Football
Defense Tracker: Cowboys’ Point per Game Total Takes Hit in Tech Shootout
For the first time this season, OSU went old school Big 12.
Four games into the season, teams were averaging just 12 points a game on the Cowboys, but three of the Pokes’ last four opponents have put up at least 40 points.
Oklahoma State beat Texas Tech in a high-scoring affair Saturday, 50-44. The win was great for the Cowboys, but their defense gave up a handful of big plays that hurt the season statics.
All year we’ve tracked how OSU’s 2020 defense stacks up against Mike Gundy’s previous defenses. Here is an updated look at our table:
| Year | Points per game | Total offense per game | Turnovers per game | Third-Down Conversions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 31.3 | 419.6 | 1.8 | 54-for-158 (34%) |
| 2006 | 25.6 | 364.1 | 2 | 67-for-169 (37%) |
| 2007 | 29.5 | 443 | 1.5 | 78-for-189 (41%) |
| 2008 | 28.1 | 405.5 | 1.5 | 71-for-177 (40%) |
| 2009 | 21.7 | 332.5 | 2.3 | 65-for-191 (34%) |
| 2010 | 26.4 | 409.5 | 2.6 | 104-for-239 (44%) |
| 2011 | 26.8 | 456.8 | 3.4 | 89-for-213 (42%) |
| 2012 | 28.2 | 421.7 | 1.7 | 78-for-215 (36%) |
| 2013 | 21.6 | 384.9 | 2.5 | 72-for-229 (31%) |
| 2014 | 31.2 | 432 | 1.1 | 84-for-206 (41%) |
| 2015 | 30.5 | 439.1 | 2.9 | 89-for-211 (42%) |
| 2016 | 26.5 | 446.3 | 1.9 | 76-for-195 (39%) |
| 2017 | 29.4 | 409.3 | 1.8 | 80-for-206 (39%) |
| 2018 | 32.5 | 452.5 | 1 | 71-for-189 (38%) |
| 2019 | 26.8 | 412.3 | 1.5 | 75-for-191 (39%) |
| 2020 | 24 | 375 | 1.1 | 29-for-118 (25%) |
Points per game and total yards were the two stats that took the biggest hit Saturday. Tech’s 44 points brought OSU’s averaged up from 21.1 the previous week. Likewise, the 639 yards of total offense the Red Raiders piled on brought up the average from 337.3 last week.
The Cowboys were able to make up some ground in the turnover department, though. That came in large part because of Tre Sterling. Sterling was responsible for all three of the Cowboys’ takeaways, recovering two fumbles and intercepting an Alan Bowman pass (which Sterling promptly housed).
The Cowboys have a chance to better their season averages in the final two games of the regular season. TCU and Baylor are seventh and eighth in the conference in points per game and total offense per game.
“Opportunistic would be a good way to describe it,” OSU defensive coordinator Jim Knowles said after Saturday’s game. “We’ve been able to win a buncha games on defense this year. This game we needed a team, offense and special teams, and we were able to contribute some to the scoring.
“It was more of a typical Big 12 game, which you know we’re working had as a defense to not fall in that way. We gotta really look at the explosive plays and address them.”
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