Daily Bullets (Oct. 1): Spencer Sanders’ Youth vs. Tylan Wallace/Chuba Hubbards’ Skill

I enjoyed these highlights from the K-State win – winning games over rivals isn’t bad at all. Is it ok to call K-State a rival?

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Bullets Rundown

• Well-rested defenses get off the field on third down
• Sanders’ youth vs. Wallace and Hubbard’s mastery
• Chuba’s Heisman hype

Scores

• Men’s Golf: OSU in fourth (-10) at Nike Collegiate

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OSU Bullets

• You can say it’s the chicken or the egg that came first, but the fact that the OSU defense held the Wildcats to so few third-down conversions led to a more rested, capable defense. 

Coach Mike Gundy also pointed out how OSU’s success in limiting K-State to 1 of 13 on third-down conversions had such a big impact on the result. That was a welcome development for the Cowboys (4-1, 1-1 Big 12), especially after they had allowed Oregon State to convert 13 of 20 in Oklahoma State’s 52-36 season-opening victory on Aug. 30. OSU also allowed Tulsa to go 10 of 21 on third down in a 40-21 win on Sept. 14 and Texas to go 8 of 14 in a 36-30 loss on Sept. 21. [Yahoo Sports]

Seeing 55 plays versus 70 or 80 makes all the difference in the world. Besides, if they don’t keep the K-State offense off the board as successfully as they did, who knows how this game ends up.

Take better care of the ball and finish off even one more possession with a touchdown, and this game would’ve been well out of hand.

But the Cowboy defense made sure it was well under control. [NewsOK]

• If you’re looking for glass-half-empty on the ceiling for the OSU offense, here’s a reasonable take from a solid football mind.

Oklahoma State has an extremely talented QB, RB, and WR. In terms of pure physical gifts, that trio is probably the best in the conference, but Spencer Sanders doesn’t yet have enough command of the offense and his craft to play winning, situational football.

Assuming that Gundy has more skill players lined up in the event that both Hubbard and Wallace go pro after this season, you have to like the potential for this team in coming seasons. [Concerning Sports]

I don’t think that’s shocking – the Pokes will be limited by how much Sanders develops mentally. The real question is if having two day-two (at worst, right?) NFL draft picks to take off pressure doesn’t minimize the importance of that development.

• Chuba Hubbard is being mentioned in Heisman conversations in the media-sphere – a good sign as this is where a good chunk of voters are.

Chuba Hubbard, RB, Oklahoma State
No player has tallied more yards on the ground than Hubbard, whose 938 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns are both NCAA highs. Oklahoma State is 4-1, and playing Big 12 defenses each week will allow Hubbard to keep inflating his stats. But running backs have an inherent disadvantage in this race, and Hubbard would have to put up numbers resembling Barry Sanders’s, the last Oklahoma State running back to win the award, to have a real chance. [The Ringer]

As you can see, he’ll have to overcome the “but Big 12 doesn’t play any defense because they score more than 20 points a game” narrative and put up darn near Barry Sanders-number to punch his ticket. But I’m not positive he can’t/won’t do that at this point.

• No idea how this winds up but California passed a bill allowing (most) college athletes to be compensated

• Cowgirl Basketball landed a commitment from Terry Collins’ daughter

• Joe Wickline’s son is thriving at West Virginia even with his dad off the staff

• I have no idea if this means Bundage will be back this week but it’s getting to be high time for a redshirt, right? Apparently, he’s not even practicing yet.

? https://t.co/QDc3gp1Qm7

— Calvin Bundage (@CalvinBundage) October 1, 2019

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Non-OSU Bullets

• Ten-minute video on what to expect of the Thunder with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (via The Ringer)

• I’ve been watching this comedian on YouTube lately – hilarious. From small-town Missouri, former school teacher, clean language

• Finished this WW2 survivor book yesterday – faith-based read on the Dutch resistance that was phenomenal

• This faith-based review on Ad Astra may force me to hit the box office this weekend