OSU called on to continue pedestrian safety work on campus
With three reported traffic incidents in the first three weeks of the semester, conversations are ongoing about how to create a safer campus environment.
Tuesday evening, a motorcycle rearended a car. Less than two weeks before that, a student was a victim of a hitand-run. Hours later that same night, a pedestrian traveling via scooter was hit. Although all incidents resulted in minor to no injuries, the consequences could have been more severe.
In February, Gabrielle “Gabi” Long, 19, was killed in a hit-and-run on the north side of campus. Danielle Long, her mother, said with a new semester, efforts to increase pedestrian safety should be renewed.
See SAFETY on page 4A
Library Lawn Formal Garden revamps, grows to new heights
HAYDEN ALEXANDER NEWS & LIFESTYLE EDITOR
Walking across campus, you might notice a few additions to the Library Lawn Formal Garden.
The new look is part of OSU Landscape Service’s ongoing mission to bring new and exciting designs to the Formal Garden. This year, the focal point is multiple planters placed atop wooden pillars.
“We wanted something eyecatching and just trying to try new things,” OSU Landscape Services
Horticulturist Tyler Troppman said.
“We went with the different heights and then the hanging baskets.”
Director of Landscape Services John Lee said the elevated plants enhance the Formal Garden.
“We have these plant-raised planters that we’ve changed irrigation to support, and it gives you some more depth and height to the garden as opposed to just ground planting,” Lee said. Another newer element of the Formal Garden is the many different hues present. Troppman is excited about the recent use of color in the gardens.
“In the last couple of years, we
started branching out into some different color pallets and trying to expand what we have here,” Troppman said.
In years past, the gardens utilized school colors, but now a wide array of colors gives the gardners more creative freedom.
“We love orange and white, we love OSU colors, but it’s one of those, it’s a formal garden,” Troppman said. “There’s a lot more color than just orange and just white. Instead of narrowing the scope to just a couple of colors, it really broadens it to where we have a huge amount of things we can use in the formal gardens.”
See GARDEN on page 3A
Campus political leaders agree, your vote matters
JOCELYNE PEREZ STAFF REPORTER
Although OSU is busy with the arrival of the new school year, there is a different season the students of OSU are focused on.
Election season.
The semester will wrap up the year with the election of a new president in November. Despite Stillwater being miles away from the White House, the OSU College Democrats and OSU College Republicans club leaders encourage everyone to vote.
OSU College Democrats, President Avery McIntyre and OSU College Republicans, President Lane Painter, agree that getting the campus talk-
ing about the election is of the utmost importance.
Both presidents are trying to spread the word about voting to as many students as they can.
Painter will provide club attendees with voter registration forms and said he hopes to show students how easy it is to become a registered voter.
“Voting is very important as an American citizen… no matter what side you’re on,” Painter said.
McIntyre’s focus is on educating outof-state and in-state students on how to change their voter registration to the Stillwater area.
“If (students are) from out of state, they can switch their voter registration really, really easily,” McIntyre said.
McIntyre said students native to
Oklahoma can switch their registration to the Stillwater area in time for the November election.
Painter said the hostility in the current political environment needs to change.
“I think we can sit there and totally coexist with each other,” Painter said.
McIntyre sees the nation not as divided as come perceive. Despite her position, she came from a conservative background and believes in the same future as Painter of political respect between both parties.
“We may not agree all the time,” McIntyre said. “But at the end of the day, if we can walk away from the table, respecting one another still… recognizing that we’re all humans.”
McIntyre and Painter are on campus, ready to guide and answer questions that the students of OSU have in regard to the upcoming election.
“Explore your political options… there’s good on both sides,” Painter said.
“I’m always here for conversations,” McIntyre said. “My goal is to meet more people and hear other people’s perspectives because that informs my perspective as well.”
For more information about the OSU College Democrats or OSU College Republicans, visit campuslink.okstate. edu.
Navigating your own political stance can appear to be overwhelming and not worth the limited time most college students have, but partaking in our nation’s history is no small thing.
news.ed@ocolly.com
Hayden Alexander
OSU College Democrats President Avery McIntyre (left) and OSU College Republicans President Lane Painter (right) encourage students to vote
Connor Fuxa
Neon flags have been placed on Monroe Street’s
SGA Senate begins new semester with reduced ranks
KENNEDY THOMASON EDITOR-IN-CHIEF @_KENNEDYPAGE
The Student Government Association Senate is back.
In its first meeting Wednesday, senators refreshed themselves on the legislative process with a mock bill and introduced newcomers to its process.
As SGA begins with a new semester, adviser Melisa Echols said she wants senators to remember they are the “voice of the people.”
“There are 25,000 people on this campus,” Echols said. “Please make sure that you’re listening to all of their voices. Their experiences are not yours, and you should be challenging yourself to ensure that you’re listening to all of them because we want to ensure that, eventually, the 50 of you that will be in this room are doing just that, ensuring that they have a really good experience while here, whether that be for four years or more.”
In January, SGA had 43 senators in its ranks. Twenty-five senators were in attendance, with 29 on the current roster. With openings for College of Arts
and Sciences senators, it is possible more will be added to the Senate.
The body ran through a bill passed in October 2023 to introduce and refresh the legislative process. The bill, which recommended that Facilities Management reassess current water bottle refill stations and add additional ones, saw lots of questions and debate.
Senate Speaker Cannon Mitchell said running through the mock bill was “good practice” for new senators.
“I hope it indicates that going forward, we’ll have senators that are prepared and are excited to come in and present their bills and debate and have these conversations that aren’t always as easy as they were today,” Mitchell said.
All living group and new senators were sworn in, marking 11 with a new or renewed commitment.
Senate Vice Speaker Audrey Bishop said the lowstakes first meeting helped senators get out of their comfort zones.
“A lot of people come in with a lot of energy, and it’s just gonna be a good way to really get some things changed,” Bishop said.
“Over Labor Day weekend, I went to the beach with my family and one of my friends. We flew out to the coast in Texas and just spent some good time on the beach and spent some quality time with my family and watched some Cowboy football.”
- Taylor Johnson
“I just went to the football game, and it was a lot of fun.”
- Janelly Salgado
“I
- Casey Lentz
Sports reporters: Photographers & Designers:
Photo editor Payton Little photo.ed@ocolly.com Daniel
Adviser
Brett Dawson brett.dawson@okstate.edu
Riley Harness
Kaytlyn Hayes
Andon Freitas
Bryson Thadhani
Connor Fuxa
Delainey Cops
Ethan Hilbert
Jace Bormann
Jonathan Jackson
Jose Brito
Mykalyn Daidone
Terry
Kennedy Thomason
The Student Government Association Senate swore
living group
senators, which makes up its total of 29 senators.
hanged around the dorms. I played some soccer at the fields, and I watched sports, a lot of college football.”
Tips for time management
HAYDEN ALEXANDER NEWS & LIFESTYLE EDITOR
Week three is wrapping up, which means the assignments are ramping up.
As students settle into the fall semester, schedules fill up. It can be tricky for new and old students to manage a jampacked schedule between clubs, classes, work and social activities.
Here are 10 tips to help you manage your time and stay organized.
Calendar
Print or digital, a calendar can keep your classes and plans on track. If you are a paper enthusiast, the University Store sells planners. Walmart has budget friendly options and the Typo Market sells specialty planners. Google and Microsoft both offer calendar digital options.
Establish a routine
Some people like to live on the edge, but as a college student, a routine, even a semi-routine, can work wonders for time management. Start small, like meal planning for the week and bedtime.
Set aside time for homework and studying
You must set a time to work on classwork. College is a lot of fun, and it is easy to get wrapped up in the hustle and bustle of the campus. Dedicated study time can help you stay on track in your classes.
Avoid multi-tasking
Too much at once can overwhelm a
student, so take things one at a time. Allow enough time to accomplish tasks and minimize procrastination to stay ahead of the game.
Prioritize
When building a schedule or a routine, look at your responsibilities and list them by their importance. Knowing what needs to get done first and getting your harder tasks out of the way can free up lots of time.
Create goals Figure out your priorities and set goals for yourself. Part of managing time is ensuring you know where you are going first. Your first goal can be to improve your time management skills.
Factor in your health
Whatever form of time management you utilize, make sure you factor in your physical and mental health. You can become a master of time management, but if you neglect your health, things can get dicey. Eat, sleep and stay active.
Learn to say ‘no’
College is busy, and you can do some things simultaneously. It can be challenging to say ‘no’ to people, but adding more tasks to your to-do list if you are overwhelmed helps no one.
Reward yourself
Include free time in your planning.
Working hard is one thing, but everyone needs a break. Plan a dinner with friends or go on an ice cream run. Chill out at Theta Pond or attend an on-campus event. Take time for yourself.
services.
Garden
Continued from 1
Colors are not the only thing that sets the garden apart. The Landscape Services team works around the clock to create a special environment for the students, faculty and staff to enjoy.
“It takes our full landscape team and department to all work together very quickly so that we can change the face of that garden for the next season,” Lee said. “Lots of hands, lots of hard work, lots of labor, but it’s worth it.”
Planning each garden, from the design to raising plants in OSU’s greenhouses, involves meticulous work.
“We want to make sure that the garden is always presentable and has a nice backdrop for graduate’s photos, for tours and any folks that visit campus, prospective students, families and alumni that come to visit campus,” Lee said.
The biggest challenge for Landscape Services is battling the Oklahoma weather. Extreme temperatures mean finding the perfect seasonal combination of flora is key.
“We want a show-stopping contrast of colors that are performing all season long,” Lee said. “So spring and summer are our brightest displays. It’s tough to get something to perform in Oklahoma winter, and the ice and the wind chill is very challenging, so we try to negotiate that weather pattern with plant selection.”
The flowers make the garden beautiful, but Landscape Services is not the only one working to keep the plants flowering. The Formal Garden is home to a rich ecosystem of insects.
