SB Nation - Jeff Fuller

On Aggies

Peter Bean — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 06:31:59 -0000

More ~~tomorrow~~ soon on the game, but first.... (UPDATE 2: Back home after a long holiday weekend visiting family. Haven't felt comfortable writing about the game without watching a replay. Game notes late Sunday or Monday. --PB--)

There are two ways you might look at tonight's game. On the one hand, you might focus on Jerrod Johnson's brilliant night, on Jeff Fuller's 3 touchdowns, on the Aggies' 532 yards of offense, on A&M being in the game throughout. All of those things happened; all of them are true.

But here's the other way to look at tonight's contest: On a night when all of the above happened, Texas still defeated A&M to improve their all time record against the Agros to 75-36-5. And the game was in College Station. Maybe it was a night to be proud of Little Brother, but in the end, they are just that: Little Brother. They get a slap on the ass, a few patronizing "Hey, congrats on not getting whipped, man" comments, and the season ends, with Texas 12-0 on track for Pasadena, while Little Brother finishes 6-6, having to hope that tonight is an indication they might steal a 37th win in series history next year, when Texas has a young QB.

The latter view is the right one for the same reason it's such a sad one: the Aggie fans themselves. Not only do they moronically refuse to capitalize UT, but they reverse the letters -- the ultimate junior high gotcha. They belie their own intelligence with prideful anti-intellectualism, as though spirit and tradition are substitutes for success. ("We just gotta clap louder!" "No make out for you." "Why?" "It's Whoop! louder!") And the traditions themselves are befitting junior high kids rather than adults -- a ritualistic game of 'Follow The Leader', with 'If We Score You Have To Kiss Me' sprinkled in.

Respect is earned, not commanded, and the only people I feel sorry for more than the clowns in the costumes are the women who have to kiss them. The Aggies don't deserve our sympathy; they've earned our pity.

They've got mine.

UPDATE: To those who got worked up about the post: My Aggie friends (most of whom were in the Corps) and I have great fun caricaturing each other and I was on the other end of it in 2006 and '07. Fact is they'd wonder what was wrong with me if I hadn't ribbed 'em after the game. Great fun when you win; stings when you lose. That's what makes it a game we care about.

Baylor Preview

Beergut — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:31:24 -0000

I'm sure there are some Aggies who are looking at Baylor's 4-6 record so far this season and thinking they'll be no problem for us on Saturday. I'm sure there are some fans who think because Robert Griffin is no longer leading Baylor's offense, they aren't much of a threat to beat us in College Station. We can't afford that kind of overconfidence. We're not good enough to overlook anyone.

The most important thing we need to do against Baylor is experience some offensive success early and jump out to an early lead. Baylor's defense isn't incredible, but they haven't given up an offensive touchdown in the last three games in the second half. This means that their hafltime adjustments are working, and it also means that they don't quit despite being behind.

Baylor's offense is led by redshirt freshman Nick Florence, who has poassed for 1609 yards, 6 TDs, and 7 interceptions since taking over for Robert Griffin. Florence is a decent quarterback, despite his numbers, who can hurt us through the air and on the ground. Getting pressure on Florence and sacking him a few times is imperative. Baylor's passing game depends heavily on WR screens and bubble screens, which is the bane of our defense's existence. We need to be disciplined, get off the blocking receiver, and make the tackle. It would also help if we didn't play zone all game, but that is a scheme issue.

The two Baylor players who worry me the most are wide receivers Kendall Wright and David Gettis. Both are terrific athletes who make plays with the ball in their hands. Baylor will use Wright on Jet sweeps to stretch the defense laterally. RB Jay Finley isn't a burner, but he is effective. He ripped us apart last year in Waco.

