The Sports Journal

Last night, the Green Bay Packers visited the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football.

Denver’s my favorite NFL team, so I was excited about the game. It’s been a fairly rough season for the Broncos so far, but they’ve pulled off a couple close victories, including a close victory over a good Pittsburgh team last week, and had a .500 record coming into the game. If they could actually beat a good Packers team, maybe it was a sign that they were on the right track.

However, they ran into a slight problem: Brett Favre. Favre has already secured his legacy as one of the greatest quarterbacks in the history of the NFL and is marching his way through the record books. Monday night, he added another notch to his belt against my Broncos.

After Denver tied the game as time expired on a Jason Elam field goal (all three of the Broncos’ wins had come on Elam field goals as time ran out), Green Bay won the toss and got the ball first. Then, on the very first play of OT , Favre connected with Greg Jennings for an 82-yard touchdown pass. Game over, just like that.

Three thoughts about the heartbreaker:

• The game never should have gone to overtime. With no time outs and a 3&1 from the Packers 5, Denver’s Jay Cutler ran a quarterback draw and couldn’t even pick up a yard. There’s no guarantee they would have scored a game-winning touchdown by passing, but Cutler’s not a running QB, so I think the chances would have at least been better.
• I still don’t like the NFL’s “sudden death” overtime rules, and I’m not just saying that because my team was the one that lost without getting to touch the ball. I just think college football has it down much better. The NFL should adapt a similar method with each team getting the ball at least once, but just move the starting position back from the 25 to the 40 or so.
• When it comes right down to it, since the Broncos were in that situation, what else could they have really done? They went up against a living legend, and he beat them as he’s beaten so many before them. As a friend of mine and fellow Bronco fan said, “We got Favred.”

The Boston Red Sox wrapped up a four-game sweep on Sunday, beating the Colorado Rockies to win their second championship in four years.

There were some great stories in this Fall Classic, some of which were sadly overshadowed by all the Yankee drama.  Jon Lester, who won the series-clinching game, was just a year removed from chemotherapy.  Mike Lowell, the series MVP, is also a cancer survivor.  Curt Schilling may have pitched his final game for the Red Sox, but he went out on top.  Josh Beckett continued to cement his resume as one of the greatest postseason pitchers of this generation.

I was rooting for the Rockies, but I think the layoff between the NLCS and the WS hurt them.  Even if they hadn’t had to wait so long, though, I don’t think they could have beaten the Red Sox.

Boston’s pitching is too good, its hitting too consistent, and its team chemistry too perfect.  General manager Theo Epstein has built an amazing organization, developing good young talent–Dustin Pedroia, Jacob Ellsbury, Jonathon Papelbon, etc.–but also being willing to make aggressive trades for players like Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell and give big deals to guys like David Ortiz and Jason Varitek to lock them up long-term.

There are a lot of really good teams in the American League, so I don’t know how much of a chance Boston will have to build a true dynasty, but the Sox should at least be in the thick of the race every season for several years to come.

Colorado may have, in some ways, overachieved this year, but the Rockies’ accomplishments were impressive. If they can add just a little more pitching, I like their chances of making another run next year.

The only disappointing thing is that yet again this season, despite some really good early rounds of play, the World Series itself was not overly competitive.  I don’t know what it is, but the past few years, the WS itself has been over fairly quickly, the last great series coming in the Marlins’ 2003 defeat of the Yankees in seven games.  Hopefully next year we’ll see a more dramatic World Series that comes down to the wire.

The following article will appear in the October 31 edition of The O’Colly .

Coming off the biggest turnaround in the nation last year, the Cowgirl basketball team will see if it has what it takes improve again this season.

The team has the experience, after making it to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1996.

It has the guards, with Big 12 Freshman of the Year Andrea Riley and honorable mention All-Big 12 Danielle Green returning to lead the way.

But a big presence inside? Perhaps not on the surface, but the Cowgirls are trying their best to make the most of what they have on the post.

“The mystery again is our post play, what kind of results can we get inside,” coach Kurt Budke said. “I think that’s going to go a long way toward determining how far we go or if we take another step forward this year.”

Leading the way for the Cowgirls inside will be senior center Maria Cordero, who was OSU’s leading scorer early last season, but came down with a viral infection late in the year that slowed her down.

