The Final Draw: Caleb Hawkins Unlocks Red Zone, Isaiah Chisom Steps Up at K-State

STILLWATER — We’re potentially four days away from playing the ultimate what-if game should the Cowboys knock off No. 10 Texas Tech.

It feels like this game arrives at the perfect time, considering Oklahoma State looked like it nearly peaked in terms of overall performance this season in a dominant 66-28 win at Kansas State.

Things get harder this week, but it still feels like Oklahoma State is a team almost no one would want to meet in the postseason given how well Drew Mestemaker and running back Caleb Hawkins have played lately.

Today’s Final Draw will cover:

— Isaiah Chisom played a starring role filling in for injured linebacker Tate Romney. Was that a product of a poor opponent or can he step up and shine against the Red Raiders if needed?
— Is Oklahoma State’s third-down defense better or are the Wildcats just that bad?
— Caleb Hawkins as a one-man wrecking crew

But first, it feels like the Cowboys found a cure to their Kryptonite in the last two weeks.

All Green Lights in the Red Zone

According to the broadcast, Oklahoma State ranked 100th in the nation in red zone touchdown efficiency when the game against the Wildcats kicked off, as the Cowboys scored touchdowns on 57% of their red zone trips this season despite going 4-for-4 against the Cyclones the week before.

On Saturday, the starting offense went 6-for-6, with the backups settling for a field goal on their only trip. That boosted the season-long efficiency numbers up to 60% (it was 62% briefly before Mestemaker and the starters subbed out).

In the last two weeks, Oklahoma State’s starters have run 30 plays inside the opposing 25-yard line, just to expand the part of the field we’re looking at a bit.

On those plays, Hawkins has carried the ball 11 times for 60 yards, three touchdowns and three additional first downs. Oh, and he caught a screen pass for five yards and an additional score.

That means the Cowboys are going to him 40% of the time in that area, and in short-yardage situations alone, Hawkins has either moved the chains or scored five times. That’s what Oklahoma State’s offense was missing before.

It isn’t just better play from Hawkins and the line making things look better. The Cowboys offense continues to look more creative in the red zone with reverses, Mestemaker’s touchdown reception and generally funky formations. All of which makes sense given coach Eric Morris’ frustration with kicking it down there for most of the season.

In the last two weeks, Young has dominated targets in this area, collecting all three of his for 35 yards and one score. Bowick was the only other Cowboy with two red zone, or adjacent, targets, though his only one on Saturday went down Mestemaker’s only incompletion in this section of the field as the Cowboys QB just threw it behind Bowick.

Mestemaker is otherwise 9-of-9 for 95 yards and five touchdowns. He’s also kept the ball himself four times for 15 yards and a touchdown. Both his score and his longest run in the red zone, a seven-yard gain at Kansas State, were quarterback draws. Although it felt like the 7-yarder could also turn into a pass if Mestemaker needed to get rid of it based on the actions of the Cowboy receivers.

The Unstoppable Force

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