Daily Bullets (Nov. 5): OSU Defense Searching for Answers, Grading Pokes Post-Baylor

“We’ve had this defense awhile and ultimately it just boils down to I’ve got to do a better job with the boys and get ‘em more prepared and keep working on their habits,” Knowles said. “I can’t blame it on a new defense anymore.” [Tulsa World]

Credit Knowles for not reaching in the grab bag for an easy excuse about OSU’s defense. It has been one of the biggest flaws, inexplicably, of this team all season. Saturday against OU is a chance for a big bounceback, but unquestionably its biggest test to date.

A report card made for the trash can

OSU’s young safeties, as Porter wrote in his 10 thoughts, were pretty great against Baylor! Kolby Peel and Malcolm Rodriguez were excellent overall. But as Jenni Carlson of The Oklahoman noted in her post-game grades, nothing much else was all that swell, including two F grades. Here’s one for the much-discussed D word: Discipline.

The Cowboys committed 12 penalties for 133 yards, which would be completely unacceptable numbers for a little league team. For a major-college team three-quarters of the way through the regular season, it’s an abomination. Soaring penalty totals have become an all-too-common norm for these Cowboys — and nine games into the season, it is time to accept this is who this team is. That’s a reflection of everyone — players and coaches. Cowboy coach Mike Gundy admitted as much after the game, including putting blame for the blocked punt for a touchdown at the feet of coaches. Facemask penalties. Pass interference. A chop block. The Cowboys should be ashamed. [NewsOK]

Ashamed is a strong word, but it’s hard to argue the grades aren’t fair. OSU was as undisciplined as me with a bowl of queso in front of me on Saturday — a theme that has perpetually plagued this squad — and it doesn’t appear to be getting better. In fact, somehow things have snowballed from awful to downright atrocious.

OSU and NCAA Notes

Great story on Marcus Smart overcoming his mother’s passing from The Athletic … Mother Nature’s impact on OSU-Baylor … Glenn Spencer’s defense murdering folks at Charlotte … the backstory behind Thomas Dziagwa’s 25,000 shots-made summer … every freshman played Sunday at OSU’s exhibition game win … March Madness is coming back to Tulsa … 68 thoughts and predictions to get excited for the college hoops season

Today we took the first step in our journey. #c2e #okstate pic.twitter.com/4RlLvl1Mfk

— Cowboy Basketball (@OSUMBB) November 5, 2018

This was amazing.

Michael Thomas went full Joe Horn. Amazing. pic.twitter.com/JeJBKqvTPT

— Kyle Boone (@Kyle__Boone) November 5, 2018

Yesterday on PFB

• Hoops notebook: OSU takes down Ouachita Baptist 80-59 in exhibition game
• Baylor debrief: The what ifs of what was in Waco from Cox
• OU ranked sixth in AP poll ahead of Bedlam
• A good look here from KP on number of penalties by year and where this team is headed. (If you get nauseous easy, please look away. It’s not pretty.)
• 10 notable stats from OSU’s loss to Baylor, including this gem: Justice Hill’s 119 rushing yards against Baylor pushed him to 3,504 career rushing yards, passing Tatum Bell for seventh in program history.

What I’m reading

• 10 candidates — including Les Miles — who could succeed David Beaty at Kansas
• Blind recommending this bookmarked Klay Thompson feature from GQ before I read it: I’m positive it will be nothing if not interesting.
• Stephen Curry is the ultimate one-off. We may never see another quite like him.