Connect with us

Football

Grading the Game: J.D. King Earns High Marks Against Tulsa

Published

on

OSU is 1-0 to start their season after a 59-24 win over in-state foe Tulsa.

After a LOT of people (Looking at you Herbie!) said Tulsa might give OSU a scare, and called this a “trap” game, the Cowboys easily dominated the Golden Hurricane. Don’t talk to me about the halftime score, this game was over after the first quarter.

With that said, let’s throw out some grades for OSU’s season opener.

Offense: A+

Good God. This is what I’ve been waiting for, for two seasons. An OSU team that came out of the gate in game one looking like world beaters. Everyone from Rudolph, to the receivers, to the offensive line, to the running backs, looked like world beaters.

Don’t tell me it was Tulsa. For all the people saying it would be a game, I don’t want to hear “oh it’s just Tulsa, no big deal” now. No, Tulsa’s defense never had the talent or experience to really slow OSU’s offense down. But it’s one thing to rave about what OSU has on paper and another to see it in action.

I had a whole post planned around why this team was nothing like that 2011 team based on last year compared to 2010, but the offensive performance we saw on Thursday made me chuck it.

Seriously, two of Oklahoma State’s first half touchdowns took two plays. TWO PLAYS. They scored another with just one play.

It’s early and OSU is going to face significantly better defenses. But as far as test number one goes, they passed it with flying colors.

Defense: B

The biggest question heading into the season was the defense. Could they slow down anyone enough to allow the Rudolph and Co. to outscore everyone? They did their job.

The defense was fast. That secondary especially was all over the field. They only allowed 10 points in the first half, and three of those were directly after a turnover.

There were moments when the corners showed their youth, and they got away with it because Tulsa’s wide receivers aren’t great. But they passed test one. There’s room for growth but AJ Green looked good. Ramon Richards showed why he was moved to safety. The linebackers looked good. Kenneth Edison-McGruder was great.

The defensive line was okay. They didn’t do a great job of putting pressure on either of Tulsa’s quarterbacks. But they were matched up against an experienced offensive line that might be one of the five best they see this year.

Uniforms: A-

I really like the helmet. The orange face mask looks great on a white helmet, and the fullbodied Pistol Pete feels like a bit of a throwback, even though he’s never appeared on a helmet like that (according to uniform guru CJ Knox). Also, that stripe pattern is the best thing about this whole combination.

I always like the White-Orange-White look. It’s clean.

I do have one complaint. It’s weird to me to have classic pete on the helmet, while you have phantom pete on the leg. I love both on their own, but they don’t coexist well. It’s a small thing, but once I saw it, I couldn’t un-see it.

Opponent: C

Did anyone really expect Tulsa to score less than 20 points, because that’s what happened.

Tulsa looked better after they realized that Chad President (awesome name) was the better option for them at quarterback, but they were never in that game.

In truth, they were what I thought they were. A well coached team that was replacing a lot of important pieces. Once they figured out who their quarterback was, which most people seemed to figure out a while go (shout out to Kelly Hines) their offense looked better. Chad President should be their best option moving forward, and that team will get better, but personnel turnover has definitely taken its toll.

Fans: A

It was a paid sell-out crowd. Whether everyone showed up or not, it was a sell-out. For a Thursday night game against Tulsa. Bravo Fans.

Mason Rudolph: A-

He started the game 9/10 and the only miss was a pass Chris Lacy couldn’t hold on to.

He finished 20/24 for 303 yards and three passing touchdowns, and he ran another TD in.

Rudolph was stellar. He threw some absolutely beautiful passes and put a real zip on the ball. Yes, he had that REALLY bad decision at the end of the first half where he lost the ball, and there were a couple of bad throws, but nobody is perfect.

I mean, he nearly was last night.

JD King: A

The true freshman was named the back up to Justice Hill, and despite all the great things the coaches said before the season, he was still a guy that had never played a down.

He didn’t disappoint.

On his second carry, he broke a 71-yard touchdown. King looks like a perfect compliment to Hill, and exactly what we’d been hearing about for the past few weeks.

His is going to be a fun career to follow for the next (hopefully) four years.

Most Read

Copyright © 2011- 2023 White Maple Media