“After she got ill, she never recovered and got back to that level that she was at early in the season,” Budke said. “I think Maria is going to be a key for us this year.

“I think she can easily average double figures like she did at the beginning of last year. She’s a tremendous player.”

Cordero said she’s fully recovered now and back to full strength.

“I feel a whole lot better, and I think it’s shown in practice too,” she said. “I’m been taking care of my body and sleeping more. I feel great now.”

Budke said Cordero lost weight over the summer and is in the best shape of her life, and will have to be in order to play as much as the Cowgirls need her to—possibly more than 30 minutes per game.

Cordero said she’s looking forward to the challenge.

“My thought on the pressure of us not having great post position right now is that I’m going to do a good job, and we’ll be fine,” Cordero said.

After Cordero, the Cowgirls will also look to junior forward Shaunte Smith to play a lot of minutes, another player Budke said slimmed down and improved over the summer.

“She’s a different player than she was last year,” he said. “She’s flying all over the gym.”

Cordero’s main backup will be sophomore center Megan Byford, a transfer from Northern Oklahoma College, already nicknamed “Big Country” after Bryant Reeves, the men’s basketball center who led OSU to a Final Four in 1995.

“She is solid, and she doesn’t move, but she can really score inside,” Budke said. “She’s a tough one; when she’s on the block, you’re going to have to really push her and shove her to get her out of the way. We’re looking for big things from her.”

Cordero also had praise for Byford, and said she thought the two of them would work well together on the court at the same time.

“Megan’s really strong, and a good scorer,” Cordero said. “I can shoot from outside too, so I think that’ll help clear it out for her inside to go to work on the stronger girls.”

Rounding out the interior depth for the Cowgirls is junior forward Shyvon Spears, a transfer Coffeyville Community College who’s expected to get significant playing time, and Alex Richardson, a freshman center from Edmond.

These Cowgirls will all have their work cut out for them, playing in a conference with several tough post players, such as Oklahoma’s Courtney Paris and Colorado’s Jackie McFarland.

Cordero said that the Cowgirls know their competition inside will be tough, but that they’re working hard to rise to the challenge.

“You have to be strong at the post position,” Cordero said. “I think that’s a part of our team that we’re trying to get involved more. We just have to show in practice that Coach can trust us, inside and out.”

The following article was in the October 30 edition of The O’Colly .

When Oklahoma State hosts the Texas Longhorns in its biggest game of the season thus far, the defense will face one of its greatest challenges in slowing down junior running back Jamaal Charles.

Charles is averaging 112.4 rushing yards per game, second to only OSU’s Dantrell Savage in the Big 12, and is coming off the biggest game of his career.

Charles ran 33 times for a career-high 290 yards and three touchdowns against Nebraska, including 216 yards in the fourth quarter alone when he single-handedly brought the Longhorns back from a late deficit to win 28-25.

OSU defensive coordinator Tim Beckman, in his first year in the Big 12, has played Texas each of the last two years while at Ohio State and knows how good Charles is.

“He’s a very talented, skilled running back,” Beckman said. “He’s got great speed, and he runs hard. He’s not one of those guys you bring down with just an arm tackle.”

Senior defensive end Nathan Peterson said Charles’ greatest weapon is his speed, which he showcased in an 86-yard touchdown run against Nebraska.

“If you give him an opening, he’ll be gone,” Peterson said. “He’s one of the fastest running backs I’ve ever faced.”

Beckman’s Ohio State defenses were able to contain Charles’ speed the past two years, holding him to a combined 27 carries for 96 yards, or 3.6 yards per carry, although the running back was then sharing time with recently graduated Selvin Young.

Now, Charles is the featured back for the Longhorns, and won national honors for offensive player of the week for his performance against Nebraska.

Despite the end results, Beckman said he felt like the Cornhuskers played good defense most of the game, but noted that he wouldn’t be following their strategy.

Nebraska constantly blitzed the Longhorns, so when Charles broke through the first wave of defenders, he was off to the races.

“To me, defense isn’t blitzing 75-80 percent of the time,” Beckman said. “It’s being able to utilize the pressure, and then showing pressure but not coming with it. In the fourth quarter, just a couple guys out of place cost them some big plays.

“You take bits and pieces from each one of the games that you watch and you formulate how that can help the Cowboys when they play the Longhorns.”

Senior linebacker Rodrick Johnson said the key for the Pokes is to not let Charles get out in open space, where his speed is most effective.

