Final Notes and Thoughts on Oklahoma State’s Frustrating Loss to Baylor

Oklahoma State fell on Saturday in Waco in a disappointing (but mostly exciting?) game. I wrote my 10 Thoughts here after the game, but I wanted to empty a small notebook before we move on to Bedlam (as quickly as possible).

• Kolby Peel looks like he’s going to be an absolute monster. Last freshman I remember being this involved on defense at (sort of) that position? Justin Phillips in 2014 when he had 293 (approximately) tackles in Bedlam.

• Baylor’s helmets were elite. Elite!

• A confession: I used to think the Baylor line — the freshmen that run across the field at the beginning of the game — was abject silliness. I now think it’s kind of cool. Their student section was strong, even if their crowd overall was mildly apathetic. All in all, it was a good atmosphere that, I imagine when they actually have good teams, is probably great.

• The weather could not have been more perfect other than the wind. Speaking of, Baylor opened the press box windows, which was great, but papers in the press box containing stats and rosters started whipping around in there because of the pre-hurricane-like gales coming off the Brazos River.

• Baylor and OSU going I-formation in consecutive weeks is not a thing 2011 me can even remotely believe.

• I wrote this when Rodarius picked that ball in the first half: Greedy got company!

• I can’t believe swing passes to Justice Hill are a thing that works.*

*Yes I can.

• OSU has gotten 31 or more first downs 16 times in the Gundy era. They are now 13-3 when they do so. Their losses are 2018 Baylor, 2017 Bedlam and 2012 Baylor. Also, it is fitting that they are undefeated when they get 33 or more first downs.

• I really love the TC designed runs. Yurcich and his staff have used them really well throughout the season, and I think Corn is sort of the freshman team version of Vince Young in that it never looks like he’s running fast but he actually is.

• OSU Simba cam > all of Baylor’s mid-game entertainment.

• I guess I don’t really understand not giving the starting CBs a break every now and then. I feel like A.J. Green and Rodarius Williams have played the last 1,990 plays in a row at corner for Oklahoma State. Related: Their proximity to the ball (as Gundy noted after Texas) was not as sharp on Saturday.

• I guess this is why you don’t run fake FGs. How about the holder looking at the closer target and saying, “Nahhhh I’m good.”

• After nearly 75 percent of the season passed, Corn finally remembered that he has Tyron Johnson on the left side of the field. I’m kidding of course, but it was clear that they implemented him into the game plan in a way they hadn’t before. Yurcich called this “taking advantage of matchups.”

• The PA announcer in Waco kept calling him, “Tie-Ron Johnson.” I was dying.

• I lol’ed at the Baylor sideline holding two fingers in the air after the first quarter. Come on guys.

• The play right after the Tylan crackback where he nearly got tossed was monstrous. Definitely some “ok, I guess we’re doing this” in there. Speaking of Tylan … He is remarkably small for how he plays. I don’t really understand how he hits and jumps like he does and makes the catches he makes with that body. The greater Josh Stewart.

• OSU ran 89 plays, which is the 10th-most in the Gundy era. Three of those games have come against Baylor.

• I am president of the Landon Wolf fan Club, but it must be tough to be the second-best ? on campus.

• It befuddles me that Corn can’t connect on anything deep down the field. He clearly has the arm to do it, but I never get the feeling that he’s going to hit, and he never really does. He’s the king of 20+ yard passes (which is great), but has he hit on a single ball that has traveled more than 40 yards in the air this season?

• I enjoyed Rob Glass getting on Tyron for not running through one of those deep balls, by the way.

• During the middle of the game it felt like OSU was a full-on, NFL-style two-back team with Chuba and Justice. I think I’m here for that? They rode Justice later in the day, and he eventually emerged with 18 carries, but I thought they did an awesome job folding in Chuba and also letting J.D. try to shut it down at the end.

• Matt Rhule is the Tim Duncan of the Big 12.

• Defensive pass interference on the whole is out of control. I feel like both teams got preposterous flags that our ancestors would have coughed tobacco smoke at.

• OSU’s offense against Baylor: Good –> Average –> Bad –> Very good –> Average. OSU’s offense against Texas: Good –> Very good –> Bad –> Average –> Good. Other than the first drive, the first drive, the games were essentially the offensive inverse of each other.

• Two questions on people calling plays on the sidelines: Why are they surrounded by barriers keeping people from seeing them? Why do they freak out like they do? Doesn’t jumping around create confusion about what play to run? Isn’t this where your calmest people should be? While we’re here, why is every down and distance marker 88 years old? How are these the people that are expected to run up and down the field trying to mark where 20-year-olds have landed with the football?

• Stoner over the middle is an ATM.

• Corn had more targets than Jelani.

• Here was my view for the game-winner. I’m always amazed (and I always say this so I probably need to figure it out) at how dang fast everything goes at field level. It was absolutely chaotic for the last five minutes when we were down there, culminating in this piece of unfortunate history.