After Texas, Oklahoma State Must Flush
STILLWATER -- Oklahoma State is lucky that they picked up a Mountain Man from West Virginia in the off season. Josh Sills is a mountain of a man at 6-6, 325-pounds, but the former two-year plus starter for the Mountaineers is more than a good hand up and down the offensive line where ever you need him. Sills is also a stone cold leader. Most of the time his friendly dispostion is welcoming to the younger linemen that because of injuries are now instrumental to the Cowboys offense.
Last Saturday at the end of the first half when Spencer Sanders fumbled on a sack and the ball was returned deep into Oklahoma State territory left tackle Jake Springfield went flying into the Texas sideline and injured his ankle. At halftime offensive line coach Charlie Dickey made his adjustment sliding Sills out from left guard to tackle and inserting red-shirt freshman Preston Wilson in at guard.
"For him the biggest thing is you have to keep that head up, his confidence," Sills said of welcoming Wilson to the starting five up front of the Pokes offense. "(You need to) make sure he knows he's supposed to be here and he can play here. You can't let him get down on himself if he gets beat on a play. I get beat, Tev (Jenkins) gets beat on plays, and Ry (Schneider) gets beat. We all get beat. I was in a similar situation as him in West Virginia and when I got beat, I got down and the biggest thing was I let it carry over to other plays."
Lessons learned that Sills dealt with the hard way and he can help younger players like Wilson and starting right guard Hunter Woodard.
Sills at the sanp on an offensive play versus Kansas earlier this season.
OKlahoma State Athletics - Bruce Waterfield
As for Sills and his value, part of it is his versatility.
"This my fourth, fifth year in college football and I've played all the positions on the offensive line," explains Sills. "In my red-shirt freshman year at West Virginia, I think I started six and six or five and five at right guard and left guard. My red-shirt sophomore year in 2018 I started at left guard, then right guard, and then against OU and one other game I got to jump out at tackle. I've had experience at all five positions and from day one I've told Coach (Mike) Gundy, Coach (Kasey) Dunn, and Coach Dickey that I don't care where I play and to put me where ever the team is going to be best. I feel comfortable with tackle and even through spring ball and fall camp Coach Dickey got me reps at tackle."
Another aspect of his value is his attitude.
"Yeah, one thing being an offensive lineman you have to have that nastiness, that grit, and kind of the tough guy mentality," Sills said of something he has learned to turn on and turn off. "That's what makes a lot of people good. I got that instilled in me at a young age from my father. If you don't play with that then I think you're not as physical, not as tough, and you don't make some of those blocks that you should make."
Much of Sills experience comes from two plus seasons starting on the offensive line at WVU.
Finally, and certainly needed this week is Sills wisdom of what and when to flush. It's a loss like last Saturday to Texas and it has to be flushed now if not the last few days. Sunday was the best day to flush it.
"I was a part of this before back in my red-shirt sophomore season and we came here," Sills started. "The debacle in Stillwater. We came here and got beat. I think we were ranked seventh in the nation and we got beat. We went home to Morgantown and kept thinking about it. We kind of wallowed in it and we got beat the next three games. You have to flush it. Go out that first practice after watching the film, go out and put the helmet on and practice and flush it and forget about it. You have to move on from it or it linger for weeks."
