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STILLWATER – Oklahoma State football head coach Mike Gundy met with the media for the final time prior to OSU's departure for the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl on Sunday. Here is some of what he had to say:
![]() ![]() STILLWATER – Oklahoma State football head coach Mike Gundy met with the media for the final time prior to OSU's departure for the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl on Sunday. Here is some of what he had to say:
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![]() A stellar calendar year for Mike Gundy and his staff culminated this month with an appearance in the Big 12 title game and the subsequent signing of one of the more decorated recruiting classes of the Gundy era since he took over the program nearly two decades ago. The 17-man class is loaded with talent at skill positions, including some immense star power at receiver and running back, but it also fills some holes elsewhere with additions on both lines, a developmental QB with starter upside and more. Here are five thoughts on the class and what it means. 1. Quality, quality, qualityThe 2022 recruiting class ranks 26th nationally and third in the Big 12, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. This is despite the fact that only seven schools higher in the national rankings have 17 or fewer commitments (OSU has 17). That indicates OSU’s class is built on solid ground. And the numbers back that up, too. With a 87.57 per-commitment average, OSU’s per-player ranking is higher than it’s ever been, and it stands right now as easily the best recruiting class of the Gundy era through this metric, too. The previous high was … last year. What really gets me is the per-player average from 2005-2021 was 85.26 — so this class is easily two points per player better on average in the rankings. Can you imagine how dominant OSU will be on the recruiting trail at this pace when Gundy is in his 70s? Look out, Saban!
2. The QBLike most recruiting classes, fair or not, whether or not it is seen as a smash success may rest on the shoulders of the quarterback. But there’s extra intrigue surrounding QB signee Garret Rangel. OSU did not take a scholarship QB last cycle (it added Gunnar Gundy as a walk-on) in a move seen largely to go all-in on Rangel for this class. It worked. Now it has to hope Rangel works out. I am very much on board. He’s a 6-foot-2 four-star recruit out of Lone Star in Frisco who seems to check every box: workable frame, rocket arm, lovable teammate. Everyone vibes with him. Type of humble star made in a Gundy lab. I suspect it’ll take time for him to acclimate himself — a redshirt year as he fills out his body seems necessary — but his signing makes him in my book the most interesting long-term QB prospect on the roster. Important piece of the puzzle with Spencer Sanders entering his senior season in 2022. 3. Family tiesOSU hasn’t always hit on players with family ties to OSU — it missed on Caden Sterns and Damion Daniels, among others, in recent years — but this class was a smash. Here’s the quick rundown.
4. Charlie Dickey reloadsOSU’s offensive line will no doubt see some shuffling in the offseason, but offensive line coach Charlie Dickey, as ever, is reloading with enough talent to feel good about the unit’s prospects entering 2022. The big addition is NMMI transfer Tyrone Webber, a 6-foot-5 tackle. But the high school additions look promising, too, including Austin Kawecki (6-foot-4 OT) and Calvin Harvey (6-foot-8 OT). These fellas are big. 5. More to come?With only 17 signees, there is wiggle room to add more prospects to this class either via the transfer market or the high school ranks. OSU looks to be eyeing interior defensive line talents, having recently offered Jayson Jones (an Oregon transfer) and Seleti Fevaleaki (Snow College transfer). At this point it’s just fine-tuning and trying to juggle the portal, but I would expect there to be perhaps a few more additions in the coming weeks and months. The post Five Thoughts on OSU Football’s 2022 Recruiting Class appeared first on Pistols Firing. ![]() Read this original article at Pistols Firing Blog. ![]() The early signing period has come and gone, and now prospective student-athletes will have to wait until February to officially put pen to paper. In a few metrics, Oklahoma State finished with its best class under Mike Gundy. The Cowboys’ class ranks 26th nationally with 17 signees. The Cowboys’ average player rating of 0.8757 is a program-best since these things started being tracked in 1999. How does that compare to the rest of the Big 12? Not too shabby. Oklahoma State’s class ranked third in the league behind Texas and Oklahoma. The Cowboys had six composite four-star signees. Aside from Texas and OU, the next highest amount of four-star signees in the league was two.
