Room to grow for Cowboys, but special teams shine
STILLWATER — On an afternoon Oklahoma State scored over 40 points and won by double digits, you’d think the report card would be filled with glowing grades. And there are definitely some good ones after a 41-31 victory against Texas Tech. But the Cowboys weren’t perfect. The grades reflect room for improvement for the undefeated Cowboys.
Backfield penetration: A
The Cowboy defense was disruptive behind the line of scrimmage. OSU had 14 tackles for loss, including four sacks. Brock Martin led the way with three tackles for loss and two sacks, but a dozen Cowboys had a part in those tackles for loss. Linemen. Linebackers. Safeties. Defensive backs. All positions had an impact. What’s more, several pass breakups were behind or near the line of scrimmage. Defensive linemen Trace Ford, Ben Kopenski and Martin all tipped or batted down passes. That means the Cowboys were getting good pressure, and they were getting it in a variety of ways.
Backups: B
The Cowboys had need of lots of backups after being hit by a rash of injuries Saturday. On the offensive side of the ball, center Preston Wilson and receiver Braydon Johnson were forced out of the game. On defense, cornerback Korie Black missed a big chunk of the game while Martin and linebacker Xavier Benson battled injury throughout the game. But OSU had replacements who filled in admirably. Joe Michalski tops the list. Filling in for Wilson at center, Michalski caused no fumbles or serious miscues. “A couple snaps were up there a little bit,” OSU coach Mike Gundy said. But Cowboy quarterback Spencer Sanders was able to corral all of them. Defensively, backup cornerback Cam Smith got a bunch of snaps, and while he gave up a few completions, he never looked out of sorts. The backups weren’t perfect, but the Cowboys got mostly solid play from them on a day they needed it.
Special teams: A
The most consistent aspect of OSU’s game. Tanner Brown hit all three extra points and four field goals he attempted. While the Cowboys would’ve liked to have punched in touchdowns on a couple of those possessions, it’s huge to have a kicker who makes every field goal he’s asked to. Equally huge was punter Tom Hutton. He punted five times, and three of those ended up inside the 20yard line. And two of the three were at or inside the 10. Hutton’s punt that was fair caught at the 5-yard line led to a big flip of the field. The OSU defense forced a three-and-out punt, and the OSU offense got the ball almost at midfield. That led to the Cowboys’ game-tying touchdown late in the third quarter. On returns, there weren’t any huge ones, even though Jaden Nixon came close to busting another kickoff return for a touchdown. But possibly the biggest special teams play was the fair catch called by Demarco Jones on Texas Tech’s attempted onside kick. As soon as he realized what was happening, he signaled for a fair catch, and when Texas Tech snagged the ball, it was flagged for kick-catch interference. OSU ball. If Jones doesn’t call for a fair catch and the Red Raiders recover the ball, they might’ve gone ahead two touchdowns before the Cowboys even had one snap. Huge, huge play.
Taking advantage of short fields: B
Five times, the Cowboys got the ball at their own 43-yard line or better. On four of those possessions, they scored points, including three touchdowns. The short-field touchdown the Cowboys had in the first half was especially big. After the Red Raiders scored on the opening possession of the game, the Cowboys got the ball at the Texas Tech 34-yard line after a failed onside kick. Two plays later, OSU punched it in. The Cowboys’ next short-field score wasn’t until the third quarter, but it was a big one. After Tom Hutton pinned Texas Tech deep and the OSU defense forced a three-and-out, the Cowboys got the ball at their own 47. Three plays into the drive, they were already in the red zone, and four plays later, they punched it in and tied the game with a two-point conversion. It was a huge swing in momentum. The shortest field OSU had all afternoon came after Mason Cobb’s interception, and even though the Cowboys got the ball at the Red Raider 19, OSU had to settle for a field goal. That wasn’t ideal. But the Cowboys pounced on those short fields when the momentum hung in the balance.
Late run game: A
The Cowboy run game found the
sledding tough all night, managing only 105 yards on its first 34 carries, a 3.1yard-a-carry average. But on OSU’s final possession of the game, with the Cowboys needing to melt the clock and the Red Raiders expecting the run, OSU was at its most effective. The Cowboys had 32 yards on seven carries, an average of 4.6. “We rushed the ball better than we did the other three quarters,” Gundy said. That is a credit to Dominic Richardson, who had 22 of those late yards, and to the Cowboy offensive line, which seemed to get stronger as the game progressed.
Tackling: B
There was a stretch during the first half when OSU’s tackling was fairly abysmal. Texas Tech ball carriers and pass catchers were bouncing off tacklers at an alarming rate. But in the second half, the Cowboys fixed the issue. They were much more sure handed especially at first contact. OSU defensive coordinator Derek Mason chalked the improvement up to better focus. “But I think it’s the idea that you’re up against it,” he said. “It’s like a boxer. You go 15 rounds. You gotta land some blows. You can’t miss the opportunity.” On Texas Tech’s final three possessions, all of which ended with fourth-down stops, OSU had several big tackles. Benson tackled Texas Tech quarterback Behren Morton for a 1-yard loss. Martin and Collin Oliver brought down a running back short of the line to gain on fourth down. Kopenski brought down Morton for a short gain on a first-and-20 play.
Big green: A
Cowboy receiver Bryson Green came up big with five catches for 115 yards and one touchdown, but it felt like all of his catches were timely. His touchdown, a 32-yarder, came right after Texas Tech scored on the game’s opening possession. It was an important answer, and it was a rugged score. Green caught the ball short of the goal line but carried a defender the last 5 yards, used the defender to keep himself from hitting the turf, then rolled over the defender into the end zone. Green had another 32yard catch later in the first half, then had a 28-yarder in the second quarter on a fade that converted a fourth down. Then on the Cowboys’ final touchdown drive, Green went up high to snag a 17-yard pass to get OSU into the red zone.