams in the conference...

Alamo Bowl again it seems.... wow we got put in our place.

[Verb]

You can't judge our team just on tonight. Until this game, they have been valiant against all KINDS of terrible luck, including the loss of two of our three stars. This game just snowballed against them. (And that bad call on Andre Sexton's strip was a game-changer.) Those who are saying we won't win another game are just being psychotic.

[GoPokes83]

You can't judge our team just on tonight. Until this game, they have been valiant against all KINDS of terrible luck, including the loss of two of our three stars. This game just snowballed against them. (And that bad call on Andre Sexton's strip was a game-changer.) Those who are saying we won't win another game are just being psychotic.


This is the second true quality team we've faced. We may save Haskins job at Colorado.

[Verb]

We'll just see.

[GoPokes83]

True, but as painful as it is to say, TTU and the land thieves look a class above right now.

[MemphisPoke]

True, but as painful as it is to say, TTU and the land thieves look a class above right now.


Yep.

[wood911]

True, but as painful as it is to say, TTU and the land thieves look a class above right now.
Respectfully disagree. We are on par with OU and TTU, Texas is better and got on a roll. We had to have some things work to win and they didn't. Things went against us, some of our own making, some just bad luck or calls. Zac had a pretty baad game. He won't do that often. We're a top 25 team, just not a to 10 team. We shoulf breat Tech at home and probably have our hands full with OU in Norman but he game is winnable. We should be favored in the others. We still have a shot at 10-2.

[okstate1]

Respectfully disagree. We are on par with OU and TTU, Texas is better and got on a roll. We had to have some things work to win and they didn't. Things went against us, some of our own making, some just bad luck or calls. Zac had a pretty baad game. He won't do that often. We're a top 25 team, just not a to 10 team. We shoulf breat Tech at home and probably have our hands full with OU in Norman but he game is winnable. We should be favored in the others. We still have a shot at 10-2.


I think 9-3 is more attainable...I just don't see us beating OU in Norman...their defense is as good, if not better than UTs.

[wood911]

I think 9-3 is more attainable...I just don't see us beating OU in Norman...their defense is as good, if not better than UTs.

You're right, but we still have a shot at 10-2:orangeaid: If the ball bounces just right anything can happen. We only gave up 275 yards tonight(we had 277 on offense). Four turnovers killed us. If we get four turnovers, we can beat anybody.

[Verb]

I don't see us imploding like this again. It was like that Troy game all over again. Every possible thing went wrong, and it broke our backs. It won't go like that again.

[okstate1]

I don't see us imploding like this again. It was like that Troy game all over again. Every possible thing went wrong, and it broke our backs. It won't go like that again.

As long as we don't have a letdown from this game...we can't afford for it have a carry over effect on the team...they have to learn from it and move on.

[Cowboy]

We'll finish 8-4 for this season. I can feel it.

[wood911]

I don't see us imploding like this again. It was like that Troy game all over again. Every possible thing went wrong, and it broke our backs. It won't go like that again.

or the Houston game this year. Both UT and UH both winnable but not with a bunch of turnovers. Even after the bad first half, I thought Mike would muster the troops and make a showing in the second half. It just never hapened.

[Verb]

Well, 8 and 4 without Dez and Hunter is acceptable to me. In fact, I think it would be a pretty good accomplishment. All those predictions for our great year were WITH our "three aces." Now our hand has one ace.

[Cowboy]

Well, 8 and 4 without Dez and Hunter is acceptable to me. In fact, I think it would be a pretty good accomplishment. All those predictions for our great year were WITH our "three aces." Now our hand has one ace.

Do you mean we have been laying down our cards in public? May be we should learn to bluff TT, UO into folding. :cool-smiley-027:

[wood911]

Well, 8 and 4 without Dez and Hunter is acceptable to me. In fact, I think it would be a pretty good accomplishment. All those predictions for our great year were WITH our "three aces." Now our hand has one ace.

I think 8-4 is good also. But I hope for better and think we can do better, if the ball bounces right we can go 10-2.:orangeaid:

[Verb]

Do you mean we have been laying down our cards in public? May be we should learn to bluff TT, UO into folding. :cool-smiley-027:

I always did suck at poker.

[superpoke]

I'll be sick if we lose to Texas Tech. They're very mediocre.

OU is beatable; as beatable as they've been in some time. Problem is, after seeing tonight, I don't know if we have the heart to take that game. We got hit in the mouth and folded tonight.

