What was the biggest reason for OSU’s offensive struggles in the first half Saturday?
Coach Mike Gundy said Texas A&M was more physical at the line of scrimmage than the Cowboys early on. But Texas A&M also made some drastic changes to its basic defensive philosophy. Coming in, the Aggies had played man coverage almost half the time, but Gundy estimated they ran "about five plays” in man Saturday.
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"I’ve never seen a team scrap what they’ve been doing for four games and do something totally different,” OSU quarterback Zac Robinson said.
Was tight end Brandon Pettigrew missed in run blocking Saturday?
Yes. His physical presence is hard to replace. Freshmen Wilson Youman and Jamal Mosley were adequate again in Pettigrew’s absence, but as Gundy said, "it’s not the same as a guy who’s a potential first-round pick.”
Will Pettigrew return for the Missouri game?
Gundy isn’t discussing injuries with the media, other than to say Pettigrew "has a foot injury and he’s day-to-day.” Pettigrew took part in pregame warm-ups again Saturday and doesn’t appear to be severely hindered by the injury. Considering Pettigrew’s competitive drive, it will be hard to keep him off the field in such a big game
Will OSU reveal any parts of the offensive playbook that have been concealed thus far?
It’s certain that the Cowboys haven’t needed to go deep into the playbook in building their 5-0 record, so expect some new wrinkles, especially in the passing game. Robinson hasn’t yet been forced to utilize other receivers that much and this could be the week they get involved.
By Scott Wright
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Excellent point Mike, defensive touchdowns keep our offense off the field.
I really hope to see Pettigrew play on Saturday. Just guessing here, but Bryant will be double covered, so it would be nice to have Pettrigrew as an option. Can't wait for the game.
Another reason the OSU offensive numbers were so low in the first half of the aTm game is because the defense was causing the turnovers on their own side of the field. Give the OSU offense 5 possessions due to punts on their own 20 instead of 5 possessions due to forced turnovers in aTm territory and the numbers would have looked a lot different.
OK, SATURDAY'S GAME AGAINST MISSOURI WILL REALLY TEST WHAT OSU FOOTBALL HAS THIS YEAR. MISSOURI WAS REALLY TOUGH AGAINST NEBRASKA AND AT THE END OF THE GAME. FIRST YEAR NEBRASKA COACH BO PELINI LOOKED LIKE HE'D SEEN A GOST. MISSOURI QUARTERBACK CHASE DANIEL IS GREAT. HE WAS 18 FOR 23 IN PASSING WITH 3 TD'S. I DON'T BELIEVE THE COWBOYS CAN STOP THE MISSOURI OFFENSE. AFTER ALL, OUR DEFENSE HASN'T BEEN ABLE TO STOP ANYBODY. THE REALITY IS THAT TO WIN MISSOURI HAS TO BE ABLE TO STOP OSU..SOMETHING THAT HASN'T HAPPENED SO FAR THIS YEAR. FOR OSU TO WIN (AND THEY CAN) THEY NEED TO SCORE ON EVERY POSSESSION. WHEN THE DUST SETTLES, THE SCORE MAY BE AT AN ALL TIME DIVISION I HIGH. HE WHO HAS THE BALL LAST WINS? I MIGHT BE WRONG, BUT I DON'T THINK SO. GO POKES!!
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