PFB Roundtable: Offense vs. Defense? Discussing Oklahoma State’s Strength

The Pistols Firing crew got together ahead of OSU’s Big 12 opener to try to make some sense of this team and nail down just how high our hopes are. Here’s how our OSU-West Virgina discussion played out.

Tyler Waldrep: To start off our conversation today, I wanted to know which side of the ball y’all think Oklahoma State is better on? Because as much as I like what Drew can be/has done, the defense has played really well through three games.

Kyle Cox: That is tough. I think a case could be more for either, but I’ll go with the angle that the offense has the potential to be the better of the two. I think I saw enough good things up front against Oregon (and with them getting some pieces back) to say the offense will end up being the strength of this team. Just too many playmakers.

Marshall Scott: I think right now, I’m still going to lean offense. Sort of seems like justification for early polls in that because I thought OSU’s offense would be better coming into the year, I still think that now. But we’re one or two weeks away from enough of a sample size being met for it to become a conversation. But I think at the top end of what’s possible, I still lean offense right now.

Tyler: I maintain that Drew Mestemaker looks like a guy who can and will get a legit NFL shot and the receivers and Caleb Hawkins have played well, but I think the defense has impressed me more through three games and it’s not particularly close.

That side ranks No. 1 on third down and has suffocated all three opponents. Success against Oregon on fourth down impressed me too. I think LaDainian Fields and Mose Phillips have looked absolutely dynamic at times already. Both Ethan Wesloski and Tate Romney seem to do a good job reacting and positioning well in the open field to limit explosive plays.

Plus, if I’m being honest. I worry that Oklahoma State’s offensive line has a few more “Tulsa’s” in it this year and I think that could prove to cripple the offense a bit while I haven’t yet seen a clear Kryptonite for the defense yet.

Marshall: I think the offensive line is a fair concern. But I’ve spent my entire adult life worried about OSU’s offensive line, and there have still been plenty of good offenses in that time (just not the past two years).

Tyler: That’s fair, it’s possible I’m still suffering from the underachieving 2024 group (which also absolutely stunk on third down defense).

In the press box last week, Marshall warned me I might have to fight Wyatt Young just for asking this question. Who is Oklahoma State’s No. 1 WR (not by talent just who is the focal point)?

Kyle: I think I will still go with Wyatt Young since he’s got the history of playmaking and the consistency. Maybe Bowick is the freak, but Young is a first-down machine and I think he’s going to be Target numero uno until proven otherwise.

Marshall: Having thought about it a little more, I think I’m willing to say that it’ll average out to being Justin Bowick, but sort of like Eric Morris mentioned on Tuesday, I think it could be one of four or five guys week-to-week among Bowick, Young, Barnes, Lewis and Coleman. Whenever a team decides it’s going to try to take away Bowick, I think another one of those guys has a big day. But it is seeming more obvious that the 6-foot-5 guy that teammates and coaches say runs a 4.3 is quite the weapon.

Tyler: I was a Chris Barnes guy in the preseason. Game 1, he had a miscommunication or he might have finished as the top guy that day. Game 2 he gets hurt causing him to miss Game 3… I might regret bailing on him now, but Justin Bowick’s big game against Murray State wasn’t a fluke. He is the guy Drew is looking for first and that’s even more so true in the red zone.

Marshall: I just know Barnes is going to go nuclear at some point and our preseason hype will be justified.

Tyler: I agree with Marshall (who is sort of agreeing with Morris) that there will probably be games where all of those guys top 100 yards with at least five catches and one or two touchdowns.

Tyler: Despite Texas Tech’s slow start, I’d still have that as the hardest game left. Based solely on how they played Tech, Houston has a great case to be second and Arizona State played Texas A&M closer than the score reflects.

But I think I’m going to put West Virginia second. I think Morgantown is going to be nuts and the Mountaineers have every reason to show up confident after beating a barely ranked (but still counts) Virginia last week. I also think even though the offensive line is getting guys off the injury report, that group might actually be healthier for the other tough games of the season than it is right now.

My list is probably Texas Tech then at West Virginia then at Arizona State (mostly where it falls on schedule and my respect for Kenny Dillingham) with Houston fourth for me.

Marshall: I thought Houston looked quite good in Lubbock last week. Did everything but win the game.

Tyler: Agreed. If Texas Tech had looked better so far, that would probably be second. Also, this could be the bias of growing up in Alabama showing, but even people in the south talked about how tough Morgantown could be when those folks believed. I’ve never heard anyone talk about how tough it is to play at Houston.

Since I’ll make that trip, I hope I’m wrong and that place is tearing itself apart for what might be a Top 25 showdown if OSU wins this weekend.