Defensively, LB Joe Pawelek is the main person we need to be aware of. Pawelek leads the team in tackles, sacks, and is tied for the team lead in tackles for loss. He is simply a playmaker. One Baylor defender who I think is overrated is safety Jordan Lake, who I think we can take advantage of in the passing game. I think Lake is overrated in his coverage abilities, and Uzoma Nwachukwu and Jeff Fuller should be able to beat him deep, assuming we are able to get the ball to them. up about 167 yards per game rushing, so we should be able to run the ball on them, especially if we can block Pawelek, and go off-tackle. Christine Michael and Cyrus Gray should be able to have a good day.

If we do what we're supposed to do, we should be able to beat Baylor, earn our sixth win, and attain bowl eligibility. We need to start out fast on offense, put some points on the board, and put pressure on their offense to keep up with us in the early going. This will allow us to run the ball, run the clock, and control the game in the second half. If we do what we need to do, we will win the game.

Q&A with the Texas A&M Aggies Blog, I Am the 12th Man

Jon Woods — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 22:34:31 -0000

The Ralphie Report recently sat down with I Am the 12th Man to get some Aggie perspective on tomorrow's match up, a game that is extremely important for both teams.

You can see our answers here: Q&A With The Ralphie Report

Up until Dan Hawkins meltdown a few weeks ago, Mike Sherman's seat was the warmest in the conference. At this point in the season how does Aggie Nation feel about the Head Coach? Starting to feel a little more comfortable or still worried that this may not be the man for the job?

I don't agree that he has ever been on the hot seat this year, simply because he has a guaranteed contract for seven years, and we weren't going to fire him after only two seasons. However, the Kansas State game did make everyone step back and say 'what the hell?', because it was the first game we hadn't shown some type of improvement. On the contrary, it looked like we had taken a huge step back, and that really made a lot of people mad. The win over Tech changed all that, because we actually showed massive improvement on the offensive line in that game, a weakness for our team going back to last season. Add in he fact that we hadn't beaten Tech in Lubbock since 1993, and it was a nice surprise to win that game in such dominating fashion after the inexplicable loss to Kansas State.

I think the fanbase is firmly behind Sherman, mainly because right now we are doing what young teams are supposed to do, which is show improvement every game.

Outside of Jerrod Johnson, who needs to step up on offense in order for the Aggies to win? (As an Allen grad, I hope you say Uzoma).

If we can get Uzoma Nwachukwu and Jeff Fuller going in the passing game, and Christine Michael and Cyrus Gray moving the ball on the ground, we should score points and we should win the game. The better we are able to run the ball, the easier things are for Jerrod Johnson, and when things are easy for Jerrod, our offense hums along like a machine.

We have a very "special" kind of love for Von Miller here in Colorado. I heard that he recently mentioned that he will explore entering the draft next year. What are his NFL prospects looking like at this point in time?

I'm not a scout, but I think he is one of those guys who can have a good combine and really move up in the draft. I think he may be looked at as a tweener because of his size, but I can see a 3-4 team taking him as an outside linebacker. I could see him going anywhere from as high as the first round to as low as the fourth round; just depends on his combine workouts.

How many people are expected to attend the game this weekend? I've been to College Station many, many times and I don't think you could find a place more different from Boulder. Are the Aggies fans going to enjoy the culture shock?

have no idea how many will travel to Boulder, I'd guess a few thousand. It isn't the culuture shock that would get most Aggies (y'all have beer, we like beer), it is the fact that we seem to struggle playing in Boulder.. People don't like to travel somewhere and then see their team play poorly..

The Aggies win the game if...? The Buffaloes win the game if...?

Aggies win if we can establish our running game, which means our passing game will move the ball, and our offense will be executing, and we'll score. If we can get a turnover or two on defense, that would be nice.

Colorado wins if they can establish their running game, and keep our offense in check. If it is a close game in the fourth quarter, and y'all have been running the ball all day, int he thin air of Boulder, y'all have a good chance to pull the upset.

Final score prediction?

