The O'Colly, Friday, September 13, 2024

OSU kicks off first ‘Land-Grant Week’

HAYDEN ALEXANDER NEWS & LIFESTYLE EDITOR

OSU celebrated its status as a land-grant university this week with “Land-Grant Week.”

Initially limited to the Ferguson College of Agriculture, now Land-Grant Week is a university-wide initiative.

The Morrill Act of 1862 granted federal land for educational purposes. Universities built on this land offered the general public access to an education.

is OSU’s extension programs.

The different programs at OSU allows the university to build a community on-and-off campus.

“We have more branch campuses in the state than any other university in the state and we also have a presence in all 77 counties,” Bishop said.

The programs help students get hands-on education outside of the classroom through four major programs, family and consumer services, community development, agriculture and natural resources and economic development.

Triton Snodgrass, a student watching the protest, said he understood what the protesters were going for, but he thinks they need to do more research on the IsraelPalestine conflict. He said he thinks they should question the British, researching when the British partitioned the Middle East after WWI and further partitioning Palestine after WWII instead of “going after the U.S. and people who support Israel.”

“I think this entire protest is a way for them to feel like they’re doing something without leaving their comfortable, privileged lives over here and actually going and helping,” Snodgrass said.

Silva Torres, a student who supports Palestine, stopped to watch the rally while she was on campus. She said she thinks we are living through a genocide, and she supports OSU SJP’s demands.

“I think it’s (the rally) something small, but it is kind of, it is kind of inspiring,” Torres said.

OSU SJP organized its first rally in support of Palestine in May, and OSU SJP’s vice president said the group

met with OSU President Dr. Kayse Shrum in May about their demands.

“It wasn’t very successful,” they said. “She wasn’t very supportive of any of the things that we really wanted to see from the university. So we’ll continue being out here and just continue on with the movement until we get the divestment and the genocide ends soon, God willing.”

OSU issued a statement following the protest: “The event was organized by students. The university supports free speech and a robust public discourse, which is protected by the First Amendment. The university expects all staff, faculty and students to remain peaceful and respectful and adhere to the university’s codes of conduct and the principles of the Cowboy Code.

It is important to note that OSU tuition and fees, as well as state and federal funding, are the primary funding sources for the university’s operations. These funds are not used for investment purposes.

Over the past months, students have conducted several peaceful vigils or demonstrations related to the events unfolding in the Middle East. All have been without incident.”

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“The whole mission of land-grant was really providing education to kids and students that didn’t really have the traditional opportunities to go to colleges,” First Cowboy Darren Shrum said. “They were developed to help everybody have the opportunity to be able to become a college-educated person.”

Oklahoma A&M was founded in 1890 under the Morrill Act. Its mission was three-pillared: teaching, research and extension.

Now Oklahoma State University continues to pursue that mission.

“Initially it was for agriculture and mechanical, but then in the ‘50s it transferred to Oklahoma State University as we added more and more classes and more and more majors,” said Jordan Bishop, an editor for OSU Brand Management.

Although a Ferguson tradition, now every college on campus gets in on the fun. Different colleges and organizations hosted events throughout the week from scavenger hunts to tablings, educating students on what a landgrant university is.

“I went to school here 10 years ago, I knew OSU was a land-grant university, but I know now what it actually means,” Bishop said.

Bishop said the university is still working to make OSU a more acessible campus to students and to the state of Oklahoma. A key part of that

Senior Hailey Spray studies food science at OSU and said the opportunities OSU offers enhance her learning experience.

“As a student, it definitely comes down to those opportunities, especially being in the Ag college, we have all the farms around us,” Spray said. “There’s the dairy, horses, sheep, cattle, swine, everything is around us so there’s a lot of opportunities with those.”

Senior Baylee Bowan studies agriculture business at OSU and said that though students knowing that OSU is a land-grant university, is not enough.

“As an Oklahoma State student it is important to know what your university goals are and what your university’s mission is as a whole,” Bowan said. ”I feel like a lot of land grant is what we strive to be and the things we aim for.”

The university is continuing to make OSU more accessible. Student debt is a constant issue, and OSU is working to help students overcome it, Bishop said.

OSU’s land-grant status is an essential part of the school’s identity. The week commemorates the achievement, but land-grant is a year-round endevor. Shrum believes that the OSU’s landgrant standing is more than just a title.

“Land grant is really to me, when I think about it, it’s for the people as a whole,” Shrum said. “The whole purpose of land grant is to serve not only the college and the students, but your state and beyond.”

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A TRIUMPHED END!

“For I am already being poured out as a drink offering , and the time of my departure Is at hand. I have fought a good fight. I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that Day, and not to me only but to all who have loved His appearing.”. (2 Tim.4:6-8 NKJ)

Here is a man who has lived a life in serving the Lord Jesus and others. He is in a prison cell, expecting his execution at any time. According to history, Paul was beheaded at Rome.

In his last words to a young man and minister, Timothy; Paul was looking ahead to greater and lasting judgement that would come from Christ himself. A

well done to a good and faithful servant. We all can take encouragement from his life of service to the Lord and his vision of something much better that awaited him.

As Jesus neared the end of his life. He prayed:to God “I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which you have given me to do. And now, O Father, glorify me...with the glory which I had with you before the world was.” (Jn.17:4-5 NKJ)

Brother and Sister in Christ: Let us set our goal for a triumphed ending by finishing the work God has called us to do. If it be large or small to our eyes; no matter! Let’s be faithful to that calling and receive a greatly blessed entery into the eternal presence of God. Remember, this life is not the end. It is only a short beginning that will last for eternity.

Lilian Easter

A student held the American flag in front of the Palestine protesters at the Student Union Garden on Thursday.

Hayden Alexander

taking inspiration from the Ferguson College of Agriculture.

Presidential debate brings sparring, fiery back-and-forth

outcome, he said.

“That war would’ve never happened,” Trump said.

riodically. However, Trump did not use Harris’ name once.

Ask the Pokes

The first, and potentially only, presidential debate of the season is over.

In the 90-minute debate NBC News hosted Tuesday night, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump sparred over foreign and domestic issues. The pair debated in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Anchors Linsey Davis and David Muir moderated the debate, posing questions to both party nominees. The candidates discussed immigration, the war in Gaza, the Russo-Ukrainian war, fracking, Jan. 6, 2021 and abortion, among others.

Trump said global political tensions under the Biden-Harris administration have the potential to create World War 3. The Russo-Ukrainian war, under his control, would’ve had a different

Harris and Trump both dedicated time during the debate to attack each other, with Harris making more attacks than Trump, according to a New York Times analysis.

Abortion was a major topic of discussion. Trump, who appointed three Supreme Court justices during his term, said the court had “great courage” in overturning Roe v. Wade, which allowed access to abortions. Since its reversal, the issue has been kicked back to the states, which is what the American people want,

Trump said.

Harris said the court’s 2022 decision has endangered women’s rights in the U.S. If elected, Harris said she would make supporting abortion rights a main issue.

“I would proudly sign it back into law,” Harris said.

Throughout the debate, Harris referred to Trump by name pe -

Harris also played on her background as a prosecutor, pointing out several times Trump’s criminal indictments.

In closing statements, Harris said Trump’s campaign is focused on the past instead of the future.

“I intend to be a president for all Americans and focus on what we can do over the next 10 or 20 years to build back our country by investing right now in you, the American people,” Harris said.

Trump said the three-and-ahalf years Harris has held office as vice president has been plenty of time to make the change she has proposed.

“Why didn’t she do it? We’re a failing nation,” Trump said. “We’re a nation that’s in serious decline. We’re being laughed at all over the world.”

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What are your weekend plans?

“Probably just hanging out in Stillwater, probably just hang out with friends.”

- Grace Isesele, junior

“Studying for midterms, calculus two, fluid mechanics, physics and statistics.”

- Jakob Hisaw, sophomore

“This weekend, I have a freshman retreat with my sorority — I think we’re going swimming.”

- Riley Robertson, freshman

Sports reporters: Photographers & Designers:

Jace Bormann

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Former President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris debated for the first time Tuesday, trading blows back and forth.

OSU’s password system could see changes, upgrades

practices,” Smith said. “Unfortunately, that’s actually creating some problems with the university.”

OSU could overhaul its password protection system.

Duo Security, OSU’s multi-factor authentication system, could see some upgrades to improve security, including a three-digit verified push and removal of phonecall verification.

Aaron Smith, OSU’s IT security director, said in a Faculty Council meeting Tuesday that current password requirements are outdated.

“They do not follow current industry best

Smith said there are cybersecurity concerns with being able to protect digital access, as well as the individual risk of weak passwords.

Currently, passwords are reset every 120 days and use push notifications to verify a user’s identity. However, with the proposed changes, users would have more control over their cybersecurity.

“It’s obviously providing that poor experience, not just for students, but for our parents as well,” Smith said.

With the new system, passwords would be permanent. Users would be able to choose theirs, with the exception that certain words, such as “cowboy” or “password” would not be available.

Passwords will have a 14-character minimum, with a 32-character maximum. Upper-and lower-case letters will be required, and if changed, the password cannot be reused.

Everyone using the university’s security system would be notified 30 days before its change, Smith said. The changes would be made across the OSU system, which includes OSU-Tulsa and OSUOKC.

Interim director takes over Housing and Residential Life after record-enrollment struggles

KENNEDY THOMASON EDITOR-IN-CHIEF @_KENNEDYPAGE

Housing and Residential Life has a new interim director.

Amber Manning-Ouelette, who is also the interim vice president for student affairs, took over the role a few weeks ago when the position needed someone to step in. OSU faced housing issues during the summer after a third consecutive year of record enrollment for freshmen.

Manning-Ouelette said she is spending time in her second interim role to take a deeper look at policy during a Student Government Association Senate meeting Wednesday.

