Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Oklahoma State Cowboys 2020 Preview: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead with what you need to know.
Photo Credit: Rob Ferguson-USA TODAY Sports
Oklahoma State Cowboys 2020 Preview: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead with what you need to know.
Photo Credit: Rob Ferguson-USA TODAY Sports
Oklahoma State Cowboys 2020 Preview: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead with what you need to know.
Photo Credit: Rob Ferguson-USA TODAY Sports
Oklahoma State Cowboys 2020 Preview: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead with what you need to know.
Photo Credit: Rob Ferguson-USA TODAY Sports
They really shouldn’t be giving out game lines for the broken college football fans, but BetMGM delivered early lines for 2020 matchups.
They really shouldn’t be giving out game lines for the broken college football fans, but BetMGM delivered early lines for matchups in the 2020 season.
Oklahoma is an odds on favorite to win the Big 12 again in 2020. That comes with big matchups against Texas in Dallas, Oklahoma State at home and on the road at Iowa State to get there.
According to BetMGM., Lincoln Riley and the Sooners are early favorites in seven of their 13 regular season games.
Odds via BetMGM. Access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated April 21 at 10:50 p.m. ET.
BetMGM has Oklahoma as a 14-point favorite for its conference opener against Baylor. With Texas returning Sam Ehlinger and a host of elite secondary members, the Sooners are an early 2.5-point favorite over their biggest rival. In a trap game of trap games on the road in Ames, Iowa the next week, Matt Campbell and the Cyclones are only 6.5-pont underdogs.
In what is currently circled as the marquee non OU-Texas game of the season, Spencer Sanders, Chuba Hubbard and Tylan Wallace waltz their way into Norman, Oklahoma, the very next week on Oct. 24. Bedlam is the third game of a five-game stretch that should define Oklahoma’s season, and the Sooners are a big favorite at 8.5-points.
Want to get in on the action? Place your bet now at BetMGM.
Oklahoma plays TCU the next week, where BetMGM has the Sooners are 7.5-point favorites over Gary Patterson and the Horned Frogs. Riley and his 2020 team are big favorites in the final two games currently on the board as 15.5-point favorites on the road at West Virginia and 28-point favorites at home against Kansas.
The Sooners are currently slated to start the 2020 season against Missouri State on Sept. 5.
*Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.
[lawrence-auto-related count=3]
New Georgia football offensive coordinator Todd Monken takes over a talented UGA offense with air-raid scheme.
After a pedestrian year from the Georgia Bulldogs on offense in 2019, Kirby Smart wasted no time making scheme changes, bringing in Todd Monken from the Cleveland Browns to take over for James Coley as offensive coordinator and play caller.
Monken has coached all over the football landscape, including 23 years of college coaching experience and eight years coaching in the NFL.
Most recently, Monken spent a season as the offensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns and before that, three seasons as the offensive coordinator and receivers coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
As offensive coordinator at Oklahoma State from 2011-2012, Monken coached Brandon Weeden, Justin Blackmon and the air-raid Cowboys offense to record breaking seasons, averaging well over 500 yards a game.
So, how does Monken’s air-rade scheme fit with a Georgia team built for defense and a power run game?
In 2019, the Bulldogs struggled with the deep passing game and the blame can’t be all on Coley, as Jake Fromm had issues with his deep ball and other than George Pickens, receivers either struggled with injuries, getting separation from defenders or dropped passes.
In 2020, there will be no shortage of depth or talent on the Georgia offense and in the light of recent off-season moves, it seems Kirby is planning to be more aggressive offensively.
The Bulldogs bring in a great arm in Wake Forest transfer quarterback Jamie Newman, paired with returning receivers George Pickens and Dominick Blaylock and added five receivers in the 2020 recruiting class.
Georgia will have the ability to stretch the field on anyone and that is exactly what Monken’s offenses do. Still, the traditional Georgia run game can only benefit from the space the air-raid creates.
As Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator in 2019, Monken led an offense that saw former Georgia great Nick Chubb run for nearly 1,500 yards, so we can expect that running backs Zamir White and James Cook will get their fair share of touches in 2020.
Bulldog fans should be excited to see what 2020 will bring for this young team. In Monken’s system, expect to see much more complex route trees than in previous years, as well as a more aggressive approach to offensive strategy because of the security blanket that is the Georgia defense.
Mike Gundy took a little step back after previously pushing for football’s return over concerns about the coronavirus.
