Oklahoma State University Athletics
OSU Spring Football News and Notes
March 20, 2007 | Cowboy Football
Orange Blossoms
The budding Oklahoma State football program officially began its 2007 preparations on March 5th when the Cowboys started spring drills. The spring will culminate with the spring game on April 14th.
Fall Review
Oklahoma State is coming off a 7-6 season that included a 34-31 win over Alabama in the PetroSun Independence Bowl. Oklahoma State finished the season ranked No. 16 in total offense (409.8 yards per game), No. 7 in rushing offense (208 yards per game), and No. 7 in scoring offense (35.23 points per game). Eighteen players, including specialists, who started the bowl game, will be back in 2007.
What's Back
In a word…a lot. Oklahoma State returns five of its top six rushers, four of its top five receivers, its top four players in regards to points, its top seven tacklers, and its returning starters at placekicker, punter, holder and deep snapper. On offense, the Cowboys welcome back eight full-time starters and four more players who started at least two games. On defense, the Cowboys return seven full-time starters and three more players who started at least three games. OSU's top two tacklers last season were freshmen (safety Andre Sexton and linebacker Patrick Lavine).
The Bottom Line
For the 2007 season, Oklahoma State welcomes back 44 lettermen, 18 full-time starters, including eight on offense, seven on defense and three specialists. OSU also returns seven part-time starters. Statistically speaking, OSU returns 2,143 of 2,704 rushing yards (79.3 percent). The Cowboys return everyone who tossed a pass and 1,928 of its 2,623 receiving yards (73.5 percent).
New Faces
Oklahoma State has just one coaching change from 2006. New defensive coordinator Tim Beckman arrived in February from Ohio State, where he had been coaching cornerbacks. Before spending two years at Ohio State, Beckman served as defensive coordinator at Bowling Green. A familiar face who sat out last season due to injury is receiver Jeremy Broadway, who will be a redshirt sophomore in 2007.
New Places
Don't expect a load of position experiments during 2007 spring drills. Receiver Ricky Price is expected to make the move to safety and lineman Noah Franklin, who has been on both sides of the ball since his arrival, will be with the offense.
What's Gone
This category is much smaller. On offense, the Cowboys lose D'Juan Woods, who had 647 receiving yards last season with five touchdowns. Also gone is running back Mike Hamilton, who ran for 546 yards during the season, but only 41 yards over the last five games. Also gone are all-Big 12 offensive lineman Corey Hilliard, and starting guard Kurt Seifried. On defense, OSU must replace Ryan McBean, Darnell Smith, Victor DeGrate and Larry Brown up front. That quartet combined for 117 tackles.
Speaking Of Bowls
OSU's PetroSun Independence Bowl win was the first for OSU in postseason since the 2002 Houston Bowl victory over Southern Mississippi. It was just the second bowl victory by Oklahoma State since Barry Sanders and his Heisman Trophy took off for the NFL following the 1988 season. It was also one of just three bowl wins by the Big 12 in 2006. With the victory, OSU improved to 11-6 all-time in bowl games. That winning percentage of .647 is tops among league schools in bowl play.
Gundy Bowl
Oklahoma State has won 11 bowl games in its history. Cowboy head coach Mike Gundy has been a part of each of the last four bowl wins at OSU as a player (1987 Sun, 1988 Holiday), assistant coach (2002 Houston) or head coach (2006 Independence Bowl).
A Look At The Offense
Oklahoma State fielded one of the most prolific offenses in OSU history during the 2006 season. The Cowboys finished the season No. 16 in total offense (409.8 yards per game), seventh nationally in rushing (208 yards per game) and seventh nationally in scoring (35.2 points per game). Those numbers alone are impressive. When comparing them to OSU's 2005 offensive totals, they are astounding. In fact, across the board OSU showed dramatic improvement in climbing from 4-7 to 7-6. The OSU offense showed the third biggest improvement in the country.
Chart Climbing
Oklahoma State scored 35.2 points per game in 2006. It marked the third best average in school history behind only the 1988 Cowboys (47.4 ppg) and the 2003 Cowboys (35.9 ppg). In regards to season totals, the Cowboys were near the top of their own charts in several categories. OSU generated 270 first downs last season for the third best total ever. Oklahoma State rushed for 2,704 yards for the eighth best total in school history and passed for 2,623 yards, the second best total ever.
