Tag: Oklahoma State

Oklahoma Sooners must figure out road struggles

The Oklahoma Sooners have had a really solid season in 2024. No one thought this would have been a tournament team this after they were picked to finish last in the Big 12. Not only are they primed for a tournament berth, but they’ve also been …

The Oklahoma Sooners have had a really solid season in 2024. No one thought this would have been a tournament team this after they were picked to finish last in the Big 12.

Not only are they primed for a tournament berth, but they’ve also been ranked for much of the year as well. It doesn’t look like they’ll be ranked again this year barring a great run to close the regular season.

One area where they have struggled however is on the road. The Sooners are 2-4 on the road and 13-3 at home. Their only road wins were at Cincinnati and Kansas State. Three of their final five games of the season are on the road starting with two straight, at [autotag]Oklahoma State[/autotag] on Saturday and then at [autotag]Iowa State[/autotag] the following Wednesday.

They then end the season with a trip to Texas. The issue with how they’ve played on the road is even heightened given one of their final road teams is against Houston, who is the No. 2 team in the country currently.

Still, the goal should be to get to 20 wins. It’s not going to be easy. It’s why blowing some of the games they have were so big when they happened. It’s going to make getting to that 20-win mark even harder.

That final five-game stretch all starts this Saturday in Stillwater with the Sooners needing to win 2 of 3.

More: Despite recent struggles, Sooners a NCAA tournament team

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Jaron on Twitter @JaronSpor.

‘Our goals are still very high’: Sooners continue to make push for the NCAA Tournament

Oklahoma Sooners continue to push for their first NCAA Tournament birth in the Porter Moser era.

It’s gut-check time for the Oklahoma Sooners. After an undefeated week, the Sooners sit at 18-6 on the season.

They are in a great spot to make to the [autotag]NCAA Tournament[/autotag] for the first time in the [autotag]Porter Moser[/autotag] era. There is a good chance 18 wins gets you in, but 20 is really the number fans should be focusing on. Getting to 20 wins in this league should almost assuredly get you in.

But the Sooners are about to hit a tough stretch once again in the conference. Of their remaining seven games, four of them are against top 15 teams. Of the three that aren’t ranked, two of them are vs. rivals [autotag]Oklahoma State[/autotag] and Texas. This conference never gives you a break, which is why this week was so huge for the Sooners.

Moser spoke about how important this week was with the games they have coming up. “Every game we are trying to stack wins,” Moser said. “You try to stack wins. You try to stay in the hunt for a championship. I think we are two games behind. Our goals are still very high with seven league games left. You’ve got to stack wins. You’ve got to go on one game winning streaks. This was big to put it in the column and taking care of this.”

The Sooners look to go on another one-game winning streak as they take on the Baylor Bears on Tuesday at 8:00 p.m. on ESPN2.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Jaron on Twitter @JaronSpor.

Zac Robinson’s connection to Steelers QB Mason Rudolph is strong

There is a long standing history between Mason Rudolph and Zac Robinson.

News came out on Monday that the Pittsburgh Steelers had requested permission to interview Los Angeles Rams passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach Zac Robinson for their offensive coordinator vacancy. Robinson is the first candidate we’ve heard could be interviewed.

Whenever a name comes out, we always want to look for connections and boy howdy do we have some with Robinson and Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph.

Rudolph and Mason actually lived together as Robinson coached Rudolph in his predraft preparations ahead of the 2018 NFL draft. The Steelers selected Robinson in the third round out of Oklahoma State where Robinson also played quarterback. Robinson said he became like a big brother more than a coach as he helped set up Rudolph’s combine and pro day workouts. The two also trained together during Rudolph’s time at Oklahoma State prior to his final season.

Robinson has a great deal of familiarity with Rudolph, obviously. This could not only be a draw for Robinson to join the Steelers but also motivation for Rudolph to want to re-sign with the team.

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Oklahoma State game next year will be a barometer reading

The Razorbacks’ first trip to Stillwater in over five decades will tell us where the program is heading under Sam Pittman.

With no bowl game to prepare for, the Arkansas football program is stuck to looking towards the future.

