Oklahoma State Regular Season Grades: Cowboy Back

The upper echelon of college football will get pretty nutty these next few days, as the Cowboys await what bowl they will be placed in.

At 8-4, Oklahoma State improved from the down year the Pokes had in 2018. Before the Cowboys go bowling, PFB is dolling out grades. Here is how the Cowboy backs performed this season.

140-Character Summary: Some day we will look back at the 2019 season and wonder why OSU didn’t use Jelani Woods more. In what was supposed to be a breakout year, Woods is near his reception and yardage totals from a year ago entering OSU’s bowl game.

Best Performance: The Baylor game isn’t a fond memory for the Cowboy faithful, but it was the only game Woods had at least three catches. OSU’s 6-foot-7, 265-pound quarterback-turned-tight end finished the game with five catches and 32 yards, both second to only Tylan Wallace for the Cowboys that day. Logan Carter and Dayton Metcalf also had a catch apiece.

Worst Performance: Without going back and watching every block, we’ll give this one to the Texas Tech game. OSU’s Cowboy backs combined for no catches in the head-scratching loss. Blocking-wise (which isn’t totally on the Cowboy backs), Chuba Hubbard averaged 4.59 yards per carry, his fourth-lowest outing of the season.

Best Play: Woods’ lone touchdown this season was the Cowboy Backs’ best play for a few reasons. The main one of those being it’s the only time OSU’s best player at the position scored this year, which is crazy.

The score also involved all three of Woods, Carter and Metcalf. The three lined up shoulder to shoulder with Woods on the inside, but then with a nice play design where all of Morgantown thought Chuba Hubbard was getting the ball, Woods slipped out, scored and celebrated with his fellow tight ends.

Stat that matters: 23 — That’s how many receptions Woods, Carter and Metcalf combined for this season. Earlier in the season, OSU coach Mike Gundy said Woods could be an NFL tight end with the path he is on, but Woods finished with regular season with 15 receptions for 108 yards and one touchdown. His 15 receptions rank seventh on his team.

Bullet stickers (out of 10):  8 — I’m not sure how much you can knock OSU’s Cowboy backs for not crushing a test when they were only handed half the questions. The group improved its blocking. I can specifically remember highlights from the Oregon State game where Carter sprung plays with solid blocking. I also don’t remember any time this year going, “I wish they’d stop throwing to the tight ends,” or “Well that’s why they don’t give them the ball.”

The Future: Despite the recent news of Grayson Boomer entering the transfer portal, this position group is still on some stable ground moving forward. Woods is only a redshirt sophomore and Carter and Metcalf are redshirt juniors.

It’s probably fairly important that position coach Jason McEndoo brings another guy or two in soon, as freshman walk-on Valek Cisneros is the only other CW on OSU’s roster. But with Woods, Carter and Metcalf all with remaining eligibility, it’s not like OSU needs another tight end ready for the start of next season.