OSU football: Calvin Barnett trying to control his aggression
By Anthony Slater – Aslater@opubco.com - @anthonyVslater
Calvin Barnett has SEC size and strength, the kind Oklahoma State hasn’t seen at the defensive tackle position in a long time. Maybe ever.
Chris Donaldson was a decent player who maximized his abilities. Shane Jarka played admirably during a successful career. But dominant defensive forces they were not.
Barnett, on the other hand, is a physical monster, capable of terrorizing Big 12 offenses. Those tools were on display Saturday, even during the inexcusable penalties.
But that’s the problem. No matter the talent, if Barnett can’t control his emotions, his skill will translate into a detriment to the team. Controlled aggression is good, uncontrolled aggression can be disastrous.
“I had a talk with Calvin Barnett (on Sunday) morning,” coach Mike Gundy said at Monday’s press conference. “And he understood and admitted that he got out of hand and had played the way that he always played, but at this level you can’t get away with that. I think he understands that and he’s moved into a stage to try to correct those mistakes and make himself better and make our team better.”
Bill Young, OSU’s defensive coordinator and defensive line specialist, wasn’t at Saturday’s game. He was recovering from a medical procedure. But watching film, he had a similar assessment of Barnett.
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