Helsley’s Back and Forth: Down Time
By John Helsley
Looking back and forth at key items in Cowboys sports:
Rewind
1) Grand Introductions. With Kendall Hunter, Dez Bryant, Perrish Cox and Jermiah Price on the sidelines in jean shorts Saturday night, we wondered where the fizz would come from in a game against Grambling. We found it in unexpected places. Wideout Dameron Fooks and tailback Jeremy Smith were superb. And while we consider the competition, we also like what we saw in two potential playmakers going forward.
2) The DL. College football doesn’t use a DL – disabled list – yet the aforementioned injured players were clearly on the shelf last week. And question remains about their availability when Big 12 Conference play opens next weekend. The Cowboys have come a long way in adding depth, but Bryant, Cox and Hunter represent three of the team’s core players. They’ll be needed at Texas A&M.
3) Backup Plan. Most of us wanted a look at OSU’s backup quarterbacks, Alex Cate and Brandon Weeden. We saw both, although in a mixed bag. Cate suffered a head injury on his first play and didn’t return. Weeden stepped in and played well, throwing his first career touchdown passes. In doing so, he climbed into the No. 2 quarterback role after a tightly contested battle for the job that spanned the spring and preseason.
4) High Stepping. The Grambling band proved as good as advertised, delivering their brand of flair to the halftime festivities. The band had some fun, playing and dancing through a Michael Jackson tribute that featured “Thriller.” Felt sorry for the OSU band, which had to follow the Grambling outfit onto the field.
5) Crowd Count. OSU didn’t get the sellout it was seeking, but the crowd of 59,000-plus still made for a record attendance in Stillwater. Next in the sellout crosshairs: Texas on Halloween. Isn’t that a spooky thought?
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