It’s Bear Season
Oklahoma State hosts Baylor Saturday night with ESPN College GameDay in town. (Photo courtesy of sports.yahoo.com)
Saturday is it. The game of the year. It’s time for us to show the nation what being a Cowboy is all about. We get national coverage. We get the best offense in the nation coming to town. Let’s show ’em who we are.
Stillwater. This is our town. Art Briles thinks BPS won’t be much different from other venues Baylor has played at this season (Kansas and K-State). Art Briles has never won in BPS. Art Briles has never seen a SOLD OUT BPS. This sea of orange is gonna be wavin’ all night long.
Oklahoma State. This is our town. This is our time. It’s history in the making. It’s Sanders, Pickens and Gundy. It’s Pat Jones, Thomas, Gilbert and Moore. It’s Weeden, Blackmon, Bryant and Lavey. Barnett, Seales and Roland. It’s Robinson, Hargis and Chelf. It’s me and you. We’re a part of history. Right here. Right now. It’s time to get Boone Pickens Stadium ROCKING!
Cowboy football. This is our team. This is America’s Brightest Orange. This is bleeding orange. This is living orange. This is our community. This is our family. This is being loyal and true. Ride with the Cowboys, Oklahoma State. It’s time to go bear hunting!
#IRideWithTheCowboys
Quick Thoughts about “The Dirty Game”
Sports Illustrated completed a 10-month investigation of the OSU football program. It’s time to show how we will respond. (Photo courtesy of thecollegerag/flickr)
The first part of Sports Illustrated’s “The Dirty Game” debuted today with reactions all over the map. I just want to offer some quick thoughts about this article before OSU fans lose their heads:
1. Don’t get too worried quite yet. The people interviewed didn’t leave the university on the best terms and some of the people mentioned in the article have already come out to say that what is said in the article is false, most notably, Tatum Bell. There is no better time to attack an organization then when they are at their best. This wouldn’t be as big of a deal if we were still having sub-.500 seasons.
2. This all came about because of how good OSU got in a short amount of time. Thayer Evans of SI says we got too good too fast. Sorry, Thayer, but we aren’t the team going for a three-peat this year. Let’s take a closer look at Alabama really quick: Between 2003-2009 they had three winning seasons. Three. Interesting. Let’s continue: between the 2006 and 2007 seasons, they went 13-13. From 2008-2011, they went 48-6. Seems like a pretty fast rise there, Thayer. You might want to go check out what’s going on down there. I’m not saying Alabama is doing anything wrong, just trying to keep to the principle Thayer put in motion.
3. Speaking of Thayer Evans, I wonder who OSU fans will hate more after this blows over: Les MIles or Thayer Evans?
4. I think Evans will get more tweets this week than he will the rest of his life. Shows how OSU fans stick up for their brothers and sisters.
5. Look at how the OSU family has come together in the midst of all this. We are a family no matter what. Loyal and true.
6. Remember Miami back in 2011? The NCAA had a lot more evidence of what happened down there right from the start and nothing came of it other than the NCAA getting laughed at. It has a lot less to start with concerning OSU, so I don’t expect anything major to really come of this either.
7. If the NCAA does choose to bring punishments, I hope they take a page out of the NFL’s playbook and punish the people responsible. With the Saint’s bounty scandal, the NFL punished the coaches and players involved, not the entire Saints organization. If the NCAA wants to point fingers, point them at those responsible. Go after Les Miles, Joe DeForest, and Larry Porter. Don’t punish the current players who are doing everything right.
8. Speaking of that, I think LSU, West Virginia and Texas should take a good, long look at their current programs and make sure the coaches aren’t doing any of the things they are alleged of. If they did it at OSU, why would they stop just because they switched schools?
9. Remember, these are just allegations. Nothing is set in stone, yet. OSU has already said they will do a full investigation to see if there is any validity to the claims. These all could be false and if that comes to light, we will show the nation the character we have in situations like this. And if some turn out to be true, we will show how we bond together and fight through the adversity and come back stronger.
And finally,
10. This investigation shows me one thing: We have arrived! Thayer Evans is scared of how good we are. This team is the best in the Big 12 and that didn’t happen overnight. This investigation shows we are now a threat to be reckoned with. We told every team that came into Boone Pickens Stadium to “tell ’em we’re coming!” Now, we have America’s attention. They’re finally listening. We are one big family. We are orange to the bone. We bleed orange. We live orange. We are loyal and true. We’re coming. And hell’s coming with us.
Ride ’em, Cowboys.
I Ride With the Cowboys!
Ok State vs. UTSA Preview
We are just moments away from the kickoff between Oklahoma State and UTSA. Here are some thoughts on what to watch for during the game:
1. Can the defense keep it up and be as stingy as they were last week?
The defense held an SEC team to only 3 points, but there is still definitely room to improve. They gave up three 4th down conversions late in the game. As good as they were, they can still improve to make sure they play every down late in the game and force turnover on downs rather than staying out on the field.
