Friday, December 31, 2021
An update on requests Anna Pope News Editor The O’Colly ran this story earlier in the month. Since then, Oklahoma State has fulfilled The O’Colly’s request filed on Oct. 22. The O’Colly filed an Open Records request asking for a public record to Oklahoma State last semester. Although the Oklahoma Open Records Act does not have a specific timeline for a public body to fulfill a request, the entity is required to provide prompt and reasonable access to its records, according to the the act. Editors and writers from The O’Colly have reached out to university officials checking in on the request during it’s delay. The Open Records Act exists “to ensure and facilitate the public’s right of access to and review of government records so they may efficiently and intelligently exercise their inherent political power,” § 24A.2. This includes certain school and university records. Blake Douglas, editor-in-chief at the OU Daily, the University of Oklahoma’s student newspaper, published a piece on the delays the OU Daily experienced earlier in the semester, along side a Twitter thread. See Requests on 5B
Many Oklahomans experienced a warm Christmas.
File photo
Summer and spring temperatures appear during fall and winter months
Anna Pope News Editor
Abby Cage Oklahoma State has fulfilled the Open Records request The O’Colly filed on Oct. 22.
Oklahoma State students share New Year’s resolutions
Oklahoma is experiencing warm temperatures around the holiday season but some parts of the state, including Stillwater, may have cold temperatures on New Years Day. Unseasonably warm temperatures in Oklahoma caused many people to have a warm Christmas, and reportingly, it was the warmest and driest December month on record. Although some places in the state experienced summer and springlike temperatures in December, warm and dry weather was an extended pattern in November, according to the Oklahoma Mesonet. The Mesonet is a network of stations that monitor the environment across the state. There are at least one station in each Oklahoma county, according to its website. Mesonet said in a statement, the Oklahoma’s average precipitation total from the month of November was 0.82 inches. This is 1.5 inches below normal, according to the network. Additionally in the statement, Mesonet said the statewide average temperature for November was 51 degrees and that this is 1.6 degrees above normal. Even though drought impacts like fire danger and soil moisture reduction increased in month there was still severe weather. On Nov. 10, hail, wind and tornados hit central and northeastern Oklahoma. “Four tornadoes touched down in northeastern Oklahoma that night, raising 2021’s preliminary total to 60. The annual average tornado total for Oklahoma is 57.2, based on data from 1950 to 2020,” according to the network.
news.ed@ocolly.com
A common New Year’s resolution is more exercise.
ID-19 variants, he is optimistic that 2022 will be the end of COVID. “I don’t think any of us expected COVID to go on this long,” Webster said. “The vaccine made a lot of progress this year, which was Dru Norton good. I know coronavirus won’t ever just disappear, but I’m looking Lifestyle Editor forward to finally moving past it next year and living normally.” Every year, millions of AmerCelecia Price, hospitality and icans make New Year’s resolutions. tourism management sophomore, Some hope to lose weight, learn a said her resolutions are to read new skill or save money. more and have a healthy lifestyle. For accounting senior “I want to have a healthy Spencer Webster, his resolution mind and body, but not overly is simple: spend more time with obsessive over being healthy,” Price friends and family. said. “I also want to start reading “I think we all endured a more often, whether it’s random lot during COVID,” Webster said. books or the Bible. I just want to “I realized I took so many things start taking the time to read more and people for granted. This year, because I really enjoy it.” I want to spend more time with Price is also looking forward friends and family to make up for to a special event in 2022: her wedthat lost time.” ding day. Webster said although he is “I’m getting married to my concerned about the recent COVbest friend in June 2022,” Price
Danielle Cerullo
said. “I can’t wait, it’s all I can ever think about. Next year will definitely be exciting.” Mechanical engineering junior Chase Parker is following through with his New Year’s resolution of traveling more by visiting New York City in June 2022. “It will be my first time in New York, I’m so excited,” Parker said. “I’m going with friends and we’re staying in a hotel in Times Square. ” Parker said he knows one thing for sure: next year will be better. “I think we all should focus on living life to the fullest,” Parker said. “Take a chance on new experiences. If there is anything we have learned in the past two years with COVID, it’s that.”
Inside... Steering.................................................................3B The steering committee is chosen to make improvements to Oklahoma State’s system.
COVID...................................................................5B The O’Colly news section covered a large amount of content this year, but here are some news highlights.
Spider-Man...........................................................3B To Jaden Besteda, “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” is Marvel’s best film.
Library.................................................................4B
Local legislatures will attend the “Meet Your Legislators” event.
entertainment.ed@ocolly.com
Page 2B Friday, December 31, 2021
O’Colly
Page 2
Photo of the year: Abby Smith
OSU celebrated its Centennial Homecoming in 2021, complete with the tradition of dying the fountain orange.
album of the year:
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Sour By Olivia Rodrigo Olivia Rodrigo’s debut album SOUR topped Spotify’s charts this year. Globally, it is the most streamed album on the streaming service.
Editorial board
Reporters/photographers
Editor-in-chief Chris Becker editorinchief@ocolly.com
Assistant sports editor Sam Hutchens sports.ed@ocolly.com
News editor Anna Pope news.ed@ocolly.com
Design editor Karisa Sheely design.ed@ocolly.com
Lifestyle editor Dru Norton entertainment.ed@ocolly.com
Photo editor Abby Cage photo.ed@ocolly.com
Sports editor Dean Ruhl sports.ed@ocolly.com
Adviser John Helsley john.helsley@okstate.edu
Sports reporters: Adam Engel Ben Hutchens Sudeep Tumma Davis Cordova Calif Poncy Ashton Slaughter Daniel Allen Gabriel Trevino Jarron Davis Gavin Pendergraff Kaleb Tadpole
Newsroom
108 Paul Miller Stillwater, OK 74078 (405)-744-6365
News reporters: Alli Putman Luisa Clausen Jake Sellers Sierra Walton Rachel Williamson Teyte Holcomb Kylie Hammack Dru Norton Mak Vandruff Reagan Glass Stephen Stumpf Lifestyle writers: Dru Norton Bryanna Nickel
Emmett McKeel Jadyn Betesda Kendall Suess Mak Vandruff Rowdy Baribeau Photographers: Jaiden Daughty Braden King Branson Evans Habbie Colen Abby Smith Alicia Young Ali Isabell Alex Hernandez
O’Colly
Friday, December 31, 2021 Page 3B
News
Steering strategies
Willistean Bennett Steering committee members are picked to help create a strategy for Oklahoma State’s system.
gineering, Architecture and Technology: Paul Tikalsky, PhD Dean, Honors College: Keith Garbutt, PhD Immediate past chair, Anna Pope Faculty Council: Gina Peek, PhD News Editor Immediate past chair, Staff Advisory Council: Made up OSU faculty, Tashia Cheeves staff and two students, OklaVice President, Student homa State has selected a Affairs: Doug Hallenback, steering committee intended PhD to better the university’s Manager, Career Sersystem. vices in Athletics: Jawauna OSU President Kayse Harding Shrum announced in NoDirector, School of vember that OSU will listen Healthcare Administration: people in the university’s James (Jim) Hess, EdD community to make a plan Associate Vice Presifor the university’s future. dent, Institutional Research Shrum also said the univerand Analytics: Christie sity will form committees to Hawkins, PhD help move this process along. Graduate student: StaNow, university ofcie Warner ficials have selected the Undergraduate student: members. Jack Edwards Steering Committee: When the university Co-chair and Interim returns from winter break, Provost, Jeanette Mendez, groups will be formed to PhD gather data and focus on Co-chair and Senior topics. Then they will draft Vice President of Operations, a plan. Jerome Loughridge “From May through Associate Provost: August, the committees will Chris Ormsbee, PhD construct a strategy that will Vice President, Dean go before the OSU A&M and Director, Division of Board of Regents for approvAgricultural Sciences and al and launch in September,” Natural Resources: Tom Shrum said. Coon, PhD news.ed@ocolly.com Dean, College of En-
“Spider-Man: No Way Home” is a Marvel Masterpiece
In “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” audiences will see Spider-Man leap off bridges and swing through towering buildings.
Jaden Besteda Staff Reporter
through the screen. Considering the film is an accumulation of all the previous Spider-Man films, it is only fair to compare them. How can Marvel’s most hyped In “No Way Home,” Zendaya plays MJ, film manage to exceed expectations? the best love interest to Peter Parker That’s a question that many film goers we have seen since Emma Stone’s and critics will ask themselves for years character, Gwen Stacy in “The Amazto come. “Spider-Man: No Way Home” ing Spider-Man” franchise. This time is, without a doubt, Marvel’s best film around, MJ is more of a full-fledged and may become one we can look back character than she was in the previous on and enjoy even more. two films in this trilogy. The same thing At its core, “No Way Home” is can be said for Jacob Batalon’s characa movie built on the main characters’ ter, Ned Leeds. relationships and that separates it from Aunt May has progressively gotten any other Spider-Man flick to date. Tom younger with each Spider-Man franchise Holland’s character Peter Parker and and acquires more screen time each the supporting cast are genuine charac- movie. May has a pivotal role to play in ters in the film. Viewers can feel each this film and director Jon Watts makes character’s individual bond with Peter key decisions with her. This aspect may
HIMALAYAN GROCERY STORE
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be divisive for some viewers. However, her relationship with Peter is one of the many highlights this movie has to offer. There are plenty of villains in this movie and I can’t believe how they pulled it off. Five villains return, some getting more burn than others. If you are familiar with the marketing, it should come as no surprise that Green Goblin, Dock Ock and Electro have the most screen time out of the five. Still, Sandman and Lizard have fun scenes that improve on their previous iterations. Jamie Foxx delivers some of the film’s funniest lines and you can see he is enjoying a second go at playing Electro. See Spider-Man on 8B
BE DEFINITE!
