OSU spring game: Thoughts and observations

Open space tackling is at a premium in practices now.

Colton Chelf caught a touchdown pass in the spring game.

by Brandon Chatmon
bchatmon@opubco.com
Follow me on Twitter @BChatmon

– The rain didn’t damper Oklahoma State’s spring game on Saturday. The crowd was smaller than expected thanks to the weather but those who came got a pretty good show and should have left with less concerns about the Pokes new offense than they had when they entered Boone Pickens Stadium.

– Quarterback Brandon Weeden was impressive. I really can’t imagine a much better spring game for Weeden. He didn’t make a lot of mental mistakes or bad reads and he took care of the football. I’ll be shocked if he’s not OSU’s starting quarterback against Washington State.

–Fans only saw a glimpse of it but this offense seems ideal for Kendall Hunter. He had a 22-yard run and looked like the Kendall Hunter of old on more than one occasion. His final tally: Four carries for 43 yards and four receptions for 28 yards.

–Sophomore Justin Blackmon’s 65-yard touchdown reception was the perfect example of what Dana Holgorsen tries to do with his offensive system. A simple screen pass which Blackmon turned into a big play after making a couple of defenders miss than galloping to the end zone.

–Distribution of the football by Weeden and the rest of the QBs was superb. Josh Cooper had 7 catches for 53 yards and one touchdown to lead the team but seven players had four or more receptions.

–Sophomore receiver Tracy Moore was impressive. He’s one of the most consistent pass catchers on the squad. He doesn’t drop the ball, finds a way to get open and is extremely competitive. He will be a GREAT asset in 2010.

–OSU only ran the football 33 times in 106 total plays. I would say that is about what to expect in the fall except the Cowboys were probably limited by the fact they didn’t want to put Kendall Hunter in harms way too often this spring. Kendall is a huge part of the offense and there really was no point in giving him the ball a lot and risking injury.

–The defense showed a good amount of fight despite their youth and inexperience. Markelle Martin opened the game with a huge hit on Travis Miller and he looks like a defensive back who could battle for All-Big 12 honors in 2010.