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."

Luck, Weeden happy with their choices

No surprises in Arizona.
Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck and Oklahoma State quarterback Brandon Weeden wouldn't want to switch offenses.
"I love the offense I'm in," Luck said. "I feel very happy. I don't daydream too much about that."
Weeden likes the spread offense. It allows him to orchestrate one of the highest output offenses in the nation.
He does wonder what it would be like to direct a huddle, though. It would allow him to show his leadership skills.
Luck has set five school records in the NFL-style offense that Stanford employs. Weeden owns 19 school records using OSU's version of the spread offense.
Opposing coaches and players respect their abilities and more importantly their own coaches wouldn't exchange them for any quarterback playing major college football.
Luck and Weeden will be drafted by the NFL.
Luck, likely, will be the first player taken in April's NFL Draft. Weeden is projected to go in the late second or third round.
Luck said he isn't overly concerned about which NFL team drafts him. He doesn't have any control over which team will have the first pick. It will either be the Indianapolis Colts or the St. Louis Rams depending on this weekend's NFL outcomes.
"Wherever I land will be great. I am not rooting for one team to win or lose or whatever. ... Wherever I end up, I'm sure it will be the best spot for me."
How do these two rate, statistically?
Luck passed for 3,170 yards and 35 touchdowns. He completed 261 of his 373 attempts with 9 interceptions. It's a 70 percent completion percentage.
Weeden passed for 4,328 yards and 34 touchdowns. He completed 279 of his 522 attempt with 12 interceptions. It's a 72.3 percent completion percentage.
Oklahoma State defensive coordinator Bill Young called Luck the total package.
"He runs out of the pocket. He is a patient guy. Obviously, he is a very, very intelligent guy. That's why he is predicted to be the first guy in the draft. Great player."
Oklahoma State cornerback Brodrick Brown faces Weeden's passes in every practice.
"Our quarterback, he can make the same throws that Andrew Luck can," Brown said. "It is no different."
It's difficult to predict how college quarterbacks will make the transition to the NFL. Many Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks languish in the NFL -- think Gino Torreta, Chris Weinke, Matt Leinart.
While some lower round draft picks excel. Think Drew Brees.
Personally, Luck and Weeden have the arms, intelligence and attitude to make it big in the NFL.

Cowboys 11-1 going into break

The winter break concerns Oklahoma State's men's basketball coach Travis Ford.

Tuesday night, the Cowboys ran their record to 11-1 with a 79-68 victory over Stanford.

"I wish we were 12-0," Ford said. Oklahoma State's lone loss was a 56-51 loss on Nov. 26 to Virginia Tech in the 76 Classic.

The players should be proud and humble about the 11-1 record. The Pokes have won 11 games, and haven't played a complete game, yet, Ford said.

The coach hopes his charges won't go away for the holidays, get out of playing shape and forget everything they have learned and accomplished en route to the 11-1 record.

"We need to continue the climb up the ladder," Ford said. "I'm a little concerned about the break."

The Cowboys will travel to Spokane, Wash., to face Gonzaga on Dec. 31 before hosting University of Texas San Antonio on Jan. 3 in the final tuneup before Big 12 play starts Jan. 8 against Kansas State at Gallagher-Iba Arena.

"It was a big win before Gonzaga. ... We needed this win before we go to Gonzaga. Gonzaga is one of the toughest places to play," Ford said.

The Bulldogs (6-5) before Wednesday's game against Xavier posted their signature win of the season so far on Dec. 18 with a 68-64 win over the previously unbeaten and then-9th ranked Baylor Bears.

Gonzaga may be tough but the Big 12 schedule should be much tougher.

No. 3 Kansas is 10-0. Four teams – OSU, No. 25 Texas A&M, No. 9 Missouri and No. 15 Baylor – have one loss. Three teams – Iowa State, Nebraska and No. 18 Texas – have two losses and two teams – Colorado and No. 11 Kansas State – have three.

Oklahoma is at .500 with a 6-6 record and Texas Tech is 5-6.

The Big 12 has six teams in the AP Poll and USA Today/ESPN poll released Dec. 20. Oklahoma State isn't ranked but is receiving some poll votes.

A win over Gonzaga may put the Cowboys into the Top 25.

Changes ahead

The only constant in life is change.
The NewsPress, National Wrestling Hall of Fame and the Spears School of Business at Oklahoma State University experienced change in the last two weeks.
The NewsPress newsroom moved into its news center this week. The news gathering operation is still in the same building. We've moved upstairs in the portion of the building that once housed KOSU. Readers of the printed newspaper won't notice any changes. Those will come in the e-world. We will have more content for our website -- www.stwnewspress.com. The news center will have a studio dedicated to the production of online videos -- including daily Webcasts of the day's most important stories.
It also will allow us to produce more multimedia projects for the website, including slide shows, podcasts, oral histories and video stories.
On stwnewspress.com Thursday, we broke the story that the National Wrestling Hall of Fame is negotiating to buy the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum in Waterloo, Iowa. The Gable museum will be a branch of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame if the deal goes through. Buck Clark, the mayor of Waterloo, says the city supports the merger 100 percent.
Wednesday, I spent an hour interviewing the new dean of OSU's Spears School of Business. Dean Lawrence Crosby has big plans for the school, including a new building at the same site by 2015. Read more about Crosby's dreams for the business school in Sunday's NewsPress.