I think we end up back in San Diego....only this time, we get the USC experience. :vomit-smiley-001:

[OKState918]

We are going to be a mid level team and we will never be anything more....

I'm glad I don't play for you.

[Cowboy]

Well, 8-4 is not too bad for me. We end up with a bowl game anyway. Our season has been roughened up by adversities, the NCAA's ruling and an injury so far, what else? Honestly, the moment I heard about Dez and Kendall I thought we are dead!! But God! our depth is still good and they can play!

I'm so drunk now damn it. I should stop.

[GoPokes83]

I think the goons in the motor mile is as tough or tougher than ut in BPS.

[jbug]

8-4 seems likely now.... but as one of the posters noted....just disappointed in that the team got kicked in the mouth then couldn't man/cowboy up , get mad and take it back at them. Texas had the best 22 players on the field for O and D ...we had spot equals but not near enough. Will we ever get there at that level so we can do as Mac says ' we just have to evaluate the kids because numerous good ones want to be horns'... my answer to that is ...NO

We are always going to have to work to get 25 real good ones each year. Just hope our coaches don't give and that they keep on trying to improve our talent base.

I think Zac played awful or scared last night. Plus two dropped TD passes and some Zebra bad calls (two) likely didn't help. Had the calls not happened or gone our way and the two touches held, I do think the game would have been more like 28- 34 ...which would not have made us look nearly as bad as the arse kickin' we ended up with. This will hurt us in the polls (book it because ou will even go ahead of us, again). We need our kids to get mad and play that that way, mad and tough!

[OSUFan]

OSU had to play a flawless game. They didn't and got whooped. I'm just upset with myself for believing the hype and thinking OSU had a legitimate chance to win. 8-4 sounds about right with me but this team could lose to Iowa State if they don't get their act together.

[CoachOSU]

First of all... OkState you don't know me and you don't know anything about my job performance.... so don't make comments about how I do my job or the effectiveness of how I do my job...

I don't come to your job and tell everyone how I am glad I don't work with you... AND I don't do it over the internet to a group of people that I enjoy posting with...

If you want to rip on my thoughts or post then please do... but if you want to insult me as a coach, then we have some issues.... I wouldn't insult you or your job... so I ask you only once nicely to not do that to me....

Any coach (even bad ones like me) just wants their players to be competitive and compete at all times.. we did not do that tonight.

We had the chance to show what we were made of, ON NATIONAL TV AND AT HOME, and we folded the tents when we got behind... THAT IS NOT A CHAMPIONSHIP type team...

Champions fight to the end, champions come up in a tense situation, champions go through all distractions and injuries to still compete and win.... GUYS WE ARE NOT A CHAMPIONSHIP QUALITY TEAM... I don't have any hard time saying that...

We are an above average team... and that is where we have always been... when we lose out on recruiting to OU/Texas every year then we usually will lose to them on the field...

Recuriting and mentality go along way in winning championships and so far we just can't compete in those areas...
Sure we can be a 8-4, 7-5 team ever year and go to a mid level bowl... but sometimes you just hope for more...


I am not ripping the players, coaches, university... I will always support and love my OSU... but sometimes you have to take off the orange tinted glasses and see that we can't show up in pressure situations and perform with the "elite" teams...

We have beaten- A less that good UGA team, Baylor, A bad Missouri team, A so-so A&M team, a bad Rice team... And lost to the quality teams so far.. Houston and Texas... THAT MAKES US AVERAGE... HAVE I SAID SOMETHING NOT TRUE SO FAR?

We just have not stepped up in big situations lately and got embarrased on our home field...THAT IS ALL I WAS SAYING... THE FACTS DON'T LIE... I would take a loss to Texas if we had played our hearts out.. but we didn't and we just acted like we expected them to win.

[JimBob]

First of all... OkState you don't know me and you don't know anything about my job performance.... so don't make comments about how I do my job or the effectiveness of how I do my job...

I don't come to your job and tell everyone how I am glad I don't work with you... AND I don't do it over the internet to a group of people that I enjoy posting with...

If you want to rip on my thoughts or post then please do... but if you want to insult me as a coach, then we have some issues.... I wouldn't insult you or your job... so I ask you only once nicely to not do that to me....

Any coach (even bad ones like me) just wants their players to be competitive and compete at all times.. we did not do that tonight.

We had the chance to show what we were made of, ON NATIONAL TV AND AT HOME, and we folded the tents when we got behind... THAT IS NOT A CHAMPIONSHIP type team...

