Daily Bullets (Nov. 26): Taking What Defenses Give Dru Brown, 2019’s Defensive Turning Point

Pokes landed another safety for the 2020 class yesterday – they’ve developed a pretty good eye for those. Also – just an FYI, comments are back (in a little different way). 

Bullets Rundown

• Big 12 coach anonymously chats OSU offense
• Tramel dives into OSU’s bowl picture
• 2019’s defensive turning point

OSU Bullets

• Perspective from the competition is helpful – and this thought from another Big 12 coach on OSU’s offense tells you what’s most important to the Pokes. 

“Their O-line and Chuba Hubbard, that’s what they’re built around,” a Big 12 coach said. “They’re [15th] in the country in rushing. They’re all-in on it. I’m not saying that to downplay Sanders [being out], but I don’t think it will be a huge factor.”

Oklahoma State likely will follow the Kansas State method against OU and try to dominate the line of scrimmage and possession time. Chris Klieman’s Wildcats had 45 rushes and held the ball for 38:08 in handling Oklahoma its lone loss. [ESPN+]

Two things – that’s probably true but it also can’t be. Chuba Hubbard is and will continue to be the focal point of the offense. But per Gundy’s “take what the defense gives you” ethos, there’s no way the defense gives you the same thing with Dru Brown that it did with Spencer Sanders, right?

• Berry Tramel has the Pokes third in his power rankings and had some solid insights on the Cowboys’ potential bowl outlook. 

The Cowboys have a wide array options. If OU makes the playoff, Baylor would go to the Sugar, and the Alamo could select the Cowboys. The Camping World Bowl seems unlikely for OSU, since that Orlando bowl never has hosted Iowa State or Texas, while the Cowboys were in the Camping World in 2017.

That makes the Texas Bowl the most likely for OSU, since it hasn’t played in the Houston game since 2002. If the Texas Bowl selects a 7-5 Texas over 8-4 OSU, that could drop the Cowboys all the way to the Cheez-It Bowl in Phoenix, since the Liberty Bowl would pass because OSU was in Memphis last season. [NewsOK]

This is shaping up a bit like that 2012 fall to the Heart of Dallas Bowl, no? Win Bedlam or freefall based off of recent year bowl selections (both OSU and others).

I want all of the support for the Pokes in their bowl game but there’s no way I’d drive eight hours to watch OSU play Marshall in the Texas Bowl.

• As OSU skidded into the midway point of the season, big changes happened and stirred the Pokes to a four-game win streak. 

Big 12 offenses will make you uncomfortable. Baylor did that to the Cowboys a few weeks ago. The Bears hit OSU with a batch of home run plays. Gundy chalked that up to a dubious scheme — OSU played more man-to-man that day and got burned — and said Knowles was flexible enough to ditch such a strategy.

“At some point, we all have an issue of changing things,” Gundy said. “We’re creatures of habit. We get on something we like and we stick with it. We all agreed it would be best to go in a little different direction. And that’s a great sign for Jim, because it’s difficult for coaches to say, ‘hey, I need to make a little bit of a change.’”

Since then, OSU has held Iowa State, TCU and Kansas to eight touchdowns combined, which is a sure ticket to victory in the Big 12. [NewsOK]

That zone defense has seemed impenetrable at times. Sure, it gets hit at times for gains but the combination of suffocating zone coverages and heavy blitzes has been spot on.

• PFF has Chuba Hubbard at third in their Heisman rankings

• Tramel also had a fun travel blog on the West Virginia trip – I’d love to make that one someday

• Marcus Smart did an insightful interview on an NBA Pod 

• A fun picture of the Gundys:

It's #bedlam week #okstate #GoPokes #BeatOU pic.twitter.com/1sUUTIdHtV

— Doug Shivers (@casdas29) November 25, 2019

Non-OSU Bullets

• How the crossword became an American pastime
• Holding a grudge can make you sick
• Dallas Cowboys and Jason Garrett – is Garrett their Kryptonite?