Oklahoma State University Athletics
2008 OSU Football Preview - Offense
July 29, 2008 | Cowboy Football
Oklahoma State finished 16th nationally in total offense in 2006 and climbed to No. 7 in 2007. And eight starters return from the unit that ran for 3,161 yards and passed for 3,161 yards while leading the Big 12 in rushing for the second straight season. OSU's 2007 offense was the second best in school history. Plenty of experience and skill return to try for a repeat performance.
But there were some significant losses as offensive lineman David Koenig (a second-team All-America selection), all-Big 12 running back Dantrell Savage, and second-team all-Big 12 wideout Adarius Bowman have graduated. Another change took place on the coaching staff as former offensive coordinator Larry Fedora is now the first-year head coach at Southern Mississippi. He has been replaced by co-coordinators Gunter Brewer and Trooper Taylor.
Offensive Line
Coach Joe Wickline
The Cowboy front wall is as well off as it has been in recent history. OSU is coming off a season in which it allowed just 11 sacks in 13 games (the third best total in the country) while winning the Big 12 rushing title for the second straight season. With the loss of just one starter in Koenig, but the return of center David Washington (a starter lost in the third game of the 2007 season to a broken leg), Oklahoma State returns five starters in the offensive line and has added a first-team junior college All-American to the fold.
The tackle slots are manned by returning junior starters Russell Okung and Brady Bond. Both players have been in the starting lineup since their freshman seasons (Bond missed part of 2006 with injury). They are bolstered by Andrew Mitchell, a first-team junior college All-America selection who played on a team that lost in the national championship game at Snow Junior College.
Andrew Lewis is also back in the trenches for the Cowboys. He made the move from guard to center when Washington was lost at Troy and was impressive during his time in the middle. He will be listed as the starter at center entering fall drills.
Steve Denning returns at a guard spot, where he started the final nine games of 2007 and grew into a quality starter.
With a younger crop of linemen that includes sophomores Grant Garner, Trent Perkins and Michael Booker, along with redshirt freshmen Jonathan Rush and Nick Martinez, OSU would seem to have plenty of options when trying to fill Koenig's vacated position.
The Bottom Line: Overall, the Cowboys are in good shape with experience in the starting lineup and talent waiting in the wings. OSU appears to have a quality two-deep up front for the first time under Mike Gundy.
Tight End
Coach Doug Meacham
OSU returns one of the best in the country in senior Brandon Pettigrew. He was a first-team 2007 all-conference pick as selected by the league coaches. He was voted the conference's best in a Big 12 that was loaded at the position.
Pettigrew has improved, statistically and physically, every year he has been in a Cowboy uniform and his senior season figures to be no different.
During the spring, Cowboy coaches got their first serious look at Wilson Youman, an athletic redshirt freshman. The tight end troupe will also get a boost in the fall with the arrival of several bodies.
The Bottom Line: The Cowboys have the luxury of returning perhaps the best tight end in the country as a starter. Those who see the field behind Pettigrew will be something the staff sorts through during fall camp but redshirt freshman Youman will be on the depth chart entering fall drills.
Receiver
Coach Trooper Taylor
The Cowboys have lost two headline receivers over the past two seasons in all-conference picks D'Juan Woods and Adarius Bowman. But head coach Mike Gundy sees a bright future.
“Four or five games into the season I think as a group these guys will be better than what we've had since I've been here as the head coach.”
The Cowboys have another rising star in sophomore Dez Bryant, an athletic player who appears on the brink of making a contribution in sophomore Damian Davis, a swing man who can play several positions in Jeremy Broadway, and some playmaking youngsters who will make an impact for the first time in 2008.
Bryant established himself as a true freshman and finished the year with a big bowl game that included two scores and 117 receiving yards. Entering fall camp, Bryant will be backed up by Broadway at one wideout position.
The inside position will list 6-5 sophomore Damian Davis as a starter. He had an excellent spring and brings a different dimension to the Cowboy offense. Davis saw a lot of action but ended the season with just a pair of catches.
Newcomer Bo Bowling will be in the mix in the middle as well. The junior-college transfer was another head-turner during spring drills in his first semester on campus.
The other wideout spot includes veteran DeMarcus Conner and the younger members of the corps in redshirt freshman Hubert Anyiam and sophomore William Cole.
Conner was solid during spring drills and Gundy called Cole one of the surprise players of the spring. The talented sophomore has lined up at three different positions since arriving in Stillwater but settled in at receiver in April.
Another redshirt freshman, Josh Cooper, is also likely to be an early contributor. Sophomore Artrell Woods is expected to rejoin the roster at full speed in the fall after an off-the-field injury threatened his career. His status could trigger some re-arranging of the wideouts.