“We love to see all the different butterflies and all the different bees,” Lee said. “There are hundreds of different insects and pollinators, and we love to support pollinators in the garden.”
OSU is recognized as a Monarch Way Station, a Certified Bee Campus USA and is working to become more pollinator-friendly.
“They’re a very crucial part of our ecosystem,” Lee said. “We try to plant
with that in consideration, as a different variety of plants is more attractive to a certain pollinator.”
The gardens are constantly abuzz with insects roaming the area — bumblebees, honey bees, monarchs and species native to Oklahoma.
One species students might encounter is “cicada killers” or solitary wasps. These insects might look scary, but they help create a thriving garden space.
“They’ll actually parasitize caterpillars that are detrimental and damage plants,” Troppman said. “Some other species, like the cicada killer wasps, which we put signs up for every year, they take care of cicadas, which can be kind of nuisance pest.”
Wyatt Hoback, a professor of entomology and plant pathology, teaches his students not to fear insects. He said cicada killers only sting to defend their nests.
“What’s really important to know about bees, wasps and hornets; those insects are not aggressive,” Hoback said. “They don’t chase people and try to sting them.”
The cicada killers may look imposing, but they are harmless and help take of the garden by pollinating and culling the cicada population.
“To anyone else, it may just look like a dangerous wasp, when it’s quite the opposite,” Lee said. “It’s doing what it’s supposed to be doing and taking full advantage of the garden.”
Hoback said Landscape Services’ work to create a thriving insect ecosystem is great for the university, especially as the insect population continues to decline.
“Our campus adding flowers has added resources that insects use, and that helps insect diversity and that helps the food web and all the beneficial things insects do for us,” Hoback said.
The Formal Garden is bustling with life, but many students walk right by the gardens without a second glance.Troppman graduated from OSU in 2008 and regrets not visiting the gardens more as a student. He encourages students to take time to explore and enjoy the gardens.
“Slow down,” Troppman said. “That’s my biggest thing. When I was a student here, I didn’t slow down enough to enjoy the plant life.”
news.ed@ocolly.com
OUR EYES ARE ON CHRIST!
“ As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maid look to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the LORD our God, till he show us his mercy.” (Ps.123:2 NIV)
“My heart is not proud, O LORD, my eyes are not haughty...But I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me.” (Ps.131:1,2 NIV)
“ I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit...he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear (stand in awe) and put their trust in the LORD.” (Ps.40:1-3 NIV)
“But they that wait upon the LORD shall
renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” (Is.40:31 KJV)
There is something definite and real about waiting on the Lord. I remember years ago when I sensed the Lord speak to me.
“Make yourself available!” I thought I was! I was reading my Bible some and going to church regularly. As I considered this challenge from Lord, I felt I should spend some quiet time daily with the Lord. With my busy days,I decided to spend a hour (5 to 6 a.m.) each day. That decision brought about important changes in my life and service to God. I was learning to wait on the Lord. What a loving and faithful God we have to help us find his best for our lives. It pays off to have a definite, daily time with your Bible and Jesus
Payton Little
The Office of Student Success at OSU provides multiple resources to students for time management including academic advising and the LASSO Tutoring
“Safety is kind of taken for granted until it’s not there anymore,” Danielle Long said. “You get comfortable, you just start walking around, you get comfortable, and that fear goes away.
“It’s old news; nobody’s worrying about that. I mean, granted, it was a big deal when it happened and we felt that, but it’s not our kids (anymore). We just don’t want other families to feel what we’ve had to go through and experience it; it’s horrible.”
In response to the fatal hit-and-run, OSU formed the Pedestrian Safety Task Force, with the goal of improving safety on campus. The force began by reducing the speed on Monroe Street, where Gabi Long was hit, to 20 mph. It also installed a four-way stop, with neon orange flags attached to the stop signs.
Two weeks ago, the force announced its latest initiative, the “Pay Attention Pokes.” The public service announcement campaign includes distributing flyers across campus and OSU’s social media pages. So far, four A-frames have been installed, along with posters in four bus shelters, Parking and Transportation Services Director Steve Spradling said. The task force also has backpack zipper pulls that have “Pay Attention Pokes” branding, he said.
To prepare for the new school year, crosswalks were also repainted and pedestrian crossing signs were added.
Spradling, who is also head of the force, said pedestrian safety hits home for him. His oldest daughter attends OSU and used to walk along the street where the fatal hit-and-run occurred.
“(It could) very easily be mine,” Spradling said.
When Heather Sumner, an accountant for the Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, heard about Gabi Long’s death, memories of pedestrian safety issues on campus flashed across her mind.
The time a bicyclist riding too fast nearly clipped her or when a scooter rider hit her former boss came to the forefront. With about 20 years of experience on OSU’s campus, Sumner said the arm gates along Monroe Street, which runs through campus, have inadvertently created safety issues.
“You’ll be walking and somebody will just either be on the phone, or they’ll literally just start walking into the street and not paying any attention,” Sumner said. “And it doesn’t matter whether they’re in between the cross arm or outside the cross arm. They just don’t pay as much attention because they’ve been told it’s like a sidewalk; you can walk anytime you want.”
Even the attempt to draw attention to pedestrians with the crosswalk signs have exacerbated the issue, she said. To Sumner, driving on Monroe Street feels like a “slalom course” between the arm gates, crosswalk signs, barrier poles and weaving pedestrians.
To remedy the issue, Sumner said she suggests putting reflectors along crosswalks or having public safety demonstrations during high-volume weeks like Homecoming.
Steve Long, Gabi Long’s father, said he has been in contact with OSU since his daughter’s death about potential solutions to pedestrian safety issues. Although he mostly spoke with Joe Weaver, who is the former head of the force and retired over the summer, Steve Long said he was able to connect with Spradling before the semester started.
Implementing a pedestrian scramble, like the one at Monroe
Street and University Avenue that stops the entire intersection for pedestrians, could be helpful, Steve Long said. Installing arm gates along portions of Farm Road, where this semester’s hitand-run occurred could also be helpful, he said. Another potential solution could be incorporating pedestrian safety training into orientation, he said.
“(OSU is) not gonna prevent every accident, but the more they can do to make it safer (the better),” he said.
OSU announced a record for freshman enrollment this year, topping its 2026 goal to enroll 5,000 first-year students. With the influx of new students, Steve Long said safety infrastructure on campus should be reevaluated.
“It just hits that point where this was really great 10 years ago, (but) that’s not working anymore,” Steve Long said. “We’ve got too many students, got too many other people living in town, new people.”
Steve Long said he acknowledges the bureaucracy of the university system and that some fixes, such as pedestrian skywalks, are too pricey to entertain.
Although tragic, Danielle Long said she wants her daughter’s story to be shared, with the hopes of protecting other students. Holding a large event, like a safety rally, to draw students together in a fun, educational way could be an effective strategy to share safety strategies, she said.
“We just don’t want other families to feel what we’ve had to go through and experience it; it’s horrible,” Danielle Long said.
Danielle and Steve Long have also created a scholarship in remembrance of their daughter, who was an art student, through the OSU Foundation. To donate to the scholarship, visit the OSU Foundation website.
news.ed@ocolly.com
LUÍSA
CLAUSEN
STAFF REPORTER
Two people died after a crash involving two motorcycles and a truck Tuesday morning on U.S. Highway 177 in Payne County.
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol said 44-year-old Robert Hazlip of Cushing, was pulling a trailer in his 1997 Ford F250 and driving south on East 68th
Street, which is between Stillwater and Perkins. Scott Wittman and Johnny Bruce, both age 54 and of Perkins, were driving their motorcycles north.
OHP said the truck driver was attempting to make a left turn into a private business before the crash happened. Both motorcycle drivers were pronounced dead on the scene.
news.ed@ocolly.com
RFK Jr. endorses Trump, stays on ballot in 3 states
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s original goal was to get his name on the ballot in all 50 states, but now he’s trying to remove his name, and state courts are denying his requests. Kennedy, the son of former attorney general and U.S. senator Robert Kennedy, abandoned the usual democratic beliefs of the historic Kennedy family to run for president as an Independent in late 2023. He announced his plans to run for president against the two major political parties at a rally in Philadelphia. He spoke of his opposition to the
“rigged system.”
For the next several months, Kennedy struggled to get a foothold in the running for the election. He was denied the opportunity to participate in the presidential debate, struggled to get his name on the ballot in several states and ran into funding problems.
The Kennedy family did not support his actions. They backed the BidenHarris campaign, before Kamala Harris’ took over as the Democratic nominee, stating the votes Kennedy would receive would only block the Democratic ticket.
On Aug. 23, Kennedy made the decision to suspend his campaign and endorse Donald Trump, the nominee on the Republican ticket. Kennedy addressed a room of reporters to reiterate his opinion on the two-
party political system as a reason his campaign is ending, as the same reason it began, according to The Washington Post.
“In an honest system, I believe I would have won the election,” he said.
“In my heart, I no longer believe that I have a realistic path for electoral victory in the face of this relentless, systematic censorship and media control.”
To help Trump garner enough votes, he is requesting for his name to be removed from the ballot in 10 swing states. Three states, Michigan, Wisconsin and North Carolina declined his withdrawal request pointing to state laws on elections.
Kennedy tried to challenge the decision in a Michigan court, but the judge denied the challenge.
Michigan law states, “Candidates
who are nominated and accept a minor party’s nomination ‘shall not be permitted to withdraw,’” Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said on social media.
In Wisconsin, the law is similar stating a candidate must die to be removed from the ballot. In North Carolina, the absentee ballots have already been printed with his name, and the State Board of Elections voted to keep his name on the ballots as they are scheduled to be mailed Friday. In the seven other swing states, his request was granted. Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas will not have Kennedy on the ballot. In Oklahoma, Kennedy did not request to be removed and remains on the ballot.
Courtesy Associated Press News
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. shakes Donald Trump’s hand at a Trump rally in Arizona on Aug. 23.
