The Sooners came into this game a game above .500, but they figured some things out to the Cowboys’ demise.

Oklahoma State fell to Oklahoma 16-2 on Friday night in O’Brate Stadium. It’s the seventh time this year the Cowboys gave up double-digit runs, but it wasn’t only defensive struggles, as the Pokes mustered just three hits against OU.

“They came out and were better in all phases of the game,” OSU coach Josh Holliday said. “They got us. They ran away with it early in the game, and it was a tough one. Bounce back and come back ready tomorrow.”

The Sooners first seven runs came with two outs, scoring five in the third and two in the fifth. That came before OU put up seven runs in the fifth inning.

Caeden Trenkle was probably the Cowboys’ player of the game. He went 1-for-1 at the dish with four walks drawn. His on-base percentage jumped from .387 before the game to .406. He has now drawn 24 walks on the year, second to only Nolan McLean, who didn’t play Friday, on the team.

Any time a guy is player of the game because he walked four times tells you all you need to know.

The Cowboys’ first hit of the night came from Carson McCusker in the sixth inning. Max Hewitt had OSU’s only RBI of the night with a single in the eighth.

Bryce Osmond got the start on the bump with Parker Scott and Justin Wrobleski nursing injuries. Osmond threw 78 pitches in four innings where he allowed seven runs off nine hits while striking out four.

Wyatt Cheney, Roman Phansalkar, Colton Bowman, Zach Cable and John Kelly were used out of Rob Walton’s bullpen. That group combined to throw five innings where it allowed nine runs off five hits while walking eight and striking out nine. Bowman and Cable were the only pitchers of that group who didn’t allow a run.

After the game, Holliday said Scott and Wrobleski won’t be available this weekend. Justin Campbell will start Saturday’s game, and Brett Standlee will likely start Sunday.

The second game of the Big 12 Bedlam series is scheduled for 3 p.m. Saturday in Norman.

“We gotta compete better,” Holliday said. “We didn’t play and compete as well as it is required.”

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For the first time in a decade, the Cowgirls are going to the Sweet 16.

Oklahoma State throttled South Alabama 7-0 in the Round of 32 on Friday night in North Carolina. It’s just the third time in program history the Cowgirls have made it to the Sweet 16 with the other times coming in 2010 and 2011.

The Cowgirls peppered shots at the South Alabama goal early.

Gabriella Coleman got the scoring started in the 15th minute. Megan Haines scored five minutes later off a corner kick. Grace Yochum scored off a set piece two minutes after that. Coleman, Haines and Yochum each scored two goals on the night. Haines, a sophomore, had only one goal on the year entering Friday night’s match.

“Megan has been great all year,” OSU coach Colin Carmichael said. “You don’t know when a kid gets in the NCAA Tournament and plays a game at this level, you don’t know what to expect. That’s a big deal. For her to play as well as we did in that moment, I’ve run out of words for how proud I am of Megan.”

Yochum’s set piece goal was set up by a bad-to-worse moment for South Alabama. Gabrielle Gayle got sent off after pulling Coleman’s jersey on a breakaway.

Olyvia Dowell was the Cowgirls’ other goal scorer. The sophomore scored her 11th of the year in the 63rd minute. Dowell and Kim Rodriguez each had a pair of assists in the game.

The seven goals are the most a team has scored in the NCAA Tournament to this point. It’s the most goals OSU has scored in an NCAA Tournament game since the Cowgirls’ 9-1 win against Arkansas-Pine Bluff in 2011.

The Cowgirls play seventh-seeded Texas A&M in the Sweet 16 at 11 a.m. Wednesday. OSU won the only other two Sweet 16 games it has played in.

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The Chicago Bears traded up to select Teven Jenkins with the ninth pick in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft, the team’s second pick of the draft.

Jenkins has been generating buzz for some time, but he wasn’t always in the limelight. He came to Oklahoma State by way of Topeka, Kansas as a three-star prospect in the 2016 recruiting cycle. He was the No. 1,011 prospect in the 2016 class, now he’s the No. 39 prospect in the 2021 NFL Draft.