2024 is upon us.

A few weeks ago, the schedule was released and of course it was a difficult schedule, because life in the Southeastern Conference always is.

The Arkansas football program, since vaulting back into the top 10 at the beginning of October 2022, has gone 8-14 since.

That includes losses to Liberty and BYU, two programs that are solid but shouldn’t be on par with Arkansas, especially on its home field.

If Arkansas is going to field a competitive team next fall, i.e. win more than 6 games, we will know based on how they do in Week 2.

Oklahoma State, while hardly a national power, has been a consistent Top 25 team over the last decade-plus under Mike Gundy.

They are usually in the mix for a New Year’s Day bowl game and have flirted with the College Football Playoff a couple of times.

The UA-Pine Bluff game the week before the Oklahoma State trip will tell us nothing about Arkansas, just like Western Carolina this past season told us nothing about the Razorbacks in 2023.

Let’s say Arkansas goes into Stillwater and wins by 2-3 touchdowns. That would be a convincing enough victory to convince me (and others) that the program has turned a corner and could compete for a New Year’s Day bowl game.

A loss or even worse, a blowout loss? We’re right back to square one.

How to buy Oklahoma State tickets for Big 12 Football Championship Game

Want to watch Oklahoma State battle Texas for the Big 12 Championship in person? Get tickets for as low as $121 per person

For the second time in three years, the Oklahoma State Cowboys are headed to the Big 12 Football Championship Game.

No. 19 Oklahoma State will take on No. 7 Texas at 12 p.m. EST on Saturday, Dec. 2nd at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX.

Want to watch Oklahoma State play for their first-ever Big 12 Championship Game win? Check out Vivid Seats to find the perfect ticket for you and anybody else you want sitting beside you as the Cowboys look to make history.

There are still tickets available for the game, including a few field level options. As of publication, the cheapest available price per ticket was $121.

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Notre Dame escapes Brooklyn with overtime win over Oklahoma State

That was a little too close.

It was fitting that Notre Dame drew Oklahoma State in the consolation game of the Legends Classic in Brooklyn. Both teams are at about the same level as far as turnover from last season. So it was only fitting that they went to overtime. But any Irish fan watching will tell you that it shouldn’t have gotten there despite a 66-64 win.

The Irish (2-2) had a 12-point lead in the second half, but a couple of scoring droughts allowed the Cowboys (1-3) to creep closer and closer. The lead had whittled down to one when Eric Dailey Jr. went to the free-throw line to potentially win it for the Cowboys. He instead split the free throws, and [autotag]Markus Burton[/autotag] missed a buzzer-beater, necessitating the overtime.

The Irish trailed by as much as four in the extra session, but the game came down to free throws and defense. Both of those worked in the Irish’s favor.

Burton in particular was clutch at the line and was the leader in forcing the Cowboys to make mistakes on offense. Still, he missed one free throw in the final seconds of overtime that allowed John-Michael Wright to shoot a potential game-winning 3 at the buzzer that missed.

Burton fittingly led the Irish with 20 points on 8-of-18 shooting. [autotag]Julian Roper II[/autotag] had 12 points and eight rebounds, while [autotag]J.R. Konieczny[/autotag] completed his second straight double-double of 11 points and 10 boards in his first career start.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Notre Dame shoots poorly in loss to Auburn

Man, was that ugly.

Despite the poor prognosis for its season, Notre Dame was one of four teams invited to the Legends Classic in Brooklyn. The Irish drew Auburn as their first opponent, and their next one depended on how they did in that first game. The answer to that question is not great as the Tigers dominated the Irish, 83-59. That means the Irish will face Oklahoma State, another first-time opponent, in the consolation game.

The Irish (1-2) never led in the contest but cut a 15-point deficit down to six before halftime. But the Tigers (2-1) went for the kill out of the break and succeeded with a 15-1 run to begin the second half. The deficit never got smaller than 16 from there, and it didn’t help that the Irish shot only 33.9% from the field, including a paltry 2 of 26 from 3-point range.

Aden Holloway and Johni Broome led the Tigers with 15 points apiece. Jaylin Williams had 11 points, and 10 points apiece came from Chris Moore and Tre Donaldson.

