Notebook: Schick on OSU’s Bye Week Response, Rigby on Coach Cory Patterson and Rawls on His Connection with McCoy

STILLWATER — After having to sit on a blowout loss for an extra week, the Cowboys will soon have an attempt at getting that taste out of their mouths.

Oklahoma State hosts Tulsa at 6:30 p.m. Friday in Boone Pickens Stadium. Here are three quick things Oklahoma State players discussed entering this game against the Golden Hurricane.

Schick Looking to ‘Prove All the Naysayers Wrong’

With the OSU roster filled with newcomers, it was fair to wonder how this group of Cowboys would respond to the beatdown they suffered in Oregon, but after Mike Gundy said Monday that he was happy with the bye week practices, starting offensive lineman Bob Schick said something similar.

“I think during the bye week, it kinda helped us to come together a little bit,” Schick said. “I was kinda wondering what it was gonna be like and stuff and how we were gonna kinda respond and attack this bye week. It’s been really good to see, kinda like we talked about at the beginning, just guys more coming together, more investment, just trying to pour more into the program and what we can do, especially after coming off such a huge loss.”

This week brings new opportunity for the Pokes to get right. Here’s what Schick said he wants to see when OSU hosts Tulsa this weekend.

“Personally, and I guess as a unit too, we want to prove that we can go out there, we can score, we can drive, we can hold our blocks, we can make stops on defense and stuff,” Schick said. “Just really go out there and prove all the naysayers wrong.”

‘I Really Just Followed Him’

Through two games, Purdue transfer receiver Shamar Rigby is the Cowboys’ second-leading receiver with 57 yards on a trio of catches.

Listed at 6-foot-3, 190 pounds, Rigby is only a true sophomore. He made six starts with the Boilermakers last season while playing in all 12 of Purdue’s games. He finished the season with 11 receptions for 113 yards.

Out of Clearwater, Florida, Rigby was a three-star prospect in the 2024 recruiting class and had offers to Kentucky, Nebraska, Iowa State, Kansas State, Louisville and others, but the receivers coach at Purdue made a big impact on him. That receivers coach was Cory Patterson, who took a job as the Cowboys’ running back coach this season.

“He had a major influence, a major impact on me,” Rigby said. “Coming out of high school, he recruited me and stuff. I followed him here. He’s a great guy. You would want him in a room like standing up for you and stuff. He’ll never be the guy to talk behind your back. He’ll always keep it real with you. He’ll tell you what you need to get better at. If you do good, great in the game, he won’t focus on the bad things but like things you need to improve on. So, I would say all around, he’s a great guy. He’s a great coach. You would love to have him around. He’s an uplifting guy for sure here.”

It didn’t take long for Patterson to prove his recruiting acumen in Stillwater, as he quickly worked to secure the commitment of KD Jones, the top running back in the state of Oklahoma.

Rigby had other options when he hopped in the transfer portal this past offseason. Even though Patterson wasn’t coaching his position anymore, Rigby said he wanted to be where Patterson was.

“To be honest, I really just followed him,” Rigby said. “I had a couple options coming out of the portal, and he just like, ‘Give it a shot. I believe in these guys,’ you know, like, ‘Just give it a chance. You know I would never lead you in the wrong path.’ And I just followed him, so we here now.”

‘At First, It Was Like Having Two Alpha Males in a Room’

Mike Gundy has said that transfer linebackers Brandon Rawls and Bryan McCoy Jr. are similar. McCoy met with reporters ahead of OSU’s trip to Oregon whereas Rawls spoke with the media this week, and they both command a media scrum with a similar level of confidence.

There hasn’t been much to separate them on the field either. McCoy’s 11.5 tackles per game leads the Big 12 while Rawls’ 9.5 tackles for game ranks third.

Both guys have also had to quickly adjust to a higher level of football. McCoy made the jump from Group of Five Akron while Rawls spent four seasons at Division-II Saginaw Valley State in Michigan.

“At first, it was like having two alpha males in a room,” Rawls said. “So we had to figure out how each other work, work around each other’s learning styles, but then from there, when we’re on the field we’re just full go. We know we’re gonna hold down our spot, the front four in front of us is going to hold down there, and the back end is gonna do their job.”