After a redshirt year, Jenkins quickly made his way into the rotation as a freshman playing in 12 games and starting three both at right tackle and then right guard. By his redshirt sophomore year, Jenkins was a mainstay in OSU’s starting lineup but injuries still forced him to move around.

From 2018-20 he started in every game that he appeared in but split time between right tackle and left tackle, showcasing his versatility. After battling injury issues this past year, Jenkins decided to forego the remainder of the season to prepare for the draft.

Jenkins was named All-Big 12 honorable mention in both 2018 and 2019 and then was a First-Team all-conference selection in 2020, despite playing in only seven games. He was also an honorable mention for conference Offensive Lineman of the Year last year.

Jenkins’ stock continued to rise after his senior season with several outlets tabbing him as a first round pick, and he further solidified his status in the field with a strong showing at OSU’s pro day.

He showed his strength posting 36 reps of 225 pounds in the bench press, which would have ranked third-best at the 2020 NFL Draft Combine. He also ran a 4.96-second 40-yard dash and recorded a 7.72 in the L drill.

Jenkins is Oklahoma State’s highest draft pick since Emmanuel Ogbah went 32nd overall in 2016. He’s the first Cowboy offensive lineman to be drafted since Russell Okung went sixth overall in 2010.

The Bears took Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields No. 11 overall with their first pick, whom he will be protecting. Jenkins was projected by many to go to Chicago No. 20 overall but the Bears traded that pick. Looks like they got their guy after all.

The post Chicago Bears Select Teven Jenkins No. 39 Overall in 2021 NFL Draft appeared first on Pistols Firing.

Curlee Thomas is set to pick his college program in July, and Friday he released his top group of suitors.

Thomas released a top seven of Oklahoma State, Mississippi State, UCLA, Purdue, Texas Tech, Michigan State and Cal. He his set to announce his commitment on his 17th birthday — July 11.

Listed at 6-foot-4, 240 pounds, Thomas is the No. 552 player in the 2022 class, making him the No. 39 strong-side defensive end and No. 84 Texan in the class.

He plays his high school ball at Nolan Catholic in Fort Worth. He was a First Team All-State selection as a junior. In nine games this past season, he recorded 58 tackles, including 22 tackles for loss and 16 sacks. He also recovered two fumbles and forced a safety.

He is scheduled to take an official visit in Stillwater in mid-June. He also has officials lined up for Cal, Michigan State and Texas Tech.

Jim Knowles has a good haul of defenders in the Cowboys’ 12th-ranked recruiting class, but Thomas would be the second-highest rated defensive player in the class, should he commit, behind Duncanville linebacker Jordan Crook.

If Thomas committed to OSU now, it would bump the Pokes’ class up to No. 11 nationally, behind only Oklahoma and Texas in the Big 12.

The post Oklahoma State Makes Top Seven for Defensive End Curlee Thomas appeared first on Pistols Firing.

The theme of Thursday night was NFL quarterbacks being reunited with their college wide receivers, with three such matches being made in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft. But hours before the draft kicked off, another such pairing was potentially extended.

On Thursday, the Pittsburgh Steelers announced that they had signed Mason Rudolph to a one-year, $5-million extension, tacking an additional year on to his rookie deal and giving their backup quarterback a decent raise.

The 2018 third round pick was set to make a base salary of $1.014 million next season, the final of his rookie contract. But this extension will see the former OSU record-setter average $3 million over the next two years. The deal also includes built-in incentives related to playing time, according to a report by NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport.

Franchise quarterback Ben Roethlisberger restructured his contract, effectively taking a pay cut, to come back for 2021 which many believe will be his final season. Fellow Pittsburgh QBs Josh Dobbs and Dwayne Haskins are also only signed through 2021, meaning that Rudolph is the only QB on the roster currently inked past this next season.