It has been a number of years ago that the Lord Jesus challenged me to be definite in making myself available to him. I was attending church regularly. My wife and I were giving to the work of God. We were not doing anything that would be considered wrong in the eyes of God. I thought I was available to Christ. As I prayed about this, I felt the Lord wanted me to spend more consistent time with him. I decided to get up each morning and spend an hour in prayer and in the Bible. The first morning when I knelt at the living room couch, I went to sleep. What a commitment! However, I did not give up. The next morning with my Bible in hand, I walked back and forth across the living room praising, praying and reading the Bible. I was being definite, not perfect, but definite.
Tribune News Service Absentee ballot applications for 2022 election year are available.
Absentee ballot applications available
Anna Pope News Editor If voters wish to vote by an absentee ballot, absentee ballot applications for 2022 election year are available. Although some Oklahoma State students travel to their polling places, some vote absentee. Casting absentee ballot The new deadline to request an absentee ballot in Oklahoma is 15 days before an election at sometime before 5 p.m. Voters can get these ballots through the OK Voter Portal, State Election Board website or through a County Election Board. Voters can apply by mail or online. Absentee ballots can be requested by any registered voter for one or all elections in the state. These ballots can be casted through the mail or in person. In Oklahoma, it is not necessary to give a reason to vote absentee, but there are some voter who may qualify for special conditions. Although there are types of absentee ballots, voters, no matter the type of ballot or how they vote, must provide proof of identity under state law. Voter may prove their identity by: - Showing photo identification given by federal government, state government or a federally recognized tribal government. - Presenting a county election board voter identification card. - Or an affidavit a with a provisional ballot. Next elections in Payne County will be on Feb. 8, 2022. The City of Stillwater will be holding it’s mayoral race and two propositions will be on the ballot. Also on this date, there is a proposition on the ballot for Ripley Public Schools and Cushing Public Schools. For February elections absentee ballots must be received before Jan. 24, 2022 at 5 p.m. Other counties will also be holding elections, for more information, visit the Oklahoma State Election Board’s website.
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King David said, “My heart says of you (God), ‘Seek his Face! Your face, Lord, I will seek.’ (Ps.27:8) David was a man after God’s own heart. He certainly was not perfect, but one who sought after and followed God. Being definite with God has such great reward. He is the Good Shepherd that will faithfully lead our lives into the best and lasting way. As the Lord challenges our lives in various areas of obedience and service, It is so important to be definite; to be clear, to be wholehearted. Go all the way, and do that thing(s) you are challenged to do. Don’t compromise! Possibly God is challenging you about a definite time in prayer and in scripture. Maybe it is in giving; not just occasionally, but often and consistently Maybe it is Christian service; helping is mission work; worthwhile projects. Go for it! Be definite. You will find God definite, and there will be lasting fruit and satisfaction.
Page 4B Friday, December 31, 2021
O’Colly
Lifestyle
22 events to look forward to in 2022 at OSU
Best holiday side dishes
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Deviled eggs are a classic complimentary dish to any meal.
Dru Norton Lifestyle Editor
Alicia Young The McKnight Center for the Performing Arts at Oklahoma State University is hosting many events in 2022.
Ellen Slater Staff Reporter For OSU students looking to branch out and try something new, here is a list of events: some off-campus, some on-campus, some random and some expected. These are 22 events to keep in mind this 2022 spring semester. Jan. 1- Fiesta Bowl OSU vs. Notre Dame Jan. 3- OSU Student Union Activities Board releases their 2022 schedule Jan. 14- OSU Spirit Jazz Choir Concert at McKnight Center for the Performing Arts Jan. 15- Randall King Live at The Tumbleweed Jan. 16- MLK Day Celebration at Stillwater Community Center Jan. 21- Kolton Moore and the Clever Few concert at Tumbleweed Dance Hall
The holidays are a time for togetherness. A break to reunite with friends and family to celebrate and give gifts. However, there is an important aspect of the holidays that can never be neglected: food. Whether you are a fan of mashed potatoes, green beans, macaroni or casserole, here are the top 5 side dishes to savor during the holidays: 1. Cherry fluff This quick and easy no bake dessert is a perfect side dish to any holiday meal. Family and friends are guaranteed to come back for seconds of this delightful treat from allrecipes.com. Ingredients: 21 ounces of cherry pie filling 14 ounce can of sweet condensed milk 20 ounce can crushed pineapple, drained 8 ounce container frozen whipped topping, thawed. 2 cups mini marshmallows Instructions: Combine the first four ingredients in a large bowl and fold in the remaining ingredients. Refrigerate for one hour before serving. 2. Sausage balls At any holiday gathering, cheesy sausage balls are a musthave side dish. Paired with a honey mustard or Sriracha sauce, this recipe from allrecipes.com satisfies every taste bud. Ingredients:
1 pound pork sausage 2 cups biscuit baking mix 1 pound sharp cheddar cheese, shredded Instructions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine sausage, biscuit baking mix and cheese. Form into walnut sized balls and place on baking sheets. Then, bake in a preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown and sausage is cooked through. 3. Deviled Eggs Deviled eggs are a classic complementary dish to any entrée. However, each recipe varies. This easy recipe from simplyrecipes. com is sure to indulge all holiday party-goers. Ingredients: 12 large eggs 2 teaspoons dijon mustard ⅓ cup mayonnaise 1 tablespoon minced onion Salt and pepper ¼ teaspoon Tabasco sauce Paprika Instructions: Start with hard-boiled eggs, then peel and cut each egg in half. Next, de-yolk the eggs by gently scooping the yolk out. With the yolk filling in a bowl, mix mayonnaise, dijon mustard, onion, salt, pepper and Tabsasco in a bowl using a whisk. Then, use a spoon to fill the eggs with the yolk mixture. 4. Corn casserole This casserole never fails to be the one of the most enticing side dishes during any holiday gathering. This recipe from tastesoflizzyt.com creates a corn casserole that serves as a comfort food and the perfect side dish. Ingredients: 1 can of corn, drained 1 can of creamed corn
mix
1 cup of sour cream 1 stick of melted butter 1 box of Jiffy Corn Muffin
Instructions: Throw all ingredients into a bowl and mix up. Then, transfer the mixture into a greased 8x8 baking pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. 5. Candied walnut salad Every holiday dinner needs a side dish with a little green, and a candied walnut salad is the perfect way to provide a healthy option with a sweet finish. This recipe from allrecipes.com combines cranberries and candied walnuts for the perfect amount of savory and sweetness. Paired with the tanginess of the raspberry vinaigrette, the salad is a go-to for every holiday occasion. Ingredients: ½ cup walnut halves 3 cups mixed greens ½ cup dried cranberries ½ cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese 1 tablespoon raspberry vinaigrette 1 tablespoon white vinegar 1 tablespoon olive oil Instructions: Place walnuts and sugar in a skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves into a light brown liquid and coats the walnuts. Remove walnuts from the skillet, and spread them out on a sheet of aluminum foil to cool. Place in a large salad bowl the mixed greens, cranberries, cheese, vinaigrette, vinegar and olive oil. Toss gently, then add candied walnuts and toss again.
entertainment.ed@ocolly.com
Public library to hold forum with legislators
Jan. 24, Research on Tap at Iron Monk Brewery Jan. 29- Sarah Coburn in Concert at McKnight Center for the Performing Arts Jan. 30- OSU Theatre presents Winter Dance Concert at Seretean Center for the Performing Arts Jan. 30- Cello Fest Concert at McKnight Center for the Performing Arts Feb. 11- Blacklight Glow Climb at Colvin Recreation Center Feb. 14- Bernadette Peters concert at McKnight Center for the Performing Arts Feb. 19- STOMP show at McKnight Center for the Performing Arts Feb. 20- Basketball Bedlam at Gallagher Iba Arena Feb. 22- OSU Jazz Ensemble and Jazz Orchestra at McKnight Center for the Performing Arts Feb. 24- National Geographic Speaker Series: Greenwood at McKnight Center for the Performing Arts March 10- The Philadelphia Orchestra at McKnight Center for the Performing Arts March 25- First home OSU baseball game of the season at O’Brate Stadium April 9- Oklahoma’s Craft Beer Forum at OSU Human Sciences Building April 16- Remember the Ten Run at Gallagher Iba Arena April 28-30- Calf Fry Festival at the Tumbleweed May 14- Stillwater Wine & Craft Festival at Payne County Expo Center
entertainment.ed@ocolly.com
File photo The Stillwater Public Library and the League of Women Voters will host an event where a people can ask local legislators questions.
express there views and are asked questions by the audience,” Allred said. The local candidates who represent the Stillwater community participating in the forum will Anna Pope include: - Rep. Ty Burns from DisNews Editor trict 35 - Rep. Trish Ranson from Gladeen Allred will moder- District 34 ate the “Meet Your Legislators” - Sen. John Talley from event like she did last year. District 33 The Stillwater Public Li- Sen. Tom Dugger from brary and the League of Women District 21 Voters, a nonpartisan organization Because of the state’s redisthat encourages citizen participa- tricting, Allred said the organization in government, partner to tion invited Sen. Chuck Hall. Hall bring an annual form where local will be representing the west part legislators update the public and of Stillwater but he had a schedthe audience provides questions. uling conflict and will not be in This year the forum will be Jan. attendance. 13 at 6 p.m. and can be accessed In the forum the legislators from two virtual platforms. are anticipated to highlight their Allred, former president priories for the upcoming Oklaof the league in Stillwater and a homa legislative session and have current board member, said this is questions from the public. not the only education event the “If people are listening and organization holds. want to ask a question, they can “We have educational ask a question on Zoom,” Allred forums to educate the public on said. “In real-time they can ask issues and the we have candidates questions or submit them in adforums in which the candidates vance.”
