AnniePokely
03-02-2008, 08:21 AM
By BILL HAISTEN World Sports Writer
3/2/2008
Dez Bryant
Mike Gundy says the big sophomore wide receiver hasn’t learned to play hard on every down, but Bryant has a chance to become a Big 12 superstar. “He needs to become a more complete player. He knows that,” Gundy said. “(Fans) see him jumping and catching and making plays. He can do that probably as good as anybody. He just needs to grow up and play hard all the time.”
Tim Beckman
OSU’s decade of problems continued last season — Beckman’s first as the defensive coordinator — as the Cowboys were 101st nationally in total defense and 112th in pass defense. This year, Beckman has two new staff members as Glenn Spencer will coach the linemen and Jason Jones the cornerbacks. Beckman works with linebackers and Joe DeForest with safeties. Five defensive junior college transfers will participate in spring drills. By the end of the spring period, it is important that Beckman’s defense has shown signs of definite improvement.
Alex Cate
and Brandon Weeden Zac Robinson is a fearless practitioner of the quarterback run game, and that makes him even more susceptible to injury. Cate (third-year sophomore) and Weeden (a 24-year-old redshirt freshman) are
competing for the backup QB role. During the spring, Gundy wants Cate or Weeden to emerge as a capable No. 2 quarterback.
THREE STORYLINES
Offensive definition
With Larry Fedora as the coordinator, OSU’s no-huddle spread offense was prolific during the 2006 and 2007 seasons. Last year, the Cowboys averaged 35 points per game while ranking seventh nationally in total offense and eighth in rushing. Fedora departed to become the new Southern Miss head coach, but Gundy said the 2008 OSU offense will look like the ’07 model. “Same system and terminology,” Gundy said. “It’s all going to run and flow just like it did in bowl practice.”
The tailbacks
When Big 12 rushing leader Dantrell Savage is drafted in April, he will join Tatum Bell and Vernand Morency as recent OSU tailbacks who graduated to the NFL. Competing for carries now are sophomore Kendall Hunter, a major surprise last season with 695 rushing yards and a 6.5 per-carry average; junior Keith Toston, who was benched because of September fumbles and later sustained a major knee injury; and 215-pound junior college transfer Beau Johnson. Toston’s spring participation is limited because of the knee. Can the 5-8, 180-pound Hunter become the featured back and a 1,000-yard producer? Can Johnson, the MVP of the juco national title game, adjust quickly to the physical demands of major-college football?
The newcomers
Seven junior college transfers, five of whom play on the defensive side, are involved in Oklahoma State’s spring drills. The Cowboys desperately need immediate help on defense, so there is an urgency attached to the conditioning of the five juco newcomers — tackles Swanson Miller and Chris Donaldson, end Jeremiah Price and defensive backs Lucien Antoine and Maurice Gray.
http://www.tulsaworld.com/sports/col...4_ NoArt75322
3/2/2008
Dez Bryant
Mike Gundy says the big sophomore wide receiver hasn’t learned to play hard on every down, but Bryant has a chance to become a Big 12 superstar. “He needs to become a more complete player. He knows that,” Gundy said. “(Fans) see him jumping and catching and making plays. He can do that probably as good as anybody. He just needs to grow up and play hard all the time.”
Tim Beckman
OSU’s decade of problems continued last season — Beckman’s first as the defensive coordinator — as the Cowboys were 101st nationally in total defense and 112th in pass defense. This year, Beckman has two new staff members as Glenn Spencer will coach the linemen and Jason Jones the cornerbacks. Beckman works with linebackers and Joe DeForest with safeties. Five defensive junior college transfers will participate in spring drills. By the end of the spring period, it is important that Beckman’s defense has shown signs of definite improvement.
Alex Cate
and Brandon Weeden Zac Robinson is a fearless practitioner of the quarterback run game, and that makes him even more susceptible to injury. Cate (third-year sophomore) and Weeden (a 24-year-old redshirt freshman) are
competing for the backup QB role. During the spring, Gundy wants Cate or Weeden to emerge as a capable No. 2 quarterback.
THREE STORYLINES
Offensive definition
With Larry Fedora as the coordinator, OSU’s no-huddle spread offense was prolific during the 2006 and 2007 seasons. Last year, the Cowboys averaged 35 points per game while ranking seventh nationally in total offense and eighth in rushing. Fedora departed to become the new Southern Miss head coach, but Gundy said the 2008 OSU offense will look like the ’07 model. “Same system and terminology,” Gundy said. “It’s all going to run and flow just like it did in bowl practice.”
The tailbacks
When Big 12 rushing leader Dantrell Savage is drafted in April, he will join Tatum Bell and Vernand Morency as recent OSU tailbacks who graduated to the NFL. Competing for carries now are sophomore Kendall Hunter, a major surprise last season with 695 rushing yards and a 6.5 per-carry average; junior Keith Toston, who was benched because of September fumbles and later sustained a major knee injury; and 215-pound junior college transfer Beau Johnson. Toston’s spring participation is limited because of the knee. Can the 5-8, 180-pound Hunter become the featured back and a 1,000-yard producer? Can Johnson, the MVP of the juco national title game, adjust quickly to the physical demands of major-college football?
The newcomers
Seven junior college transfers, five of whom play on the defensive side, are involved in Oklahoma State’s spring drills. The Cowboys desperately need immediate help on defense, so there is an urgency attached to the conditioning of the five juco newcomers — tackles Swanson Miller and Chris Donaldson, end Jeremiah Price and defensive backs Lucien Antoine and Maurice Gray.
http://www.tulsaworld.com/sports/col...4_ NoArt75322