Champions fight to the end, champions come up in a tense situation, champions go through all distractions and injuries to still compete and win.... GUYS WE ARE NOT A CHAMPIONSHIP QUALITY TEAM... I don't have any hard time saying that...

We are an above average team... and that is where we have always been... when we lose out on recruiting to OU/Texas every year then we usually will lose to them on the field...

Recuriting and mentality go along way in winning championships and so far we just can't compete in those areas...
Sure we can be a 8-4, 7-5 team ever year and go to a mid level bowl... but sometimes you just hope for more...


I am not ripping the players, coaches, university... I will always support and love my OSU... but sometimes you have to take off the orange tinted glasses and see that we can't show up in pressure situations and perform with the "elite" teams...

We have beaten- A less that good UGA team, Baylor, A bad Missouri team, A so-so A&M team, a bad Rice team... And lost to the quality teams so far.. Houston and Texas... THAT MAKES US AVERAGE... HAVE I SAID SOMETHING NOT TRUE SO FAR?

We just have not stepped up in big situations lately and got embarrased on our home field...THAT IS ALL I WAS SAYING... THE FACTS DON'T LIE... I would take a loss to Texas if we had played our hearts out.. but we didn't and we just acted like we expected them to win.

Amen!!

[GoPokes83]

We were in a tough spot. Anyiam looked star struck in the first half, dropped pass after dropped pass. Gundy kept running it up the middle, which was working OK, but you just can't keep doing that against a team like ut. Either they catch on to your plays, which they did, or you wear your own guys out, which we did. Gundy didn't adapt to the horns or our weaknesses, it's one of his flaws.

Our first drive was near perfect, we kept the horns offense off the field, mixed things up enough to continually gain ground. But of course then we can't score. Then we throw interceptions, then we fumble.... Oh the humanity!

I actually think our defense played well for the most part, our offensive line was outstanding on pass protection. I think Robinson was the best he's been all year. He didn't hesitate to run, his passes for the most part were good but dropped. But he was trying to make up too much ground single handedly, and that's going to force your passes which results in turnovers. Toston's a machine! Anyiam came around too late but he showed up.

UT was just a better team in all aspects. ALL aspects. This is Cowboy football. Remember last year we lost our last five games once the patsy's were off the schedule? We're good enough for a lower tier bowl, that's about it.

AND.. I'm no conspiracy freak, but the officials were so obviously slanted towards UT that it was indeed sickening.

[GoPokes83]

I'm glad I don't play for you.

And THAT is a messed up comment.

[OSUFan]

Coach,

I think what we have to hope for is for one of those 8-4 or 7-5 seasons turn into an 10-2, 11-1 or 12-0 seasons. It will be one of those rare things that happen but it can happen if the team stays healthy and OSU gets breaks along the lines.

Right now, we will see how resilient the team is. They can bounce back and win the next three before playing ou or they can tank the season. We will see.

[GoPokes83]

And THAT is a messed up comment.

Sorry.....

[OKState918]

I stand by what I said.

It's OK to be disappointed. It's OK to be frustrated. It's OK to be disgusted. It's OK to be mad.

That said, it's not OK to completely give up on the team you claim to support and, furthermore, to write them and the program off as a bunch of never-beens and never-will-be's.

[mt_goat]

....We are going to be a mid level team and we will never be anything more....

Wow, never??? :huh2: Never say never, we just got our WEZ finished this year.

[CaliforniaCowboy]

I think you're wrong coach.

We had some kids that did not step up when called, but we did not get dominated in every aspect of the game.

Have you even looked at that stat sheet?

We had MORE total yards, more rushing yards, almost the same passing yards, first downs were essentially the same, 3rd down efficiency was essentially the same....

Here's the sitch:

Our young WRs dropped some key balls right in their hands.
Our FG kicker missed
Our QB tried to force the game and got picked 4 times.

End of story. End of game.

any of a number of plays could have ended differently and you would not be total meltdown.

Texas had one receiving TD and 2 rushing TDs, we had 1 and 1. Texas made two FGs, we went 0/1.

We held them to fewer FDs and fewer total yards, and fewer rushing yards than OU did.


We had 5 turnovers and lost badly to a good team; not much different than 5 turnovers and a close loss to a decent Houston. We rebounded nicely from the Houston loss, and we have a pretty easy road ahead of us with ISU and CU.

I don't really know why your in a panic.

[GoPokes83]

I see what Coach is saying. It's not about this year, it's about our situation as a whole.

