Sunday Morning Coaches - Carry On Wayward Sons Edition

I said it last week and I'll say it again, we have to get everyone involved in the offensive game plan when we get in the red zone. I don't think it's any accident that the three red zone scores we had consisted of a throw to Ollie out of the backfield, the end around to Presley, and a Presley catch out of the backfield on the busted flea flicker. We still need to do more with our tight ends/fullbacks in the red zone. We occasionally throw to them in the middle of the field, but they seem to completely disappear when the field compresses, the exact opposite of when you want to be limiting your options. We don't have the manpower up front to just steamroll people in predictable short yardage situations, nor do we have the super accurate qb and the stud receiver you need to just rely on throwing fades to the back corner of the end zone.

When was the last time we threw a red zone fade?


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I could understand avoiding the middle of the field with Sanders at QB. I'd like to see more plays using the middle with Bowman; I think he could make the right decisions when the opportunity arises.
 
When was the last time we threw a red zone fade?


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We tried in 2nd half against KSt in the west end zone. Bray was being tackled to the turf and Bowman under threw. At least I think that was what we were trying to do.

But your point is exactly what we were talking about after the game going back to Rashaun we have been spoiled w great receivers who just go up and out compete for the ball. Wish we could still use that.
 
Anyone. Anywhere with any news on Cooper? I feel like this is potentially something huge that there is zero info on.

He went out mid third drive and no sign since then.
 
We tried in 2nd half against KSt in the west end zone. Bray was being tackled to the turf and Bowman under threw. At least I think that was what we were trying to do.

But your point is exactly what we were talking about after the game going back to Rashaun we have been spoiled w great receivers who just go up and out compete for the ball. Wish we could still use that.

Is that we haven’t had next level talent at wide receiver the past few years, or we haven’t developed wide receivers into next level talent the past few years?


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Is that we haven’t had next level talent at wide receiver the past few years, or we haven’t developed wide receivers into next level talent the past few years?


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You bring up good points. Tay Martin and Tyrone Johnson are both in the league albeit practice squads. But both of those guys were transfers in (and thank goodness). Stribling looked to be an amazing transfer but we have to wait a year.

Bray and Owens were good gets but 3⭐️. Our true 4⭐️ are relatively game experience lacking but have been in the program.

So is it lack of recruiting and developing those WR go up and get it types combined with lack of consistency having good fade throwers. Or has officiating kind of taken that advantage away bc they allow DBs to essentially lock up WRs preventing real explosiveness to go get it?

Whatever it is I miss seeing it in the corners of BPS.
 
Honestly, I didn't think I would see the day that we'd be asking for boring old fades in the red zone........this fanbase is schizophrenic. :ROFLMAO:
I actually predicted a fade to the NW corner on our last TD, but we went with the jet sweep or whatever to the short side of the field, and it worked great. I was pleasantly surprised by the call! It was setup PERFECTLY for an out of bounds throw over the singled WRs head on the far side of the field.
 
Come on now. Zac was awesome at it. And then nothing like seeing Dez or Blackman or Washington. Those were awesome.
Watching THOSE guys WAS awesome. Watching our more recent failed attempts......not so much. I was so happy to see us not throw the fade in that situation, but would have bet the house we were going to. It was a great call if only because it showed we have other plays near the goal line.
 
Come on now. Zac was awesome at it. And then nothing like seeing Dez or Blackman or Washington. Those were awesome.
No doubt. When you take the threads in as a whole ranging from fire everyone to we still show no creativity in the red zone to hey man I sure do miss just throwing it up in the corner and hoping we out athlete them it's really pretty funny.:) That's all I am saying.
 
Anyone. Anywhere with any news on Cooper? I feel like this is potentially something huge that there is zero info on.

He went out mid third drive and no sign since then.
Gundy said in the press conference that he "should" practice and play. Of course that's MG with the media so who knows.

I'm rewatching the game and tried to see if I could tell what happened. In the play he went out it was just a stand up block, didn't get rolled up on or anything. Wasn't even that hard of a rush.

Maybe a shoulder or some kind of upper body thing, or something pre-existing?

He did go flying on the screen to Bray but that was about 5 plays before and he looked good for all the subsequent plays, even had a pancake. Hopefully he's good to go.
 

Mike Gundy points to offensive line improvement for recent OSU offensive success
Braden Bush, Sports Editor, @BradenBush21 Oct 16, 2023 Updated Oct 16, 2023 Comments

Mike Gundy has the same answer for why Oklahoma State’s offense has found life in the past two weeks.

Alan Bowman has spent three games as the starting quarterback now, and running back Ollie Gordon has certified himself as RB1, becoming the first Cowboy running back since 1989 to have more than 100 yards rushing and receiving. Neither are the responsible for the offensive resurgence, though, Gundy said Monday at his press conference.

“The best way to illustrate it is our offensive line has played considerably better in the last month,” Gundy said. “It has nothing to do with the quarterback or the running back.

“You have guys moving around, you’re vulnerable.”

The Cowboys have had the same starting lineup at offensive line the past two weeks, which Gundy said has helped with continuity.

Preston Wilson started his fourth consecutive game at right guard, Jake Springfield made his second straight start at right tackle and Pro Football Focus grade Joe Michalski as the top-performing center in college football this past week.

Gundy said the OSU’s use of tight ends has changed, too, which has helped in protection.

“Joe (Michalski) has played good. His maturity, Springfield’s maturity, is starting to show up, (Preston Wilson) played good,” Gundy said. “The majority of them played much better than they did earlier in the year based on (Wilson) sitting there in the same spot and Joe is obviously in the same spot, and we're getting some good play out of our tight ends. We've involved them considerably in the running game over the last month, and that’s the direction we're going, and those guys are starting to play better just based on reps.”

Gundy tackled tackling issues

In OSU’s first few games, Gundy often brought up his team’s missed tackling problem.

“We were awful,” Gundy said. “You can say it, it’s OK.”

Against Kansas on Saturday, OSU missed only three tackles, a massive improvement from OSU’s first two games in which it missed 38 tackles.

The Cowboys coach said he owned the problem and changed his philosophy. Gundy had reduced tackling in practice to keep players healthy, but it was at the expense of performance.

“I leaned toward health, and it didn't work. We weren't very good tackles,” Gundy said. “The last four weeks, we've tackled more than we've tackled ever since I've been a head coach. And we're seeing good results.”

Gundy’s 400th OSU game

Saturday’s game at West Virginia will be a milestone for Gundy.

He will be on the sideline for his 400th OSU game as either a coach or player. Gundy played quarterback for the Cowboys from 1986-89, then became OSU’s wide receivers coach in 1990. He was QB coach from 1991-95 before spending five seasons at Baylor and Maryland as a quarterback or wide receivers coach.

Gundy returned to OSU in 2000 as the offensive coordinator under coach Les Miles and has since spent the past 19 seasons as head coach, amassing a 160-77 record.

“We've seen a lot, done a lot here and built a lot here,” Gundy said. “We have Oklahoma State football to a level that has a national brand, and we're very proud of that. Those were things that I enjoy.”

Gundy, who was hired in 2005, is the third-longest tenured active college football head coach, behind only Utah’s Kyle Wittingham (hired less than a month earlier) and Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz (1999).

“This is just who I am,” Gundy said. “This place is who I am, and I’ve been lucky that they've kept me around here for this long. They’ve had a number of chances to run me off and haven't done it. But 400 games is a lot of games to be in one spot.”

sports.ed@ocolly.com
 
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