Five Things We Learned from OSU’s Season-Opening Win, and One We Didn’t

In case you were not one of us reluctant night owls who stayed up into the wee hours of the morning, or you haven’t checked your Twitter feed, Oklahoma State won its season opener against Oregon State, and it was a mostly fun evening.

As I slurp down my second cup of coffee, I’ll attempt to meander through the fog of last night’s memory and punctuate five things we learned from OSU’s exhilarating opener, and one we didn’t.

1. Oklahoma State Has Found its QB

For all the conjecture and prognosticating about who would start at quarterback, Mike Gundy played his hand right before kickoff and he may never have to look back.

Spencer Sanders’ debut rivaled that of some of the most prolific passers in the Gundy era statistically, and felt even more special.

He wasn’t perfect, but he was electric and he showed off the type of game-changing talent and athleticism that doesn’t come around all that often.

By the way, Sanders’ 79.2 completion rate from Friday lands at T-8th all-time at OSU (with at least 20 pass attempts). Brandon Weeden only topped that three times in his career. Mason Rudolph, Zac Robinson and Mike Gundy each only had one game where they were more accurate.

2. OSU’s Defense Hasn’t Arrived but Its Future Looks Bright

Coming into this year, the assumed strength of the defense was its seasoned secondary. But it was the younger defenders who impressed in Corvallis while its back end gave up a handful of chunk plays. Isaiah Hodgins is still open.

We saw flashes of ability from guys like true freshman Trace Ford and sophomore safety Tre Sterling. And Amen Ogbongbemiga looked more than comfortable taking over at starting Mike backer. It’s just one game, but it’s nice to see those young guns making some plays.

3. Chuba Hubbard is Still a Bad Man

The Cowboys rode their bell cow back often and especially early as Sanders got acclimated to the game. Chuba was dynamic and when the offensive line made a hole, he found it and made a play.

Spencer Sanders may very well be the future of OSU football, but this team will go as far as Chuba can drag it.

And I’m here for the hyperbole. Start prepping for the Heisman ceremony.

4. Sean Gleeson Has Put His Imprint on the Offense 

When he wasn’t stuck in an elevator, OSU’s new OC had a nice debut of his own. Gleeson’s offense scored six touchdowns on its first seven drives and didn’t punt until the third quarter when things were mostly settled.

And it’s nice to see that he’s brought his own wrinkles to the offense.

Here it is from #okstate last night. pic.twitter.com/xIAPQxKPXq

— Dustin Ragusa (@DustRagu) August 31, 2019

5. This Team Is Going to Be Fun to Watch

I don’t know how good Oklahoma State will be once Big 12 play starts or how high its ceiling is, but I’m pretty stoked to be able to cover it and see more plays like this.

And this.

And this.

6. What We Didn’t Learn

This really was the perfect tune-up game for Spencer Sanders and this offense. You get to beat up on a team with the guise of a Power 5 defense on the road, and build some confidence along the way. But it’s important to remember that the same Beavers, who Oklahoma State casually hung 52 points on, finished 129th out of 130 teams in scoring defense last season.

The real test won’t come until Big 12 play starts in Austin in three weeks, but for now you’ve got to love that OSU is 1-0 with a good chance of starting 3-0 and has some built momentum to start the year.