Published: August 24, 2008 12:07 am            

Taking the next step

• Cowboys ready to put days of mediocrity behind

Oklahoma State junior Perrish Cox still has bitter memories about those games.

Against Texas A&M last season in College Station, the Cowboys held a 17-0 halftime lead but the Aggies managed to escape with a 24-23 victory. A few weeks later, OSU took a 35-14 advantage into the fourth quarter against Texas.

However, the Longhorns recorded 24 unanswered points in the final 15 minutes and sealed the 38-35 win courtesy of Ryan Bailey’s 40-yard field goal as time expired.

“Those were the two games that kept us out of the Big 12 championship game,” Cox said. “That’s all we think about. We’re tired of saying ‘if.’ It’s time to show a different side of us. I can’t wait for (the season) to get here.”

The Cowboys, who finished in a three-way tie with A&M and Texas Tech for third in the Big 12 South division, don’t have to wait much longer. They open the 2008 campaign against Washington State on Saturday in Seattle.

O-State is aiming for its third straight bowl appearance — it has finished 7-6 in each of the past two seasons and earned a 49-33 win against Indiana in the 2007 Insight Bowl. However, the Cowboys are no longer satisfied with mediocrity.

“We’re waiting for the chance to prove to the world what Oklahoma State is all about,” said senior Ricky Price. “It’s all about our enthusiasm. We’re having fun out there, we’re flying around and we’re excited about hitting. We have to learn from what we did wrong and continue to get better.”

The Cowboys have 17 starters returning, including eight on offense. Leading the troops will be junior quarterback Zac Robinson, who threw for 2,824 yards a year ago and set the program’s single-season record for total offense (3,671 yards).

Other offensive weapons coming back include senior tight end Brandon Pettigrew, junior linemen Russell Okung and Andrew Lewis, sophomore receiver Dez Bryant and sophomore tailback Kendall Hunter, who ran for 696 yards and four scores in ’07.

“We’re continuing to get better and we’re staying healthy,” said fourth-year head coach Mike Gundy. “We’re a little more mature as a football team than we were, so that helps out. They’re excited about playing in games. These guys are entertainers — they live to play on Saturday.”

Once again, the biggest question mark for the Cowboys will be on the defensive side. Last season, they allowed 29.5 points per outing, which ranked eighth in the conference, and their pass defense was the league’s worst (287.2 yards allowed per game).

The Cowboy coaching staff has brought in a handful of junior college transfers who are expected to immediately contribute including safety Lucien Antoine, defensive tackle Swanson Miller and defensive backs Markelle Martin and Maurice Gray.

“We’re looking forward to seeing the improved maturity level of this defense,” said second-year defensive coordinator Tim Beckman. “The competition is tremendous. It’s going to make our players better.”

Cox added, “Last year, we were having to learn everything and this year, we’re really coming together. We’re working as a team and doing everything right. We’re looking good and we’re feeling good. If (the defense) can help our offense out, we’re going to be a pretty good team.”

        

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