OSU Notebook: Nick Martin leads Cowboy defense; Pokes look ahead to bowl game

Dec. 2—ARLINGTON — Nick Martin isn't afraid to endure a few battle wounds.

The sophomore linebacker led the way for the Cowboy defense with 13 tackles and an interception that lead to a touchdown during Saturday's Big 12 Championship game against Texas at AT&T Stadium.

Sporting an ice pack on his cheek, Martin said he was more than willing to fight through some discomfort for the benefit of his team.

"It's war, you know? If I got to do this and go through all the pain inflicted for my guys, I'd do it," he said.

Martin has also tied a Cowboy record for most tackles in a single season. His 13 tackles in the game brought his total to 133 for a tie at the top with Orie Lemon.

Malcolm Rodriguez is second all-time with 130 tackles, followed by Keith Burns with 126. Martin leads the Big 12 in tackles, and is ranked 15th nationally.

"Out of my three years of college, I've been in the Big 12 twice, so it's nothing but a blessing," Martin said. "Ultimately being able to play with my guys, in the postseason nothing's guaranteed, so just being able to go out here and lay it all out on the field one more time."

Defensive coordinator Bryan Nardo said the talent on the field from both teams showed how tough a matchup it would be.

"You see how talented they are — and we have talented players too, and tried to look at it and put ourselves in the best matchups," Nardo said. "I think if you look at our defense, you want to get the ball away from Nick Martin, you want to keep from Collin Oliver."

And Nardo said that while he was disappointed with the team's loss, he was still proud of the way the Cowboys have fought all season.

"To say that I'm not proud of our team and I'm not appreciating it right now would be a detriment to them," he said. "You watch what our guys go through, our kids practice hard, our kids practice every day."

And the Cowboys are a resilient group.

"We have guys on that field defensively that didn't miss a rep of practice," Nardo pointed out. "Trey Rucker hasn't missed a rep of practice since August...Kendal Daniels missed one day with a high ankle sprain, Nick Martin missed one day with a high ankle sprain.

"We've got guys that our just warriors. And that's just naming a few. Our defensive line, I don't think we've had anyone sitting on the bikes missing practice," he continued. "So I appreciate what our players have done and I'm so proud to coach them...now we got to figure out what owe need to do to get better so we can get back here and continue to do things the right way."

FRESHMEN STEPPING UP

On one of the biggest stages of the season, Oklahoma State's youth got its chance to grow on the field.

Starting senior cornerback Korie Black left Saturday's game early in the first quarter with an injury, giving a chance for the younger members of Oklahoma State's defense to fill in and get quality game minutes.

"They did pretty good, they got good experience. I looked out there and it was three freshmen at once. I think one time we had four freshmen out there, so they had to grow up really fast," Cowboys coach Mike Gundy said. "(Texas) didn't hit a deep ball on us against those young kids, so I was proud of them for competing.

"Korie is one guy we have who is experienced, and he's used to competing in situations like that," he continued. "But we lost him early, so the freshmen had to go in and play."

BOWMAN TO PRESLEY

Quarterback Alan Bowman's connection with Brennan Presley has made a mark for the Cowboys this season, and the Big 12 Championship was no different. Bowman targeted Presley 15 times, looking to take advantage of that matchup.

"He's almost unguardable. To find him as many times as we can, we're going to be better on offense," Bowman said. "Obviously we have the big guys outside we can throw up to and make plays.

"I think he's an elite, next level player — his ability to go get the ball even though he's a shorter guy. So as many times as I can find No. 80 to get the ball in his hands, he's going to make plays and make guys miss," he added.

Presley finished the day with nine catches for 93 yards and a touchdown. And while OSU came up short, Presley was ready to regroup and prep for the next one up.

"You put all your time, all your — basically your whole year — for this day. It's heartbreak whether you lose by an inch or by however much we lost today," he said. "Just got to get back to work."

BOWLING AND RECRUITING

Oklahoma State will be ready to bounce back as the Cowboys next turn their attention to the upcoming TaxAct Texas Bowl against Texas A&M Dec. 27 — the 18th consecutive appearance in a bowl since 2006.

But before that, players will get some rest.

"We'll give these guys a week off. I've never given a team seven days — I'll probably give them eight days," Coach Mike Gundy said. "This team, they need a break. They're tired. We practiced harder in the last eight weeks than I have ever as a head coach in 19 years.

"I wanted them to know how much I appreciate that and what they brought to the table and that there's nobody taking anything away from this football team, in my opinion, as we move forward to a week off and then get ready to play in a bowl game."

But it won't be a break for the staff as they hit the recruiting trail.

"They're gone. Everybody's out of here," Gundy said of his staff. "Everybody's gone hitting it, back at it. We get 12 hours off. It's awesome."

But for the players, they're already looking forward to the Texas Bowl. Brennan Presley said the Cowboys will have a moment to reflect and get ready for the next game.

"I've seen interviews of people saying they regret making it to the Super Bowl and stuff like that, and not then not celebrating how far they've made it," Presley said. "This is just the start of a really bad day. But you can still make it a great week next week, and great bowl game and all that other stuff."