“If you make one mistake, he can punish you for it,” Johnson said. “You just got to contain him and keep him between the tackles. You can’t let him get on the outside and get space. We’re going to bring some heat on him; we’re going to sit back in the zone; we’re going to do a lot of different things to kind of mix it up.”

No matter how well the Cowboys game plan for the running offense, they can’t let up the entire game. Charles’ 216 yards in the fourth quarter were just six yards shy of Corey Dillon’s NCAA record for rushing yards in a quarter.

The Cowboys said they believe their conditioning will help keep them from suffering the same fate as the Cornhuskers.

“We’re fairly confident about our conditioning,” Peterson said. “We do conditioning every day, and we take pride in it. We know we can’t get lazy in the fourth quarter.”

When asked about his concern that the Texas rushing attack could wear his defense down late in the game, Beckman just smiled.

“We’re fighters, and we’re going to fight ’til the end.”

The following article will appear in the October 29 edition of The O’Colly .

The Oklahoma State equestrian team rode all over defending national champion South Carolina for a dominant 16-3 victory Saturday.

The Cowgirls (3-0) also won three of four MVPs, the award given to the outstanding player in each of the four disciplines, while routing South Carolina (1-2).

Coach Larry Sanchez was happy with the way the Cowgirls competed against the team that had defeated them last season.

“They beat us in the semifinal round at nationals, so we definitely were looking to compete against them again,” Sanchez said. “They’re a good team, they’ve got some really good riders, but I’m glad the girls showed me what they’re capable of. The girls rode very smart.”

OSU had to cope with unruly horses not reacting the way the Cowgirls expected, but sophomore Leah Kuehn, who won the MVP in reining, said the experience was good practice for the team.

“The horses did kind of throw us off today,” Kuehn said. “We weren’t really expecting a lot of the things they did, but that’s even better. That prepares us for going on the road and having no idea what those horses do.”

The Cowgirls got off to a quick start, with both the English and Western teams winning four of five matches in the early rounds of horsemanship and equitation over fences.

Senior Samantha Davidson was one of the riders who had to deal with a difficult horse, but made the necessary adjustments to post a score of 76 and capture the horsemanship MVP.

“When horses act up like that, it’s how you ride and adjust to that situation that determines who wins,” she said. “The real rider will be able to get through that challenge that the horse gives you. I think it adds to the competition, makes it a little tougher.”

The Cowgirls kept the intensity up in the afternoon. The Western team won three of five matches with one draw in reining, and the English group swept all five matches in equitation on the flat.

The English team was competing outside for the first time this season but never lost a step, winning nine of 10 matches on the day.

Senior Bailey Mahoney won her match in equitation over fences in the morning, then came back in the afternoon and earned the highest score of the competition for OSU, posting an 81 and winning the MVP in equitation on the flat.

Davidson credited good preparation with the Cowgirls’ impressive victory.

“We knew that going against South Carolina would definitely be a challenge,” Davidson said. “I just think that we were really prepared, and it really showed today in our performance. Each show we’ve gotten a lot stronger. We’re looking to the next competition and what we need to do, how we need to ride our horses, and I think each show we’re definitely progressing.”

The Cowgirls return to action November 10 to take on Big 12 rival Texas A&M at 11:00 at Animal Science Arena in Stillwater.

Kuehn said the big victory over the defending national champions has the team feeling good about the season going forward.

“It gives us more confidence going into A&M, who’ll be really tough to beat,” Kuehn said. “Like coach said, it gauges us and shows how well we’re doing. Our team is totally moving in the right direction. We’re just super pumped about the rest of the season.”

Sanchez also felt good about the way his team looks right now.

“The more we get into our season, the better they’re getting,” Sanchez said. “But what I’m really excited about is that they’re growing closer together as a team.

“When you get that kind of team unity and team harmony, you can reach the goals that you set.”

The following article will appear in the October 26 edition of The O’Colly .

Oklahoma State has a bye this week, giving the team a much-needed opportunity to rest up and prepare for a November 3 showdown with Texas.

The Cowboys have been plagued by injuries recently, especially on defense, where five starters have been hurt this season. Coach Mike Gundy said the open week will give the players a chance to rehab.

“We need to get healthy on defense,” Gundy said. “An open week couldn’t come at a better time for our team. We need a little rest, we need to have some good practices and we need to give them some days off and try to get them back on the field.”