A&M 28 CU 16

Thursday Buff Bites - Former Buff Players Voicing Displeasure

irish1611 — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 03:18:44 -0000

via www.indenvertimes.com

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Departing RB Scott meets with CU`s Bohn - Boulder Daily Camera

Sign language

Klatt met with coach Dan Hawkins early Wednesday afternoon after the Camera published a story Wednesday detailing Klatt`s concerns over a sign that had been painted over the in the team room. The sign was first painted on the wall during the coaching tenure of Bill McCartney and read, "The pride and tradition of Colorado football will not be entrusted to the timid or the weak." It was painted over to facilitate a new video system on the wall the sign once occupied. Klatt said coaches showed him they have a stencil of the sign saved in the coaching offices and have plans to put the sign up again in another place in the Dal Ward Center. Klatt said he was happy to hear the news and enjoyed a productive conversation with Hawkins.

CU’s Bohn, Scott meet; details remain private - The Longmont Times-Call

Former players voiced opinions Wednesday. Former CU tight end and current Denver Bronco Daniel Graham said he was "very disappointed" to learn of Scott’s transfer. Graham said watching CU struggle is "frustrating." "It is very difficult, knowing that before I was there and when I was there, our program was up there with the rest of them," Graham said. "To see now, it’s almost like we’re on the bottom of the Big 12. It’s frustrating seeing that." Graham didn’t detail what kind of change should be made, but he said something must be done. "It starts somewhere, and it always starts at the top," he said. "I mean, how long are we going to give somebody a chance to do something?"

Drew Litton: Buffs are Having a Blast | INDenverTimes

Blast in Boulder. It’s getting ugly where the Buffaloes roam. The question will be not if but when Dan Hawkins will lose his job. His handling of this seasons mess has been horrible. He’s lost his team and, much more dangerously, lost the support of CU boosters, who, in effect, have the power to buy out his contract if they chose to. Money talks, and Hawk needs to walk. Simple as that.

Brooks: Bohn Talks Football, Scott Situation - CUBuffs.com—Official Athletics Web site of the University of Colorado

Other topics discussed on the show and Bohn's responses included:

* His hiring of coach Dan Hawkins and Bohn's "home run" comment: "I (said) we'd find a home-run hire and I think at the time when we hired Dan, he was a home run. He was the hottest coach in the West and had turned down numerous institutions to be a coach . . . he was a great fit for us, and so forth. "And I still feel that way. However, again, that was four years ago and now we're to the point where we're 2-6 and we're battling to try and have a respectable season by being bowl-eligible, which is the standard we're trying to (achieve)." Bohn said the annual goal in all CU sports is to "be in the top half of the Big 12 Conference . . . . (in football) we're annually in a bowl game and occasionally we challenge for the Big 12 championship and maybe a BCS appearance. That's really our objective . . . that's still our goal this year. Obviously, it may be a significant challenge for us."

Big 12 predictions, Week 10 - Big 12 - ESPN

Texas A&M 38, Colorado 27: The Aggies have traditionally struggled in Boulder, but arrive with a lot of confidence after their two-game winning streak. With Jerrod Johnson, Jeff Fuller, Uzoma Nwachukwu and an emerging running game, A&M looks like the same kind of team that has troubled Colorado all season long. And the defense is appearing to make progress after a strong effort last week against Iowa State. Colorado will have trouble matching those weapons.

Mullen No. 1 in 32 reasons to watch Class 5A football playoffs - The Denver Post
A nice little preview of the 5A football playoffs that are about to start in Colorado

Buffaloes struggling mightily | AggieSports.com | Bryan/College Station, TX

NCAA Basketball: Bzdelik's Buffs may be in for another rough season

Buff Beckley anxious to hit boards - Boulder Daily Camera

What's the key to the Colorado men's basketball season? Cory Higgins' all-around game, Dwight Thorne's jump shot, the development of Austin Dufault and Nate Tomlinson, and the immediate impact of Marcus Relphorde and Alec Burks are all on the list. But don't forget about Trent Beckley. The former walk-on from Vail is back with a vengeance. Beckley, a 6-10 redshirt junior, should be able to at least help the Buffs become a more physical team and a better rebounding team. "We have people who can score, we have people who can pass, now it comes down to getting rebounds, especially in the Big 12," Beckley said. "We're going to face teams in non-league play that we can match up height-wise with, but when it comes to the Big 12 everyone is just so much bigger. We have more size, now we have to get down to the fundamentals and get things done."

