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![]() The Cowboys are returning their All-American tailback, their quarterback, their leading wide receiver, their leader in sacks — and now, their stud safety. Kendal Daniels hinted at an Oklahoma State return Friday morning by quoting his return announcement from last season with a Doc Holliday clip from the movie “Tombstone.”
“We started the game we never got to finish,” Holliday said. “Play for blood, remember?” Playing the rover spot in Bryan Nardo’s newly implemented 3-3-5 defense, Daniels was one of three OSU players with 100 tackles this past season, wracking up 105 in his second season as a starter. Listed as a 6-foot-4, 213-pound redshirt sophomore in 2023, Daniels had 5.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, two interceptions, two fumble recoveries, a forced fumble and a pass breakup. His best game of the year probably came against West Virginia, when Daniels recorded 11 tackles and had a forced fumble and fumble recovery. He also had double-digit tackles against UCF and Iowa State. His interceptions came in OSU’s win against Kansas, and he iced the Texas Bowl with a pick against the Aggies. Daniels was a high-level prospect in the 2021 recruiting class. Listed as the No. 47 player in the class by 247Sports, Daniels initially signed with Texas A&M before getting out of that letter of intent and making it to Stillwater. Out of Beggs High School, he also had offers from Alabama, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia and others. Daniels took a redshirt in OSU’s Fiesta Bowl-winning 2021 season, but he did play in the Fiesta Bowl, and against Kansas and TCU that year. He stepped into the starting lineup in 2022, recording 71 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, three interceptions, five pass breakups and a forced fumble last season. So Daniels joins Ollie Gordon, Alan Bowman, Brennan Presley, Collin Oliver, an entire offensive line and more to announce returns to Oklahoma State for 2024. Daniels heads a safety room that returns a host of young talent. Cameron Epps broke out with three interceptions in his redshirt-freshman season, and the Pokes were without Lyrik Rawls for much of their 10-4 2023 season because of injury. OSU also added to its safety ranks through the transfer portal with the addition of UTEP’s Kobe Hylton. Oklahoma State is going to have some high expectations in the first year of a 16-team Big 12 and a 12-team College Football Playoff. Should the Cowboys repeat success of last season (minus the wacky start to the year), they are building a solid case to win the Big 12 and have a shot at the Playoff. ![]() Read this original article at Pistols Firing Blog. ![]() Ready or not, here the Big 12 comes. Oklahoma State starts conference play Saturday in Stillwater with a game against Baylor. The Bears enter the matchup ranked 18th in the AP Poll with wins against Auburn, Florida and Seton Hall already this season. Here is a preview of Saturday’s matchup. Viewing InfoTime: 2 p.m. Saturday Team Stats
Projected Starters
Series History (OSU Leads 57-36)
The Bears enter Saturday’s matchup riding a three-game winning streak in the series, most recently beating the Cowboys 74-68 in Stillwater last season. That game saw John-Michael Wright score a game-high 17 points, but LJ Cryer (15), Dale Bonner (15), Jalen Bridges (14) and Adam Flagler (13) all scored in double figures for Baylor. The Bears built a 19-point lead in the second half before OSU cut it to four in the final minutes before falling. The Cowboys’ last win in the series came in Waco when OSU upset the No. 1 Bears in the 2021-22 season. Bryce Thompson scored 19 that day, but the real standout was OSU’s defense. The Cowboys held Baylor to 54 points on 31% field-goal shooting and 29% 3-point shooting. OSU’s last win against Baylor in Stillwater was way back in the 2014-15 season under Travis Ford, when the Cowboys beat the Bears 64-53 behind 16 points from Phil Forte III. Le’Bryan Nash added 13 that day. ![]() Read this original article at Pistols Firing Blog.
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![]() The Cowboys will start 2024 with a top-5 foe away from Stillwater. Ninth-ranked Oklahoma State will travel to Raleigh, North Carolina, to wrestle No. 4 NC State at 6 p.m. Friday. There’s a lot to this dual, even beyond being a clash between two top-10 teams. The Wolfpack is coached by former Cowboy wrestler Pat Popolizio. Facing off against a former athlete usually bodes well for John Smith, who is 24-1 when coaching against his former wrestlers, however, that only loss was to Popolizio’s NC State in 2015. This dual was originally scheduled to take place at Naval Air Station Sigonella in Sicily, Italy, on Dec. 30, but those plans were quietly changed to a home-and-home series earlier this season. NC State will visit Stillwater in 2025. Had plans stuck, it wouldn’t have been the first time these programs traveled to Italy, as they competed in the first-ever college dual overseas in Naples, Italy, in 2018, which was the last time they met. OSU won that matchup, 19-16. Although this top-10 matchup won’t get a unique venue, it did draw a national broadcast, as the dual will be on ESPNU. It will be the first time this season the Cowboys will be on national television, but not the last, as their home dual with Iowa on Feb. 25 will be on FS1. Here’s more about OSU’s first dual of the calendar year after starting the season 4-0. Viewing InfoWhen: 6 p.m. Friday Where: James T. Valvano Arena at William Neal Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh, North Carolina Watch: ESPNU Projected Matchups
*Rankings from Intermat Series History (OSU leads, 7-1)
![]() Read this original article at Pistols Firing Blog.
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![]() Alan Bowman has the all-clear to return for his seventh year of college football. Thanks to successful eligibility waiver, the quarterback who most recently captained the Cowboys’ offense to a 10-4 record will run it back in 2024. Shortly after OSU’s press release, Bowman tweeted out his intention to return to Stillwater. “Just want to say thanks to all my Oklahoma State teammates, the coaches and fans for helping make the 2023 season the most fun I’ve ever had playing football. “That said, I just head back that I was granted another year of eligibility, and we have unfinished business. I love Stillwater and this program, so I’ll be back in 2024 to make a championship run.”
“Alan met the criteria for an extension of his eligibility due to his season ending injury in 2019 combined with redshirting at the University of Michigan,” OSU’s Senior Associate Athletics Director for Compliance Ben Dyson said in a school release. Despite not having the reins until Big 12 play, Bowman finished 2023 ranked second in the league in passing yards per game and led the Big 12 in pass attempts and completions. Bowman’s 3,460 passing yards ranked seventh for a season in program history, and his 304 completions ranked fourth. This the biggest question mark remaining for a Cowboys’ offense which will return Ollie Gordon, its entire starting offensive line and leading receiver Brennan Presley. Gunnar Gundy entered the transfer portal prior to OSU’s bowl game, leaving Garret Rangel as the only other QB on the roster with any experience behind Bowman. Bowman started his career at Texas Tech, throwing for 5,260 yards in three injury-riddled seasons. He then transferred to Michigan for two seasons before his move to OSU. ![]() Read this original article at Pistols Firing Blog. |
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