We'd need 3-5 years of winning the South to be able to consistently draw the caliber of players needed to stay on top. One freak season would help, but would not be enough to drive the recruiting momentum needed to be a top team. At this point Ut can still sign better players as backups just to keep someone else from getting them than we can as starters. So can the goon squad to a much lesser extent. Those are going to be tough hurdles to ever overcome.

I mean, how many kids did that televised Hindenburg explosion last night lose us? I hate to imagine.

We'll be better, but we'll more than likely never be a UT.

[CaliforniaCowboy]

Yeah, well, I don't agree.

We played them even talent wise, just made mistakes.

They played a clean game.

I don't really see how that has anything to do with talent or recruiting.

[CoachOSU]

Yeah, well, I don't agree.

We played them even talent wise, just made mistakes.

They played a clean game.

I don't really see how that has anything to do with talent or recruiting.

It has everything to do with recruiting... We won't get the athlete's needed to compete with the "elite" teams until we start actually beating them.

Why teams like Texas, OU, Florida, USC...etc.. get the pick of the crop... BECAUSE THEY WIN ON A YEAR TO YEAR BASIS....

We need to start beating these teams like Texas.. to do so we need to win the recruiting war by beating these teams to draw in recuriting interest....

I know you like to argue with people for agrument's sake... but you HAVE to agree that recruiting plays a huge part in "elite" teams success...

To get those players, you have to win games... I think we took a huge step by the upgrades... but we need to win in those big TV games...

Okstate918...did I say I was never going to be an OSU supporter? Did I say anything along those lines? Did I not say I will ALWAYS love OSU.. I was speaking the same opinion that everyone already knows... we have to win the BIG games (not just the Baylor's and Rice's) to be taken seriously.. and so far we haven't done that...

You can stand by what you said all you want.. but personal attack over the internet to someone you don't know.. wow... really a stand up individual...

Are you a coach? Do you even read the posts before you speak? I don't know if you do... you would have read where i stated how much I will always love OSU and follow it no matter what... I just have to accept that this is going to be the norm UNTIL we start winning those big games.


BY THE WAY CC... a wise coach, one of the best in Texas football history, told us one time that STATS are for losers... all they do is get you beat if you only look at them...

41-14 is being dominated... sorry but if this was Lower Mississippi Tech getting beat 41-14 by Utah State you would say that Lower Mississippi Tech got ....... I will let you fill in the blank..

I have personally, lost some games where my team clearly won the total yardage war... but gee..that loss sure didn't disappear in the record books.

[osupsycho]

Now I remember why I don't come on the boards after a loss. See you guys in a few days...

[AnniePokely]

Let's not anyone get personal here. Keep it to game talk

[GoPokes83]

Yeah, well, I don't agree.

We played them even talent wise, just made mistakes.

They played a clean game.

I don't really see how that has anything to do with talent or recruiting.

The difference is the top players don't usually make those mistakes, and if they do there's another top player on both side of them to pick up the slack. We have some fantastic athletes!! But for the most part they weren't actively courted by UT, USC, Miami, etc... We're getting the best of the rest, and they usually exceed our expectations. Our staff has turned a ton of these second tier players into some the big schools really wish they'd recruited. It's not a knock on our guys by any means. But like I say, the kids they turn down would make your head spin and that can turn out to be a real plus for a school like ours. At least there are scholarship limits now which helps schools like us tremendously. Back in the day, UT could have the top 130 kids in TX on scholarship. The second best team in the B12 could be UT's bench.

[OKState918]

Okstate918...did I say I was never going to be an OSU supporter? Did I say anything along those lines? Did I not say I will ALWAYS love OSU..

Look, your devotion toward the university has nothing to do with the attitude you chose to accept in defeat.

Like I said, it's OK to be mad. It's OK to be frustrated. Hell - It's been slightly more than 12 hours since the game ended and I'm still furious that we didn't play better.

That said, however, I refuse to accept the fact that Oklahoma State is just a "a mid level team" and that furthermore, we are a program that "will never be anything more....".

You can stand by what you said all you want.. but personal attack over the internet to someone you don't know.. wow... really a stand up individual...

A response to a comment that you yourself made is not a "personal attack", and if you took offense, I apologize.

I simply don't understand why it's necessary to assume - or perhaps even think - that a loss to Texas is indicative of Oklahoma State's inability to ever become a consistent contender on a national level.

Are you a coach?

Look, I'm in no way trying to insult your credentials since you are (assuming your profile information is correct) a high school coach, but if you think you're the only one qualified to talk about the X's and O's of football simply based on your title, then you're disrespecting a lot of intelligent people who post here.