Texas had the two highest-rated signees among the Big 12 schools. Offensive tackle Kelvin Banks is the only five-star prospect who signed in the Big 12. His rating is 0.9923. Cornerback Terrance Brooks was second among Big 12 signees at 0.9748. Oklahoma State signee Talyn Shettron was the highest rated among Big 12 schools that aren’t OU or Texas at a 0.9619. TCU receiver Jordan Hudson was next in that category at 0.9446. Here is a look at all the five- and four-star prospects who signed with Big 12 schools. If a school didn’t have a four-star signee, the highest-rated prospect who signed with that school is mentioned.
*Williams is committed to OU, but he did not sign during the early period One could make an argument that by the time a majority of this 2022 class makes an impact on the field, conference realignment will have taken shape. With OU and Texas set to leave the Big 12 and BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF set to join, this is what the Big 12 recruiting rankings would have looked like:
The schools coming into the conference are already recruiting at a respectable level to the Big 12 average. Of the four new schools, Houston has the highest-rated signee in wide receiver Matthew Golden, a four-star prospect with a 0.9193 rating. Cincinnati edge rusher Mario Eugenio follows him with a 0.9042 rating. All four of the new programs have at least one four-star prospect signed in the 2022 class. BYU, Cincinnati and Houston have two four-star signees apiece. Here is a look at all the four-star prospects committed to schools in the “new” Big 12. Again, if a school (Kansas State and Kansas) doesn’t have a four-star in its class, the highest-rated player in that class will be represented. By 2025, the latest OU and Texas will be out of the conference, this group will be mostly seniors or redshirt juniors.
These rankings might still tweak a time or two before all is set and done, but this provides a solid look at who some of the impact players could be in the future of the conference. Despite the league losing its two biggest brand names, it’s nice to know that the newcomers can at least pull their weight when it comes to recruiting. The post How the Old and New Big 12 Recruiting Rankings Look after the Early Signing Period appeared first on Pistols Firing. ![]() Read this original article at Pistols Firing Blog. ![]() I love college football. And growing up, I was We’ve shared that together with unforgettable (both good and bad!) experiences across sports. We were there for 2013 Bedlam football, for instance. And we watched baseball together in Bricktown on several occasions, including once where we dragged my father in law — a KU fan — to join us. I still remember the amazing seats and the experience but couldn’t tell you what happened on the field, and I think that’s how I view a perfect memory — not the event but the experience of it. So after learning at the first of December that my cancer had returned, my dad made sure we could experience the Big 12 title game together as well. After I spent weeks upon weeks pleading for him to go to Bedlam because OSU > OU looked pretty obvious from the eye test, which he ignored, he wasn’t about to miss out on a Big 12 title game opportunity with OSU surging into a potential spot in the playoff. So we went together. Me and him. It was the culmination of a pretty emotional week for our family, and OSU’s loss … well, that didn’t exactly make the drive back to Tulsa shorter. But we had a great time. And so I wanted to write about my time with my dad. Friday, Dec. 3Before we could make our way to the game, we first had to get me patched up and ready for chemo, which my doctor decided we’d start the next week on Monday. So Friday morning began with a trip to Saint Francis to have a port procedure. I didn’t get a port the first time I did chemo but this time, because of the volume of treatments and the ease of access for everyone, I could no longer opt for vein-only treatments. Thankfully they put me under for the quick thing and placed the port just beneath the surface of my skin on my chest. ![]() Had to get to the hospital at 7 a.m. for a 9 a.m. procedure so, yeah, that took a big chunk of the morning. And I’d be lying if I told you I was prepared to deal with an actual “procedure” on travel day. Port placements are common, of course, but being put under, dealing with a new hardware bulging out of your chest and the soreness of surgery were not ideal for the trek to Dallas. STILL, I knew all of it was going to be worth it for what was at the end of our road trip on day one: SHAKE SHACK. I’m a sucker for burgers, and for shakes, and knowing Shake Shack has elite shakes and burgers made this a must-have for our first meal of the trip. We don’t have this in Oklahoma; we have Braums. And Braums is … fine. But Shake Shack, it is not. If you see the two on the same eating playing field then we can’t be friends. I had two burgers and ordered cheese fries. No Eskimo Joes, but they still slapped. It was