The Cowboys only practiced Monday, Wednesday and Thursday this week, and have the weekend off before returning to their normal routine next week. Gundy said the lighter schedule is good mentally for the players.

“I think one of the most important things is it gives the players a chance to get away from the coaches,” he said. “I’m sure they’re tired of us. They’ve been around us 10 weeks straight, all day.”

The players are also indeed forward to having some free time. Senior defensive end Nathan Peterson said he plans to go home and do some hunting, but he doubts football will be far from his thoughts.

“I don’t think it’ll ever totally be off my mind, but (the bye week) gives me, and all our team, a chance to relax, rest up and heal, maybe go home and see our families and stuff like that,” Peterson said

Offensively, OSU has been in a groove recently, averaging 39.4 points in its last five games, but sophomore quarterback Zac Robinson said he isn’t worried about the bye disrupting the offense’s momentum.

“No, I think we’re all ready for an off week,” Robinson said. “It’ll give us a chance to rest up and the coaches a chance to put together a game plan for Texas.”

The Pokes won’t have long to relax, however, with the game against the Longhorns, and all its Big 12 South implications, looming. The open week could give the Cowboys an edge, but that hasn’t always been the case in the recent past.

OSU is 4-5 after open weeks since 2001, including 1-2 under Gundy. Gundy’s first Big 12 victory came after a bye in 2005, pulling off the upset against Texas Tech, 24-17.

Still, the coach downplays the benefits of an extra week of preparation.

“I don’t think you gain a big advantage scheme-wise,” Gundy said. “You can only put so many plays in anyway. Now, if your players and disciplined and watch more tape, they should gain an advantage from recognition.”

Defensive coordinator Tim Beckman said he’s glad to having an extra week to work on improving defensively after allowing 529 yards of total offense to Kansas State.

Beckman said that injuries the defense suffered were no excuse for the team’s play, though he is making adjustments to work around hurt players.

Two linebackers, sophomore Patrick Lavine and senior Jeremy Nethon, had to leave the game against KSU. Now, senior Rodrick Johnson, who played at linebacker his first three years before switching to defensive end, will move back to linebacker.

While Johnson uses the extra week to acclimate himself back to the position, other players on defense are also happy to have more time to make adjustments.

“(The bye week) is really coming at a good time,” sophomore cornerback Perrish Cox said. “We have a lot of things we need to work on. Whatever we’re having trouble on, we can focus better on everything we need to do.”

Peterson said that how well players can recover from their injuries and make those necessary adjustments will determine how the rest of the season goes for the Pokes.

“We have injuries, but we also have many, many mistakes we have to correct,” Peterson said. “We played pretty poor throughout the K-State game on defense, so there’s a lot of things we need to get better at.

“If we want to seriously be a challenger for the Big 12, we have to play better defense.”

Well, I correctly predicted the winners of both League Championship Series. In the ALCS, I even got the number of games right, though the Rockies won even faster than I expected in the NLCS. Now it’s time for the greatest event in sports: baseball’s fall classic, where heroes are born and legends made. Should be a great one. Here’s my humble breakdown:

WORLD SERIES

Colorado Rockies vs. Boston Red Sox

• How they got here: The Rockies continued their torrid pace yet again, sweeping a talented young Diamondbacks team in four games to win the National League Pennant. They’ve won a ridiculous 21 of their last 22 games, but they’ve had to wait more than a week since their last game for the WS to start. The Red Sox made another amazing comeback, conjuring memories of their miraculous 2004 run, by overcoming a 3-1 game deficit to beat the Indians in 7, led by two of the all-time great postseason starting pitchers, Josh Beckett and Curt Schilling.
• What Happens Next: A week ago, the Rockies would’ve looked pretty strong in this match-up, but it remains to be seen if the long wait will cool them off. They’re certainly well-rested though, and they get back pitcher Aaron Cook, previously left off the postseason roster due to injury. The Red Sox, on the other hand, have more recent momentum after beating Cleveland just days ago, and by getting a strong start from Dice-K in Game 7 of the ALCS, they were able to save Beckett for the series opener. At the same time, though, while Colorado is gaining a pitcher, Boston is losing one, as Tim Wakefield went down with injury. Both teams are offensive juggernauts, and both should have a significant advantage at home, but Boston’s pitching should be better. This is a difficult series to predict, since we don’t know yet how the layoff will affect the Rockies, but the Red Sox seem to have more experience and more immediate momentum and thus are the favorites in the season (not that being underdogs has stopped the Rockies yet).
• Final Outcome: Boston wins, 4 games to 2.