Do you even read the posts before you speak? I don't know if you do... you would have read where i stated how much I will always love OSU and follow it no matter what...

And again, your allegiance to the university is commendable, but like I said earlier - that loyalty is not a justification for selling your team and your university short.

[CoachOSU]

I don't get offended by people who disagree with me... in fact I like it when a healthy debate is brought to the table... (i.e. Cali- who I debate with in a good healthy way)...

I respect your thoughts and opinion as much as anyone else...
But saying "I am glad I don't play for you" .. it had nothing to do with the post...You didn't even explain with any more information why you even said it... All you said was "I am glad I don't play for you"

Was it a cheap shot at me ...sure, it was... Ok, I got it... I just wish you wouldn't judge me without any knowledge of me.. just as I won't judge your PERSONAL life...

The only way to understand the statement is the way it was meant... to show that I must not be a good person to play for... which IS a personal attack...

That bothers me when anyone comes online and talks negative comments toward anyone's personal life...

Like I said, you want to disagree with me.. I am absolutely happy and cool with that... We shoudn't all agree with everything or then it would be boring on here... but please don't say you didn't mean anything bad by it... I got what ya meant... but let's drop it and agree to disagree.

Annie sorry if I broke some board rule... I didn't want it to turn into a arguing match... I just take offense to a less than subtle hint at my professional standard..

[AnniePokely]

Annie sorry if I broke some board rule... I didn't want it to turn into a arguing match... I just take offense to a less than subtle hint at my professional standard..


I never said anyone broke a board rule. I just want everyone to keep it civil. We're all OSU fans.


:)

[OKState918]

I respect your thoughts and opinion as much as anyone else...

And likewise, I assure you.

But saying "I am glad I don't play for you" .. it had nothing to do with the post...

OK, and with all due respect, here's where we disagree.

Saying that "I'm glad I don't play for you" has everything to do with your post.

Let me just ask you, Coach - I'm sure your team has won some games, and I'm sure it's lost some games. That's just part of football.

Now, I have no knowledge of where you coach, your team's record, your team's standing in its division, etc., but quite frankly, that's irrelevant because what I'm going to ask you is a hypothetical question.

Let's just say that your team is one of those 5A Texas teams that has been, for the last several years, qualified for district post-season play, but just never quite gotten over the hump to make it to the state championship.

Then this year, the pieces come together, and your team finds itself just one win away from making it to the title game.

Your opponent is Southlake Carrol, and even though the Dragons have been dominant the past decade or so, you feel like your team has a decent chance to beat them. The game is at your stadium, and people are calling it the biggest game in "Insert School Here" High's storied history. If you beat SCHS, you're the favorite to take home the 5A championship because the team opposite you in the bracket is, on paper at least, an inferior opponent.

Then game time rolls around, your team gets its ass handed to them, and as you're walking off the field, you've got to figure out something to tell them in the locker room before they head to the showers.

Now. Here's the question I have: Are you honestly telling me you'd look in your players' eyes and tell them, "Hey guys... Sorry about the loss. Guess it just goes to show that we're just a mid-level program and that's all we'll ever be"?

I would sure as hell hope not, and I think we'd agree that to say so would be absolutely ludicrous.

However, those words are exactly the message you sent to OSU last night.

Was it a cheap shot at me ...sure, it was... Ok, I got it... I just wish you wouldn't judge me without any knowledge of me.. just as I won't judge your PERSONAL life..

The only way to understand the statement is the way it was meant... to show that I must not be a good person to play for... which IS a personal attack...

That bothers me when anyone comes online and talks negative comments toward anyone's personal life...

OK... Let me rephrase this then.

I wouldn't want to play for any coach who is willing to put a glass ceiling over his team's potential based solely on their performance in one game against a higher-ranked opponent.

So again. My apologies if you took that personally, but like I said earlier, you're taking it way too (pardon the repetition) personally if you think I'm criticizing your credentials, your ability as a coach, or your knowledge of the game.

