Cox’s Five Takeaways from the 2017 Oklahoma State Football Season

Well, here we are. It’s December and while we prepare for the Cowboys’ 12th-straight bowl appearance, we have some time to reflect and digest an up-and-down season.

Here are my five takeaways.

1. The Wide Receivers didn’t disappoint

We knew the biggest strength in the personnel department resided in Kasey Dunn’s meeting room. Oklahoma State had its first ever duo of 1,000-yard receivers in James Washington and Marcell Ateman. They were also part of another first — the only Big 12 offense to boast a 4,000-yard passer, two 1,000-yard receivers and a 1,000-yard rusher.

But the group is as deep as it is talented. Guys like Tyron Johnson, Chris Lacy, Dillon Stoner and Jalen McCleskey would likely be the No. 1 option for most college QBs, and most of them will get a chance to show it next season with whoever takes snaps for the Cowboys.

As will a group of younger guys like Tylan Wallace, Tyrell Alexander, LC Greenwood and newcomers like C.J. Moore. The list goes on, and that illustrates the best part about OSU’s receiver pool, it’s not running dry anytime soon.

2. The defense did (disappoint)

What looked like it could be a solid group, with oodles of depth in the front seven, faltered down the stretch. It’s become somewhat of a yearly tradition with Glenn Spencer’s units, and there’s more than one reason to point to.

We can blame depth at corner, but that’s a responsibility of the coaching staff. Even with the dismissal of Madre Harper and the departure of Adrian Baker, the Cowboys obviously missed on some guys and were unable to develop others.

The end result is that the No. 57 team in defensive efficiency and No. 58 in points per drive allowed is not going to cut it if you’re trying to win a conference title. Is the defense the only group to blame? No. And I don’t fall in the camp of those who believe firing people automatically fixes your issues. But for a group that was predicted to be improved this season, the results are a disappointment.

3. Mike Gundy played his best hand at Bedlam

If you had told me this summer that Oklahoma State went 3 for 4 on fourth down in Bedlam, I’m predicting a win for the good guys.

Part of that was me underselling how great Baker Mayfield would play or how quickly Lincoln Riley would get up to speed on this whole head coaching thing. And part of that would have been my disbelief that Mike Gundy attempted a fourth down play, much less four of them.

The mullet was flapping in the wind in early November when the Sooners came to town. A questionable penalty that wasn’t — imagine that — and some missed late opportunities saw the Cowboys come up short. It doesn’t make it sting any less but it for the first time in a long time, I’m not laying that loss at Mike Gundy’s feet.

4. OSU’s O-line has not arrived… but things are looking up

It think Josh Henson did a good job in his first year as OSU’s offensive line coach. There was marked improvement, or at least continued improvement from last season. That was until, the Cowboys hit Big 12 play and a rash of injuries depleted a shallow pool of depth and experience up front.

In order to grade Henson’s job performance, we need to see increased performance and depth over a couple of years. So first off, he needs to stay in that position for a couple of years. Let’s try to keep this one for more than one season, Mike.

We know Henson is an ace recruiter and his coaching acumen is well-documented. If he can grow this stable of linemen to workable depth over the next 2-3 years, it would set up whichever QB takes the reins of OSU’s offense moving forward. Can you imagine if the offensive line was a strength and not a weakness for the first half of Mason Rudolph’s career?

5. Oklahoma State is still a step away

We can wring our hands at bad calls or missed throws or timid play-calling, but the point remains. Oklahoma State has to be nearly perfect, on the right year, with the right team, to win a Big 12 title. And even then, it might not happen.

This is less of an indictment on OSU as it is a realization of a fact — Oklahoma owns the Big 12. It’s won or shared half of the conference titles since the Big 12 began in 1996. Oklahoma State has as many as Colorado, and did it with its best team ever.

But no one else is doing much more to dethrone the Sooners. No. 2 on the list is Texas with three. Then there is a three-way tie for third with Baylor, Kansas State and Nebraska each holding two.

And Oklahoma State has been the next best and in a league of its own among the rest of the conference during the last 10 years. Mike Gundy has been a value — if you put a direct monetary value on wins — and continues to be even with his latest flirtation-induced raise.

Does than mean OSU fans should just be happy with 9 or 10 wins given this year’s expectations? No. Can and should Gundy be winning more trophies? Absolutely. But it lends a little perspective on how far the program has come and how much further it has to go. Will Oklahoma State ever take that next step? I have no idea, but those fun/nerve-wracking/self-deprecating questions are part of why we love sports.

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Phillip Slavin