The dysfunctional defense
Published: 10/13/2006 6:17 PM
Last Modified: 10/13/2006 6:17 PM
A midseason evaluation: The offense ranges from adequate to dynamic, while the defense is consistently inadequate. The 2006 Oklahoma State football team is just good enough to break the hearts of its fans.
The offense was mostly fine at Houston and Kansas State, but the defense was deficient. The end result was defeat -- 34-25 at Houston, 31-27 at Kansas State.
OSU's meltdown at K-State was remarkable. Until four minutes remained, the Wildcats had netted only 207 total yards on 42 plays. And then, as OSU's defense completely unraveled, the Wildcats got 150 yards and two touchdowns on their final nine plays.
The Cowboys had blown a 10-point lead and, perhaps, their shot at a bowl appearance.
Productive offense, soft defense. It's a combination that could define OSU's performance again on Saturday at Kansas, and it could be the recurring theme during the rest of the season.
Last season, the Cowboys were awful. Bad in every sense. Riddled by penalties and turnovers. Cursed by inexperience. Clumsy while learning new schemes.
This season, there are significantly fewer mistakes. Bobby Reid has become a nice quarterback. The offense has more TD passes through five games than it had in 11 contests last season.
If the OSU defense had made any real movement toward improvement, this could have been a Cotton Bowl season for the Cowboys. The Big 12 is mediocre and the schedule is rife with winnable games.
No game, however, is winnable when your defense is dysfunctional at crunch time.
-- Bill Haisten
Written by
Bill Haisten
Sports Writer
