Spencer Sanders was prenominal in his 2022 season debut on Thursday night. The senior from Denton, Texas made a statement in regards to his worthiness to be named the preseason All-Big 12 quarterback. Completing 28 of his 41 passing attempts, Sanders ended the night with 406 yards and four passing touchdowns to finish with an 88.1 quarterback rating. It wasn’t just his arm that Sanders showed off against Central Michigan though. He also ran for 57 yards and scored two more touchdowns, making him the first Cowboy quarterback to be responsible for six touchdowns since Taylor Cornelius did so on Nov. 17, 2018 against West Virginia.
His 406 passing yards and six total touchdowns were both career highs. His career rushing total now stands at 1,622 yards and needs just 249 yards to surpass Brent Blackman’s total of 1,870 for the career rushing record at Oklahoma State.
Braydon Johnson Was Exactly What OSU Needed Him To Be
Playing in his first game since the 2021 season opener, Braydon Johnson caught six passes for 133 yards which were both career highs. We knew coming into the game that Brennan Presley was the explosive, game-changing weapon within the Cowboy offense but the question was in regards to who would be the complimentary player to pull attention away from him and Johnson more than showed he’s going to be that guy. Not only did he record a 13-yard touchdown but he averaged 22.2 yards per reception, further proving that he’s not only healthy but that he’ll be a force within the offense.
The Offense Was In Sync
The Oklahoma State offense racked up 531 total yards of offense at a pace of 6.9 yards per play. The Cowboys scored touchdowns on six of their eight drives in the first half, with each drive taking 1:55 or less. OSU scored a touchdown on six consecutive drives starting from 0:50 in the first quarter to 14:23 in the third quarter.
Obviously this was a welcome sight in a season debut for the Cowboys. There’s still room for improvement (see below) but OSU looks to be light years ahead of where they were offensively at the start of the 2021 campaign.
The Defensive Front Seven Shows Flashes Of Dominance
Linebacker Mason Cobb led all defenders with 11 total tackles, he also recorded 2.5 tackles for loss, and Lamont Bishop recorded a safety. Perhaps the most impressive thing the Oklahoma State defense did on Thursday night was to hold CMU running back Lew Nichols, the 2021 FBS-leading rusher, to 34 yards on 17 carries in the first half. Nichols finished the game with 72 yards on 26 carries, which snapped a streak of eight straight games with over 100 rushing yards.
It Wasn’t All Good
Derek Mason’s debut was a mixed bag as the OSU defense showed flashes of dominance and yet several moments of confusion and slow reaction. Not only did Central Michigan put 44 points on the board but they did so by racking up 546 yards at a pace of 5.9 yards per play. The Chippewas outscored Oklahoma State 29-14 in the second half and at times seemed unstoppable.
CMU quarterback Daniel Richardson completed 36 of 49 pass attempts for 424 yards and four touchdowns. His completions, attempts and yards were career highs and he tied his career high in TD tosses. Oklahoma State produced the nation’s No. 5 defense a year ago but faced multiple struggles in Mason’s first debut at the helm. Richardson led the Chippewas second half surge by throwing three TD passes in the final thirty minutes. His final scoring pass of the night, a 54-yarder to Jalen McGaughy, came with 3:15 to play and drew the Chippewas to within two TDs, 58-44.
The Cowboys Failed To Produce A 100-yard Rusher
Oklahoma State seemed to get whatever they wanted through the air but replacing Jaylen Warren could prove to be a taller task than expected. With 11 carries on the night, Spencer Sanders led the Cowboys in rushing attempts. Dominic Richardson scored a touchdown, averaged 6.8 yards per carry, but was limited to just nine attempts.
A total of six different players attempted at least one rush on the night. Richardson capped out at 61 yards and Sanders produced 57 yards on the ground. Behind them, the other four managed just seven yards on twelve carries. The Cowboys ended the night with 125 total rushing yards on 32 carries and a team average of 3.9 yards per carry. You have to that that those numbers need to approve.
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