[autotag]J.R. Konieczny[/autotag] reached double figures in both scoring and rebounds for the first time in his career with 18 points and 11 boards, leading the Irish in both categories. [autotag]Tae Davis[/autotag] scored a career-high 13 points, [autotag]Markus Burton[/autotag] scored 12 despite 4-of-20 shooting, and [autotag]Braeden Shrewsberry[/autotag] added 10 points to go with three steals.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Lou Holtz reacts to Ryan Day calling him out

Did the Irish legend respond well?

A seemingly inconsequential remark about Ohio State by Notre Dame coaching legend [autotag]Lou Holtz[/autotag] has become anything but. After the Buckeyes stunned the Irish, coach Ryan Day let a large TV audience know he felt disrespected by Holtz saying the Irish were the more physical team. Finally, Holtz has broken his silence.

The Columbus Dispatch broke down some of Holtz’s comments he made while speaking on “Don’t @ Me with Dan Dakich”. Of most importance was his response to Day’s unhappiness about the physicality remark:

“I’m sorry that Coach Day was offended by it. I hope he goes on and has a wonderful year. I don’t think they’ll be a great football team. I really don’t. I felt Notre Dame won the football game. All we had to do was fall on the ball. The last two minutes, the opposition is not Ohio State. The opposition is the clock.”

Holtz also said he called [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] to apologize for putting him and his team in the spot he did. But he also doesn’t mind Day taking shots at him:

“That’s his choice. I can understand why he did. He doesn’t want to talk about Michigan. 0-2. He doesn’t want to talk about the big game coming up against Penn State and against Michigan again. He’s a great coach. He’s a tremendous coach. He’s a great offensive mind. He hired an outstanding defensive coordinator from Oklahoma State who is doing a tremendous job. Ohio State is a good football team, but I don’t think they’re a great football team.”

There’s no telling if this apparent feud will continue, but it will be worth keeping an eye on assuming it does keep going.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Notre Dame to play in 2024 Rady Children’s Invitational in San Diego

Make your travel plans for Thanksgiving weekend next year.

Notre Dame’s 2023-24 season won’t start for another two months, but we already know one event on its calendar for the 2024-25 season. The Irish will take part in the 2024 Rady Children’s Invitational in San Diego. Also participating are Purdue, BYU and latest entry Arkansas. The first edition of this invitational will take place this Thanksgiving weekend, so it’s safe to assume next year event also will happen at the same time.

Breaking the mold for the invitational in 2023 will be USC, Seton Hall, Iowa and Oklahoma. The Irish have their own multi-day event this season in the Legends Classic in Brooklyn. They’ll tip that tournament off against Auburn and then play either Oklahoma State or St. Bonaventure.

The difference between this year’s Legends Classic and next year’s Rady Children’s Invitational is that in the latter tournament, [autotag]Micah Shrewsberry[/autotag] will have a team more in line with what he’s looking for. Until then, he’ll go through some first-year struggles with a young roster that was patched together quickly out of necessity. It shows how different things can be from one season to the next.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Notre Dame will face Auburn in first round of Legends Classic

Make your travel plans to New York.

When we wrote about Notre Dame releasing its 2023-24 nonconference schedule, we briefly mentioned the Legends Classic. We knew that the Irish would take part in this annual event, which they won in 2016, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. However, we didn’t know when the matchups for the event would be announced. It turns out we had to wait all of 24 hours.

The Irish have drawn Auburn as their first-round opponent in the Legends Classic. The other game will feature Oklahoma State and St. Bonaventure. However the first round plays out will determine who plays who in either the third-place game or the championship game.

The Tigers are a first-time opponent for the Irish and so would the Cowboys if they have the opportunity to play them. The Irish have won five of eight meetings with the Bonnies but lost to them last year in the Gotham Classic, which was held not far away in Long Island.

The Irish surely will be underdogs in at least the first game. In fact, they’ll be underdogs in almost every game this season. Hopefully, they take that as an opportunity to prove everyone wrong. It’s all they can do.

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Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89