Tramel's ScissorTales: How the Big 12 title game loss to Baylor gave OSU a point of 'emphasis this spring'

All offensive linemen take pride in their physicality. OSU’s blockers are no different.

“That’s like one of our mantras,” OSU guard Cole Birmingham said. “We want to be as physical as possible. But stay under control on getting it. Not just going after someone and falling off a block or something like that.

“It’s definitely an emphasis this spring, and it will carry over to fall camp and this season, It’s a big point for us.”

It should be.

The Cowboys had their moments when their physicality shined. Tailback Jaylen Warren emerged in Game 3 and gained 1,216 on 256 carries. But OSU played the Big 12 Championship Game without the injured Warren, and it showed.

The Cowboys were pushed around by Baylor, which survived OSU 21-16 with some of the best goal-line defense in recorded gridiron history.

The Cowboys had seven plays from the Baylor 2- or 1-yard line. They scored on none. OSU had first-and-goal inside the 10-yard on five possessions. They settled for one touchdown, three field goals.

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The game ended when Baylor safety Jairon McVea stopped backup tailback Dez Jackson inches shy of the goal line, on fourth down in the final seconds. All after OSU had a first-and-goal at the Bears’ 2-yard line with 1:23 left.

“It was definitely disappointing,” Birmingham said. “But it happened. Kind of have to just get over it.”

The Cowboys did just that in the Fiesta Bowl. OSU tailbacks combined for 112 yards on 23 carries, quarterback Spencer Sanders had enough time to throw and produced 496 total yards. Protecting Sanders didn’t happen against Baylor.

“Came out Notre Dame and played as aggressive as we have all season,” Birmingham said. “Kind of used that (Baylor) as fuel against Notre Dame.”

Baylor, of course, has an all-world nose guard in Siaki Ika. But still, the OSU line must be able to clear the path for short-yardage conversions.

“Last year, I feel like we did a great job physical wise,” Birmingham said. This spring, “Honestly, everyone’s doing really good. It’s going great so far. We’re a little low on offensive linemen. But everyone’s willing to jump in if anyone needs help or filling a spot.”

If the OSU O-line can use Baylor as motivation to become even more physical, the sting from the Big 12 title game will be lessened.

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Bowlsby says he wasn’t pushed out

Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby, who announced this week he will leave that post as soon as a successor is found, says he was not pushed out by the presidents and chancellors who make up the Big 12 board.

Bowlsby spoke on Sirius XM's Big 12 Radio channel Thursday and said his decision was a collaboration.

“I’m not being pushed at all,” Bowlsby said. “This is a mutual outcome.”

Bowlsby said over the last three weeks, he let board members and the executive committee know that he didn’t plan to work beyond the three years left on his contract.

“And we’ve got a lot of stuff, from CFP (College Football Playoff) to court cases to TV negotiations,” Bowlsby said. “All of those things, I would be glad to do and I think I’m capable of doing.

“Am I staying another year? Am I staying another two years? There was going to be a transition at some point in time, and the more we talked about it, the more we thought it was best for the conference if we made the transition sooner rather than later.”

Makes sense, right? In some ways, it could be the best of both worlds. Bowlsby said that during the transition, he would be happy to stick around and be a consultant for the next commissioner. The Big 12 conceivably could bring in new blood, fresh ideas, but also have the experience of Bowlsby to lean upon.

“I am just fine with it,” Bowlsby said of leaving the conference after 10 years. “I turned 70 last January, and frankly, I never thought I would work this long. When I was working at Northern Iowa, I told myself, when I get to 59½, I’m going to take my TIAA-CREF and retire. I ended up working a lot longer than I really extended to.

“And frankly, there wasn’t much of an off ramp these last two years, between the Covid activities and all that went along with that, then the surprise departures last summer (OU and Texas to the Southeastern Conference), there just hasn’t been an opportunity for me to say, ‘I’m going to do this,’ without leaving the league in a lurch.”

Tramel: Commissioner Bob Bowlsby guided Big 12 through much trouble

We have talked about Bowlsby rallying the Big 12 in the wake of the OU-Texas news, but the Covid situation was an example of outstanding leadership. And Bowlsby allows himself a little pride over averting potential financial disaster.

“In August (2020), we didn’t have any idea if we were going to be playing football two weeks later,” Bowlsby said. “To get ourselves on the field, to complete as many games as we did, and to do it safely, there are just a whole bunch of people that had their hands on the oars to make it happen.”

Bowlsby said he and the other Power 5 Conference commissioners spoke daily, literally, from the middle of March to the end of November.

“We didn’t always go in the same way, but there was a lot of cooperation and collaboration,” Bowlsby said. “In athletics, we were uniquely burdened by it, because we’re so dependent on television revenue and gate receipts. We weren’t going to get any of those. It was going to be cataclysmic for our programs.