“There’s some transition in housing, and I’m working to build that team and just really empower the team,” Manning-Ouelette said. “We’re looking at some policy changes with housing for next year, and we’re working through what that means with some of our platforms and portals, and then how to better support students in the residence halls when it comes to programming and co-curricular programming that are offered through housing, specifically, and then collaborative work across campus.”

OSU announced record enrollment for freshmen before the start of the school year, topping the 2026 goal two years early. OSU President Dr. Kayse Shrum said the official number is 5,030 first-year students during a Faculty Council meeting Tuesday.

The new volume of students created some problems with housing accommodation. In July, OSU offered students a bronze-level meal plan and $1,000 scholarship to forfeit their reserved dorm. All students who were unable to secure on-campus housing were placed as of Aug. 16.

An increase in upperclassmen and decrease in students unenrolling before the semester were both factors in some of the challenges OSU faced, Shrum said.

The university has the ability to accommodate 5,800 freshmen, who are required to live on campus, if housing resources are utilized properly, she said.

“I think we actually have the ability to manage that level of housing for freshmen, but with it being unanticipated, that much growth, it will require us to do things just a little bit differently,” Shrum said.

The housing issues, along with the rush to provide services to first-year students under the new centralized advising system, compounded the unpredicted challenges.

Chris Fransisco, vice provost in the division of academic affairs, said better data could mitigate these issues in the future during a Faculty Council meeting Tuesday.

“We had many fewer people canceled than we normally do, and we just got a little caught off guard by the number of people who really wanted to be here this fall,” Fransisco said.

OSU announced its plan to consolidate advising in April, establishing a team of 30 advisers exclusively for freshmen. It was a move to overhaul the previous policy, which had students enroll directly with an adviser in their college department.

Even with the late-semester start, Fransisco said the group has done a “terrific job.”

“I think especially given that we had to hire so many people late in the game right before the summer started, I think things were good, overall,” he said.

Although an official search has not been launched for either position, Manning-Ouelette will remain in her roles until another candidate is selected.

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OSU Athletics launches #OrangeGlow campaign

and welcoming back OSU alumni and fans as they return to Stillwater.

“They helped us in reaching out to any and every business they could.”

This football season, Oklahoma State Athletics is helping paint the town orange. Detrick Bombarger and Keith Helt with OSU Athletics are launching a new campaign with #OrangeGlow. They’re encouraging Stillwater businesses, residents and students to show their school spirit by switching their porch and outdoor lights to orange before every football game.

The past few years, OSU Athletics has been “glowing” the stadium orange the night before each home game. This glow can be seen throughout the city, mounting anticipation for the upcoming game

“The initial idea was born last year,” Bombarger said. “I was looking at the stadium one night and thought, ‘If we’re glowing the stadium orange, why don’t we just glow the whole town orange?’”

But the hashtag isn’t only for Stillwater residents.

OSU Athletics reached out to local businesses, many of whom responded enthusiastically. Eskimo Joe’s joined in, telling customers to buy their orange cups and use string lights for a unique #OrangeGlow decoration.

Visit Stillwater also contributed in helping promote the campaign.

“They did a lot of leg work,” Bombarger said.

#OrangeGlow is an inexpensive way for Stillwater residents to show their spirit while feeling involved in the community. Stores like Walmart and Lowe’s are currently selling OSU orange light bulbs to pick up at the last minute.

“We realize that not everyone can spend lots of money or donate a lot,” Bombarger said. “But something as cheap as a $6 light bulb to show your support means a lot to us at OSU Athletics.”

As the football season continues, OSU Athletics continues campaigning #OrangeGlow in hopes that soon, Stillwater will become a sea of orange the night before each game.

news.ed@ocolly.com

Gary Lawson

Courtesy of OSU Athletics

Stillwater residents illuminate their porches with orange light bulbs to support the Cowboys.

City Council approves work plan for Stillwater’s historically-Black school

able to start redesigning the space by 2026. However, financing the project is a major concern.

Stillwater’s historicallyBlack school is a step closer toward being fixed up.

On Monday, the Stillwater City Council approved Booker T. Washington School’s 2024 work plan, which will allow the school to begin working toward its restoration and renovation goals. The school, which still stands as a reminder of when Stillwater was segregated, has aged, requiring substantial clean-up to turn it into a community center.

James Beckstrom, who is a member of the Washington School Advisory Committee, said the group wants to get started on its plans for the school this fall.

“We think we can start doing the Pac-Man thing here and start chipping away and making progress,” Beckstrom said. “We have the will. We have willingness. We’ve had multiple people come up (and say), ‘Let’s go. We want to help. We want to help make some things happen.’”

The goal for fiscal year 2024 is to remove the auditorium and breezeway from the front of the school, beginning to return it to its original 1938 structure. Ideally, he said, the committee would be

Despite the $38,000 Washington School raised in a February fundraiser, more funds will be needed to complete all the necessary renovations.

Mayor Will Joyce said providing financing for the project would fall under the same category as parks and public spaces, which has struggled to maintain its facilities in recent years.

“We’re certainly on the hunt as well for additional funding because this is something that our community needs to do,” Joyce said. “We need to get this accomplished, and we need to get it accomplished sooner rather than later.”

Washington School sits in a floodplain, which will also require preparation and financing to keep it functioning. However, Beckstrom said there is “no evidence of flooding inside,” currently.

Karen Washington, president of the Washington School Advisory Committee, said she wants the city to consider supporting the project through in-kind contributions, such as volunteers. This could help the project advance while funds are accrued.

“We (advisory committee) want you to know up front, we understand that

funding is challenging for everybody in today’s world,” Washington said. “But even with that said, without a plan, you don’t have a solution. So we still need that plan, and we still need other things that we can do to work on while we’re working on that plan.”

An anonymous donor purchased the school, returning it to the care of the city. The goal is to turn the auditorium and many other of the school’s spaces into a functioning community center, much like that of Greenwood Rising in Tulsa.

Without certainty from where financing would come to support the school, the City Council approved the work plan.

Vice Mayor Amy Dzialowski said there could be financing options for improving environmental conditions, such as asbestos removal, and redevelopment, such as planning for and engaging with the community.

“There’s so many opportunities here from the historic importance of the site, to the potential users of the site; there’s lots of different avenues and angles to pursue funding for a project like this,” Dzialowski said.

Washington School will host its second clean-up day Nov. 16, which aligns with Into the Streets, an OSU-sponsored community service day.

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Fall activities to do in Stillwater

AVA WHISTLER STAFF REPORTER

The autumn season is approaching in Stillwater.

As football season sets in, and the weather gets cooler, students are looking for the best ways to soak up the fall weather. Here’s a few ideas to help you enjoy the season and celebrate fall in Cowboy country.

Pumpkin patches

Toward the end of September, many Stillwater pumpkin patches begin to open. A few locations include the Highland Park United Methodist Church, which opens Sept. 21; the Grider Farm Pumpkin Patch on Oct. 1; and the Twelves, an agritourism venue, for the entire month of October.

Football

Football is an unmistakably essential part of the fall season. It offers opportunities for spending time tailgating with friends, hosting watch parties or dressing up in school colors for game days.

As Homecoming approaches, drawing thousands of OSU fans to Stillwater, it’s only right to show your Cowboy spirit by attending football games.

Farmers markets

As the weather gets cooler, the atmosphere is perfect for a morning spent at the Stillwater Farmers’ Market. Vendors offer fresh produce perfect for ingredients in your favorite fall recipes. The SeptemberOctober hours are 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Wednesday and Saturday.

Fall Festival Arts and Crafts Show

The Stillwater Fall Festival Arts and Crafts Show isn’t until Nov. 3-5, but it is still something to put in the calendar and look forward to. With more than 150 vendors from Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas and Arkansas, it will be hosted on the Payne County Fairgrounds off of Sixth Street.

The Botanic Garden at OSU As the trees begin to flaunt their bright colors, a walk outside is a great way to get in the fall mood. The Botanic Garden at OSU will soon be an array of colors, offering the perfect afternoon walk, photoshoot or picnic date. But you can also enjoy this activity without leaving campus – the gardens around OSU are blooming with bright yellows, reds and oranges.

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Legendary actor James Earl Jones dies at 93

HAYDEN ALEXANDER NEWS & LIFESTYLE EDITOR

Legendary actor James Earl Jones, 93, died Monday. The actor left behind a career of critically-acclaimed performances on-and-off screen.

His work broke barriers and reshaped Hollywood for Black actors. In childhood, the actor dealt with a stutter, but eventually overcame and grew into the voice of some of our favorite characters.

Jones played on-and-off screen taking his skills to Broadway. His phenomenal voice can be heard across documentaries, animated roles and as iconic characters adding depth and resonance to each performance.

Among his stand-out voiceacting roles is the wise figure of Mufasa in Disney’s “The Lion King.” Jones later reprised his role in the live-action film.

Perhaps his best-known role, Jones voiced Darth Vader, the infamous villain from the “Star Wars” franchise. His first outing as the character in 1977 cemented Darth Vader as one of cinema’s most menacing villains.

The actor received multiple awards during his time in entertainment. He obtained EGOT status, winning all four American performing arts Awards, after receiving an honorary Academy Award in 2011. His career has reached theaters, homes and hearts worldwide. Without Jones, some of the most beloved, quintessential characters in media would not exist.

Many actors took to social

media to honor Jones. George Lucas published a statement on the various “Star Wars” social media platforms.

“James was an incredible actor, a most unique voice both in art and spirit,” Lucas said. “For nearly half a century he was Darth Vader, but the secret to it all is he was a beautiful human being. He gave depth, sincerity and meaning to all his roles, amongst the most important being a devoted husband to the late Ceci and dad to Flynn. James will be missed by so many of us… friends and fans alike.”

“Star Wars” co-star Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker) wrote in a caption, “One of the world’s finest actors whose contributions to Star Wars were immeasurable. He will be greatly missed. #RIP dad.”

