OSU football notebook: No love for the defense; Mike Gundy praises Calvin Barnett

Junior tight end Blake Jackson, who transferred to OSU from Scottsdale (Ariz.) Community College, caught three passes for 40 yards Saturday.

As a first-year player, Jackson is supposed to be off-limits to the media. But still, after the game, he briefly spoke to a few reporters before being ushered away by OSU media relations staff.

“I feel like we played really well, including myself,” Jackson said. “It's real fun, just running around, having fun with your teammates. It's always fun to come out here and compete.”

Jackson (6-foot-3, 238 pounds) came highly touted out of junior college. He chose the Cowboys over Oklahoma, Arkansas and Georgia.

GLIDDEN SPENDS SPRING GAME WATCHING MOVIE

Gundy said redshirt freshman David Glidden will be the Cowboys' punt returner. Glidden missed the spring game because of a high-ankle sprain.

Gundy said he'll probably be in a cast for several weeks.

Glidden wasn't even at the spring game, according to his Twitter account. He tweeted early in the spring game that he was watching the movie “Enemy of the State” on television.

As far as punt returns went Saturday, normally sure-handed sophomore Josh Stewart struggled to catch the kicks that came his way.

“He has the ability to make people miss, but he won't return any if he does that,” Gundy said of Stewart. “He'll get his fair shot in August, but otherwise we won't put a guy back there that can't catch one.”

VESTER LIKELY WILL START AT NEO

Stillwater High standout Jesse Vester, who double signed with Oklahoma State and Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, said at Saturday's spring game that he'll likely begin his college career at the Miami, OK, junior college.

Vester signed with both schools because he was still working on becoming academically qualified on February's signing day. Saturday, he said he's not quite there yet, but is close.

Either way, he said he will probably go to Northeastern A&M for a semester and join the Cowboys next spring.

Vester (5-foot-10, 180 pounds), the kick returner on The Oklahoman's 2011 All-State team, scored 15 touchdowns and had 1,125 receiving yards as a senior.

NOTEWORTHY

The Orange team jumped to a 24-0 lead Saturday at halftime, but Gundy reversed the score during the break. Orange outscored Gray 21-7 in the second half, but because of the flipped score, the Gray team was given a 31-21 win. ... Oklahoma State ran 88 plays in the first half Saturday, which prompted the Cowboys to use a running clock in the second half. After halftime, the Cowboys ran just 35 offensive plays. ... No Cowboys were injured Saturday. ... Sophomore Desmond Roland, playing on the gray team, led all rushers with 53 yards on 10 carries. ... Junior defensive end Tyler Johnson made 5 tackles Saturday to lead the Orange team, while junior linebacker Caleb Lavey's 5 stops led the Gray.