Big Trouble in the Little Apple: K-State Romps Pokes in Manhattan

   Kansas State head coach, Bill Snyder, stared at the scoreboard following the Oklahoma State Cowboys opening drive that resulted in a touchdown, and the look upon his face depicted a man who was wondering if the tone was set for the entire game on that single drive. As the Pokes kicked off after the score, relief was the emotion that came over Coach Snyder as he watched one of his cornerbacks, Morgan Burns, return the kickoff 86 yards to answer right back. From then on, it was all Kansas State, all the time. The Wildcats rolled over the Pokes, 48-14, and were in control after the first 3 minutes and 12 seconds of the game.
   OSU quarterback, Daxx Garman, had another anemic performance that consisted of him throwing 2 interceptions, no touchdowns, and left his passing yard total under 200 yards...again. Speaking of repetition, once more, the Cowboy defense was on the field a bunch, and freshman corner, Ramon Richards, returned a pick for a touchdown in the final moments of the game to boost whatever moral OSU had remaining a that point. Other than that, the defense didn't play well at all, and gave up 421 total yards to the purple-touted destroyers from K-State.

Oklahoma State mascot, Pistol Pete, hides his face in shame
as the Kanas State Wildcats made a 59-yard field goal to
make the final score 48-14 in their favor. OSU is now 3-3
in the Big 12 after the loss in Manhattan.

  As Oklahoma State drops to 5-4, and their 3-game losing streak seems to grow as the weeks press on, a 6-6 season seems like the most likely scenario for the Pokes. The rebuilding year for the Cowboys was not supposed to look like this, and the fans know it. No one expected J.W. Walsh to play a hell of a game against Florida State in the season opener and then fall to an injury in the following week, and no one thought that Daxx Garman would have such trouble with throwing the ball to the incorrect team. In Daxx's defense, the guys he's throwing to are open, but they just aren't wearing any type of black or orange. For the OSU fans that are sick of the disgusting passing game, team speedster, Tyreke Hill, finally got the carries that Mike Gundy promised media members in the preseason, and was very productive. Hill ran the ball 18 times for 102 yards and was responsible for the offense's only touchdown.
  Moving ahead on Oklahoma State's schedule, the pressure gets turned up a couple notches as they host Texas after having a bye week this coming Saturday. Texas has been on the cusp of winning some big games, but they haven't been able to pull out a victory over any team in the Big 12 that is above .500 in the conference. They have beat Iowa State, Kansas, and Texas Tech. That's a coincidence, because OSU has conference victories over the same teams, and hasn't beaten anyone else but them, either! This game will pretty much decide who will take 6th place in the Big 12, and if OSU can beat the Longhorns, they will have some momentum heading into their showdown in Waco against the Baylor Bears. But momentum isn't everything, and the Pokes haven't been able to score the ball very well, so keeping up with a high-scoring team, like Baylor, could be a disaster. After Baylor, the Cowboys have to travel to Norman to face OU, and that will be no cake walk for them at all. Last time OSU went to Norman, it took overtime to decide who would win Bedlam, and the Sooners came out on top. I'm not saying to expect another overtime shootout with both teams scoring over 48 points, but I am saying that anything can happen in rivalry games. It's just too bad that OSU can't seem to find the end zone on offense, and when you can't move the ball, it's hard to beat teams that are far better than you.
  Wrapping it up, the Cowboys are having their first season with under 7 wins since 2005 when they went 4-7 and 1-7 within the Big 12. The season looks to be one to forget for the fans of the so-called, "Orange Power," and the future holds a lot of questions for this program. In the end, sure, OSU could pull off a miracle and win 3 straight games to go 8-4 overall, but that's fantasy. 7-5? You're probably dreaming. 6-6 is where it's gonna be at for the Pokes, and if 5-7 happens, you bet there will be some uproar in Stillwater. Just something to think about, as the Cowboys have an off week to prepare for Texas on November 15.

Home-SHAMING: Mountaineers Ruin OSU Homecoming

  Their pistols weren't loaded, their horse was dead, and the townspeople no longer had their backs. That's how homecoming felt for the alumni of Oklahoma State, as their Cowboys got romped by West Virginia, 34-10. The score doesn't indicate the actual closeness of the game because it was 20-10 with just over 10 minutes left in the regulation. Sadly, the Pokes couldn't muster a single scoring drive for the whole second half, and got embarrassed with a pick-6 and then another touchdown, just for good measure, was tacked on by the Mountaineer offense in the waning moments of the 4th quarter.

Defensive tackle, Ofa Hautau, #98
of the Oklahoma State Cowboys 
walks off the field after the game
against theWest Virginia Mountaineers.

