Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys Optimistic as 2000 Season Approaches
July 27, 2000 | Cowboy Football
The signs are all positive for Oklahoma State football as head coach Bob Simmons and his staff prepare for the first season of the new millennium.
The return of a healthy fifth-year quarterback in Tony Lindsay. A trio of the best tight ends in the Big 12 Conference. Defensive ends that could rank among the finest in the country.
All of these elements, combined with enthusiasm and dedication during off-season workouts, could have the Pokes headed for success in 2000.
The offense begins with Lindsay. The Denver senior is returning for a fifth year, and he brings with him the same mouth-watering potential he has exhibited in each of his first four years.
He showed during the spring there were no lingering effects from the knee injury suffered in last year's season opener. That in itself should be great news for Cowboy faithful who know that a healthy and confident Tony Lindsay will go a long way toward ultimate success for the Cowboys on offense.
Lindsay, however, is not the only offensive weapon. The Cowboys will go into the season boasting three of the best tight ends the game has to offer. Bryan Blackwood, Marcellus Rivers and Khary Jackson are all capable of starting and providing the big play.
Add to that an offensive line that will feature three returning full-time starters and several others with a lot of experience, plus a receiving corps that is young but incredibly fast and talented, and the OSU offense could provide ample fireworks in 2000.
A casual observer might look at the defense and first notice the loss of four talented linebackers, two starters in the secondary and a veteran defensive tackle. A deeper look would reveal talented players returning at every position and reason to be optimistic that the OSU defense can continue its nationally ranked ways of the past few years.
Special teams also appear solid with the return of punter Scott Elder and kickers Russ Schwettmann and Seth Condley. Elder missed spring drills with a bad back but is expected to be healthy when two-a-days begin in August.
Thirty returning lettermen and 13 returning starters, almost equally divided between both sides of the ball, along with new coordinators on both offense and defense have the Cowboys looking forward to the 2000 season.
The Schedule
Gone from the OSU schedule in 2000 are conference heavyweights Nebraska and Kansas State, along with Kansas. Added to the slate for the next two seasons are Colorado, Missouri and Iowa State.
Colorado was much improved a year ago and could be even better in 2000. Iowa State also made great strides last season, and the Cowboys must play at Missouri, which has never been easy for any OSU team.
The Cowboys will face two first-time opponents in the non-conference portion of the 2000 schedule. Southwest Texas State comes to Stillwater on Sept. 16, one week before former OSU assistant coach Jeff Bower brings his Southern Mississippi team to Lewis Field. The Eagles are ranked in almost everyone's preseason top 25 and will be one of the most talented teams to come to Stillwater next season.
In all, OSU will square off against six teams that were bowl-eligible at the end of the 1999 season. Southern Miss, Texas, Texas A&M, Colorado and Oklahoma all went bowling a year ago. Texas Tech was eligible but not selected for postseason play.
The schedule is inviting and competitive, and it begins with a Sept. 9 encounter against Tulsa at Skelly Stadium.
OSU on Offense
New Offensive Coordinator Del Miller will welcome back no fewer than eight players who had starts during the 1999 season. Miller came to OSU after helping Bill Snyder build Kansas State into a national power, and he's enjoyed incredible success all along his career.
What Miller saw in his first spring with the Cowboys was a confident and veteran fifth-year starter at quarterback. Tony Lindsay returned from a 1999 injury to guide the OSU offense with remarkable efficiency during the spring.
With one year to go in his college career, Lindsay is already high on several lists in the O-State record book. He'll start the 2000 season No. 4 on the career passing list with 3,381 yards. He's sixth on the career total offense list with 4,595 yards. He should move up on both charts this season.
Lindsay's offensive threat is exemplified by the fact that he's also No. 21 on OSU's career rushing chart with 1,215 net yards. He can run and throw and make things happen when he has the football.
When Lindsay throws the ball, he'll have several inviting targets. Returning in 2000 are tight ends Marcellus Rivers, Bryan Blackwood and Khary Jackson.
Each of these talented players earned starts during the 1999 season. Rivers was OSU's second-leading receiver a year ago with 336 yards on 27 receptions. He also scored four touchdowns, which led all OSU pass catchers. Blackwood, a junior college All-American at NEO, had 135 yards on 10 catches last season. Jackson had 117 yards on just seven catches. His 16.7 yards per reception led all OSU receivers.
Oklahoma State's wide receivers in 2000 will be young but talented. Gabe Lindsay, Willie Young, Terrance Davis-Bryant, Paul Jones an Rashaun Woods each have break-away speed and big-play ability. Add junior college All-American Lawson Giddings to the mix and the Cowboys will feature a dangerous and talented corps of receivers.
When Lindsay turns to hand the ball off, he will find a pair of tailbacks who both have extensive experience and ability. Jamaal Fobbs and Reggie White should combine to give OSU a dynamic one-two punch from the tailback spot.
