STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) -Just because Dez Bryant has established himself as one of college football’s top receivers doesn’t mean Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy doesn’t see areas where he could improve.
To name a couple, Gundy thinks Bryant has room to grow in giving his all and being a team player.
Gundy said this week that Bryant deserves all the accolades he’s received as an All-America receiver and Biletnikoff Award finalist. However, he said Bryant still “needs to learn to play hard every single down.”
Gundy said part of the problem is that Bryant gets himself so worked up before kickoff that he’s already sweating before the game even starts.
r a long time, but we’ve got to get him to control himself some. He needs to become a better team player and play as well without the ball as he does with the ball.”
A top NFL prospect, Bryant caught 87 passes for 1,480 yards and 19 touchdowns last season while also scoring twice on punt returns. He leads the 16th-ranked Cowboys (1-1) this season with 162 yards receiving and two touchdowns, and he also had a punt return TD last week against Houston.
Gundy said Bryant has improved as a team player over his last six or seven games, but he can still get better.
“Dez is the biggest cheerleader we’ve got. If you really watch the tape of when we have somebody score a touchdown and he’s away from the ball, instead of finishing the block he’s signaling touchdown and celebrating,” he said. “But he is a team player from that fact: He loves the other receivers and the other guys to have success.”
The Cowboys face Rice on Saturday.
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