“These were vitally important decisions and we worked our way through it. It was terrific collaboration. I’m proud of the way we managed it, and I’m proud of the fact that we got more games played than anybody else.”

And OU-Texas?

“I’ve been asked if the OU-Texas situation bore on my decision, and I can honestly say I don’t think it does,” Bowlsby said. “Those things happen in our business. I of course wasn’t happy about it and I continue to not be happy about it.

“But we’ve been able to bring in four outstanding schools and outstanding athletics programs, and in the end, institutions are going to act in their own self-interest, and it’s their right to be able to do that.”

Bowlsby says the Big 12 is in good shape.

“We’re in good shape financially,” Bowlsby said. “We’re in good shape competitively. We have a very lean staff, in terms of our numbers. Only about 30 full-time equivalencies. We’re the smallest staff of all the (Power 5) conferences. It’s a lean operation that is functioning at a high level. And I think it'll continue to function at a high level.”

Bowlsby has 10 grandchildren. He said he’s ready to spend more time with them.

“Really looking forward to having some time for myself,” Bowlsby said. “It was entirely mutual and very collaborative, and I am just fine with the outcome.

“It won’t surprise you to hear that there are some things I would have liked to have accomplished, which are a little longer-term time frame. Notwithstanding that, this was a good opportunity for an artful exit strategy.”

“It’s been a lot of fun. I wouldn’t tell you that the last two years were a lot of laughs, but overall, it’s been very rewarding. Lots of great coaches, lots of great people. Couldn’t have asked for more.”

More: Bob Bowlsby to step down as Big 12 Conference commissioner later this year

Utah travelblog: Provo is a nice place & nice people

When we checked into the Springhill Suites in Provo, Utah, on Thursday morning, the desk clerk said we had been upgraded to a parlor suite. I didn’t know what she meant, since the Springhills are sort of a suite setup anyway.

But sure enough, we walked in and had one bedroom, a small sitting room, an extra parlor, a big bathroom with no toilet but two water closets, each with a toilet. A massive amount of space.

Within a few minutes, we hurried back out, and the desk clerk said, “How is the room?”

I said, “Great. We’ve got to go make some friends so we can host a party.”

She said, “Don’t forget the booze.”

And I thought, that’s a funny thing to hear in Provo.

By the end of the night, my thoughts hadn’t changed. That was a funny thing to hear in Provo.

My first trip to the home of Brigham Young University was quite interesting and enjoyable. I met some great people at BYU, including football coach Kalani Sitake. Got a tour of the campus that sits in the foothills of the Wasatch Mountains. Met a new friend who gave Trish the Dish and I a great tour of Greater Provo.

And Provo indeed came across as wholesome and pleasant as I had been led to believe.

My first day in Provo was hectic but enlightening. The beautiful setting of LaVell Edwards Stadium, hard against the Wasatch Mountains, is not restricted to just the football venue. BYU and Provo itself sit in the Utah Valley, between the mountains and Utah Lake. A beautiful, modern town.

My new friend, Hal Jaussi, offered to give us a tour, so I asked him to take me to the bad part of town. He did the best he could. Hal took us to the old part of town. Truth is, I haven’t seen any bad parts of Utah, including up in Salt Lake City.

The population of Utah is 3.2 million; about 2.6 million of them live along Interstate 15’s 85-mile corridor from Greater Ogden, about 40 north of Salt Lake City, to Greater Provo, about 40 miles south of Salt Lake.

The government considers Ogden and Provo their own metropolitan areas, but those distinctions are gone. All the land from Salt Lake to Provo is developed, and I’ve been told the same is true from Salt Lake to Ogden.

Tramel's ScissorTales: Salt Lake City travelblog includes some Thunder & getting to know a future Big 12 foe

So while Salt Lake City is listed as having 1.4 million in its metro population, the truth is, it’s the center of a 2.6 million metro area. Think of Oklahoma City, with development ranging from Pauls Valley to Guthrie.

And much of it new. Utah’s population has almost doubled since 1990, and most of those people live in the valleys of the Wasatch Front.

BYU sports about 34,000 students, making Provo a bustling place, but with the Mormon kicker. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS) members account for about 96 percent of BYU’s enrollment and about 88 percent of Provo’s population.

Mormons abstain from alcohol, which explains why there seems to be only a couple of bars in town and maybe one liquor store.

But don’t get the idea that BYU is a staid, demure campus. BYU bustles with activity, otherwise looking very much like most universities. Except friendlier.

I took a campus tour, conducted by a couple of students, and the female guide, from Connecticut, was particularly proud of her campus. As she should be. BYU’s campus sports modern architecture, set amid trees and against the mountain. Pretty danged cool.

