SbOrOiNaEnR
11/7/2008, 04:18 PM
Interesting article in today's Dallas Morning News comparing this year's Aggy team to "the season that became the standard for all Oklahoma State football seasons to follow," with [hairGel] as the glue that links the two "great" teams.
That may be so, but personally, I'd be just fine if the OU-OSU game turned out exactly as it did in 1988...and I can sort-of see that happening. Both these teams are tremendous offensively, so expect beaucoup numbers in that department (they combined for 1000+ yards in '88).
But I'd love nothing more than to see a final Aggy drive a la the '88 game. Hart Lee Dyke$, Barry Sanders, Limbrick's potty mouth and the play that defines the entire zeitgeist of Aggy football, the so-close-we-can-taste-it-but-we're-still-going-to-put-the-entire-OP-nation-on-suicide-watch *BOING* off the chest of Bret Parker
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/columnists/ccarlton/stories/110708dnspocarltoncol.3ebaf3c.html
At Oklahoma State, the comparisons are 20 years apart and still hard to avoid.
There's the way efficient quarterback, the small running back who oozes big-play ability and the matchup problem at receiver.
Put it together and 2008 seems a lot like 1988, the season that became the standard for all Oklahoma State football seasons to follow
Then, the Cowboys had running back Barry Sanders, quarterback Mike Gundy and receiver Hart Lee Dykes. Those three helped Oklahoma State finish 10-2 and score at least 41 points in all but one game.
Now the focus rests on running back Kendall Hunter, quarterback Zac Robinson and receiver Dez Bryant. A win Saturday at No. 2 Texas Tech could put the Cowboys (8-1) back in the middle of the BCS discussion.
Gundy, the Cowboys' coach and offensive playcaller, represents the thread linking the eras, even if he has avoided the topic with his team, according to Robinson.
"I know, obviously, [they had] some great players on offense," Robinson said. "I guess the similarities are comparable. It is fun to be mentioned with the players on that team."
Robinson might not quite have the huge numbers of Tech counterpart Graham Harrell or the other Big 12 quarterbacks, but he ranks second nationally in passing efficiency.
He also has a direct pipeline to Gundy.
Kendall Hunter has slippery moves that remind some of Barry Sanders another Oklahoma State great. "It's been a lot of fun for him to be on the field calling the plays," Robinson said. "I can come to sideline and we can talk. He'll say one thing. I'll chime in with another. It's great."
Just about every smallish running of the past decade has been mentioned as the next Sanders, the Heisman Trophy winner and certified NFL legend.
With the 5-8 Hunter, the comparisons may be a little less of a stretch, and not just because he plays for Oklahoma State. Hunter leads the Big 12 with 1,220 yards rushing, and averages a Sandersesque 6.7 yards per carry.
He's quiet like Sanders, too, preferring to his let his play speak for him.
Growing up in Tyler, Hunter idolized Sanders and Emmitt Smith, and would practice their moves on his friends in pickup games.
"He makes so many guys miss in space, it's incredible," Robinson said. "When he touches the ball you know something exciting is going to happen."
Even with one loss and talent at the skill positions, Oklahoma State has gotten the least attention among the Big 12 South powers. Casual fans are more likely to think of deep-pockets booster T. Boone Pickens or Gundy's YouTube rant than the players.
Bryant, the third member of the trio, expressed a bit of frustration to The Associated Press this week about the media spotlight on Tech's Michael Crabtree.
"Every time I turn on the TV, all I hear is [ESPN analyst] Kirk Herbstreit talking about, 'He's the best receiver in the country.' That started to get to me a little bit, but I really don't let it get to me too much," Bryant said.
"It still does motivate me to go out there and play my hardest and to show him there is another guy out there."
That may be so, but personally, I'd be just fine if the OU-OSU game turned out exactly as it did in 1988...and I can sort-of see that happening. Both these teams are tremendous offensively, so expect beaucoup numbers in that department (they combined for 1000+ yards in '88).
But I'd love nothing more than to see a final Aggy drive a la the '88 game. Hart Lee Dyke$, Barry Sanders, Limbrick's potty mouth and the play that defines the entire zeitgeist of Aggy football, the so-close-we-can-taste-it-but-we're-still-going-to-put-the-entire-OP-nation-on-suicide-watch *BOING* off the chest of Bret Parker
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/columnists/ccarlton/stories/110708dnspocarltoncol.3ebaf3c.html
At Oklahoma State, the comparisons are 20 years apart and still hard to avoid.
There's the way efficient quarterback, the small running back who oozes big-play ability and the matchup problem at receiver.
Put it together and 2008 seems a lot like 1988, the season that became the standard for all Oklahoma State football seasons to follow
Then, the Cowboys had running back Barry Sanders, quarterback Mike Gundy and receiver Hart Lee Dykes. Those three helped Oklahoma State finish 10-2 and score at least 41 points in all but one game.
Now the focus rests on running back Kendall Hunter, quarterback Zac Robinson and receiver Dez Bryant. A win Saturday at No. 2 Texas Tech could put the Cowboys (8-1) back in the middle of the BCS discussion.
Gundy, the Cowboys' coach and offensive playcaller, represents the thread linking the eras, even if he has avoided the topic with his team, according to Robinson.
"I know, obviously, [they had] some great players on offense," Robinson said. "I guess the similarities are comparable. It is fun to be mentioned with the players on that team."
Robinson might not quite have the huge numbers of Tech counterpart Graham Harrell or the other Big 12 quarterbacks, but he ranks second nationally in passing efficiency.
He also has a direct pipeline to Gundy.
Kendall Hunter has slippery moves that remind some of Barry Sanders another Oklahoma State great. "It's been a lot of fun for him to be on the field calling the plays," Robinson said. "I can come to sideline and we can talk. He'll say one thing. I'll chime in with another. It's great."
Just about every smallish running of the past decade has been mentioned as the next Sanders, the Heisman Trophy winner and certified NFL legend.
With the 5-8 Hunter, the comparisons may be a little less of a stretch, and not just because he plays for Oklahoma State. Hunter leads the Big 12 with 1,220 yards rushing, and averages a Sandersesque 6.7 yards per carry.
He's quiet like Sanders, too, preferring to his let his play speak for him.
Growing up in Tyler, Hunter idolized Sanders and Emmitt Smith, and would practice their moves on his friends in pickup games.
"He makes so many guys miss in space, it's incredible," Robinson said. "When he touches the ball you know something exciting is going to happen."
Even with one loss and talent at the skill positions, Oklahoma State has gotten the least attention among the Big 12 South powers. Casual fans are more likely to think of deep-pockets booster T. Boone Pickens or Gundy's YouTube rant than the players.
Bryant, the third member of the trio, expressed a bit of frustration to The Associated Press this week about the media spotlight on Tech's Michael Crabtree.
"Every time I turn on the TV, all I hear is [ESPN analyst] Kirk Herbstreit talking about, 'He's the best receiver in the country.' That started to get to me a little bit, but I really don't let it get to me too much," Bryant said.
"It still does motivate me to go out there and play my hardest and to show him there is another guy out there."