[wood911]

Years ago I tracked games by play on paper. I had a scheme where running plays were added (e.g., +5 was a five yard gain, -2 was a 2yard loss) Passing plays were followed by a P (e.g., +8P meant the play was a pass for 8 yds. I underlined first downs, circled completions, etc.
Anyway, what I found was that it took about 80 yards of offense to score a TD. It took about 100 yds of offense to score a TD. Interceptions would add about 40 yards to those numbers as an average. I agree that the only statisitic that is relevant is the score but a lot can be learned from tracking games. What emerges is that there really isn't many plays in a game that make much difference especially if the teams are evenly matched. Teams will play fairly even for most plays. In games like OSU/UT, there is maybe 6 plays that determine a game. They can be interceptions, fumbles, kick returns, peanlties, etc. While statistics are meaningless as soon as the game is over, they do point out trends that get teams beat.
People in Las Vegas make a living tracking and projecting trends. I have heard "statistics are for losers" my entire life and there is truth in that. There is also knowledge garnered by tracking statistics otherwise coaches would not review film to see what worked and what may work against the next opponent.
Again using statistics:rollseyes:, we are 18th best team in America (more or less) out of 119. That puts us in the top 20%. That's not too shabby. :orangeaid: I still think we can go 10-2:ousucksnana: and should be no worse than 9-3.:orangeaid:

[CoachOSU]

OkState... the only issue I see in your logic above is that in High School sports you don't get to recruit kids.. you have to play with who you got... so if you beat South Lake then it would be a HUGE win.. but you can't use that to go out and recruit kids...

In college.. you do get to bring kids in.. how do you bring in the better kids? Winning the big games...

I like your thoughts but it doesn't apply because of the recruiting aspect in college.

[Verb]

I love how a small conflict became an interesting discussion because our members are such great people.

I think Coach and 918 are two of the most knowledgeable sports people who come to this board, and I think all of us really appreciate what both of you bring to the table. I know I do.

[CanadianCowboy]

OK, I broke my own rule I made for myself after the UH loss - I was NEVER going to open the message board after a loss until after a week following. I knew we were going to lose again - it is a realistic impossibility to expect that we would never lose again. I just didn't want to read all the doom and gloom about how we were so bad, that we were duped into believing that we could win, yada yada yada....and that we will never be among the ranks of the squats and the 'Horns. But like when you see the aftermath of a train wreck, you just feel compelled to look....so I broke my rule and came to see the aftermath of the trainwreck. I kinda wish I hadn't, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it might be...

Here's my two cents worth - the sun came up this morning, BPS is still standing tall on the plains, and as long as we care about the program there is hope for the future. I will NEVER be one to say that we will never be more than a mid-level program. I believe. Something that comes with committed belief is acceptance that there will be setbacks, but also the knowledge that we will overcome them and keeping pressing on toward The Goal.

OK, so we had a disappointing loss. This week we play the mighty Iowa State Cyclones...and then comes Sand Monkey University...then we get another opportunity against the Mountain Buffaloes (is there even such a thing?)...and we get to wrap up the season against the uo sewerners. And I am saying we whup them all. 10-2. Is it unlikely? No. It is ABSOLUTELY within the realm of likelihood. Would 10-2 be better than most of us said was a realistic record for the regular season? Hell yes. Hell, the doubters are STILL out there and saying this is a 7-5, not better than a 8-4 season. I say to the doubters, give your head a shake and try optimism for a change - people might find you more enjoyable to be around.

I'm absolutely not taking sides in this argument...it might lead to a family split LOL. I'm kinda surprised to see Coach say some of what he said, but I'll chalk it up to frustration and letting those frustrations have their voice. I respect Coach's opinions and assessments of the games, and enjoy the hell out of reading those assessments. But Coach...when you get an "AMEN" from JimBob, that's your cue to re-assess your position and come back to the Brighter Shade of Orange side. :rollseyes:

It will be interesting to see how Gundy, Young, Brewer, DeForest, Wickline, and Co. "coach them up" this week, and come out against the Cyclones. I'm looking forward to it, and fully believe that we will hand them an L with an exclamation point. Other than the challenges of overcoming a disappointing and disheartening loss to the NUMBER 2 TEAM IN THE COUNTRY and carrying the fight to ISU, I think the biggest challenges remaining are taking things one game at a time, making sure we take care of business, and win the games we should win - which is STILL ALL of the ones left on the schedule.:cowbell:

Ride 'em.:pete:

Flame away. :food-smiley-007:

[OKState918]

OkState... the only issue I see in your logic above is that in High School sports you don't get to recruit kids.. you have to play with who you got... so if you beat South Lake then it would be a HUGE win.. but you can't use that to go out and recruit kids...

I'll buy that, even though I think a lot of Texas coaches would be arguing that schools like Southlake Carroll, Permian, Dallas Carter, etc. have been recruiting kids for years now ;)

In college.. you do get to bring kids in.. how do you bring in the better kids? Winning the big games...