The Bottom Line: The Cowboys lost a big-time player in Adarius Bowman, but there is little doubt that Dez Bryant has star quality. The rest of the group, with the exception of Broadway is young. The receiver corps could be one that develops into the strength of the team before the end of 2008.
Running Back
Coach Curtis Luper
The Cowboys lost a dazzler in first-team all-Big 12 running back Dantrell Savage, who ran for 1,272 yards last season. Keith Toston, a rising junior who has had some bright moments for the Cowboys, is back in the fold and should be recovered from the knee injury that sidelined him for the final three games of 2007.
Sophomore Kendall Hunter, one of the storylines last season when his expected redshirt season transformed into 696 rushing yards and 6.5 yards per carry, will be listed as the starter entering the fall.
The depth chart will also include junior-college transfer Beau Johnson.
“Beau was the biggest surprise of the spring to me,” the head coach said. “He picked up the offense quickly and showed some durability and maturity. When you bring in a junior-college player that's not always the deal you get.”
Johnson was the most valuable player in the junior-college national championship game.
The Cowboy coaches have also shown they're not afraid to let a true freshman have his time in the backfield as Hunter and Toston can both attest. Speedster Travis Miller may have that chance in 2008.
The Bottom Line: Perhaps the running back situation best demonstrates the status of OSU's program. The Cowboys' lost one of the Big 12's top playmakers to graduation, and another proven back was felled by injury. However, there are no complaints coming out of Stillwater regarding the backfield. Two proven players and two talented newcomers should make for an easy transition.
Quarterback
Coach Gunter Brewer
Zac Robinson is back for his junior season after a record-setting sophomore year in which he turned in one of the best seasons in Cowboy history. Now firmly entrenched as the starter, Robinson is established as one of the nation's top dual threat quarterbacks.
Sophomore Alex Cate and redshirt freshman Brandon Weeden (a former professional baseball player) are waiting in the wings. Neither have thrown a college pass, but both have had impressive moments on the practice field.
“Zac had a really good year and he can be better,” said Gundy. “He is more experienced and he knows he's the starter. It's the first time in a long time that we haven't been doing the two-quarterback thing around here.”
Robinson's season included more than 800 rushing yards and 2,800 passing yards. The only other quarterback from a power conference school to accomplish the feat of at least 800 and 2,800 was 2007 Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow of Florida.
The Bottom Line: Robinson set a school total-offense record as a sophomore. In 2008, he'll be entering a season as a starter for the first time in his collegiate career. His dual-threat ability could make him one of the Big 12's top signal callers.
But there were some significant losses as offensive lineman David Koenig (a second-team All-America selection), all-Big 12 running back Dantrell Savage, and second-team all-Big 12 wideout Adarius Bowman have graduated. Another change took place on the coaching staff as former offensive coordinator Larry Fedora is now the first-year head coach at Southern Mississippi. He has been replaced by co-coordinators Gunter Brewer and Trooper Taylor.
Offensive Line
Coach Joe Wickline
The Cowboy front wall is as well off as it has been in recent history. OSU is coming off a season in which it allowed just 11 sacks in 13 games (the third best total in the country) while winning the Big 12 rushing title for the second straight season. With the loss of just one starter in Koenig, but the return of center David Washington (a starter lost in the third game of the 2007 season to a broken leg), Oklahoma State returns five starters in the offensive line and has added a first-team junior college All-American to the fold.
The tackle slots are manned by returning junior starters Russell Okung and Brady Bond. Both players have been in the starting lineup since their freshman seasons (Bond missed part of 2006 with injury). They are bolstered by Andrew Mitchell, a first-team junior college All-America selection who played on a team that lost in the national championship game at Snow Junior College.
Andrew Lewis is also back in the trenches for the Cowboys. He made the move from guard to center when Washington was lost at Troy and was impressive during his time in the middle. He will be listed as the starter at center entering fall drills.
Steve Denning returns at a guard spot, where he started the final nine games of 2007 and grew into a quality starter.
With a younger crop of linemen that includes sophomores Grant Garner, Trent Perkins and Michael Booker, along with redshirt freshmen Jonathan Rush and Nick Martinez, OSU would seem to have plenty of options when trying to fill Koenig's vacated position.
The Bottom Line: Overall, the Cowboys are in good shape with experience in the starting lineup and talent waiting in the wings. OSU appears to have a quality two-deep up front for the first time under Mike Gundy.
Tight End
Coach Doug Meacham
OSU returns one of the best in the country in senior Brandon Pettigrew. He was a first-team 2007 all-conference pick as selected by the league coaches. He was voted the conference's best in a Big 12 that was loaded at the position.
