Jan 1st, 2009
Stillwater, OK - Well folks, the 2008 Pacific Life Holiday Bowl didn’t turn out exactly how Cowboy fans wanted, but I think the Pokes did a great job of representing Oklahoma State University.

We had a few things that didn’t go our way, but we can’t take anything away from the Oregon Ducks. They played a fantastic game, and I congratulate them for their hard-fought victory.

The mood in the postgame locker room was somber, and there was a great deal of disappointment from the players and coaches that we couldn’t send off the Cowboy seniors with a win. Guys like Brandon Pettigrew, Ricky Price, Matt Fodge, and David Washington have contributed so much on and off the field for this program, and I think it’s amazing to consider the progress this program has made from the struggling 4-7 campaign in 2005 to being on the verge of a ten-win season now.

Coach Gundy made sure to echo the four words that were repeated by some of our younger players as we walked off the field and up the tunnel at Qualcomm Stadium: we will be back.

A lot of people were surprised that this OSU team picked up nine wins this season, but I think the Pokes made their case to the Big 12 and the rest of the country that they belonged. From the stunning upset at #3 Missouri to going toe-to-toe with #1 Texas in Austin, the Cowboys showed a great deal of grit and courage all season long.

A good chunk of the travel party is now back in Orange Country, but not all of the players flew back on the team charter.

If anyone wanted to stay a little longer in San Diego, I wouldn’t blame them. America’s Finest City more than lived up to its billing, and I would like to sincerely thank everyone at the Pacific Life Holiday Bowl and the people of San Diego for putting on a first-class bowl game experience that I’ll never forget.

I’d also like to thank the Sea of Orange that made the trip to southern California. Your support was greatly appreciated by the players and coaches, and we hope to see you again in 2009!

Cowboys Fall To Oregon In Pacific Life Holiday Bowl
Photo Gallery
Post-Game Notes
Final Stats

Dec 28th, 2008
San Diego, CA - It’s Holiday Bowl Eve here in America’s Finest City, and the weather is nothing short than splendid. Hopefully things will be picture-perfect for tomorrow night’s Pacific Life Holiday Bowl across town at Qualcomm Stadium.

On the docket for this morning was the Holiday Bowl coaches press conference, where the media from Oklahoma, Oregon, and here in southern California got to meet OSU head coach Mike Gundy and Oregon head coach Mike Bellotti.

Both Gundy and Bellotti praised each other’s programs, and the Holiday Bowl for putting together what is arguably the single-best matchup this bowl season between the Cowboys and Ducks.

After their statements at the podium, both coaches took questions from the media individually. Luckily Coach Gundy doesn’t appear to be claustrophobic, as he was literally cornered in one end of the room as he answered questions from the press. Coach Bellotti’s experience didn’t look to be nearly as in-your-face as he remained seated near the podium while fielding questions.

Following the press conference, I followed Coach Gundy across the street to the convention center for the Holiday Bowl luncheon and pep rally.

Prior to the luncheon, the Cowboy Marching Band and Oregon Marching Band entertained the fans and players in what I think was either the second or third “battle of the bands” competition in the last two days. I don’t know who necessarily “won” the battle today, but both groups represented their universities very well. At the luncheon, Gundy and Bellotti both complimented the efforts of both schools’ bands and spirit groups.

Also during the luncheon, team captains from both Oklahoma State and Oregon sat at the head table and were introduced by ESPN’s Erin Andrews and Jesse Palmer, respectively. Brandon Pettigrew was singled out by athletic director Mike Holder as having the distinction of sitting next to Andrews during lunch. Naturally there were several dignitaries at the bowl luncheon, with a throng of Holiday Bowl Redcoats in attendance, along with representatives of US Bank and Pacific Life. Former California governor and San Diego mayor Pete Wilson was one of the speakers.

After the luncheon, the Cowboys stepped outside to attend a pep rally with the fans and Cowboy Marching Band. Coach Gundy addressed the Sea of Orange and thanked them for their continued dedication to supporting the Pokes.

Later today, the team will visit Qualcomm Stadium before embarking one last time to the University of San Diego for practice.

By Jordan Smith

Pacific Life Holiday Bowl Press Conference Quotes
Photo Gallery
Mike Gundy 1 (Quicktime Required)
Mike Gundy 2 (Quicktime Required)

Dec 28th, 2008
San Diego, CA - December 28 got off to a bit of a slower start for the Oklahoma State Cowboys, but quickly picked up around 11:00 a.m. when the Pokes left the team hotel to visit Naval Base San Diego and the U.S.S. Bonhomme Richard for the annual Holiday Bowl Navy/Marine Corps Luncheon.

Here’s a brief history lesson for those of you unfamiliar with the “Revolutionary Gator” – the Bonhomme Richard is the third U.S. Navy ship to carry that name, following John Paul Jones’ frigate that served the Continental Navy in the American Revolution and the Essex-class aircraft carrier that was commissioned during World War II. Her namesake is derived from Benjamin Franklin’s pen name used when he published Poor Richard’s Almanac.