Jones defined a generation and his work continues to impact the Hollywood landscape. To celebrate his work, The O’Colly complied a list of a few of his must-see roles.

“Star Wars: A New Hope” 1977

James Earl Jones plays Darth Vader in the “Star Wars” franchise. The character is the anchor of the movie series, thanks to Jones’ performance.

Disney’s “The Lion King” 1994 Jones plays Simba’s father, Mufasa, in both the animated and live-action “Lion King” films. His transition from a menacing villain to a kind, stoic father showcases the actor’s range.

“Coming to America” 1988 Eddie Murphy’s film “Coming to America” is a comedy

classic. Murphy plays Prince Akeem, a rich African prince who travels to America to find a wife. Jones plays Prince Akeem’s father, King Jaffe Joffery.

Jones reprised the role of King Jaffee in 2022 for “Coming to America 2,” his last onscreen role.

“The Hunt for Red October” 1990

Jones portrayed Admiral Greer in the famous Cold War movie “The Hunt for Red October.” The film is one of many movies based on Tom Clancy’s “Jack Ryan” novels in which James Earl Jones appears.

“Field of Dreams” 1989

After hearing a voice say, “If you build it, he will come,” Iowa farmer Ray Kinsella turns a cornfield into a baseball field. James Earl Jones plays Terrance Mann, a writer who joins Ray in his mission to locate baseball players.

“The Sandlot” 1993

The film follows nine boys as they play baseball and get into all sorts of adventures. The film features James Earl Jones as Mr. Mertle, a blind and retired baseball player. His role is short, but Jones makes it a outing to remember.

“Conan the Barbarian” 1982

Darth Vader is not the only villain James Earl Jones portrays. The late actor proves his skills outside of the microphone by playing the masterful and unforgiving sorcerer, Thusla Doom.

These are just a few motion pictures in James Earl Jones’ vast filmography.

Creative Commons

Actor James Earl Jones died Monday at the age of 93.

Isaac Terry

The Highland Park United Methodist Church hosts a pumpkin patch every year for families, students and community members to buy festive pumpkins and gourds for the fall season.

OSU CAGLE Study Abroad Fair encourages business students to travel

in the business world and what they can take away from the experience.

to study abroad as well.

Note: This article contains mentions of suicide.

In the United States, an average of 22 veterans commit suicide each day, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

With each life lost, countless other lives across the U.S. are touched, from friends and family to entire communities.

Mollie Easley, a well-loved former OSU student and Student Veterans Organization member, joined the Air National Guard in 2016 and took her life in 2020. She touched the lives of many in the Stillwater community, and her family, friends and OSU continue to honor her each year.

On Tuesday, the fourth annual Mollie Easley Student Suicide Awareness March began at Remembrance Corner on campus and took more than 30 participants on a 2.2-mile-long walk around campus.

Lt. Col. John Easley, Mollie’s father, tries to attend the event every year. He said it’s hard for his family, but the impact of the event is important.

about all students, and if we get a student who’s not military-affiliated, but who decided, or maybe found us (the event) on CampusLink, and comes to the march with us, and (then) them being open saves other students or saves someone 15 years down the road, that’s what matters.” Rivera said the event is not about a large turnout, though that would be a plus, it’s more about each individual he can reach. He talked to as many people as he could over the course of the walk.

“If there’s even one person who walks with me tonight, that’s one person who’s willing to step up and say, ‘I’m not afraid to talk about this,’” Rivera said.

As a member of the large population of military-affiliated students at OSU, Mollie Easley’s memory is still honored by her former peers. ROTC students led the march as the pace setters, blocked traffic and carried water for anyone who needed it.

Cowboy Veterans President Jermonte Smith represented his group at the march. He said the biggest goal for the organization is to connect veterans and their families to resources, opportunities and support, like the awareness march.

The Center for Advanced Global Leadership and Engagement, CAGLE, hosted a study abroad fair for business students interested in taking their studies global.

The fair uncovered the destinations the business school is offering for study abroad during the 2024-2025 school year. The event was hosted in the Keystone Lobby of the Spears Business Building Tuesday. Not only were there faculty members, but also students, who have already studied abroad, there to answer questions for other students and talk about their experiences.

CAGLE is taking students to many different locations including Ireland, Japan and Australia. The study abroad program trips are short-term and faculty-led. Studying abroad with the business school grants students the opportunity to earn three credit hours.

OSU business students Ellie Robinson and Michela Jakofcich both attended the event with high interest in getting to travel with the school of business.

“I love traveling, and they have some great options,” Jakofcich said. Both students said they would love to see how other countries operate

“I think it’ll give me (a) better outlook on how other countries operate,” Robinson said. “If I ever do international business, I’d have like a gauge of that.”

Despite the excitement behind studying abroad, many students miss out on the opportunity because of the fear of traveling outside the U.S. Gayle Shriver, program specialist for the CAGLE study abroad office, said students should not be scared to get out of their comfort zones.

“It’s understandable, but they’re going to have a fantastic experience,” Shriver said. “You get to do it in a group, so it’s not as scary.”

While studying abroad may only seem like a unique way to gain credit hours, Shriver said it also looks great to future employers.

“I think it looks great on a resume for students to show that they can get out of their comfort zones and learn how to adapt to different and unusual situations, which looks good to businesses looking for individuals that may not have that type of skill set,” Shriver said.

Hannah Dixon and Caleb Lamey, management majors, both share about their experience studying abroad with CAGLE and encourage other students

The two business students traveled to Ireland and got to experience a true Irish St. Patrick’s Day and partake in Irish culture by going to pubs and exploring cities like Dublin and Galway.

Dixon said she was pretty nervous about the trip with it being her first time on a plane, but the staff and the local residents of Ireland helped her ease into being able to enjoy her trip.

“Anybody on this trip can tell you we kind of became family,” Dixon said.

Traveling to a new country is exciting, but there is still the coursework attached to studying abroad. Lamey said that it was reasonably quick and effortless to finish his course work and report about his travels.

“It wasn’t too time consuming or anything, and it (was) pretty easy to write about my experience,” Lamey said.

CAGLE offers scholarships for students worried about financing their study abroad trip. Deadlines for some scholarships for the winter and spring break trips are due as early as Sept. 22. The deadline to apply for the winter break trip is Oct. 15. The spring break deadline is Dec. 13, and the summer break trip deadline is Feb. 10, 2025.

“It’s one of the toughest things we do each year,” John said. “But the impact, we’re not here to see it throughout the year, (but) we do hear about it today… I think it’s very important for the students to understand and have awareness that they’re not alone, we’re not alone, and to be able to recognize when somebody else needs help and try to help them get that help.”

Mollie was one of those members of the SVO, now called the Cowboy Veterans, that other members could count on. She was a full-time member, and her main goal was to help people and keep them from ending up in her situation, John said.

Now, students and community members come together to remember her story and continue her efforts to reach out to veterans in need of support.

Vincent Rivera, the OSU militaryaffiliated support coordinator, has worked tirelessly to show support for students, veterans and student veterans. One of his efforts includes putting on the march each year. It focuses on the veteran population, but he said he wants to make clear that the event is for all students affected by suicide.

“If you notice, it’s not the Mollie Easley Student Veteran Suicide March, it’s the Mollie Easley Student Suicide March, and we’ve made that very intentional,” Rivera said. “It’s

“In the veteran community, suicide’s considered an epidemic,” Smith said. “And a lot of people, myself, and a lot of people in the organization have had some type of personal exposure to suicide in some capacity, whether it be themselves or someone that was close to them.”

Last month, the Cowboy Veterans lost a member to suicide. Smith said it is never the people you expect, and that makes it even more important to reach out to people.

“You can’t read people’s minds, you don’t know,” Smith said. “My biggest thing is for anyone, if they notice changes in mood from someone don’t be afraid to ask, ‘Hey, have you been having thoughts of suicide?’ and just be that support, listen to them and be there for them.”

The issue is widely recognized across all veteran populations. American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Oklahoma Department of Veteran Affairs, Campus Life and other college representatives worked closely with Rivera to put on the event.

The Easley family appreciates the support from each organization. John said the march is hard to be a part of, but it makes him happy to see.

“It’s (suicide) is not the answer,” John said. “Find the right answer. Find the people to help you out of the situation that you’re in because it’s temporary.”

news.ed@ocolly.com

Courtesy of the Center for Global Learning Study Abroad Day is happening Thursday Sep. 19th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the Engineering South lawn and is open to all students.

Raynee Howell

JOCELYNE PEREZ STAFF REPORTER

OSU kicks off first ‘Land-Grant Week’

HAYDEN ALEXANDER NEWS & LIFESTYLE EDITOR

OSU celebrated its status as a land-grant university this week with “Land-Grant Week.”

Initially limited to the Ferguson College of Agriculture, now Land-Grant Week is a university-wide initiative.

The Morrill Act of 1862 granted federal land for educational purposes. Universities built on this land offered the general public access to an education.

is OSU’s extension programs.

The different programs at OSU allows the university to build a community on-and-off campus.

“We have more branch campuses in the state than any other university in the state and we also have a presence in all 77 counties,” Bishop said.

The programs help students get hands-on education outside of the classroom through four major programs, family and consumer services, community development, agriculture and natural resources and economic development.

Triton Snodgrass, a student watching the protest, said he understood what the protesters were going for, but he thinks they need to do more research on the IsraelPalestine conflict. He said he thinks they should question the British, researching when the British partitioned the Middle East after WWI and further partitioning Palestine after WWII instead of “going after the U.S. and people who support Israel.”

“I think this entire protest is a way for them to feel like they’re doing something without leaving their comfortable, privileged lives over here and actually going and helping,” Snodgrass said.

Silva Torres, a student who supports Palestine, stopped to watch the rally while she was on campus. She said she thinks we are living through a genocide, and she supports OSU SJP’s demands.