The Balanced Diet
OSU ran for 208 yards per game in 2006 and passed for 201.8 yards per game. Oklahoma State and Boise State were the only two schools in the country with a 200/200 average in 2006. Only once before in OSU football history had the Cowboys been a part of the 200/200 club. In 1987, the Cowboys ran for 218.3 yards per game and passed for 203.3 yards per contest.
Four For 500
The 2006 season marked a first at OSU. It was the first year in which the Cowboys had four players rush for at least 500 yards. Dantrell Savage ran for 820 yards, Keith Toston ran for 631, Mike Hamilton accumulated 546 and Bobby Reid topped it off with exactly 500 rushing yards. As a team, OSU ran for 2,704 yards, an increase of 1,011 yards from the previous season.
The Competition
Oklahoma State's 13-game, 2006 schedule featured seven teams that concluded their seasons in a bowl game, including Houston (Liberty), Kansas State (Texas), Texas A&M (Holiday), Nebraska (Cotton), Texas (Alamo), Texas Tech (Insight) and Oklahoma (Fiesta). That schedule finished as the 20th toughest in the bowl subdivision (Division I) based on cumulative win-loss records.
The Future Competition
Oklahoma State's 2007 schedule figures to be even tougher with eight of the future foes coming off bowl games. Georgia, Troy, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Nebraska, Kansas State, Oklahoma and Texas are coming off of bowl appearances. Those eight squads combined for a 4-4 bowl record in 2006 and a combined cumulative 83-61 record last season with only Florida Atlantic finishing below .500 (5-7).
New Faces
For the first time in the era of the recruiting expert, Oklahoma State's signing class has been ranked among the nation's top 25 for two consecutive years. Three of those new faces are on hand for spring drills. Defensive lineman Tonga Tea, Jr., linebacker Kenny Alexander and safety Deron Fontenot will all take the field with the Cowboys in March.
Past Prognostications
The 2005 Cowboy recruiting class, ranked as high as No. 16 nationally, did not disappoint. Four members of the OSU freshman class were named All-Americans following the 2006 season, including linebackers Patrick Lavine and Chris Collins, safety Andre Sexton and return specialist/defensive back Perrish Cox.
Star Power
Oklahoma State opponents are aware that the Cowboys sport three of the brightest offensive stars in the Big 12 in running back Dantrell Savage, receiver Adarius Bowman and quarterback Bobby Reid. Another player that might be entering that territory is tight end Brandon Pettigrew. The talented rising junior caught 24 passes for 310 yards last season, but he closed the year with a bang. Against Oklahoma and Alabama, Pettigrew combined for six catches covering 105 yards, including a 21-yard reception (vs. OU) and a 30-yard catch (Alabama).
Offensive Steps
Oklahoma State's dramatic offensive improvement from 2005 to 2006 can be traced to the big step up made by the Cowboy offensive line. Three full-time starters, including David Koenig, David Washington and Russell Okung, return to the unit. Also back is Brady Bond, who started five games for the Cowboys last season as a redshirt freshman. Missing up front will be all-Big 12 tackle Corey Hilliard and starting guard Kurt Seifreid.
Starting Blocks
Offensive linemen David Koenig and David Washington top the current crop of Cowboys in consecutive starts. Koenig has started 27 straight games and Washington has started the last 24 games for OSU. Okung, who became a starter up front in 2006 as a true freshman, started the final eight games of the season.
Defensive Auditions
The lone area of the OSU squad that appears wide open is the defensive line. With the graduation of Victor DeGrate, Larry Brown, Darnell Smith and Ryan McBean, the Cowboys, in essence, lost their starting defensive front.
Defensive Answers
Despite the losses up front, things might not be as grim as they could seem on paper. Marque Fountain and Nate Peterson saw ample playing time last season and combined for seven starts. They also combined for 12.5 sacks and 25 tackles behind the line of scrimmage. Peterson enters his senior season with 14.5 career sacks and is 10th all-time at OSU in that category. Fountain's 35 tackles last season were second among the Cowboy down linemen. Also in the fold for the spring is Tonga Tea, Jr. The Snow Community College transfer was rated by one recruiting service as the nation's top junior college defensive tackle.