Mike Gundy took a step back from his recent controversial comments about the global COVID-19 pandemic. The Oklahoma State football coach apologized to anyone who was offended by him pushing for a May 1 return date for football because, among other reasons, they “need to run money through the state of Oklahoma.”
Saturday, Gundy issued an apology for offending people with his confusing comments, which came off as tone-deaf and oblivious as he tried to argue why it’s not only safe but also critical for unpaid athletes to return to competition during a global health crisis — even if students are not in class. He also seemed to apologize for offending people and not specifically for dismissing legitimate safety concerns about the coronavirus outbreak and the timeline for attempting to return to normal life.
“I have been made aware that comments from my press conference have offended some,” Gundy said in a prepared statement on Saturday. “It was never my intention to offend anyone and I apologize. My first priority is and will always be the student-athletes and doing what is best for the program and the university.”
While on a conference call with reporters Tuesday, Gundy argued that college football players are young and “healthy and they have the ability to fight this virus off.” So apparently it’s not that big of a deal if they get COVID-19.
That sentiment completely ignores that people of a wide variety of ages, including those in younger demographics, are getting sick and dying from the coronavirus — not to mention that even if someone is healthy enough to fight off the virus, they could still pass it on to others.
As of Saturday, the death toll from the virus in the U.S. surpassed 20,000 people.
Gundy also compared how he’d react to a positive COVID-19 case with his reaction to the flu. He said he believes that with the help of reliable testing, someone on his squad who tests positive could be “quarantined just like we do [with] people that get the flu.”
That’s not how any of this is really working or should work. Testing remains inconsistent and not widespread, and Gundy simply claiming it would be safe and reasonable to bring football back even without students on campus for classes doesn’t make it true.
More of what Gundy said earlier this week via USA TODAY Sports:
“We’ve got to have a plan and so let’s just stay on schedule. Everybody needs to relax, OK? And I’m not taking away from the danger of people getting sick. (If) you have the virus, stay healthy, try to do what we can to help people that are sick and we’re losing lives, which is just terrible. But the second part of it is that we still have to schedule and continue to move forward as life goes on and do everything we can to help those people.”
His May 1 return date was described as “ambitious” by athletics director Mike Holder, and the school issued a similar statement, citing state, federal and Big 12 rules that it will follow when deciding to resume activities.
[jwplayer 6XlyHtfg-q2aasYxh]
[vertical-gallery id=908800]
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 tag=421393249]
Check out Draft Wire’s exclusive interview with Oklahoma State defensive back prospect Alvin Green
If your favorite team is looking for an under-the-radar defensive back prospect in the 2020 NFL draft, Oklahoma State’s Alvin Green should be on their short list.
An experienced defender who leads by example, Green recently spoke exclusively with Draft Wire about his decision to return for his senior season in Stillwater, how he approaches covering receivers with differing skill sets, and what kind of impact he’ll have at the next level.
AG: I just felt like I had more to accomplish on the field honestly. I wasn’t done yet. I had some personal goals or achievements that I was still striving for. As I continued to think about it, playing another season of college football with my brothers started to sound better and better to me.
AG: I’ve played a lot of football throughout my time, and mostly at the cornerback position. I have a lot of experience under my belt. Playing in a pass-happy conference like the Big 12 has prepared me for what’s next. I know that all of us rookies will face a steep learning curve as we get acclimated to the NFL but playing against these high-powered Big 12 offenses should have at least given me a little hint of what to expect.
AG: I wouldn’t say that I have a preference per se. I do enjoy being right up in the wide receiver’s face though. I like to get my hands on him and re-route him a little bit. I definitely enjoy playing press man.
AG: You wanna be more physical with those bigger, taller receivers. I have to use my finesse to my advantage with those guys. I’ll probably have a lower center of gravity with those 6-foot-6 receivers. I try to nag and disrupt them whenever I can. If they’re running an in-breaking route for example, I can use my quickness and shiftiness to be one step ahead of him. With those smaller and faster receivers, I also try to disrupt them at the line of scrimmage. I try to bully them a little bit. I try to assert my dominance on those smaller guys.
AG: I‘ve faced some pretty stiff competition in the Big 12. Not just receiver wise, but quarterback wise as well. Receiver wise, a guy like Allen Lazard comes to mind. I’ve squared off with CeeDee Lamb and Jalen Reagor. Those guys were all different but all very talented in their own right. It was fun to compete against all of those guys.