“I think it’s (the rally) something small, but it is kind of, it is kind of inspiring,” Torres said.

OSU SJP organized its first rally in support of Palestine in May, and OSU SJP’s vice president said the group

met with OSU President Dr. Kayse Shrum in May about their demands.

“It wasn’t very successful,” they said. “She wasn’t very supportive of any of the things that we really wanted to see from the university. So we’ll continue being out here and just continue on with the movement until we get the divestment and the genocide ends soon, God willing.”

OSU issued a statement following the protest: “The event was organized by students. The university supports free speech and a robust public discourse, which is protected by the First Amendment. The university expects all staff, faculty and students to remain peaceful and respectful and adhere to the university’s codes of conduct and the principles of the Cowboy Code.

It is important to note that OSU tuition and fees, as well as state and federal funding, are the primary funding sources for the university’s operations. These funds are not used for investment purposes.

Over the past months, students have conducted several peaceful vigils or demonstrations related to the events unfolding in the Middle East. All have been without incident.”

news.ed@ocolly.com

“The whole mission of land-grant was really providing education to kids and students that didn’t really have the traditional opportunities to go to colleges,” First Cowboy Darren Shrum said. “They were developed to help everybody have the opportunity to be able to become a college-educated person.”

Oklahoma A&M was founded in 1890 under the Morrill Act. Its mission was three-pillared: teaching, research and extension.

Now Oklahoma State University continues to pursue that mission.

“Initially it was for agriculture and mechanical, but then in the ‘50s it transferred to Oklahoma State University as we added more and more classes and more and more majors,” said Jordan Bishop, an editor for OSU Brand Management.

Although a Ferguson tradition, now every college on campus gets in on the fun. Different colleges and organizations hosted events throughout the week from scavenger hunts to tablings, educating students on what a landgrant university is.

“I went to school here 10 years ago, I knew OSU was a land-grant university, but I know now what it actually means,” Bishop said.

Bishop said the university is still working to make OSU a more acessible campus to students and to the state of Oklahoma. A key part of that

Senior Hailey Spray studies food science at OSU and said the opportunities OSU offers enhance her learning experience.

“As a student, it definitely comes down to those opportunities, especially being in the Ag college, we have all the farms around us,” Spray said. “There’s the dairy, horses, sheep, cattle, swine, everything is around us so there’s a lot of opportunities with those.”

Senior Baylee Bowan studies agriculture business at OSU and said that though students knowing that OSU is a land-grant university, is not enough.

“As an Oklahoma State student it is important to know what your university goals are and what your university’s mission is as a whole,” Bowan said. ”I feel like a lot of land grant is what we strive to be and the things we aim for.”

The university is continuing to make OSU more accessible. Student debt is a constant issue, and OSU is working to help students overcome it, Bishop said.

OSU’s land-grant status is an essential part of the school’s identity. The week commemorates the achievement, but land-grant is a year-round endevor. Shrum believes that the OSU’s landgrant standing is more than just a title.

“Land grant is really to me, when I think about it, it’s for the people as a whole,” Shrum said. “The whole purpose of land grant is to serve not only the college and the students, but your state and beyond.”

news.ed@ocolly.com

A TRIUMPHED END!

“For I am already being poured out as a drink offering , and the time of my departure Is at hand. I have fought a good fight. I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that Day, and not to me only but to all who have loved His appearing.”. (2 Tim.4:6-8 NKJ)

Here is a man who has lived a life in serving the Lord Jesus and others. He is in a prison cell, expecting his execution at any time. According to history, Paul was beheaded at Rome.

In his last words to a young man and minister, Timothy; Paul was looking ahead to greater and lasting judgement that would come from Christ himself. A

well done to a good and faithful servant. We all can take encouragement from his life of service to the Lord and his vision of something much better that awaited him.

As Jesus neared the end of his life. He prayed:to God “I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which you have given me to do. And now, O Father, glorify me...with the glory which I had with you before the world was.” (Jn.17:4-5 NKJ)

Brother and Sister in Christ: Let us set our goal for a triumphed ending by finishing the work God has called us to do. If it be large or small to our eyes; no matter! Let’s be faithful to that calling and receive a greatly blessed entery into the eternal presence of God. Remember, this life is not the end. It is only a short beginning that will last for eternity.

Lilian Easter

A student held the American flag in front of the Palestine protesters at the Student Union Garden on Thursday.

Hayden Alexander

taking inspiration from the Ferguson College of Agriculture.

“It’s a horrible, horrible thing, but the country did come together and there was a lot of patriotism (that) came out of that,” retired commander Strotheide said.

Americans found ways to help in the wake of the attacks and continued helping long after the last of the rubble was gone. The events of 9/11 resonated with young Americans and influenced their career paths.

As a Pennsylvania native, the attacks hit home for Tom. Living about three hours from New York meant that many of those around him were directly affected by the attacks.

“A good amount of my classmates, they have family members that would work in New York City during the week,” Tom said. “One of my classmates, her brother, unfortunately, was a firefighter in New York and died on 9/11.”

Tom, spurred on by his family’s history of service and the events of 9/11, joined the Army after graduating from the University of Pittsburgh.

“At the time, I didn’t realize it was obviously significant, but I don’t think I realized everything that was going on, how that defined my life at that point and even afterward,” Tom said.

On his first deployment to Afghanistan, Tom and his platoon worked with the Afghan National Police, training them and helping track terrorists.

While flying to Kandahar, Tom was reminded of the attacks.

“I remember the rear ramp of the C-17 dropping,” Tom said. “I was looking at the mountains, and all I could think about were the images I saw in the eighth grade.”

Tom Joyce attended the

University of Pittsburgh, where he met his now-wife, Jill Joyce.

After his time in the military was up, the Joyces decided to call Stillwater home.

Jill is devoted to serving those who served through her profession, and though she may not be in the service herself, her husband Tom, friends and fellow researchers keep her connected.

Twenty-three years later, 9/11 still resonates with the generations who witnessed the attack, but what about new generations? The oldest members of Generation Z were

barely four.

Jill encourages younger generations to open their ears to the people around them because so many have a story.

“A lot of my friends and family joined the first responder and military services because of 9/11,” Jill said. “You could be working with those individuals, so understanding what they went through and why they chose to serve may help you serve them better.”

Attacks on U.S. soil are not expected. The attack on Pearl Harbor happened 60 years before 9/11, catching the nation

off-guard.

Strotheide, now a pilot for the Department of Homeland Security and CPB Air and Marines Operations, said he wants students to stay aware and learn from the attack.

“After years and years go by, you kind of start letting your guard down and 9/11 happens,” Strotheide said. “It’s 2024, and something like that, thank God, has not happened since, but I think it’s important for your generation and any generation that did not experience it to understand, that it’s been a long time, but it can

happen at any time.”

Tom said he hopes students will never forget the bravery of first responders, but they should also remember to acknowledge the men and women still working to keep them safe.

“9/11 is a time to kind of remember what happened, remember the people, and to also appreciate, especially the firefighters, the first responders and the military,” Tom said. “They’re doing things every day without a lot of recognition, especially, I would argue, the firefighters and the police.”

news.ed@ocolly.com

Courtesy of Jill Joyce

Jill Joyce (right) started teaching at OSU in 2018 and Tom Joyce joined her as an academic adviser after finishing up his time in the service.

Courtesy of Jill Joyce

OSU Associate Professor Jill Joyce (right) works with first responders to create more access to nutrition education and resources.

‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ leaves fans with unremarkable viewing experience

JACKSON JOHNS STAFF REPORTER

Review

Note: This article contains spoilers.

Last week, I wrote a recap and review of the 1988 film “Beetlejuice” in preparation for its long-belated sequel.

After seeing the new film in theaters this weekend, I can say with relief that “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” is a rare legacy sequel that actually builds on the world of the original film without disturbing the legacy of the original.

Let’s take one of my biggest questions going in: Were Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis and Jeffery Jones going to reprise their roles from the first film, and if not, how were they going to explain their absence?” Well, I was pleasantly surprised when, in a superbly claymationed scene about five minutes in,

Charles Deetz (Jones’ character from “Beetlejuice”) is gruesomely bitten in half by a shark.

It’s a perfect inciting incident and immediately sets up that this film is not afraid to mock its predecessor just as often as it pays its respects.

In many ways, it feels like a family graveside service, bringing up funny memories to relieve the tension. This makes the transition from a mostly stationary tale of suburban gentrification to a sprawling story about the importance of sincerity much more palatable.

The returning cast clearly had a lot of fun with this,

and though the ending is yet another twisted bending of the sacred rite of marriage (this time with a decidedly alive minister), the twist is different enough, all the while with yet another Deus Ex Machina saturnian sandworm.

“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” is much more spread out than the original. I’d compare its structure to cult-classic holiday film “Trick ‘r Treat” where there are a bunch of loosely connected vignettes all happening at once.

Because of this, it has a few different story threads that tie together in some ways. Some of these are more minor: action star-turned-gumshoe detective Wolf Jackson’s (Wilem DaFoe) pursuit of immortal vampiress Delores (Monica Belluci), who is on a rampage through the afterlife to find and kill Beteguese.

Others are more major:

Lydia (Winona Ryder) and her PTSD from Betelguese’s haunting in 1988, Delia’s (Catherine O’Hara) obsession with capturing the grieving process on either canvas or film; Astrid’s (Jenna Ortega) hatred of her mother for seemingly forgetting about her dead husband; and Rory’s (Justin Theroux) attempts to gain favor with the Deetzs to get married to Lydia.

These separate story arcs actually give a smidge of nuance and depth to the typically shallow Burton characters. However, the real star of the show is the ghost with the most, Betelguese (Michael Keaton).

The trickster demon is back, this time running a larger business with some shrunken head zombie employees.

Lydia Deetz is a medium and the start of her paranormal

reality TV show, “Ghost Adventures.” Lydia experiences a panic attack after a couple she is interviewing says they are being tormented by a familiar poltergeist.

