Archives For December 2011

Daily Bullets

Kyle Porter —  December 14, 2011 — 2 Comments

There are still 300 tickets left for the Fiesta Bowl if you want them. (NewsOK)

okstate.com got a makeover yesterday, and it looks pretty good. As long as I can find the media guides in three clicks (and I can), I’m happy. (okstate.com)

Helped do a season review here for the guys at the O’Colly. My biggest disappointment should have just said “wide right.” (O’Colly)

10 Cowboys on the SI All-American team. (Sports Illustrated)

Gina breaks down Stanford and what OSU must do to beat them. (NewsOK)

Top 25 coaching jobs in the country as told by Clay Travis. Is UCLA a better job than OSU? (OKTC)

Gerald Green signs with the Lake Show. You know what they say: Kobe + CP3 + Gerald Green = titles. (Sacramento Bee)

Ubben’s All-Big 12 underrated team. Love the Lowe and Cooper selections, but thought you could have subbed Shaun Lewis for Alex Elkins and still been fine. (ESPN)

Good work here by Samantha Vicent to figure out just what’s going on with these Jonathan Rush and Christian Littlehead drug charges. (O’Colly)

Here’s the official write-up on the Christian Littlehead charge. (OSCN)

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Christian Littlehead Booked For Drug Paraphernalia

Kyle Porter —  December 13, 2011 — 13 Comments

Updated: 4:15 PM

Earlier today a follower tweeted at me to tell me I needed to check out the OCSN. After figuring out that this was in fact not a division within the new Big East conference, but rather the Oklahoma State Courts Network, I did a little digging and came up with this.

Then after a little more digging found this from the Stillwater News Press.

Both sources stated that Littlehead had been booked with a misdemeanor of possession of drug paraphernalia.

Samantha Vicent confirmed the story in this post for the O’Colly:

Christian Dale Littlehead, 20, was in possession of two homemade smoking devices in his room on the third floor of Sitlington Hall, according to the initial filing at the Payne County Courthouse. The devices contained burnt drug residue, the filing says.

Littlehead is scheduled to appear in court Dec. 29 at 1:45 p.m for his arraignment.

Possession of drug paraphernalia, a misdemeanor, is punishable by imprisonment for up to one year, a fine of up to $1,000 or both.

Littlehead is denying that he’s scheduled for a court hearing:

Not the best situation for a team trying to win its biggest bowl game in school history, but hey, maybe Littlehead just wants a plyoff and this is his way of voicing that opinion.

In all seriousness though, Littlehead may be forced to sit out OSU’s trip to Tempe while all of this gets figured out. The team leaves on the 27th of December and Littlehead’s court date is the 29th. Of course I’m also the same person who would have put up $1M that Darrell Williams wouldn’t still be with the basketball team…

The Stillwater NewsPress site also says that Jonathon Rush was also charged and has the same address as Littlehead (h/t Adam Huskerson). They misspelled Jonathan but I find it hard to believe this isn’t the offensive lineman who was injured in the A&M game and had to sit out the most of the year. Not a blow to the Cowboys’ bowl chances, but worth mentioning.

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OSU’s Defense Vs. The Nation

Kyle Porter —  December 13, 2011 — 6 Comments

Photo Attribution:Emily Nielsen

Yesterday we looked at how OSU’s top offensive talent stacked up against this year’s award winners in college football. As one would expect from a team that averaged L (roman numerals) points per game, the answer was “well.”

How about that defense though? That defense that Mark May mocked and Kirk Herbstreit giggled at. That defense that led the Big 12 in scoring average and led the country in takeaways.

Well, how about it?

Chuck Bednarik Award (defensive player of the year)

 

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Daily Bullets

Kyle Porter —  December 13, 2011 — 2 Comments

Sean McDonough and Matt Millen are your Fiesta Bowl announcers. Think they’ll talk about Brodrick Brown? (Awful Announcing)

Ubben says the Fiesta Bowl is the best of the Big 12 slate. (ESPN)

John Helsley notes that OSU has already used 70 different five-man combinations in basketball this year. (NewsOK)

It’s weird that this isn’t updated. (coachtravisford.com)

John Helsley tells Anthony Slater he’s in Cezar Guerrero’s corner as OSU’s PG. (O’Colly)

I cannot believe this is real. h/t John Snyder (Syracuse Athletics)

All of Stanford’s Fiesta Bowl tickets are sold out. (Go Stanford)

Interesting article on the Branstetters’ lives as pilots. (NewsOK)

So Art Briles is about to match Gundy’s contract? (CBS Sports)

So you’re saying 10 years ago Luck would won the Heisman? (ESPN)

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OSU’s Offense Vs. The Nation

Kyle Porter —  December 12, 2011 — 8 Comments

Photo Attribution:Emily Nielsen

Big thanks to one of my readers (honestly can’t remember who) for the idea for this post.

