'Different things we can do': Blaine Green becoming a threat as receiver, tight end for Oklahoma State
Scott Wright
Oklahoman
STILLWATER —
Oklahoma State tight end Logan Carter predicted the future.
He saw
true freshman slot receiver Blaine Green — all 6-foot-1 and 218 pounds of him — and made the call.
“I’ve been giving him grief since before the season started,” Carter said, “telling him (offensive coordinator Kasey) Dunn was gonna stick him down at tight end soon.”
Well, it took more than half the season, but the move eventually happened. Over the last few weeks, Green has been playing both slot receiver and tight end, and though he’s about 30 pounds lighter than OSU’s other tight ends, he’s holding up well so far.
As the Cowboys prepare for
the Big 12 championship game against Baylor at 11 a.m. Saturday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, Green will be a factor in the offensive game plan.
“There’s just different things we can do with him, throwing the ball, than we can with other guys,” said OSU coach Mike Gundy, who compared Green to former receiver Tracy Moore. “He can be more of a slot. He can do some blocking. He can release in the middle of the field, release in the flat. There’s other things we can do with him, based on him being 218 pounds.”
It’s been a difficult year for the Cowboys at tight end. Expected starter Logan Carter missed the first five games of the season after undergoing back surgery in late July, and he hasn’t been himself yet this year.
That thrust Braden Cassity into a starting role, and he was effective, but he suffered an injury four weeks ago and hasn’t returned. Carter got hurt again last week and didn’t play against Oklahoma on Saturday.
Green is a big receiver, but a small tight end, so he’s a unique fit in both positions. And he’s still a true freshman.
“He shows that he’s young sometimes still, whether it’s trying to learn the new position, which is a lot of work, or having to go hit a linebacker or defensive end versus a safety,” Carter said. “But he’s learning, getting better every week.”
The concept is not entirely foreign. Green’s older brother, Seth, is a senior tight end at the University of Houston. Of course, Blaine’s twin brother, Bryson, is still playing receiver for OSU.
Over the last three weeks, since the transition occurred, Green has become a regular target in the passing game. Before the change, Green hadn’t caught more than two passes in a game. In the last three weeks, he has at least three in every game.
He had five catches for 42 yards in Bedlam, with Carter and Cassity both out.
“He gave us some options that we hadn’t had all year,” Gundy said. “He’s practiced there some, but he’s young. He’s immature. We’re maximizing what we can get out of him, but he’s still a freshman. He gave us some options that we hadn’t had in this game based on his athleticism.”
Green had three receptions for 80 yards and a touchdown against TCU three weeks ago, the first big game of his career. Because of his size and athletic ability, Green provides unique matchup difficulties for defenses, based on where he’s lined up.
“He brought in a receiving element that I thought I was gonna be able to provide this year, which I didn’t get to once I was injured, so that’s been a big help,” Carter said. “He’s allowed us to line up in some different formations and go out in different sets, give some different looks and confuse some defenses.”
And defenses have to choose how to cover him, because he’s a tight end in a receiver body.
“He brings quickness from the inside position,” OSU quarterback Spencer Sanders said. “You never see a tight end that can move like that. Blaine’s got a big enough body to be a receiver and a tight end at the same time, so it’s just like, holy crap, there’s a lot of stuff you can do with that. Having him right there creates mismatches and opens lanes.
“You’re not expecting a tight end to run deep and beat either a safety or a linebacker. You’re expecting your safety or linebacker to be faster, but they’re not. It’s a different scenario. So it’s good having him right there.”
Most impressively, Green is handling all the work required to play two positions.
“He goes to two separate meetings every day, takes notes, studies his tail off and he knows both positions,” Sanders said. “For a freshman, you don’t see that. You barely see a freshman on the field at one position, but two positions is phenomenal.
“I think we overlook that a little bit because of his talent, and everybody’s like, ‘Yeah, he can play at this level, because he’s that good.’ But he’s still a freshman doing what he’s doing. I think sometimes that’s overlooked, but I tell him every day, ‘You’re a star. You’re an athlete. You’re gonna go somewhere one day.’”