Dolphins and drones
OSU graduates, researchers use drones to study dolphins in Hawaii
AVA WHISTLER STAFF REPORTER
For most people, Stillwater, would appear to be an unexpected place to launch a dolphin research project.
However, recent graduates and researchers from OSU’s Oklahoma Aerospace Institute for Research and Education (OAIRE) are testing a new way to monitor dolphins’ health — via drones.
In the past few years, recent OSU graduates and research engineers Daniel Gassen and Zachary Yap joined a research team to test new and more ethical ways of researching dolphins using drones to collect dolphin breath samples.
It began as a research collaboration between Jamey Jacob, OSU professor and OAIRE director, and Jason Bruck, an associate professor at Stephen F. Austin State University.
They saw the need for a way to non-invasively monitor the dolphins’ health because the status quo wasn’t working.
“The conventional way to study the health of these animals is to herd them with boats, grab them with nets or shoot them with things called biopsy darts, taking chunks from their skin,” Gassen said. “It can obviously be harmful to the animals.”
In search of more ethical, unmanned research, they turned to drones.
Their journey began in Oklahoma, where they built a dolphin breath simulator, or a “robot dolphin.” The robot simulates a dolphin’s exhaled breath, also called a chuff. They were then able to practice using a drone to capture a sample of the simulated breath.
When used in the wild, the drone follows the dolphin’s movements from above. With the right timing, it catches a breath sample when the animal comes up for air, breaking the surface of the water.
The drone then pulls the sample in like a vacuum, Gassen said.
Yap said a wealth of information can be found in one chuff sample.
“Based on where in the world the dolphin has been, we can collect different types of bacteria that will be present in their sample,” Yap said.
In addition to these bacteria clues, the sample also includes health information.
“(It shows) DNA data, a viral or pathogen load, even hormone data, which shows cortisol levels, and can show if they’re pregnant,” Yap said.
Although a chuff sample can
help monitor dolphins’ well-being, it can do a whole lot more.
“Dolphins are a good marker of the overall health of an environment,” Yap said. “By getting wild dolphins and understanding how they’re impacted by oil spills or other natural or man-made disasters, it’s a good marker for researchers and environmentalists to understand what else is happening.”
In March 2023, the group left Oklahoma and traveled to Bermuda to begin their research. They have since been a second time to Bermuda, and in May 2024, the Hawaiian islands. On each of these trips, they were able to study captive dolphins at Dolphin Quest, an organization dedicated to animal welfare, conservation, scientific studies and education.
For the research team, Galveston, Texas, is next up on the horizon. With the right permits and approvals, they will have the chance to monitor dolphins in the wild, outside of captivity. This will allow them to study not only individual dolphins, but also an entire ecosystem.
“We need to understand our oceans because they’re such a large portion of our world,” Gassen said. “What happens in our oceans affects us, even in Oklahoma.”
Paddle People continue honoring campout tradition
AVA WHISTLER STAFF REPORTER
Friday night, less than 24 hours before Oklahoma State’s first home football game, more than a hundred students gathered outside Boone Pickens Stadium as part of a time-honored tradition.
It was cloudy, with a light rain drizzle. But the Paddle People showed up anyway, throwing a football around, chatting with friends and dancing to the music blasting from speakers.
OSU officially recognizes the Paddle People as a club, with reserved front-row seats at every football game. They’re known for their paddles and their energy, beating on the inside
wall of the stadium and keeping the Cowboys in good spirits throughout the game.
But in the 90s, they were only a few dedicated college kids camping outside the stadium in order to secure their front-row seats early the next morning.
In the years since, the club has grown in size and popularity. But it continues to hold tight to its traditions, including the stadium campout.
Paddle People President Allison Gekeler, said campouts are about “getting to meet new people, reconnect with old ones, and just having a fun time building a family within the Paddle People.”
Family is a common word among the club’s members. Unlike meeting friends in classes
MockTail-Gate gears
ZAK ROYKA STAFF REPORTER
As football season rolls in and tailgate parties become the norm, studentlife organizations held a mock tailgate to bring fun, education and preparation to the campus.
Students were invited to an array of activities Wednesday including yard games, a dunk tank, complementary mocktails and tables hosted by campus organizations like 1 is 2 Many and Fraternity & Sorority Affairs.
“So what we have is an event called MockTailGate,” said Claire Leffingwell, the coordinator of 1 is 2 Many. “It’s designed intentionally at the beginning of football season to teach people about safe partying, safe drinking (and) how to be safe.”
The tables provided students the opportunity to learn how to stay safe while tailgating. University Counseling Services offered an activity to explain the inherent risk associated with consuming alcohol while using a selection of non-alcoholic prop spirits for alcohol education. It gave out flyers describing a few of the options available to students who need help dealing with substance abuse or misuse issues.
Tables also supplied free merchandise and eventrelated items like pins and coasters. About a dozen student-and-staff hosted tables and a crowd of students gathered before the event started. Student organizations like Red Pantry and the Student Volunteer Center were also in attendance.
This environment of safety-aware fun was cultivated for more than just alcohol, with tables championing other ways to minimize the risk of tailgating.
“We have University Health Services talking about how to be safe and use sunscreen and drink water and those kinds of things,” Leffingwell said.
Planning and organizing MockTail-Gate was a collaborative effort between the Student Union Activities Board, Department of Wellness and 1 is 2 Many, Leffingwell said. The collaboration was spurred by the mutual interests in student well-being among the Department of Wellness and 1 is 2 Many, with the Student Union Activities Board helping make the
event come to fruition.
This is the second year of MockTail-Gate, but Leffingwell pointed out that it seemed to be “much bigger and more successful.”
The Payne County Health department was in attendance and handing out flyers and merchandise.
“It’s just a bunch of free merch that students can get just to remind them to drink responsibly and have fun on game day responsibly,” employee Carrie Thomas said.
Gabi Popov, a sophomore, said her favorite part of the event was the wellness bags.
“They talked a lot about wanting to promote mental health and safety on campus,” Popov said. “I think that they were doing a lot of good by actually handing out bags and giving people the necessary tools to do good on campus.”
The same faculty and staff organize a similar event called the Spring Break Prevention Party every spring just before spring break. Rather than focusing on the risks associated with tailgating and football, it focuses on safety over the break.
The mocktail tent had a 30-foot line, but no one seemed to mind the wait, with free fresh mocktails served rapidly. Also included were recipe cards for the two varieties of mocktails, free for anyone to enjoy.
The dunk tank had a crowd built up around it, waiting to see the dunkee become the dunked. The field games garnered some interest but had somewhat less traffic in the center of the field.
The event was held at 11:30 a.m., just after a wave of classes got out, with tents lining the eastern half of the Classroom building lawn. All the staff seemed happy to be there, with cheers and banter as the setup concluded.
“Yeah, it was a lot of fun,” sophomore Taylor Caberder said. “I like the mocktail table just because it was fun to get a little drink.”
The event shifted focus onto the risks involved with tailgating and participating in college parties, but it did not seek to dissuade students from attending them.
“I’m really trying to make sure that people know that they can have fun while sober at a tailgate, but also know how to drink safely if they want to,” Leffingwell said.
or clubs, the Paddle People is a “melting pot” of students, member Macie Marckx said.
The common interest isn’t a hobby or a career plan; it’s simply school spirit. And it brings together the most unlikely of friends–turned family.
The stadium campouts create “a chance for family bonding and to feel closer to everyone on the wall next to you (during the game),” Gekeler said. “It’s tradition, but it’s also almost like a family retreat or a family vacation.”
The Paddle People will continue keeping up with traditions and making their mark on Cowboy history throughout the 2024 football season and the years after.
news.ed@ocolly.com
Courtesy of Dolphin Quest Media Team
OSU graduates Daniel Gassen (left) and Zachary Yap (right) testing the drone.
Hayden Alexander
Students gathered on the Classroom Building Lawn for an afternoon of mock-tails, fun and education.
Ava Whistler Before the club was officially recognized by OSU, the Paddle People camped outside of Boone Pickens stadium to secure the best seats.
Q&A with ‘Educating Oklahoma’ director Kerr
For two years, Kelly Kerr was all over Oklahoma.
In 2022, Kerr, the multimedia producer for the College of Education and Human Sciences, was tasked with producing content meant to attract students to the teaching profession. But what would that look like?
After some brainstorming sessions, Kerr knew what he had to do. With public education at the forefront of local news in Oklahoma, he suggested, “Why not do a more in-depth look into this?”
Once the question was posed, the idea for “Educating Oklahoma: Keeping the Promise of Public Education,” was born. Kerr directed and filmed the documentary while visiting rural, suburban and urban schools across the state and interviewing teachers, administrators, retirees and legislators. The result is an hour-long documentary addressing the health of public education in Oklahoma while showing the value of teachers and their work.
The film will be available to stream on InsideOSU.com.
The O’Colly sat down with Kerr and discussed the behindthe-scenes surprises he crossed along the way and the importance of the documentary.
Q: You traveled across Oklahoma and you saw different things. Tell me something that surprised you, something you weren’t expecting to see across the state.
A: The biggest thing is the fact that every school district in our state is different. They have different needs. They have different personalities. The kids are different. The teach-
ers are different. Tulsa Public Schools and Oklahoma City Public Schools have their needs and things they’re dealing with, but even the small rural school districts have needs and different personalities. For example, I ran across some school districts that never shut down for Covid-19, and those were in the rural districts. Then you have school districts where some kids go out and work on the farms before they come to school. That’s what really caught me, the fact that you can’t really put a blank statement and hit all the different school districts because they’re so different.
Q: As an outsider, you were able to observe the passion educators feel. You were able to see how it impacts students. How do you think this documentary can impact the people who are not teachers?
