Thursday Game Nothing New for OSU

The Cowboys had a Thursday game last season against Colorado as well.

Thursday, May 26th 2011, 11:57 am

By: News On 6

Originally Published: Sep 27, 2010 12:59 PM CDT

Grant Belcher
Oklahoma Sports Staff Writer

STILLWATER – While most OSU students are sitting in English class or working on homework for the next day, about 80 of them will be doing something different on Thursday.

They will be preparing for a football game.

Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said weekday games always mix up the schedule a little.

“It’s always different playing during the week when people are during normal business hours and the students are going to class,” he said. “It’s all about focus.”

The Cowboys played a Thursday night game last season as well, a 31-28 victory against Colorado on Nov. 19.

But OSU was coming off a game against Texas Tech just five days earlier.

This year, OSU’s bye week has allowed them to continue with a normal schedule despite the Thursday night kickoff.

“It’s always different, but the players got back (from their weekend off) and I thought we practiced well,” Gundy said. “We’re on a normal routine from (Monday) on.”

Ironically, last year’s Thursday night game featured the emergence of Brandon Weeden as the Cowboys’ future play caller.

With quarterback Alex Cate struggling, Weeden took over for him in the second half against the Buffaloes and brought the Cowboys back from an 11-point deficit.

Now, Weeden leads the nation’s top-ranked offense, which is averaging 596 yards per game in its 3-0 start.

“I just think from experience, he can always throw the ball on time and continue to make quicker reads,” Gundy said of Weeden. “He has played pretty well and I think he has a good feel for what we are trying to accomplish in this system.”

The young Cowboys will count on the veteran players such as Weeden, who is 26 years old, to guide the team through unique instances such as a Thursday night game.

Gundy said OSU has also had to rely on young players to step up through the first three games but they have responded well.

“I think we have gotten some good leadership from the veteran players, even though there’s not many of them,” he said. “And I think the younger players are buying in.”