Instacap: OSU Drops Second Straight Home Game in 48-42 ISU Loss

STILLWATER — You could point to questionable play-calling, to offensive line snafus, to miscues on special teams or missed assignments galore in the secondary.

All of those are reasonable explanations to why OSU fell, stunningly, in 48-42 fashion on Saturday to Iowa State. All of those, too, are ugly issues that have festered into troubling trends, plaguing this team relentlessly in its two losses this year.

It didn’t appear things would head the way they did Saturday when the game was in its infancy.

OSU struck first with a score from Cornelius to Jelani Woods, one quarterback to another former quarterback. But after a TD from Cyclone QB Brock Purdy to Hakeem Butler shortly followed a special teams gaffe that gifted Iowa State 2 points, it was all Cyclones. Fittingly, they twisted their wrath — and the knife — into OSU’s chest slowly through a sound gameplan on both ends of the field. They did not trail for the remainder of the game, and while OSU threatened to make it close, ISU had an answer at every turn.

And as the temperature in Stillwater dropped to a brisk chill, so too did OSU’s offense. The high-powered attack we saw squeeze Kansas to submission a week ago was a shell of itself. The unit finished with 415 total yards. The Cyclones outscored the Cowboys 28-21 over the final 30 minutes of game time, and Iowa State, powered by a third-string QB and without its leading rusher, did just enough to keep the Cowboys at bay.

Less than ideal, to be sure.

It’s a debate for another day, but OSU’s offensive line — which allowed seven sacks on the day and struggled to create holes — was nearly as bad as OSU’s defense — which is absolutely telling. The defense was gashed at a regular rate, making Brock Purdy look like a hybrid of Joe Montana and Cam Newton for stretches of the game. It allowed 48 points and 465 total yards, including 318 through the air.

The loss moves OSU to 0-2 in home conference games in 2018 — OSU was 2-3 in such games last season — and behind the eight ball in league play with respect to the Big 12 title chase. OSU hasn’t shot its foot completely off yet — OU losing to Texas opens things up a bit — but two losses at home, both of which were expected wins, doesn’t bode well for the squad as it readies for a tough road test vs. Kansas State next week.