A: The big thing I saw was every teacher I observed was giving everything they had for
their students. They were just telling me this. It was that I got to see it in action. The way the teachers are going about their business hasn’t changed. They still want to be teachers because of their passion for teaching. It’s obviously not for a paycheck. They do it because they love kids, and they love teaching kids and that’s exactly what I saw now. Are there difficulties? Are there all kinds of issues that they deal with? Absolutely. But to a fault, everywhere I went, every teacher was giving 110%.
Q: Do you have any fun stories from the road or from the people you met?
A: That’s a great question. I could have just shown up on a school day and talked to some teachers, and that would have been good enough. But I wanted to experience the whole. I wanted to make sure the strength of public education and the diversity within the entity itself was repre sented. I went to an FFA show,
prom and several graduations of different sizes of schools. What was fun for me was to go to as many different types of schools or areas of schools. Some schools have their graduation in the auditorium, but some schools have it in a rodeo arena. That’s the fun part is, you get to go and watch these young people and watch the teachers interact.
I went to Fairview, and Craig Church is the superintendent there. He told me something very distinct. He said he has to answer to the community as well. He said the community is my boss, and he answers to the community. These small communities take such pride in their school systems, and the school districts become the identity of these small towns, and they own that.
Q: Are you proud of the final result?
A: I really am. When I started, I was worried that it
publiced has been in the news cycle so much, and I wasn’t counting on people being as passionate about it as they were. That made my job super easy because I would sit down with someone, put a camera in front of them, and then I would ask him something like, “Tell me about your favorite teacher,” and then here we go. There are stories, tears, laughter. Once I stopped to think about it, I knew that that was the good stuff. When they start to talk about some of the people in their lives that meant so much to them, you start to really pull and tug at the heartstrings of people. You hear of all the bad publicity on public education, but it’s reassuring to me to know that people’s hearts haven’t changed. I always say that people can have confidence that the teachers of Oklahoma are on the job.
‘Beetlejuice’ 1988 an unorthodox, technical masterpiece
JACKSON JOHNS STAFF REPORTER
Review
Note: This article contains spoilers and mentions of suicide.
The long-awaited sequel to Tim Burton’s 1988 horror comedy classic “Beetlejuice” is coming to theaters Friday.
The film brings back actors Michael Keaton, Catherine O’Hara and Winona Ryder, alongside newcomers, Jenna Ortega, Justin Theroux, Willem Dafoe and Monica Bellucci. It comes after a decades-long stint in development and looks to be very promising.
The original film hit theaters 36 years ago, and if you do not have time to watch the original before the release, which I highly recommend, here is a quick recap, review and everything you need to know going into “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.”
First, let’s talk about the plot.
The charming Maitland family, Adam (Alec Baldwin) and Barbara (Geena Davis), own and operate a hardware store together in Winter River, Connecticut. They live in a large house on a hill outside town, enjoying a life of domestic tranquility. That is, until they drive off a bridge and die.
Now, the Maitlands haunt their home, forced to protect it from the intrusive and affuent Deetz family taking it over. The Deetzs are comprised of real estate developer Charles (Jeffery Jones), avant garde artist Delia (Catherine O’Hara) and goth teenager Lydia (Winona Ryder).
After Delia and her assistant Otho Fenlock (Glenn Shadix) begin redecorating the house, the Maitlands seek out the assistance of the bureaucratic
afterlife. Their caseworker, Juno (Sylvia Sidney) tells the couple to get rid of the humans by haunting them and warns them not to summon the bioexorcist Betelgeuse (Michael Keaton), who has been sending the Maitlands advertisements through the TV.
After a series of unsuccessful pranks, Adam and Barbara meet Lydia and befriend the girl. She informs her parents, who initially do not believe her, but after a photograph is taken that proves the ghost’s existence, Charles begins a plan to turn Winter River into a supernatural-themed amusement park.
In desperation, the ghost pair call upon “the ghost with the most:” Betlegeuse. After a prank nearly kills Otho, the Maitlands confine Betelgeuse to the scale model of the town in their attic and decide to leave the Deetzs alone.
Lydia, distraught that her friends are now gone, attempts to use Betelgeuse to bring them back. His price is heavy, however, and he claims Lydia as his bride so he can to fully enter the human world.
Meanwhile, the Maitlands are resurrected by Otho in a last ditch effort to get Charles’ project approved. Betelgeuse interrupts the ritual and wrecks
the house while tormenting both the living and the dead. He is ultimately interrupted by a Deus ex Machina sand worm, a recurring assailant of the Maitlands in the land between the afterlife.
The film ends with Betelgeuse on the bad side of a witch doctor in the afterlife and the Deetzs and the Maitlands living in relative peace, until now.
We do not know much about the new film. The trailers show “scream queen” actress Jenna Ortega as Lydia’s daughter, Astrid, who’s father has recently died.
Monica Bellucci plays Delores, Betelgeuse’s ex-wife. Justin Theroux is playing Rory, Lydia’s new boyfriend and Wilem DaFoe is playing ghost detective Wolf Jackson.
The shrunken heads are returning, along with the sandworms, the afterlife and tons of calypso-infused macabre wackiness. Other than that, moviegoers are left entirely in the dark going into this film, which might be for the better, as Tim Burton is a director who often goes for style over substance.
Part of the struggle with getting a second “Beetlejuice” film off the ground is its shaky history with its cast. Out of
the eight core cast members of the original film, five are not returning for various reasons.
The changes forced Burton to write the core of the original film out of the story and kill off Charles. It remains to be seen how these changes will affect the actual story of “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.”
Another major issue with the original film is how it portrays the goth community.
At the end of “Beetlejuice,” Lydia, adorned in victorian mourning clothes, hunches over a notebook. She is conflicted over the choice between “jump” or “plummet” to best describe how she wants to end her life. This isn’t the only joke about suicide in the film, but this is a clear reference to the stereotype of goth teens being suicidal.
However, though it is true that more than half of goth teens suffer from depression and have engaged in self harm, according to the British Medical Journal, studies link involvement with the goth subculture as a safe and welcoming place for troubled teens. “Beetlejuice,” being the first mainstream film with a goth protagonist, unquestionably can be attributed to the peddling of this unfortunate cliche.
A reductive perception of the
goth subculture is not the only failing of “Beetlejuice” when it comes to the uncomfortable humor of the film.
A joke that stands out is an in-poor-taste reference to the Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 transporting the Old Christians Club Rugby club, which crashed in the Andes Mountains resulting in the deaths of 29 people. In the film, a team of football players are seen riddled with holes and metal spikes with one saying, “I don’t think we survived the crash, coach.”
I haven’t even mentioned the child marriage finale, which has the titular ghost say some particularly heinous things about the 16-year-old Lydia. These jokes come from a director notorious for his morbid tongue-in-cheek sense of humor, but through a modern lens they can be seen as disrespectful, and even detractive. These elements really ruined a good portion of the film for me, even as a fan of the macabre and off kilter myself.
While I can’t deny that “Beetlejuice” is a technical masterpiece, I can’t overlook some of its flaws. Am I excited for the new film? Yes, but I’m curious to see if it tries to correct some of the original film’s retroactive flaws.
Courtesy of Tribune News Service
“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” releases in theaters Friday, 36 years after the original film.
Vs. cowboy Game day
WHEN: Saturday, 11 a.m.
WHERE: Boone Pickens Stadium
O’Neal to be inducted into Oklahoma State’s Ring of Honor
BY DANIEL ALLEN I STAFF REPORTER I @DANIELALLEN173
Towering over the west end zone at Boone Pickens Stadium are names that hold immense value to Oklahoma State’s football program.
Thurman Thomas. Barry Sanders. Bob Fenimore. Terry Miller. All offensive pieces that aided in making Cowboy football relevant. All names that, before Saturday, compiled OSU football’s Ring of Honor. Thomas was the first name etched into the walls of BPS, while the latter three have been added since.
But Saturday, when No. 16 OSU hosts Arkansas, another name will reside there. This time, a defensive player will claim the spotlight.
Leslie O’Neal, who anchored the
How Cowgirl soccer found its hidden gem in freshman Pierotti
BY CALIF PONCY I STAFF REPORTER @PONCYCALIF
Colin Carmichael didn’t expect to find his future star in Phoenix, Arizona.
In November 2023, the Oklahoma State soccer head coach was out west for the ECNL Showcase, an event attended by college soccer coaches across the country.
He was there to scout and build relationships with some of the nation’s best recruits, but he’d focused most of his attention on a team right down the road from OSU — Tulsa Soccer Club.
Carmichael has had success recruiting in Oklahoma during his 20-year tenure at OSU, so he figured he’d go see how this crop of Oklahoma kids fared against the nation’s best.
On the docket for Tulsa SC was Mustang, a well-known club out of the San Francisco area that has a reputation for putting players into the college ranks.
Little did Carmichael know, he was about to find the hero of Bedlam and one of OSU’s brightest young stars, Bella Pierotti — but she wasn’t on Tulsa. And after watching her dominate and dissect the Tulsa defense, he tracked down a brochure to check where she was committed.
He was shocked to see “Bella Pierotti — Uncommitted” listed on the Mustang roster.
“She’s buzzing around the field,”
Carmichael said. “I just glanced at it to take a look, and it says uncommitted. It’s like, ‘This has to be a mistake. This kid’s really good.’” It wasn’t a mistake. Pierotti, a San Francisco native, was less than a year from playing college soccer, but nowhere had struck her as home yet. Enter Carmichael and the Cowgirls, as she’s now a star midfielder/forward in her first season in Stillwater.
A star against the Sooners
Soon after meeting Carmichael in Phoenix, Pierotti visited Stillwater and committed, as she decided to continue her soccer journey nearly 2,000 miles from where it began. A little more than half a year later, Pierotti was etching her name in Cowgirl lore, scoring the differentiating goal in a dramatic 1-0 win over rival Oklahoma in her first college match with more than 10 minutes on the field.
“It was surreal,” Pierotti said. In a short time, Pierotti had gone from unknown to known in Stillwater based on one kick of the ball, but that wasn’t her goal when she decided to leave the Pacific Ocean behind in favor of Boomer Lake.