For Allred, having events like these are important because she said the public must have the opportunity to get to know the people who represent them. Like many events, this forum used to be held in person but because of the COVID-19 pandemic it has been moved online. “It’s important for them (citizens) to hear what their (the legislators) priorities are,” Allred said. “The legislators can talk about bills they’ve sponsored, things they want to sponsor in the upcoming legislative session and for them to have interaction with their legislators. Not just read their columns in the paper, but actually communicate with them.” Community members can submit questions before the event via the registration form or by emailing askalibrarian@stillwater. org. People may register for the event through the library or watch it live from the library’s Facebook page.
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O’Colly
Friday, December 31, 2021 Page 5B
Lifestyle
Fauci warns of complacency with virus set to fill hospitals
Chief Medical Adviser to the President, Dr. Anthony Fauci is also the Direct of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
Ben Bain Bloomberg News
severity, that might kind of neutralize the positive effect of having less severity,” said Fauci, who leads the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Americans should stay vigilant Preliminary data from Scotland against the omicron variant despite shows that omicron “is associated with a evidence its symptoms may be less two-thirds reduction in the risk of COsevere because the volume of cases can VID-19 hospitalization when compared to still overwhelm hospitals, President Joe delta.” However, the same study showed Biden’s top medical adviser said Sunday. that it was 10 times more likely than “The issue that we don’t want to get delta to infect people who’d already had complacent about, Jon, is that when you COVID-19. have such a high volume of new infecNew daily omicron infections in tions it might override a real diminution the U.S. have surpassed those in the in severity,“ Anthony Fauci told ABC’s delta wave, CNN reported. U.S. airlines Chief Washington Correspondent Jonascrapped almost 1,900 flights for the than Karl on “This Week.” holiday weekend because of personnel “So that if you have many, many, shortages linked to a spike in cases. many more people with a less level of Meanwhile, China reported the
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highest number of local infections since January and France had a daily record of more than 100,000 new cases. Since the start of the pandemic, cases globally have now surpassed 279 million. The Biden administration is focused on making sure that “we don’t get an overrun on hospitals, particularly in those regions in which you have a larger proportion of unvaccinated individuals,” Fauci said. Fauci’s comments come as the administration faces criticism over a shortage of at-home rapid tests. Last week, Biden said he had used wartime powers to advance the production of a billion more test kits.
Requests... Continued from 1B He said before his story and thread was published, the OU Daily experienced delays from OU’s Office of Open Records on anything. “It would be single-page documents would take a year and a half to be produced,” Douglas said. Douglas said the longest outstanding request he has filed at the OU Daily is a year and six months. Since the story’s publication, Douglas said OU’s response time on the requests has improved. After an eight-month study was done at the beginning of 2020, OSU launched an online system openrecords. okstate.edu to make a request for public records on Nov. 8. Shannon Rigsby, OSU’s manager of media relations/ communications, said this change was made to better the process of getting a public record. “While we felt like our system was working overall, it was essentially, well, exclusively email-based,” Rigsby said. “So, that created difficulties with oversight, it wasn’t centralized, it was hard to track things down.” There are currently 12 requests in the system, Rigsby said. The university did a soft opening in November, emailing some users. Rigsby said this was because they wanted to see how the platform worked. The O’Colly was notified about the system on Dec. 9.
Top movies coming in 2022 news.ed@ocolly.com
news.ed@ocolly.com
Dru Norton Lifestyle Editor After a year of watching movies on streaming services, movie theaters have gradually reopened and blockbusters are back on the big screen. From highly anticipated films “The Batman”, “Lightyear” and “Avatar 2”, these are the top movies to see in theaters in 2022: January Jan. 11: “Scream” - Thriller Courtney Cox, Neve Campbell Jan. 28: “Morbius” - Drama Jared Leto, Adria Arjona February Feb. 4: “Jackass Forever” - Comedy - Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O Feb. 4: “Moonfall” - Thriller Halle Berry, Patrick Wilson Feb. 11: “Death on the Nile” Drama - Kenneth Branagh, Gal Gadot Feb. 11: “Marry Me” - Comedy - Jennifer Lopez, Owen Wilson Feb. 18: “Uncharted” - Action Tom Holland, Mark Wahlberg Feb. 18: “Dog” - Comedy - Channing Tatum, Jane Adams Feb. 25: “The Devil’s Light” - Thriller - Virginia Madsen, Colin Salmon Feb. 25: “The Outfit” - Drama Dylan O’Brien, Zoey Deutsch March March 4: “The Batman” - Action - Robert Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz March 11: “Turning Red” - Family - Rosalie Chiang, Sandra Oh March 18: “The Unbreakable Boy” - Drama - Zachary Levi, Amy Acker March 18: “Downton Abbey: A New Era” - Drama - Dominic West, Laura Haddock March 25: “The Lost City” Comedy - Sandra Bullock, Daniel Radcliffe April April 1: “Easter Sunday” - Comedy - Jimmy O. Yang, Tiffany Haddish April 8: “Ambulance” - Action Jake Gyllenhaal, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II April 8: “Sonic the Hedgehog 2” - Comedy - Ben Schwartz, James Marsden April 15: “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore” - Fantasy - Eddie Redmayne, Jude Law April 22: “The Bad Guys” - Family - Awkwafina, Craig Robinson April 22: “The Northman” -
Pixar releases first ‘Lightyear’ trailer. Buzz Lightyear, originally voiced by Tim Allen, will now be voiced by Chris Evans.
Action - Anya Taylor-Joy, Alexander Skarsgård April 22: “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent” - Action Nicolas C age, Pedro Pascal April 29: “65” - Sci-Fi - Ariana Greenblatt, Adam Driver May May 6: “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” - Action Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen May 6: “Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris” - Drama - Jason Isaacs, Lesley Manville May 20: “DC League of SuperPets” - Adventure - Kevin Hart, Keanu Reeves May 20: “Legally Blonde 3” Comedy - Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Coolidge May 27: “Bob’s Burger Movie” - Comedy - H. Jon Benjamin, Kristen Schaal May 27: “Top Gun: Maverick” Action - Tom Cruise, Miles Teller June June 10: “Jurassic World: Dominion” - Action - Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard June 17: “Lightyear” - Family Chris Evans, Taika Waititi June 17: “Oh Hell No” - Comedy Jack Black, Ice Cube June 24: “The Black Phone” Horror - Ethan Hawke, Jeremy Davies June 24: “Elvis” - Biography Austin Butler, Tom Hanks June 24: “Where the Crawdads Sing” - Mystery - Daisy Edgar-Jones, Garret Dillahunt June 29: “Shotgun Wedding” Romance - Josh Duhamel, Jennifer
Lopez July July 1: “Minions: The Rise of Gru” - Family - Steve Carell, Lucy Lawless July 8: “Thor: Love and Thunder” - Action - Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman July 22: “Nope” - Thriller - Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer July 29: “Black Adam” - Action Dwayne Johnson, Noah Centineo August Aug. 12: “Bros” - Comedy - Billy Eichner, Luke Macfarlane Aug. 12: “The Man from Toronto” - Comedy - Jason Statham, Kevin Hart Aug. 12: “Secret Headquarters” Family - Owen Wilson, Michael Peña Aug. 19: “Beast” - Thriller - Idris Elba, Sharlto Copley Aug. 26: “Samaritan” - Action Sylvester Stallone, Martin Starr Aug. 31: “On a Wing and a Prayer” - Drama - Heather Graham, Jesse Metcalf September Sept. 9: “Salem’s Lot” - Horror Alfre Woodard, Spencer Treat Clark Sept. 16: “Distant” - Romance Anthony Ramos, Naomi Scott Sept. 16: “The Woman King” Historical Drama - Viola Davis, Lashana Lynch Sept. 16: “White Bird: A Wonder Story” - Drama - Gillian Anderson, Helen Mirren Sept. 23: “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” - Family - Antonio Banderas, Chris Miller Sept. 23: “Don’t Worry Darling” Thriller - Florence Pugh, Olivia Wilde Sept. 30: “Mission Impossible
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7” - Adventure - Tom Cruise, Rebecca Ferguson October Oct. 7: “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Part One)” - Action Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfield Oct. 14: “Halloween Ends” - Horror - Jamie Lee Curtis, Judy Greer Oct. 21: “Ticket to Paradise” - Comedy - Julia Roberts, George Clooney November Nov. 4: “The Flash” - Action Ezra Miller, Michael Keaton Nov. 11: “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” - Action - Angela Bassett, Lupita Nyong’o Nov. 18: “Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile” Adventure - Javier Bardem, Constance Wu Nov. 18: “She Said” - Drama Carey Mulligan, Zoe Kazan Nov. 23: “The Fablemans” - Coming-of-age - Michelle Williams, Seth Rogen December Dec. 2: “Violent Night” - Thriller - David Harbour Dec. 16: “Avatar 2” - Adventure Sam Worthingon, Zoe Saldana Dec. 16: “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” - Action - Jason Momoa, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II Dec. 21: “Super Mario Bros.” Adventure - Chris Pratt, Anya TaylorJoy Dec. 23: “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” - Biography - Stanley Tucci, Tamara Tunie Dec. 25: “Babylon” - Drama Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie entertainment.ed@ocolly.com
Page 6B Friday, December 31, 2021
News O’Colly News
year in review Jan. 25 ‘Why not me?’: OSU student petitions for shot at vacant university president job
Feb. 16 Stillwater was currently colder than Alaska
march 30 ‘From Tragedy to Triumph’: Former OSU football player Reuben Gant aims to educate people about Greenwood
may 6 For real this time: 2020 grads return to campus for official graduation
aug. 26 Shifting Stance: OSU again tweaks guidance for faculty, staff and students
Sept. 20 Making room: Stillwater may be an option for refugees
Nov. 11
April 8 Shrum named OSU president
June 7 OSU releases Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force update
Aug. 26 A T Ωut : ATΩ is out of America’s Greatest Homecoming
Oct. 12 Still dreaming: Aviation trailblazer Wally Funk returns to Stillwater
OSU students hold Julius Jones rally
Nov. 18
Dec. 2
OSU’s religious exemption on vaccine regulation
Lil partner: How a 4-year-old became an OSU celebrity
dec. 8 DEc. 9 Delays on requests
OSU suspends vaccine requirement
O’Colly
O’Colly
Friday, December 31, 2021 Page 7B
Classifieds
FOR RELEASE DECEMBER 31, 2021
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle
Houses For Rent Business Squares Church Meetings Spacious 1100 sq. ft. 2 bedroom home. Recently remodeled, Wood floors, CH/A, Nice yard. 2214 E. 6th Ave., Scarlett bus route. 405-372-7107
“The Original Hideaway, located on the corner of Knoblock and University. Serving quality pizza and more since 1957.”
