Grades: OSU Defense Steals Show in Iowa State Win

Ames, Iowa, where seasons go to fall apart or get back on track.

Oklahoma State defeated Iowa State 34-27 after back-to-back not great games from the Pokes. No longer will I have to hand out Ds for an abundance of turnovers or a defense that allows double-digit chunk plays. At least not this week.

OSU’s Defense: A

Just when you think Jim Knowles’ time as OSU’s defensive coordinator might be dead and buried …

The Cowboys’ defense won that game for OSU, and it picked apart what some consider to be the best quarterback in the league.

Brock Purdy came into Saturday’s game with four interceptions in the Cyclones’ first seven games of the year, and he threw three in the fourth quarter against OSU.

The picks didn’t seem fluky either. There were a handful of near-INTs in the first half, and the Cowboys had 11 pass break-ups in the game.

Spencer Sanders: B-

This wasn’t a world-beater game from Spencer Sanders, and the offense honestly struggled mightly in the second half, but he gave the Pokes’ playmakers a chance.

His 249 passing yards are boosted by the fact that Tylan Wallace and Braydon Johnson ran for a combined 121 yards after catch on two plays. But, Sanders played his role. Apart from his lone turnover, he didn’t try to do too much, and that’s a performance he can build off.

Tylan Wallace: A+

This is all you need to see:

Matt Ammendola and Tom Hutton: A+

Kickers and punters don’t get a whole lot of love.

Like offensive linemen, you don’t often notice them unless something terrible happens, but OSU has two good ones.

Will start with Hutton, who has taken some flack early in his college career at times. However, Hutton’s 17 punts downed inside the 20-yard line leads the conference by three. He also has just one touchback this season, meaning he has been quite accurate.

Sure, he hasn’t gotten to unleash his leg yet this season with only four of his punts going longer than 50 yards, but he is a strength in the battle of field position. Three of Hutton’s six punts from Saturday were downed inside Iowa State’s 20.

As for Ammendola, he’s 12-for-12 this season on field goals. He nailed a season-long 49-yarder Saturday like it was an extra point.

In his early days as a Cowboy, Ammendola was known as a kid with a big leg who was inaccurate, and as a senior, he’s proving to be an all-around rock for OSU’s special teams.