College football’s most prestegious, not to mention awkward (Herbstreit handed out more awkward handshakes than the 12th man on an NBA bench), non-Heisman awards were doled out last Thursday night in Orlando, Florida.

The country’s third best team sent exactly one representative to collect a trophy he likely sewed up in January with this press conference.

To highlight what a political process the college football awards season is, consider: Baylor’s Kendall Wright had significantly better stats than Justin Blackmon throughout the season and wasn’t even a finalist for the award while Brandon Weeden and Bob Griffin had the same stats and Griffin was the runaway winner for the Heisman while Weeden watched from his couch.

The point of this post is not to opine on who was left off of which ballot, but rather to show that OSU is indeed competing with that nation’s elite at nearly every position.

Shall we? Let’s go.

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12 Days Of Playoffs: Quarterfinals

Kyle Porter —  December 12, 2011 — 6 Comments

Big thanks to all 900+ of you who voted on round 1 of our playoffs.

The results of the second half of Round 1:

The LSU side of the bracket offered little in the way of drama and there weren’t many surprises on the O-State side of the bracket either.

Bama drilled Arkansas State 99-1 with the “1″ undoubtedly coming, not from Arkansas State alumni, but rather from OSU fans who will no longer root for Alabama even if they’re playing Texas, OU, or Iran U.

Boise State took down Clemson 75-25 in the 7/10 matchup. I’m pretty proud of you guys for this one, Boise would hammer Clemson in real life. They’re more disciplined, have a better defensive line, and a QB who’s the iciest dude west of Stillwater (and yeah, I’m looking at you and your neck beard, Andrew). That Boise-Bama 2nd round matchup would be a dream.

No surprises that OSU rolled Louisiana Tech 100-0. One problem I had when I first thought of this was that I knew OSU would win the whole thing, I just wanted to see how it would play out. Also, for those of you who are anti-playoff, I know OSU would beat Louisiana Tech in real life by 50 in the first round of a playoff but 1.) you would absolutely go and 2.) OSU is leaving $3.2M (average 2011 home revenue generation) on the table for a game like this (and we haven’t even gotten into TV money). So…yeah.

TCU put up a fight against Arkansas for a little while, but eventually fell 74-26. That round 2 doozy between the Pokes and the Hogs is going to be a track meet. We should just let Justin Gilbert and Joe Adams race for it.

New matchups below ready to be voted on. Happy voting and dreaming of a playoff!

If you need a refresher on what the rules are, take a gander here.

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Daily Bullets

Kyle Porter —  December 12, 2011 — 15 Comments

Occupy Bourbon Street shirts. (Bigcartel.com)

Blackmon slated in the #2 slot in this mock draft. Griffin at #5. (CBS Sports)

This is pretty embarrassing. (Sports Illustrated)

As is this. (Heisman Pundit)

Weeden on how far the program has come. (NewsOK)

I’m a huge Jurick fan and this article by John Helsley did nothing to change that. I also find it interesting that Nash called him the backbone of the team. (NewsOK)

Jenni Carlson says Gundy and OSU are taking the high road with the BCS. I wonder though, is there honor in taking the high road with a broken system that nobody likes? Also, does anybody spell check these babies? (NewsOK)

Here’s the FWAA All-American team, it includes Blackmon and Sharp. Is it just me, or are there too many All-American teams to keep up with? (CBS Sports)

I mean it’s insane that THIS helps determine our national champion, right? (NewsOK)

Gundy will be featured tonight in “Oklahomans” alongside Kristin Chenoweth. Also he says he’s never Googled himself. [fill in your own joke for this sentence]. (Tulsa World)

Sounds like everybody involved thinks Pitt beat OSU because of rebounding. (NewsOK)

Jim Littell named the women’s head coach. Terrible circumstances (obviously), but good for him. Also, is a 418-61 record good? (ESPN)

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10 Thoughts On Pitt

Kyle Porter —  December 10, 2011 — 14 Comments

BOX SCORE

If you consider where this team was two weeks ago (coming off destructive losses against Stanford and Virginia Tech), this was a strong performance from a young team with huge Big 12 hopes. Pitt ain’t Missouri State, folks. They finished 15-3 in the Big East last year, returned their best player, and have only dropped one game so far this year. They’re a legit top 15 team and OSU hung with them for most of the way.

Lots to be excited about. Here are 10 more thoughts from the game:

1. The announcers were criticizing Nash for not being loose but I think this is just who he is. He runs really stiffly, I think he’s more of a physical producer than he is an agile swingman. He’s Carmelo, not Durant. Okay…homeless man’s Carmelo, right now anyway.

2. I love the way Jurick plays. He goes for every rebound, is smart about chasing blocks, and always keeps the ball in play. He doesn’t try to be something he’s not (a scorer) and always gives you quality minutes. I feel like if he can average 8 points a game, OSU can go 11-7 in the Big 12. That was just a terrific recruiting job by Ford to get him to Stillwater.

