Speed run
Thursday, September 8, 2022
Cowboy offense embraces no-huddle strategy
over the shoulder catch. Gain of 41 yards. Johnson jumped to his feet, tossed the ball to the line judge and Adam Engel hustled toward the Co-Editor-in-Chief line of scrimmage. Sixteen seconds later – real OSU played time – snap. fast. Sanders Sped to yards stepped right and and points, leading connected with Central Michigan Brennan Presley 44-15 at the half. with an open-field Overall, the Cowscreen pass. Sprint, boys raced to a juke and tumble. touchdown on seven First down. Twelveof their first nine yard gain. drives. The Cowboys Total time hustled back to the elapsed? Just over line. Ready to snap. seven and a half Twelve seconds after minutes on 37 plays. the previous play That’s fast. ended. Yet, not full-throttle Wait. Whistles fast? and a stoppage. An “We can go a officials’ timeout lot faster than that,” for a malfunction Spencer Sanders said with the chains. The with a smile in front second in the first of reporters. quarter. How fast? Sanders held “You’ll see,” his hands above his Sanders, OSU’s head. Boos scattered quarterback, said. around Boone PickSanders, five ens Stadium. years into his role as On the Fox the offensive leader, broadcast, color seized control and commentator Brock conducted a synHuard joked. chronized operation. “It’s the first Even the game for every300-pounders body,” he said. “Do sprinted to the opyou want to try to posite side. Reset. keep up with the Snap. Repeat. pace of this tempo?” With 50 From the CMU seconds left in the 17, Sanders lobbed first quarter, OSU toward Johnson. Out operated from its 30- of bounds. yard line. Moments Four seconds before, linebacker left in the first. Lamont Bishop Sanders looked grabbed a safety to toward the middle of put the Cowboys the field but took off. ahead, 9-7. Now, Split a few they wanted more. Chippewas and Sanders pump danced into the end faked and heaved zone. Touchdown. the ball toward wide Four plays. Seventy receiver Braydon yards. Fifty seconds. Johnson near the far The Cowboys sideline. Covered were ready. by two Chippewas, Johnson secured the See Speed on page 2
Abby Cage
Big 12 Power Rankings The Cowboys are ranked No. 3 in this week’s Big 12 power rankings.
OSU slated in at No. 3, Baylor takes top spot after week one
Davis Cordova Staff Reporter
Mackenzie Janish No. 11 Oklahoma State scored seven touchdowns in its first nine drives against Central Michigan in week one at Boone Pickens Stadium.
This is the first edition of the Big 12 football power rankings from The O’Colly. Each week, The O’Colly will give a recap and preview of each Big 12 team and give reasoning as to why a team is ranked at a spot. No. 10 Kansas (1-0) Coach Lance Leipold is improving the culture and program at Kansas, but until Kansas can prove consistent winning in the conference the Jayhawks will end up at the bottom of this list every week. The Jayhawks opened their season Friday night with a 56-10 win over Tennessee Tech. Kansas defensive end Lonnie Phelps Jr. finished the game with
three sacks and six tackles, which earned him Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week. A trip to Morgantown, West Virginia, this week will determine if Kansas has taken a step forward in the conference or not. No. 9 Iowa State (1-0) The Cyclones lost a lot of talented, experienced players a season ago and now have fresh faces leading the team. All signs point toward a rebuilding year for Iowa State, but coach Matt Campbell has proven time and again that his teams are usually overcoming low expectations. This year is a prove it year for the three-time Big 12 coach of the year. Iowa State defeated Southeastern Missouri State 42-10 in its season opener on Saturday. A field day for the new starting quarterback Hunter Dekkers, who passed for four touchdowns and
completed all but six of his passes. Preseason All-Big 12 wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson proved why he’s one of the best in the conference as he reeled in eight catches for 128 yards and three scores. A rivalry game for Iowa State in week two as the Cyclones visit Iowa for the annual Cy-Hawk game. If Iowa’s doozy versus South Dakota State is a sign of what will occur Saturday, then I’m sure every yard in this game will be tough to gain. No. 8 Texas Tech (1-0) Texas Tech was higher on this list, until quarterback Tyler Shough was ruled out of the next two games versus No. 25 Houston and at No. 18 NC State. The talent and the coaching is there, but if a team doesn’t have its leader on the field, it’s tough winning games, especially versus ranked opponents. Texas Tech blew out Murray State in its
opener on Saturday, winning 63-10. After Shough exited, backup quarterback Donovan Smith entered the game and torched the Murray State defense with a statline of 14-for-16 with four touchdowns on 221 yards. Comparing Murray State to Houston is a stretch, but if Smith plays like he did in week one, the Red Raiders have a chance of defeating a ranked team at home on Saturday. No. 7 West Virginia (0-1) The Backyard Brawl proved to many that West Virginia is a better team than most think. If not for a bobbled reception-turned pick-six, WVU might be a ranked team following week one. In the revamped rivalry, No. 17 Pittsburgh topped WVU 38-31 on Thursday night. In the fourth quarter, WVU had See Big 12 on page 4