“I definitely wanted to go somewhere where I didn’t know anyone,” Pierotti said. “I kind of wanted to start over in a new place where no one knew me, and I didn’t know anyone. I wanted to make all new connections.”
Cowboys’ defensive line from 198285, will be honored during halftime of the Cowboys’ contest against the Razorbacks. And those familiar with O’Neal echo the consensus sentiment that it’s been a long time coming. Because O’Neil, in many ways, allowed college football to evolve.
He played with some of the most storied defensive players in OSU history. John Washington, Warren Thompson, Rodney Harding and O’Neal made up the trenches. Matt Monger and James Spencer were the stellar linebacker tandem. Mark Moore, Chris Rockins, Rod Brown and Rod Fisher compiled the secondary.
See O’NEAL on page 2B
Gundy’s 20th: OSU coach’s 20 best wins
ASHTON SLAUGHTER SPORTS EDITOR @ASHTON_SLOT
Editor’s note: This is a story from “Gundy’s 20th,” The O’Colly’s weekly series to commemorate OSU football head coach Mike Gundy’s 20th season as the leading man. This week, we look at the 20 best Cowboy wins under Gundy.
Before 2004, Oklahoma State football had signature wins.
But since then — the year that Mike Gundy took over as head coach — Cowboy signature victories have come in bunches. This week’s “Gundy’s 20th” includes a top 20 list of Gundy’s best wins from Bedlams, bowl games and everything in between.
No. 1: 2011 Bedlam
The best OSU team of all time thrashed No. 10 Oklahoma 44-10, one week removed from the No. 3 Cowboys’ only loss of the season. It was a resounding statement, as OSU clinched its only Big 12 title with the blowout victory.
No. 2: 2023 Bedlam
Call it recency bias, but the No. 22 Cowboys’ 27-24 win over the No. 9 Sooners in the final Bedlam is
Gundy’s second-best win. The other non-Bedlam wins are phenomenal, but this game will be talked about in Oklahoma offices and cookouts more than other wins. That means something.
No. 3: 2022 Fiesta Bowl
OSU’s 12-2 2021 season ended with the largest comeback victory in school history, as the No. 9 Cowboys defeated No. 5 Notre Dame 37-35 after trailing by 21. The OSU defense held the Fighting Irish to seven second-half points while quarterback Spencer Sanders had 496 total yards and four touchdowns.
No. 4: 2012 Fiesta Bowl
After the 2011 Bedlam came the Fiesta Bowl, where in quarterback Brandon Weeden and wide receiver Justin Blackmon’s final collegiate game, they connected for three touchdowns en route to a 41-38 victory for No. 3 OSU over Andrew Luck and No. 4 Stanford.
No. 5: 2008 Missouri
The Cowboys went to Columbia, Missouri, and defeated the No. 3-ranked team in the country, 28-23, behind two second-half touchdowns from quarterback Zac Robinson to wide receiver Damian Davis. The upset win moved No. 17 OSU up to No. 8.
See GUNDY on page 5B
Courtesy of OSU Athletics
Leslie O’Neal will be the first defensive player in Oklahoma State’s Ring of Honor, which is happening at halftime of the OSU-Arkansas game Saturday.
Courtesy of Oklahoma State Athletics
OSU head coach saw Bella Pierotti at a showcase in Phoenix, Airzona, and he loved how she played.
During Mike Gundy’s
sports
O’Neal
Continued from 1
Nearly three decades of combined NFL experience among the aforementioned bunch. Still, O’Neal shined.
Many wonder how an under-the-radar recruit from Little Rock, Arkansas, surged into the college football limelight so swiftly and dominated most of his opposition. Others, however, anticipated it.
“I just remember him from a distance,” OSU head coach Mike Gundy said. “I’ve learned a lot about him through (former head coach Pat) Jones – my coach. And they’ve talked about him, and how dominant of a player and a person (he is), and what kind of work ethic he had.
“You just couldn’t block him.”
O’Neal was a two-time All-American at OSU and the Big 8 Defensive Player of the Year in 1984. He garnered All-Big 8 honors during his final three seasons in Stillwater. That resulted in a first-round selection by the San Diego Chargers in 1986, leading to a 12-year career in the NFL.
“Just a great player, and he had how many years in the NFL? Twelve?” Gundy said. “Playing in the position he plays, multiple years in the NFL is tough. Just a great player.”
Brett McMurphy, a college football insider for Action Network, graduated from OSU in 1985. Working for The O’Colly and OSU communications as a student, McMurphy witnessed O’Neal’s storied college career firsthand. The grit, the immense talent and the humbleness all in one.
In an era where juggernaut running backs – Thomas, Sanders, Auburn’s Bo Jackson, Georgia’s Herschel Walker, Florida’s Emmitt Smith and Nebraska’s Jarvis Redwine – headlined college football, O’Neal stood out. At the time, offensive schemes centered on the run game and quarterbacks threw substantially fewer passes. And yet, O’Neal managed a school record 34 career sacks, including 16 – also a school record – in 1984. “The fact that his stat numbers match up, if not top the guys’ from today’s game, is just remarkable,” McMurphy told The O’Colly. “I don’t think many people realize how remarkable something like that is.” But in high pressure moments, O’Neal showed his worth. And you wouldn’t know it through a postgame interview.
“You’d have to talk to his teammates to realize just how big each play he made was,” McMurphy said. “It was, in some ways, remarkable. He didn’t like to talk about himself a lot.”
Thus, the humble legend of O’Neal was born. Quiet, but effective. Silent, but deadly.
“Leslie, he was always really quiet,” McMurphy said. “He didn’t brag a lot. He didn’t boast a lot, like some
guys. He just did his business on the field, and that was that. He was kind of like a butting law professor or a doctor with his glasses on.”
OSU wasn’t a perennial college football power. The Cowboys rarely cracked the top 10 and seldom received the benefit of the doubt in marquee matchups. But O’Neal, in McMurphy’s words, was “too good to overlook.”
“Everyone knows how awards work – the really good players on the better teams are the ones who get honorees,” McMurphy said. “That is, unless someone is having such a crazy, super good, insane season, where you just can’t ignore somebody. And that’s how it was with Leslie.”
Some find irony in OSU’s date for O’Neal’s inductive. An Arkansas native receiving a prestigious program honor amid his alma mater clashing with his hometown school. What more could one ask for?
“Kind of fitting that it’s for the Arkansas game,” McMurphy said. “Might have to find out if that was on purpose or just coincidental timing.”
Few have neared O’Neal’s 34 sacks. Until this year.
After one sack in OSU’s Week 1 win against South Dakota State, linebacker Collin Oliver, who has 23.5 career sacks at OSU, is 10.5 sacks away from the record.
Logging more than 10 sacks in a season is a tall task. But it’s a feat Oliver has attained. As a freshman in 2021, Oliver recorded 11.5 sacks.
When asked about the possibility of surpassing O’Neal’s career-sack total, Oliver, of course, chose the humble route.
“I know a good amount about (O’Neal),” Oliver said. “Yeah, (the sack record) is in the back of my head, but ultimately, I just want to win games.
“It’d be a cool deal. I ain’t gonna lie. When that time does come, it will be a very cool deal. Especially knowing how long that record (has been) held… but he’s loved here in Stillwater.”
Shining light on others. Similar to how O’Neal operated.
As the old saying goes, records are meant to be broken. Sure, a beloved figure on the active roster eclipsing the record-total of a program legend would be cool for Stillwater folks and OSU fans. And Oliver isn’t alone in highlighting the hypothetical magnitude that would come tied to attaining such a feat. But Saturday is about O’Neal. Oliver made that clear, too.
Oliver likely won’t break O’Neal’s record against the Razorbacks. But perhaps the Cowboys’ defense – Oliver included – could record a multitude of sacks against a respected SEC opponent and make for a fitting return for an OSU legend.
“As far as former players that were dominant here, (O’Neal) was as dominant defensively as Barry (Sanders) and Thurman (Thomas) were offensively,” Gundy said. “It’s just a position that people talk about a lot. But (he was a) great player.”
sports.ed@ocolly.com O’Neal
Last year, in The O’Colly’s Friday paper before Terry Miller joined Oklahoma State’s Ring of Honor, our writers did a draft on who should join Miller, Barry Sanders, Thurman Thomas and Bob Fenimore next.
Shoutout to our former sports editor, Braden Bush, who picked Leslie O’Neal first overall. Bush wrote: “It’s time for defense to be represented in the OSU Ring of Honor. Leslie O’Neal is one of seven OSU representatives in the College Football Hall of Fame, and he holds the singleseason OSU sack record (16.0) and career record (34.0).”
O’Neal is set to join the Ring of Honor above the west end zone during halftime of the OSU-Arkansas game. Good pick, former boss.
Since O’Neal’s name is going to be etched into Boone Pickens Stadium, our draft from Oct. 13 is out of date. So I’ll give my thoughts on the next three OSU football figures who should join the quartet.
No. 1: Brandon Weeden, QB, 2008-11
OSU has a great history of running backs — as seen in its Ring of Honor — but Weeden, who threw for a combined 9,004 yards and 71 touchdowns in his junior and senior seasons, quarterbacked what’s regarded as the best Cowboy football team of all time in 2011.
He’s tied for the most touchdowns in a season (37), has the highest single-season completion percentage (72.4%) and has the longest-career streak of consecutive games with a touchdown pass (24).
He’s the most recognizable figure from the best team in school history. It’s been almost a decade and a half. It’s time.
No. 2: Justin Blackmon, WR, 2009-11
When, not if, Weeden gets in, his top target should just go with him.
Justin Blackmon, a back-to-back Fred Biletnikoff Award-winner, caught a combined 233 balls for 3,304 yards and 38 touchdowns in his sophomore and junior seasons.
He’s all over OSU’s record book, and no matter the off-the-field issues, Blackmon’s name should forever be in BPS next to his quarterback’s name.