ISU Game Thoughts

miketag — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:00:21 -0000

Just watched the DVD of the ISU game. Saw a couple of good things and a few areas that still concern me. The ISU team I saw on the video did not resemble the team that beat NU in Lincoln IMO. Maybe the NU offense is just that slow. ISU defense looked much quicker in that game. In our game they reminded me a lot of the UAB defense. JJ could have passed for 400 yards in this game if we wanted him to. The ISU secondary was hard hitting, but played off our receivers a bunch. There were holes in their zone coverage all day long. The ISU coach was correct in his pregame statements that they simply do not have the athletes right now. On defense, they were outmanned. Our defense struggled all game long IMO. That is still a major achilles heal of our team. If we want to stay in the game against OU and even tu, we need to really pick it up on that side of the ball.

Too many missed tackles. At times we look like an average defense out there, other times we resemble last years unit a lot with the first guy never making the tackle. It may just be that we need another year in the S&C program until out athletes are where they need to be.

For the second game in a row, Cyrus Gray ran very strong. He is dancing less and running vertically more. There were three or four instances in the game where he was pushing the pile forward at the end of the play; he was refusing to go down. He has really improved as a running back this year.

Second game in a row the OL opened huge holes for the running game. We are going to need our OL to play like that in every game the rest of the year if we want to win them.

Jeff Fuller, Kenric McNeal, Uzoma Nwachukwu, and Brandal Jackson are starting to remind me of the OU WRs in Rhett Bomar's first year. They are going to struggle with being consistent this year, but the next two or three years should be a lot of fun.It was nice to see Fuller back and almost to full strength.

Kyle Mangan played the run well in this game. He is starting to become more of a complete LB.

Our LBs as a whole need to get a lot better as a unit. Garrick Williams is improving, but too many times RBs break through the LOS and it is a free run into the secondary and a 10-15 yd gain.

Defense as a whole just needs to play better. We cannot play defense like we did on Saturday and expect to win any more games this season.

Special teams were very poor in this game. Too many long kickoff returns.

Jamie McCoy seems to have grown into his role as an H-back. Hopefully that will make him more enticing to the NFL scouts.

JJ had a nice game, but had two balls that should have been intercepted. He needs to continue to play within himself and not force the ball down the field. Tannehill is a hell of a playmaker, but that does not excuse throwing into triple coverage.

Will An Aggie Win Big 12 Player Of The Week This Season?

Beergut — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:37:01 -0000

In the movie S.W.A.T., the villain Alex Montel (Olivier Martinez) asks his lawyer who needs to pay off to get out of prison. When his lawyer says it isn't that easy, he says, "Then tell me who we need to KILL!" I am beginning to sympathize with Martinez's character as each week goes by, and again and again, I fail to see an Aggie earn Big 12 Player of the Week.

I am a realist, and I know our players aren't deserving of an award every single week. However, when I look to see who has won, and Colt McCoy wins Offensive Player of the Week last week for passing for 269 yards and 3 TDs against Missouri, and Landry Jones wins co-offensive POTW this week for passing for 294 yards and 4 TDs in their win against Kansas State, I begin to wonder why Jerrod Johnson didn't win it this week for his 3 TDs passing, 1 TD rushing in our win against Iowa State. I don't have a problem with Baron Batch winning Co-Offensive POTW after his four rushing TDs carried Tech past Kansas, because he put together a phenomenal performance. I don't see what makes Landy Jones' performance so noteworthy, and I don't see how, if his performance is worthy of conference POTW recognition, why Johnson's is not. Both Johnson and Jones had better performances than McCoy did last week, so if the low standard set by McCoy's performance is our metric for comparison, both deserved consideration for offensive player of the week.

