Recapping Oklahoma State’s All Access piece on ESPNU

Oklahoma State’s All Access piece on ESPNU aired Tuesday and Wednesday night. Here’s what you missed if you couldn’t watch it or forgot to set the DVR. The show was filmed last Tuesday and gives a “day-in-the-life” look inside the Cowboy football program.

Opening: Cue harmonica country music, shots of the statue outside the practice field and Pistol Pete inside Gallagher-Iba Arena. Then comes coach Mike Gundy’s voice. His first word? Tempo. It’s the start of a long string of what I like to call “Gundyisms.”

First stop is Gundy’s daily meeting with assistant coaches and other staff members. They talk about injured quarterback Wes Lunt, who had just been placed in a cast to immobilize his left leg. Then Gundy mentions how he sent out hand-written notes to recruits telling them about the process of enrolling early at OSU. The meeting ends with Gundy talking about attitude, playing fast and the great weather. More Gundyisms.

Next stop is the weight room, where the Cowboys are going through a similar routine as when I shadowed during the summer.

On to the training room where defensive end Tyler Johnson is…picking up balls of tape with his toes? Yep. That’s an exercise to help with his plantar fasciitis he said had sprung up about a week before. Then, center Jake Jenkins is getting taped up and asking if normal starter Evan Epstein–who was injured late in the Arizona game and missed the Louisiana-Lafayette contest–was going to practice that day. No, Epstein’s going to stay on the bike. If it wasn’t a bye week for the Cowboys, Espstein could have gone, but the extra time off will give Jenkins more reps.

Next, defensive end Nigel Nicholas gives viewers a tour of Boone Pickens Stadium. It starts with a scenic view from the roof, then goes down to the locker room, where linebacker Caleb Lavey (who Nicholas calls the “anchor” of the defense), fullback David Paulsen and offensive lineman Orlando Hudson make an appearance. Then it’s up to the coaches’ offices, where plenty of trophies and photos are displayed. But it’s a bit empty as far as people go. Gundy is not in his office. Neither is director of football operations Mack Butler. Nicholas finally finds linebackers coach Glenn Spencer at his desk and inside receivers coach Doug Meacham, cornerbacks coach Jason Jones and safeties coach Van Malone roaming the halls.

Then comes perhaps the highlight of the show for me. While giving a tour of the locker room, Nicholas points to a chair he says Gundy always stands on before a game, and then does an impersonation of Gundy’s pregame speech, down the the accent. Hilarious. Then Nicholas goes through the walk the team takes from the locker room to the tunnel before the gate opens and the Cowboys run out onto the field.