The Chris Carson Hype Appears to be Real

The strange thing about this time of year is that the more August rolls on, the more you have to think about, write about and project upon folks you’ve not seen play football in nine months. Or in Chris Carson’s case … ever.

And yet, the hyperbole he’s received (Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, savior of the RB corps. in Stillwater etc.) appears to be real. Mike Gundy wouldn’t push all his chips in on Saturday when talking about Carson but he appeared close.

“So far, we like him. He continues to get better. I don’t think he’s confused. The heat, the high impact of our practices don’t seem to be fazing him yet.

“I mentioned it the other day and so I’m kind of repeating myself, but Coach (Pat) Jones used to always say this, ‘We’ll talk about it after they’ve been in 12 to 15 practices in 100 degrees, and they’ve been hit a bunch. Then come and ask me if they can be a running back.’ Up to now though he’s doing good. He’s able to absorb information and put it out there in a live setting. He’s been hit some, but not a lot.”

I mean, we don’t have to destroy him. It’s a long season, coach.

“We haven’t pushed him like we’re going to push him over the next 10 practices, and we’ll see where he’s at. He is quick. He does have good feet. He does have acceleration. And if he continues on, what’ll help us is it will make Rennie (Childs) better and it’s going to keep Rennie (Childs) fresh.”

Ah, the mystery. No commitment to who will start, though I suspect it will eventually be No. 32. I’m also not sure it matters who starts but rather, who finishes games out. And that, I’m even more confident, will be the newcomer.

Gundy, hilariously, went even further, though.

Gundy on Chris Carson: "I want to look like him, don't you?" #okstate

— Mark Cooper (@mark_cooperjr) August 8, 2015

#OKstate Gundy on RB Chris Carson's abs: "I joked with him a little bit … He's got a 12-pack."

— Kyle Fredrickson (@kylefredrickson) August 7, 2015

Can’t really imagine that conversation. QB1 is in agreement with the hype, though.

When you mention Chris Carson to Rudolph, he seemed a little happy lol

— Gerald Tracy (@GTracySA) August 8, 2015

The Tulsa World detailed Kevin Peterson’s first visit with Carson.

During a brief period of controlled scrimmaging that matched the No. 1 offense and No. 1 defense, Carson rolled around the left edge, lowered his right shoulder and plowed into cornerback Kevin Peterson. While the 190-pound Peterson did make the tackle, he probably won’t forget his first full-speed encounter with the 215-pound Carson.

We’ll end with a dose of reality from Gundy. He talked about last season’s poor showing in the running department and what needed to be done to fix it.

“We struggled last year because of our yards-per-attempt. It ended up at 3.5. It needs to be up around five,” said Gundy. “The number of times we run the ball, if it’s up around five, we’re going to be successful.”

I’m certain Carson will be part of that solution.