  With all the offensive weapons at quarterback, Daxx Garman's, disposal, how did the OSU offense sputter, come to a halt, and then die? Enter into the room, Offensive Coordinator for the Cowboys, Mike Yurcich. Yurcich has been doing a piss-poor job of utilizing the speed of Tyreke Hill, (even though he did get several touches from the running back position against WVU) the arm of Garman, and the reliable hands of multiple receivers with massive talent. Could be a harsh accusation though, because the depleted offensive line of OSU is the main reason behind the running game being so stagnant, and when you can't run the ball, you're forced to pass, and defenses blitz you non-stop. Without a properly developed line, giving a stationary quarterback, like Garman, no time whatsoever to pass, you're forced into admitting that your offense is, well...terrible. So if the offensive side of the ball is so bad, does that mean the defense is good?
  When it comes to the Cowboy defense, they have played well enough to keep OSU in ballgames. Remember, it was 17-10 early on in the 3rd quarter, and West Virginia went almost a whole 15 minutes of game time without scoring. That should be ample time for an offense to get the opportunities it needs in order to give you the lead. So if the offense could produce points (which looks like is going to be a struggle the rest of the season, then you've got a winning combination. Unfortunately, the Cowboys have some dooming road games ahead of them that include Baylor, Kansas State, and Oklahoma. With West Virginia being their last home game, it's easy to say that the Cowboys could be finishing 5-7, but with Texas being a foreseeable win, despite the improved play they have shown, OSU should be at least bowl eligible at a disappointing 6-6. But looking ahead, is that really what could happen the Cowboy's season after looking so well in their first 5 games?
  Yes, the Pokes played well against teams they were supposed to beat, but what are the chances OSU pulls off some miraculous wins against these formidable foes they have left on their schedule? To be honest, the only wins that OSU could squeak out in amazing upset fashion look like they could come in Norman against OU because that's a rivalry game and players get pumped for those, or the trip to Manhattan to face K-State is a promising game. K-State is only thrown out there because Texas hung around with them (even though they got shut-out 23-0), and I believe the OSU offense can generate more points than Texas put on the board. If they can pull off those victories, expect the season to go from disappointing, to unexpected.
  Looking ahead to this week, K-State is on the menu for the Cowboys, and they haven't beat the Wildcats since 2012. Just something to think about, as the most disciplined team in the Big 12 hosts the Pokes, and the Little Apple will look to be poppin' when Mike Gundy and Co. roll into town. The kickoff is set for 7 PM CT and will be on ABC.

Hunni-Cut It To the Left

   On Saturday morning in Norman, most people were excited to see how the Oklahoma Sooners would respond after their piss-poor offensive output versus Texas last week, but ended up getting more than what they bargained for. Trevor Knight played the best game of the season (so far) and the offense was moving the ball effectively against the above-average Kansas State defense. The problem for the Sooners was that when they got into the redzone, they couldn't punch it in for touchdowns. Enter the Groza Award Finalist kicker, Michael Hunnicut. The young man has kicked his way atop the Sooners all-time leading scorer list, and coming into the game against the Wildcats, no one expected him to fold. Right before halftime, the Sooners, who were behind by 4, opted to kick a 32-yard field goal to cut the lead to 1. No one held their breath on the attempt and no one was worried when Hunnicut was that close to the uprights. After all, it's not like Bob Stoops was trotting out little Jimmy Stevens for the attempt. If your memory serves you right, you'll remember the 5 foot 8 inch little kicker that struggled in his Sooner career to hit short field goals, or any field goals, for that matter. So, Hunnicut kicked the ball, and the crowd automatically began to cheer (at least from the angle where I was sitting) as the ball sailed past the goal post. Then the PA announcer let the Sooner nation that had the terrible angles know that the kick had been missed. Murmurs began shortly after, but it was halftime and OU was only down by 4.

OU kicker, Michael Hunnicut, reacts after missing a 32-yard field goal
in the first half against the Kansas State Wildcats this past weekend.
The Sooners fell to K-State with a final score of 31-30.

   In the second half, the offenses traded punches, and with 10:35 left in the game, the Sooners scored a touchdown that fans would believe would have tied the game at 31. With an extra point pending, and Hunnicut being almost automatic on his PATs, no OU fan was concerned. But the extra point was blocked, and the score was 30-31 with more football to be played. The Wildcats went 3 and out in a hurry, and gave the ball back to Oklahoma with just under 10 minutes left. This was more than enough time for the Sooners to make something happen. The drive took almost 6 minutes for OU to get back into the redzone, but once they were there, they couldn't punch it in from the 1 yard line on 3rd and goal. Out came the field goal unit, and for the first time in awhile, the OU faithful were concerned about the outcome of the kick. Sure, it was a 19-yard chip shot that was shorter than any extra point Hunnicut ever kicked, but with the last PAT being blocked, the question mark was the offensive line. So the snap was called, ball was placed, and the kick...sailed so far to the left that it was almost like Hunnicut had never kicked a football in his life! Nevertheless, there was still just under 4 minutes for the Sooners to get another chance, but they would have to make the Wildcats go 3 and out again, and OU had only 1 timeout to work with. With 2:22 on the clock and Kansas State facing a third down and 3, it was Oklahoma's decision whether or not they wanted to win this game or not. As Kansas State quarterback, Jake Waters, took the snap, he dropped back, had all the time in the world, and completed a 6-yard pass to Curry Sexton for the first down. All Kansas State had to do was take a couple kneel downs, and the game would be over, and that's exactly what they did. OU ended up losing the game, 31-30, and left 7 points on the field.
  After the game, it was apparent that the Sooners' chances at being in this year's playoff was done. They would need some major upsets and meltdowns in order to climb their way back into the conversation. The dream of a national championship was, once again, foiled by OU hurting themselves in opportune situations. But the blame is not soley on Hunnicut for the loss. Earlier in the game, Knight threw a pick-6 that allowed the Kansas State lead to balloon to 14-7, and the defense proved that third down was going to be a consistent problem for OU. The bottom line: This is just not the year for Oklahoma football to win it all.
  The Sooners go to Ames, Iowa this weekend to play the Iowa State Cyclones, and that game should restore some confidence in OU, as the Cyclones are one of the worst teams in the Big 12. Sure, they hung in with Texas this week and lost on a last-second field goal, but Iowa State is no match for the Sooners. With Baylor, Oklahoma State, and Texas Tech still on the schedule for OU, the losing, most likely, will not stop at 2. Just something to think about, as the Sooners look to take on Iowa State this weekend. No time has been set for kickoff as of yet.