2008 Oklahoma State Cowboys
Written June 25, 2008 by Jason Lowry
The 2008 football season is coming up quick and Jason Lowry is ready to make his 2008 Oklahoma State Cowboys football predictions, but before we get right into where they will finish the season lets take a closer look at what they are bringing back on both sides of the ball this season. The Cowboys are coming off an okay season going 7-6, but did finish off the season with a big win over Indiana at the Insight Bowl. This year head coach Mike Gundy has his work cut out if he wants to compete in the very tough Big 12 South. The Cowboys return 13 starters from last year and it could very well be another winning season in Cowboy country.
Offense:
The Cowboys return 7 starters on this side of the ball, and they will be relying on the arm of junior quarterback Zac Robinson, who threw for 2,284 yards and 23 touchdowns last season, not to mention he ran for 847 yards and 9 touchdowns as well. The team will have to replace the 1,272 yards of Dantrell Savage, and it looks like junior Beau Johnson and sophomore Kendall Hunter will be the likely combo to do so. Sophomore wide receiver Dez Bryant will be the No. 1 target for Robinson, as he looks to improve off his freshman numbers of 622 yards and 6 touchdowns. Juniors Jeremy Broadway andDeMarcus Conner will likely fill in the vacated spots at receiver. Robinson also has a big target in senior tight end Brandon Pettigrew who is one of the best the Big 12 has to offer. Though the team on paper only returns 4 starters, center David Washington comes back from injury, and is likely the best the Big 12 has to offer at that position. Left tackle Russell Okung is also one of the better linemen you will find in the Big 12.
Defense:
The defense brings back just 6 starters, and it doesn’t look like this side of the ball is going to be all that productive this season. The defensive line brings back just one starter in senior defensive tackle Jeray Chatham. It looks like senior Tonga Tea will fill in at the other tackle spot, while junior Derek Burton and sophomore Ugo Chinass fill in at the end spots. The team brings back 2 starters at linebacker, and they got two of the best ones in the conference in juniors Patrick Lavine and Andre Sexton. It looks like fellow junior Donald Booker will be the guy stepping in at the other starting spot. The secondary brings back 3 starters, but other than junior Perrish Cox who is one of the better corners in the conference, the rest of the guys will need to improve. Everyone remains in place, except junior Lucien Antoine who is likely going to be the next starter at the free safety spot.
Prediction: 4th in the Big 12
There is no way that this team can compete with the likes of the top 3 in Texas, Oklahoma, and Texas Tech. This team should be able to put up good enough numbers to go to a 3rd straight bowl game. There is plenty of good talent on this team and they do have quite a bit of seniors starting, so this might be there best shot at a surprise season. We think that at best this team finishes 8-5 but more likely they will be closer their 7-6 of a year ago.
If you are looking to get a head start on the upcoming football season, head over to Bodoglife.com and get an account going today. Also be sure to keep checking back for more of Jason Lowry’s team preview and predictions as the season continues to roll around. Also feel free to leave any comments in our comment box.