Fobbs, entering his senior season at OSU, was the Cowboys' leading rusher last year with 544 yards on 110 carries. He averaged 4.9 yards per carry and scored a pair of touchdowns. White played in 10 of OSU's 11 games and carried the ball 38 times for 176 yards.
OSU must replace both Kevin Brown and Jeremy Halferty at fullback but will look to Tim Burrough and a host of talented underclassmen to fill the void.
Up front, OSU will feature a few new faces but overall should project a solid and consistent look. Josh Lind and Bryan Phillips anchor the offensive line from the right side. Lind, another fifth-year senior, has already been named to several preseason All-Big 12 squads. Phillips may have been OSU's most consistent offensive lineman a year ago before being sidelined midway through the year with mononucleosis.
Kyle Eaton (6-6, 290), Jeff Machado (6-3, 335), Jon Vandrell (6-0, 285) and D.J. Grissom (6-3, 340) are just a few of the other offensive linemen returning who add size, talent and experience to the offensive front.
OSU on Defense
New defensive coordinator Mike Cassity will welcome back no fewer than 11 players who have at least one varsity start under their belts. The OSU defense has talent returning at every position and some young players who have been waiting in line, could get their turn in 2000.
On the defensive side, no position stands out quite as much as defensive end, where experience and talent are abundant.
Juqua Thomas returns at one defense spot, and he is simply one of the best in the country.
A premier pass rusher, Thomas was unblockable at times last year and picked up right were he left off during the spring. He was a junior college All-American and should be considered for that lofty honor at the collegiate level in 2000.
Last season, Thomas had 36 total tackles, but 13 of those were for losses. Of those 13, 5-1/2 were sacks. Both of those totals either led or shared the team lead in those categories.
Also back at the other defensive end position is sophomore Kevin Williams. He has shown great promise in his young career. A year ago, Williams started 10 of OSU's 11 games and finished with 28 tackles. He had six tackles behind the line and two sacks.
Also joining the list of talented defensive ends is veteran Zac Warner. Warner will be entering his fifth OSU season and brings a wealth of experience. Last season, Warner finished with 19 tackles, but 13 of those were for losses. He shared the sack lead with Thomas at 5-1/2.
One starter is gone in the defensive interior. OSU must replace Cortney Mallory, but several talented players return. Senior Zac Akin tops the list of returners. Like Warner, Akin brings not only talent but incredible experience back to the defensive unit. Last season, Akin registered 25 tackles while starting all season. He led the team with six quarterback hurries. Also back in the interior is Chris Tyler, who had 17 tackles and nine tackles for losses a year ago.
Graduation took its heaviest toll on the linebacking corps. Gone are Kenyatta Wright, Jack Golden, Tarrell Knauls and Raymond Cato. Those four represented nearly 200 tackles and 30 starts in 1999.
While those players are gone, the linebacker shelf in OSU's defensive cupboard is not bare. Returning are Dwayne Levels, Chris Carter, Greg Richmond, Jake Riffe and Terrence Robinson.
Levels has the most experience of the returners. Last year, he played in all 11 games and recorded three starts. His numbers included 44 total tackles, which was the sixth-best total on the OSU defense. Carter is an immensely talented player who should be able to showcase his skills from the linebacker spot.
Richmond, Riffe and Robinson are young but talented and should get a chance to produce in 2000. OSU also looked to the junior college ranks for help at linebacker and came up with a good one in Ron Able.
OSU must also replace several starters in the secondary. Gone are starters Adam Edwards and Evan Howell. Also gone are part-time starters J.B. Flowers and Jacoby Shepherd.
Returning are Marcus Jones, Robbie Gillem, Chris Massey and Alvin Porter, and each had significant playing time a year ago.
Porter will enter his senior season with a chance to reap postseason honors. He had a good 1999 season and was very impressive during spring drills. His numbers last year included 45 tackles, the second most in the OSU secondary, and a team-leading three interceptions.
Massey is a young, versatile and extremely talented player who will go into the season as the apparent starter at free safety. Gillem was very productive at the end of the 1999 season and had another good spring. Jones brings experience, speed and talent.
Others to look for in the secondary are Ricklan Holmes, Elbert Craig and junior-college transfer Michael Cooper.
OSU Special Teams
Experience and talent returns to the kicking game. Scott Elder, OSU's punter the past two seasons, is back and should be healthy after a bad back kept him out of spring drills.
Also back are kickers Russ Schwettmann and Seth Condley, and they should compete for most of the kicking duties in 2000.
The OSU return unit should be dangerous with Jamaal Fobbs, Gabe Lindsay and Marcus Jones all returning. Fobbs was one of the most effective kickoff returners in the league a year ago with 533 yards on 25 returns.
Last season, OSU averaged 15.1 yards per punt return and 20.8 yards per kickoff return. The cover units were effective, allowing just 7.7 yards per punt return and 19.9 per kickoff return.
