Sean Michael Flanagan’s first career start at Oklahoma State brings ‘a lot of emotions’

STILLWATER — On Central Michigan’s fourth offensive play of the game last Thursday, Oklahoma State safety Sean Michael Flanagan inched toward the line of scrimmage then zipped ahead at the snap, taking on a pulling offensive lineman who outweighed Flanagan by 80 pounds.

Flanagan did enough to clog the outside running lane and allow OSU linebacker Mason Cobb to shoot through a hole and tackle the Central Michigan running back behind the line of scrimmage.

Flanagan didn’t make the play, but the mere contact was enough to settle him into reality.

In his fifth year on campus, Flanagan was finally a starter.

The 6-foot-1, 210-pound redshirt senior from Charleston, Arkansas, played 62 defensive snaps in the Cowboys’ 58-44 win last Thursday. He entered the season having played in 36 games on special teams and as a rotational player on defense. But his first start felt different.

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“A lot of emotions, a lot of adrenaline,” Flanagan said. “But once we got that settled down, it was great. A good time.

“I’ve been out there before, so I know what it feels like. But it definitely felt special.”

With so much talent and depth at safety the past few years, Flanagan was stuck behind guys such as Kolby Harvell-Peel and Tre Sterling.

But he waited his turn and now, his opportunity has come. He had four tackles and a pass breakup, splitting time with redshirt freshman Kendal Daniels.

Despite the lure of the transfer portal for players looking for a chance to get on the field more, Flanagan stuck with it in Stillwater.

“I feel like I owe it to the people who got me here and the university,” Flanagan said. “I mean, they gave me a shot. Why not stick it out? That’s how I feel.”

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Arizona State shows major defensive changes

Oklahoma State receiver John Paul Richardson was wowed by the analytics of Arizona State’s defensive philosophy from last year to this year as the Cowboys have been preparing for the coming game.

No. 10 OSU hosts Arizona State at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at Boone Pickens Stadium, televised by ESPN2.

Last year’s video on the Sun Devils showed a heavy use of man-to-man defense in the secondary, but in their season-opening win over Northern Arizona last week, it was much different.

“Last year, I believe they were 75% man, and last week, they were 90% zone,” said Richardson, who had four catches for 73 yards and a touchdown against Central Michigan. “It was a bit of a mix-up, but we’re ready for anything. We think we can go out there and do our things. They’re a really good team. They’re sound. They’re not gonna mess up. They’re not gonna beat themselves, so we got a good challenge in front of us.”

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Cowboy fans to stripe the stadium

With Arizona State in town on Saturday night, OSU has a lot of excitement planned for fans.

The Cowboys’ 2002 team, which went 8-5 and won the Houston Bowl, will be recognized during the game, as will new College Football Hall of Fame inductee Terry Miller.

Miller, the Cowboys’ star running back from the mid-1970s will be on hand as part of the National Football Foundation On-Campus Salute. Miller and the rest of the 2022 Hall of Fame class will officially be inducted on Dec. 6.

And lastly, fans are being asked to horizontally stripe Boone Pickens Stadium by wearing clothing of a certain color based on where they’re sitting. The lowest sections will wear orange with the next sections up wearing white. Above them is a black stripe, with the upper sections in orange.

Check tickets.okstate.com/football to identify which color your seating section will be wearing.

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Gundy recalls 2002 team

Head coach Mike Gundy reminisced about the 2002 squad on Monday in advance of this weekend’s celebration of the team that went 8-5, including a 33-23 win over Southern Miss in the Houston Bowl.

That season was Gundy’s second as offensive coordinator under head coach Les Miles, and the first of three consecutive bowl trips under Miles, after a four-year absence from the postseason.

“That was our first bowl when Coach Miles and I were here,” Gundy said. “I think we had to beat Baylor to become bowl eligible, and that was a big deal for us because prior to Les and I coming in, I don’t think we’d been to a bowl in a while. So, that was a big deal for us.”

The 2002 season was the explosion of the Josh Fields-Rashaun Woods passing connection.

“They were playing good that year” Gundy said. “Those guys had a good feel. Both highly intelligent. Fields was good enough to play quarterback in the NFL. He just chose to play baseball. Both very savvy football players.”

OSU vs. Arizona State

KICKOFF: 6:30 p.m. Saturday at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater (ESPN2)

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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OSU football: Sean Michael Flanagan happy he stayed with Cowboys