Daily Bullets (Oct. 28): Don’t Undersell Saturday’s Defense, Ngata’s Commitment Delayed

Had a great time in Ames over the weekend – everybody at Jack Trice did as well… right up until Amen sealed the deal. 

Bullets Rundown

• Don’t undersell Saturday’s defense
• Tre Sterling’s solid play
• Ngata’s commitment delayed

Scores

• Women’s BB: Cowgirls 87, Emp. State 66

OSU Bullets

• Just because you can’t watch enough Tylan Wallace highlights in your day:

Tylan puts half of Iowa State's defense on the turf for #okstate's first score of the day. Incredible. pic.twitter.com/YlAHSCHXxJ

— Pistols Firing (@pistolsguys) October 26, 2019

• As you’re digesting the game at the water cooler today, don’t undersell how well the Cowboy defense played on Saturday. 

Don’t be fooled by their mostly-putrid history either. Iowa State came into the game No. 12 in the country in points per drive at 3.06 (think: 2012 Oklahoma State), and OSU just pounded them to the tune of 1.8 points per drive on Saturday. Following maybe the least efficient performance in the Gundy era from this defense, they got one of the better ones of the last few years. [PFB]

The offense kept asking the defense to finish the game for them and the defense continued to oblige… I think that nets out as encouraging.

• One of the key building blocks of the above performance was one of PFF’s first-team players of the week, safety Tre Sterling.

Sterling finished the outing with just a 39.6 passer rating into his primary coverage. He was targeted six times, allowed four receptions for just 31 yards including zero yards after the catch. He made an interception and has two pass breakups in the contest while also making nine solo tackles and two defensive stops in the game. [PFF]

He was terrific on Saturday – sound, sure, and took advantage of what the offense gave him. The defense wasn’t making out-of-this-world plays but kept everything in front of them and opportunistically seized Brock Purdy’s errant balls.

• Yesterday, four-star running back Daniyel Ngata was supposed to make his college football decision. It was pushed back, unfortunately.

After originally planning on making his announcement Sunday, Ngata Tweeted out that he will wait until the Hall of Fame World Bowl game to announce where he will be taking his talents.
Iounce my commitment at the @ProFootballHOF World Bowl Game on CBS.

The game and Ngata announcement will be on CBS on December 22. [CRFF]

• The Calvin Bundage-situation seems very Orie Lemon to me – redshirted in 2010 and came back to lead that stellar 2011 defense.

Sources close to the program indicate Bundage will miss the entire 2019 season, but is expected to remain a program member and play in 2020.

In effect, the 2019 season becomes an unplanned redshirt season for Bundage, who next season would be a fifth-year senior. [TulsaWorld]

With how Amen Ogbongbemiga and Malcolm Rodriguez have played, you sort of don’t need Calvin Bundage. Sure – it’d be great to have the depth (or it’d be great to have them all on the field) but you sort of have what you need at this point.

• Ogbah catching on in KC:

Big time sack by @EmanOgbah! #GoPokes pic.twitter.com/qSPW7SyZXh

— Cowboy Football (@CowboyFB) October 28, 2019

Non-OSU Bullets

• Not surprised (after experiencing one of them frequently) to hear chocolate chip cookies as addictive as cocaine
• Finished this fascinating non-fiction read on how America isn’t divided into political parties as much as “nations”
• Solid faith-based article on ways to encourage daughters