Business Squares Come check out the wide variety of elegant clothing at Formal Fantasy! Located on 121 E. 9th Ave, Downtown Stillwater The best selection of beer, wine and liquor that Stillwater has to offer! Perfect for all your game day needs, come to Brown’s Bottle Shop located on 128 N. Main $100/year parking on East side of Campus, near Eskimo Joe’s. Call Salem Luteran at 405-372-3074 and leave message.
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Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis
ACROSS 1 Feel compassion (for) 5 Uncomfortable spot 8 Focus on winning a contest? 13 Arctic trout 14 Word with rock or rain 16 “The Thunder Dragon Kingdom” 17 Magazine article? 19 Pitching in 20 Egyptian leader before Sadat 21 Hockey trophy namesake 23 Go (for) 24 Magazine employee? 28 Fail to hold it together 30 Iris part 31 Japanese national sport 32 Enter noisily 35 Swear 37 Magazine revenue? 40 Submit 43 FBI director before Comey 46 Atomic theory pioneer 47 Blues and Jazz, e.g. 50 Days of anticipation 52 Magazine ad? 56 “__ had enough!” 57 Supreme Court appointee between Stevens and Scalia 58 Firm up 60 Captures 61 Magazine founders? 64 See to 65 Shaving mishap 66 Chip in? 67 Baker’s starter component 68 Look at intently 69 Certain survivor’s malady, for short DOWN 1 Commercial imperative 2 Growing fad? 3 Pet with cheek pouches
12/31/21
By Joe Deeney
4 “__ Tu”: 1974 hit 5 Democratic Republic of the Congo, once 6 __ the kicker: call a time-out moments before a field goal attempt 7 Facial spasm 8 Overseas county 9 Like Leeds Castle, architecturally 10 Contested 11 Coerced payments 12 Lang. of Belize 15 Passed out 16 Sight in the skies above Gotham 18 Cheerleading asset 22 Blues-rocker Chris 25 Role for Ronny 26 Remain undecided 27 “I was being sarcastic!” 29 Sources of juice 33 Fielder prefix 34 False purpose 36 __ Aviv 38 First year of the next millennium
Thursday’s Puzzle Solved
©2021 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
39 Get rid of 40 Robin Roberts’ network 41 Solar eclipse phenomena 42 Certain MexicanAmerican 44 Clear 45 Goes back 48 WWII command 49 Protective garment
12/31/21
51 Intuited 53 Prepared to speak to a tot, maybe 54 Fail in the clutch 55 Chewie’s pal 59 Gather 60 Short 62 Treat on March 14 63 Not very welcoming
Daily Horoscope
Nancy Black Tribune Content Agency Linda Black Horoscopes (TNS) Today’s Birthday (12/31/21). Stash extra abundance this year. Your disciplined efforts build lucrative momentum. Inspiration illuminates winter plans and visions, before springtime creativity, love and passion flower. Adapt with social changes this summer, leading to a powerful autumn team collaborative phase. Share gratitude, love and appreciation. To get the advantage, check the day’s rating: 10 is the easiest day, 0 the most challenging. Aries (March 21-April 19) — Today is an 8 — You can advance with solid planning and preparation. Check traffic conditions in advance. Make sure that registration and paperwork is completed. Deepen your educational exploration. Taurus (April 20-May 20) — Today is an 8 — Business could interfere with romance. Take care of shared financial matters. Review reserves. A difficult situation is making you stronger. Budget for steady growth. Gemini (May 21-June 20) — Today is a 9 — You and your partner can advance a collaborative effort with extra energy today. A disciplined push can have an outsized impact. You’re a formidable force together. Cancer (June 21-July 22) — Today is a 9 — Prioritize physical health and fitness. Successes come through your own energy and effort, despite the impulse to run away. Maintain practices to fulfill long-term goals. Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) — Today is an 8 — Have fun despite distractions or complications. Align actions and intentions for a matter of the heart. Creativity solves a puzzle. Connect with beloved people. Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) — Today is a 7 — Domestic projects satisfy. Trust your own good sense. Make structural improvements. Clean, sort and declutter. Organize spaces. Do laundry and cook up something delicious. Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) — Today is an 8 — Adapt creative communications around an obstacle. Put in the work behind the scenes. Edit carefully. Consider multiple views. Launch or publish after careful review. Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) — Today is a 9 — Profit by your own disciplined efforts. Resist impulsive expenses. Work quickly but carefully. A rush job could preempt scheduled programming. Stay flexible for maximum harvest. Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) — Today is a 9 — You’re especially strong and creative. Find clever solutions for a personal challenge. Your optimism is contagious. Self-discipline pays outsized dividends. Take practical steps. Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) — Today is a 7 — Take extra time to process recent transitions. Shift plans around changes. Private preparation settles your spirit. Connect with nature. Savor traditional rituals. Recharge. Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) — Today is an 8 — Your friends are there for you. Coordinate and strategize for a shared goal. Disciplined teamwork can have miraculous results. Connect and pull together. Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — Today is an 8 — Business could take precedence. Put in the preparation for a successful launch. A disciplined push now can provide extra benefits. Coordinate and advance.
Level 1
2
3
4
Solution to Thursday’s puzzle
12/31/21 Complete the grid so each row, column and 3-by-3 box (in bold borders) contains every digit, 1 to 9. For strategies on how to solve Sudoku, visit sudoku.org.uk
© 2021 The Mepham Group. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency. All rights reserved.
Page 8B Friday, December 31, 2021
Lifestyle
Rowdy Reviews Tiger King 2 final episode
alley.
Spider-Man... Continued from 3B
‘The Spider-Man.’ So many things work in “No Way Home,” I can’t think of a single thing that does not. Considering the movie is based on nostalgia and the previous Spider-Man universes, it is easy to get wrapped up in the good ol’ days. Watts masterfully pulls these universes and characters together and uses them to enhance the story, while improving and closing some story threads that may have been left open. If you are worried about certain moments that could happen, do not worry and trust me. You will get that and much more. Ultimately, “No Way Home” is a movie about consequences, heart and being the bigger person. It’s the ultimate Spider-Man movie that will leave you in awe and most likely in tears. There’s a good chance you will be wondering if you actually watched what you did. Without a doubt Marvel’s best movie and one we will remember for the rest of time.
However, Willem Dafoe gives a performance that will go down as one of the greatest in comic book movie villain history. It has been 20 years since we have seen his Green Goblin on the big screen. Somehow, he takes the character and adds new layers to it in “No Way Home.” Dafoe makes Norman Osborn a truly terrifying, however, somewhat sympathetic character. This movie feels like the ultimate Spider-Man film. Holland has not cemented himself into the role of Peter Parker, but he may be nominated for an Academy Award if the committee is not too pretentious. Holland delivers the best performance we have seen for a Spider-Man film, barely beating out a character that I will not spoil for you here. There have been complaints about Holland’s version of Peter not resembling his comic counterpart. I can assure that this talk will be put to rest after this movie. Holland truly becomes entertainment.ed@ocolly.com
Tribune News Service
Tiger King two can be watched on Netflix.