3. As noted by Anthony Slater and John Helsley after the game, the point guard situation is a circus. Guerrero is probably the most talented but he’s also the most out of control. He takes terrible shots and does more freshman things than he should. Gulley is a solid athlete, but offers little in the way of passing or scoring (kind of prerequisites for a PG). For my money, Dowell played the best today (although I don’t need him pulling guarded treys in the second, or any, half), but he’s not always that good on defense. Maybe we’ll just LSU quarterback it all year and pray for the best.

4. The biggest issue for OSU was fouls outside the three point line. I counted at least four, and I think most of them came with under 10 seconds left on the shot clock. Also, you can’t get out-rebounded 43-25 by a Big East team like Pitt that shoots 50% from the field and expect to get the W.

5. OSU is undefeated when not playing in Madison Square Garden (0-3 there). Good news: no more games there the rest of the year unless they’re playing in the NIT.

6. It really seems like the best option on defense for this team is a half court trap that falls back into a two-three zone. You couldn’t do something like that in the past when your guy guarding the rim was 6’8 (Moses), but with Jurick dropping back into the middle of that zone? Absolutely.

7. Justin Gilbert memorial “uni of the game” goes to Markel for his high black socks and almost all-white kicks. Phenomenal look from the sophomore.

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5 Thoughts On Pitt

Kyle Porter —  December 10, 2011 — 3 Comments

1. OSU is playing like 100x (maybe more) than they did two weeks ago in the same building against Standford or Virginia Tech. This looks like a legitimate game between two of the thirty or forty best teams in the country. I know OSU is probably going to get beat, but at least they’re playing like they belong.

2. Pittsburgh is shooting 50% | 57% | 75% (FG | 3s | FTs) – they can’t keep that up, can they?

3. Keiton is starting to perfect the Bruce Bowen memorial “kick one leg out every time he shoots a three and pray for calls” move. It’s the A.J. Pierzynski of basketball moves – annoying unless it’s benefitting your team.

4. I tweeted this, but since not all of you are on Twitter I’ll ask it again: there’s no way Cezar Guerrero doesn’t manscape, right?

5. Le’Bryan in the low post seems like it’s really opened up the offense for OSU. And I’m not sure if there’s a three in the Big 12 who can handle him adequately down there.

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Geographic Variance

Kyle Porter —  December 9, 2011 — 3 Comments

First of all, HUGE thanks to reader, Stephen O’Connell for putting this together. O’Connell is a professor at Central Arkansas who got curious about what the polls ESPN has been putting out truly represented.

His explanations are below as well as a commentary from him after the jump. The per state voting was extremely interesting and how about a big shout out to all our Cowboys voting (and reading) in Washington D.C.!

Click the photo to enlarge it.

[singlepic id=12 w=600 h=600]

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Daily Bullets

Kyle Porter —  December 9, 2011 — 7 Comments

If the system is progressing, you shouldn’t be able to look at the way we did things in 1997 and say “hmmm, that actually sounds pretty good.” h/t @jakehatchKSL (Pre-Snap Read)

Fan suffers Sam Bradford injury while rushing the field. Yes, seriously. (NewsOK)

Here’s the AP All-Big 12 team. Joseph Randle makes an appearance on the 2nd team. (Sports Illustrated)

Justin Blackmon is a Walter Camp All-American. Also, how about Tyler Lockett being the 2nd team All-Big 12 kick returner but the 1st team All-American. What’s up with that? (Walter Camp)

Bedlam wrestling in GIA on Sunday. (okstate.com)

A person who has been a coordinator at Oklahoma State will be taking the Illinois head coaching position. (Toledo Blade)

Office Space GIF of Mike Gundy? Yessss, please. (SB Nation)

James Poling with an interesting note here on Weeden. Gundy praises him (Weeden, not Poling) for throwing the ball out of bounds multiple times against OU. (O’Colly)

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A Pair Of Biletnikoffs

Kyle Porter —  December 8, 2011 — 10 Comments

Photo Attribution: Corie Brianne

Justin Blackmon brought home the Biletnikoff hardware on Thursday night as the second two-time receiver of the year winner (Michael Crabtree was the first).

In the past two seasons Blackmon has put up 224 catches for 3,118 yards and 35 TD. A decent career, much less your sophomore and junior years.

I’ve written it before, but if he wants all the Oklahoma State records, all the Big 12 records, and a run at every relevant wide receiver record in NCAA history, they’re all there for the taking next year.

But of course, as ESPN “broke” to us on Wednesday night, he will be headed for millions of dollars and a professional life playing games instead. It’s a nice tradeoff, one all of us would make, and one none of us hold against him.

While we’re here, my three favorite Blackmon memories from this season (in no particular order):

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