STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) -With 15 touchdown catches this season, Dez Bryant remains the unquestioned star of Oklahoma State’s receiving corps.
But some of the Cowboys’ other receivers are making big plays, the biggest a 95-yard touchdown catch-and-run by Jeremy Broadway that set a school record in Saturday’s 59-17 rout of Iowa State.
A season-high 10 different players caught at least one pass against the Cyclones, but such variety hasn’t been the norm. Outside of Bryant and tight end Brandon Pettigrew – who missed three games because of injury – the Cowboys have not had consistent play from their receivers. In two games, only three Oklahoma State players caught passes.
igrew.
In addition to Broadway’s catch, Bryant hauled in an 80-yard touchdown pass on a post pattern and Damian Davis caught a 50-yard pass that led to Bryant’s fourth scoring catch.
“That’s what we’ve got to do,” Broadway said. “Dez is our primary playmaker … but Michael Jordan has to have somebody to back him up. He’s got people keying on him and people trying to shut him down, and we’ve got to back him up. We have the ability to do it.”
Such big plays would seem to be a necessity as Oklahoma State prepares to face No. 2 Texas Tech (9-0, 5-0) on Saturday – the Cowboys’ third road game in five weeks against a top-five opponent.
“We’re still in a good position,” said quarterback Zac Robinson, who threw for 395 yards against the Cyclones. “We’ve got a lot of things in front of us still. We’ll just kind of see how this whole thing plays out and keep on winning.”
Coach Mike Gundy said Sunday that sometimes defensive packages – and the Cowboys’ penchant for running the football – result in some receivers not having many passes thrown their way.
“It’s good to get the other guys some passes,” Gundy said. “They work hard. It depends on what the defense gives us at times … and you kind of have to work the running game in between.”
buzz that he should be a Heisman Trophy candidate.
Gundy isn’t ready to support such an effort – yet.
Asked if he would support any Oklahoma State efforts to push Bryant for the honor, Gundy said he didn’t know Bryant’s name was being mentioned on Heisman lists.
“That would be something we’d have to sit down and talk about as a group,” Gundy said.
Broadway said Oklahoma State’s other receivers have become better players just playing and practicing with Bryant.
“You’ve got no choice,” Broadway said. “You’ve got to step your game up.”
Meanwhile, as his teammates seek his advice, Bryant is receiving the same from a former Oklahoma State receiving great. Gundy said Hart Lee Dykes – who played with Gundy, Thurman Thomas and Barry Sanders on the Cowboys’ high-powered offenses of the mid-to-late 1980s – called Bryant this week.
“I think he (Dykes) sees a lot of his own traits and has a lot of respect for him,” Gundy said.
Bryant said he was honored by the call.
“He was the greatest receiver who ever played at Oklahoma State,” Bryant said. “We talked about backside blocking and everything like that, how I could get better. I felt like, listening to him can help out my game, and I can get where he was at.”
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