NEW ERA Kasey dunn comes to the osu oc position with high expectations
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Column: Predicting what a Kasey Dunn offense will look like S ud eep tum m a , Sports Editor, @As k tu m m a
Kasey Dunn brings a new type of excitement to Stillwater. The longtime wide receivers coach has become a sort of wide receiver savant. He’s coached Biletnkoff Award finalist Tylan Wallace, winner James Washington and two-time winner Justin Blackmon. The accolades go on and one for one of college football’s hidden gems and the Cowboys’ new offensive coordinator. As OC, Dunn will be tasked with a different role. While he still holds the title of wide receivers coach, Dunn will now be calling plays while he takes on a bigger role in game planning. But that begs the question: what does a Dunn offense look like? In the media’s first — and only — interaction with the OSU football team during spring practice before the pandemic hit, Dunn talked about how this was Mike Gundy’s offense, and he’s just here to call plays. While it’s true, Gundy has his imprints all over this offense, each OC has their own style and pace to how they go about a game plan. Each play-caller has favorites — maybe they rely on a particular concept, formation or receiver. Or maybe they prefer to run more than pass or vice versa. To figure out Dunn’s tenFRIDAY, JULY 24, 2020
Kasey Dunn has an interesting offense coming into his first year as OC for OSU.
dencies, we have to circle back to what’s now noted as the “elevator drive.” During OSU’s 52-36 victory over Oregon State on Aug. 30, 2019, offensive coordinator Sean Gleeson and others were stuck in an elevator during the first drive of the second half. And so, Dunn called the plays during the 10-play drive. The result? A touchdown. But it’s not so black and white. The drive gives us some suggestions as to how Dunn may calls plays in 2020, but it shouldn’t be taken as an absolute — we don’t know how much of it was previously scripted. Taking a look at the 71yard drive that went for a TD, a few things stuck out to me. The first was the pace. The Cowboys often went
no-huddle and pushed the tempo — a staple of many high-powered offenses. Dunn got it started with a Hubbard run to begin the drive. But from there he went pass-heavy. That doesn’t simply equate to 7-step drops where Spencer Sanders launched the ball down the field, most of those the dropbacks were to quick passes or screens. Which we saw a lot of in 2019. There was a QB draw mixed in there, which appeared to be the perfect play call against a man-toman Cover 1 look. While Dunn didn’t necessarily dial up any deep shots, some of that may have had to do with the fact it was Sanders’ first game ever. OSU went pass-heavy for
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the first half of the drive, but that changed when the Cowboys got in the red zone. They rushed the ball four of five of those plays. The one pass play was a back-shoulder to Tylan Wallace where he came down with the ball, but his foot was out of bounds. With those four Hubbard runs, two were zone runs — where offensive linemen are blocking a particular zone — and the other two were power runs — where a guard will “pull” and set up as a lead blocker for the running back on the other side of the formation. Both have their merits, and different play-callers prefer using different schemes based on their personnel and style. As I said, this one drive doesn’t definitely tell us how Dunn is going to call
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plays on Saturdays, but it at least gives us a jab at what we might see. One thing is for sure, Dunn knows OSU inside and out. He’s been in Stillwater since 2011 and made a huge impact in those 9 years. I’ll be interested to see how the plays are split out at receiver. Before the ACL tear, it was really the Tylan Wallace show last year. At times it felt like Cowboys were too reliant on Wallace. Don’t get me wrong. Wallace should absolutely be the alpha dog given his efficiency with a high-target share and blistering talent. But spreading the ball a bit more to other receivers helps open up the field, open up the run game, even open up the coverage for Wallace.
And this is what I was alluding to earlier — every play-caller has their own style. Nobody knows these receivers better than Dunn. After Wallace went down, Dillion Stoner showed out as No. 1 guy with 3-932 and 5-150-2 stat lines against TCU and Kansas. Stoner has talent, it’s just about drawing up plays for him. Then there’s Brayden Johnson, who Dunn talked up during that one media availability. While he’s raw, Johnson has the size and speed that you simply can’t teach. Dunn knows how to develop these guys and all the other receivers at his disposal. He knows them better than anyone else. He knows their strengths, their weakness and how to get them in the best position to succeed. That’ll be one interesting thing to see, but there’s obviously still a bunch of unknowns. How the offense adapt with the loss of left tackle Dylan Galloway? Does Chuba Hubbard take on a bigger role as a pass-catcher in 2020? Will Sanders operate as more of a pocket passer? We don’t know the answers to these things yet. But they will surely play a role in how Dunn’s offense looks. Whatever direction Dunn takes this team, it’s going to be exciting to see.