The following article is in the October 21 edition of The O’Colly.

Adarius Bowman couldn’t even watch.

As junior kicker Jason Ricks lined up to kick a 26-yard field goal in the final seconds of the game Saturday, the senior receiver sat down on the end of the bench with his head turned away, too overcome by the intensity of the moment to see the kicker drill the game-winner.

“I looked at the crowd, and I knew the crowd was going to tell me if we made it or not,” Bowman said. “They jumped, I jumped, and I’m still smiling.”

Ricks’ field goal would propel Oklahoma State (5-3, 3-1 Big 12) to a 41-39 victory over Kansas State (4-3, 2-2 Big 12) and keep the Cowboys in a tie for first in the Big 12 South.

Perhaps Bowman was so nervous because the Cowboys had struggled so many times before in similar situations.

Five of the Cowboys’ six losses last season were decided late in the fourth quarter, and OSU fell again in a 24-23 heartbreaker to Texas A&M two weeks ago. But between a victory earlier this year over Texas Tech and the comeback Saturday, the Pokes look like they’re learning to win the close games.

“It’s really been tough, cause we’ve lost so many close games, coming in from last year and carrying them over, and that’s what we talk about all the time — finish,” Ricks said. “Finish as a team, finish as a special teams unit, and that’s just huge momentum for us to carry into next week.”

The setback against A&M left a bad taste in OSU’s mouth, Bowman said, and the team has been determined not to let it happen again.

“All I could think of since the Texas A&M game was our guys were trying real hard on finishing,” Bowman said. “That’s been our thing the past three weeks of scrimmage, and our guys have been doing it on special teams, offense and defense.”

OSU had to overcome constant roadblocks to make it to that late field goal. The defense, ravaged by injuries, surrendered 529 yards of total offense, and twice the Pokes faced a 14-point deficit.

But the Cowboys kept making plays when they needed to. OSU recovered three K-State fumbles, and the Pokes converted on several key plays, including a 98-yard kick return for a touchdown by sophomore cornerback Perrish Cox.

“There were a lot of things that went our way,” offensive coordinator Larry Fedora said. “I think that’s all about preparation. When you’re prepared and you play hard, usually good things happen.”

Senior running back Dantrell Savage ran for 129 yards, his fifth straight game with more than 100 yards on the ground, and sophomore quarterback Zac Robinson had 109 rushing yards in addition to his three passing touchdowns.

But perhaps the most electrifying play of the game came in the fourth quarter when junior tight end Brandon Pettigrew broke a tackle and outran the Wildcat defense for a 39-yard touchdown catch.

Yet in spite of all their breaks and big plays, the Cowboys still found themselves with their backs against the wall after a Kansas State two-point conversion gave the Wildcats a 39-38 lead with just 1:10 remaining.

Robinson said the team never lost faith with the game on the line.

“We go through that situation every week in practice,” Robinson said. “That’s where I feel most comfortable, and the guys were fired up and ready to go. We knew we were going to get it done.”

Senior receiver Tommy Devereaux returned the KSU kickoff to the 42-yard line, and Robinson connected with Savage on a 24-yard pass to get the Pokes within field goal range.

Kansas State took all three timeouts to try to ice the kicker, but this was the Cowboys’ day, and with Ricks’ kick sailing through the uprights, Oklahoma State found a way to finish the close game.

“We’ve come a long way as a football team, and I’m proud of them for that,” coach Mike Gundy said. “Mr. Pickens always says, ‘Your team is learning to find a way to win in the end, and when you do that, eventually it’s going to pay off.’”

