What. A. Game.
After starting the season 2-2—an abysmal mark for Cowboy football—Oklahoma State entered a bye week with plenty of concerns. With Kansas State on the docket, the Cowboys weren’t exactly given much of a chance for a win in their fifth game of the season. The Wildcats were 12-point favorites in Stillwater on Friday night, but that did not matter as Alan Bowman fueled the offense from start to finish, and the defense stood tall when it mattered most to give the Cowboys a 29-21 victory.
Give Ollie Gordon His Flowers
Alan Bowman has settled in nicely in his role as the general of the Cowboy offense, but he owes at least some of the credit for his success against Kansas State to Ollie Gordon. Gordon has seen his role increase quite a bit over the last couple of weeks, and in the win on Friday night, he racked up 136 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries. His consistency on the ground was without a doubt a key factor for the Cowboys as they were able to move the ball effectively for most of the game.
Bowman finished the game completing just 19-of-35 passes–not a great mark at just 54%—but he tallied 235 yards as he led the Cowboys down the field a little bit at a time, Gordon was the perfect complement in the ground game. Moving forward, the offensive line is going to have much more consistent, particularly in the short yardage situations, but Ollie Gordon has proven once again that he deserves be a feature in the offense, not an afterthought.
The Defense is Devastating
After giving up 33 points to South Alabama and 34 points to Iowa State, the Cowboy defense was down bad. Giving up points to mediocre offenses was bad, but with Kansas State entering Friday night as a top 5 offense in the Big 12, Oklahoma State looked to be in for a potentially long night.
On the very first possession of the game, the Cowboys held the Wildcats to a three-and-out, and that set the defensive tone for the entire night. Aside from a 70-yard run by Will Howard, Oklahoma State managed to contain Kansas State at a fairly impressive pace. The Wildcats did manage a couple of extra touchdowns later in the second half, but overall, the Cowboy defense answered the call.
Nick Martin led the way for Oklahoma State with 16 tackles and a huge interception late in the game. Cameron Epps was an X-factor as he recorded 5 tackles and 2 interceptions, one of which he returned to the house late in the first half to give Oklahoma State a 20-7 lead headed into halftime.
The 3 interceptions were absolutely key to the win, and if the Cowboys want to keep winning, the defense is going to have to continue to make noise. This team isn’t going to go crazy and hold Big 12 offenses to single-digit or less scores, but if they can force a couple of turnovers, and maybe even score some points, then I like Oklahoma State’s chances of getting to a bowl game.
Protect Alex Hale At All Costs
In Big 12 country, it’s not typical for a team to lean on their kicker to win games. Most games are decided by last-minute drives that end in dramatic touchdowns. However, the Cowboys may very well find themselves needing a long field goal attempt to go through the uprights for a win. Fortunately for the Loyal and True, that was not the case on Friday night, but still, kicker Alex Hale showed up in a big way, and you could even say that he put the team on his back.
After knocking through a 43-yarder late in the first half, Hale lined up for a 21-yard field goal—a chip shot for him—but poor protection led to a blocked field goal. After that, though, Hale would go on to hit four more field goals, including a career-long 53-yarder. Hale’s 5 made field goals set a single-game record for Oklahoma State, and it’s good to know that the Cowboys have a leg they can lean on if they’re in need of a few points.