Justin Phillips Has Shown Growth with More Than Just Highlight Plays

Justin Phillips took an unusual path to becoming Oklahoma State’s starting Will linebacker. After playing immediately as a true freshman and even recording 10 tackles with seven solo stops in the Cowboys’ storied upset in Bedlam, depth at LB led to a redshirt his second year. In 2016, Phillips showed what that extra year inside the meeting rooms and under Rob Glass’ tutelage can do.

With a chance to take over the starting Will linebacker role vacated by Devante Averette, hopes were high for the junior from Pearland, Texas. And he’s done little to dissuade me from my bold preseason prediction of him earning all-conference honors as a junior.

On Monday, Mike Gundy talked about the development he’s seen from Phillips.

“He continues to get better each week,” Gundy said. “We need to keep him fresh and healthy. He’s starting to understand being a full-time starter and seeing things differently.”

“I think he’s just starting to hit that next step in his maturity and being an overall good player,” said Phillips’ defensive coordinator and position coach Glenn Spencer following the Baylor game.

Spencer appreciated the effort Phillips showed against the Bears, especially a crucial forced fumble that gave OSU’s offense the ball back immediately following a muffed punt.

Phillips currently leads all Cowboys defenders with four takeaways on the year. He’s had two forced fumbles and two interceptions. Both of those ended in the end zone.

But starting linebackers for Glenn Spencer cannot live on highlight plays alone. You have to be sound in your assignments and you have to be able to see the field, especially at the Will backer position.

Following the big win, Spencer wasn’t too chipper to forget an assignment his junior starter apparently missed against Texas Tech two weeks prior.

“[Phillips] had a bad MA the last game and I don’t know that he had any major MAs this game,” said Spencer. “At least I don’t remember going nuts about him up in the box like I did some others today.”

Coming from Spencer, that may be as big of a praise as you could strive for, and Phillips will have the opportunity to earn even more of that on Saturday in Austin.

With the Longhorns’ struggling running game and offensive line woes, Texas has leaned on freshman QB Sam Ehlinger to be an X-factor with his legs. Against Oklahoma, he broke loose for 106 yards and a score on the ground. A week earlier, he chewed up 107 yards of turf against Kansas State.

“Texas is going to try to spread us out and use their quarterback as a running back,” said Gundy “at least that’s what I see from the outside looking in. That gives them a one-man advantage, so our linebackers have to tackle well in space.”

Phillips (along with starting Mike linebacker Chad Whitener) will share the brunt of the responsibility of containing Ehlinger.

“At his [Phillips’] spot, it can be similar to the way a quarterback sees the game because he has to see so many blocking schemes, running back alignments, passing schemes, misdirection and so on and so forth, so it takes a little time,” Gundy said.

Hopefully for the Cowboys, Phillips continues his marked improvement against Texas, and maybe he’ll even provide us with a highlight or two.