OK, so I got three out of four correct when predicting the winners of the division series. The only one I missed was Arizona vs. Chicago, and I missed it big. The D-Backs smoked the Cubs on their way to the NLCS. I still think that Chicago was the more talented team, but nevertheless, the Cubs’ drought without a championship continues–99 years and counting. Now it’s time to pick the teams that will be going to the World Series.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Colorado Rockies vs. Arizona Diamondbacks

• How They Got Here: Both teams looked dominant in their respective division series. The Rockies swept the Phillies to continue their torrid pace, and they have now won 17 of their last 18 games. Their only loss during that span came to, you guessed it, the Diamondbacks and Game 1 starter Brandon Webb. Arizona swept the Cubs to advance, and will have home field advantage after having the best regular season record in the NL.
• What Happens Next: Both of these teams have defied all experts’ picks by making it this far. They both have small payrolls, are relatively inexperienced in the playoffs and are loaded with talented youngsters. Webb will face off against lefty Jeff Francis of the Rockies. Francis is good, but Webb is the best pitcher in this series, and I expect the D-Backs to take a 1-0 lead tonight. Ultimately, however, I like the Rockies’ offense, which will be bolstered further by the return of center fielder Willy Taveras. It should be a great series, but Colorado is hot and showing no signs of slowing down. I think they’ll eventually overwhelm Arizona
• Final Outcome: Colorado wins, 4 games to 2.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Cleveland Indians vs. Boston Red Sox

• How They Got Here: The Red Sox blew past the Angels in Round 1, sweeping the series with impressive pitching and hitting. The Indians defeated New York in four games, possibly ending Joe Torre’s reign as manager in the process. They killed the Yankee dynasty with good starting pitching, impressive bullpen outings and amazing clutch hitting, repeatedly scoring runs with two outs.
• What Happens Next: This will be the series that gets the most attention, and it’s not hard to understand why. Both these teams are amazing, with great starting pitching (Josh Beckett and Curt Schilling lead the Red Sox, while C.C. Sabathia and Fausto Carmona head up the Tribe’s rotation) and great offenses that can hit for power or manufacture runs. This could easily go either way, but in the end, I like the Red Sox’s experience to just barely get them over the edge.
• Final Outcome: Boston wins, 4 games to 3.

The following story will appear in the October 11 edition of The O’Colly .

As the final seconds ticked away on Saturday, the Cowboys hung their heads as they walked off Kyle Field after falling 24-23 to Texas A&M in another disappointing road loss.

“Losing is always tough,” sophomore safety Andre Sexton said. “We had a chance to be in 1st place and we worked so hard for it, and this really hurts us.”

Oklahoma State (3-3, 1-1 Big XII) was unable to protect a 17-point halftime lead and fell to 4-11 in road games under coach Mike Gundy, with only one road victory against a Big XII opponent.

Junior kicker Jason Ricks said he didn’t know why the Pokes continue to struggle away from Stillwater.

“I used to think it was an attitude thing,” Ricks said, “A couple years ago we just seemed a little flat. But (Saturday) we brought the attitude to win, and I thought we put ourselves in a situation to win the game. It’s just one of those tough things.”

While the setback against Texas A&M was disappointing for the Cowboys, OSU did have its best road game of the year by far while playing in perhaps the toughest environment in the Big XII. Offensive coordinator Larry Fedora said he thought the team’s performance in the second half had nothing to do with the A&M crowd.

“There was never a situation where I felt the crowd noise itself complicated anything for us,” Fedora said. “Our guys did a good job communicating and handling all those things.”

The challenge for the Pokes now will be building on the game’s positives while moving past the loss. Heartbreakers like A&M sometimes have a tendency to stick in players’ minds and affect future games, but the Cowboys can’t allow that to happen to them with their upcoming schedule.

Oklahoma State stays on the road this Saturday, going to Nebraska (4-2, 1-1 Big XII). Though not currently ranked, the Cornhuskers have been ranked as high as 14th this season, and they have the conference’s leading rusher in junior Marlon Lucky. With Nebraska celebrating its Homecoming against OSU, the stadium will be even louder than usual.

To avoid another disappointment, the Cowboys will have to have the right attitude about their loss to A&M. They’ll have to look at that game and not dwell on failure, but instead see areas for improvement.

“We’ve got to learn from this,” defensive coordinator Tim Beckman said. “We’ve got to learn to be finishers. If we want to run for a Big XII championship, we’ve got to learn how to finish these games and not let what happened in the second half happen again.”

If the Cowboys can learn from past mistakes, they might just find that breakthrough road victory they’ve been looking for and walk off the field in Lincoln with their heads held high.

“We’re not going to get down, we’re just going to bounce back,” Sexton said. “We’re going to go up to Lincoln, and we’re going to finish this game.”