Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys Look To 2001 With Optimism
July 10, 2001 | Cowboy Football
July 10, 2001
When Les Miles took over the Oklahoma State football program last December, he knew the talent cupboard wasn't bare.
As the Cowboys begin their first spring under Miles and his staff, there is an unbridled optimism for a bright future.
Miles and staff welcomed more than 100 players to the first spring workout in early March. Among those on the field were 16 returning starters from a year ago and a solid nucleus of talented players on both sides of the football.
On the defensive side, OSU looks to veteran linebacker Dwyane Levels as well as defensive end Kevin Williams and defensive back Elbert Craig. All return from starting roles a year ago.
On the offensive side, quarterback Aso Pogi returns for his sophomore season after opening eyes across the nation as a freshman. Tailback Tatum Bell is also back for his second season and is joined by offensive veterans like senior guard Jeff Machado, fullback Tim Burrough and receivers Gabe Lindsay, Rashaun Woods and Willie Young.
Cowboys, by Position
Quarterback - Aso Pogi returns for his sophomore season after starting the final six games of the 2000 season. Pogi is a strong-armed, versatile player who is a student of the game and has a bright future. He passed for 1,550 yards a year ago and passed for six touchdowns. His completion percentage was 56.3 and he averaged 155 yards per game. He also rushed for 159 yards on 85 carries and had six rushing touchdowns. The Cowboys entered the spring lacking depth at the quarterback spot. Redshirt freshman Andre McGill is one of five other players listed at quarterback during spring drills, along with Michael Cox, who has some practice and scrimmage time under his belt.
Runningback - Oklahoma State has quality at both positions, even after losing 1,000-yard rusher Reggie White, who declared for the NFL after his junior season. Tailback Tatum Bell will get most of the attention after an impressive freshman season. Bell played in nine of OSU's 11 games a year ago, and was the second-leading rusher with 251 yards. He averaged 5.1 yards per carry and showed the country his breakaway speed and scoring potential with a spectacular touchdown run against Oklahoma in the season finale. Bell is not the only bullet in OSU's runningback arsenal. Also returning are Richard Schwarz and Tim Burrough, as well as talented youngster D.D. Cox. Mike Denard, a walkon two years ago, has made vast improvement and could be the starter at fullback.
Receiver - Three of Oklahoma State's top four receivers from 2000 return this fall, including Rashaun Woods, Gabe Lindsay and Terrance Davis-Bryant. Woods had 29 receptions last year for 329 yards. Lindsay had 28 catches for 359 yards and Davis-Bryant had 24 catches for 287 yards. Also returning is speedster Willie Young, who had nine receptions for 185 yards and a pair of touchdowns last year. Adding to the mix are John Lewis, who came to Oklahoma State as a freshman but spent the last two years at junior college, and Chay Nease, who redshirted last season after being touted as one of the most versatile athletes coming out of the state of Oklahoma a year ago. John Wohlgemuth has surprised the coaching staff and could see some playing time after walking onto the program a year ago.
Offensive Line - This group has a solid and veteran look this fall, and is bigger and stronger than ever. Returning are three of five starters from last year, including Kyle Eaton and Jeff Machado, who anchored the left side of the line, and center Jon Vandrell. Bryan Phillips, who started all but one game at right guard, is also back. There are talented players at every position along the offensive front, including Jason Russell, who started three games a year ago and is slated to start at right tackle. Also returning are D.J. Grissom, Jon Hayhurst, Dustin Vanderhoof and Jason Johnson, along with redshirt freshman Sam Mayes. The average size of the front line is 6 feet, 4 inches and 305 pounds.
Tight End - Possibly the position hit hardest by graduation, OSU must replace Marcellus Rivers, Khary Jackson and Bryan Blackwood, who combined accounted for 41 of OSU's 189 receptions a year ago. There is talent returning, however, including Mark Milosevich, Tarrick McGuire and Kyle Williams.
Defensive Line - Another area where graduation losses were heavy but plenty of talent returns is D-line. Gone are Juqua Thomas, Zac Akin, Sean Barry and Zac Warner, who were all starters a year ago. Kevin Williams, who started both inside and outside a year ago, is back and will be looking improve on what has already been an impressive OSU career. A year ago, Williams had 35 tackles and 11 tackles behind the line of scrimmage. He is an impressive player with All-Big 12 potential. He is joined by other players with tantalizing potential, including rush ends Thomas Glapion and Greg Richmond, defensive ends Jake Riffe and Kyle Beck, nose guards LaWaylon Brown, Chris Tyler and Mike Williams, and backups Clay Coe and Shane Kennon.
Linebackers - The Cowboys are deep and talented at linebacker, bolstered by the return of Dwayne Levels, who could be one of the best in the country. Levels started every game in 2000 in the middle and finished the season with a team-leading 95 tackles. Nine of his tackles were behind the line of scrimmage, and he had three pass deflections to go with three quarterback hurries. The sky is the limit for Levels, who should be considered a pre-season candidate for conference and national honors. Also returning at linebacker is Terrence Robinson, who turned in an outstanding sophomore season. Robinson had 55 total tackles a year ago, two sacks and five additional tackles behind the line of scrimmage. Also returning are Ron Able and Fath' Carter, who both got extensive playing time last year, along with Geoff Beaulieu, who had an excellent spring.
Secondary - There will be some juggling in the new defensive format, but the Cowboys return starters at every position in the secondary, including Elbert Craig, OSU's number-two tackler a year ago, at safety. Also back are Chris Massey and Marcus Jones, working at strong safety, Roger Bombach and Robbie Gillem at weak safety. Craig's backup at safety will be Paul Jones. The cornerbacks include Michael Cooper and Ricklan Holmes, who both saw playing time last season. Backing them up will be transfers Chris Cole from Wyoming and Kobina Amoo from NEO.
Specialists - The kicking chores will be interesting this fall. Only punter Scott Elder returns from last season. Sky Rylant was the only other punter in spring drills, but high school All-American Ryan Wimberly will report in August. Luke Phillips and Chris Calcagni looked good in placekicking duties in the spring, and will be joined by Cole Farden this fall. Jed Newkirk will join Saul Talley and Scott Smith to handle deep snaps, with deep snapper Derek LaFargue out with a knee injury that will sideline him for the season.
