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10 Things to Watch For in the Oklahoma State Spring Football Game

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By: Kyle Cox and Kyle Boone

The end of spring football culminates with the greatest event of the non-football season: the spring game. That goes down on Saturday, where fans from near and far will make their way to the Boone to watch 80ish plays of football and feel irrationally excited about the title hopes of next season, as is an annual tradition.

Here are 10 things to watch for if you’re planning to make your way to Stillwater this weekend.

1. Young cornerbacks

Probably the biggest question mark for the Cowboys heading into this year. A defense that showed a knack for getting beat deep loses all of its starts at cornerback. With Ramon Richards moving to safety, it will be up to redshirt senior Darius Curry and a bunch of young but talented guys to hold up down the back end of OSU’s defense.

Of course, Clemson transfer Adrian Baker will play a big role. But he won’t be here until the summer. So look for plenty of reps for Madre Harper, A.J. Green and Rodarius Williams. They good news is that they are practicing against one of the best wide receiver corps in the country. –KC

2. Mike Gundy’s mullet

The mullet watch is a real thing. It went from a funny (but semi-hideous) hairdo last season to a Gundy trademark and core piece of his recruiting game. OSU finished with its best recruiting class since 2014 last cycle. Do you think that’s a coincidence? I don’t think so. Now OSU is using the gullet is a sales pitch for season tickets. It’s important to bring your binoculars and make sure the waterfall is flowing from neck to back. –KB

3. Backup running backs

A bigger, stronger Jeff Carr can make a case for fall reps this spring. Justice Hill is out rehabbing from off-season shoulder surgery and Chuba Hubbard and JD King are still finishing up their senior years of high school. This may be the junior back’s best chance to make a splash. Throw in freshmen Ja’Ron Wilson and La’Darren Brown who both redshirted last year and it makes for some pretty good competition, at least in the spring game. –KC

4. CROOTS

Each of the last two seasons, Oklahoma State has landed verbal commitments during, or on, the same day of the spring game. This week, OSU has landed two grad transfers — offensive tackle Aaron Cochran and defensive back Adrian Baker. Given the momentum this week, and the amount of horses that will be on the field Saturday, there will be recruits tempted to commit on site. It might just happen. –KB

5. Tyron Johnson

This will be Cowboy fans first opportunity to check out freak athlete and apparent future Hall-of-Famer, Tyron Johnson. As a freshman, Johnson was stuck on the 106th best passing offense in the nation at LSU. He had nine receptions in nine games but turned those into 150 yards and two scores. If what we are hearing from his head coach and former teammates is true, he might get double digit catches in the spring game. –KC

6. The no-names

This is No. 6 on the list, but it’s just as important as any of the above. A warning: do not be fooled by the no-names.

Last season, walk-on receiver Philip Redwine-Bryant went off in the game, leading some OSU fans to suggest he might become the next Dez Bryant. But he’s not recorded a single stat at OSU. And he’s since flipped from receiver to safety.

There will definitely be no-names featured in this game. OSU has a ton of dudes, but James Washington and Jalen McCleskey aren’t going to see 100 reps in an entertainment game for fans. So when John Doe trots out with pads and records 6 receptions for 50 yards and slices up the third team defense, please don’t get ahead of yourself. This is important. –KB

7. Backup QBs

Let Mason enjoy the festivities and sign a couple of extra autographs. Let’s see who OSU has behind him. Keondre Wudtee will be toward the top of the list as far as snaps this fall along with Taylor Cornelius who should be the No. 2 behind Rudolph. This will be Wudtee’s first exhibition for the fans. The most buzzworthy newcomer behind Tyron Johnson is the quiet giant, Jelani Woods who has apparently impressed so far this spring. John Kolar will try to keep himself from falling further down the depth chart. –KC

8. Sharing of backup QB reps

Don’t just watch the backups, study them. Take notes on them, their tendencies, and their strengths. One of them will almost definitely be the starting quarterback next season when Mason Rudolph gets taken No. 1 by the Cleveland Browns graduates and moves to the NFL. Both Wudtee and Woods are mobile, and we might get a glimpse at some of the special run packages OSU could use with one of them a la the J.W. Walsh package. –KB

9. 3-Down, 4-Down Defenses

Oklahoma State used a 3-down defense with mostly positive results down the stretch in 2016. The coaching staff has spent all spring installing the 3-down system as a separate alternate package which can be used in conjunction with their 4-down set. What can we learn from a defense in a spring game? Not necessarily much based on the scoreboard but it will be interesting to see what they start with and how much they employ each scheme. –KC

10. The offensive line

The offensive line has been a concern for several seasons up until OSU produced a 1,000-yard rusher and All-American last season. But the maligned group isn’t off the hook just yet. Replacing Greg Adkins with Josh Henson was a slam dunk for Mike Gundy, but Henson’s usage of the roster is still an area to watch. We know OSU will likely use Cal transfer Aaron Cochran at left tackle next season, and Marcus Keyes and Zach Crabtree have their respective spots locked down. But what we don’t know, and what I’m interested in watching in order is ….

• Who plays behind Brad Lundblade? I’ll admit I’ve been high on Johnny Wilson since he arrived on campus, and I think he’s a gem in waiting. Lundblade has the center spot locked down, but Wilson is a more than capable backup. Keep an eye on the redshirt sophomore — how he makes reads, how he manages the field — because he’s on call at a moment’s notice, and has the talent to jump in. At 6-foot-3, 310-pounds, I think he’s physical enough to get it done, too.

• Who fills in at right guard? Arlington Hambright might be a candidate at guard, as could (and should) Lemaefe Galea’i. But OSU also has promising youngsters Teven Jenkins and Larry Williams. The latter is the assumed starter, who made several starts in the 2016-17 season. –KB

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