Back At Backer
While the 2006 season was a transition year for Oklahoma State at linebacker, 2007 finds OSU with a wealth of riches at the position(s). Freshmen combined to make 16 starts last season with both of them, Patrick Lavine and Chris Collins, earning Freshman All-America honors. Collins was a starter for the first six games before being lost to injury. He led the Cowboys in tackles before going down at Kansas. Lavine started the final eight games of the season and ended the year second on the team in tackles (70). OSU also returns two-year starter Rodrick Johnson, and two other players who had starts at linebacker last season in juniors Marcus Brown and Alex Odiari. Jeremy Nethon started four games last season and was the defensive MVP of the Independence Bowl.
Secondary Caregivers
The Cowboys return all four starters in the secondary with safeties Donovan Woods and Andre Sexton accompanied by Martel Van Zant and Jacob Lacey at the corners. The secondary was also a position that received a lot of attention in the 2007 recruiting class. This time last year,Woods (5) and Van Zant (4) were the only Cowboys in the secondary with any career starts and the entire secondary had a total of nine starts entering the season. This season, OSU returns 43 starts in the defensive backfield.
Special Teams
Oklahoma State's 2006 special teams were again among the best in the Big 12 Conference. And with virtually every specialist returning (excluding Grant Jones in the kickoff returns department), the 2007 versions could be better. Consider the following:
- OSU returns Perrish Cox, who finished 14th nationally in punt returns and No. 35 in kickoff returns. He had six returns that set up scores for OSU last season.
- The Cowboys return second-team all-Big 12 and second-team All-America punter Matt Fodge.
- OSU welcomes back placekicker Jason Ricks, who is yet to miss a field goal inside of 40 yards in his career and has 55- and 53-yarders to his credit.
- The Cowboys return deep snapper Zach Allen, who is just a junior, and holder Cole Reynolds, who is a rising sophomore.
- As a team last season, OSU was No. 27 in punt returns and No. 8 in kickoff returns.
How High?
Just one year after being picked for last in the Big 12 South, Oklahoma State is becoming an option in the early, early preseason polls. In January/February balloting, Oklahoma State was ranked No. 23 by Sportsline.com, No. 25 by Tony Barnhart of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and No. 33 by CollegeFootballNews.com.
Back In Black (And Orange)
The 2006 Oklahoma State Cowboys took home their share of hardware. Many of those players return to the roster for 2007. See below:
Chris Collins, Linebacker
Freshman All-America Second Team, Scout.com
Freshman All-America, Second Team, Rivals.com
Perrish Cox, Return Specialist/Defensive Back
Freshman All-America, First Team, Rivals.com
Adarius Bowman, Wide Receiver
Big 12 Offensive Newcomer of the Year
Biletnikoff Award Semifinalist
First-team All-Big 12 (AP and coaches)
Walter Camp Offensive Player of the Week (Oct. 16, 2006)
Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week (Oct. 16, 2006)
Matt Fodge, Punter
All-America, Second Team, Rivals.com
All-Big 12, Second Team, Coaches, AP
Academic All-Big 12
Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week
Patrick Lavine, Linebacker
Freshman All-America, Rivals
Freshman All-America, Scout
The Sporting News All-Big 12 Freshman
Bobby Reid, Quarterback
Davey O'Brien Award Semifinalist
Andre Sexton, Defensive Back
Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year
First-Team Freshman All-America, Football Writers Association of America
The Sporting News All-Big 12 Freshman
Academic All-Big 12
Martel Van Zant, Defensive Back
Football Writers Association of America Courage Award Nominee
Academically Speaking
Oklahoma State set a school record with eight players selected first-team academic all-Big 12 in 2006. Those players were Zach Allen, Cortney Billingsley, Seb Clements, Matt Fodge, Steve Mocco, Alex Odiari, Cole Reynolds and Darnell Smith. Five more Cowboys, Brady Bond, Clint Coe, John Johnson, Seth Newton and Andre Sexton, were second-team picks. OSU's 13 selections were fourth best in the league.
