Three Takeaways from the Oklahoma State-Oregon Rewatch

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This rewatch was a lot less ugly than the first.

Oklahoma State upset Oregon 39-31 on Saturday in Boone Pickens Stadium. I already laid out 10 thoughts in the immediate fallout of the game, but after rewatching the game Sunday afternoon, here are three other things that stood out.

James Williams Was A Menace

Florida State transfer edge rusher James Williams might’ve not popped too much on the stat sheet, but the Ducks’ offensive tackles are likely glad they don’t have to deal with him any more.

Officially, Williams made one tackle, and it came on the first play from scrimmage when he brought down running back Jordon Davison after a 1-yard gain. Then on the next play, Williams did a good job of setting the edge and forcing Williams back to the inside for a 3-yard gain. He basically made two of the plays on Oregon’s game-opening three-and-out.

He wasn’t credited with a quarterback hurry, but Williams deserves an assist on Keviyan Huddleston’s second-half sack. Williams and Huddleston came off either edge and nearly met at Dante Moore. If anything, Williams beat Huddleston there, forcing Moore to step up and into Huddleston’s waiting grasp.

Williams’ hustle was finally rewarded with a countable stat at the end of the game, when he ran from the backside edge of that toss play to recover the fumble, all but icing the win.

Williams finished with a team-best PFF grade of 85.4. PFF credited Williams with three pressures.

LaDainian Fields Is a Playmaker

LaDainian Fields didn’t bat 1.000 against the Ducks, but he made a few pivotal plays.

Oregon had a 3rd-and-10 from its own 38 late in the first quarter when Dante Moore hit 6-foot-5, 235-pound tight end Andrew Olesh. Fields was there to wrap Olesh up as the big tight end kept churning his legs toward the line to gain, but Fields eventually dragged the tight end down, like a Cowboy to a steer, just short.

Like I said, it wasn’t always pretty. That set up a 4th-and-1 where Moore hit an open Dakorien Moore on a crossing route, but the latter Moore dropped it. Fields was in coverage. It was tough because, one, Dakorien Moore is quite good, and two, it was Cover 1. It looked like the Cowboys were expecting a run, and Fields was left in one-on-one coverage for a while against one of the more elusive receivers in college football. He dropped it. All’s well that ends well.

Then late in the first half, Fields had a perfectly timed pass breakup on a 3rd-and-7 from OSU’s 24-yard line. It ended up saving the Cowboys four points.

Fields also helped set up Dan Lanning’s head-scratching 4th-and-8 call in the fourth quarter, as Fields stuck his shoulder in against a running back to force a 2-yard gain, setting up 3rd-and-8.

Justin Bowick Showed His Versatility

This is back-to-back games now where Justin Bowick stuck out in the rewtch.

Wyatt Young justifiably gobbled up the receiver headlines with his 121-yard performance, but Illinois transfer Justin Bowick also had a dang good outing.

He finished with five catches for 81 yards, where the 6-foot-5 speedster was able to show off his versatility.

He had a few grown-man, big-body receiver catches like in the second quarter when he caught a slant route at the goal line with a defensive back draped all over him. It ended up being a 6-yard gain to the Oregon 1-yard line, setting up Carson Kolb’s TD.

He also caught a pass over the middle, bringing it in and securing it before two Ducks sandwiched him. That’s a tough grab to make.

But then on two other occasions, Mestemaker hit Bowick on a play-action crossing route where the field was clear for him. There, Bowick got to show off that speed, running away from his man coverage and picking up big gains.