Daily Bullets (January 29)

Leading Men

A little bit of insight on two of the rumored Glenn-replacements could offer a bit of optimism.

Honestly, I think Knowles is the leading candidate, but I think Lance Thompson at South Carolina is also a strong fit. The Gamecocks assistant head coach of defense has two stints under Nick Saban, one at LSU and the other at Alabama. He is a strong coach, a big personality, and a good recruiter. [GoPokes $]

For those crying out for a guy with experience working with college football’s big dogs, Thompson scratches an itch. It’s one thing to recruit to a brand, another to recruit to a relative upstart in Payne County. But maybe some swagger and a feeling of belonging and familiarity in the living room of five stars feels nice.

I also think that Missouri State head coach Dave Steckel is a very interesting candidate and we understand he did speak with Gundy about the position. Steckel was on the same staff with current Cowboys offensive line coach Josh Henson at Missouri as Henson was the offensive coordinator for Gary Pinkel and Steckel was the defensive coordinator. [GoPokes $]

Steckel could be a hedged risk because of a possible Josh Henson reference – and years of experience working with spread attacks is nice. If memory serves, Mizzou never felt like it fielded lockdown units (*cough Dez in 2008 cough*) but who knows.

Trendspotting

In the aftermath of the loss in Fayetteville, see if you can pick out the trends from recent Oklahoma State basketball history that played out.

Playing with only eight scholarship players, the Cowboys lost to Arkansas, 66-65, at Bud Walton Arena as part of the Big 12/SEC Challenge. The loss dropped the Cowboys to 0-5 on the road. Like three of its four predecessors, Saturday’s defeat saw OSU turn a halftime lead into a disappointment.

The Cowboys (13-8) were without Tavarius Shine, dealing with a left wrist injury that made him absent at Kansas State earlier this month, and Kendall Smith, out with the flu. But Boynton was not prepared to blame their absence for the defeat.

“It’s not ideal, but anybody who knows me, who’s talked to me before (knows) I’m not an excuse maker,” Boynton said. “I knew what the deal was going in. … We just didn’t make enough plays. That’s what it came down to. It wasn’t about having another player. It was about we just didn’t make enough plays in this game with the guys we had.” [NewsOK]

1 – playing undermanned with less than optimal depth, 2 – blowing the halftime lead on the road and 3 – most reassuring is Mike Boynton not (following in Travis Ford’s footsteps) pointing fingers for the loss.

NO moral victories here. Proud of our guys, but we have to learn to finish better. We are getting close. Thanks for all who showed up in orange today. Hope to see you all in GIA on Tuesday. #GoPokes #RT10

— Mike Boynton (@thacoachmike) January 28, 2018

OSU and NCAA Notes

Bill Haisten tells about the curious tale of OSU kicker Jason Ricks….Boone has the winners and losers from this weekend in college basketball….Great piece detailing the tragic story of the Washington State quarterback….Insightful thoughts on the Michigan State scandal in context

Fun play ahead today for former Poke Alex Noren at Torrey Pines.

There's no separating these two! Birdies again for both. There will be a Monday playoff between Jason Day and Alex Noren tomorrow (due to darkness)

— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) January 29, 2018

Excited to see if the Pokes can get their backup point guard back and bounce back against the Frogs tomorrow.

Next Up: It's time to get back to work. The Cowboys return to Stillwater for their matchup against the Horned Frogs Tuesday night in GIA. #LetsWork #okstate pic.twitter.com/GjrIHohKNy

— Cowboy Basketball (@OSUMBB) January 28, 2018

Props to Todd Monken on the promotion!

BREAKING: Ex-#OKState OC Todd Monken gets a promotion in Tampa Bay, via @NFLSTROUD @ScottWrightOK @NewsOKSports @CowboyFB https://t.co/0uiP0LJCIX pic.twitter.com/CcSfhGfcy9

— MikeSherman (@MikeSherman) January 28, 2018

Really neat gesture by a rival QB here.

Josh Rosen and ESPN also here w Coug Nation to bid farewell to Tyler Hilinski pic.twitter.com/YwY83UCZMN

— COUGFANcom (@COUGFANcom) January 27, 2018

Smart out for a couple weeks.

I want to take this time to express my sincerest apologies to my teammates, coaches, and most of all the amazing Boston Celtics fans. I'm embarrassed and disappointed in my actions. I swiped at and hit a picture frame on the wall. I feel like I let all y'all down

— marcus smart (@smart_MS3) January 26, 2018

What You Missed on PFB (All-Wrestling Edition)

• Five takeaways from the dominant win over Iowa State
• Five takeaways from the close loss to Missouri
• Seth’s breakdown from the weekend in wrestling
• Video from talks with John Smith and Co.

Other Stuff I’m Reading

• Elon Musk has insane incentives for reaching Tesla’s goals
• The industry of finding social media followers is fascinating
• Zach Lowe wasn’t impressed by the wailing around All-Star snubs (is by the Heat’s new jerseys)