For Pittsburgh, this deal locks up Rudolph as a backup for an aging and oft-injured Big Ben. For Rudolph, this means he will still have the opportunity to prove himself as a potential successor at QB1. It also shows that the franchise still has confidence in his abilities, at least as a competent No. 2.

Rudolph is 5-5 as an NFL starter, with all but one of those coming in 2019 when Roethlisberger was injured. He started the regular season finale in 2020, as Roethlisberger sat. In 15 career games Rudolph has thrown for 2,089 yards, completed 61.7 percent of his passes and has thrown 15 touchdowns to 10 interceptions.

Rudolph was take with the 76th pick in the third round of the 2018 draft, one round after his college receiver James Washington. Washington is going into the final year of his rookie contract.

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COVID has made scholarships and eligibility all a little confusing, but it could help the Cowboys next season.

In normal circumstances, Division-I basketball programs are allowed to have 13 players on scholarship, but Oklahoma State could actually get to 14 for 2021-22. Bryce Williams has the opportunity to be a “super senior” next season, which would give OSU an exemption to the 13-scholarship rule. This past season didn’t count toward athletes’ eligibility. Williams was a senior, so he has the opportunity to return should he choose to.

This over-the-limit exemption applies only to players who were seniors last year. So, though Isaac Likekele, a junior this past season, has two more years of eligibility to go with the COVID rule, he would count toward the scholarship limit if he returned for 2022-23.

Williams would still have to choose to come back, a decision that is likely to be made by the end of the spring semester. Avery Anderson is also testing NBA Draft waters, but the expectation is for him to return. Dee Mitchell was also on scholarship this past season, but he is unlikely to return next season.

So with all of that said, here is OSU’s scholarship situation as things stand:

So, what will the Cowboys do with those two open spots? That’s obviously still TBD, but it looks as if at least one guard will get added. Per reports, OSU has inquired about a handful of talented guards in the transfer portal like Bryce Thompson (Kansas), DeVante’ Jones (Coastal Carolina), Bryson Williams (UTEP) and Sahvir Wheeler (Georgia).

There are also a few other former Oklahoma high school standouts available in Jaxson Robinson (Texas A&M) and Trey Alexander.

The Cowboys had also put feelers out to a handful of centers this offseason before adding Woody Newton and Tyreek Smith. Newton plays more as a stretch power forward type. Smith could play likely play center with his rim-protecting ability, but Texas Tech did list him at 6-foot-7 this past season.

The post So, Oklahoma State Actually Has Two Scholarships to Give appeared first on Pistols Firing.

Carson Cunningham and Colby Powell recap the first round of the NFL Draft, speculate on landings spots for OSU players and look ahead to Bedlam baseball.

You know what helps the show and helps us make more shows? When you rate us on Apple Podcasts or subscribe to our pod: Apple Podcasts | Google Play | Stitcher | SoundCloud | Overcast

As always, we appreciate our sponsor Chris’ University Spirit.

The post PFB Podcast Ep. 378: NFL Draft First Round Reaction appeared first on Pistols Firing.

The Daily Bullets are brought to you by Hoboken Coffee: Get 20% off your first order. 

A warm, happy birthday to Big Sis Bullets – just remember that young is subjective to your age and enjoy these Michael/Toby moments

OSU Bullets

• Gosh it was surprising to see Teven Jenkins not get taken in the first last night – particularly not to see him taken by the Raiders. It’d be surprising if Teven Jenkins and Tylan Wallace don’t get picked today.

• 2021 could be Mike Gundy’s biggest draft class yet

• Bedlam Baseball will take center stage this weekend – tonight in Stillwater, this weekend in Norman

• This is a pretty sweet recruiting graphic – the Cowboys are after this Texas defensive lineman with a commitment date looming this summer.

• If you’re curious how the Pokes won the Big 12 title – it helps to have four guys in the top-ten.

Non-OSU Bullets

• What introverts and extroverts want after the pandemic
• Inside the inevitable move to expanding the CFP and why it’ll be tough

I like this take on building an approach:

“Books for mindset.
Quiet time to think for strategy.
Conversations with successful peers for tactics.”