I like your thoughts but it doesn't apply because of the recruiting aspect in college.

Oh, I agree completely. Winning helps, and it helps immensely. With that in mind though, I will respectfully disagree with Vince Lombardi when he says that winning is "the only thing".

It's a no-brainer that elite recruits want to play for elite teams, but it isn't like the nation's true "elites" became that way overnight.

Anyway. Rest assured that I am as mad as anyone that we just can't quite find a way to win the big games consistently under Mike Gundy (and I say "consistently" because Gundy's shown he can win big games - just not as regularly as we'd all like. Beating Texas Tech in 2003 was big, beating Missouri last year was big, and beating Georgia this season was big), but OSU just needs to find a way to do that on a game-in, game-out level.

It can happen, but it's not going to be overnight. That's just the reality of playing in a division with Oklahoma and Texas.

[CaliforniaCowboy]

On a side note: the ISU QB is supposed to be back this week...

(out two weeks with a bruised hand or something).

[orangeo]

So, because we lost to Texas, you're ready to give up? This may be the best Texas team we have faced in years. Their defense is particularly outstanding. It is true we don't have the players to play with Texas yet, but recruiting is getting better every year.

We lost this game due to our own errors as much as anything. Too many drops, too many penalties, too many interceptions. This year's team shows a lot of promise and talent, but is still too young and undisiplined to beat teams like Texas.

One thing nobody has mentioned...the defense actually played a pretty good game. It was the offense that gave Texas too many easy scores. The defense can't be expected to make up for that.

[OSUFan]

I'm not ready to give up on the team but I am ready for them to win one of the big ones against Texas (12 straight losses) and/or ou (6 straight).

[FalseGod]

Nice to see people finally realizing what I was preaching before the game. We haven't beaten anyone special yet, and it is very likely that we won't this year.

OU and TTech we have a chance to win, but against OU it is going to be about the same as the chance we had against UT which is slim, aka we need to play a perfect game pretty much. TTech we have a much better chance. They have struggled as bad as we have at times this year, so if we don't try to do too much like we did against Texas, we should have a shot against them. ISU and CU would be the opposite, the chance is slim that they'll beat us, but there is a chance if we don't focus and show up.

[Erick]

This being a "must read" is sorta like the "you got something on your shirt" gag. If I had known the content, I would have passed.

[Erick]

Nice to see people finally realizing what I was preaching before the game. We haven't beaten anyone special yet, and it is very likely that we won't this year.


Nice that it's nice that you were right. You win the Pessimism Pays Off prize.

[JonforOSU]

The only loss that I can stomach would be a loss to UO. It's in Norman and I just think UO's defense is too good to run against, which is crucial to our success on offense. Texas shut it down and shut us down.

This team will finish 9-3 and head to the Cotton Bowl, maybe 10-2 AND BCS.

Why the hell does everyone jump off a ledge when we lose? I thought our rookie receivers had a tough night. We couldn't run the ball. Zac started trying to do too much on his own, but ran pretty good.

I still think Zac needs that defining moment in his college career. Beating UO in his last Bedlam game, in Norman would be a perfect end to his great career.

[JimBob]

Gundy is now 0-9, soon to be 0-10 in the two most important games for this program to take it to the next level; he's owned and that won't change anytime soon.

[jbug]

BOB- ya well may be correct but for some reason I do think we have a better 'chance' with the Goons this year than with TEXASS.

Ah next year we're toast with both of 'em!

[FalseGod]

Nice that it's nice that you were right. You win the Pessimism Pays Off prize.

It is not pessimism it is REALISM.

[OKState918]

It is not pessimism it is REALISM.

True or False: The Oklahoma State football program is in better condition now than it was five years ago.

Just curious what a "realist" might answer.

[FalseGod]

The program as a whole is better. Just facilities alone 2009 version beats our 2004 version. In 2004 we still didn't beat any of the good teams on our schedule, so I'd say that is a push.

[CaliforniaCowboy]

Here's a realist comment for you.

Yeah, but we only beat (insert team here) that year because they were having a down year.

dang pessimists trying to call themselves something else.

Optimists are realists, not pessimists.

[Erick]

Coaching Staff: Better
Athletes: Better
Facilities: Better
Recruits:Better

We had a legitimate shot at winning the South this year. We have been plagued by injuries and other issues that have kept us from getting great players on the field. We are winning on the road and we can still win from here on out.

You know why I like being a optimist? Because when I end up being right, I never have to say "I hate to say I told you so, but.." We all just celebrate and the pessimists keep their mouths shut and celebrate with us.

