Southeastern Louisiana is not a team with a formidable offense by any means, so it is not surprising that Oklahoma State’s defense kept the Lions in check for basically the whole game. The Lions managed only 184 yards of total offense, going 1/12 on 3rd-down conversions and 0/3 on 4th-down conversions.

The Cowboys forced four fumbles, recovering all four and scoring on one, and they recorded three sacks, as well as twelve tackles for loss. Due to the younger fellas on the team getting extensive playing time in a blowout, a complete picture of the defense is still waiting to be seen, but the Cowboys tackled well and held the Lions to only seven points.

Position Grades

Defensive Line | Jarrell Owens recorded a sack and Vincent Taylor recorded half a sack as the defensive line did a solid job against the rush allowing only 97 yards on 46 attempts and recording 7.5 tackles for loss. Overall Grade | A-

Linebackers | Justin Phillips recorded a sack and led the team in tackles with six (four solo), and Jordan Burton recorded half a sack and finished tied for second on the team in tackles with four (all assisted). Devante Averette stripped the ball and managed to save it from going out of bounds by flicking it to CB Ramon Richards. He and Chad Whitener also had four tackles apiece, including a tackle for loss each.  Overall Grade | A

Secondary | The defensive backs did not get a lot of work at defending passes, as SE Louisiana only attempted fourteen throws, completing four of those for 104 yards , but 56 of those yards came on a single play. Aside from that one mistake, which didn’t occur until the third quarter, the secondary did well. FS Tre Flowers and CB Jerel Morrow both recovered a fumble, and CB Ramon Richards recovered a fumble and returned it for a touchdown on a crazy play that was featured on ESPN SportsCenter’s Top 10 Plays this weekend. Overall Grade | A-

Coaching | It is hard to go wrong against a lackluster FCS offense, so nothing in particular stands out as far as coaching goes. There are some potential big-time playmakers on the defensive side of the ball for the Cowboys, so it will be interesting to see how everyone is used as the season continues. Overall Grade | A

Defensive Players of the Game

LB Devante Averette and CB Ramon Richards | This forced fumble and return for a touchdown was just incredible.