10 Thoughts on Oklahoma State’s 66-28 Victory Against Kansas State

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MANHATTAN, Kansas — Of late, the Cowboys’ trips to Manhattan haven’t been all that fruitful, but that certainly wasn’t the case Saturday.

Oklahoma State smoked Kansas State 66-28 at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. Here are 10 thoughts on the game.

1. A Splattering

The Cowboys’ past two trips to Manhattan haven’t been pretty.

This OSU team has very little to do with those other two, but Eric Morris and Co. avenged the program’s Manhattan struggles on Saturday.

Entering this game, the most points OSU had ever scored in Manhattan was 45. The Pokes had 49 at halftime.

During the Cowboys’ past two trips to Manhattan, they were outscored a combined 90-20. The Cowboys’ didn’t make up all that difference on Saturday, but they just about did.

OSU put up video game-type numbers on the Wildcats. The Pokes had 565 yards of total offense, 223 rushing yards, averaged 8.8 yards per play, had 168 yards after catch and 29 first downs. It felt like if the Cowboys really wanted to on Saturday, they could’ve scored 100 points.

2. What a Response from the OSU Defense

Aside from one bust (a rather large bust), the Cowboy defense played just about a perfect first half of football.

In some ways, that’s maddening given the unit gave up 51 points to Iowa State last week, but it was also a heck a response from Skyler Cassity’s group.

This game was over at halftime, and at that point, the Cowboys’ defense had given up just 183 total yards and forced two turnovers. And only seven of the 14 points the Wildcats scored in the half came on the defense, as the other was a pick-six.

This defense had taken it on the shins all week, and while Saturday’s performance doesn’t totally forgive the disaster in Ames, it was a nice response.

3. LaDainian Fields Is on a Heater

Since 2000 only LaDainian Fields and Justin Gilbert have picked off seven passes in an OSU season.

Fields got INTs No. 6 and 7 on Saturday, continuing a hot streak that has seen him intercept six passes in the past four games.

He was tied for the lead in the country in interceptions entering Saturday, and it’s hard to imagine anyone caught him given he had two.

It’s getting to the point where teams probably ought to stop throwing the ball to his side of the field.

4. Isaiah Chisom Stepped Up

Fields had the flashy defensive plays, but UCLA transfer linebacker Isaiah Chisom also had a heck of a day.

Chisom saw an increased workload with Tate Romney being out for injury, and Chisom made the most of it. He finished with a team-high 11 tackles, including a tackle for loss.

There were some gritty tackles in there too, where Chisom was actively being blocked but got an arm out and held on to the ball carrier.

You’d obviously rather have Chisom and Romney available, but for a position group that doesn’t appear to be super deep, Chisom stepping up in the manner he did was big.

5. Blake Barnett Was Getting Battered

The Wildcats used their fourth starting quarterback in four games, and there were a few occassions you wondered if Blake Barnett was going to scrape himself off the turf.

He did every time, but it felt like he took a shot at the end of half the plays he was on the field.

After throwing for 224 yards and three touchdowns against Colorado last weekend, Barnett went 7-for-17 for 106 yards, a touchdown and two picks against the Cowboys. Backup QB curse broken?

Maybe for the betterment of his own health, K-State pulled Barnett at halftime. It didn’t go much better for Dillon Duff, who went 10-for-17 for 94 yards, a touchdown and a pick.

6. Hawkins Is a Super Star

If Fields is on a heater on the defensive end, Hawkins is on a similar heater on the other side of the ball.

He, again, did it all for the Pokes on Saturday, running for 175 yards and three touchdowns while also catching six passes for another 71 yards and a score.

In OSU’s first five games, Hawkins crossed the goal line just twice times. In the past four games, he’s scored eight total touchdowns.

Hawkins had five plays (one catch and four runs) of at least 20 yards on Saturday. Three of those went for at least 30 yards.

He was trucking guys. He was running away from guys. He was creating separation in routes. He was just a football player’s football player out there.

7. Miles Coleman Game

This also marked the best game Miles Coleman has had as a Cowboy, as the shifty slot receiver caught all six of his targets for 95 yards and a score.

Coleman was also a big play waiting to happen, as four of his receptions went for at least 17 yards — highlighted by his 19-yard touchdown catch at the end of the second quarter, which I think was my favorite Drew Mestemaker pass of the day.

8. Mestemaker’s Trifecta

Drew Mestemaker scored by air and land, and if there was water, he probably would’ve scored by sea, as well.

Mestemaker went 22-for-28 for 313 yards, four touchdowns and an interception on Saturday. He also ran for another 11 yards and a score, and for good measure, Mestemaker had a touchdown reception from Wyatt Young that put the Cowboys up 63-28 late in the third quarter.

So in all, he accounted for six touchdowns against the Wildcats.

He became the fifth player in FBS history with a game that included four passing TDs, a rushing TD and a receiving TD.

He has now thrown for 300 yards in eight straight games, breaking a Mason Rudolph record. Hilariously, Mestemaker ran out for a few plays of the Cowboys’ first drive of the fourth quarter to get the record, and right when he did he trotted off the field.

Mestemaker has thrown for at least 200 yards in 24 straight games — the longest active streak in the country.

He is elite.

It’s looking more likely that Mestemaker plays only a year with the Cowboys, but I think I’m at the point where I can confidently say he’s the most-talented quarterback the Cowboys have ever had. You can argue longevity plays into the OSU quarterback GOAT conversation, but in terms of pure talent, I don’t think OSU has ever had a better guy.

9. Bowl Eligibility

This was probably taken for granted at a point for this program, but the past two years have made me appreciate the difficulty of winning six games in a season again.

This team is better than your average bowl team, and perhaps last weekend’s loss in Ames sees the Cowboys miss out on some of their potential. But it’s just nice to be watching relevant football again.

How much do bowls mean in the modern era? It seems like they mean less every year, but an unquestioned positive of making a bowl is the extra practices it can provide to give a team a jumpstart on the next season.

Maybe Mestemaker stays, but if he does go to the NFL, it’ll be a valuable month of work for the likes of Broderick Vehrs, who got in his third game of his career on Saturday.

No matter what happens from this point on, the Cowboys’ season is extended. Now we just need to figure out how many more games they’ll play.

10. Just Keep Swimming Winning

Utah won the Holy War, meaning there’s a chance the Cowboys are part of some massive tie with a bunch of teams with two losses for the final spot in Arlington.

OSU probably needs someone to clip Houston one more time. As of writing, the Cougars are in a tight one against Cincinnati. But more importantly, the Cowboys can’t slip up themselves any more, and that starts next week against Texas Tech, a team the Cowboys need to drag into the two-loss soup with them.

All the Cowboys can do now is be one of those teams with two losses to give themselves a chance at Arlington.

Last week proved the Cowboys could lose to probably anyone in the Big 12, but they’ve also proven this year that they can probably beat any team in the Big 12. Keep winning, luck out on a tiebreaker, and perhaps it’s still all out in front of the Pokes. But nothing matters if they lose again.