Four questions about OSU football
BY JOHN HELSLEY, Staff Writer, jhelsley@opubco.com
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Published: November 2, 2009
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What was OSU’s biggest regret about Saturday’s loss to Texas?
Due to so many mistakes, the
Cowboys felt like they didn’t give a true account of who they are.
"I don’t think we gave them our best shot,” said defensive end
Nigel Nicholas. "We made a lot of mistakes. Teams like Texas are going to take advantage when you make mistakes.
"You don’t have to play a perfect game, but you have to go out and execute.”
Of course, the Longhorns had something to do with all that.
Still, five turnovers, critical dropped passes — including a touchdown — and a missed field goal betrayed momentum and any sort of positive flow by the Cowboys.
→What was behind Mike Gundy’s approach when he went on fourth-and-one from his own 28 in the opening minutes?
Knowing his team needed to make things happen in an underdog role, the game plan all along was to be aggressive.
"We prepared and had a plan to win this football game,” Gundy said. "And we felt like if we got into short-yardage situations, we needed to maintain possession of the ball. We had a plan to go for fourth downs.”
It’s consistent with what Gundy’s been preaching, about instilling an aggressive attitude in his team. On the season, the Cowboys are 8-of-14 on fourth-down tries — 57 percent — a solid conversion rate.
→What does the remainder of this season hold for Kendall Hunter?
The running back’s season has been a series of frustrations since suffering a foot injury against
Houston in the second game of the season.
Hunter has practiced, yet been limited. He’s tried to give it a go the past two Saturdays, yet totaled just one carry — against Texas.
The injury is to the same foot injured when Hunter was a high school senior; a foot that still has metal plates providing stability.
Asked Sunday if there’s any temptation to shut down Hunter for the remainder of this season, with an eye on getting him fully healthy for next year, Gundy dismissed the notion.
"Kendall doesn’t want to do that,” Gundy said. "Kendall wants to play. He’s continued to get a little better each week. He’s practiced. That hasn’t changed. Hopefully, he’ll be in less pain this week.
"I don’t think he’ll play at anytime this season without feeling some pain in that foot. That’s just my guess. Hopefully, it’ll lessen as it progresses.”
→How will the Cowboys respond going back on the road to Iowa State?
This will be a test for the Cowboys, who are forced to lower their expectations for this season.
The Cyclones aren’t great, but they’ve played tough at times and are fighting to get bowl-eligible.
The Cowboys, meanwhile, still have appealing bowl options available, but can’t afford any slipups.
"We’ve got a great team,” said sophomore wideout
Hubert Anyiam. "We feel real confident we can bounce back.
"Our defense, they’re healthy and playing good. Our offense, Kendall Hunter is about to get back more in the rotation. We’ve just got to finish out our season with all Ws, get to a good bowl game and have fun with it.”
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