Oklahoma State Secondary is Shutting Down Big 12 Go-To Receivers

Easily the biggest question mark heading into the season for Oklahoma State was how a young, inexperienced, new-look secondary would stand up for a top 10 OSU team.

They haven’t been perfect, especially early on, but since the start of Big 12 play, they’ve shown improvement each and every week.

It’s impressive enough that they’ve only allowed four touchdown passes in five conference games. But where they’ve really shined is against the best in the league.

OSU has made a habit of shutting down, not just teams’ best receivers, but the best receivers in the Big 12.

Take for instance Baylor’s Denzel Mims. OSU’s secondary held him way under his per-game averages. You can argue the Bears aren’t great based on their 0-8 record, but Mims did rack up 192 yards and three touchdowns against OU.

Or look at what OSU did to Texas Tech’s Keke Coutee. Yes, he got injured in the second half, but the Cowboys were keeping him mostly in check for the game.

The most impressive performance though, was against West Virginia.

The OSU secondary held their star, David Sills, to well below his averages in receptions and receiving yards. Plus, they did something only Delaware State has been able to do this season and hold him without a receiving touchdown.

The Cowboy secondary also did a good job of keeping Will Grier’s favorite target in check, holding Gary Jennings below his averages.

There are still some Big 12 receiving studs and rising stars on the schedule including OU’s CeeDeeLamb, Iowa State’s Allen Lazard, and KU’s Steven Sims. All three are talented, but none of them have had production on par with the others above.

If the secondary can continue to improve like they’ve done through the first half of the Big 12 season, receivers are going to dread facing the Cowboys.