Dez Bryant was second in receptions and yards for the Cowboys last year, behind senior Adarius Bowman. Bryant started the season as OSU’s No. 1 receiver, catching seven passes for 90 yards against Washington State.
It’s the worst feeling in the world for a defensive back.
Getting in perfect position to intercept a pass, only to have a bigger wide receiver jump right over the top of you and snatch it out of the air. Whoever is covering Dez Bryant better get used to it.
Several times during OSU’s 39-13 victory against Washington State on Saturday, Bryant proved that the jump-ball might be the bread and butter of the Cowboy passing game.
The 6-foot-2, 210-pound Bryant said he and quarterback Zac Robinson nearly have the play perfected.
“We work on it a lot in practice,” Bryant said. “We have good timing on that play. Zac knows where I’m gonna be at, and I know where he’s gonna throw the ball at.”
Bryant’s athleticism has allowed him to jump over people for years, but he picked up the technique watching others succeed at it first.
“Just watching great receivers do it like Randy Moss, Terrell Owens, people like that,” Bryant said. “When I was younger, that’s who I used to watch and felt like, ‘If they can do it, I can do it.’”
Coach Mike Gundy is no stranger to the jump-ball. As a quarterback, he threw plenty of them to All-American receiver Hart Lee Dykes.
As an offensive coordinator for the Cowboys, he called the play numerous times for quarterback Josh Fields and OSU’s all-time leading receiver, Rashaun Woods.
But Gundy said when it comes to a jump-ball situation, Bryant might already have an advantage over Woods.
“Rashaun was a great leaper and could take the ball at the highest point, and Dez can do that, but I think he’s a little more physical,” Gundy said.
Although receivers like Woods and Bryant excel at it, Gundy said it is certainly not an easy play for the average receiver.
“If you don’t have a guy out there that can do it, then the play’s not any good,” Gundy said. “You can draw it up on a board, but you gotta have a guy out there that’s really athletic and has the ability to go get the ball.”
Co-offensive coordinator Gunter Brewer also has plenty of experience dealing with athletic receivers.
Before Bryant was watching Randy Moss play on Sundays, Brewer was coaching Moss on Saturdays at Marshall University.
However, Brewer said when it comes to pulling in passes, Bryant is among the most talented he has ever coached.
“He’s one of the best I’ve ever seen, in particular at going up and grabbing the ball in the air,” Brewer said.
Gundy has described him as “fearless,” but Bryant said he is just doing his job.
“I know if the coaching staff calls that play I’ve gotta do my job and go up and make the play,” Bryant said. “No matter what defensive coverage they’re in, I’ve gotta go up and get it.”
In the same way that he is fearless, coaches describe Bryant as stubborn, but in a good way.
Bryant was on the field for 68 of Oklahoma State’s 69 offensive plays against WSU, co-offensive coordinator Trooper Taylor said.
With the praise piling on, it’s easy for some to forget that Bryant just played in the first game of his true sophomore season.
Brewer said if Bryant keeps his head on straight, there is no limit to what he can achieve for the Cowboys.
“The only person stopping him is him,” Brewer said. “He’s got unlimited talent.”
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