Oklahoma State's Tuesday Practice Report

             COWBOYS START ACCLIMATING TO AT&T STADIUM

ARLINGTON – Not all domed stadiums are created equally. Oklahoma State started adjusting to its domed venue for the AT&T Cotton Bowl by practicing at AT&T Stadium for the first time Tuesday afternoon.

The 13th-ranked Cowboys (10-2, 7-2 Big 12) worked on all areas in advance of Friday’s game against eighth-ranked Missouri (11-2, 7-2 SEC). They arrived last Friday and all practices have been closed to the media and public. But controlling access can be a challenge at AT&T Stadium because of its sheer size, so the team conducted its initial workouts at Trinity High School in nearby Euless.

Oklahoma State last played here in the 2010 AT&T Cotton Bowl, just months after the stadium opened. The team attended a function here Saturday and the Dallas Cowboys game Sunday.

“But it wasn’t the same as them getting out here and getting on the football field,” Head Coach Mike Gundy said. “Most of them are star struck, but we had a good practice.”

One more practice in the stadium is scheduled for Wednesday and the team will conduct a walk-through on Thursday. Just getting used to the high-definition video screen, which hangs over the field and stretches 60 yards wide, takes time.

OSU played its first two games this season in domed venues, beating Mississippi State at Houston’s Reliant Stadium and Texas-San Antonio at the Alamodome. AT&T Stadium is 50 percent larger in square footage and, at nearly 300 feet tall, is four stories higher than Reliant, which is slightly larger than the Alamodome.

Most of the starters also suited up when Oklahoma State played in the 2012 Fiesta Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. OSU won that game, too, beating Stanford.

No depth-perception issues were reported in Tuesday’s practice. But the light coming through the massive windows on the east and west sides created a minor issue during the 2010 bowl game, Gundy said. That game was played during the day. Friday’s will be played at night.

They’d be well-served to remember the surroundings. Oklahoma State will open the 2014 season at AT&T Stadium against Florida State.

 “It’s certainly not like any other arena in the country,” Gundy said.

Besides the building’s physical stature, its national prominence is not lost on the players, especially many of the 71 who are from Texas.

Junior running back Desmond Roland of Dallas said he had goose bumps while attending the Dallas Cowboys game and is eager to play in the stadium.

“It means so much to me … so I want to put on a show – not trying to sound selfish.” Roland said. “I want to play real good.”

Oklahoma State practiced less than two hours in shorts as part of its progressively lighter workload as game day approaches.

“They’ll be fresh,” Gundy said.