PFB Roundtable: Red Zone Scoring and How Huge K-State is for OSU’s Season

This week, we are a little thin in the Roundtable depth chart due Kyle Boone and Marshall Scott taking part in OSU’s Media Hoops event. But the show must go on. So two-thirds of the Kyles convened to talk about the upcoming Kansas State game and where we want to see improvement from the Pokes.

Kyle Cox: Are we underestimating the importance of this Kansas State game, or how good the Wildcats (No. 24 and undefeated) might be?

Kyle Porter: OSU and Kansas State have always engaged in low-key wars no matter the locale. So I’m not as concerned about score as I am about performance. Last year’s team would come out with a flatline heartbeat against KSU following that Texas tussle last weekend. This year’s squad? Remains to be seen.

Cox: That’s what I’m most interested to see, how well they come out against K-State. We hope this team is more consistent and more mature than last year’s. We’ll soon find out.

I think this game is huge. Losing a crazy night road game to a top-15 Texas team is bearable — and probably should have been expected — but dropping two in a row puts OSU in a deeper hole than they want to be at this point in the season. There’s a thin line between fun, with upside and reeling.

Cox: Who have you been pleasantly surprised by through four games?

Porter: I’m stealing your helmet sticker guy from last week: Amen Ogbongbemiga has been a delight. He’s like 90 percent of Bundage with 1 percent the penalties. I think in my head I’ve always thought of him as a second string-type guy, but that’s not how he’s played so far this season.

Cox: I’m going with Trace Ford. Sell me all the stock. I thought he was an intriguing young piece (he is) and maybe he’s not been the impact player that we make him out to be in Slack, but I think he is going to be an absolute stud sooner than later.

Porter: PFB already owns all of the stock so you are technically a part-owner of it.

Cox: ?

…Who have you wanted to see more from? (Not necessarily someone who has played badly, but maybe hasn’t had the impact you foresaw.)

Porter: Probably Dillon Stoner. He’s been fine. He’s a good player. I want him to exist in that space between good and great though. Whatever the opposite of purgatory is, he needs to exist there. I just don’t see it yet. Maybe he has the juice, maybe not, but I feel like when you’re in your 19th year of college you just kind of are who you are.

Cox: Any RB not named Chuba Hubbard. I want to see someone, anyone other than LD Brown carry a football behind No. 30. What happened to Micah Cooper after Week 2(?), Or the slew of offseason RB additions who were supposed to make an impact? Chuba needs to see less than 30 carries in my opinion, secondary to winning (of course and if at all possible).

Cox: What’s the No. 1 thing you want OSU to do better against K-State?

Porter: Red zone scoring. You love the points per red zone attempt numbers (PPRZA for short), and OSU was not great on them against Texas (they’re 54th in TD percentage in the red zone on the season). Un-muzzle 3 and let him do 3 stuff against a K-State defense that will be outclassed. Let him improv a little bit. Physically, he’s capable, and I think the mental and emotional maturation of a game like he had against Texas can’t be overstated. Make teams fear you three different ways in the red zone instead of just stuffing it into Chuba’s sternum and hoping the result is different than it was last time

Cox: I obv agree on the red zone scoring. I also want to see the running game improve in general, especially in the score zone. That needs to come from blocking, playcalling and, like I said, someone other than Chuba showing up. If you take Spencer Sanders’ late scramble away, which was all about Spencer’s star power and not scheme, OSU has 193 rushing yards on 3.5 per carry. That’s 2018 TCU game inefficient.