Upon learning of her father’s death, Lydia returns, with her daughter Astrid and boyfriend Rory, to Winter River, Connecticut. The Maitlands are gone from the “Ghost House,” but the events of 1988 still lingers over the house.

While these events occur in the “real world,” the afterlife is in crisis. A resurrected vampire named Delores is hunting down her ex-husband and killer Betelgeuse.

Afterlife detective Wolf Jackson is on the case and informs Beetlegeuse, who barricades himself in his call center. Returning to the land of the living, Rory proposes to Lydia, and the pair prepares to marry on Halloween.

An angry Astrid meets Jeremy, a secretive and mysterious teenager. He invites her to hang out, but it’s a trap. Jeremy

turns out to be a murdering ghost who died trying to escape the police and wants to steal Astrid’s soul to escape the afterlife.

Lydia reluctantly calls on Betelgeuse to help her get Astrid back, and shenanigans ensue.

The rest of the film goes by so quickly, I forgot what the actual conclusion was besides a wedding set with a lipsynced serenade of “Macarthur Park.”

My biggest complaint there is so much plot and so little conclusion. It suffers from its own strengths, and though I appreciate its technical performance, I just can’t recommend it to someone seeking a good story.

It’s too short to have so much going into it. Like two other films this year, “Longlegs” and “Twisters,” “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” shows us that an intriguing premise and slick visuals is not a replacement for a lack of story.

Although I’m no snob, I much prefer films that leave me wanting less, not more. I

mean, do you prefer less butter on your popcorn? Or pants that are too short? Or a piece of chicken missing from your lunch order?

No! You ask for extra butter, or pick a size larger or wish for an extra wing. We are much more content when we are full. And as of late, I’m noticing a trend of being rather empty after a movie.

At the end of the day, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” is a fun, harmless Halloween-season film. Its humor is mostly clean, with a few innuendos and curse words here and there. It tries too hard to tell too many plot lines in too short of a time. It also struggles to keep audiences informed about what is happening. It shows too much, and tells too little, which is not always a good thing.

It’s not groundbreaking, or important, or compelling. It works better as a sequel that should have come out 30 years ago, and it’s a film we will forget in 30 years.

Jenna Ortega plays Astrid Deetz, who discovers a portal to the afterlife and invites chaos back into the Deetzs life.

WHEN: Saturday, 11 a.m.

WHERE: H.A. Chapman Stadium TV: ESPN2

‘It’s gonna be something’ Presley, his brother, facing off close to home

PARKER GERL ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR @PARKER_GERL

Oklahoma State wide receiver Brennan Presley might try to get on the field more than he usually does this weekend.

On Saturday at 11 a.m., Presley and No. 13 Oklahoma State play at Tulsa. It’ll be the first time he faces his younger brother and former teammate, Braylin Presley, a Golden Hurricane wide receiver who transferred from OSU in 2022.

“I hope he’s on punt return,” Brennan joked, “and I can ask to be a gunner.

“There definitely will be smack (talk). There will be smack all week. I might get my Instagram back just to troll him the entire week, then delete (Instagram) again.”

Tulsa’s Skelly Field at H.A. Chapman Stadium is roughly 30 minutes from Brennan and Braylin’s hometown of Bixby. It’s the perfect place for their firstever matchup — close to home.

Bixby-Tulsa connection Brennan has never played at Chap-

Why OSU’s series with Tulsa represents more than a traditional college football rivalry

DANIEL ALLEN STAFF REPORTER

Tulsa football games were an integral part of Iman Oates’ high school life.

After morning workouts at Edison Preparatory School, Oates and a handful of teammates would make way to the bleachers adjacent to the east end zone of H.A. Chapman Stadium. It happened so pervasively that Oates, now a redshirt junior defensive lineman for Oklahoma State, called it routine.

“It was part of me, growing up,” Oates said. “It was every week that we’d be at that stadium.”

On Saturday, No. 13 OSU travels 73.2 miles east for a showdown at Tulsa in a renewal of the Gateway Turnpike Classic rivalry. The Cowboys lead the all-time series 44-27-5 and have won the past nine matchups. Although the series has been rather one-sided recently, OSU-Tulsa represents more than what meets the eye. For some, a traditional college football rivalry. For others, a beacon of unity within a community.

And for Oates, it’s the latter.

“Even the OSU-Tulsa games as a kid; seeing that, then being able to be able to be part of it playing in it,” Oates said.

“And then seeing my family – the crowd is gonna be a good experience, for sure.

“I like to see the bigger picture with this.”

This season, OSU has nine players from the Tulsa area. Most echoed Oates’ experience of attending Golden Hurricane football contests as adolescents.

But when the Cowboys came to town, attendance ballooned. In 2019, the most recent contest played in Tulsa, Chapman Stadium was sold out, marking the Golden Hurricane’s only sellout since. Many of the aforementioned bunch claim to have attended the game and hope a similar attendance sight transpires on Saturday.

“It’s good for the fans, (and) it’s good for the state,” OSU head coach Mike Gundy said. “We keep all the money in the state. The stadiums should be full. Easy to get to for both groups. I think it’s a good thing. Just like I think the Arkansas series is a good one. It makes sense based on what both sides are trying to get accomplished.”

Beginning Saturday, the two schools will commence the start of an eight-year home-and-home series through 2031. Given the state of conference realignment, however, the current contract agreement holds no guarantees, meaning that either school, at any point, could opt to nullify it.

See TULSA on page 3B

man Stadium, which makes Saturday’s game hold a little more weight, especially considering its close proximity to where he and Braylin became stars.

“It’ll mean a lot (to play on Tulsa’s field),” Brennan said. “I’ve never got to play there, even in high school or anything… It’ll mean a lot coming back, and it’ll mean a lot just cause my family is gonna be there. More family than usual.”

At Bixby, Brennan won back-to-back state championships in 2018 and 2019 and took home Oklahoma Gatorade Player of the Year in ‘19. Braylin won an Oklahoma Gatorade Player of the

Year award in 2021 and helped guide the Spartans to a 49-game winning streak and four state titles.

Between the brothers, they totaled more than 140 touchdowns and were each ranked in the top 20 players out of Oklahoma by 247 Sports (Brennan No. 19, Braylin No. 6).

“We always talk about (how) you have the chance to be good when your best players are your hardest workers,” Bixby head coach Loren Montgomery said. “And certainly that’s the case with the Presley boys.”

‘Are we at war?’ How Carmichael, Hancock remember 9/11, the affect it had on OSU soccer

CALIF PONCY STAFF REPORTER @PONCYCALIF

On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, Colin Carmichael was in Tulsa.

After practicing with his semi-pro soccer team, the Tulsa Roughnecks, the night prior, Carmichael, doubling as an aspiring soccer player and the head assistant at Oklahoma State, regularly slept in Tulsa and drove to Stillwater for practice in the morning.

Like so many others, Carmichael’s morning was anything but routine.

“I remember waking up and turning on the TV and us being like, ‘Oh my goodness, what is going on here?’” the OSU head coach said. “I remember my parents calling me from Scotland wondering what was going on — (asking) ‘Are we at war?’”

Karen Hancock, the head coach of the Cowgirls in 2001, was in Stillwater that morning getting ready to go to the office and begin her day when she heard the news.

“I hadn’t gone into the office yet, and I had the TV on, and they cut away to breaking news; something was happening,” Hancock said. “I just sat there as everything unfolded. It was a little bit after nine o’clock in the morning.

“I just stayed glued to the TV watching the horror unfold.”

Hancock and Carmichael, like everyone else 23 years ago, watched in agony with no idea what was going on or what to do. But unlike everyone else in America, they were responsible for coaching a collegiate soccer team — one with seven foreign players — and were tasked with keeping them focused on the season.

As dread and confusion turned into a sense of nationality, the sports world was split. Some thought playing games during a time of national tragedy was silly and that people’s efforts could be used elsewhere. Some felt the opposite. What better way to distract the nation and give it a place of solace than to continue on as normal, especially when it came to sports?

OSU wide receiver Brennan Presley will play at the University of Tulsa for the first time in his career against his younger brother, Braylin Presley.

File Photo

OSU soccer head coach Colin Carmichael said he woke up on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, and turned on the television to see the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Gundy’s 20th

The 20 best OSU football players under Gundy

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 players under Gundy.

Legends such as Barry Sanders, Thurman Thomas, Hart Lee Dykes and so on played before Mike Gundy took over as Oklahoma State’s head coach. But that doesn’t mean Gundy hasn’t produced some studs since he took the job in 2004.

This week’s “Gundy’s 20th” story includes a top 20 list of the best players under Gundy.

No. 1: Justin Blackmon, wide receiver, 2008-11

After being redshirted in 2008, Blackmon played 13 games the following year before breaking out in 2010 and becoming the nation’s best wideout. Blackmon won two straight Fred Biletnikoff Awards in ‘10 and 2011 and totaled 3,304 receiving yards and 38 receiving touchdowns those two seasons. He was the top target for not only the program’s best team in ‘11, but was undoubtedly the best receiver in the country.

No. 2: Brandon Weeden, quarterback, 2007-11

Listen, I don’t really want to put Blackmon and Weeden atop this list; it seems too easy. But Weeden made it easy, as his 2010 season (4277 passing yards and 34 passing touchdowns) and 2011 season (4727 passing yards and 37 passing touchdowns) are all-timers in Cowboy football history. OSU’s best receiver and quarterback as the top two? Sometimes the easy route is good.

No. 3: Russell Okung, offensive lineman, 2006-09 Okung started 47 games for OSU before the Seattle Seahawks selected him with the sixth pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. He was a two-time AllAmerican (a unanimous one in 2009) and held down the Cowboys’ tackle positions across four seasons.