No. 3: Mike Gundy, QB/head coach, 1986-89/2004-current
Why not give the man who revitalized OSU’s program special treatment? I’m not sure if Mike Gundy would ever allow it, but it would be undeniably valid if the OSU head coach was added to OSU’s Ring of Honor while he was coaching.
As a quarterback, Gundy was one of the program’s best (especially at the time), but he’s really made his mark as a coach. 18 straight bowl games, 167 wins and 40 career wins against Associated Press Top 25 opponents are only a few examples in Gundy’s coaching bio that pop. Those don’t quantify the Cowboys’ history before him, though, which was mostly bleak. There’s a more-than-valid argument that Gundy should watch his name be unveiled in the Ring of Honor while he’s still coaching on the sideline.
sports.ed@ocolly.com
Courtesy OSU Athletics
Leslie O’Neal was “as domiant defensively” as Barry Sanders and Thurman Thomas were offensively, OSU head coach Mike Gundy said.
sports
Why those closest to the Oklahoma State vs. Arkansas rivalry are excited, hopeful it returns
Cowboys want to rush the ball better; now they face Arkansas’
PARKER GERL ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR @PARKER_GERL
Oklahoma State’s offensive line has a big test Saturday against Arkansas.
Literally and figuratively.
The Razorbacks are bringing their big ‘ole SEC defensive line that includes multiple 300-plus pound players to Stillwater for the No. 16 Cowboys to deal with — as big of a challenge there is for a group that wants to improve its blocking in Week 2 after a fine outing against a smaller South Dakota State front in last week’s 44-20 win.
for star running back Ollie Gordon II, who still mustered a 126-yard day after a quiet first quarter.
And that was against an FCS team. Now, OSU will test its blocking against a massive SEC front.
“We’ve still got to run the ball better,” Cooper said. That’s our main focus, especially with Arkansas this week. Bigger defensive line, bigger ends, bigger linebackers.
“...I’d say our double teams (and) our combo blocks weren’t as solid as they could’ve been. Either we were falling off early or staying on too long and not picking up the (linebacker) flowing over.”
With a broken left, non-throwing shoulder, Scott Burk loaded a pass up to fire down the sideline.
It was Sept. 23, 1978, and Burk was in his senior year at Oklahoma State, quarterbacking against Arkansas at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock, Arkansas. He “almost threw his arm out” when he threw it as hard as he could to Cowboy wide receiver Ron Ingram on a seam route.
Ingram caught Burk’s pass — which traveled 40 to 50 yards in the air — and did the rest, scoring an 80-yard touchdown to put the Cowboys on the board.
“Best throw I’ve ever made in my life,” Burk said.
That was the 42nd meeting between the Cowboys and Razorbacks; the border-state schools played 46 games against each other from 1912-1980. They didn’t go a season without facing each other from 1962-80.
Burk and the Cowboys lost that September day in ‘78, 19-7, to No. 2-ranked Arkansas in the third-to-last meeting in the series.
That’s until Saturday, when OSU hosts Arkansas at 11 a.m. in Boone Pickens Stadium, bringing the decadeslong rivalry back for a few hours.
“I think games like this are really good for college football, and for regional football,” Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman said.
‘Got us all cranked up’
Even though Burk was born in Houston and graduated high school in Colorado, the gravity of the OSUArkansas rivalry was apparent to him as a freshman.
The Cowboys beat the Razorbacks in 1974 and 1975. In ‘75, he remembers a few of his teammates were from Arkansas, and they “had some feelings” about playing the Razorbacks.
“They got us all cranked up,” Burk said.
In Burk’s third season, the Razorbacks beat OSU in 1976. Then, after taking a year away from football and playing for the Boston Red Sox, Burk returned for the ‘78 season. Which is when he threw that 80-yard pass.
Only two seasons after Burk’s collegiate football career was done, the series stopped in ‘80. Burk was in the NFL after the Cincinnati Bengals drafted him in 1979 as a defensive back, but part of what made his college football experience was no more.
“I was sad they quit it,” Burk said.
A rivalry revival?
Forty-four years later, the rivalry might be picking back up.
Stillwater gets Arkansas on Saturday, then Fayetteville (where the Cowboys haven’t played since 1945 because of the Little Rock stadium) gets the back half of the home-and-home in 2027. After that, the schools have another home-and-home series slated for 2032 and 2033.
For OSU head coach Mike Gundy, he’s like Pittman and believes it makes sense that the two state schools that are separated by a three-hour drive play.
“You have a lot of crossover with people,” Gundy said. “There’s a lot of Arkansas people that live up here. There’s a lot of Oklahoma people that have migrated over there with Walmart and all that stuff, so I think it’s good.”
Gundy also mentioned how the rivalry is a positive in the College Football Playoff era, as he believes harder nonconference schedules will be met with more respect from the playoff committee.
And for Burk, who now lives in Stillwater with his wife, Susan, he gets to watch the series that he played in — broken left shoulder and all — come back, and he believes it’s for the best.
“I always thought that it should have been a good three-way rivalry with us, Tulsa and Arkansas,” Burk said. “I figured that’s the way it should be to give it a little oomph in the postseason.”
Now that OU has “punked out,” as Burk said, and left for the SEC, he sees a reality where the Razorbacks become a primary foe if they can get on OSU’s schedule more often.
With two rampant fanbases, he believes both sides would travel and sink their teeth into the rivalry.
But maybe he just wants to see more OSU seam route touchdowns against a Razorbacks Cover 2 like he threw.
“I think it would be really good for everybody. I can’t see how it would be bad,” Burk said.
sports.ed@ocolly.com
“(Arkansas’) nose guards are very heavy,” OSU offensive lineman Dalton Cooper said. “Their nose guards and d-tackles are like 320, 330 (pounds), so they’re going to be heavier set guys. I mean, these last guys we played, they were like, 280-275 (pounds); I’m not going to say that they were easy to block, but they definitely aren’t going to be as challenging as these Arkansas guys.”
Cooper’s estimation is right. The Cowboys’ Week 1 opponent, SDSU, has only one 300-plus-pound player on its defensive line. The Razorbacks have six — as big of a d-line as OSU will match up with perhaps all season.
The Cowboys averaged 3.8 yards per carry against SDSU and struggled to consistently open up running lanes
Inconsistent blocks Saturday didn’t affect OSU’s passing game, though, as Cowboys quarterback Alan Bowman dished out 245 yards with two touchdowns and wasn’t sacked or heavily pressured.
And with Gordon still managing three touchdowns, OSU’s offense was still good for 44 points.
But that could be a different story this week if the Cowboys’ o-line doesn’t return to itself and improve from their Week 1 performance to handle the burly Razorbacks d-line Saturday.
“When you’re playing an SEC team, you’re gonna play girth,” Cowboys coach Mike Gundy said. “... We need to make good strides from last week to this week in order to block a completely different front than we did last week.”
sports.ed@ocolly.com
Courtesy of Tulsa World
Former OSU quarterback Scott Burk said a rivalry series with Arkansas “would be really good.”
Jose Brito
OSU averaged 3.8 yards per carry last week, a mark it hopes to improve Saturday against Arkansas.
Pierotti
Pierotti’s path to forming those new connections began over the summer when she moved to Stillwater. Because of her delayed recruitment process, she didn’t join the Cowgirls for the spring season, but she didn’t let that stop her from making an early impression.
“(I knew she was special) Day 1 of the preseason,” junior attacker Logan Heausler said. Pierotti was recruited to OSU as an attacking midfielder, which just so happens to be the Cowgirls’ deepest position group. Xcaret Pineda, Laudan Wilson, Lexi Lee and Nicole Ray play a majority of their reps in the midfield, which makes it difficult for any freshman — even one as talented as Pierotti — to get on the field consistently right away.
Against the Sooners, Pineda and Wilson were the hub of the offense for the Cowgirls, but Carmichael recognized that someone of Pierotti’s talents could prove useful against a team as athletic as OU.
As Pierotti was warming up to come into the match, wingback Chloe Joseph hobbled off the field. With fellow freshman Katelyn Hoppers forced to center back because of other injuries, Carmichael figured why not give the athletically gifted Pierotti a shot to play wingback?
Three minutes later, Pierotti scored.
“I feel like I definitely have
more of an offensive mindset,” Pierotti said. “In that wingback role it’s a little more defensive, so that was the only thing where I was kind of like, I don’t really know what I’m doing. I knew I wanted to get in there and score and be in the box, and that’s kind of what happened. It was definitely exciting, nerve-wracking.”
Pierotti played a career-high 49 minutes in the next match against Central Arkansas, all of which were at wingback. Pierotti’s blend of speed and
athleticism has launched her up the rotation on a team that is loaded with experienced attackers. Her flashes of brilliance have made it impossible to keep her off the field, even on a team that is ranked just outside the top 10 nationally and has started the season 5-0.
“She’s been unfortunate with minutes because she’s deserving of more, to be quite honest,” Carmichael said. “We’re just trying to find ways to get her on the field.
OSU goes 9-1 against Arkansas in 10 EA Sports College Football 25 simulations
more-physical-than-South DakotaState defensive line — and 131.4 yards per game on the ground. He averaged only 0.4 touchdowns, though, but he didn’t fumble the ball once in 10 simulations.
Going off what my PlayStation said, Oklahoma State has a sizable advantage this Saturday against Arkansas.
I simulated the Cowboys’ home matchup against the Razorbacks 10 times on EA Sports College Football 25. Clear weather, a noon kickoff time (the closest to the actual 11 a.m. kick) and 15-minute quarters were used. Below are the average results in The O’Colly’s weekly OSU game simulation.
The average result, score
OSU went 9-1 against Arkansas, losing only the seventh game, 31-25.
In the other nine results, though, the Cowboys’ average margin of victory was 11.56 points, meaning EA Sports projected them to cover the -7.5-point spread.
The average score was OSU 31.6, Arkansas 20.6, and the game total average was 52.3, which is well under the 62.5 over/under game total.