The Cowboys were joined by the Oregon Ducks for today’s festivities, and both teams were greeted by the OSU and UO marching bands, as well as both schools’ spirit groups.

After their greeting, both teams climbed aboard the Bonhomme Richard for the luncheon. On the menu today was barbecued brisket sandwiches and chili. Crewmen of the Bonhomme Richard sat with the players and coaches for both teams during the luncheon.

The respect that the representatives of both schools hold for our armed forces can’t be overstated. OSU coach Mike Gundy and Oregon coach Mike Bellotti addressed the crowd and introduced their respective coaching staffs. Oklahoma State University president Burns Hargis and University of Oregon president David Frohnmayer also gave gifts to the ship’s commanding officer, Captain Neil Parrott.

A pair of crewmen was introduced as honorary captains for both teams. All 1100 members of the Bonhomme Richard’s crew will receive tickets to Tuesday night’s Holiday Bowl game, a much-deserved reward for some of the fine young men and women that sacrifice so much to keep all of us safe at home.

Following the luncheon program, both teams were invited to take a tour of the Bonhomme Richard. The “Revolutionary Gator” is a very impressive warship, and I’m sure both the Cowboys and Ducks appreciated the tour.

Right now I’m sitting in the press box of Torero Stadium watching practice. The most noteworthy person in attendance today is probably Tim Beckman, the Cowboys’ former defensive coordinator who has moved on to take the helm at Toledo.

If you’ll remember a year ago, Larry Fedora left his offensive coordinator post at OSU to become the head coach at Southern Miss. It’s good to see OSU assistants in back-to-back years become head coaches. It’s even better to seem them “come back home” in back-to-back seasons decked out in the orange and black to wish their former players and colleagues well during the bowl season.

Following practice, coach Trooper Taylor and his wide receiver corps had some fun chasing senior tight end Brandon Pettigrew around the field at Torero Stadium.

By Jordan Smith

Photo Gallery
Tim Beckman (Quicktime Required)
BHR Tour (Quicktime Required)

Dec 27th, 2008
San Diego, CA - We’ll actually kick off tonight’s bowl blog with a note from last night.

While out on a walking tour of San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter (including a trip to gorgeous PETCO Park, home of the Padres baseball club), I had the pleasure of meeting former Cowboy Jamal Williams. If you haven’t followed Jamal’s career since he left Orange Country, he’s gone on to make quite a name for himself with the San Diego Chargers. Williams is widely regarded as one of the best defensive tackles in the NFL, having been to three Pro Bowls in his career.

Jamal was very excited to see his alma mater in town, and will be in attendance for Tuesday night’s Holiday Bowl. Any Cowboy fans in the area might be interested in seeing him and Tatum Bell play for the AFC West division championship when the Chargers and Broncos collide at Qualcomm Stadium on Sunday. Good luck finding a ticket, though!

Now onto this morning’s practice.

For the first time since we’ve been in America’s Finest City, the Cowboys got to practice at the University of San Diego’s Torero Stadium. The last two practices were held at USD’s practice field on account of the rain making Torero Stadium’s grass surface too muddy to use.

The field was still a little soft, though, and gave the Cowboy receivers some difficulty while they were trying to make their cuts. However, a few pointers from Trooper Taylor helped the wide-outs find their footing and made things a lot more productive.

As for the rest of practice, I’d have to say things went well. During this whole season, it’s been amazing to see how strong this team’s chemistry is, and it’s good to see that carry over into the bowl season. This team has what appears on the surface to be a laid-back approach to all the bowl game preparation, but yet all their practices have been very productive from what I’ve seen.

I think it’s safe to say the players had a blast at SeaWorld today. SeaWorld is a bit similar to the San Diego Zoo in that the whole atmosphere can be a bit overwhelming, and it may take you a few visits to really see all the attractions.

Before everyone split up to tour the park for themselves, a few players and coaches got to meet a pair of dolphins and their trainers. Dez Bryant was very disappointed that he didn’t get a chance to jump in the tank and go swimming with the dolphins.

Naturally, everyone wants to see Shamu and friends perform. Several players and coaches attended the two afternoon Shamu shows. Most notably in attendance during the 3:00 show was offensive line coach Joe Wickline, who was the unfortunate target of many signature splashes from the killer whales. I’ll give it up to Coach Wick, though – he shrugged off the waves like it was nothing!

Of course, I was there with the video camera documenting the whole trip. Check out the video section of our bowl site at CoachGundy.com later to see all of today’s fun and catch up on any other videos in case you missed them!

By Jordan Smith

Cowboys Wrap Up Day Three In San Diego
Photo Gallery
Dez Bryant (Quicktime Required)
Cowboys Visit the Dolphins (Quicktime Required)
Mike Gundy (Quicktime Required)
Orie Lemon (Quicktime Required)
Brandon Pettigrew (Quicktime Required)

Dec 26th, 2008
San Diego, CA - Friday was a very busy day for the Oklahoma State Cowboys, but it was a day where the weather was finally clear and sunny. It was fairly windy today, making this morning’s practice at USD’s Torero Stadium pretty crisp.