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Horoscope
FOR RELEASE JULY 24, 2020
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis
By Nancy Black Tribune Content Agency Todays Birthday (07/24/20). Expand your physical strength and capacities this year. Discipline and consistency with healthy routines wins. Expect work changes. Insight, inspiration and illumination light up your summer, before physical changes require adaptation. Communication resolves social challenges this winter, before sweet romance flowers. Action gets results. 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 a 7 — Work together. Your creativity makes it easier to handle obstacles. Take care of family first. It’s not a good time to gamble. Stick with what’s real. Taurus (April 20-May 20) — Today is a 7 — Get into physical action to grow stronger and produce satisfying results. You can make a great leap ahead with focused practice. Process emotions through movement. Gemini (May 21-June 20) — Today is a 7 — Reinforce support structures for your romantic relationship. Find creative ways to connect. Action speak louder than words, although loving expressions are appreciated. Kindle a spark. Cancer (June 21-July 22) — Today is a 7 — Make domestic improvements to increase the comfort factor. Costs may be higher than expected. Don’t take risks. Invent creative solutions for family support. Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) — Today is a 7 — Make an unexpected connection. Communication opens doors. Listen with your heart. Share your discoveries and stories. Contribute value to a larger conversation. Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) — Today is an 8 — Lucrative opportunities can hide under change. Keep generating positive cash flow. Replenish reserves. A push now gets results. Aim high. Provide excellent service. Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) — Today is a 9 — You’re on top of the world, but don’t get cocky. It’s too early to cry victory. Stay in communication. Don’t make expensive promises. Monitor conditions. Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) — Today is a 6 — Get introspective, private and quiet. Listen to your inner wisdom, especially regarding a decision or choice. Consider plans, options and schedules. Organize and imagine. Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) — Today is a 7 — Your friends can help, if you ask them. Make long-range plans. Don’t believe everything you’ve learned. More study is required. Everything works out. Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) — Today is an 8 — Enjoy professional productivity. Don’t believe everything you’ve learned. More study is required. Adapt your career to take advantage of new opportunities. Discipline pays off. Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) — Today is an 8 — Advance an exploration. Creative solutions address uncertainty around travel and gathering. Expand your education by studying a fascinating subject with a master. Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — Today is an 8 — Love provides a foundation for dialogue, especially with financial conversations. Contribute to advance a shared venture. Follow rules carefully. Collaborate to grow accounts.
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Solution to Thursday’s puzzle
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
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ACROSS 1 Need in many outdoor games 5 Basic card game 8 Saltpetre 13 Takeout option 14 Camaro __-Z 16 They may be crumbled in ice cream 17 With 59-Across, old English nursery rhyme being investigated by the detectives in this puzzle 19 Coffee mate? 20 German finale 21 Chaotic situation, in slang 23 Wealthy TV sleuth Matt 26 Hard-boiled sleuth Mike 27 Northern sky sight 28 __ ballerina 30 Where Charlie “may ride forever,” in a 1959 hit 31 Gaming biggie 33 Watchdog org.? 37 Exploit 39 Falcon-finding sleuth Sam 41 Medieval Asian leader 42 Consents 44 Twosomes in the news 46 Guadalajara gold 47 Gulf of Aqaba city 49 Took the sloop 51 Twinkly-eyed sleuth Jane 54 Wisecracking sleuth Philip 55 Spammer, e.g. 57 City on Utah Lake 58 Cordial relations 59 See 17-Across (and see circles for the solution to the mystery) 64 It’s a fact 65 Pain in the neck, e.g. 66 Roman fiddler 67 Rickman role in Harry Potter films 68 Smidge 69 Feint on the ice
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By Jake Scheele
DOWN 1 FYI cousin 2 Sound from a spa 3 Vientiane native 4 “Just watch me” 5 Metaphor for youthful indiscretion 6 Former senator Specter 7 Caviar 8 Having a calm temperament 9 Identityconcealing attire, in a Dumas novel 10 Coffee hr. 11 Compact item 12 Perfume compound 15 Epidemic-fighting agcy. 18 Mural opening 22 Sashimi selection 23 Given to overacting 24 Navel type 25 Eurasian divide 28 Star-Lord portrayer Chris 29 Theme park staple 32 Samoan port
Thursday’s Puzzle Solved
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34 One of many on a phone these days 35 Rod in Cooperstown 36 Positive pole, perhaps 38 “Hang in there” 40 Left on a sloop 43 “D’oh!” 45 More ticked off 48 Sheltered side 50 __ Joy
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51 Honey drinks 52 Capital south of Beirut 53 Indian yogurt dip 54 Coffee shop order 56 Color TV pioneer 60 It ends rather spookily: Abbr. 61 Busyness symbol 62 Tick off 63 San Francisco’s __ Valley