For OSU’s Wide Receivers, Efficiency Is Key (and Astounding)

I was looking at some of the numbers for Oklahoma State’s vaunted receiving corps for an article about how unselfish the group is and why Mike Gundy’s so proud of them. And I came across some eye-popping numbers I felt were worth sharing.

Playing unselfishly hasn’t kept Washington (or his fellow receivers) from putting up crazy numbers, and that’s due to some off-the-chart efficiency led by the man who Mike Gundy says is going to win the Biletnikoff. He’s probably not wrong and here’s a big reason why.

Take a look at the nation’s top 5 receivers (including Washington), as well as Mason Rudolph’s No. 2 and 3 targets.

What sticks out about OSU’s trio is the incredibly efficient yards-per-target numbers as well as the low target rate. Washington is averaging over 14 and a half yards every time he’s thrown the ball. That’s ridiculous. 

And he’s the second leading receiver in America while receiving just 21.9 percent of his team’s targets. This past week, he was targeted just once as Iowa State played their “entire team” on his side of the field.

So how do manage to get production from a handful of future pros at the same position? Well, they have to be unselfish and they have to be extremely efficient. Luckily for Oklahoma State, it has both.

Advanced receiver stats courtesy of Football Study Hall.