Cowboys score high marks for 1st-half offense, run ‘D’
A week after some wondered if Oklahoma State deserved to win, the Cowboys left no doubt in a 31-20 victory against Kansas State. There were lots of positives but a few headscratchers, and all of it is reflected in the report card.
Containing the run: A
Everyone knows K-State has success when it runs the ball well. The OSU defense made sure that didn’t happen Saturday. The Wildcats managed only 62 yards on 25 carries, including a minus-3 yards in the second half. The Cowboys corralled all-conferencecaliber back Deuce Vaughn, who had just 22 yards on 13 carries. But every bit as important, the Cowboy defense didn’t let either Wildcat quarterback get going. Starter Will Howard had three carries for 28 yards while backup Jaren Lewis had five carries for 3 yards. That is a recipe for success against Kansas State.
Defending pass catchers: A
After falling behind early, K-State was forced to throw more than it might have wanted, 31 times. OSU registered five pass breakups in the game and defended several more passes well. The Cowboys got hands in on receivers, deflecting several balls and being physical with receivers. More good news — they had just one pass-interference penalty, one on Tanner McCalister in the second quarter. The Wildcats completed only 14 of 31 passes, a stout day for the Cowboy secondary.
Special teams: C
First, the bad. A K-State kickoff return for a touchdown, Alex Hale missing two of his three field-goal attempts, and a pair of punt muffs late in the game by Tay Martin and Brennan Presley. The good? Presley had a couple of nice kickoff returns, one for 32 yards and one for 37. And the Cowboys’ kickoff coverage was stout with the exception of the kickoff return for a touchdown. Take that out, and the Wildcats had two returns for only 25 yards.
Honoring Pittman: A
OSU’s first Black football player Chester Pittman died last December, and Saturday, his alma mater honored him. The Cowboys wore a sticker on their helmets in his memory; the numeral 23, his jersey number, was featured prominently. Every bit as cool were the pullovers most of the players, coaches and support staff wore. They featured a white helmet with a 23 on it. Understated but profound. Much like Pittman.
First-half offense: A
OSU offensive coordinator Kasey Dunn said, “First half was Cowboy football. That’s what we want to do.” The Cowboys scored points on each of their first four drives, three touchdowns and one field goal. And they did it with a splendid mix of passes and runs. On those four drives, they were 10 of 14 for 199 yards and two touchdowns in the passing game and had 97 yards and one touchdown on 21 carries in the running game. It was reminiscent of seasons past.
Second-half offense: D
Cowboy coach Mike Gundy said the Cowboy offense became “molasses” in the second half. The mix of pass and run wasn’t nearly as good, especially on first down. On 15 non-penalized first-down plays — not including knee downs at the end of the game — OSU ran the ball 12 times and only passed three. Eight of the 12 runs went for 3 yards or less, setting up second-and-long situations. Not good. Penalties also mucked with the Cowboys. Five of nine second-half possessions for the Cowboys went three and out. The inconsistencies between the first and second half is concerning.
Uniforms: A
OSU went with white helmets, black jerseys and white pants. Very strong, super classic combo. But K-State has some of the most underrated uniforms in college football. They are a credit to Bill Snyder, who revamped the Wildcats’ look when he became the head coach in Manhattan. The uniforms haven’t changed much since, and that’s a good thing. Silver helmets, white jerseys and silver pants all with purple accents on the road. Stout.
Officiating consistency: D
You won’t see me grading the officials very often, but they were wildly inconsistent on Saturday. In the first half, they decided to review a hit on Cowboy quarterback Spencer Sanders that turned out to be targeting. But then in the second half, they didn’t review a hit on Cowboy tight end Braden Cassity that looked every bit as suspicious as the earlier one. But maybe the biggest inconsistency came early in the second half. After looking after Sanders with that targeting review earlier, the officials totally missed a play that could’ve gotten him injured. He was flushed out of the pocket and threw the ball away, but K-State linebacker Ryan Henington continued to hold onto Sanders’ foot and looked to twist it. Nothing was called — except after Cowboy lineman Cole Birmingham came to Sanders’ defense and got an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty. Go figure.