I am also unsure about what is going on with the Defensive Player of the Week award. While I think this past week's pick is a no-brainer, because whena defensive tackle has 13 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, and 5 sacks, that is a candidate for national player of the week, not just a conference award. That is a career defining game, not just another weekend on the gridiron. I don't have any issue with Jared Crick winning Defensive POTW, just like I don't have any issue with Batch winning offensive POTW. I do wonder, however, Roddrick Muckelroy making 10 tackles, 2 TFL, and 1 sack on September 19 against Texas Tech makes him a better candidate for Defensive Player of the Week than Von Miller, who tallied 5 tackles, three QB sacks, and a forced fumble in A&M's win over UAB. You can say that Muckelroy's performance is more impressive because it came in a conference game, but I think that is a copout. You play who you play every week, and just because one team has re-arranged their schedule for television doesn't mean their performance should be given more consideration. This wasn't a game against the #1 team in the nation, this was a game in the third week of the season against Tech.

The UAB game was also the game where Uzoma Nwachukwu had his coming out party, scoring four touchdowns on four touches, 3 TD receptions and 1 TD rushing. Oklahoma QB Landry Jones received offensive POTW for his 6 TDs passing against Tulsa, and while I realize 6>4, a redshirt freshman making the second start of his career against Tulsa is less impressive than a true freshman performing like Nwachukwu did in the second game of his college career. When you consider that Nwachukwu stepped up after star receiver Jeff Fuller went down with an injury, his performance is even more impressive. Nwachukwu didn't know he would be such an integral part of the offense that week; Jones knew he was the starter all week, and could prepare accordingly.

So, I am left to wonder if an Aggie will win conference player of the week this season. I think in the absence of some phenomenal performance that represents a statistical outlier that the media members can't ignore (a 400 yard passing/100 yard rushing game by Johnson, or a 10 tackle/5 sack/2 INTs game by Miller), we won't see an Aggie make Big 12 player of the week on offense, defense, or special teams anytime soon.

Iowa State Game Review

Beergut — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 07:58:25 -0000

I haven't been able to watch the game online or on DVD yet, so most of my insight into the game is from looking at the stats and the play-by-play. Bullets, bullets, everyone loves bullets:

We have gone from giving up 6 sacks against Kansas State to one sack in each of the last two games. Ideally, you don't want to give up any sacks, but this constitutes an improvement for our offensive line. Before these last two games, we had given up 16 sacks, or 2.67 sacks per game. Our OL is basically shaving off two lost players per game; that is improvement.
The defense held the leading rusher in the Big 12 (Alexander Robinson) to 76 yards on 20 carries. Good job, defense.
After struggling to force interceptions in our first six games, the secondary now has 4 interceptions in our last two games. Another sign of improvement for our team.

Jeff Fuller's put on a nice show in his first game back at home since his return from injury. He scored our second TD of the first quarter, and had 5 receptions for 67 yards on the day.
The addition of Fuller to our receiving corps makes everyone better. As a defense, who do you double, Uzoma Nwachukwu or Jeff Fuller? Pick your poison.
Second straight game we go with a starting OL of LT Michael Shumard, LG Patrick Lewis, C Kevin Matthews, RG Evan Eike and RT Lee Grimes. Second straight game we rush for over 250 yards. Coincidence? I think not. Moving Grimes to the left side and starting Eike on the right seems to have really solidified the middle of our line.
We are currently in the top 5 in the nation in total offense, and we're two-thirds of the way through the regular season. I don't remember the last time we had an offense that was ranked so highly nationally this late in the year.
The 10 points Iowa State scored is the fewest points we've given up in Big 12 play since playing Baylor in 2007.
We have gone over 200 yards rushing in five of our eight games so far this season.
We have also exceeded 500 yards of total offense in five of eight games this season.
Iowa State is 4th in the Big 12 in scoring defense, giving up 23 points per game, so it isn't like we were playing little sisters of the poor on Saturday.
If we keep up our current production on offense we will set a new record for offensive production for Aggie football. The current record is held by the 1990 team, at 471.1 yards per game.