2. WIll J.W. Walsh keep the electricity high on offense?
Chelf wasn’t getting it done for OSU against Miss. St., but when Walsh came in, the offense sparked and tore apart an SEC defense, especially on the ground. Walsh had 125 yards and Smith had 102. Offense shouldn’t be a problem against UTSA and the scoreboard should light up all game long.
3. How will the fans react even if OSU doesn’t put up big points?
I’m not saying this will happen. Against Miss. St., OSU still won by 18. If we had won 48-30, the fans would have been fine, but people around Stillwater aren’t used to OSU only putting up 21 points. OSU should be able to put up big numbers today and handle UTSA with ease, but what will happen if we win 28-0. Still a 28-point victory, but it’s not what people around here are used to. But let me tell you something, a win is a win is a win.
My prediction: OSU 48, UTSA 10. Go Pokes! Ride ’em Cowboys!
Cowboy Football Season Preview
Boone Pickens Stadium will get rowdy this season as the Cowboys fight for another Big 12 title. (Photo courtesy of ensign_beedrill/flickr)
This is already turning into an exciting year in Stillwater with the Cowboys selected to win the Big 12 for the first time in history. This shows how much respect the Cowboys have earned over the past few seasons, especially after only gaining 8 wins last season. So let’s take a look at what this year has in store for the Cowboys.
On the offensive side of the ball, the biggest thing to look for will be the direction new coordinator, Mike Yurcich, takes the team. This shouldn’t be a big change, as the Cowboys will still run an up-tempo, high-energy offense looking to produce big fireworks. As for the QB battle, Gundy appears to be going with both Chelf and Walsh, playing to each of their strengths. I think this was the best solution and should add for some unexpected tricks throughout the season.
But, the biggest factor for the Cowboy’s success this season will be the defense. Glenn Spencer will add a new dimension to the defense, going with a more aggressive approach compared to Bill Young’s read and react. If the defense can step it up and bring back memories of the 44 turnover season, this will be an electric year for the Cowboys.
This year is going to be history in the making, so be sure to watch all you Cowboy fans! This is the year we win. This is the year we ride. Ride ’em, Cowboys.
The Ride of a Lifetime
This year has been a roller coaster year with my first year at college. All of the people I’ve met, the classes I’ve had the pleasure of taking. This year has been one of the most memorable experiences of my life and now, it’s time to continue on this journey and keep my hands in the air as I travel along the tracks of this coaster. So many choices had to be made leading up to this point and have all added a piece to the coaster I am riding.
At Oklahoma State, I have been involved in many media classes, one of which had me start a blog and create this website. Up until this point, all of the posts were assignments, writing in our own voice about various articles. I hope to continue blogging my thoughts to hone in these skills. I look forward to seeing where this website takes me and how it will influence the tracks of this coaster.
I can’t believe I’m about to start my junior year at Oklahoma State. This new year will bring in new experiences, new opportunities, and of course, new choices that will make this roller coaster even more extreme. I hope to keep riding this coaster, hands in air, screaming my lungs out. So, time to see where this coaster takes me. It’s been the ride of a lifetime. And, as always,
Ride ’em, Cowboys.
Remembering Roger
Roger Ebert, the man who revolutionized movie reviews with the thumbs-up rating died this week. (Photo courtesy of Gerd Altmann/pixabay)
The man who created the “thumbs-up, thumbs-down” rating system passed away this week and it is with great sorrow I write this post. I found an interesting article by Christie Lemire remembering the man behind the reviews. The thing that amazed me about Roger Ebert was his work outside of movie reviews. He did a fantastic job educating the public about a wide variety of topics not even closely related to movies, and he did all without being able to talk.
Roger Ebert created a sense in everyone that they knew him, even though most people never got the chance to meet him. He created a legacy of reviews and work that spanned generations and will continue to affect journalism for years to come.
Cheers, Roger, and may I say, five fantastic thumps-up on your work!
All You Need is a Phone and Instagram
Nick Laham made the front page with an iPhone and Instagram. Who needs professional equipment, anyway? (photo courtesy of Gerd Altmann/flickr)
With baseball season just hours away from starting, I found this article about a New York Yankees photographer, Nick Laham. His pictures are all taken on his iPhone and edited in Instagram. And they made the front page of the New York Times. This should inspire anyone to be a photographer and has started a war between iPhone and traditional photographers.
I love the fact that Laham showed how simple it is to make a picture look professional without shelling out a ton of cash for expensive equipment. In this age of technology with reporters adapting to Twitter why shouldn’t photography evolve, too? To all the traditional photographers who hate his success, maybe you should try an iPhone and Instagram and see what you can come up with. Maybe it’ll actually be front-page material.
Spring Break in Colorado
I traveled back home for Spring Break 2013 to celebrate with Grant and Audriana as they joined together in marriage. This is the slideshow I made for their reception to look back on the memories we’ve all shared. Enjoy! All songs owned by their respective artists-no copyright infringement intended.
Justin Packard 