Cowboy statistics
On average, OSU had 408.9 yards of total offense against the Razorbacks. Arkansas, on the other hand, had 345.8 yards of total offense in the 10 sims.
Alan Bowman completed 60.5% of his passes and totaled 205.6 yards through the air to go along with 2.2 touchdowns and 0.5 interceptions per game.
Ollie Gordon II averaged 7.37 yards per carry — against a girthy, much-
In the three-headed monster wide receiver room, Brennan Presley caught an average of 3.8 passes per game for 64 yards and 0.5 touchdowns; Rashod Owens caught an average of 3.1 passes per game for 54.9 yards and 0.5 touchdowns; and De’Zhaun Stribling caught an average of 2.1 passes per game for 35.4 yards and 0.5 touchdowns (these stats seem harsh, but who knows).
On the defensive side of the ball, safety Lyrik Rawls and linebacker Nick Martin led the team in tackles four times and linebacker Collin Oliver and defensive back Korie Black did once.
Finally, kicker Logan Ward, who after being OSU’s PAT kicker last season went 3-for-3 in OSU’s season opener last week, had a strong showing on the video game. Ward went 10-of-14 on field goals and 38-of-39 on extra points.
More results OSU went 8-1-1 in the first half, as the Cowboys led by an average of 8.4 points.
After one penalty for 10 yards against SDSU, OSU is set for another low-penalty outing, EA Sports said, as the Cowboys averaged 2.1 penalties per game for 16.1 yards.
Well, expect OSU to win by 11 or so points behind another 100-yard game for Gordon — which would be his 11th in the last 13 games — Saturday.
‘Bella’s got all the confidence in the world ’
A year ago, Pierotti didn’t even know OSU was an option for her, and now she has firmly established herself as a building block for the next era of Cowgirl soccer.
Pierotti has a full career ahead of her, and with a newfound positional versatility and a knack for impacting the game, those goals may start coming sooner rather than later.
“I have so much confidence
in Bella,” Ray said. “A freshman coming in, it’s a lot of pressure, a lot of nerves. It’s scary, it’s intimidating, but Bella’s got all the confidence in the world. She doesn’t play much like a freshman. Any time we get on the field at the same time, I have so much confidence.
“I think she’s got a very bright future ahead of her, and she’s already starting off strong.”
Youthful Cowboy golf team ready to compete, begin its season
Bratton said coaching a young team is “always fun” since there’s more for the athletes to learn.
The Oklahoma State men’s golf team looks different for one reason: it has no seniors.
The oldest athlete on the team is junior John Wild.
But he’s looking forward to his new role of being a leader, which involves setting the tone on and off the course and will be key in the Cowboys’ quest for a dominant 2024-25 season.
“Playing good is one thing, but making an example of doing the little things right is really important,“ Wild said. “Because that’s what builds a really strong camaraderie. And a winning team is not only getting it done on the golf course, but also getting it done back home. Practice being accountable — whatever those things are — and making sure you’re doing those things right day in and day out.”
Sophomores Gaven Lane, Johnnie Clark, and All-Big 12 selection Preston Stout are returners from last season. Stout, who also medaled in the Big 12 Championship, said the formula this season is to pick up where he left off and to play his A-game in May.
“Stay in the lineup and just go out there and compete well every week and win a couple times,” Stout said. “And obviously, you want to prepare yourself for the end of the year and try to peak, so do your best in the postseason. So I think a good goal for me is to win NCAA individually and then win as a team, too.”
The five freshmen on the team are Parker Bunn, Collin Bond, Brady Catalano, Filip Fahlberg-Johnsson and Grant Gudgel. Head coach Alan
“It’s always fun with the young guys,” Bratton said. “They’re super excited. We’ve got a really talented young group. So, yeah, that’s always fun to have new guys on campus, lots to teach them, and certainly they’re excited and full of energy.”
The team also added two transfers from California, sophomores Eric Lee and Ethan Fang. Since their arrival in Stillwater, the transition has been smooth, and they’re looking forward to the season with a new team. Lee said Bratton has played a big role in helping him adjust to the team.
“Just to stay more on top of things, be more disciplined, and to have a set routine for golf,” Lee said. “Think that’ll help me get a lot better and just be more responsible. Coach Bratton has been really good about that; he’s been pushing me. It’s gonna help me become a lot better in everything in general.”
OSU faces high-level programs such as Arizona State, Illinois and Texas. The lineup consists of Stout, Fang, Lee, Fahlberg-Johnsson and Clark, while Wild competes individually.
The Cowboy team opens its season in the Sahalee Players Championship at the Sahalee Country Club in Sammamish, Washington. Fang said the course will not produce many birdies, so being patient will be the key to success.
“It’s a tough course. You just gotta be down the middle,” Fang said. “It’s a lot of boring golf, (so you) just got to stay
and then make a few
(so) you just
Courtesy of Oklahoma State Athletics
Despite being a freshman, Bella Pierotti has forced herself into the lineup because of her dominant play to begin the season.
patient
birdies coming down.
got to play good out there.”
Courtesy of OSU Athletics
Preston Stout is one of the few youthful Cowboys that the OSU men’s golf team will lean on.
Gundy
No. 6: 2014 Bedlam
Gundy’s 5-6 2014 team traveled to Norman and, after a miracle 92-yard punt return touchdown from Tyreek Hill, defeated the No. 18 Sooners 38-35 in overtime. The win kept OSU’s bowl streak alive, and it won its bowl game — the Cactus Bowl — 30-22 over Washington.
No. 7: 2018 Texas
OSU defeated an eventual Sugar Bowl-winning Texas team 38-35. Quarterback Taylor Cornelius’ five total touchdowns led the Cowboys past the No. 5 Longhorns in Gundy’s best win over Texas.
No. 8: 2009 Georgia
No. 9 OSU’s season opener against No. 13 Georgia was the first game played in Boone Pickens Stadium. The lofty expectations and hype didn’t bring the Cowboys down, as they won 24-10.
No. 9: 2013 Baylor
The Cowboys’ only win with the College GameDay crew in town was against the No. 3 Bears, who were a 10-point favorite heading into Stillwater. No. 11 OSU won 49-17 behind a Clint Chelf all-timer — 370 yards and three touchdowns.
No. 10: 2011 Texas A&M
Another 2011 win, a Kyle Field win and a nail-biter win. The No. 7 Cowboys beat the No. 8 Aggies 30-29 after trailing 20-3 at halftime. Weeden threw for 438 yards on 60 attempts in OSU’s comeback victory.
No. 11: 2007 Nebraska
Back when the Nebraska name and a trip to Lincoln held more weight, Gundy and Co. stunned a sellout Cornhusker crowd with a 38-0 lead at halftime in an eventual 45-14 victory for the Cowboys.
No. 12: 2021 Bedlam
Whether this game will be remembered for Brennan Presley’s kickoff return, Collin Oliver’s game-clinching sack or Lincoln Riley and Caleb Williams jumping ship for USC after is unclear. What is clear is how important the 37-33 victory was for No. 7 OSU over No. 10 OU.
No. 13: 2015 TCU
The No. 14 Cowboys put it on
College Football Playoff-hopeful and No. 8-ranked TCU, winning 49-29. The Cowboy defense forced four turnovers to continue OSU’s unbeaten season.
No. 14: 2010 Texas
Before this game, OSU hadn’t beat Texas in 12 seasons and hadn’t won in Austin since 1944. But the No. 12 Cowboys snapped that streak, defeating the Longhorns 33-16 after leading 26-3 at halftime.
No. 15: 2005 Texas Tech
This was Gundy’s first Big 12 and ranked win. The Cowboys beat No. 13 Texas Tech in Stillwater to capture their only conference victory of the season in Gundy’s first year at the helm.
No. 16: 2009 Texas A&M
Any game at Kyle Field is difficult. But Gundy defeated the No. 15 Aggies without running back Kendall Hunter (injury) and wide receiver Dez Bryant (suspension), 36-31 behind one of Keith Toston’s more memorable games as a Cowboy running back.
No. 17: 2007 Texas Tech
“I’m a man! I’m 40!” is what this game is most remembered for, but before the postgame press conference, OSU defeated gunslinger quarterback Graham Harrell and wide receiver Michael Crabtree 49-45 in Stillwater after a 54-yard game-winning touchdown from tight end Brandon Pettigrew.
No. 18: 2006 Independence Bowl
An Independence Bowl may not be a highly-touted bowl game, but it is when you beat Alabama. Which is what OSU did, defeating the Crimson Tide 34-31 to give Gundy his first bowl victory with a 27-yard field goal from Jason Ricks with seconds remaining.
No. 19: 2011 Kansas State
When the No. 17 Wildcats came to Stillwater in 2011, they gave No. 3 OSU everything they had in a back-and-forth battle. But Weeden’s 502 passing yards (an at-the-time school record) propelled the Cowboys to a 5245 victory.
No. 20: 2016 West Virginia
A perhaps underrated OSU victory came against the No. 10 Mountaineers, where Gundy picked up his 100th career win in a 37-20 upset victory at home behind a four-touchdown performance from Rudolph.
sports.ed@ocolly.com
‘It’s like taking a cheat sheet into a test’: Gundy, players talk new tablets
PARKER GERL ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR
@PARKER_GERL
Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy wouldn’t be surprised if his players fool around with the NCAA’s new in-game technology.
Gundy’s No. 16 Cowboys used the NCAA’s newly added tablets for the first time Saturday in their 44-20 win against South Dakota State. These gadgets allow team personnel to watch in-game video and see what worked, what didn’t and everything in between.
And so far, so good.
“Nowadays, these kids will probably try to pull YouTube up to watch some goofy video,” Gundy joked. “Smart players will go back and continue to watch the game. It’s like taking a cheat sheet into the test, so you can go and look and see
what all the answers are and then go back out and play.”