Five Questions with I Am The 12th Man

TB — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:03:28 -0000

In an attempt to garner more information about this week's K-State opponent, I posed five questions to Beergut of the Texas A&M blog I Am The 12th Man. You can also check out my answers to his questions here.

BOTC: The Aggies are much improved this year on the offensive side of the ball. What's been the biggest change?

12th Man: Maturation of our keys players at the skill positions. Jerrod Johnson was a redshirt sophomore last year, Cyrus Gray was a true freshman, Jeff Fuller was a true freshman, Ryan Tannehill was a redshirt freshman, etc. All of those guys are a year older and a year more mature, physically and mentally.

A switch to a no-huddle attack has helped immensely, too, helping us get more plays on offense and wear down the opposing defenses. We're averaging a little over 86 plays per game on offense, which is a lot of opportunities to move the ball.

Mike Sherman has also done a good job recruiting on offense; true freshman Uzoma Nwachuwu and Christine Michael have been key contributors as true freshmen this season.

BOTC: Despite the offensive improvement, the offensive line play has been atrocious at times. What's the primary factor?

12th Man: Last season, we entered the year with 6 scholarship offensive linemen, so we had no depth. We are still trying to create some depth, while putting a capable line on the field, and it has been a struggle. I think we're still a year away from having a competent offensive line. Our biggest issue has been youth at key positions. We've started a true sophomore or a true freshman at LT in all of our games this season. That menas at times we're playing an 18 year old five months removed from high school against 21-22 yr old men; the physical difference along is staggering.

BOTC: Texas A&M is mired in a historically bad stretch of football right now. What is the time frame for the Aggies getting back to being competitive with Oklahoma and UT in the South?

12th Man: I think we expect to be competing with and possibly beating both of those teams by next season, at the latest. I think expecting to compete for the South division title in the third year of a coaching regime is not an unrealistic expectation, and I think that is where we will be in 2010.

BOTC: Other than Von Miller and Jerrod Johnson, give us a player on each side of the ball to keep an eye on Saturday.

12th Man: Offense: Uzoma Nwachukwu, WR

He is simply an athletic playmaker with ridiculous leaping ability. He has 16 receptions for 309 yards and 4 TDs on the season so far, with a rushing TD to his credit.

Defense: Trent Hunter, SS

He is the best strong safety in the Big 12, and one of the best in the nation.

BOTC: In lieu of a score prediction, give us some keys for Texas A&M to win this game.

12th Man: We need to stop your running game early. I expect Snyder to try to run the ball as much as possible, especially against our defense. We need to stop the run, and force y'all to pass the ball. It would be very helpful if we can get some early scores on the board, and force y'all to play catch up.

On offense, we need to spread the ball around in the passing game, and get it into the hands of our playmakers like Nwachukwu, Jamie McCoy, Ryan Tannehill, and Christine Michael. Keeping Jerrod Johnson upright and keeping the defensive pressure off of him is imperative.

Oklahoma State Review - Quick Hits

Beergut — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 12:01:32 -0000

More photos » by David J. Phillip - AP

Texas A&M quarterback Jerrod Johnson (1) throws a pass against Oklahoma State during the third quarter of a NCAA football game Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009 in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