The student newspaper, the Daily Universe – take THAT, Daily Planet -- was sponsoring a marketing campaign that included a bunch of bounce houses for students. Yes, bounce houses. Seems like something every newspaper ought to try.

I got a photo in front of the Brigham Young statue – I told you of my affinity for Young, the American pioneer – and learned that 93 languages are taught at BYU; two thirds of the students speak a second language, befitting the LDS’ missionary desires.

Of course, I’m not in Provo to discover educational opportunities or religious tendencies. I’m here because BYU is joining the Big 12, and I want to learn more about the Cougars.

I met a variety of BYU staffers who were hospitable and accommodating, including Jon McBride’s media relations staff. Jon got me started in the right way, with Sitake.

From afar, Sitake comes off as quite charming and likable. In person, he seems to be even more authentic, and the BYU staff raves about Sitake.

We had an hour-long chat, and Sitake was humble, excited and inquisitive.

I also chatted with vice president Keith Vorkink, who oversees athletics, and I was impressed with the way he didn’t duck questions, about BYU’s religious bent in the largely non-religious realm of sports.

I met BYU recruiting coordinator Jasen Ah-You, the brother of former OU defensive end (and current Texas Tech assistant coach) C.J. Ah-You, plus creative services director Dave Broberg, a 1991 Shawnee High School graduate who was quite eager to talk with me about Van’s Pig Stand.

The PR staff – Diff Tuttle, Brett Pyne, Kenny Cox and Tyson Jex – took me to lunch at Brick Oven, which sits about a block from BYU’s athletic offices. I had a good pepperoni/black olive mini-pizza, with salad, and we had a great time, getting to know each other and talking places and games we’ve seen and soon will see.

Later, I got a tour of many of the BYU facilities. I’ll be writing about that in the coming days, so no need to hash it out here. I’ll condense it by saying BYU’s facilities are solid but probably in the back half of the Big 12, so a little updating is necessary, and the Cougar leadership knows it.

Hal Jaussi picked me up at BYU, then drove us over to get the Dish. Hal is a long-time friend of Norman district court judge Thad Balkman, a BYU alumnus who I’ve gotten to know over the years. Thad is thrilled at the BYU/Big 12 marriage and set us up.

Hal grew up in nearby Orem – adjacent to Provo, and home to Utah Valley University, which as recently as 1993 was a community college but now boasts 34,000 students. Told you this place was exploding.

Hal drove us all over Provo and the surrounding communities. Provo is a bit of an entrepreneur magnet, with the likes of Vivint, a residential security company; Qualtrics, a software company; and Nu Skin, a multi-level marketing firm for skin-care products.

Provo also is an outdoor paradise. There’s many a day you can snow ski up at Sundance Resort, 15 miles away, in the morning, then water ski on Utah Lake in the afternoon.

Hal, a civil engineer, is doing a lot of work along the mountains for his explosives company, primarily for the home-building business. The real estate market is booming, as you’d expect. He also showed us the horse farm of former California Angel Wally Joyner, who played at BYU.

We had a late Mexican dinner at Joe Vera’s, in downtown Provo. I had an excellent pair of crab enchiladas.

Downtown Provo is charming but is a little short on the shopping, the Dish reports. Same goes for the Provo-Orem area. One Mormon stereotype is frugality. I don’t know about that, but Mormons seem quite unpretentious. Maybe stores aren’t a priority in Provo.

But the church is, and so is BYU.

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Mailbag: NIL concerns

Brian Bosworth expressed concern about the name, image and likeness explosion in collegiate sports. And he’s got people who agree.

Tim: “I, too, fear for the college game. Bosworth is right about locker room resentment. That QB looks great because the hogs up front block. NCAA will have to get some limits on the portal and NIL. Just don’t know how at this point.”

Tramel: I don’t know. There’s a whole lot of angst over NIL. We’ll see if it’s justified.

Thunder vs. Lakers: Five takeaways from OKC's loss at Los Angeles in penultimate game of 2021-22 season

The List: NBA MVP odds

The NBA regular season ends Sunday, and soon thereafter the votes will be in for the league’s most valuable player. Here are the odds, according to covers.com, for NBA MVP:

1. Nikola Jokic, Denver: 3-10

2. Joel Embiid, Philadelphia: 3-1

3. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee: 8-1

4. Devin Booker, Phoenix: 100-1

5. Luka Doncic, Dallas: 130-1

6. Rudy Gobert, Utah: 180-1

7. Kevin Durant, Brooklyn: 240-1

7. Ja Morant, Memphis: 240-1

7. Jayson Tatum, Boston: 240-1

Berry Tramel: Berry can be reached at 405-760-8080 or at btramel@oklahoman.com. He can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including FM-98.1. Support his work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Big 12 football title game loss driving Oklahoma State offensive line