James Clear

However they want to get the cookies here, I’m in.

The post Daily Bullets (Apr. 30): Pokes Poised for a Big Second Day in the Draft appeared first on Pistols Firing.

On Day 1 of the 2021 NFL Draft, we can reflect on what’s been a bizarre #DraftSZN (and year) thanks to COVID-19.

There was no Scouting Combine. The East-West Shrine Game and NFLPA Bowl were scrubbed, or at least stripped down to a shell of their normal exhibitions with no in-person evaluation taking place. The Reese’s Senior Bowl went on as scheduled, but even its festivities were reduced thanks to pandemic protocols.

Instead, the emphasis was put on individual pro days over televised/streaming showcases, and the onus will be on scouts and front office folk to dig deeper into film and measurables to inform their decisions come draft night.

But despite all of that uncertainty and aberration, this could be one of the biggest draft classes ever for Oklahoma State, possibly the biggest.

At least five Cowboys have been projected to hear their names called by the sport’s top prognosticators and talking heads. That would make for the largest OSU draft class in the Mike Gundy era, and tie for the most ever by the school.

OSU has had five players taken in a draft four times in school history. The first was in 1967. There were 17 rounds in that draft. The other three times (1977, 1984 and 1985) were during a stretch when the NFL Draft lasted 12 rounds.

In 1994 the draft was cut to eight rounds, and a year later it settled on its current format of just seven. Television audiences lose interest past, say, Round 5, and it gives those later-round picks a bit more freedom to choose where they landed signing as undrafted free agents.

So a year after OSU had zero draftees, the Cowboys could tie a school record, and we’d be looking at the most concentrated class of Cowboys to ever go through the draft process based on the number of rounds.

Since Gundy took the helm, OSU has averaged less than two NFL Draft picks per year (1.7), and that includes 2005 when three players who never knew him as a head coach were taken.

In three of Gundy’s 16 years, the Cowboys didn’t have a single player selected, including 2020. But it is important to mention OSU’s two best players decided to forego last year’s draft.

Twice Gundy has sent two classes of four through the draft. There was his star-studded 2010 group that included a pair of first-rounders in Russell Okung and Dez Bryant as well as Perrish Cox and Zac Robinson. Three of the four enjoyed long, productive careers. Two of them played last season. In 2018, he saw James Washington, Mason Rudolph, Tre Flowers and Marcell Ateman all selected. Three of them are still in the league.

But this class has the potential to stack up against both in terms of star power and longevity.

Offensive tackle Teven Jenkins seems to be a lock to go in the first round thanks to his impressive film, a strong pro day and several teams needing to protect recent or upcoming quarterback investments.

Chuba Hubbard and Tylan Wallace are the superstars that returned for another year. Both chose to come back in 2020 not only to make another run at a Big 12 title, but to bolster their draft stock.

Unfortunately, Chuba was dinged up for much of 2020 and replicating his monstrous 2020 production was probably not practical. Tylan’s own injury history may still hurt him, though ESPN guru Todd McShay does have him going in the second round in his latest mock.

Rodarius Williams was a lockdown cornerback last season who’s been projected to go anywhere from the first round to Day 3. Linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga has been tabbed as a late round selection by some, as well.

“Should be a good day for us,” said Gundy of this year’s draft. “… By the time the second day’s gone, we should have at least three, maybe four gone, hopefully.

“Then I really think we can have at least two more at the end of the draft. It should be a good day for us either way. If not, we’ll get a bunch of them in camp, and I think they’ll do well enough to make a roster.”

Watching all five of those above-mentioned Pokes (or more) get selected this weekend would be a significant milestone for Gundy and OSU.

The first round of 2021 NFL Draft kicks off at 7 p.m. Thursday. The second and third round will take place at 6 p.m. Friday, and the final four rounds will start at 11 a.m. Saturday. All seven rounds will be televised on ESPN, ABC and the NFL Network.

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