No. 4: Mason Rudolph, quarterback, 2014-17

A three-year starter for the Cowboys, Rudolph is atop the lists of many OSU records, including but not limited to: competitions (No. 1), passing yards (No. 1), passing touchdowns (No. 1) and completion percentage (No. 2).

No. 5: James Washington, wide receiver, 2014-17

Funnily enough, Rudolph’s top target comes in right after him. Washington, a Fred Biletnikoff Award winner in 2017, found himself atop OSU’s record books, as he had career totals of 4,472 receiving yards, 226 receptions and 39 receiving touchdowns.

No. 6: Malcolm Rodriguez, linebacker, 2017-21

The best defensive player under Gundy is Rodriguez, who was the backbone of that great 2021 Cowboy defense. Rodriguez’s 409 career tackles are the most under a Gundy defender, and he finished his career off as the MVP of the 2022 Fiesta Bowl.

No. 7: Kendall Hunter, running back, 2006-10

Hunter is fourth all-time in career rushing and all-purpose yards for OSU, but if not for an injury in 2009, he may be No. 1 in both those statistics. Hunter was a Doak Walker Award semifinalist, a two-time All-American, and, despite being already a Cowboy great, is somewhat of a “what if” too.

No. 8: Tylan Wallace, wide receiver, 2017-20

Wallace is another great Cowboy receiver who, in his first season as a starter, was a Fred Biletnikoff Award finalist and an All-American. He finished fifth in OSU career receiving yards (3,434), sixth in receptions (205)

and touchdowns (26).

No. 9: Dez Bryant, wide receiver, 2007-09

Yup, another receiver. In two full seasons — his 2009 season was limited to three games because of a suspension — Bryant was a consensus All-American (2008) with career numbers of 2,425 receiving yards and 29 touchdowns. His dominance for a short tenure in Stillwater was undeniable.

No. 10: Chuba Hubbard, running back, 2017-20

In 2019, after posting 2,292 yards from scrimmage and 21 touchdowns, Hubbard was a Doak Walker Award finalist, eighth in Heisman voting and an All-American. He’s seventh alltime in OSU career all-purpose yards (4,490) and second in allpurpose yards per game (136.1).

No. 11: Ollie Gordon II, running back, 2022-present Gordon has already won the Doak Walker Award, which is more than the two running backs above him, but his career numbers are to be determined. What’s certain is that Gordon is a wrecking ball of a runner who’s a fan favorite, and he might end up several sports higher on this list.

No. 12: Justin Gilbert, cornerback, 2010-13

A consensus All-American in 2013, Gilbert was a Jim Thorpe Award finalist and set a Big 12 Conference record with

six kickoff return touchdowns that year. He finished with 182 tackles, eight interceptions and 11 kickoff return touchdowns for his career before the Cleveland Browns drafted him with the eighth pick in the 2014 NFL Draft.

No. 13: Zac Robinson, quarterback, 2005-09

Robinson is third in OSU’s total offensive career yards mark with 10,175, as the Cowboy quarterback in the mid-late 2000s was one of the best dualthreat quarterbacks in the sport.

No. 14: Brennan Presley, wide receiver, 2020-present Like Gordon, Presley’s college career isn’t finished, and he might only climb this list before this season ends. Presley’s 16 receptions two games into this season have him only 53 catches away from breaking Rashuan Woods’ OSU career receptions record.

No. 15: Emmanuel Ogbah, defensive end, 2012-15 After redshirting as a true freshman and starting 13 games his sophomore year, Ogbah totaled 113 tackles and 24 sacks in his junior and senior seasons.

No. 16: Lane Taylor, offensive lineman 2009-12 Like Okung, Taylor made 47 starts on the Cowboy offensive line and was the star offensive guard on a couple of OSU teams with the best offenses of all time.

No. 17: Nick Martin, linebacker, 2021-present Martin rounds out the trio of Gordon and Presley of current players who made the list. Martin’s fly-around-the-field play and tackling ability (he’s totaled 166 tackles from last season to two weeks into this season) are mostly unmatched in Gundy’s era.

No. 18: Brandon Pettigrew, tight end, 2005-08

Pettigrew was an All-Big 12 tight end who finished his career with 112 catches for 1,450 yards and nine touchdowns. His play and leadership at OSU propelled him to the 20th pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, where he was selected by the Detroit Lions.

No. 19: Quinn Sharp, kicker, 2008-12

Most say Dan Bailey is OSU’s best kicker, and while he won the Lou Gorza Award and Sharp didn’t, I believe that Sharp’s the best. In the first two years Sharp saw the field, he served as OSU’s punter before becoming a full-time kicker. In his last two seasons, he went 72-for-72 on extra points and 50-for-59 on field goals.

No. 20: Brock Martin, defensive end, 2018-22

Although Rodriguez was the backbone of the great ‘21 Cowboy defense, Martin was his right-hand man. Martin finished tied for the fourth-most tackles for lost and third in quarterback hurries in OSU career marks.

Bruce Waterfield/OSU Athletics

Justin Blackmon won two straight Fred Biletnikoff Awards under OSU head coach Mike Gundy.

‘I’m certainly glad we have him’ How OSU’s Ezeigbo is filling in well for injured Oliver

PARKER GERL ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR @PARKER_GERL

Obi Ezeigbo’s first season at Oklahoma State quickly became an opportunity — an opportunity that he seized.

Star Cowboy linebacker Collin Oliver suffered a Jones fracture in OSU’s win over Arkansas, according to his father’s social media, which may end Oliver’s season. The Cowboys called on Ezeigbo to fill his place against the Razorbacks, and he answered, helping OSU’s defense get crunch time stops and keep its pass rush afloat.

Presley

Continued from 1

Now, years later, they’ll see each other near home on a big stage.

“It’s extremely cool because both of them are so competitive with one another,” Montgomery said. “...I mean, they just thrive off one another, so it’ll be cool to see them out on the same field together.”

OSU vs. Tulsa

It won’t be hard for Brennan or Braylin to get up Saturday — it’s another opportunity for them to compete, which the Presleys often do amongst themselves. Especially the brothers.

“It’s the whole family,” Arthur Presley, Brennan and Braylin’s father said. “I mean, they could be looking at the television and being competitive. I’ve seen that. They’re just competitive. That’s how they are.”

Brennan and the Cowboys enter Sat-

Ezeigbo recorded nine tackles, two sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss against Arkansas. One of his sacks was in overtime and pushed Arkansas’ field goal back to a 46-yarder, which it missed.

“It feels good to be able to be trusted to step up at a moment like that,” Ezeigbo said. “Honestly, I was just trying to make every moment count. I want to be able to be that guy that they trust every game, week in, week out. To the point where it is just a no-brainer.”

Ezeigbo, a super senior, spent the first five years of his career at Division II Gannon University. There, he was coached by current OSU defensive coordinator Bryan Nardo, who’s in his second season on the job.

Last year, Ezeigbo posted 54 tackles and 7.5 sacks with the Golden Knights before hitting the transfer portal. OSU swooped in because of Ezeigbo’s prior success and “physical characteristics that we can work with,” Cowboys head coach Mike Gundy said.

But in today’s college landscape dominated by name, image and likeness, the Cowboys also brought in Ezeigbo because they knew they could get him — and the return on investment has been rather good so far.

“You want me to go back into coach talk, or do you want me to tell you the truth?” Gundy asked the media. “The truth? He was very inexpensive. The number of players that we go after that

urday 2-0 after a double-overtime win against Arkansas. Brennan has 126 receiving yards and a team-high two touchdowns this season.

His opponent, Tulsa, is 1-1 and is coming off a 28-24 loss to Arkansas State. Braylin has caught seven passes on the year for 48 yards and scored a rushing touchdown in Week 1 versus Northwestern State.

OSU and Tulsa could each use a win for different reasons. The Cowboys want to remain undefeated before they host Utah, and the Golden Hurricane wish to get back in the win column before conference play.

Brennan and Braylin will each be able to help their teams in an in-state battle on ESPN2 near their hometown. And for the Presley family, it’ll be a house divided Saturday.

“We’re gonna pick up a TU flag and an OSU flag and put them in front of the house,” Arthur said. “...It’s a surreal deal. We’ve talked about it, ‘Like, wow, one on one side and one on the other.’ It’s gonna be something.”

sports.ed@ocolly.com

were ready to play at this level, we can’t afford. So, he was a good buy and a really quality young man.

“He played really well mentally in the fourth quarter and in overtime (against Arkansas) after an extended period of time, which is a pretty good example of why he’s able to move across the country and do well here.”

With no clear sign of when Oliver could return, Ezeigbo should continue to get more opportunities. The Cowboys travel to Tulsa on Saturday for an 11 a.m. game, followed by a home matchup with Utah to open Big 12 play.

“He’s got a lot of work ahead of him,” Gundy said of Ezeigbo, “and I’m certainly glad we have him.”

sports.ed@ocolly.com

institutions in state.

Tulsa

Continued from 1

But both schools and head coaches have shown an interest in maintaining the rivalry.

Without Bedlam, the Cowboys are lacking a yearly rivalry. Oklahoma’s departure to the SEC has left them without that.

For Tulsa, the series provides opportunity. The opportunity to draw record-setting crowds at its 30,000seat venue, ones that TU students, fans and boosters could dream of on a typical Saturday in the heart of AAC play — outside of the series with OSU, Tulsa’s lone home game against a Power Four opponent will be against Arkansas in 2027.

The opportunity to pique the interest of in-state recruits who might not have considered Tulsa beforehand. And the opportunity to keep money from both

“It’s not like we’re paying each other a lot to come over and (play),” Tulsa head coach Kevin Wilson said. “Our venue is maybe not as big when (OSU) comes here, but it is a break for some of their fans (who) travel to Stillwater six, seven, eight times a year.”

On the outside, 70-plus miles separate the campuses of OSU and TU. But on the inside, 70-plus miles separate work and home for a handful of OSU’s players.