Pettigrew has improved, statistically and physically, every year he has been in a Cowboy uniform and his senior season figures to be no different.
During the spring, Cowboy coaches got their first serious look at Wilson Youman, an athletic redshirt freshman. The tight end troupe will also get a boost in the fall with the arrival of several bodies.
The Bottom Line: The Cowboys have the luxury of returning perhaps the best tight end in the country as a starter. Those who see the field behind Pettigrew will be something the staff sorts through during fall camp but redshirt freshman Youman will be on the depth chart entering fall drills.
Receiver
Coach Trooper Taylor
The Cowboys have lost two headline receivers over the past two seasons in all-conference picks D'Juan Woods and Adarius Bowman. But head coach Mike Gundy sees a bright future.
“Four or five games into the season I think as a group these guys will be better than what we've had since I've been here as the head coach.”
The Cowboys have another rising star in sophomore Dez Bryant, an athletic player who appears on the brink of making a contribution in sophomore Damian Davis, a swing man who can play several positions in Jeremy Broadway, and some playmaking youngsters who will make an impact for the first time in 2008.
Bryant established himself as a true freshman and finished the year with a big bowl game that included two scores and 117 receiving yards. Entering fall camp, Bryant will be backed up by Broadway at one wideout position.
The inside position will list 6-5 sophomore Damian Davis as a starter. He had an excellent spring and brings a different dimension to the Cowboy offense. Davis saw a lot of action but ended the season with just a pair of catches.
Newcomer Bo Bowling will be in the mix in the middle as well. The junior-college transfer was another head-turner during spring drills in his first semester on campus.
The other wideout spot includes veteran DeMarcus Conner and the younger members of the corps in redshirt freshman Hubert Anyiam and sophomore William Cole.
Conner was solid during spring drills and Gundy called Cole one of the surprise players of the spring. The talented sophomore has lined up at three different positions since arriving in Stillwater but settled in at receiver in April.
Another redshirt freshman, Josh Cooper, is also likely to be an early contributor. Sophomore Artrell Woods is expected to rejoin the roster at full speed in the fall after an off-the-field injury threatened his career. His status could trigger some re-arranging of the wideouts.
The Bottom Line: The Cowboys lost a big-time player in Adarius Bowman, but there is little doubt that Dez Bryant has star quality. The rest of the group, with the exception of Broadway is young. The receiver corps could be one that develops into the strength of the team before the end of 2008.
Running Back
Coach Curtis Luper
The Cowboys lost a dazzler in first-team all-Big 12 running back Dantrell Savage, who ran for 1,272 yards last season. Keith Toston, a rising junior who has had some bright moments for the Cowboys, is back in the fold and should be recovered from the knee injury that sidelined him for the final three games of 2007.
Sophomore Kendall Hunter, one of the storylines last season when his expected redshirt season transformed into 696 rushing yards and 6.5 yards per carry, will be listed as the starter entering the fall.
The depth chart will also include junior-college transfer Beau Johnson.
“Beau was the biggest surprise of the spring to me,” the head coach said. “He picked up the offense quickly and showed some durability and maturity. When you bring in a junior-college player that's not always the deal you get.”
Johnson was the most valuable player in the junior-college national championship game.
The Cowboy coaches have also shown they're not afraid to let a true freshman have his time in the backfield as Hunter and Toston can both attest. Speedster Travis Miller may have that chance in 2008.
The Bottom Line: Perhaps the running back situation best demonstrates the status of OSU's program. The Cowboys' lost one of the Big 12's top playmakers to graduation, and another proven back was felled by injury. However, there are no complaints coming out of Stillwater regarding the backfield. Two proven players and two talented newcomers should make for an easy transition.
Quarterback
Coach Gunter Brewer
Zac Robinson is back for his junior season after a record-setting sophomore year in which he turned in one of the best seasons in Cowboy history. Now firmly entrenched as the starter, Robinson is established as one of the nation's top dual threat quarterbacks.
Sophomore Alex Cate and redshirt freshman Brandon Weeden (a former professional baseball player) are waiting in the wings. Neither have thrown a college pass, but both have had impressive moments on the practice field.
“Zac had a really good year and he can be better,” said Gundy. “He is more experienced and he knows he's the starter. It's the first time in a long time that we haven't been doing the two-quarterback thing around here.”
Robinson's season included more than 800 rushing yards and 2,800 passing yards. The only other quarterback from a power conference school to accomplish the feat of at least 800 and 2,800 was 2007 Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow of Florida.
The Bottom Line: Robinson set a school total-offense record as a sophomore. In 2008, he'll be entering a season as a starter for the first time in his collegiate career. His dual-threat ability could make him one of the Big 12's top signal callers.
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