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I was sick and tired of heating about Dez Bryant before the first quarter was over. Funny how we've played without our best WR for the last two games, and no one says anything, but Okie State is a bunch of saints overcoming horrendous privation because they don't have a WR who was dumb enough to lie to the NCAA, and get caught doing it.
Uzoma Nwachukwu is ridiculously talented. Having him and a healthy Jeff Fuller on the same field together will be scary.
Having EZ, Fuller, and Jerrod Johnson behind a competent offensive line is what I dream about.
Our offensive line is keeping Christine Michael from becoming a serious Big 12 Freshman of the Year candidate. I don't think he'll gain enough yards, mostly because our offensive line hinders more than it helps him.
While there are still a lot of times I question what Cromwell is doing in his playcalling, I did love the use of Jamie McCoy as a fullback, and that we gave him several carries. It gives us another weapon to use and something else the defense has to prepare for without changing personnel on the field.
I didn't see us try to run option on State at all today. I know we have it in our playbook, I'd like to see us use it. With McCoy at FB, it is another facet of our offense we can explore.

Von Miller was held without a sack for the first time this season, but had 5 tackles and 1 TFL. Good performance considering he was going up against possibly the best LT in the nation in Russell Okung.
We still need to work on defending the screen pass. A lot.
Joe Wickline has OSU's offensive line executing like a symphony; that is why there isn't a drop-off in production, regardless of which running back is carrying the ball.
That was an incredible interception by Matt Moss; unfortunately, it was also our only interception of the game. I believe we have two interceptions on the season now, and neither of them are from members of our secondary.
Stephen Campbell was okay replacing Jordan Pugh, despite the one play he fell down to give up the long TD reception. He was fourth on the team in tackles, with 8 on the day.
Three of our four leading tacklers in this game were members of the secondary; that is never a good sign.
I liked what I saw of Spencer Nealy in this game. He is a capable backup for us.
I am disappointed we didn't get the ball to Ryan Swope during this game. Because of our weakness on offensive line, I think we should focus more ont he short passing game, and Swope should be a big part of that.
We need to use play-action passes to gain 6-8 yards, not 15-20. A 15 yd pass off play-action takes longer to get there, and is a lower percentage play. We should take the quicker, higher percentage play.
We're also not using Bradley Stephens much as a wide receiver or a running back.
Our next game, on the road against Kansas State, is one of the ones we need to win to become bowl eligible. After their 66-14 loss to Texas Tech, they'll be pissed and ready to play against us.

Huge News From OSU

miketag — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 21:03:43 -0000

Dez Bryant is ineligible until further notice according to a recent Tulsa World article. Evidently he had some kind of improper contact with an NFL player.

[Update]: Apparently, the NFL player Bryant was in contact with is Deion Sanders. The NCAA asked Bryant if he had visited Sanders; fearing the visit was an NCAA violation, Bryant said no. Sanders, knowing the visit is not an NCAA violation, said yes, he had visited his house. Lying to the NCAA is an ethical violation, so voila, you have Dez Bryant suspended indefinitely.

My guess would be the contact had something to do with the NFL player trying to convince Bryant to use his agent. Bryant lied to the NCAA when questioned about this contact. There is no set timetable for how long he will be out, or if he will regain eligibility this season. My bet is that he does.

This has huge implications on the game this Saturday. Bryant is the top WR in the country. he demands a double team on every play. His absence should allow the Aggie safeties to play closer to the LOS in an attempt to control the Pokes powerful running game. There is also the emotional toll this loss could have on the Cowboy players; knowing you are going on the road to start conference play without your best player has to be a bit disconcerting. For a team that started the season expecting to be a top 10 team, this has to be a huge blow. Maybe Mike Gundy will be able to make this an "us against the world" type deal and make it into a positive; hard to see how this can be a positive, though.

This means that the two best WRs on each team will be missing as Jeff Fuller is still out for the Ags. The article mentions that Kendall Hunter is still questionable, but after two weeks off to heal I expect him to start against the Ags. I expect to see a greater emphasis on the run game and less shots down field from OSU on Saturday. Their offense is still very dangerous and it will still be a huge task to win the game on Saturday. If we are not prepared, OSU could run the ball for 300 yards on us and win going away. As always, we need to limit turnovers and tackle well on defense.