AG: You have to be willing to compete on a snap-by-snap basis. You also have to have a short-term memory to play this position. You can’t beat yourself up if something doesn’t go your way. You gotta pick yourself up and get ready to compete on the next snap. Lastly, you have to be a film junkie.
AG: Chuba is the type of running back that has the ability to see a tiny hole and punish you for it. He’ll see one cut and he’s gone. He has the ability to beat you to the edge as well. That’s the thing with Chuba. We knew he was coming to compete every day. He always gives it his all. You gotta be on your P’s and Q’s at every practice. Practicing against him, of course we couldn’t really hit him because we’re all trying to stay healthy. We still got to compete against him and we had to learn how to stay low and maintain your leverage.
AG: I feel like with whichever team that I’m blessed to go to, I’ll make a significant impact on the back-end of their defense. With my size and speed, I have the ability to match up with bigger and smaller receivers alike. I feel like I’m gonna provide a great boost to whichever team decides to take a chance on me.
[vertical-gallery id=613832]
Oklahoma State running back Chuba Hubbard is returning to school for his senior season instead of entering the 2020 NFL draft
Life is good 🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/EIIpkJoAgl
— Chuba Hubbard (@Hubbard_RMN) January 13, 2020
One of the top running back prospects in the country is returning to school for his senior season.
Oklahoma State’s Chuba Hubbard is passing up the 2020 NFL draft to play his senior season for the Cowboys. Hubbard announced his decision via his Twitter Monday.
The 2020 class of running backs is incredibly deep. Returning for his senior season gives Hubbard a chance to refine his game and boost his draft stock even further. A strong performance in 2020 could see him enter the first-round pick conversation heading into the 2021 NFL draft.
[vertical-gallery id=611925]
Oklahoma State wide receiver Tylan Wallace is opting to return to school rather than enter the 2020 NFL draft
Happy New Year 🎊🎈🎁 #SupermanReturns pic.twitter.com/Xuiwe2h0WL
— SUPERMAN (@OfficialTylan2) January 1, 2020
One of the more intriguing wide receiver prospects in the nation is returning to school instead of making the early jump to the pros.
Oklahoma State’s Tylan Wallace is returning to the Cowboys for the 2020 season, rather than entering the 2020 NFL draft. He announced his decision on Twitter.
Wallace was considered by some to be a top-10 prospect in his position group in the 2020 draft class, Wallace finished the 2019 season with 903 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. Unfortunately for him, a tear in his ACL cut his season short. Wallace is electing to return to school for a chance to finish his college career on a better note.
If he’s able to stay healthy and return to the level of play he enjoyed before his injury, Wallace will be a wide receiver to keep a close eye on next season.
[vertical-gallery id=611135]
Check out Draft Wire’s interview with Oklahoma State running back Chuba Hubbard
If your favorite NFL team is looking for a do-it-all running back who can score every time he touches the ball, Oklahoma State’s Chuba Hubbard fits the bill.
The FBS leader in rushing yards this season, Hubbard recently spoke with Draft Wire about his Canadian roots, his versatile skill set, and which NFL defender he can’t wait to face.
Hubbard wanted to start the interview with a statement about being nominated for the Doak Walker award:
CH: These last few weeks have been really crazy for me. I was just recently named a finalist for the Doak Walker, which is a blessing. It’s crazy to me how fast life can change. Like I’ve always said, I’ve just focused on winning. That’s all I’ve done my entire career here. I never thought about or worried about individual awards. Of course it’s an honor to be considered for this. It’s a testament to the job our offensive line has done and everyone else around me. I know how special those guys are.
CH: I mean, it’s crazy (laughs). The names you just mentioned, it’s pretty crazy for a Canadian kid to hear his name come out of those guys mouths. I would have never guessed in a million years that Wayne Gretzky and Howie Mandel would know who I am, or even hear of what a “Chuba” is (laughs). Life comes at you fast. It’s definitely crazy to have guys of their stature know about me. It feels good to know that those guys are rooting for me.
CH: To be honest, I haven’t spent a minute thinking about any of that yet. I haven’t even thought about the draft yet. It would be a little premature of me to be doing that right now. I’m just focused on winning games here. That’s all I really have to say about that.
CH: You tell me, which would you like? (laughs). 75 yards to the house feels pretty good.
CH: That also feels great. I won’t lie. It’s very difficult for me to choose between those two.
