OSU notebook: Cowboy fans pack the house
BY JOHN HELSLEY and MIKE SHERMAN, Staff Writers
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Published: November 1, 2009
Kendall Hunter: Only a glimpse
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Midway through the second quarter, Cowboys running back Kendall Hunter made his first appearance since the Houston game, a span of six games and seven weeks, due to a foot injury.
He immediately got the call, carrying for one yard.
Then he exited for good.
Hunter never returned, putting his availability once again in question.
OSU coach Mike Gundy said he left it up to Hunter and running backs coach Robert Gillespie.
"I'm guessing he didn't feel right," Gundy said of his running back. "It's a guess. He practiced a little more this week and he's further along.
"But obviously he's not ready to play."
Crowded house
A crowd of 58,516 filed into Boone Pickens Stadium, providing the largest single-game home attendance in program history.
This season has produced six of the top 11 crowds ever at OSU.
Dez distress
The bad news of Dez Bryant's extended suspension hit the Cowboys midweek.
While no one attached the news to Saturday's ragged play, they admitted disappointment.
"We were sad," said defensive end Nigel Nicholas. "He was with us all summer, working.
"But we had to put it behind us, hope he's still doing good. I know he still cares about the team. But we have to go on and play football. One man doesn't make the team."
Said Gundy: "I think they were shocked. Not necessarily the news, I just really don't think they thought they were going to take it from him the rest of the year."
Gundy said he had no expectations on what might come from their appeal to the NCAA. And he said he couldn't afford to invest much emotion into it.
"Not to lessen anything how we feel toward Dez, but we've only got a certain amount of time to prepare for the next game," Gundy said. "I don't have any say-so in the decision. "Any time I would spend thinking about it would probably be better time spent worrying on the next game."
Burnt Durant
Thunder star Kevin Durant might love Oklahoma City, but his heart remains in Texas.
Durant, who dragged Russell Westbrook and rookie James Harden along, showed up at Boone Pickens Stadium Saturday night, wearing orange.
Burnt orange.
For a kid from Maryland, that must have been one sweet year spent in Austin.
Redemptive powers
Halloween weekend was the one-year anniversary of Texas' 38-33 loss at Lubbock, a last-second defeat that ultimately derailed the Longhorns' national title hopes. Texas players and coaches took great satisfaction of putting that memory to rest Saturday night.
A year ago today in Lubbock, safety Blake Gideon dropped a sure interception that would have ended Texas Tech's last-ditch drive. Michael Crabtree then capped with a stunning last-second TD catch in front of Curtis Brown and Earl Thomas. Texas coach Mack Brown loved the poetic justice of that trio's interceptions against OSU.
"I thought it was very fitting tonight for them to be able to all three intercept balls," Brown said, "two of them for touchdowns, to be able to put that low thought to rest."
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you put your choke hand out
you do the chokey pokey
and you turn yourself about
That's what being a cowchoke is all about
Boomer
As for the 3 Stooges on this forum, indeed they have been "ignored". Being a Keyboard Cowboy is easy, hiding behind the mask that is the Internet from facing those they belittle seems like fun to them, but it really shows the immaturity and lack of respect for others when they spew their distastful filth.
The Hunter situation has me puzzled. The kid blew his chance at a Medical Redshirt by the one play Sat. night, Gundy says the kid wants to play, and he is seen practicing pregame...... so what the answer is to this has yet to be given. If he can't run at game speed, why is he suiting up to play at all? He wandered the sidelines in Waco like he was bored silly, and while I didn't see him from our seats last night, he looked ready and ran like he was ready for the one play. No hole and he was stopped. I don't get why he didn't come back, play a series and get up to game speed. Baffles me, and makes me wonder, like others what this is all about?
After 8 games, the Cowboys have matured, and are playing much better than at the beginning of the season with the Georgia win and the Houston loss. Texas IS that good, and if you take away the 2 pick sixes, and the two for short TD's, you've got a very tight ballgame. Everyone has a bad day at the office. It's a shame that Zac had his last night. But with the record crowd, the good season that will get better, and the bright outlook for a great bowl game, the Cowboys will finish out the year with a possible 10-2 season, 11-2 after bowling, which is nothing to sneeze at, and will set the bar for future teams to follow. This season isn't over by any means, and we still have some games ahead we have to prepare for and face with or without the two of the three Stars we had at the beginning of the season.
What a choke on the big stage!