Daily Bullets (Aug. 13): Taylor Cornelius’ Goals for OSU and Fowler’s Finish at the PGA Championship

Special teams a focus

It’s not exactly a stunner to hear that OSU is focused on improving its special teams — especially if you saw some of the gaffes and struggles over the last season. Still, the numbers are somewhat staggering in this Tulsa World piece from Mark Cooper.

The Cowboys’ last return touchdown came in 2015, when Jalen McCleskey housed a punt against Texas Tech. The last kickoff-return touchdown? Tyreek Hill against Kansas on Oct. 11, 2014. [Tulsa World]

Adding another, more complicated, layer to this lasered focus to improve an area that struggled last season is the uncertainty surrounding OSU’s starting punter, Zach Sinor, who we reported underwent hernia surgery last week.

Sinor will almost certainly be back in time for Big 12 play — and potentially before, if all goes according to schedule — but thrusting a mostly untested Matt Hockett into the mix doesn’t guarantee success. I’m curious to see how that unfolds (and how Philly looks) this season.

Taylor Cornelius’ goal is … a bowl game?

Lost in the media responsibilities and mostly ho-hum media-athlete interactions recently was cringeworthy response from QB Taylor Cornelius — OSU’s projected Day One starter — on what his goals for the team are in 2018.

A bowl game.

A bowl game!

Tramel wrote about that this weekend.

Wait, what? Make a bowl game? What is this? 1996?

Bowl games are no more an OSU goal than finding the stadium on Saturdays. No more questionable than getting shoulder pads strapped and chin straps snapped. Bowl games are virtually automatic.

Still, it was strange to hear the State quarterback say a bowl game is the goal. That is your father’s Cowboys. Back in the ‘50s, when OSU won 41 games and made one bowl. Or the ‘60s, when OSU won 35 games and made no bowls. Or the ‘70s, when OSU won 56 games and made two bowls. Or the ‘90s, when OSU won 41 games and made one bowl. [NewsOK]

OSU and NCAA Notes

Rickie Fowler finishes just outside the top-10 at the PGA Championship … LD Brown looking to capitalize on opportunity in kickoff return game … the Big 12 leads the country in iconic coaches (Tramel!) … getting to know Jim Knowles with a great interview with John Helsley .. the inside story of a toxic culture at Maryland football … Maryland suspends its coach in the wake of the report … preseason CFB bowl projections from Jerry Palm

Rickie Fowler made the Ryder Cup team.

The first 8 members of our team!

See you in Paris. #GoUSA?? pic.twitter.com/yw7jouYxFB

— Ryder Cup USA (@RyderCupUSA) August 13, 2018

Very cool.

@Jaws_47 sent me this photo today and said “if you zoom in on my right wrist, it will be there all year” the fact that he takes the memory of my brother out there every game means everything to me. Love ya bro! #P4C pic.twitter.com/SdQLBl9ZeI

— Davey Boles (@DirectorDavey) August 12, 2018

Nice!

Hey @pistolsguys, I may have found you a new cover photo courtesy of my old friend and OSU alum Bobby Cox. pic.twitter.com/iYRA8dE4md

— Sean Mossman (@seanmossman) August 12, 2018

Sold.

Here's Mike Gundy on Texas A&M defensive back transfer Kemah Siverand (@TheKSiverand) – who took 25 hours of classes over the summer to graduate & transfer to #OKState. pic.twitter.com/vEiLH2Xghb

— Nate Feken (@TheGreat_Nate) August 11, 2018

Yesterday on PFB

• Marshall Scott ranked the five best uniforms of 2017
• Derek White is on the WWE radar

Other stuff I’m reading/watching

• Don’t overlook the little guy — a look at NFL running backs and debunking the notion that size matters (good read ahead of fantasy season!)
• Americans are terrible at small talk — an investigation into why from an Irish woman
• Kyle Porter on Tiger Woods winning everything this weekend but the Wanamaker was great
• WHAT.

? ? Dude! > #Brazil's Rodrigo Koxa sets record for biggest wave ever surfed #SundayMorning #surfer pic.twitter.com/5FA5rt31S7

— Evan Kirstel (@evankirstel) August 12, 2018

• Idris Elba is teasing us over James Bond.
• The New Yorker story on the man who captures criminals for the D.E.A. by playing them is awesome