In what was the second practice in our stay in San Diego, everyone looked even more excited to be here. It definitely helps when the weather is a lot more like what you would expect in Southern California. It seemed like there was a lot more chatter amongst the players during their stretches. Things were a lot more relaxed today, and the players looked really sharp in their drills.

There was a larger media contingent at practice today, as more members of the Oklahoma press make their way to San Diego. Coach Gundy fielded questions from some of the local television stations before practice. Members of the print media also interviewed Gundy after practice.

Immediately following practice, everyone boarded the buses and visited the world famous San Diego Zoo. For those that have never visited the San Diego Zoo, it can be a pretty overwhelming experience. There’s so much to see and do that you probably need a few days to take it all in.

The zoo was extremely busy today, with a lot more people than you’d expect to see the day after Christmas. The folks at the zoo put on a private exhibition with a sea lion for Matt Fodge, Andre Sexton, Brady Bond, Orie Lemon, and Patrick Lavine. I think the guys had a great time, which you’ll get to see in one of today’s videos.

After that, I spent a few hours shadowing Zac Robinson, Matt Fodge, Brandon Weeden, and other members of the Cowboy football team. We met several fans (many of them took pictures with the players) at all the different exhibits. Not all of them were necessarily Oklahoma State fans, but they all wished us luck against Oregon. Speaking of the Ducks, we ran into a few of them at the gorilla exhibit.

All in all, it was a long – but fun – day for the Pokes in San Diego. We expect another one just like it tomorrow when the Cowboys visit SeaWorld after practice.

By Jordan Smith

Cowboys Practice, Take A Trip To The San Diego Zoo
Photo Gallery
Cabo The Sea Lion (Quicktime Required)
Zoo Visit Video (Quicktime Required)
12/26 Practice Video (Quicktime Required)
Mike Gundy (Quicktime Required)

Dec 25th, 2008
San Diego, CA - I’m starting to believe that the meteorologists here in Southern California forgot to leave Mother Nature a memo about San Diego being sunny. It’s cool, windy and overcast here on Christmas Day in America’s Finest City, where, unfortunately, my visit to San Diego Bay was curtailed by brief rainstorm.

Everyone looks to be present now, as several of the players that didn’t fly in yesterday arrived this morning and checked in at the team hotel.

Oregon’s fans haven’t made their presence known here just yet, but that’s understandable considering the Ducks are staying near San Diego International Airport on the north end of the bay. I’m sure we’ll see a lot more fans as we get nearer to gameday.

Daily bowl practices kicked off today at the University of San Diego. Because of the rain, I had to retreat to one of the team buses halfway through and couldn’t see every minute of practice.

All the players were in good spirits, though, and excited to be in San Diego. I’m sure I speak for all of us in saying that I’m looking forward to the rest of our stay.

Later in the evening, the fine folks representing the Holiday Bowl hosted an excellent dinner for the players, coaches and OSU officials. Linebacker Orie Lemon entertained everyone as he helped show off the bowl gifts that will be given to the players.

Tomorrow’s practice starts at 10:15 in the morning, immediately followed by a trip to the San Diego Zoo.

By Jordan Smith

Cowboys Report For First Day Of Practice In San Diego
Photo Gallery
Matt Fodge Q&A (Quicktime Required)
12/25 Practice Video (Quicktime Required)

Dec 24th, 2008
San Diego, CA - Welcome to sunny San Diego! Or usually sunny San Diego, at least.

It’s overcast and a just a tad on the cool side right now in the America’s Finest City, but the forecast calls for sunny skies and warmer temperatures as we get closer to the 2008 Pacific Life Holiday Bowl.

The flight was about as picture-perfect as one could expect. For those that may be interested, the in-flight meal was lasagna. The in-flight entertainment was a double feature of the 2007 Christmas comedy Fred Claus and about the first half of Walt Disney’s WALL-E.

The travel party arrived at San Diego International Airport at approximately 5:00 PM local time after an almost-exactly three-hour-long flight. From there, it was a quick drive down the road to the team hotel. Along the way, we got a quick look at some of the ships moored in San Diego Bay, including the impressive USS Midway, which now serves as a museum ship.

Several players, but not all of them, flew in on the team charter along with the coaches, school officials, and their families. The stragglers should be joining the rest of us sometime tomorrow morning as they arrive in the city and county of San Diego.

We’re looking forward to having a great time during our stay here in southern California, as well as what should prove to be a great game between the #13 Cowboys and #15 Ducks. For all the fans that will be in San Diego with us, be sure to check out the events section of our bowl central site on CoachGundy.com. The fir

st practice takes place tomorrow afternoon, where we’ll have photos and video highlighting all the action. Until then, happy holidays and stay classy, Orange Country!

By Jordan Smith