Former Oklahoma State coach Jim Stanley brought toughness to Cowboys

Jim Stanley was Oklahoma State's football coach during my first three years at OSU.
My main memory of Stanley's teams is just how physical they were on offense and defense.
The Cowboys punished their opponents.
Of course, I attended every home game as a fan, sitting in the stands and cheering for the Cowboys. The cheers came often in 1976 as the Pokes rolled to a 9-3 overall record and went 5-2 in the Big Eight. Unfortunately for OSU fans, the Bedlam game was in Norman instead of Lewis Field in Stillwater. We listened to the game on the radio. We were almost as stunned as OU when Poke running back Terry Miller ran wild and brought a 31-24 victory back to Stillwater.
Those Cowboys defeated BYU 49-21 in the Tangerine Bowl in Orlando, Fla., and finished with a No. 14 ranking in the AP Top 20 poll.
The wins didn't come as often or as easy in the next two seasons, but OSU always played hard and hit harder.
Stanley produced a lot of great players on offense, defense and special teams during his tenure at OSU.
Miller was the standout skill player on offense. Derrel Gofourth made OSU's offensive line go as its center. Daria Butler and Phillip Dokes anchored the defensive line at tackle and end. Kicker Abby Daigle and punter Cliff Parsley started OSU's long line of outstanding punters and kickers.
I never met or interviewed Stanley. I didn't try my hand at sports reporting for the Daily O'Collegian  until Jimmy Johnson arrived as OSU's coach, but I'll never forget Stanley's teams as I watched them from the student section at Lewis Stadium.

Wes Lunt to enroll this spring

You can add Wes Lunt's name to Oklahoma State's pool of quarterbacks vying to replace senior Brandon Weeden.
Lunt says he will enroll for the spring semester and participate in OSU's spring drills. The spring semester starts Jan. 9.
Lunt, 6-5, 210, played in a pro-style offense in Rochester, Ill.

Oklahoma State pre-game thoughts

It's game day in Phoenix.
Some bowl games have already started. The Fiesta Bowl will be the night cap. It should be the best bowl game of the day.
Here are a few final thoughts before tonight's kickoff.
Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy is 6-1 against PAC-12 teams.
The Cowboys No. 3 ranking is their highest-ranking ever for an OSU bowl appearance.
Oklahoma State gave up just 229 points in Big 12 Conference play. The 229 points leads the league in fewest points allowed in conference play.
The Poke defense has given up just 36 points in the first quarter all season. Stanford's defense has allowed just 28 first-quarter points.
Oklahoma State's offense has scored 342 points in the first half. Stanford's offense has scored 230 in the first half.
Stanford's defense has limited 15 of its last 18 opponents to 21 points or fewer. The Cardinal offense likes to score first. It has come away with first-drive points in 16 of its last 26 games.
Stanford coach David Shaw said the Cardinal must contain Justin Blackmon, but Stanford likes to play man-to-man coverage in the secondary. A single defensive back cannot cover Blackmon, and Stanford will have to use double coverage. If they double Blackmon, OSU's Josh Cooper and the rest of the receiving corp will have great days.
If the Cardinal focus on the pass, Joseph Randle and Jeremy Smith should have a repeat performance of the Oklahoma game with each back rushing for more than 100 yards.

The devil is in the details

It was review day on Sunday  for the Oklahoma State and Stanford football teams.
Practice is over for the Cowboys and Cardinals. Sunday, the teams held meetings to review game plans and work out anyfinal kinks.
Monday, the teams will go through their game-day routines in preparation for the 7:30 p.m. Monday Fiesta Bowl kickoff at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.
It's OSU's first trip to a BCS bowl, and Stanford's second straight.
Stanford coach David Shaw said Oklahoma State has played in big games and the Cowboys lack of BCS-bowl experience shouldn't give Stanford an advantage.
"They have got some big-time players that are not going to shy away from the spotlight tomorrow night. So I think it is still pretty even."
The quarterback match-up between Stanford's Andrew Luck and Oklahoma State's Brandon Weeden has been hyped since the game between No. 3 OSU and No. 4 Stanford was announced. They will play important roles, but both teams are too talented to rely solely on their quarterbacks to pick up a win.
"Both quarterbacks are very important to their offense and to their teams," OSU coach Mike Gundy said. "I don't think there is any question that these two quarterbacks were certainly the most valuable players to their teams."
Stanford runs first and Oklahoma State throws first.
So Cardinal running back Stepfan Taylor will be critical. OSU will rely on receivers Justin Blackmon, Josh Cooper and others as well as running backs Joseph Randle and Jeremy Smith.
The Cardinal must try to contain the pass and run, Shaw said.
Oklahoma State will have to control Taylor, Luck and prevent big plays.
"We know that Oklahoma State has great weapons. We know they have an opportunistic defense. It is going to be a big challenge tommorrow night," Shaw said.
Oklahoma State will need to be physical against Stanford on offense and defense, Gundy said.
"They players have started to pay attention to the importance of getting prepared for the game. We have practiced well. The players tarted getting in game mode yesterday (Saturday)."

Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy is a real Cowboy

Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy always seems to turn up in video whether he wants to or not.
He's known for the 'rant' and the 'Gundy' dance. 
The latest flew off to Twitter around 9 p.m. Dec. 30 and shows the Cowboys coach riding a mechanical bull during a Friday-evening team, family outing at Saddle Ranch in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Gundy displays pretty good style in the 40-second video. He's finally flung off the mechanical bull, but his Oklahoma State baseball cap never flies off.
Here's what Gundy had to say Saturday about the video and experience.
"That's the first time I've ever been on a bull. Really at the end, I kind of let him knock me off because he was getting tired. So I figured I'd go down and give him a rest.
"That was a challenge from my own boys; that was how that all came about. I was unaware that it got out on the Internet until about noon today (Saturday). But my youngest boys wanted to go riding so I sent them over there with some money and they came back and said, 'You have to be 18.' I said, 'Well, you're a long ways from being 18; sit down and eat your dinner.'
"That's when they challenged me to ride it. I said I wasn't riding that thing. My littlest one said, 'That's because you can't stay on it.' This went on and on and so forth, and I had to go over and ride it."
"I was a little nervous when I had to sign a waiver releasing liability, but it was a good time."
Gundy said he didn't know how the bull ride had ended up on the Internet because the restaurant was practically empty.
"It was only like 6:30. I thought about that for a second (whether it would end up on You Tube) and it was like, 'There's nobody here that even cares or knows who I am.' But apparently, that's not the case."

Stanford tight end as tall as a tree

Stanford will put three tight ends on the field Monday. All three may be on the field at one time. All are tall, but only one is as tall as Stanford's unofficial mascot -- the Redwood.
Levine Toilolo stands 6-8, 255 pounds. The sophomore is one of the Cardinal's go to guys in the red zone.
Toilolo was an all-conference tight end in high school and a four-star recruit. Yes, he played basketball and lettered in that sport.
"My height brings an advantage to the red zone," Toilolo said.
His fellow tight ends -- Coby Fleener (6-6, 254) and Zach Erzt (6-6, 252) -- bring other attributes to the field.
Fleener is one of Stanford's fastest players. Erzt is known for running crisp routes.
Toilolo said all three enjoy blocking for the running game which is the Cardinal's preferred method of moving the ball.
"We like to open up holes up front," Toilolo said. "We are all good blockers and take pride in that."
Oklahoma State cornerback Justin Gilbert said he has never defended someone as tall as Toilolo or Fleener and Erzt.
"It will be a big challenge. We will have to punish them every time we get a chance," Gilbert said. Every time they come out to throw a block or go up for the ball we just have to hit them in the mouth."

Fiesta is Blackmon's OSU finale; Weeden plays golf

The Fiesta Bowl will be Justin Blackmon's last game as an Oklahoma State football player.
Blackmon indicated he would turn pro about a month ago, but had wavered some in the week leading up the the Dec. 3 Bedlam game.
Thursday, he said he would definitely go pro after Oklahoma State plays Stanford on Monday.
"I chose to come back this year to better myself and try to make myself better for the next level. I did that. I think it's time after this game to move on and see what else is out there," Blackmon said.
Blackmon and Weeden returned for the 2011 season to help Oklahoma State beat Oklahoma, win a Big 12 title and go to a BCS bowl.
Mission accomplished
"The fact that we did it and we're here playing in a BCS bowl is the icing on the cake," Blackmon said.
The opportunity to play in a BCS bowl game is one of the reasons Weeden returned to OSU.
"We wanted to go to a BCS game. That was one of the things we talked about, and we were able to accomplish it," he said.
Weeden said he and Blackmon performed well this season and helped put OSU in a position to play in the Fiesta Bowl
"Everything we were able to set aside, we were able to accomplish," Weeden said.
Weeden also was able to accomplish a little fun during his down time in Phoenix. He got in 11 holes of golf at a Phoenix-area resort.
"I hit one of the best shots I've ever hit on a par 3," Weeden said. "It was 214 yards and I hit a low 5-iron punch draw to within three feet. I made the putt for birdie. If I'd missed the putt, I would have been pretty ticked off."