Boone: What I Liked, Didn’t Like From OSU’s Win Over Kansas

There was a lot to like about Oklahoma State’s first Big 12 conference win of the 2018 season.

Like how OSU outrushed, outpassed and physically dominated Kansas on both sides of the ball.

There was also a lot to dislike.

Like how OSU drew so many penalties there should be considerations in the league office that OSU change its official uniform scheme to flag yellow. Or how special teams continue to perform on one leg.

Because it was Kansas, most of it was good. But there’s some bad. I’m here to sprinkle in a little of both with a new weekly column dissecting what I liked — and didn’t — from this past weekend’s game.

Let’s get to it.

I did not like just how many times OSU was penalized. It was a continuance of a disturbing trend for OSU this season to see them get hit with eight penalties for 82 total yards — the second consecutive week it has drawn at least eight in a game.

Here is how penalties have looked for OSU this season. Sans for a relatively clean game against Boise in Week 3, it’s been atrocious.

• Missouri State: 7 for 55 yards
• USA: 9 for 112 yards
• Boise State: 4 for 25 yards
• Texas Tech: 8 for 73 yards
• Kansas: 8 for 92 yards

Including data up-to-date through Saturday, Oklahoma State ranks sixth in the Big 12 in most penalty yardage per game. It ranks 102nd nationally in that same category (out of 129). Only Baylor and Texas Tech have been penalized more than OSU through five games among conference teams.

I liked how OSU gave Justice Hill the ball.

Look, I know this is a simple one. But after last week, I had little faith that A) OSU could get Justice enough touches and B) That OSU wanted to get Justice touches. On Saturday, they made both points look moot, giving him 31 carries and two receptions. He logged a season-high 189 yards.

I didn’t like that his extreme workload was against Kansas, but at this point I’m just being picky. Summed up: When OSU puts the ball in its best players’ hands, good things happen. So I like. Keep doing that.

I didn’t like that OSU’s special teams continued looking like doodoo.

OSU is 74th nationally in kickoff return yardage and punt return yardage (out of 129, which is the definition of av-er-uge), and there, again, appears to be no plan to implement any useful return game. Tylan Wallace looked like he might be the long-term answer at punt return, but schematically on both units, there’s nothing going that suggests this ugly trend towards the lower half of mediocrity will turn soon in special teams.

I liked that Oklahoma State went deep — often. Taylor Cornelius — the much-maligned QB — went guns ablazing Saturday in Lawrence, setting an OSU record with an average of 15.6 yards per pass attempt. The previous record, 15.5, was set by his predecessor, Mason Rudolph, last season.

Speaking of … I liked how OSU used Taylor Cornelius on Saturday. Mike Yurcich and Co. might’ve gotten out of their world a little bit last week by putting the ball in his hands and trying to beat Tech with his arm, but they bounced back resiliently with a well-executed gameplan. There were designed QB runs from time to time (he finished with five carries for 18 yards), they ran receivers downfield regularly to try and get him comfortable chunking it deep, and re-instilled a confidence level that may have fell to a new low last week. All around aces. He was dropping dimes all day.

A seed from Corndog. pic.twitter.com/FTDrSIyvF2

— Pistols Firing (@pistolsguys) September 29, 2018

I didn’t like this. At all. Please, for the love of all that is holy and pure, let this elite hurdling die with Chris Carson. The last thing I would like is Chuba going down for the season trying to high-jump a Jayhawk. Good luck explaining that one!

Chuba's hurdle form is incredible pic.twitter.com/WqqDpYRlQt

— Pistols Firing (@pistolsguys) September 29, 2018

I liked seeing a Tulsa kid take the game by storm.

Call me sentimental for it, but it was great to see Landon Wolf — an East Central product and former walk-on — take advantage of his newfound opportunity on Saturday. With Dillon Stoner out due to injury and Jalen McCleskey out because he’s redshirting and transferring, Wolf started. And led the team with six receptions, 116 yards and a touchdown.

I didn’t like the lack of balance in the running game. Sign me up for 20+ carries per game for the rest of the season from Justice Hill, but I’d also like to sign up for more J.D. King and Chuba Hubbard while I’m at it. Hill’s backups logged a combined eight carries for 59 yards.

I like OSU’s freshman class as a whole. I won’t name all the players who haven’t played yet, because this would just turn into a 5,000 word essay on why I love Spencer Sanders. But those who have played have been great. Sign me up for four years of Jarrick Bernard, Kolby Peel and Kanion Williams patrolling the secondary, please! And while we’re here, a quick shoutout to Braydon Johnson. He’d have scored his first TD on Saturday if Corndog hadn’t overshot him by a few dozen centimeters.