Successful heals all wounds.
Within the Large 12 Convention, Kansas – often – is a perfect opponent for a detox.
Cowboy coach Mike Gundy talked about after the sport that his teaching workers “was on them early” within the week to keep away from the Iowa State loss turning right into a second loss – particularly with a Kansas group that took Oklahoma to the brink per week earlier.
Luckily for the Cowboy workers, the expertise runs deep on the roster.
And that carried into the sport in opposition to the Jayhawks, with the nationally-relevant protection conserving Kansas from getting a primary down till halfway by the third quarter, the offense lastly scoring greater than 32 factors and only one penalty for all the group (a flag Gundy and veteran security Kolby Harvell-Peel contested within the postgame press convention).
However Saturday’s Homecoming blowout goes past , clear sport for either side of the ball.
It was the chance to get the starters off the sector for a complete half – a priceless alternative heading down the stretch of the convention season – whereas additionally permitting their teammates who put in the identical quantity of labor an opportunity to play in entrance of the house crowd.
“I used to be tremendous completely happy for all these younger guys that acquired to go on the market,” Harvell-Peel stated. “Even not simply younger guys, however guys who don’t at all times get to play. … It’s so enjoyable to observe these guys play.”
And it’s that second facet which will have been probably the most helpful of the cleaning in opposition to Kansas.
Late within the fourth, with particular groups backups additionally getting some work on a punt return, what gave the impression to be a household of a participant – who seemingly hasn’t seen a lot sport motion if any – was noticed within the stands mentioning the place their son or grandson was on the movie, filming the second with their cellphone from 60 yards away. A video that can seem like blurs of pixels, however for that household and the participant it would imply all the things.
And for the starters on the sideline, these forms of moments had been equally vital in the course of the autumn soccer grind.
Starters on either side of the ball had been glued to the sting of the enjoying floor, or standing on chairs – hyping up the remaining crowd simply as their backups do in a key second late in an in depth sport.
When redshirt senior receiver C.J. Tate – a switch from Tabor School in Hillsboro, Kansas – sacrificed his physique diving for a fourth-down go from third-string quarterback Ethan Bullock that was simply out of Tate’s attain, the primary participant on the sideline to run as much as Tate was beginning quarterback Spencer Sanders, adopted by beginning defensive finish Tyler Lacy.
For the teaching workers, these moments gave them a chance to take a look at how a number of the backups carry over what they’re studying in follow into an precise sport – with the opportunity of incomes some extra enjoying time if it was a profitable exhibiting of their temporary time on the sector.
“The factor we wished to make an impression on them was that is their second,” Cowboy offensive coordinator Kasey Dunn stated. “… Don’t go on the market and simply undergo the motions, go on the market and impress Coach (Charlie) Dickey, impress Coach (John) Wozniak, impress myself and earn extra enjoying time down the highway. I feel our guys did it.
“I’m enthusiastic about how these second-string, third-string guys went on the market and performed onerous regardless that the cleared the path it was.”
There isn’t a assure the Oklahoma State offense that regarded like what followers have change into accustomed the previous decade to will carry over into what’s instantly a stress cooker at West Virginia – which knocked off OSU’s nemesis from per week in the past, Iowa State.
However what Saturday introduced was an opportunity for a group that preaches the tradition of household to come back collectively a bit of bit extra to rejoice all concerned within the soccer program.
Jason Elmquist is sports activities editor of The Stillwater Information Press. He will be contacted at jelmquist@stwnewspress.com.
