The Oklahoman

ARIZONA WR TO VISIT OSU

-

Javon Williams, a wide receiver from Chandler High School in Chandler, Ariz., will visit OSU on Jan. 20, he said after the Semper Fidelis All-american Bowl.

Williams, a three-star prospect, according to Scout.com, also has offers from Oregon State and Oregon and will meet with Arizona State on Thursday, he said.

GLENDALE, Ariz. — When Colton Chelf snagged a 25-yard strike down the middle of the field from Brandon Weeden in overtime and was tackled at the half-yard line, Oklahoma State did not try to win the Fiesta Bowl by punching the ball in the end zone.

Instead, Weeden took a knee in the middle of the field to center the ball for a Quinn Sharp field-goal try.

Yes, the 22-yard attempt — which Sharp drilled to give OSU a 41-38 victory in a wild contest at University of Phoenix Stadium Monday night — was a chip shot for one of the best kickers in the nation.

But OSU coach Mike Gundy had just watched Stanford kicker Jordan Williamson miss three field goals, including a 35yarder as time expired in regulation and a 41-yarder to start the first overtime.

Not to mention, Sharp had missed his only clutch field goal attempt of the season, a 37-yarder with 1:17 remaining in the fourth quarter against Iowa State that likely would have been the game-winner.

Yet the decision to turn to Sharp was an easy one for the Cowboy coach.

“If you can’t make a PAT to win a BCS game, then honestly you don’t deserve to win,” Gundy said.

It’s been a season with plenty of crucial missed kicks in college football.

Boise State would be playing LSU in Monday’s national title game if Dan Goodale’s potential gamewinnin­g kick had not sailed wide right.

Ditto for Sharp and OSU.

Georgia’s decision to put the Outback Bowl on kicker Blair Walsh after forcing a Michigan State turnover in the first overtime backfired when the attempt went wide right. Then, Walsh’s 47-yard try in triple overtime was blocked.

OSU also saw a team not rely on its kicker late in the game this season.

ISU handed the ball to Jeff Woody three consecutiv­e times in doubleover­time, which resulted in a touchdown, rather than trying for the field goal after Weeden tossed an intercepti­on to start the period.

Gundy emphasized his confidence in Sharp, who had made 20 of his 23 field goal tries coming into the Fiesta Bowl, as a reason

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United States