And that is the “bigger picture” Oates was referring to.

“It’s just fun to be able to go back and just play in Tulsa,” Beggs native and OSU safety Kendal Daniels said. “I wish we could have played them two years ago, sophomore year, but we didn’t get to. But it’s gonna be fun to just to be able to have all of my friends who have never been able to come to none of my games up here. Just being able to come to those games, and some of my family members, it’s gonna be real fun.”

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Bryson Thadhani

OSU linebacker Obi Ezeigbo

At the time, Hancock strongly fell into the category of continuing on with things as they were.

“We need to continue playing games,” Hancock told The O’Colly in 2001. “I think everything coming to a halt would be exactly what the terrorists want.”

With 23 years to reflect, Hancock has had somewhat of a change of heart, but also stands by what she said.

“Initially, I just wanted to throw a ‘screw you’ back out there, so I think I was probably more in the camp of they can’t stop us from doing what we want to do,” Hancock said. “But honestly, that was a kneejerk reaction. It made a lot more sense for people to not play. Really more in observance of what happened, and we all need to take a pause and recognize that this happened, but it’s not going to ruin the American way of life.”

The Cowgirls’ match against Northwest Louisiana State was postponed and later canceled.

Despite the tragedy, and less importantly, the impact it had on OSU’s season, Hancock and Carmichael knew that

for their team to continue on, they had to discuss the events together.

“Nobody on our team lost anyone directly, so there was none of that first-hand grief, but the empathy was there,” Hancock said.

“It struck a chord with me in a major way, because I’d lost my husband (Will Hancock) in the OSU (Jan. 27, 2001) plane crash, and that was about nine months earlier. So I told the group, I’m very aware of what it feels like to talk to someone that day and say something like, ‘OK, I’ll see you tonight when you get home,’ and then, you know, they don’t come home. I think if you don’t understand that it was a massive event, I think you just don’t have much empathy for people.”

Although the U.S.-based players had a feel of what was going on, the foreign players for the team were receiving phone calls from parents left and right.

“A lot of times there’s not a lot of understanding about how vast the U.S. is,” Carmichael said. “Something happens in New York, and my parents are asking me if I’m OK. It’s almost like another country in Europe.”

The volume of international players increased the confusion level during the attacks and

the following days. Was an international war about to start? Would they be able to get on planes and see their families overseas again?

“If there was another World War, I was worried if I would ever see them again,” Joanne Edwards, a forward on the 2001 team from Liverpool, England, told The O’Colly in 2001. “I was also worried about being able to get home.”

Thankfully, those fears never came true, and players were allowed to fly internationally and go home if they wanted. Once players’ safety was confirmed and a few days passed, life in sports was forced to return to normal.

Teams resumed schedules, got back on planes and moved forward as if nothing changed, even though everyone knew that everything had changed.

Weeks after the tragic events of 9/11, the Cowgirls were back playing their usual schedule, doing their part to distract America from one of the most devastating events in the nation’s history.

“The national anthem got a little louder and things like that for the season,” Hancock said.

“But everyone knows that a part of what you do in the midst of tragedy is just, you know, you have to carry on, and that’s really what the sports world did.”

‘We

want to win the Big 12’ Cowgirls off to hot start as conference play begins

CALIF PONCY STAFF REPORTER @PONCYCALIF

With an unbeaten nonconference mostly in the rearview, No. 15 Oklahoma State is getting ready to delve into its Big 12 schedule starting against Baylor.

The Cowgirls’ roaring start to the season includes road wins against Nebraska and San Diego State and a home win against Oklahoma.

With a veteran-laden group, OSU was expected to improve this season. Despite inevitable internal development and expected strides, the Cowgirls were picked seventh in the Big 12 Preseason Poll, a finish that would now come as a major disappointment.

“We hoped some things, but these guys have come out and proven it,” OSU head coach Colin Carmichael said. “We’re a little bit more mature than last year; we travel better; we’ve done a lot better on the road. We deal with adversity quite well.”

The usual suspects have led the Cowgirls. Xcaret Pineda and Logan Heausler have highlighted a deep group of forwards and midfielders.

Chloe Joseph and Ellie Geoffroy have joined senior defender Mollie Breiner in leading a dominant group of defenders that is one of two units not to allow a goal as of Thursday. But a handful of breakout underclassmen have still taken noticeable leaps and have pushed OSU into the top 15. Gracie Bindbuetel, Joseph, Bella Pierotti, Laudan Wilson, Taryn Thibeau and more have all become crucial members of Carmichael’s unit.

“Last year when you think about

a bunch of those players like Chloe Joseph, Laudan (Wilson), Taryn Thibeau, Lexi Lee, Adhelia Ghonda, these were all freshmen, and they all got thrown into the deep end because we needed them to play high minutes off the bat,” Carmichael said.

“Throughout the spring we saw some development, and we hoped that would be the case, and we have. So far, so good; we’ve been a lot better.”

This mix of youth and experience has the Cowgirls looking like one of the best teams in the Big 12 as the conference looks for a team to replace Texas as one of the consistent contenders in the league.

Heausler leads the team in goals with four, but the Cowgirls attack has been well-balanced to this point, as 10 different goal scorers have etched their names in the statsheet through only seven games.

OSU is the highest-ranked team in the Big 12 at No. 15, with Colorado coming in just a few spots after at No. 18.

The Cowgirls wrap their nonconference schedule this weekend with Texas A&M-Commerce before starting their continuous Big 12 schedule with a top-20 clash with the Buffaloes on Sept. 19 in Stillwater.

The Cowgirls’ strong start is a surprise to those voting in preseason polls, but their arrival among the best in the Big 12 was expected internally, and now OSU has its sights set on higher honors.

“We want to win the Big 12,” Carmichael said. “We understand that’s a heck of a run you have to go on to do that, but that’s our goal; we want to go compete on the top end of the Big 12.” For Baylor match coverage, go to ocolly.com

sports.ed@ocolly.com

How the Boone Pickens Legacy Experience will remember OSU’s significant figure

Anway, he’d always ask him the same question.

“Do I have enough stuff?”

Near the entrance of the Boone Pickens Legacy Experience is a 9-foot-tall portrait of Pickens.

It’s the same photo that Forbes Magazine took of him when he was 88. Pickens loved the photo, and Andrew Anway, the architect and designer of the museum, loves it now.

The portrait encapsulates how the grinning, almost ornery-looking Pickens was still full of life, even at 88.

“We really love it, because it sort of shows him in his prime, but also kind of having this bright smile about him,” Anway said.

Pickens died on Sept. 11, 2019 at 91. Five years ago, Wednesday.

But the new, soon-tobe-open-to-the-public museum on the west side of the stadium with his name across the top of it was made to showcase the full-of-life Pickens, along with his Oklahoma roots, passion for fitness and his philanthropic and political endeavors, among other things.

His contributions to Oklahoma State — including his $165 million donation in 2006, which is still the largest single gift given to an NCAA athletic program —don’t go unnoticed. And this museum only continues that.

The idea, execution Every time Pickens saw

The two-story museum that chronicles Pickens’ childhood, business ventures and personal life does indeed show that Pickens did have enough stuff. “A lot,” Anway said, still isn’t there, as things in the museum may be swapped out over time.

The project has been in the works since late 2017, and Pickens was “very involved” with it in the last few years of his life.

Steps away from Pickens’ Forbes portrait and his backlit signature by the entrance is a theater room, which has a nine-minute video that covers parts of Pickens’ life that are in the museum.

Next is the fitness exhibit, honoring Pickens’ active nature and him championing corporate fitness.

Then, after a walk up the staircase, which is lined with Pickens’ accomplishments — a Time Magazine 2009 Top 100 Edition that Pickens was in and an Oklahoma Hall of Fame certificate, for example — you see his origins. A replica of his childhood home in Holdenville, with audio stations — which are around the museum — where you can literally feel like Pickens is telling you front porch stories of him as a boy.

Throughout the second floor are artifacts and details from his corporate life, political involvement and philanthropic efforts.

And then there’s his office.

Almost dropped in from his Dallas home is an exact geometric replica of Pickens’ office, with his own knick-knacks and wall decor.

Whether it’s a book on anything from Winston Churchill to hunting dogs or political cartoons about Pickens that he kept (and mostly bought the artist’s original copy of), everything in the museum captures Pickens, through and through.

A tribute In the nine-minute film in the theater room, one quote stood out:

“My grandmother told me; she said, ‘Sonny, don’t ever forget where you’ve came from, and always be generous. And I have remembered that,’” Pickens said.

After an $120 million donation from the T. Boone Pickens Foundation in April 2023, his total donations toward OSU are $651 million.

His generosity and commitment to OSU are unmatched.

That generosity and remember-where-you-camefrom ideology that Pickens’ grandmother passed down to him, and it shows even years after his death, which is why it was so important for Anway and Co. to nail the museum.

“This is really a tribute to him, but also an homage to OSU and the values that Boone stood for,” Anway said.

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Courtesy Karen Hancock

Karen Hancock (right) went through tragedy months before 9/11, as her husband, Will Hancock, died in the Jan. 27, 2001, OSU men’s basketball team plane crash.

File Photo

The Boone Pickens Legacy Experience is in on the west side of the stadium named after Pickens.

Daisy Gower

The Cowgirls are looking to keep their momentum heading into the thick of conference play.

As a high school senior in 202223, Francis had offers from Southeast Missouri State, UCO and Drake, along with a slew of other lower-level programs, and was a zero-star recruit. Now, as a redshirt freshman, he is starting for Tulsa.

Francis played at the end of last year but completed only 56% of his passes and threw only six touchdowns and three interceptions. This season, Francis has taken it up a notch. Through two games, he is completing 67% of his passes and has thrown for five touchdowns with only one interception. He has also racked up 598 passing yards and boasts the nation’s 39th-best QBR.