the first time my dad had ate there since we tried it a long time ago together on a family vacation to New York. I’m not sure how impressed he was, but he did make note that the patty folds over the bun and that was neat to him. ![]() We finished the night staying at the apartment of one of my mother’s closest friends. Walking up the stairs I noticed I was waddling, confirmation that Shake Shack did its job. Two burgers, shake and fries was a lot of food — even for me. Saturday, Dec. 4I can’t start my day without coffee like most brave patriots across the country. So dad and I agreed breakfast and coffee away from Arlington were musts before the 11 a.m. kick. We found both at First Watch. It’s one of my favorite breakfast places and a place my wife and I share a love for, so finding one close to the place we stayed at was a pleasant surprise. I had the breakfast tacos. Nom nom. No pics could be snapped. I got them and immediately scarfed it down on their outdoor patio. I Facetimed my wife who was equal parts bummed to miss the meal and equal parts bummed to miss the meal with me. It was the first food we ate after we got engaged in 2015, so it holds a special place in both our hearts. My wife loves the pancakes there — they are HUGE — but honestly anything First Watch is top of the line. Great food, great service, great chain. Got us charged for the game. The game![]() ![]() ![]() Traffic getting into the stadium was a madhouse, but we made it inside with plenty of time to spare before kick. Great seats, too. Can’t overstate just how much of the vibes were won early by OSU fans. They brought the smoke. Orange pom-poms were flying all over the place. ![]() I’ll skip my recap of the game as a fan. It was spent mostly pacing back and forth, honestly, and that was something in common a ton of OSU fans had with me at the end of the game as we all held our collective breaths and watched as OSU went for it on fourth-and-goal. Pain. Post-loss grubWhen in Rome, right? We had to indulge in the delicacies that In-N-Out offers. It was a delightful trip. Cheeseburger and fries, both animal style, and of course a shake to boot did the job for me. OK, there’s proof I lied: I got two cheeseburgers. Sue me! ![]() RecapOSU losing by 14 touchdowns would have been easier to swallow than losing the way it did to Baylor with the title game and a potential CFP appearance on the line. That much I freely admit. It stung a bit. But it’s just football, right? And in the grand scheme of things football is really not on the list of things that should have the power to sway my mood. Instead, I came away deeply thankful for quality time with my dad. The season didn’t go as we expected in myriad ways — no one thought they were good-enough to be ranked in the preseason then they had a chance to be in the playoff. For me it made the 2021 season that much more fun. The unexpected is always so much more enjoyable than the expected. And to end the season with my dad by my side, as I clutched him while Dezmon Jackson’s outstretched arm for the pylon came up just short, felt like just the right place to be. We’ll remember this experience forever, and forever we will commiserate about it because, well, that’s what we do. But experiences like this over the years have never been only about the game, anyway. And after the last year it was just another reminder for me to cherish the experience and not the event. OSU could’ve won the conference and that would’ve been fun. But I had a great time with my dad. That’s what I’ll lock away in my memory box and treasure. The post Big 12 Title Game Travel Blog: An Unforgettable Trip to Arlington appeared first on Pistols Firing. ![]() Read this original article at Pistols Firing Blog. ![]() The Daily Bullets are brought to you by Hoboken Coffee: Get 20% off your first order. OSU Bullets• Mike Boynton’s Pokes were scheduled to take on USC in OKC this Tuesday but the game has been canceled • Neat story here about Spencer Sanders and his friend Stone Evans – Sanders went through his allotted tickets but purchased a pair for his friend who’s on the spectrum • To compare what Cowboy Basketball and Cowboy Football are going through is insightful. Listen to this quote from Cowboy head coach Mike Boynton had to say after Saturday’s 72-61 loss to the Houston Cougars:
It seems like there are a few options for a team’s engagement between winning and losing:
I’d love to listen to what Mike Boynton and Mike Gundy would say about getting a team from No. 2 to No. 3. • As the Pokes begin to wrap up their 2022 football class, what holes remain? One seems apparent.
The article pointed out that Jayden Jernigan is reportedly planning on joining the Pokes for the Fiesta Bowl and there’s a possibility he sticks around after that. • Malcolm Rodriguez is just an incredible football player. It seems hard to reconcile that since he’s not just a physically overwhelming human but there’s a reason he’s an All-American.
• The real ones know Home Alone is where the conversation ends.
