Daily Bullets (Dec. 25): Merry Christmas from PFB

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Merry Christmas from the gang at PFB:

Here's Pete and Santa delivering health, family, prosperity, peace, and love to everyone tonight. Merry Christmas! (Artwork by the legendary Dick Gilpin, c. 1980s) #okstate #GoPokes pic.twitter.com/u4PrWXVaKt

— Doug Shivers (@casdas29) December 25, 2021

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Three Thoughts

• As OSU fans see other schools draw enormously lighter sentences from the NCAA/FBI scandal, there’s one acronym to know: IARP. There was no way to predict but the group is dealing with schools in a significantly lighter way than the internal group who punished the Pokes.

• Thought this was a wild way to describe Malcolm Rodriguez: “slippery”.

• Xavier Benson has a big opportunity to fill some massive shoes as he’ll primarily play in Malcolm Rodriguez’s outside backer spot.

Based on all the circumstances, the Tyler (Texas) Junior College linebacker has the most significant opportunity to make an early impact out of anyone OSU signed in the 2022 recruiting class on Wednesday. 

The 6-foot-3, 224-pound Benson arrives with experience, not just in junior college, but at the Big 12 level. He started 10 games for Texas Tech as a redshirt freshman in 2019. 

[NewsOK]

Two Quotes

• Just something hilarious about Aussie Tom Hutton talking about his first few days practicing football in America:

“Everyone knows about my first few days of practice,” Hutton said. “They would blow the whistle and everyone would run in different directions. So I had to pick someone to follow around.”

[TulsaWorld]

• Totally true – hard to imagine the Pokes struggling to find motivation for the Fiesta Bowl:

It isn’t every year you get the chance to soil the most glamorous, some say most conceited, name in college football. OSU could be playing Notre Dame in the Ty-D-Bol Bowl in Bug Tussle and still want to knock the glitter from those glistening gold helmets.

[TulsaWorld]

One Question

• If you could have a genie grant you one wish for an OSU program, what would that be?

My answer: an 80k seat stadium for football that’s full over next ten years.

Most Viewed of the Week

• No. 1 Dezmon Jackson entered the transfer portal

• No. 2 OSU’s game against USC was canceled

• No. 3 Big 12 Commissioner issued a statement after the Bedlam scuffle

• No. 4 Starting safety Tanner McCalister entered the transfer portal

• No. 5 How the recruiting rankings in the old and new Big 12 look after signing day

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Non-OSU Bullets

• Christmas is the most unsentimental way to look at life (faith-based)
• Terrific interview with JJ Reddick and PJ Tucker (NBA players) – Tucker was out of the league and climbed back in, fun story of human triumph

Big if true:

Unfortunate News out of the North Pole this morning…

Santa Clause has placed Dasher, Blitzen, Comet and Prancer on Reserve/COVID 19 List. Per: @AdamSchefter

The Clauses’ have activated Lazer, Blazer, Leaper, and Mark from the Practice Squad. Christmas is in Jeopardy.

— Barstool CCU (@BarstoolCCU) December 24, 2021

My Christmas jam most years – the wife and kids are out on it but I’m a big Josh Garrels fan (faith-based):