okstate5968
10-11-2006, 08:26 AM
Brorsen has a lot to prove against his hometown team
Former Stillwater High standout was passed over by OSU; now he faces the Cowboys as a Jayhawk DE
By Blake Jackson
The Oklahoman
Russell Brorsen grew up smack dab in the middle of Cowboy country.
His house was a few blocks from Oklahoma State. His parents owned Fanzone tickets. Brorsen was a blue-chip defensive end at Stillwater High. A state champion wrestler, too.
When the 2004 recruiting season opened, Brorsen seemed a natural choice for Oklahoma State.
Maybe not.
Oklahoma State — at the time heavily pursuing junior-college prospect Ryan McBean — balked at offering the hometown hero a football scholarship. Now a Kansas Jayhawk, Brorsen is out to show the Cowboys what they missed.
"It's exciting to play them," said Brorsen, now a sophomore. "I've seen a few games over the years. I wasn't a diehard fan, but growing up (in Stillwater) you are going to follow them."
Brorsen wasn't even the person most disappointed by the Stillwater snubbing. He grew up half-Texas A&M fan, half-OSU fan. When Kansas came courting instead of Oklahoma State, it didn't bother him much. He wanted to play in the Big 12.
Picking the Jayhawks wasn't a tough decision.
But OSU's lack of interest still bothered Brorsen's high school coach.
"That was probably one of the biggest frustrations I've had as a head coach," said Kirk Fridrich, now the head coach at Owasso. "Russell was a kid who I felt like was the complete package. Sometimes, you get kids who are fast but don't have the grades. Sometimes, you get kids who understand the game but can't make the plays. Russell had everything.
"In recruiting, you kind of have to give coaches the benefit of the doubt. But to this day, I don't know why they passed on him."
So far, the decision has worked out great for Brorsen.
He made his first start at defensive end — he played tight end as a freshman — two weeks ago in Kansas' overtime loss to Nebraska. In that game, Brorsen recovered a fumble, caused another one and managed to haul down Husker quarterback Zac Taylor for his first collegiate sack — he had 17 during his senior year at Stillwater.
That's a strong performance against an archrival. Now, he faces the team that passed him over.
And almost everyone's looking for something to prove.
The Jawhawks and Cowboys are in similar territory halfway through the 2006 season.
Both teams have suffered a couple of heartbreaking, last-minute losses on the road. Both teams are struggling on defense — particularly against the pass.
Both teams view Saturday's game as a must-win.
"It's a big game for both teams," Brorsen said. "They are looking for a win and we are looking for our first Big 12 win, too. We've only lost three games and we still have six more, so there is still a lot to play for. It hurts to lose those games, but our confidence is still high."
Why wouldn't it be?
Stillwater's hometown hero is on Kansas' side.
Former Stillwater High standout was passed over by OSU; now he faces the Cowboys as a Jayhawk DE
By Blake Jackson
The Oklahoman
Russell Brorsen grew up smack dab in the middle of Cowboy country.
His house was a few blocks from Oklahoma State. His parents owned Fanzone tickets. Brorsen was a blue-chip defensive end at Stillwater High. A state champion wrestler, too.
When the 2004 recruiting season opened, Brorsen seemed a natural choice for Oklahoma State.
Maybe not.
Oklahoma State — at the time heavily pursuing junior-college prospect Ryan McBean — balked at offering the hometown hero a football scholarship. Now a Kansas Jayhawk, Brorsen is out to show the Cowboys what they missed.
"It's exciting to play them," said Brorsen, now a sophomore. "I've seen a few games over the years. I wasn't a diehard fan, but growing up (in Stillwater) you are going to follow them."
Brorsen wasn't even the person most disappointed by the Stillwater snubbing. He grew up half-Texas A&M fan, half-OSU fan. When Kansas came courting instead of Oklahoma State, it didn't bother him much. He wanted to play in the Big 12.
Picking the Jayhawks wasn't a tough decision.
But OSU's lack of interest still bothered Brorsen's high school coach.
"That was probably one of the biggest frustrations I've had as a head coach," said Kirk Fridrich, now the head coach at Owasso. "Russell was a kid who I felt like was the complete package. Sometimes, you get kids who are fast but don't have the grades. Sometimes, you get kids who understand the game but can't make the plays. Russell had everything.
"In recruiting, you kind of have to give coaches the benefit of the doubt. But to this day, I don't know why they passed on him."
So far, the decision has worked out great for Brorsen.
He made his first start at defensive end — he played tight end as a freshman — two weeks ago in Kansas' overtime loss to Nebraska. In that game, Brorsen recovered a fumble, caused another one and managed to haul down Husker quarterback Zac Taylor for his first collegiate sack — he had 17 during his senior year at Stillwater.
That's a strong performance against an archrival. Now, he faces the team that passed him over.
And almost everyone's looking for something to prove.
The Jawhawks and Cowboys are in similar territory halfway through the 2006 season.
Both teams have suffered a couple of heartbreaking, last-minute losses on the road. Both teams are struggling on defense — particularly against the pass.
Both teams view Saturday's game as a must-win.
"It's a big game for both teams," Brorsen said. "They are looking for a win and we are looking for our first Big 12 win, too. We've only lost three games and we still have six more, so there is still a lot to play for. It hurts to lose those games, but our confidence is still high."
Why wouldn't it be?
Stillwater's hometown hero is on Kansas' side.