CH: Really anyone (laughs). If I was on the field and I saw Khalil Mack, Aaron Donald or Richard Sherman, any guy like that, an Earl Thomas maybe, I’d feel pretty crazy about that. I’ve been watching those guys since I was young. That would definitely be a surreal moment for me.
CH: If I’m bringing one, I’m bringing them all (laughs). I can’t narrow it down to one. We’re a whole. We’re together as a unit, so we are one. The whole team, that’s the one I’m bringing.
[vertical-gallery id=610279]
Oklahoma appeared to dominate Bedlam, and that was the case after the rewatch. Here are our final grades and report card from the game.
As Lincoln Riley says, “The game is never as good as you thought, and it’s not going to be as bad.”
On first glance, Oklahoma dominated this game from the second-quarter on in the trenches and made life extremely tough for Chuba Hubbard and the Oklahoma State defensive front.
After every game, Sooners Wire’s Kegan Reneau will rewatch and provide his final thoughts before moving on to the next one.
Here are the grades for the unit and the grades for individuals who ended up on the stat sheet or were noticeable for Oklahoma. These grades reflect how the Sooners played on that game indicative of the perception Reneau expects them to play.
Jalen Hurts — B
About as solid of a game as Oklahoma needed its QB1 to play.
Took what the defense gave him, read Riley’s read concepts perfectly and didn’t give the ball away.
The Sooners will need more out of Jalen Hurts if they want to win a national championship, but you can’t complain about this performance.
Kennedy Brooks — A+
Rhamondre Stevenson — A
Kennedy Brooks has a different running style than the past great running backs at Oklahoma, but man, is his vision, patience and ability to understand blocks in front of him is unparalleled. Probably since Joe Mixon and before that since the early 2000s Oklahoma had a running back with the vision Brooks has.
Stevenson came in like a wrecking ball. Figuratively and literally.
Jeremiah Hall — B+
Brayden Willis — B+
The blocking done by these two may be the most underrated aspects of their game.
CeeDee Lamb — C+
Charleston Rambo — B-
Nick Basquine — B+
Not a lot of opportunity for the wide receivers in this game, but they made the most of them. Thought Nick Basquine’s catches were big.
Lee Morris — B+
Lee Morris remains one of the steadiest forces Oklahoma has.
This offensive line is close.
So close.
They took shape of what the 2017 and 2018 offensive lines looked like. Creed Humphrey, and specifically Marquis Hayes, are starting to become dominant forces at center and left guard. R.J. Proctor’s starting to trend in the right direction. The offensive line is coming around at the right time.
I believe this is my highest offensive grade of the year and for good measure. The Sooners got everything they wanted and then some against a defense that started to play better towards the end of the season. Now if they add on the vertical passing game …
Neville Gallimore — B-
Marquise Overton — B-
Dillon Faamatau — N/A
Solid performance from these two. Did no harm.
DEFENSIVE TACKLE — B
LaRon Stokes — B
Didn’t show up on the stat sheet, but LaRon Stokes played a major role in Chuba Hubbard being deterred from hitting running lanes.
Ronnie Perkins — B+
Marcus Stripling — N/A
Ronnie Perkins continues to flash his NFL-like potential.
Nik Bonitto — A
David Ugwoegbu — A
Some of the stars of the show Saturday night were two young pups that flashed star potential. Ability to set the edge and also make plays in coverage and in the backfield loomed large.
DaShaun White — C+
Caleb Kelly — C+
A lot of the same here. Didn’t notice them too much, but these two didn’t hurt the cause.
MIKE — B-
Kenneth Murray — B-
Some flashes, some over-pursuits. Still feel like Murray has one more monster game left in him.
Tre Brown — D+
Parnell Motley — A
Jaden Davis — B
If it weren’t for Tre Brown’s play, this position group would have been in the upper B, lower A range. Parnell Motley is playing himself into the NFL draft and Jaden Davis missed a couple tackles, but ultimately played well.
Brendan Radley-Hiles — B
Bookie was everywhere and really seems to be getting comfortable at the nickel spot.
Pat Fields — B
Delarrin Turner-Yell — C
So these two split the cause. Turner-Yell struggled in coverage, but Patrick Fields was a factor in the run game. Not a bad, but not a great performance.
Nothing flashy, but Oklahoma’s defense was the determining factor Saturday night and it came from solid performances across the board. Just a complete performance from the top, down.
[lawrence-auto-related count=3]
