2010 NCAA Football Preview: Oklahoma State
When you have football powerhouses in your conference like Texas, Texas Tech, and Oklahoma it is very tough to get noticed and receive any sort of recognition for what you are able to accomplish; there is always someone that is doing better. Over the last several years the Cowboys have lived in the shadow of the Longhorns, Sooners and Red Raiders and have been forced to take lesser bowl games when they are even offered.
The team took a step forward in 2009 when they beat two ranked teams, #13 Georgia to open the season, and #24 Missouri on October 17. But as usual, losses to Texas and Oklahoma kept the Cowboys out of one of the major bowls and relegated them to the Cotton Bowl.
After finishing in the top 25 in the Coaches Poll, the team is looking to improve on the 9-4 record that they earned last season. After dropping the Cotton Bowl to Ole Miss they will undoubtedly want to start the season off with a bang against Washington State on September 4th. Under the direction of head coach Mike Gundy they could do just that.
Offense
At the end of last season the Cowboys were unable to score with only one touchdown in their last two contests of the season. Injuries played a part in that with running back Kendall Hunter going down; losing Dez Bryant to a suspension at the beginning of the season did not help either. However, one or two players does not a team make.
As a result, the Cowboys welcome a new offensive coordinator in 2010, one that knows a thing or two about high scoring, yardage heavy offenses. New OC Dana Holgorsen is fresh off of leading one of the best offenses in college football over the last two years, the Houston Cougars. Under him the Cougars averaged 40+ points a game and over 500 yards in offense. The Cowboys are hoping to see that success recreated with them.
Getting back his starting running back will help with that tremendously. However, the task will be a little more daunting since he will have to work with a new starting quarterback in 6’ 4” junior Brandon Weeden, inexperienced wide receivers, and some newcomers on the offensive line. Luckily, in Hunter they do have one of the better running backs in the nation. During his last full season in 2008 he rushed for 1555 yards.
For them to experience much success they will have to get a line to gel that will have four new starters in 2010. Brandon Weeden may be new, but being a little bit older (26) and hopefully more mature then the usual college quarterback may make the transition to a new quarterback much smoother.
Defense
The Cowboy defense will benefit greatly from the return of linebacker Orie Lemon in 2010. His last full season was in 2008 where he tallied 90 tackles on the season. After missing last season due to an injury that occurred prior to the season opener the senior will likely be chomping at the bit for the news season to begin. If he lives up to his promise, Lemon could end up being one of the best linebackers in the country.
Where the Cowboy hurt the most is in their pass defense. The return of Lemon will help and having lineman Ugo Chinasa pressuring opposing quarterbacks will help, but the unit was not that good in the first place. The back seven (defensive backs and linebackers) ranked 89th in Division I when it came to defending the pass; only one starter is returning, but that is likely going to be a good thing. It certainly can’t be any worse.
Both kickoff and punt coverage was something that the team was not good at in 2009 either; on the season they were among the worst in Division I at both.
Head coach Mike Gundy will look to lead the team to their third 9+ win season in a row this year, but that will not be an easy feat playing in the Big XII. For the Cowboys to make a push in 2010 the defense will have to improve in order for them to have a chance.
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