Photo Attribution: US Presswire
How good does it sound to kick the fall off by saying OSU is out to defend 1 a Big 12 championship?
Here are five (of 10) stories I’ll be looking at as the 2012 football team completes its first full week of fall camp.
1. Are we a 10-win program – There are cute stories, there are good teams in bad conferences, there are special years or two-year runs, and then there are programs. I think OSU is on the verge of crashing the program party but I don’t think they’re quite there yet. Show me 10 wins this year though and yes, you’re a program.
2. How good is Todd Monken – He basically said his goal last year was “don’t crash the Maserati into a tree.” This year though? he has to make all the right calls, know when to go conservative, be willing to let his freshman QB ride, determine when to lay back with Randle and Smith, and try to get a feel for an offense that doesn’t have an identity. Oh yeah, and expectations are higher than they’ve ever been in school history. Good luck.
3. What will JW Walsh do – People (including me) keep saying he’s going to be Tebow Lite, switch things up from the air raid with Lunt, and provide a Blake Bell-like package that diversifies the offense. The more I think about it though, the less I think that’s Gundy’s (not to mention Monken’s) style. I think they’re just going to live and die by the freshman, but if that’s the case, and they’ve said they want to see Walsh get touches…how’s that going to happen?
4. The secondary is great…but is it good – Everybody knows Justin Gilbert, Brodrick Brown, and Daytawion Lowe are going to do Gilbert, Brown, and Lowe things. They’ve all proven themselves to be stars in an under appreciated (if not underrated) defense. But what will OSU get from first-year started Lavocheya Cooper? And what if Brown or Gilbert….gulp….gets h-word? Unproven backups Zack Craig and Larry Stephens are next in line.
If the Big 12 has proven anything over the last five years it’s that you can be all kinds of great in the secondary, but you better be deep and your depth better be good because offensive coordinators keep coming and coming and coming. I wonder what Dana thinks when he sees the names Zack Craig and Larry Stephens 2 …
5. Who is Joe Randle – Is he the subtle monster who posted the second most rushing TDs in school history and averaged a TD every 8.66 carries 3. Or is he simply the beneficiary of two larger-than-life teammates who demanded half (if not more) of opponents’ weekly defensive game plans? I’m leaning towards the former, but we’ll find out for sure this season.
Five more stories coming tomorrow. Man, I’m getting fired up for this season!
Brilliant. Can’t wait for the other 5.
OK, I’m gettin’ pumped….nice job Kyle…
Thank you, sir. Wish tomorrow was September 1.
Kyle, Agree that we’re less likely to see JW under center than a lot of folks might think. What’s up with JW completely absent in yesterday’s practice photo’s? QB’s shown were Lunt, Chelf, and Garman.
Couple of newbie’s that were in the photo opps (looked like the 2D’s) – Muncrief at RB, Goodlett, Webb and Ellis, Curry and Seales at WR. Will they get some game day snaps this season?
I bet Webb and Seales do. Curry obviously will, not sure on the other two. I also thought the absence of JW was odd. I feel like I’ve seen more of Daxx than anyone.
Last year we had the pass opening up the run….I think Coach Mike and Coach Todd are gambling that they can plug in someone close enough to Weeden in passing skills who may be good enough to flip that identity to “the run opening up the pass”….JW may become another Josh Cooper.
I would like to see J.W. Walsh be moved to slot receiver; however, Coach Gundy has pretty much said that will not happen this year. It’s too difficult to learn the receiver position, and then also to have to learn how to play quarterback. He’s indicated that JW is the back-up and Chelf is #3. Walsh will see the field and will specialize in a play package (so he can be successful in the event Lunt is unable to go); but we know that it will not be the quarterback zone read. Walsh’s build is too slight to handle the constant battering.
In the end, I don’t think even the coaching staff knows what they want to do with him.