Non-OSU Bullets• Recently reread this – Porter on losing a child was terrific perspective (not light-hearted) There’s a point where delivering > revision but this is good too:
The post Daily Bullets (Dec. 20): Pokes/Trojans Canceled, Boynton on Competing appeared first on Pistols Firing. ![]() Read this original article at Pistols Firing Blog. ![]() ![]() In what was the 116th meeting between these programs, No. 7 Oklahoma State took down No. 10 Oklahoma in a back-and-forth battle that lived up to the hype of the Bedlam rivalry. ![]() Oklahoma State’s basketball game against USC scheduled for Tuesday in Oklahoma City has been canceled after confirmed COVID cases within the Trojan program. Oklahoma State and USC were set to compete in the Compete 4 Cause Classic in the Paycom Center. The game will not be rescheduled, according to USC’s release. OSU fell to No. 14 Houston 72-61 on Saturday night in Fort Worth. The Cowboys’ next scheduled game is their Big 12 opener Jan. 1 against Texas Tech in Lubbock. The Cowboys are 7-4 this year, having dropped three of their past four games with the win coming in overtime to Cleveland State. The Trojans are 12-0 this season and ranked 10th nationally. The post Oklahoma State’s Game against USC in OKC Canceled appeared first on Pistols Firing. ![]() Read this original article at Pistols Firing Blog. ![]() The Daily Bullets are brought to you by Hoboken Coffee: Get 20% off your first order. ScoresHoops: Cowboys 61, Cougars 72 OSU Bullets• The Cowboys couldn’t survive a tough shooting night from the perimeter against No. 14 Houston. Be sure you check out Marshall’s 5 Thoughts. [PFB] • As Mr. Scott points out, this was just the beginning of a tough stretch with six of seven opponents ranked, ending with a road trip to No. 1 Baylor. Hold on to your butts. • OSU wrestling earned a couple of dominant road wins against Air Force and Wyoming. [PFB] • And there’s nothing like a little Cowboy v. cowboy trash talk.
• OSU signee Tyrone Webber and his New Mexico Military Institute team just won the NJCAA national championship.
• Former OSU defender Charmé Morgan heard her name called on Saturday.
• YouTube TV and Disney can’t play nice so many OSU fans found themselves looking for alternatives to watch the Cowboys face the Cougars.
Non-OSU Bullets• It was an ugly one for OSU fans that got to watch it, so the cleanse your palette.
• An all-timer.
The post Daily Bullets (Dec. 19): Cowboys Drop the First of a Tough Stretch of Games appeared first on Pistols Firing. ![]() Read this original article at Pistols Firing Blog. ![]() The Cowboys went to Cowtown and scrapped it out with a Final Four team, but the Pokes fell short. Oklahoma State lost to Houston 72-61 on Saturday night in Fort Worth. The loss dropped the Cowboys to 7-4 on the year. The game was competitive throughout. The Cowboys took a 36-35 lead early in the second half before a series of pendulum swings leaned more in the Cougars’ favor. Jamal Shead lead the way for Houston in the second half, scoring 13 of his game-high 18 points in the frame. Bryce Williams was the Cowboys’ leading scorer with 17 points, but 12 of his came from the foul line. He went 2-for-13 from the field. Here are five thoughts on the game. 1. CarnageWithout going back and counting, I’m going to say that this game had more scrums with two or more people prone on the court than it did assists (20). This was not a basketball game you’d show someone to try to get them into the sport, unless that person is a rugby fan. Teams combined for 37 turnovers and 23 missed free throws. You were more likely to see someone lose some skin on their knee than throw a skip pass to someone who would hit a 3. It went both ways, but there were times when the officials let the game get away from them. Touch fouls weren’t called. Then they became heavier touches that were called and people were frustrated because no one could find the line of how heavy a touch could be. 2. 3-Point Shooting the DifferenceBecause of how scrappy (ugly) the game was, this will feel like a more disappointing result for OSU fans than it actually was. It was actually just as ugly for Houston. It felt like the Cougars slaughtered OSU on the offensive glass. Well, the Cowboys were actually only -2 on the offensive glass. It felt like OSU stunk from the foul line. Well, OSU shot 69% from the stripe to Houston’s 58%. It felt like OSU had a zillion turnovers. Well, the Pokes had 18 turnovers to Houston’s 19. The game was lost from 3-point range where the Cougars went 11-for-25 (44%) and OSU went 3-for-19 (16%). It was painful and a stat I’ve already written about plenty this year. This team could really use a Thomas Dziagwa or a Lindy Waters or a Phil Forte who could get the snowball rolling from 3-point range. OSU has a handful of guys who can hit 3s, but no pure shooters. 