Reid, OSU Cowboys prepare for Kolb and Cougars

HOUSTON (AP) _ Excuse Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy if he's still a little miffed that Kevin Kolb reneged his commitment to the Cowboys to play for Houston. <br/><br/>It's a subject that has

Friday, September 22nd 2006, 12:53 pm

By: News On 6

HOUSTON (AP) _ Excuse Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy if he's still a little miffed that Kevin Kolb reneged his commitment to the Cowboys to play for Houston.

It's a subject that has come up a lot this week as Oklahoma State prepares to play Houston for the first time in 19 years in one of only three games this weekend between undefeated teams.

Gundy recruited Kolb as an assistant at Oklahoma State and had the quarterback committed for about four months before coach Art Briles got the job at Houston and stole him away two weeks before signing day.

``The first time I saw him in spring ball when I went up and watched him practice, I knew right then that he was the guy I wanted because of who he is and his savvy,'' Gundy said. ``We worked hard to get him committed.''

Gundy was so upset about it that he can still remember where he was when he got the call from Kolb.

``I was upstairs in my study,'' he said. ``We didn't have any furniture in there, and I was walking around in there just mad and waking the kids up after I found out he was going the other direction.''

Kolb, who became the first 10,000-yard passer in school history last week, said the decision came down to his affinity for Briles. Briles coached at Stephenville High School, where Kolb went to school, before he began his college coaching career.

``I knew Coach Briles' family life and his respect in town, so that of course gave him the edge,'' Kolb said. ``But I was pretty fond of Coach Gundy. He treated me and my family well. I love the town. I'm a small-town guy. I'm a country guy. I never even thought I'd end up in Houston.''

Though still wistful for what Kolb could have done at Oklahoma State, Gundy does take solace in one aspect of the ordeal.

``I'm a Kevin Kolb fan,'' he said. ``I've been bragging about him out here for three years, saying that we at least are recruiting the right guys because he's got that kind of ability.''

Kolb is the Division I-A active career leader in completions, passing yards and total offense.

While the one that got away will lead the Cougars, the Cowboys have sophomore Bobby Reid, who is from Houston, in charge of their team. Oklahoma State also has 21 other Houston-area players.

Reid, who led Galena Park North Shore to the Class 5A title in 2003, has already thrown for 518 yards and seven touchdowns this season.

``He is an excellent football player,'' Briles said of Reid. ``When I watched him in high school, I thought he was one of the top quarterbacks without a doubt in the south, southwest and possibly the nation. As he progresses, he will have an outstanding career.''

On Saturday he will become the first Oklahoma State quarterback to face the Cougars since Gundy led a team featuring Barry Sanders and Thurman Thomas to a 35-0 win in 1987 at the Astrodome.

The game will be the first test for the two 3-0 teams after Oklahoma State beat Missouri State, Arkansas State and Florida Atlantic, and Houston took care of Rice, Tulane and Grambling.

``It's real important, not so much just to have a good showing in front of my family but to have a good showing in front of Houston and the team,'' Reid said. ``They're a much better team than what we've faced so far. I'm not knocking the three teams we played but these guys, they like to put points on the board.''