How Oklahoma State football's Dalton Cooper fuels Bedlam rivalry in hometown of Prague
Scott WrightJacob UnruhThe Oklahoman
STILLWATER — Oklahoma State offensive lineman Dalton Cooper never envisioned himself in this situation, starting for the 22nd-ranked Cowboys against No. 9 OU in what will be the last Bedlam football meeting for the foreseeable future.
“I never thought I’d be here,” Cooper said. “I love it. It’s gonna be a good matchup.”
Cooper grew up in Prague, about 65 miles south of Stillwater, but he wasn’t highly recruited out of high school. He landed at Texas State and, after redshirting as a freshman, had three good seasons there but entered the transfer portal last December.
Only a few moments after his name officially hit the portal, OSU offensive line coach Charlie Dickey called to begin the recruiting process that eventually landed him with the Cowboys.
Now the Pokes’ starting left tackle, he’s highly anticipating his Bedlam experience, and he’s playing the role of the villain in his hometown — which is filled with a high number of OU fans.
“For sure, but I’d also say that all the OU fans that are there, maybe about 95% of them didn’t go to college at OU,” Cooper said of the Prague population. “But 100% of the OSU fans that are in my town, all of them went to OSU. We’re a little bit more loyal and true in our fanbase here, but you know, they’re just a bunch of bandwagoners, for sure.”
Bryan Nardo’s unique path brings understanding of Bedlam importance
First-year Oklahoma State defensive coordinator Bryan Nardo understands a good rivalry.He grew up in Ohio, so he’s watched Ohio State and Michigan square off forever. He even watched OU and OSU battle from a distance. But Saturday will be his first Bedlam experience up close.
“I know it’s going to be a great environment,” Nardo said. “I know it’s going to be something that our kids are going to enjoy. I’m excited to be a part of it.”
Nardo, however, also has a unique perspective on the rivalry.
While at Division II Emporia State in Kansas, he recruited Oklahoma heavily. And when Bedlam came around, the Hornets’ players had a keen interest in the football game that has been played annually for more than a century.
“I have a lot of kids that I coached that we’re in a locker room getting ready for a game at Emporia State and they’re talking about wanting to watch Bedlam on their phones,” Nardo said. “So, I know how big of a deal it is.”
Losing skid led to new energy for Cowboys
Defensive tackle Collin Clay won’t say the two early-season losses for the Cowboys were a good thing.But there were some benefits.
“I don’t want to say that we needed to lose but that was our first test as a new team,” Clay said. “This is a complete new team. I felt like that humbled us. To have that adversity that early, I think it was great to happen early because now I feel like that we figured out what we needed to do. We’re going out there and we’re rolling like we’re supposed to.”
The Cowboys have won four straight games since losses to South Alabama and Iowa State. They’re in a five-way tie for first in the Big 12. And they’re ranked No. 22 in the initial College Football Playoff rankings.
Asked what changed over the last month, Clay said it was the energy of the team.
That was a theme among other players.
“I think the team just finally realized what we are capable of when we come out there and play loose and play with energy,” receiver Brennan Presley said. “After Iowa State, it was a blessing in disguise losing that because you got to soak on it in the bye week for a little bit.”
Gundy wants Alan Bowman to settle in pocket
OSU coach MIke Gundy drew a noteworthy comparison when talking about quarterback Alan Bowman earlier this week.He compared Bowman’s playing style to that of former Cowboy Mason Rudolph, in terms of being a more traditional pocket passer. And that led Gundy into his primary criticism of Bowman during his five games as OSU’s sole quarterback.
Gundy senses that Bowman gets skittish in the pocket as pressure closes in around him, which leads him to exiting the pocket too soon, or throwing without his feet firmly set beneath him.
“He’s making plays,” Gundy said. “I would like to see him sit and not flush the pocket as much, not drift as much. But he’s manufacturing and we’re productive. I like his ability to distribute the ball where it needs to be.
“His strengths and what he does is very similar to Mason’s, and Mason learned during his career to stay in the pocket. Stay in the pocket and move and stay in the pocket, then dump the ball off.
“We need (Bowman) to sit in there and play to his strengths.”
Over his five games as the lone QB, Bowman has completed 57.2% of his passes for 1,345 yards (269 per game) with eight touchdowns and four interceptions.
