Tuesday, September 27, 2022
Football mailbag
Engel answers your questions
Adam Engel Co-Editor-in-Chief
flea flicker touchdown against Arizona State and several misdirections with quarterback Spencer Sanders performing the lead blocks. A lot of the calls are obviously gameflow and opponent based such as the flea flicker against ASU. OSU hasn’t really been in any serious late game battles and that’s a reason why they’ve showed everything matchup wise. You know what I mean? When you gameplan for Arkansas-Pine Bluff, you plan for ArkansasPine Bluff. Not a late one score ballgame with Oklahoma. Here’s Gundy’s full answer on this question from Monday’s availability. “We’ve practiced just about everything that we run. I don’t know that we haven’t run everything just based on what defenses give us or what offenses give us. When I said, ‘This is pretty much what Baylor does,’ we kind of know what they do. They know what we do. Things that we haven’t shown up to this point for whatever reason, they know that we have it. They’ve reviewed it and practiced it. We might not have done it because of a variety of reasons but there aren’t really any secrets or anything that we’ve held back.”
Without a football game to write about, I decided to try a mailbag after the bye week. Unfortunately, I received only two questions from Twitter but here it is. When will Jaden Bray return? -Zac Pogue @Pogalo on Twitter As always, the Cowboys are tightlipped when it comes to injuries. The best answer you’ll usually get is classic coach speak from Mike Gundy. “Soon.” “Hopefully in a few weeks.” “We’ll see.” “I don’t know.” But during Gundy’s media luncheon Monday, he gave a clearish answer. “He’ll be practicing this week,” he said. Bray, OSU’s sophomore vertical threat receiver is out with a left arm injury suffered in fall camp. In 2021, Bray grabbed two touchdowns in 12 games. How much of the playbook do you think the coaches have opened up in the nonconference part of the season? – OSUPSYCHO Honestly, I think you’ve seen the majority of OSU’s playbook so far. Offensive coordinator Kasey Dunn called several trick plays — the sports.ed@ocolly.com
Jaiden Daughty OSU football coach Mike Gundy previewed Saturday’s game and covered several topics during his weekly press conference on Monday afternoon.
Gundy talks Big 12 parity, trends and defensive improvement
has cut down on mistakes and a league-wide trend developing. Here is what Gundy had to say before his No. 9 Cowboys travel to play No. 16 Baylor. Big 12 Parity: The Big 12 leaderboard took Sam Hutchens just one week full of conference Staff Reporter matchups to shatter preconceived notions. Kansas, the preseason pick to finish last, leads the Big 12 with a 2-0 record. The Cowboys are comWhile OSU was on bye, ing off a bye week that enabled Kansas State upset Oklahoma in coach Mike Gundy to evaluate the Norman to send the Sooners to Big 12 conference, how his team the bottom of the Big 12 stand-
Notebook
ings with Texas; a team that Texas Tech upset. “I think the parity in this league is maybe more than ever,” Gundy said. “I’ve said this for a number of years. You might have a team win this league that has two or three losses. You might. I haven’t studied the other games. I just see the scores.” In 2021, Baylor broke Oklahoma’s six-year streak of conference championships. Gundy said league competitiveness is at a high point. See Gundy on page 2
An unforgettable evening The New York Philharmonic returns Luisa Clausen Staff Reporter
File photo Wide receiver Jaden Bray (No. 85) hasn’t played so far with a left arm injury.
around, ready to honor the New York Philharmonic. Taylor Hatheway, an OSU senior, attended the event with the President Leadership Council to A performance worthy of a attend the event. five-minute standing ovation. “I don’t know what to exThe New York Philharpect but I am excited to spend this monic made its great return to the time with friends and listen to McKnight Center this past week- good classical music,” Hatheway end. The series of shows opened said. “Everyone here is very disFriday night with a concert that tinguished and it’s a nice chance left the crowd speechless. The to dress up.” black-tie gala event started at 5 Family and friends of the p.m with an exquisite menu filled OSU Greenwood School of Music with flavorful appetizers. students performing Friday night As guests arrived, the exwandered around the reception citement and admiration started to waiting for the show to begin. spread across the room. Students, Tim Sewell attended the alumni, community members and event to watch his son, Benjamin classical music admirers gathered Sewell, a music major at OSU,
sing alongside other students during the finale of Beethoven’s “Ninth Symphony.” “My son is not the type that gets nervous,” Tim Sewell said. “But it’s an incredible opportunity and we are very proud of him.” Jaap Van Zweden, the music director of the New York Philharmonic, orchestrated a beautifully choreographed dance, building a story song after song and left everyone in the crowd with chills when the performance ended. The orchestra challenged the viewers’ sense of time and space by transporting them to a world where only music mattered. See Philharmonic on page 8