Rowdy Baribeau Staff Reporter
O’Colly
There is no answer on what will happen next, only time will tell. Who Episode five: knows, maybe there will “Stark Raving Mad” be an answer in a Tiger This review conKing three. tains spoilers. The fifth and final Tiger King two episode of Tiger King does not have the same two wasted no time living “fun” it had in season up to its title. one, but it could arguably The episode kicked be more interesting. off highlighting a converIt centralized more sation between Tim Stark on the law aspect rather and Tiger King creator, than the experiences of Eric Goode. The audience Joe Exotic, his park and then learns more details feud with Carole Baskin. of Joe Exotic’s life, like All in all, I was more him creating the dating than entertained watchapp “Bachelor King.” ing the new season and Additionally, the for crime junkies, I think episode features other it would be right up their Tiger King stars. It shows
the series of events leading up to Stark’s arrest in October of 2020, Carole Baskin getting Greater Wynnewood Zoo, which she eventually sold, and that the Thackerville Zoo, which Jeff and Lauren Lowe owned, was shut down. Toward the end, it centers on if Exotic’s conviction of his involvement in a murder for hire plot is solid. It shows Jeff talking with Exotic’s lawyer and Allen Glover’s saying he and Jeff supposedly had a plan to kill Exotic. news.ed@ocolly.com
Zendaya plays MJ Watson and Tom Holland plays Peter Parker or Spider-Man.
Tribune News Service
SFC Welcomes Back a Fellow OSU Alumni! Monica Harden, D.O. is Now Accepting New Patients of All Ages
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Bowl preview edition Clements filling gap Knowles left, co-defensive coordinators still an option for Fiesta Bowl
Dean Ruhl Sports Editor
SCOTTSDALE, Arizona - Joe Bob Clements would be lying if he told you he didn’t have aspirations. He has witnessed many of his colleagues “climb the ladder” on college football staffs, ascending from position coaches to coordinator and head coach positions. Clements too wants to reach those levels, but there is something he values more than taking any oppor-
tunity offered to him. Patience. Now, it is paying off. Former OSU defensive coordinator Jim Knowles left for the same role at Ohio State, leaving a recess on the defensive side Clements is helping to fill.
Peaks and valleys See Clements on 4A
What it’s like to date an OSU football player
Abby Cage Chad Weiberg shares the same goal for OSU football as coach Mike Gundy, make OSU football the best it can be.
Through conference realignment and new leadership OSU is on the brink of uncharted success Abby Cage
Being a girlfriend of a football player isn’t easy, especially when it comes to the time commitment.
Ryan Novozinsky Staff Reporter Abbi Meek sat in a cramped dorm room and stared at the behemoth of a man. Countless thoughts zipped through her mind, but she mostly felt skeptical. Hours after arriving at Oklahoma State University for orientation in 2017, a friend drove Meek to defensive lineman Brendon Evers’ apartment to hang out. The two clicked instantly and exchanged contacts, but Meek already passed her judgment. “My first thought was, ‘He’s a football player, he’s going to play girls,’” Meek said. “I didn’t want to date someone who just wants to (play) me. I didn’t pursue him because of this.” Determined to prove Meek wrong, Evers, who stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 295 pounds, showed he was committed to a relationship by being his true self: loving and cuddly –– a stark contrast to his hulking on-field persona that included 20 tackles and six tackles for loss this season.
He’s a huge man, but he’s a teddy bear “He’s a huge man, but he’s a teddy bear,” Meek said. “For me, specifically. It’s my favorite part about him. He’s massive, sacking quarterbacks, squatting 685 (pounds). But the fact that a 5-foot3, blonde hair, 125-pound girl can bring him to his knees is absolutely hilarious to me.” They clear their schedules, they deal with players after bad practices and are forced to alter their lives because their boyfriends play college football. The real girlfriends of OSU football have serious mental strength. Now together for years, Meek can’t imagine her life without Evers. Though their journey wasn’t easy, they love how their relation-
ship evolved. Meek regrets her initial assumptions about him. “He still makes fun of me for it,” she said. “He says, ‘We could have been dating since September of our freshman year.’” Meek and other girlfriends of OSU players don’t live fairytale relationships, but according to some, that’s what makes it worth it. And these young ladies face issues, some serious, all challenging. The brutal schedule Laureli Grothe and her boyfriend Gabe Simpson, a walk-on wide receiver at OSU, both strive to be doctors. Due to this, the two already have hectic schedules. Add Simpson’s football schedule on top of this and what do they get? Five-minute dates. “When we’re both just so busy, we just run over to each other to say hi for five minutes sometimes,” Grothe said. “School is so mentally taxing that it’s nice to see someone that you love. It calms you down.” Simpson sets aside time on Fridays, when preparation for game-day Saturdays is light, to take Grothe on dates. While dates aren’t extravagant during the season, Grothe loves driving around with him, sometimes until 4 a.m. Simpson is willing to drive Grothe anywhere–– parties, the intimidating Whataburger line or to the country to glance at the stars. “Somehow, we get it done,” Grothe said. For Miranda Streiff, Kolby Harvell-Peel’s girlfriend, it took a while to figure out her boyfriend’s schedule – seven years, to be exact. “They don’t get to control their schedule,” Streiff said. “We’ve been dating for seven years, but this is the first year where I’ve really nailed down my scheduling and knowing what fall camp and winter workouts look like.” Coaches can be the biggest date ruiners. Streiff and HarvellPeel once had a fun date planned that was immediately ruined by a spontaneous team meeting. Because of practices and games, their rain checks can’t happen right away. “When that happened I told him, ‘OK, well, we will do our date next month,’” Streiff said. Scheduling conflicts cause major issues too. For Evers and
Meek, their schedules were so complex last year that it almost ruined their relationship. Meek was in a research lab that took up most of her time, while Evers had to manage football and 17 credit hours. “It made me angry,” Meek said. “Our relationship wasn’t great during this. It was a situation where I was like, ‘Does this guy not care enough about me to put in the effort to make this work?’” Meek said during this time, Evers would get angry at her when he was injured or not performing well in practice. This led to many trials in their relationship. “That’s one thing we had to work on a lot,” Meek said. “I told him, ‘When you’re hurt, when you’re stressed, you can’t take things out on me.’ He doesn’t do it intentionally, but when you’re the closest person dealing with someone who’s going through this, you’re going to get some of the backlash from it.” When their schedules cleared up, Evers and Meek worked through these issues. They found that identifying major problems and forcing themselves to make active efforts helped. “He mentally and physically worked on himself,” Meek said. “It made a huge difference.” Evers even admitted their communication made him a better player. See Peaks on 2A
Abby Cage Girlfriends of football players have to be aware of the lifestyle the athlete lives each day.
Chris Becker Editor-in-chief SCOTTSDALE, Arizona — Kayse and Darren Shrum make it a habit to support the Oklahoma State football team. Kayse, the OSU president, has a hectic schedule, but she’ll always carve out time to make sure coach Mike Gundy and the players know she supports them, mostly coming on Sundays. “Sunday night practices are the easiest for me to consistently watch with my schedule,” Kayse told The O’Colly. “I personally enjoy going to practice to show my support for the players, coaches and staff who are putting in lots of hard work and time to represent Oklahoma State University.” Kayse goes to the practice to show support and talk with players because on game days the focus is on the game. For Darren, he has the opportunity to be around the program more often. He works out around the weight room and attends practices more frequently. Darren played football in college and has coached he and Kayse’s kids in youth football. “Darren has more opportunity to interact with coaches and players or watch practice during the week than I do, so we choose to watch practice together on Sunday evening and support the Cowboys,” Kayse said. “Watching football practice in addition to games has been a part of football season for me for many years, and it’s something Darren and I enjoy doing together.” The practice watching does come with a goal in mind, one Kayse shares with athletic director Chad Weiberg and coach Mike Gundy share with her: take OSU football to the next level. The new era Kayse joined Chad Weiberg on July 1 to officially begin their new roles at OSU, she as president and Weiberg as athletic director. The day marked the official beginning of a new era atop the university, at two of the prestigious positions in a university hierarchy. Although in new positions Weiberg and Kayse had worked together in the past, which helped when the two began their new paths at OSU. “I think the fact that we did start on the same day, but also the fact we knew each other before then and had worked together before then so we had an established relationship,” Weiberg said. “I think the fact we were able to come in together with that established relationship allowed us to be ahead of where you might be otherwise.” Since beginning, Gundy said he has talked with Kayse and Weiberg often about the goals for the program and his visions. The conversations, he says, are more frequent than any number of conversations he’s had with administrative leaders in 17 years at OSU. See Leadership on 4A
Page 2A Friday, December 31, 2021
O’Colly
sports
Peaks... Continued from 1A “Obviously he’s doing so well because of his hard work, but he’s mentioned that if we’re arguing or not on great terms before a game, he doesn’t play as well,” Meek said. “He gets too much in his own head. So I always text him good luck or words of affirmation before a game.” On top of their busy schedules, people in relationships with football players also have to deal with them at low moments. Elle Dworkin, Cole Birmingham’s girlfriend, said a bad practice can hinder an otherwise good day. “He’ll text me and say ‘I’m sorry. I’m not having a good day,’” Dworkin said. “Then he’ll come home, we’ll get snacks and he’s just a little more quiet and reserved. But I’ll remind him that he’s doing really good.” Dating a future star Streiff thought long and hard about it. She lived quiet and introverted her whole life while Harvell-Peel boomed as an outspoken and talented player who has NFL and professional rapper aspirations. Their differences made her overthink. “Having a famous boyfriend and him having a lot of fans can be overwhelming,” Streiff said. “It poses a few threats to our relationship. I never have to worry about it because Kolby’s a great boyfriend, but it’s hard to think that he’s got all these fans and he chose me.” Dating someone that could potentially be a professional athlete comes with a lot of worrying. Once Streiff started to view their relationship holistically, her comfort level improved. She proved this in early January. On Jan. 11, Harvell-Peel declared for the 2021 NFL draft. While Streiff was nervous at first, she knew that he was so invested in her and their relationship would be fine. She was ready to support any decision he made. “Frankly for me, I just wanted him to do whatever felt right,” Streiff said. “I’m not a great judge of that, but I hoped he wouldn’t spring into a decision.” Since Harvell-Peel eventually changed his mind and came back to OSU in 2021, Streiff feels prepared for when he inevitably declares for the draft again. “For the most part, I just try and think about the now,” Streiff said. “Wherever Kolby’s head is at, I just try and stay there. We will tackle that when we get there. But we’ve made it this far and our relationship is so solid. “You’re going to go through hard things in life and I’ve chosen my person to go through those hard things with. So whatever comes, we’ll be ready.” Conversely, there’s a common perception that people who date DI athletes “use” their significant other to be a part of their future success. Meek passionately denied this. “If I’ve stuck around since (Evers) was a red-shirt freshman when he wasn’t s---, then I obviously love him and I’m not just here for the NFL,” Meek said. Dworkin appreciates her boyfriend’s football talent because it helps her learn the sport. The only thing she knew about football before she met Birmingham was that her dad hated it and thought it was a drain on university resources. Now? She sits close to the field, screaming as her boyfriend, who tells her about the basics of football, pushes through the defensive line. “I used to not think football was
he t t ou k c e Ch
3 storylines vs Notre Dame Ben Hutchens Staff Reporter
Abby Cage Although on the football field their big and physical the girlfriends of football players see a different side of them.
