Monday, December 28, 2020
CHEEZ-IT BOWL PREVIEW EDITION
The Cheez-demic Bowl Cowboys prepare for a bowl game during a global pandemic
Chris Becker In a normal year, bowl games are less of an every week game and more of a grand celebration. But 2020 isn’t a normal year. “We’re just so excited to have the opportunity to host these guys and try and give them — in the environment we currently live in — the best possible memory we can for those going off to the next level or those graduating,” Florida Citrus Sports CEO Steve Hogan said. As Oklahoma State prepares for the CheezIt Bowl against Miami, it also has to prepare for the lack of extra events that normally are given in a bowl game. “We knew it was going to be different,” cornerback Jarrick Bernard Converse said. “I feel like it’ll be less of a distraction because when you go down there, you’ve got things you do outside of practice and stuff, but this year, it’s just strictly focused on the game. I feel like that’ll give us an opportunity to stay focused on the game and go out there and try
Rob Ferguson Sep 19, 2020; Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys head coach Mike Gundy motions to fans as he walks on to th
to win.” Even with the Cowboys going fairly unscathed from COVID-19, coach Mike Gundy still wasn’t sure that a bowl game was possible with the uncertainty of the pandemic. “I’m a little bit shocked, with all that was taking place in the latter part of July,” Gundy said. “I felt good about the season in April, May and June. I started to get con-
cerned with everything that was going on across the country in July. “And then once we got to the middle of the season, and so many teams started having issues with the virus, I started to have some more concerns. But for us to be able to finish the season, and now be able to be playing a bowl game. I know it’s only a one-day trip, but it still gives our play-
ers a chance to compete against a very, very good football team With the teams getting through the regular season and conference championships, bowl games still weren’t guaranteed with multiple teams deciding not to play anymore despite receiving invites. “Our team made the decision to move forward and play, and we were excited about
that,” Gundy said. “I’m a strong believer that we finish what we start, so I was happy that the team wanted to stay together and get three or four more practices to get, and then have an opportunity to play in the bowl game.” Although the bowl game circumstances aren’t the same, it can be seen as a miracle that the college football season even reached bowl season. Less than five months ago, the season was up in the air due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but with a few bumps along the way, the football season made it to the end. The Cowboys were able to get through the season without having to cancel or postpone a game to any fault of their own. Only two of the teams games were moved both due to issues with their opponents. “It’s very disciplined of us and the team to stay away from the Covid,” linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez said. “We did a very good job of getting to play every week. Some teams were unfortunate enough to not be able to play. It was just a privilege to be able to play every week.” sports.ed@ocolly.com
Cheez It-Bowl: Matchups to watch Ben Hutchens Tylan Wallace vs. DJ Ivey It will be the final time Tylan Wallace suits up for the Oklahoma State Cowboys, but it will not be the final football game Cowboy fans get to watch Tylan Wallace play. For Wallace, it could very well be a grand exit as he begins his new career in the NFL. Wallace is the second highest graded player according to Pro Football Focus in the game, while the player he will line up against, DJ Ivey, landed outside the top 25. With the number of injuries Wallace has sustained in his college career, nobody would bat an eye if he decided to sit the bowl game out, but that’s not the kind of man Wallace is. Regardless of what pregame playlist Ivey listens to, Wallace is going to have an edge in motivation. Spencer Sanders vs. D’Eriq King Although they won’t be lining up opposite one another, this is the matchup that will doubtlessly influence the game the most. On paper, both quarterbacks are similar players, with only two inches and three pounds separating their measurements. Both players are dual-threats, with King having run for almost 4,000 yards over his five-year college career. The turnover margin will likely be a key factor in deciding who wins the quarterback matchup, and coincidentally, the game. In only seven full games, Sanders has been intercepted eight times. King has been intercepted five times across 10 games. Kasey Dunn vs. Blake Barker We are used to young people with little experience becoming the hero of bowl games, but rarely do those heroes sit in a skybox sipping cans of Redbull. That is the case with OSU’s first-year offensive coordinator, Kasey Dunn. He will be pulling the strings of OSU’s talented offense and attempting to outmaneuver Miami’s second-year defensive coordinator Blake Barker. Barker coordinated the Canes to the No. 13 team in total defense a season ago but will have a lot of obstacles to deal with in the Cheez-It Bowl. The Miami defense will be without star defensive ends, Quincy Roache and Jaelen Phillips, who are sitting out to prepare for the NFL draft.
Brian Bahr and File Photos