Is OSU's defense legit and ready for the Big 12? From @ScKing, @NDS82 and @JayMcAlister2
There's not enough evidence yet to declare that the defense has arrived, but evidence thus far is promising.
OSU surrendered three points in games against Mississippi State and Lamar, missing a shutout against Lamar only because a turnover put the Cardinals in position for a field goal on the final play of the first half.
The Cowboys pulled offensive and defensive starters after building a big lead against UTSA, which scored 28 of its 35 points in the fourth quarter.
Let's wait until the level of competition increases before rendering a verdict. Keep in mind that, as recently as 2009, Lamar and UTSA didn't field football programs.
Can this team win out without a dominant running back? From @JJAKE18
Let's split the question into two parts.
1. Can this team win out? Before the season started, an oddsmaking service listed OSU as the favorite in every game except one (a road trip to Austin). All of a sudden, Texas looks fangless. But it's not remotely safe to assume the Cowboys will win out because parity reigns supreme in the Big 12. Parity doesn't mean everyone is ripe for the plucking. Parity means there may be a lot of close games.
2. Does OSU have a dominant running back? Jeremy Smith and Desmond Roland are sharing the load. Smith has played only one full game (he took an early seat in two games because of lopsided scores). He carried 15 times for 102 yards against an SEC defense. Let's see how things go the rest of the way, but if OSU fails to run the table, likely it will be for reasons other than who is the starting running back.
Do you think J.W. Walsh's lack of consistency throwing deep balls will be a problem against teams with good run defenses? From @TyAmes93
Walsh isn't the prettiest passer ever, but he usually gets the job done. Despite a dual-threat reputation, he posted the fourth-best pass efficiency rating by a freshman in NCAA history last season.
If Walsh is off-target, will that hurt against teams with good run defenses? OSU has only Big 12 games left. And only two Big 12 teams (OU and OSU) rank in the top 40 nationally in run defense. Five Big 12 teams rank 80th or worse in run defense.
What is the No. 1 thing OSU needs to work on during the bye week? From @MikeBarr63
The Cowboys need to get as healthy as possible. Mike Gundy said after their nonconference finale against Lamar that some players who did not play would have played if it had been a Big 12 game.
OSU Statistics
| OSU | OPP |
| Scoring |
136 |
41 |
| Per game |
45.3 |
13.7 |
| First downs |
78 |
61 |
| by rushing |
27 |
23 |
| by passing |
46 |
35 |
| by penalty |
5 |
3 |
| Rushing yards |
528 |
367 |
| Avg. per game |
176.0 |
122.3 |
| Passing yards |
935 |
715 |
| Avg. per game |
311.7 |
238.3 |
| Offensive plays |
222 |
229 |
| Total yards |
1463 |
1082 |
| Avg. per play |
6.6 |
4.7 |
| Avg. per game |
487.7 |
360.7 |
| Kick returns-Yds |
9-168 |
19-352 |
| Punt returns-Yds |
8-130 |
3-63 |
| Interceptions-Yds |
4-38 |
1-25 |
| Fumbles-Lost |
1-0 |
1-1 |
| Penalties-Yds |
18-174 |
23-158 |
| Punts-Avg. |
13-40.2 |
18-41.8 |
| 3rd downs |
20-36 |
15-53 |
| 4th downs |
1-2 |
7-11 |
| Sacks by-Yds |
7-39 |
2-10 |
Individual leaders
Y/A=Yards/attempt; Y/G=Yards/game
| RUSHING |
No. |
Yds |
Y/A |
Y/G |
TD |
| J. Walsh |
25 |
182 |
7.3 |
60.7 |
2 |
| J. Smith |
37 |
176 |
4.8 |
58.7 |
6 |
| D. Roland |
24 |
89 |
3.7 |
29.7 |
1 |
| PASSING |
C-A-Int |
Yds |
Y/G |
TD |
| J. Walsh |
59-84-1 |
642 |
214.0 |
5 |
| C. Chelf |
20-28-0 |
293 |
97.7 |
3 |
| RECEIVING |
No. |
Yds |
Y/A |
Y/G |
TD |
| J. Stewart |
12 |
185 |
15.4 |
61.7 |
1 |
| J. Seales |
11 |
123 |
11.2 |
41.0 |
1 |
| C. Moore |
11 |
109 |
9.9 |
36.3 |
1 |
| M. Ateman |
8 |
92 |
11.5 |
30.7 |
0 |
| T. Moore |
7 |
77 |
11 |
25.7 |
0 |
| PUNT RETURNS |
No. |
Yds |
Avg. |
TD |
| J. Stewart |
6 |
128 |
21.3 |
1 |
| KICK RETURNS |
No. |
Yds |
Avg. |
TD |
| J. Gilbert |
7 |
152 |
21.7 |
0 |
| KICKING |
FG-A |
Long |
PAT |
| B. Grogan |
1-2 |
39 |
19-19 |
| PUNTING |
No. |
Yds |
Avg. |
| K. Smith |
13 |
523 |
40.2 |
| DEFENSE |
Tackles |
TFL |
Sacks |
INT |
FR |
| D. Lowe |
21 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| C. Lavey |
21 |
5 |
1.5 |
0 |
0 |
| S. Gary |
15 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| T. Johnson |
14 |
5 |
1.0 |
0 |
0 |
| S. Lewis |
12 |
3 |
0.5 |
1 |
0 |
| K. Catlin |
10 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| R. Simmons |
10 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
| C. Barnett |
10 |
6 |
1.0 |
0 |
0 |
| Z. Craig |
9 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
| J. Mitchell |
8 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
| M. Jones |
8 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| L. Johnson |
7 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| J. Gilbert |
7 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
| K. Peterson |
6 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| T. Clark |
6 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| A. Lampkin |
6 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| S. Jacobs |
6 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| D. Imade |
6 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| J. Bean |
6 |
2 |
0.5 |
0 |
0 |
| E. Ogbah |
6 |
1 |
1.0 |
0 |
0 |
| J. Sterns |
5 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| T. Johnson |
4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Tickets: tulsaworld.com/osusports
Aug. 31: *Mississippi State W, 21-3
Sept. 7: at UTSA W, 56-35
Sept. 14: Lamar W, 59-3
Sept. 28: at West Virginia, TBD 11 a.m.
Oct. 5: Kansas State TBD
Oct. 19: TCU TBD
Oct. 26: at Iowa State TBD
Nov. 2: at Texas Tech TBD
Nov. 9: Kansas TBD
Nov. 16: at Texas TBD
Nov. 23: Baylor TBD
Dec. 7: Oklahoma TBD
* at Reliant Stadium, Houston
UP NEXT
OSU (3-0) at West Virginia (2-1)
11 a.m. Sept. 28
TV: KTUL-8, ESPN-25 or ESPNU-253
Radio: KFAQ am1170