cool,” Dworkin said. “But now that I see him doing his best, it’s the same feeling you get if your partner is really good at anything. It’s like, ‘Oh my gosh, you’re amazing.’” Protection Meek never wanted to be a “damsel in distress.” She always aims to be an independent problem solver. But even she loves how protective Evers is. “I’m a feminist, so I hate the idea that I need a man to protect me,” Meek said. “But he makes me feel so safe.” Like at the Stillwater bars. Meek just purchased a drink at JR Murphy’s when a group of three Kansas football players approached her. They started flirting with her and bragged that they played football for the Jayhawks. Evers then walked over, put his arm around Meek and watched as the players stared at him in awe. “When Brendon came over to us, they looked at him and nervously said ‘Uh, are you a football player? Are you Brendon Evers?’ And Brendon said, ‘Yeah, what’s good.’ And they started stuttering and saying ‘You’re really cool, uh, have a great night,’” Meek said. For Dworkin, it’s all about seeing Birmingham get feisty on the field. When OSU played Kansas State in September, Birmingham got into it with KSU’s Ryan Henington after he delivered a late hit to quarterback Spencer Sanders. Dworkin couldn’t help but smile when she saw this. “I was thinking, ‘good boy,’” Dworkin said. “OK, Cole did hit him with his helmet a little bit––just a little bit. But, A. it was deserved. And B. it was nothing like what (Henington) was trying to inflict on Spencer.” Food, glorious food Before Meek describes Evers’ appetite, she first tells you about a movie scene. “It’s just like that Disney movie The Game Plan,” Meek said. In the 2007 movie The Game Plan starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Johnson plays a professional quarterback who discovers he has an 8-year-old daughter from a previous relationship. In one scene, Johnson is preparing dinner and cooks spaghetti for his daughter. A mountain of spaghetti. That’s what eating with a football player is like. “Whenever he makes dinner, it’s always healthy––which is good because I usually eat healthy too––but he eats three times what I eat,” Meek said. According to The Ringer, the average NFL lineman eats around 8,000
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calories per day––four times over the recommended intake. College football players aren’t far off of this, having to eat massive amounts of food to gain more muscle. But Evers doesn’t just plop the food in front of Meek without a show. He brings it over to her on a nice plate with water in her favorite cup. This is another way that Evers shows his sweet side off the field. “Brendon is an active service person,” Meek said. “He’s always the one that cooks for us. He’s a big softy.” To avoid attracting attention to large portions, Dworkin and Birmingham strategically order at restaurants. They both enjoy restaurant atmospheres, so they act subtle when they go out to eat. “When we do go out on a date it’s usually somewhere where they pay a lot of attention to quality, presentation and atmosphere,” Dworkin said. “So we order as we go to enjoy it without coming off as rude or attracting attention especially when we’re with others. “He probably eats about twice what I do, but we also graze throughout the day and I don’t see everything he eats. So it may be more throughout the day.” And, of course, it’s so worth it Streiff and Harvell-Peel have a “daughter.” Only it’s not a human––it’s Streiff’s dog. “He calls my dog his daughter,” Streiff said. “That’s more on his mushy side. That’s about as mushy as he gets. What you see on the field is who he is. He’s intense, but he has a lot of silly inside jokes and a weird sense of humor––and that’s the side that I get.” According to these girlfriends, having these muscle-bound men show their soft sides are what make these relationships great. Aside from the free tickets and gear, the benefit of dating an OSU football player is the effort they put into their relationships. “Their work ethic and mentality are great,” Meek said. “As long as they’re not a f--- boy and they’re applying that work ethic to you. No man is ever going to put in the kind of effort that an athlete does.” The hard work they put on the field permeates. It comes with a lot of time management and risks, but these relationships benefit both OSU football players and their girlfriends. “We want to be in the relationship,” Grothe said. “We don’t feel a codependency, but we always help each other and encourage each other.” sports.ed@ocolly.com
Who will be OSU’s defensive coordinator? Defensive line coach Joe Bob Clements? Corners coach Tim Duffie? Safeties coach Dan Hammerschmidt? The only thing known is former OSU defensive coordinator Jim Knowles won’t be steering the defensive ship for OSU in Saturday’s Fiesta Bowl. Coach Mike Gundy has not announced who will be filling Knowles’ shoes in the game. Stopping Michael Mayer Sophomore tight end Michael Mayer leads the Fighting Irish in catches and is second on the team in receiving yards and touchdowns. Especially with Williams sitting out, the Notre Dame offense will run through Mayer and the tight end position. Running backs on different paths The running back in gold is gone and the running back in orange is back. Notre Dame’s Kyren Williams is breaking a streak of 24 consecutive game appearances to enter the NFL draft, while OSU’s Jaylen Warren returns from an ankle injury that kept him out of the Big 12 championship. Warren is the Cowboys leading rusher by a wide margin. Chris Tyree will likely take the majority of the backfield work in the Fiesta Bowl for the Fighting Irish. sports.ed@ocolly.com
Alicia Young
Key Matchup
Tyler Lacy vs Andrew Kristofic
The defensive line and offensive line battle will be key throughout the Fiesta Bowl, OSU defensive end Tyler Lacy will be tasked with getting passed a pesky interior Notre Dame line starting with Kristofic. Kristofic has been a huge power to the Fighting Irish rushing attack and Lacy has been key for the Cowboy defense stopping the run.
Quote of the week: “(Getting a PS5) means everything because it’s all I’ve wanted for the past year. So I got it. Everybody else got it. So there’s no excuse to, like, duck any smoke on the game. We all got the same game. We all got “Call of Duty.” Give me about a month and I will be going crazy.”
- Brennan Presley
O’Colly
Friday, December 31, 2021 Page 3A
Page 4A Friday, December 31, 2021
O’Colly
sports
Abby Cage
What OSU needs from Sanders for a bowl win Spencer Sanders will be looked to on Saturday for his legs and his leadership to propel the Cowboy offense.