Teams can distribute up to 18 tablets on the sideline, in the coaches’ booth or in the locker room. They are not allowed to project larger images, provide analytics or connect to other devices — All of which was announced in April when the NCAA approved new rules for the FBS, including coach-to-player communication, among others.
On Saturday, OSU used the tablets to quickly rewatch what happened before returning to the field for another series against the Jackrabbits. Footage from the broadcast feed and separate angles from the sidelines and endzones are accessible, which help teams pick up on cues that might not be easy to see on the field.
No analytics are gathered, but visual data is, and it
helped OSU correct mistakes and review what it did well throughout its seasonopening win.
“We got to see the plays right there,” OSU linebacker Jeff Roberson said. “So as soon as we came off the sideline, we got to adjust, (and) do what we needed to do.
“... If we have time and what not, we will kind of go back and see what hurt us and what didn’t hurt us and just watch what we can do better.”
The tablets are still new to college football, and each team will become more familiar with them as the season progresses. But so far, the NCAA’s new “cheat sheets” appear to be working well.
“That’s just a big — I would say — upside in college football (now),” OSU defensive lineman Iman Oates said.
sports.ed@ocolly.com
“Nowadays, these kids will probably try to pull YouTube up to watch some goofy video.”
- OSU head coach Mike Gundy
Ward ‘happy to get opportunities’ as
When the NCAA’s Division I Council approved removing restrictions on the number of football coaches, Mike Gundy knew he needed to hire someone specifically for special teams.
The Oklahoma State head coach thought about it this way: if he’s recruiting a kicker or punter, why would he come to OSU if it didn’t have a coach for him?
So he sired Sean Snyder, the son of legendary Kansas State head coach Bill Snyder. And after a 44-20 Week 1 victory over South Dakota State, Sean’s impact has already been seen.
Logan Ward, a redshirt junior from Edmond, was the kickoff man for all 85 of OSU’s kickoffs last season. He also took over as the PAT kicker, going 7-for7 in the last two games.
Now, though, he’s doing both those things and kicking field goals, as he had a perfect day — all five extra points and making field goals of 42, 52, and 25 yards. Gundy said Ward looked “good” and “comfortable” against the Jackrabbits.
Ward credits Sean for helping him improve in that area.
“I’m just happy to get the opportunities,” Ward told the Cowboy Radio Net-
work. “It’s hard to explain (what Coach Snyder did) unless you know the real world of kicking. He has implemented some things into my technique that have been valuable and really helpful. His is big thing is endurance, leg endurance. We kick a lot during the week for to build that endurance. We’re out here for three-and-a-half hours so if your leg gives out, you need it.”
OSU hasn’t had slouches at kicker, either. For example, former Cowboy Alex Hale — who’s last season was his super senior year in 2023 — is now on the Green Bay Packers’ practice squad after being a two-time Lou Groza semifinalist at OSU.
That’s the guy who’s shoes Hale, a walk-on, or one of the other kickers who were brought in over the summer to compete for the starting kicker role, had to replace. But with the progression Ward made under Snyder, he secured the role with the tweaks in his technique.
And Gundy knows how beneficial Snyder can be moving forward. He’s no kicking jabroni.
“It’s like your buddy down the street says he can help you with your golf swing, and he really doesn’t know what he’s doing,” Gundy said. He tells you the basic stuff and you go play, and you’re still no good.
“This guy can help the punters and kickers with the technical, integral part of the kicking and punting game.”
Payton Little
OSU head coach Mike Gundy
Commanding the Razorbacks defense is defensive end Landon Jackson.
Jackson, a former five-star who started his career at LSU, has come on strong for Arkansas since getting healthy last season.
He tallied 6.5 sacks for Sam Pittman’s defense last year and recorded 44 tackles despite standing at a towering 6-foot-7 and serving as Arkansas’ primary pass-rushing threat.
Jackson’s overwhelming physical presence makes him significantly more threatening than anyone South Dakota State had to throw at OSU Week 1.
Razorbacks to watch
3 Storylines: Arkansas
Can the Razorbacks slow down Ollie Gordon II?
Who wins in
In Big 12 play, Oklahoma State has a demonstrative advantage on the lines against essentially every team it will match up with.
On offense, OSU is eight deep with players who have notable Power Four experience, and on defense, it boasts experienced returners in the middle and has difference-makers on the edges.
Unfortunately for OSU, the girth and tonnage of the Razorbacks are equivalent, if not superior, as Razorbacks are going to be one of the biggest challenges the Cowboys will face in terms of pure physicality.
Gordon has run rampant on essentially every team he has played since becoming OSU’s primary ball carrier last season.
Arkansas has a ton of size on its defensive line and has talent, but Gordon is better than any back the Razorbacks will play this season. Arkansas may have as good a shot as any team at shutting Gordon down, and if it can, it has a good chance to upset OSU.
the trenches?
A Razorback rushing attack that was led by former quarterback KJ Jefferson with only 447 yards last season has been changed.
Competition has to be considered, but the combination of quarterback Taylen Green and running back Ja’Quinden Jackson is a massive upgrade for Arkansas. Against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Jackson tallied 101 yards and Green racked up 88 of his own. If Arkansas is allowed to cook on the ground, it can unlock the vertical passing game that OSU at times has struggled with.
OSU faces another dual-threat quarterback this week, as Taylen Green is coming to town.
Green, formerly of Boise State, posted 317 total yards and four touchdowns against ArkansasPine Bluff in Week 1. The Razorbacks pummeled UAPB 70-0, so Green didn’t get a full game to flex his muscles.
Green is a real weapon as a runner and has a cannon for an arm, but he tends accuracy throughout his career. OSU will have to get after Green early and often to throw him off Saturday.
Arkansas’ revamped offense under Petrino is OSU’s next challenge
PONCY STAFF REPORTER
With conference realignment, name, image and likeness and the transfer portal running college football, it’s easy to say that now is one of the wildest times in the history of college athletics.
But Bobby Petrino, Arkansas’ offensive coordinator, may have one of the windier, more unbelievable stories in the sport’s recent history.
Petrino famously led Arkansas to consecutive 10-win seasons as head coach in the early 2010s before being fired after an incident in which he crashed his motorcycle with student-athlete development coach Jessica Dorrell. It was later reported that Petrino and Dorrell were involved in an adulterous relationship, and both parties lied about being on the motorcycle together at the time of the accident.
Long story short, Petrino’s last stint at Arkansas ended unceremoniously, and the Razorbacks have been searching for the answer at head coach ever since.
After a 4-8 season a year ago, Arkansas coach Sam Pittman made a slew of changes over the summer, most notably bringing in Petrino as his offensive coordinator.
“I’m more excited than anything, just to be able to go back and give back to all the great people of Arkansas,” Petrino told ESPN. “I can’t do anything about the past, but I know how hard Coach Pittman and his coaches have worked. It was great to see when he first got there and the way he changed the culture and then had that good
season his second year and won the bowl game.”
Petrino’s second chance in Fayetteville got off to a great start when the Razorbacks defeated Arkansas Pine-Bluff 70-0 behind a revamped rushing attack.
Led by Boise State transfer quarterback Taylen Green and running back Ja’Quinden Jackson, Arkansas racked up 279 rushing yards and eight touchdowns against the Golden Lions, and passed for 408 yards and two additional touchdowns.
OSU is a sizable step up from UAPB, but scoring 70 points isn’t nothing.
Green headlines the Razorbacks with his potent blend of rushing and passing abilities, and in Petrino’s offense he has a chance to show what he never could at Boise State.
“You’ve got to have a guy for him (Green),” OSU head coach Mike Gundy said. “You are competing against a guy who has the ability to run. You have to take that into account in your structure of defense and style of play.”
The combination of Green and Petrino’s offense makes Arkansas significantly more dangerous than last season’s 4-8 record.
Petrino limited what he showed in a blowout victory last week, but he’ll presumably have something up his sleeve to take advantage of an OSU defense that has shown weakness on the back line.
“He’s got a system that he believes in,” Gundy said of Petrino. “...This team we’re playing Saturday, regardless of what anybody in the country may think, will be as talented as anyone we play all year,” Gundy said.
No. 40 Landon Jackson, DL No. 10 Taylen Green, QB
Both photos by Walt Beazley/Arkansas Athletics Landon Jackson Taylen Green CALIF
Andy Shupe/NWA Democrat-Gazette
The O’colly sports picks
Pick Leaderboard
Chris Vannini 13-6-1, Week 1 Shehan Jeyarajah ???, Week 2
/ Counterpoint
Arkansas may have the better pedigree, but with OU in the SEC, an in-state rivalry is needed. Even history tells you that Tulsa is the more historic rival — Arkansas has played the Cowboys 46 times, Tulsa has played them 75 times. It’s already weird enough that OSU doesn’t play the other big-time Division-I program in the state, so the Golden Hurricane and OSU are a perfect match. A better, more similar route for Arkansas would be pairing up with Arkansas State every year.
Who should be a mainstay in OSU’s nonconference schedule — Arkansas or Tulsa?
It should be Arkansas. For starters, a consistent matchup with an SEC team is more exciting than a matchup with an American Conference team. SEC wins help OSU’s resume more than beating Tulsa does, and it will give OSU an early challenge that the Cowboys can build of off. Plus, OSU and the Razorbacks have some history, too, and are only about a three-hour drive apart.
Snapshots from OSU-SDSU
The Cowboys defeated South Dakota State on Saturday, 44-20. Here are some of our staff’s best photos:
TOP LEFT: Linebacker Jeff Roberson running onto the field.
TOP RIGHT: A landscape shot of Boone Pickens Stadium.
MIDDLE LEFT: Rashod Owens diving for a pass in the end zone.
CENTER: Alan Bowman looking to find a receiver.
MIDDLE RIGHT: Rashod Owens celebrating his touchdown reception.
BOTTOM LEFT: Ollie Gordon II celebrating after the win.
BOTTOM RIGHT: Safety Kendal Daniels getting hype after a stop.
