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00:00This line less than double digits for today's opener in
00:06Stillwater. It's Oklahoma State against South Dakota State.
00:11Now, the Pokes enter this year ranked inside the top twenty
00:14reach the big twelve championship game a season ago
00:17and they return virtually everybody this season under Mike
00:21Gundy who enters year number twenty at the helm. A nine and
00:24a half point number Kev against a darn good South Dakota State
00:28team that has won two consecutive FCS National
00:31Championships is riding a twenty-nine game winning
00:34streak. The last loss for the Jackrabbits was in the 2022
00:38season opener against an FPS foe. That was Iowa. The game
00:42that will forever live on in infamy in Iowa City for the
00:46Iowa touchdown, two safeties, and a field goal. The Hawkeyes
00:49won seven to three but South Dakota State can play football
00:53and their quarterback Mark Granowski is back. The FCS
00:57offensive player of the year. How competitive is the Pokes
01:00opener today against the Jackrabbits in Stillwater?
01:02Look, I I think obviously South Dakota State is getting a
01:05lot of respect but you mentioned the North Dakota
01:07State game that was played against Colorado and this is
01:10where again I can kind of trip myself up with some spread man
01:13here but Oklahoma State who I think if they played Colorado
01:17would be laying ten and a half fourteen or at least over a
01:22touchdown. Right. Bare minimum. Is laying the same number that
01:25Colorado was laying in North Dakota State. Now, that
01:28probably speaks to the fact that North Dakota State's come
01:30back a bit. South Dakota State's now kind of the
01:33predominant powerhouse at the FCS level or so we think. I
01:38know Gronkowski's back. Everybody else though for the
01:40most part is gone. So, it makes for a really tricky spot here.
01:44I have opted though to respect the FCS champs though if I hear
01:49too much positivity on this desk, I probably will stop that
01:52and just bet this Oklahoma State team that I adore. I've
01:55played under fifty-four and a half. I think the Jackrabbits
01:58are going to score. Their offensive coordinator who's got
02:00the goods is at Northwestern now. I think there's a lot of
02:03change here year over year and Gundy out of conference, slow
02:07plays things. So, I'm not sure he's going to look to touch
02:11thirty-five, forty-two type of points in the game like this.
02:13In recent years, they've struggled without a conference
02:16competition. They lost to South Alabama last year thirty-three
02:19to seven. Again, it comes down to the consistency for me guys.
02:23On the defensive side of the ball, this is a defense in
02:25Oklahoma State last year not dominant since Jim Knowles
02:29moved on to Ohio State. They allowed 166 rushing yards per
02:32game, 275 in regards to the secondary and only had twenty-
02:36seven total sacks giving up 41% of third down defense. To me,
02:40this is a blue collar team in terms of South Dakota State
02:44held opposing offenses to eighty-nine rushing yards per
02:46game. Only 166 in the back end and Alan Bowman even though
02:52he's experienced guys. Fifteen touchdowns, fourteen
02:55interceptions. He's been inconsistent and turnover prone.
02:58Oklahoma State might win but I'm going to take the points
03:01with the Jackrabbits. Says a lot about you, Lacey Guy. Last
03:04year, fully in on the pokes to make a run to the big twelve
03:07championship game and Oklahoma State did just that. Not feeling
03:11as optimistic about this team this year but maybe you should
03:15because Ollie Gordon II, the nation's leading running back
03:17is back. More than 1700 yards on the ground. Twenty-one
03:21touchdowns only behind Blake Corum ran for 118 yards in nine
03:26of the fourteen games that Oklahoma State played a season
03:29ago but your concerns defensively are very sound for
03:32the Cowboys. They've given up at least twenty-nine points per
03:35game each of the past two years when Jim Knowles left Stillwater
03:38and went to Columbus as the defensive coordinator for Ohio
03:42State. They were the worst total defense last year in the
03:45big twelve. More than 441 yards per game given up in the worst
03:49passing defense in the big twelve and again, Mark
03:52Gronowski can do a lot for SDSU. The FCS Offensive Player
03:58of the Year a season ago. The best passer rating at that
04:00level of football. Twenty-nine touchdowns to only five INTs.
04:04More than 400 yards using his legs as well and eight
04:08touchdowns. South Dakota State best scoring defense at the
04:11FCS level allowing just 9.3 points per game.