“Right now, as we move into (the Fiesta Bowl), I don’t think he’s thinking about it at all. The kid is pretty resilient. We all saw that on the final drive of the game.” The Cowboys will once again put the ball in Sanders hands Saturday Chris Becker against Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl Editor-in-chief needing one final performance to end the season on a high note. SCOTTSDALE, Arizona— OklaSanders has led the Cowboys homa State needed 90 yards to win a offense as a complimentary piece to Big 12 Championship. OSU’s stifling defense. He has thrown OSU offensive coordinator Kasey for nearly 2,500 yards, 16 touchdowns Dunn entrusted his quarterback Spencer and 12 interceptions, with seven of them Sanders with the ball. Sanders meticu- in two meetings against Baylor. lously drove down the field picking up He has also added 543 yards and all except the final few inches. six touchdowns with his legs. Sanders threw four interceptions “I think it just comes back to in the Big 12 Championship Game, Spencer, again, managing the game and his most in a game this season, but the making good decisions with the footfinal drive Dunn saw Sanders put it all ball,” Dunn said. “If he doesn’t like the behind him and give his team a chance. throw, not to force it. just run it, be“I think he put it behind him gocause he’s a talented runner as well. ing into that last drive,” Dunn said. “In “If he just pulls it down and takes that Baylor game, we went 90 yards, off running, they are going to have a obviously, everybody knows we didn’t hard time tackling the guy. Everybody get the last six inches or so. But he put does.” together one hell of a drive. With running back Jaylen Warren
looking like he’ll be back in the fold come Saturday, the Cowboys offense will be back at full strength, which is what they need to be successful and play their game. “For him to play his game. When Spencer is calm and collected, we’re just doing our thing, I think that’s when he plays his best,” Warren said. “Obviously, emotions run during the game and some people handle it different than others. But when he keeps his composure, I feel like that’s when he plays his best game.” With Dunn and quarterback coach Tim Rattay coaching Sanders along the way, and Sanders gaining more and more experience, the most useful tool of his Saturday comes in the form of his leadership. Playing the No. 5 Fighting Irish isn’t an easy task especially with their defensive skillset, but veteran leadership will be crucial. “I think it’s just his leadership,” offensive lineman Josh Sills said. “I mean, obviously you see everything that he does on the field. But I think the biggest thing is there’s a lot of people that don’t see the other side to it of how long
he spends in the film room or staying after practice or in the summer, in the fall. I’m sure you could ask Tay [Martin] more about it and he would tell you. “I know when I talked to him that he was always trying to get the wide receivers together to go throw for timing or working with the running backs and that kind of thing.” Sanders has received criticism at time this season, but he’s not letting that hold him back from focusing on the end goal this season. “Well, really, I mean, at the end of the day, people are going to love you or they’re going to hate you,” Sanders said. “But the people you surround yourself with, your team, is what really matters. As long as you’re getting up and doing everything possible you can do to help your team, I feel like it’s pretty good. “So it kind of just helps me shut out all of what’s around and what goes around. As long as I’m making sure I’m doing my best and giving 110%, there’s nothing more than I can do.” sports.ed@ocolly.com
Leadership... Continued from 1A “This is a new way, there’s some youth, there’s excitement, there’s new ideas, and I think there’s a much more direct line of communication pretty much daily,” Gundy said. “I’ve had more sit down conversations with Dr. Shrum, or standing conversations in three months than I have with anybody in administration in 17 years.” The talks mostly lead to one topic, making OSU one of the premier programs in the country, something at the forefront of the docket of the “new way.” “I think that those talks that we have are just about what it is that Cowboy football needs to continue to be competitive at the highest levels,” Weiberg said. “You’ve got to continually monitor what that landscape looks like and make sure you are doing everything that you can to adjust to the landscape of time and be doing everything you need to remain competitive.” Recognizing the goal. In 2005, Gundy was named the coach of his alma mater, but the current goal wasn’t even on his mind. In fact, when he got the job he went to his office and tried to fight through the unknown and survive. “I went in my office over here, closed the door and started to cry because I didn’t know what to do. I called Joe DeForest and begged him to stay, just to help me. He said he would stay and then after that, I don’t know,” Gundy said. “I’m sure I probably wasn’t a great husband, maybe not the easiest guy for the administration to deal with, but I didn’t know any different. I was just trying to figure it out.” Over his tenure Gundy has taken a program on the floor of its conference to a perennial contender in the Big 12, and over time the goal that OSU could be a national fixture in the college football world came about. When Kayse and Weiberg took over, Gundy made his goals for his ship clear. “I don’t want to speak out of turn for Dr. Shrum or Chad, but our goal is to take Oklahoma State football to another level in all areas, period,” Gundy said. “We’ve had that plan since they got the job. “We sat down and had a discussion, and I don’t mind telling you, I told them, ‘This is who I am, this is what I believe in.”’ Weiberg was on board.
Abby Cage
Mike Gundy wants OSU to be a national logo before he retires from coaching.
“I think the analogy that is used all the time is (football) is the engine that pulls the train,” Weiberg said. “There’s no one in our department that isn’t committed to Cowboy football being as successful as it can be because the more success that it has the better it is for the entire department.” Shrum was also bought into the idea, but then came the action. “Success starts with vision, but vision without execution is nothing more than a dream,” Kayse said. Elevating the program. The idea was shared, now Kayse, Weiberg and Gundy had to put that idea into action. It starts with full commitment. “When your logo is on that TV for an extended period of time and it’s on the bottom of the TV all week until Saturday of being in this playoff system or whatever you want to call it, you can’t put a dollar figure on that marketing. “If we make that full commitment, we can take this place to places it’s never been before. If we don’t, then we shouldn’t expect for that to happen. It’s as simple as that.” For Kayse her role in rolling out
the action to take OSU football to the next level is to encourage. “My role is to show unwavering belief and help AD Weiberg get the necessary resources needed to execute the plan. We need our alumni, fans, students and donors to support the Cowboys,” Kayse said. “Show up, stay through the game, cheer loudly, be relentless in your support, and watch the Cowboys do their part on the field.” Weiberg said taking the next step doesn’t stop with one successful year, it’s a constant ongoing process, one which every program in the country is fighting for. “You can’t rest. The moment you are standing still you’re falling behind. We can’t say we played in the conference championship game and we’re in the Fiesta Bowl, we are happy for that, but that’s not the end.” ‘It’s not easy.’ The Cowboys in 2021, the first season under the new administration, have already started the elevation process. The team has won 10 games and received a Fiesta Bowl bid, but it’s only the beginning and a small glimpse of the big picture of the end goal.
Blue blood programs don’t happen overnight, it takes years of dominance and success to build a national brand year in and year out. Weiberg recognizes that, but doesn’t sway where he wants the program to go. “We’ve proven that time and time again (across the athletic department),” Weiberg said. “That is what we continue to set as our goals and our expectations and we want to continue to do the things necessary to try and do that now having said that, it isn’t easy. If it was easy everyone would be doing it.” Weiberg, however, is careful when thinking about what he wants OSU to be labeled as across the country. The go to term for most is blue blood, but for Weiberg the current stigma of blue blood changes his thought process. “There are programs, say in football, that would be called a blue blood program but have not been particularly successful in the last decade,” Weiberg said. “I would want to be careful about saying that I want to be a blue blood program. See full story at ocolly.com
O’Colly
Friday, December 31, 2021 Page 5A
sports
From Kolar to Mayer ND’s tight end play vital in Fiesta Bowl
3 players to watch vs. Notre Dame Sam Hutchens Assistant Sports Editor
Courtesy of Notre Dame Athletics
Tyler Buchner: A true freshman Notre Dame quarterback, Buchner is the backup to graduate transfer Jack Coan. Buchner, though, has six touchdowns and might be one of the most important backups in the country. He has played in 10 games this season and provides a spark of dual-threat offense.
The Cowboys will have the difficult task of stopping yet another lethal tight end on Saturday against Notre Dame.
back Kyren Williams opted out of the upcoming Fiesta Bowl matchup against Oklahoma State to prepare for the NFL draft, Mayer will be further relied on to lead the Fighting Irish offense. “When you add that element Ben Hutchens of a tight end that can catch passes Staff Reporter well as well, they are just versatile and it makes you have to always SCOTTSDALE, Arizona — know where he’s at and always Notre Dame’s top receiving threat account for him on the field”, OSU isn’t a receiver. safety Kolby Harvell-Peel said. Sophomore tight end Michael The Cowboys have experiMayer leads the Fighting Irish in ence facing offenses with dynamic receptions and is second on the tight ends. Notre Dame offensive team in touchdowns and yards. His coordinator Tommy Rees com64 catches this season out-pacing pared Mayer to Iowa State tight end his nearest teammate by 22 recep- Charlie Kolar. In October, the OSU tions and set a school record for defense held Kolar to six catches receptions in a season by a tight for 69 yards. end. “Yeah, (The Cowboys have) The Fighting Irish have a shown it throughout the year. history of receiver-first passing at- They’ve played other good inditacks. But the days of receivers like viduals. The kid from Iowa State, Golden Tate III, Will Fuller, Chase they had some things on third down Claypool and Equanimeous St. to double him. That’s clearly part of Brown leading the offensive charge what they do,” Rees said. are over. But the defense that played Because Notre Dame running Kolar in October looks different
File Photo
two months later. Defensive coordinator Jim Knowles left to take the same position at Ohio State. “There’s a lot of unknowns right now with their defense,” Rees said. “Obviously with the change in coordinator and extra time to prepare and what they want to do. We got to be multiple in how we use Michael and make sure that we don’t become stagnant with where we want to play him and find ways to create opportunities.” Changes in the OSU defense have not been contagious. Mayer said he is going to continue what he has been doing. “I think going into the game, I think my mindset never changes, even if I know they are going to double-team me. I’m always still going to try to get open. I think (quarterback) Jack (Coan) is still kind of always trying to find me with the ball. But if they are going to double-team me, that’s one less person that’s going to be on somebody else,” Mayer said.
Working out
Abby Smith
Tanner McCalister: The senior OSU safety enters the bowl game in an interesting position. He entered the transfer portal earlier in the month, but remained committed to play against Notre Dame. Entering the portal does not guarantee McCalister leaves.