3. The Pokes Have Some FightThis team has a handful of reasons to give up: the NCAA sanctions, the obvious growing pains the squad is going through post Cade Cunningham, the rough start to the season. But despite all that, they grind out these games. It took more than one dagger from a Final Four squad to put the Pokes down. With three minutes to play, Shead hit a 3-pointer to go up 62-55. OSU went right back down the floor and scored. Shead hit another 3-pointer and a pair of free throws to go up 10 with 1:44 to go. OSU scored four straight to pull within 67-61. Then it turned into the foul game, and OSU couldn’t hit a 3 if the rim circumference was the size of Theta Pond. A competitive loss for an obviously struggling Cowboys team to a ranked team coming off a Final Four run isn’t the worst thing that’s happened in program history, that’s for sure. 4. Give Me More IceIsaac Likekele was the best player on the floor during a stretch at the end of the first half. The issue was he went into halftime with seven points and finished the game with eight points. Teams are going to sag off Likekele considering he is now just 18-for-65 from 3-point range in his career. There are times I think he should use the defense sagging off him as an advantage instead of passing the ball around to continue the offense. There are times I think he should use that 6-foot-5, 215-pound frame to get a head of steam going into the defense to make a defender stop him. There are times that could cause a clutter in the lane, but more often than not, Likekele is going to make a smart decision with the rock when he gets there. Another issue with that is that there is only one ball. If Likekele is initiating too much offense, that means Bryce Williams and Avery Anderson aren’t. It’s a give and take kind of deal. Isaac Likekele has 41 assists to 25 turnovers this season. For reference, Avery Anderson 20 assists and 35 turnovers. Bryce Williams has 30 assists and 22 turnovers. Those other two guys can have electric spurts, but it’s hard to argue Likekele isn’t smarter with the ball. 5. The Start of a Daunting StretchThe road doesn’t get much easier for here from the Cowboys. In fact, KenPom doesn’t predict the Pokes to win again until Jan. 19. Here is OSU’s upcoming schedule: vs. No. 10 USC Going 2-4 during that stretch would be considered a win; 3-3 would be unreal. The post Five Thoughts on Oklahoma State’s 72-61 Loss to No. 14 Houston appeared first on Pistols Firing. ![]() Read this original article at Pistols Firing Blog. ![]() Oklahoma State went on a weekend road trip to wrestle Wyoming and Air Force and came away with solid wins in both duals. Wyoming was the premiere match on Friday night, a dual the Cowboys won 30-3 after thrashing Air Force 45-0 earlier in the day. The dual started at 141 with Carter Young picking up a slew of takedowns to get a 15-6 major decision. Kaden Gfeller followed things up going down early against Jaron Jensen before storming back to a 10-5 decision. In one of the more exciting matches of the night, Wyatt Sheets went into sudden victory overtime with Jacob Wright. Neither scored, and it went to ride-outs where Sheets was able to get away, then rode out Wright to a 4-1 win. Dustin Plott continues to look great coming off his shoulder surgery over the summer. He took on Hayden Hastings, who beat Plott in their last match, but Plott comfortably beat him this time around, 6-2. The Cowboys’ only loss of the night came at 184 where Dakota Geer lost to Wyoming’s Tate Samuelson 3-1 in sudden victory. In the most anticipated match of the night, AJ Ferrari used one takedown late in the first to go up 2-0 on Stephen Buchanan. He got a reversal later and gave up two escapes to win 4-2 in a rematch of last year’s Big 12 final. Wyoming’s starter was out at HWT, and Luke Surber rolled to a solid 12-5 win there. At 125 Trevor Mastrogiovanni had a bit of a scare vs. unranked Jake Svihel. Svihel was up early on a few takedowns, but Mastro stormed back late to take it to overtime and picked up a quick takedown in sudden victory to win 7-5. Daton Fix closed things out with a major decision to finish off Wyoming. Oklahoma State 30, Wyoming 3141: No. 27 Carter Young (OSU) MAJ Dec. Chase Zollmann (Wyoming), 15-6 | OSU 4, Wyoming 0 The Cowboys wrestled Air Force first, and earlier in the day. Unfortunately, I was unable to watch due to work, but it was a pretty thorough and comfortable win for the Cowboys. Of note that Wyatt Hendrickson, who was the top guy on the roster for Air Force all last season, did not compete here. Oklahoma State 45, Air Force 0125: Trevor Mastrogiovanni (OSU) MD Quinn Melofchik (AF), 12-2 | OSU 4, AF 0 The post OSU Wrestling: Oklahoma State Dominates Air Force, Wyoming on the Road appeared first on Pistols Firing. ![]() Read this original article at Pistols Firing Blog. |
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