Francis may be an unknown for Cowboy fans, but don’t be surprised if he sends the ball around the field with accuracy and velocity in an efficient manner Saturday.

Game Day Preview

Players to Watch

11, Kirk Francis, QB

3 Storylines

1, Dayne Hodge, S

Can OSU’s o-line rebound?

Coming into the season, OSU’s offensive line was regarded as one of the nation’s best, and for good reason. The unit did a great job of keeping Alan Bowman clean last season and paved the way for Ollie Gordon II to emerge as one of the nation’s best players.

To the surprise of many, OSU’s offensive line was dominated in runblocking situations against Arkansas last week. The struggles of the line were the biggest reason for Gordon’s struggles against the Razorbacks and if the Cowboys want to compete with the best the Big 12 has to offer, they will have to get back to dominating the line of scrimmage.

Perhaps the girth and tonnage of the SEC-bred defensive line of the Razorbacks was too much for the offensive line to handle in the run game, and it will be fine in Big 12 play. But if for whatever reason these struggles bleed over into the Tulsa game, OSU could have a long season ahead of it upfront.

Gordon got a lot of shine coming into this season and rightfully so, but OSU has quietly put together one of the Big 12’s most complete wide receiver corpses.

Brennan Presley is the glue that holds everything together, running sharp routes and getting open in short and mid-yard situations. Rashod Owens is the typical deep threat. With a muscular frame and blazing speed, Owens has shown an ability to beat opposing defenders deep on multiple occasions throughout his career. And then there is De’Zhaun Stribling, the do-it-all transfer from Washington State who has shown to have sticky hands over his few games in a Cowboy uniform outside of a duo of perplexing drops against Arkansas. This deep, experienced room begs one question for Saturday. Who on Tulsa is going to guard these guys?

Will OSU look ahead to Utah?

No disrespect to Tulsa, but OSU has a massive Big 12 opener on the docket next weekend against Utah in the first meeting between the teams as conference mates.

With Tulsa coming into Saturday’s game off a loss to an Arkansas State team that is significantly worse than OSU, it would not be the weirdest thing in the world for the Cowboys to look ahead to the Utes.

OSU has had its share of nonconference issues in recent memory — including a loss to South Alabama last year in a season where the Cowboys would end up winning 10 games — so it isn’t impossible for the Golden Hurricane to pull off the upset.

That being said, OSU isn’t running a three-quarterback system like it was against USA, so Tulsa should be in for a more difficult challenge — as long as the Golden Hurricane has the Cowboys’ undivided attention.

Tulsa’s defense hasn’t been a world-beater through the first two games, but it’s been good enough to hold opponents to less than 30 points.

One of the biggest reasons for that is Hodge, who has 11 tackles and an interception this season and sets the tone on the back end of the Golden Hurricane defense.

Hodge and the secondary have been put in a tough spot this season, as the front seven for Tulsa has generated only two sacks so far, but it has done a good enough job of holding opposing offenses in check to get Tulsa to 1-1.

Hodge’s name being here shouldn’t come as a complete surprise to those who follow Tulsa. He was one of the Golden Hurricane’s best defenders last season, and he is looking to repeat his performance this year.

Francis looking to keep proving people wrong against OSU

REPORTER

In late January 2023, Kirk Francis was still uncommitted.

He had no Division I offers despite being ranked in the top 10 in the nation in high school passing and leading Oklahoma’s 3A division in every category a quarterback could dream of. With signing day approaching, a few schools checked in. Oklahoma State, Iowa State, Cal and Memphis expressed interest but never made an offer. It appeared Francis would be heading to the FCS level — until hometown University of Tulsa swooped in with an offer one day before national signing day.

Since then, Francis has made the most of his opportunity, taking the reigns of the Golden Hurricane offense at the end of last season and establishing himself as the bonafide starter in his redshirt freshman season.

“On the road, top-20 team, a lot of hype, I wondered could he handle it,” Tulsa head coach Kevin Wilson said after Francis’ debut against Tulane last season. “I thought he handled it well. He started playing well, and we just rode with him.”

So far this season, Francis has led the Golden Hurricane to a 1-1 record and was at the helm of a

62-point offensive explosion in Week 1. Francis started the final two games and played in four last season for Tulsa and proved that his zero-star ranking on 247Sports was nothing more than an oversight. No. 13 Oklahoma State has played a pair of dynamic quarterbacks this season in South Dakota State star Mark Gronowski and Arkansas breakout Taylen Green, but Francis provides a different challenge. Gronowski and Green are both difference makers on the ground and often are on the receiving end of designed runs. Gronowski struggled to do much of anything through the air, while Green had success with his arm and legs, as he leaned on his running ability when the Razorbacks needed a big play. Francis is the opposite. Although he can leak out when necessary, he heavily leans on his arm and is unlikely to produce much of anything with his legs against what will likely be the most athletic defense the Golden Hurricane play all season in OSU.

That being said, Francis has a smooth throwing motion and a surprising amount of arm strength for someone playing outside Power Four football. Francis came into the season with a loose grasp on the starting job, but after strong performances in each of his first two games, it appears Tulsa may have its quarterback of the future. sports.ed@ocolly.com

Daniel allen

Both photos by Brett Rojo

Kaytlyn Hayes

Courtesy Utah Athletics

Payton Little

CALIF PONCY STAFF

Snapshots from Osu-arkansas

The Cowboys defeated Arkansas in a doubleovertime victory Saturday, 39-31. Here are some of our staff’s best photos:

TOP LEFT: Xavier Ross and Kam Smith celebrating Smith’s pick six.

TOP RIGHT: Rashod Owens celebrating with fans after the win.

CENTER: Mike Gundy during “The Walk.”

CENTER RIGHT: Brennan Presley posing for a portrait.

CENTER LEFT: Alan Bowman throwing a pass out of the end zone.

BOTTOM LEFT: Cowboy fans in the stands.

BOTTOM RIGHT: Ollie Gordon II posing after a touchdown.

Payton Little

Bryson Thadhani

Kaytlyn Hayes

Kaytlyn Hayes

Kaytlyn Hayes Payton Little

Kaytlyn Hayes

How Daniels’ move to linebacker has bettered OSU’s

Those watching Kendal Daniels were in awe.

Not in a negative context. But rather because of how well Oklahoma State’s redshirt junior handled his nuanced situation.

For his first three seasons of college football, Daniels played as a safety. On Aug. 31, he premiered as one of OSU’s three starting linebackers in the at-thetime No. 17 Cowboys’ seasonopening win against South Dakota State. He recorded tackles and a dropped interception, which his teammates claimed to have teased about afterward.

“Kendal, he looked good,” linebacker Collin Oliver said. “That was his first time playing (linebacker), and I thought he handled it well.”

Daniels checked every metaphorical box as a prospect out of Beggs High School – a consensus top-100 recruit; a former Oklahoma Gatorade Player of the Year; a 2021 All-American Bowl invitee. That led to offers from Texas A&M, Alabama, Georgia, Notre Dame and Oklahoma.

As for OSU’s scouting report on Daniels out of high school: “Basketball player, thin, rail, zero muscle,” head coach Mike Gundy said.

Not words typically earmarked to describe a Power Four starting linebacker. But things change. And Daniels, Gundy said, has embraced his position change in totality.

“We thought this (position change) would happen based

still has a ways to go. The times that we play him (at linebacker) based on what concepts and schemes that we’re going against that week – he’s come a long ways. And again, it’ll be real interesting to see how he develops over the first month.”

As for how Daniels transitioned to his linebacker role so swiftly, it started with extensive and rigorous workouts with strength and conditioning coach Rob Glass for a year-long period. In that span, Daniels added 27 pounds in body weight. Daniels weighed 185 pounds as a senior at Beggs. His listed weight as a freshman was 195. Now, Daniels is listed at 240 and has displayed no signs of his newly-added weight hindering his speed or athleticism in OSU’s first two games.

secondary prospects. Particularly for players who didn’t get much playing time a year ago with Daniels at safety. All of it, secondary members said, has allowed the members to “identify” themselves better as a unit.

“It just makes us all better, really,” safety Cam Epps said. “The coaches feel like Kendal should play linebacker, and that suits him best. And he’s been looking good at linebacker. I don’t think it takes nothing away from our defense. It don’t do nothing but enhance us.”

How has Daniels’ move made the secondary “better,” as Epps said? Well, Epps alone has logged six total tackles through two games. Redshirt junior cornerback Kale Smith, who recorded a pix sick in the Cowboys’ win against Arkansas, has shown promise as a veteran prospect. Dylan Smith has

displayed notable development from his freshman season in 2023 to now, as he’s recorded six total tackles.

More reps have led to visible progression from younger or under-the-radar secondary prospects. Exactly what Daniels said he and OSU’s (2-0) coaching staff had hoped for.

“Kendal, he understands (defensive back); he understands what it is,” cornerback Korie Black said. “So, just him understanding it — so, now he’s kind of like a hybrid, he can cover and be in the box— so, it’s been good. It’s been good for the defense.”

With Gundy recently announcing All-American linebacker Collin Oliver is likely out for the season, Daniels knows he’ll garner an elevated role. But don’t think it will affect him negatively. He says otherwise.

“(Oliver), he’s a game changer,” Daniels said. “We have to step up in the run game and in the pass game, just because of the pressure that he puts on the quarterback. So, a guy like that, you love that guy.

“I love it at linebacker. I love coach Joe Bob (Clements). I love that they’ve invested in me, helped me along the way that I’ve been going. And they’ve worked hard on me. I mess up sometimes, I always do. Everybody’s human. But like, they don’t just (harp on me). It’s a learning experience. I’m learning. I’m getting better as I go. And I work hard... we just all want to succeed as a linebacker group. We want everybody to fear us.”

Bryson Thadhani

Kendal Daniels “loves it” at linebacker, as the redshirt junior has shifted down from safety for the first time in his career.

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