Abby Cage
Jaden Bray: Last year, it was receiver Brennan Presley who broke out as a freshman in OSU’s bowl game by scoring three touchdowns. Bray, a freshman receiver, has accumulated a modest 12 catches for 241 yards and one touchdown in 2021, but has shown the potential to have a similar breakout game.
sports.ed@ocolly.com
How Jaylen Warren leads by example
respect of his teammates one lift at a time. Warren recovered from his injury which kept him out of the Big 12 Championship Game, and his work ethic will be on display one final time with the Cowboys in the Fiesta Bowl. “(Warren is) an extremely, exSam Hutchens tremely tough kid,” offensive coordinaAssistant Sports Editor tor Kasey Dunn said. “Absolutely no fear factor at all. Runs downhill. That’s SCOTTSDALE, Arizona - An why everybody loves him, and everyearly four-game stretch in Oklahoma body loves him in the stands for that State’s season correlated with a lot of same reason.” winning. The carries Warren racked up in But for Jaylen Warren, OSU’s that four-game stretch, and across the consecutive victories over Boise State, season, were productive ones. He averKansas State, Baylor and Texas also led aged 4.8 yards-per-carry going into the to plenty of soreness. Fiesta Bowl. Warren, a senior running back, “I just feel like those (carries) get carried the ball 128 times in that four- me started for the week,” Warren said. game span, a total that averages out “And I didn’t really earn anything to to 32 attempts per game. The physical take off of the workout, so I go.” runner who ground out critical closing A grad-transfer from Utah State, minutes in a bruising style absorbed Warren was soft-spoken upon arriving dozens of hits in games. at OSU. Sills said Warren opened up “Every single snap, he is going to after spring ball, but the running back hit somebody right in the teeth,” Dunn has maintained his style of leadership. said. “Our kids love it, and that’s what “I don’t really do much talking,” football is all about. It’s a physical Warren said. “I just play, and people game.” feed off of that.” Warren dealt with the commonWarren said he leads by example. place soreness in a counter-intuitive He does the same workout as every place — the gym. other player who shows up on Sunday; “Sunday workouts for us, afwalk-ons and battered veterans alike. ter the fourth or fifth game, became “He holds himself to a higher optional of lifting and rowing,” senior standard which, in turn, people around lineman Josh Sills said. “I don’t think him have held themselves to a higher he missed one there towards the end standard -- or held themselves to an until he got beat up.” equivalent standard that he’s held himBefore suffering an ankle injury self to, “Sills said. late in the season, OSU’s bell cow running back was in the team gym the day after every game, earning the sports.ed@ocolly.com
Abby Smith Jaylen Warren is set to make his return to the field Saturday, but his impact stretches beyond the gridiron.
File photo Although coach Mike Gundy hasn’t named a play caller for the defense Saturday, Joe Bob Clements has made his mark on the players.
Clements... Continued from 1A
The Mountaineers would have one coach calling plays for the front seven, and the other calling plays for the secondary. Clements said the scheme could work similarly for OSU if they opt that direction, because of how many different components the Cowboys have. The defensive line and linebackers often don’t know what the secondary is doing on most plays, and vice versa. “It is a matter of us as coaches putting those pieces together to make it sound,” Clements said. For players, practicing without Knowles has been different. Knowles’ vocal coaching style has been absent for the past several weeks at practice, a void trying to be filled by coaches and players. Safety Kolby Harvell-Peel has become one of those vocal leaders. “I enjoy the group of guys I’m around,” Harvell-Peel said. “When you are having fun, playing the games, it is a lot easier, and everybody makes more plays. I just try to step up and be that vocal leader.” The leadership has changed, but the play-calling hasn’t. Harvell-Peel said the system and plays remain the same even with Knowles’ departure. The goal remains to efficiently execute the calls, regardless of who they are coming from. For at least the Fiesta Bowl, Clements looks to be at the forefront of the defensive staff. His move becoming permanent could be a transition made in the offseason, and something defensive end Brock Martin said could be a successful move. “I think he very well could,” Martin said. “I think he would do a hell of a job.”
The personnel remains unfinalized by Gundy, who said the decision likely won’t come until Saturday, but Clements appears to be an integral part of the play-calling for OSU’s Fiesta Bowl game against Notre Dame. Clements emphasized the collectiveness of the defensive staff over the past several weeks, with a committee on several coaches calling plays still in the mix. “At the end of the day, whoever’s mouth that the call comes out of it is just a byproduct of the collective effort the staff has put in,” Clements said. On Monday, Gundy, who has switched his emphasis from offense to defense in preparation for the bowl game, said he was surprised with the play-calling ability the assistant coaches have shown in Knowles’ absence. Along with Clements, linebackers coach Koy McFarland has earned praise for his increased presence over the past several weeks. “He is so smart,” linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez said. “His dad was a coach. So it is natural for him, and it is like second nature.” Linebacker Devin Harper had similar praise for McFarland. When asked who he would nominate for OSU’s next defensive coordinator, Harper shied away from giving a name, but said numerous coaches on staff could fit. Before that can be determined, the Cowboys still have a game remaining. The idea of co-defensive coordinators against Notre Dame isn’t unfeasible. Big 12 opponent West Virginia had co-defensive coordinators the past several years before resorting back to a single DC this year. sports.ed@ocolly.com
Page 6A Friday, December 31, 2021
O’Colly
O’Colly
sports
Friday, December 31, 2021 Page 7A
O’Colly sports
year in review Jan. 20 Mike Gundy named to the 2021 Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame class
Feb. 24 OSU baseball plays first game in O’Brate Stadium
march 4 OSU announces Mike Holder will transition out as AD. Chad Weiberg tabbed as new AD
march 11 OSU wrestling ties for Big 12 Championship with OU
March 19
Cowboys beat Liberty, win first NCAA Tourney game since 2009
march 24 AJ Ferrari wins an individual National Championship
may 30
OSU softball clinches spot in WCWS
july 1 Chad Weiberg officially becomes the Athletic Director
july 29 Cade Cunningham drafted No. 1 overall in NBA draft, the first OSU player to be drafted with the top pick.
nov. 3 NCAA upholds OSU basketball’s postseason ban stemming from FBI probe.
Nov. 27 OSU wins first Bedlam since 2014, secured a rematch with Baylor in Big 12 Championship game.
dec. 5 OSU football receives bid to play in the Fiesta Bowl
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Page 8A Friday, December 31, 2021
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sports
Finding a fit
Where does OSU fit in the Big 12?
Gabriel Trevino Staff Reporter A Big 12 team sits at the top of men’s college basketball yet again. The Baylor Bears became the national champions of the sport in April, and eight months later, are the No. 1-ranked team in the country. Five Big 12 schools are ranked in the current AP poll of men’s basketball rankings, including three in the top 10. Each of the ten teams in the conference are ranked in the top-90 of the NCAA NET rankings. Oklahoma State is currently last in the Big 12 standings, with a 7-4 record after losses to now No. 23 Xavier and to No. 12 Houston. After a nonconference schedule which included games against two ranked teams, OSU coach Mike Boynton said he used the challenge to prepare for the competitive Big 12 play. “We are trying to figure ourselves out,” Boynton said. “I do my best to prepare my team to see as much as we can in the non-conference, so there is an opportunity once we’re playing Big 12 teams.” OSU is now slated to begin conference play with games including against ranked opponents Kansas, Texas, Iowa State and Baylor. The bad and the
Noah Weber OSU and coach Mike Boynton are slated to begin Big 12 basketball play soon, but they are still trying to find an identity.
ugly
points while shooting 12.5%. However after OSU’s 77-71 loss to Xavier, Anderson broke out of his slump, scoring 26 points. Although the Cowboys lost the game, Boynton said he is admiring Anderson’s improvement. “Losing sucks,” Boynton said. “But I do not ignore progress.” Bryce Williams is another scorer who has emerged for the Cowboys after losses. Williams scored 29-points in their overtime win against Cleveland State, which made Boynton say he believes if Williams continues to play at a high level, his team will be a force in the conference. “When he is on, I really believe we can compete with anybody,” Boynton said. “I would not be afraid to compete with any team in the country.”
OSU ranks last in the Big 12 in points allowed, on average the Cowboys opponent scores 66.5 points per game, five more points than the next Big 12 team allows. After two losses in a row at home, Boynton said he used time to dial up practice, and make it more intense than he ever has. Boynton said he believed his team did not play with effort or together as he expected. The glimpse of optimism Although OSU allows the most points on average in the conference, the Cowboys are fourth in the conference in points per game, with almost 75. OSU receives contributions from players such as Avery Anderson, who leads the team in points. Anderson began the season slow, scoring few points and doing so inefficiently, such as against NC State in which he scored four sports.ed@ocolly.com
Alex Hernandez
Breaking down the numbers The OSU wrestling team has found success early in the season.
How the Cowboys fare after fall semester
Adam Engel Staff Reporter 3: Dual shutouts recorded by OSU in the fall semester — a program first. The Cowboys rolled through competition blanking Drexel, Air Force and Utah Valley while allowing one individual loss against Oklahoma and Wyoming. The three shutouts totaled to a margin of 127-0. 10: Most team points allowed in a dual by the Cowboys thus far — a 23-10 win at Minnesota on Nov. 20. This comprised of three Golden Gopher wins, two of which were multi-time All-Americans, Brayton Lee at 157 pounds and heavyweight Gable Steveson, the
defending national and Olympic champion. The Cowboys have not lost more than three bouts in a dual so far. 6: Total individual losses from Cowboys in duals so far. Luke Surber, OSU’s heavyweight, is responsible for two losses while Carter Young, Kaden Gfeller, Wyatt Sheets, Travis Wittlake and Dakota Geer have lost once. Four Cowboys carry undefeated records into the new year — Trevor Mastrogiovanni, Daton Fix, Dustin Plott and A.J. Ferrari. 34: Takedowns recorded by Geer, OSU’s All-American 184-pound starter. The sixth-year continues to hoard takedowns in bunches using his catch and release style of offense. Often times, when looking for bonus points, No. 12 Geer will take down his opponent and slowly allow his vulnerable foe
to regain footing only to pounce again. In Geer’s two regular decisions, his opponents, Isaiah Salazar and Tate Samuelson used their lengthy limbs to keep Geer close and prevented any serious attacks. 4: Wins against ranked opponents for Plott, OSU’s sophomore 174 pounder. After struggling through a torn left labrum a season ago, No. 9 Plott has healed from surgery and attacked opponents in all ways — trips, throws and gliding takedowns. With a healthy left shoulder, Plott showcases his offense while limiting opponent’s scoring chances. In the season opener, then No. 31 Tyler Eischens of Stanford recorded six points against Plott — the most allowed this season.
sports.ed@ocolly.com