By Blake Colston
Sports Editor
They’re ready to play.
That’s the overwhelming feeling inside Southwestern Oklahoma State’s football program as the season opener Sept. 2 approaches.
It’s been a long time since they were allowed to play.
SWOSU head coach Chet Pobolish prepares daily for the unexpected.
The last two years have stretched the limits of the unexpected, though. The COVID-19 pandemic flipped the world upside down.
Still, football continued last season at the NFL, large-college and high school levels. In Division-II, that wasn’t the case.
SWOSU’s entire 2020 season was cancelled before it began. Pobolish went from offensive guru to grief counselor overnight.
“Our main concern was the mental health of our student athletes,” he said. “We tried to address that directly and indirectly as much as possible. We tried to make sure they knew we were here for them.”
Slowly, things have returned to normal. The 2021 season is on as scheduled.
When SWOSU takes the field Sept. 2 in Weatherford vs. Henderson State, it will have been almost two years since the Bulldogs last played.
“We have kids that haven’t played in two or three years,” he said.
Emotions have run the gamut between then and now. There’s been agony, sadness and frustration, but that’s all gone.
There’s a palpable buzz around the program this fall. Pobolish feels the energy on a daily basis in preseason camp.
“You can tell it’s different,” Pobolish said. “There’s usually a point in camp when things get monotonous, but we haven’t had any of that. The guys are excited to play.”
GRIFFIN THE STARTING QB, RECEIVERS STRONG
Tanner Griffin, a Bixby product, will open the season as the starting quarterback after a battle in spring practice. Indiana State transfer Jalil Kirkpatrick will serve as a capable backup to Griffin.
Pobolish said the receiver group is among the most talented on the team, which should help Griffin settle in early on.
“It’s an older group of talented players that play well together. Each player has a different skill set,” he said.
Running back Kenny Graham, from Lawrton Ike, is back after leading SWOSU in rushing in 2019.
TRANSFER PORTAL MOVES
The transfer portal has affected all levels of college football and SWOSU is no exception.
At any given time, there are more than 3,000 names to sift through.
The Bulldogs have been helped, and hurt, by the transfer frenzy.
The most notable addition is Orlando Brown, a 6-foot-1, 215-pound linebacker from Mississippi Valley State. Pobolish said he expects Brown to be a big part of SWOSU’s defense.
The biggest loss was former freshman All-American cornerback Jalen Carr.
HENDERSON STATE IS A MYSTERY
Developing a scouting report for the season opener is hard to do, Pobolish said.
SWOSU isn’t sure what to expect from Henderson, who’s turned over a large portion of its roster since it last played in the Live United Bowl against Missouri Western, Dec. 8 of 2019.
“You really don’t know what everyone else has,” Pobolish said. “So we’re trying to base things on executing our plays and then adjusting accordingly to the opponent.”
