Humiliated Cowboys look to regroup
Usually when Oklahoma State struggles offensively in its high-octane system, blame is dispensed first on the quarterback.
An effort was made to attribute many of the Cowboys’ shortcomings to first-year starter Taylor Cornelius, but the 41-17 margin in a home defeat against Texas Tech was indicative of additional problems.
After climbing to No. 15, Oklahoma State (3-1, 0-1 Big 12) tumbled from the rankings and will travel to Kansas (2-2, 0-1) on Sept. 29. Chances are good the Cowboys will be focused against the lowly Jayhawks, especially since the startling defeat in the conference opener ended a nine-game win streak against Texas Tech.
When asked to emphasize one of Oklahoma State’s weaknesses, coach Mike Gundy said “we didn’t rush the football. If you run the football it makes things a lot better.”
That statement, however, raised questions regarding the workload of junior running back Justice Hill. The 2017 Big 12 rushing leader carried just 12 times but gained 111 yards. Hill’s 8.4-yard average is tops among Big 12 leaders this season, but he has carried just 46 times in four games.
Granted, time and score factors into decisions whether to run the ball or gain yardage in bigger chunks through the air. Oklahoma State, however, was inefficient attempting to rally and allowed more than 600 yards against a balanced Texas Tech attack.
Hardly the kind of performance the Cowboys were expecting under first-year defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, especially after his unit recorded seven sacks a week earlier while defeating then-No. 17 Boise State.
“We need to do a better job of changing things more, of disguising things more,” Knowles said. “I’m always worried about that, because particularly when you’re installing a new defense you’re not that advanced with it. So it’s hard to show one thing and play another. But we’ve got to work on ways to give our guys a better chance to win.”
Of course, the quarterback is always the player teams look to first when trying to find a winning formula. Cornelius knows the system quite well as a fifth-year starter but finished just 18-of-38 passing against Texas Tech, completing only six balls for 47 yards after the Cowboys fell behind in the second quarter.
Oklahoma State has a top-flight recruit in Dru Brown waiting his turn for reps at quarterback, but Gundy said he was content to let Cornelius overcome his poor performance. The could be in part because the Cowboys next play Kansas, which has lost 11 straight Big 12 games and have won only once in conference play under fourth-year coach David Beaty.
Still, the Jayhawks have improved defensively and rank first nationally with a turnover margin of plus-12 behind the Big 12’s leading tackler, linebacker Joe Dineen.
Best to assume nothing, particularly after Oklahoma State was riddled at home by a Big 12 rival it had defeated nine straight times.
“You try to improve it,” Gundy said. “You can’t just change who you are and I don’t think we necessarily need to. I think we have to look at where we are at and continue to improve on what we are doing and that will make it better.”
The Cowboys will have to improve what they are doing without a key veteran, inside receiver Jalen McCleskey. The senior informed Gundy two days after the Texas Tech loss that he was transferring, taking advantage of a new NCAA rule that allows players to redshirt after four games.