Stinks/Doesn’t Stink: On OSU’s Defense and Big 12 Refs

We’re baaaaack for the Week 3 edition of stinks/doesn’t stink, a weekly column wherein I sift through the happenings of the Big 12 as it relates to Oklahoma State and determine whether it has a stench, or whether it does not.

As always, if you have a specific topic you want to talk about, hit me up on the Twitter.

OSU’s defense

Coming into Bedlam week, OSU’s offense wasn’t a sure thing with Mason Rudolph’s struggles, the special teams unit looked worse than what Rudolph would look like in a mullet, but the defense was hitting its stride after putting Billy Grier into the spin cycle of shame in Morgantown.

Sixty-two points and 785 yards surrendered later, fans have quickly turned from, “Best defense ever, Gundy!” to, “Fire Glenn, burn it all down!”

Look, I get the angst as it relates to Saturday. No one — and I mean no one — saw that coming. Glenn Spencer was all but pulling his hair out in the postgame. But in this particular contest, I think it’s as simple as chalking it up to a bad performance against the best player in college football.

Baker Mayfield had his way against OSU, but that side of the ball has enough talent to bounce back and continue to be a net positive for the Pokes moving forward.

OSU’s defense is 78th nationally in total defense giving up 5.42 yards per play on the season, but with the brunt of the front-loaded schedule out of the way, I think the unit rebounds with a strong finish unlike seasons of the past that have been back-loaded from a schedule standpoint. Let’s let the defense have a mulligan and run it back in Ames before we make any sweeping judgements.

Verdict: Doesn’t stink

Big 12 refs

I was going to try and write a full sentence before making any judgements but WHAT ARE YOU DOING BIG 12 REFS?! Saturday was a masterpiece of the hottest garbage I am mentally incapable of understanding.

Instead of Oklahoma State taking a commanding 14-0 lead early, the Pokes jumped out to a 3-0 lead — thanks to a nothing burger holding call on James Washington and an overturned fumble that negated a Calvin Bundage touchdown.

HOW. IN. THE. SAM. HILL. DO. YOU. OVERTURN. THIS?

HE LITERALLY TOOK NINE STEPS WITH THE BALL pic.twitter.com/EDGsgFNkp6

— Pistols Firing (@pistolsguys) November 4, 2017

There is nothing here that says this is indisputable. I will never believe it. My eyes hurt watching it.

Verdict: Stinks

Bedlam crowd

The OSU home crowd has caught some flak from many (myself included) for exiting stage left way too early — specificly aimed at the fans with Greek letters on their shirts. But BPS was a rocking volcano ready to erupt against OU, and it did so appropriately when Chad Whitener made the play of the game with the backs of the defense up against the wall.

I’ve heard BPS at peak BPS, but my gosh, this was peak BPS. Seriously, it’s the loudest I’ve ever heard the place get.

I was yelling so loud at Porter (who was standing right next to me), I may have popped a vein in my neck trying to explain that I had zero cell service because there was still 60,000 fans trying to tweet and Instagram and snapchat at the same time I was trying to tweet and Instagram and snapchat. Best home environment I’ve ever personally experienced.

Verdict: Didn’t stink

Related content

• Stinks/doesn’t stink Week 2: On CFP rankings and OU’s defense

• Matt Campbell calls Mason Rudolph a ‘robo quarterback’