Oklahoma State Cowboys Ready for First Opponent

It's been nearly eight months since the OSU has had an opponent to prepare for, but they are worried less about the Cougars and more about the Cowboys.

Thursday, May 26th 2011, 11:55 am

By: News On 6

Oklahoma State Cowboys Ready for First Opponent

Originally Published: Aug 30, 2010 3:20 PM CDT

Gerald Goodridge
Oklahoma Sports Staff Writer

STILLWATER, Oklahoma -- After an offseason full of change, the Oklahoma State Cowboys are ready for their first game of the 2010 season, and they’re just happy to have an opponent to prepare for.

“It’s good to get into a game week, the players are looking forward to playing in a game,” said head coach Mike Gundy. “It’s still very important that we stay focused and have a good week of practice in order to get ready for Saturday.”

Cowboy players and coaches have spent countless hours in offseason and preseason workouts preparing for this week and the players are just happy to be lining up against someone wearing a different colored jersey

“I’m just so relieved [that the season is here]. We’re just ready to hit somebody.” said safety Markelle Martin. “We’ve worked all summer long and all offseason long. It’s just exciting that this week is here.”

With the first week of the season comes the first time since last season’s Cotton Bowl that Oklahoma State has had an opponent to prepare for. Hiccups for the new players in the new system have been correctable up until now, but with the Cougars on the horizon, the Cowboys know they have to step up.

“It’s for real now,” said quarterback Brandon Weeden. “We only get 12 of these during the regular season and we can’t take them for granted. We know we have to come work hard and don’t let one slip by us. We’ve got to come prepared.”

Despite finally having an opponent to prepare for, the Cowboys have to look internally to prepare for Saturday’s matchup with Washington State, rather than focus on the scouting report and who is lining up for the Cougars.

“This may sound crazy but when I came up here last year, I didn’t know what side Perrish Cox was lining up on,” said offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen. “If you go back to all of our years in this [system], we try to focus on ourselves rather than our opponent.”

A year ago the opening game was a highly touted matchup between two teams looking to make waves in big-time conferences. The players didn’t concern themselves with the hype a season ago, and aren’t worried about the lack of hype coming into this opener.

“It’s just like last year; that was another game,” said Martin. “You’ve got to go out there and stay focused and you’ve got to be ready for them or they can come in here and beat you.”

For the new signal caller, the most important thing for the new season is a very simple concept.

“It’s a game. I just want everybody to relax and go out there and have fun,” said Weeden. “If you play loose, relax and have fun, that’s usually when good results happen. Try to keep the mood light and it’s just another Saturday.”