[FalseGod]

We had a legit shot with a healthy Dez and Hunter. Without them we get what we had last Saturday.

I would agree coaching is more stable at the head coach position, but I would not go so far as to say Gundy is a better overall coach than Les Miles. Does Les's personality suck more? Definitely, but coaching skills are not bad.

Athletes on offense that are playing in the current product I say a push. Athletes that aren't seeing the field at the moment is definitely better.

Facilities better, already stated that.

Recruits seem to be a bit better if you look at simply star ratings. You need to wait 5 years to judge these recruits to see who is really better, so we can't really compare those yet. If you look at the roster for 2004 and see how some of those freshman turned out it is a mixed bag. We had Pettigrew, Bobby Reid, Prentis Elliot, etc. Some were studs, some weren't.

Who was having a down year that we beat? That was an Alamo bowl year and from memory I think UCLA was the best team that we beat that year. We lost to A&M, Tech, OU and UT. We beat ISU, Baylor, and Mizzou and probably Colorado (who has been having a down decade) Did we even beat any ranked teams that year? I don't think so. Unless something changes, most likely none of our wins will come against ranked teams this year either. For us to take it to the next level as a program, we are going to have to do better.

I'm an optimist as well in regards to our ability to do that. I am a realist about this year though. If you look at our performance on the field this year with the team that we have we have not performed at a BCS level. If we somehow get Dez back and Hunter at full speed again, then that would change, but right now we are not realistically there. I am optimistic that with better facilities and the right pieces we can change that, but right now we are not there.

I guess Gundy is a pessimist too since he thinks that the team is not a tier 1 team right now as well. So if he can't be optimistic about our future while being a realist about where we currently stand, then why can't I? You guys seem to think that taking a good hard gauge of what the team's temperature is at the time eliminates any optimism about hoping to win and be a tier 1 team? I don't believe that is true.

In sports you can put the same two teams together 10 times and get different results every time. I think if we played Texas 10 times we would have won maybe 3 times tops. I expected us to lose because the reality is Texas has the better team this year. 10 games against Tech this year I feel we have about a 50/50 chance. OU we are probably 40/60 and the others we are probably 90/10 or 80/10 depending on who it is. In my opinion, odds are we finish 2-2. If we hit the lucky side we'll probably get 3-1 and a miracle and we get 4-0.

[CoachOSU]

Coaching Staff: Better
Athletes: Better
Facilities: Better
Recruits:Better

We had a legitimate shot at winning the South this year. We have been plagued by injuries and other issues that have kept us from getting great players on the field. We are winning on the road and we can still win from here on out.

You know why I like being a optimist? Because when I end up being right, I never have to say "I hate to say I told you so, but.." We all just celebrate and the pessimists keep their mouths shut and celebrate with us.


I agree with most of what you say Erick except I would not agree that Gundy is a better coach than Miles... Gundy has not been a head coach as long as Miles so we don't know if he is better... Miles had some pretty good assistant coaches on his staffs.... If you are going by wins and National Championship then, it would have to be Miles of course... but that goes back to the above statement...

I agree that I think we COULD win out... Will we? It depends on how we handle the blow out loss to Texas...

My main question is if being an optimist allows you to say "I told you so..." what happens if the pessimists ends up right ... doesn't he get to tell you "I told you so" as well... :huh:

[FalseGod]

He is saying he doesn't have to, but if we end up going 4-0 to close out I bet there will be a bunch of optimists who come out of the woodwork saying they told everyone we would do it just the same as the people that didn't think we would. It is college football so you can say the same thing over and over and eventually you will be right at least part of the time, given you have time to wait for that one time.

[OSUFan]

He is saying he doesn't have to, but if we end up going 4-0 to close out I bet there will be a bunch of optimists who come out of the woodwork saying they told everyone we would do it just the same as the people that didn't think we would. It is college football so you can say the same thing over and over and eventually you will be right at least part of the time, given you have time to wait for that one time.

Yeah, like me! If ou loses to Nebraska, I'm going to look like a genius! I will be four for four in the picks of ou losses. If Nebraska loses, I am nothing but a fan who loves OSU and hates ou. ;)

[FalseGod]

Or Andre Ware?

[Tokyoken]

An 8-4 record would be a little sub-par to me. A 9-3 would be indicative of where we are supposed to be right now, and a 10-2 would tell us that we are a little better than advertised. IMHO the team is capable of the 10-2, especially since the defense is coming along nicely. Go Cowboys!!!