Three Things We Learned About Oklahoma State Against CMU

After an absolutely insane weekend, we need to look back on what we learned last weekend in OSU’s 30-27 loss to Central Michigan. You need no introduction to what happened at the end of the game so let’s jump right in.

Kyle Porter

1. The USGA would be proud

I’ve written at length about the absurdity of golf’s rule book, but football’s isn’t much better. I can barely give you the proper definition of intentional grounding much less tell you the 29 things that are supposed to happen based on whether there is one second or zero seconds on the clock. We’ve been lighting the referees on fire all weekend, but my goodness, that’s a deep book of regulations.

2. Justice Hill can ball

Watch him the holes on these two runs. [sniffs, wipes lone tear away from eye and whispers into Gilmore Girls coffee cup, it reminds me of Joe Randle …..] Make him the RB1. Do it now, Mike & Mike. Do it now.

3. The middle of the defense can be soft

I’m not saying Chad Whitener, Justin Phillips and Jordan Burton aren’t really good players, but the propensity is there for the middle of the field to get a little leaky at times. Glenn Spencer actually said this after a game in which his D gave up eight first down on 15 CMU third down attempts.

“Our third downs were awful,” Spencer told the Oklahoman. “We played man and we played zone and their quarterback made throws, but we were ineffective at times. We need to play better. There’s a reason it came down to the end.”

Kyle Boone

1. The defensive line depth is the biggest strength

Oklahoma State forced the Chips to beat them through the air on Saturday, with Cooper Rush going for the game of his life: 361 yards and 4 TD’s. But those stats don’t fall completely on the defensive line, who did all they could to stuff the middle. On 26 carries for CMU, they compiled a whopping 57 rushing yards for a 2.2 ypc. When the third-team defensive tackles consist of DeQuinton Osborne and Darrion Daniels, you know you’re in pretty good shape up front. They’ll be tested this week with Pitt’s run heavy offense lead by James Connor.

2. Mason Rudolph is, in fact, human

Rudolph looked agile and sharp in week 1 against SE Louisiana, showing off his mobility and accuracy en route to a blowout. But on Saturday, he struggled mightily with his accuracy and overthrew several receivers down field that would have likely resulted in touchdown — including this awful INT at a time when an INT could have ended the game, if not for a Cowboy turnover shortly after.

Mason Rudolph NFL hype dot com https://t.co/HFmQt5QRJy

— EricInsideTexas (@EricNahlin) September 10, 2016

Mike Yurcich took the blame, but he will need to tighten those small issues up quickly.

“Whether Rudolph had too many plays going through his brain,minimizing the menu & getting him squared away is my job,”Offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich said. “I take blame for that.” And as for Rudolph, he knows he has to fix them. “There are always a few mistakes in my game personally. I want to correct those,” he said Monday.

3. Chris Carson deserves praise

If you look in the stat sheet, Carson’s 27 rush yards aren’t anything to jump up-and-down about. But he was a major factor in the passing game, an area he has been consistent in lately. An area of improvement: His willingness to get the tough yards. At times he looked timid last year, shy to hit holes but he has earned tough yards on the ground for OSU. And when they needed a first down this past weekend, he delivered on a reception out of the backfield that lead to this crazy photo below:

Chris Carson, aka Bruce Lee, karate kicking his way to first downs today #OKstate (via @sarahcphipps) pic.twitter.com/9vHWsWd9nk

— Kyle Fredrickson (@kylefredrickson) September 10, 2016

With Justice Hill emerging as the likely top option at running back, Carson is proving he deserves the touches he’s getting, and could be targeted more in the passing game where he has excelled. He was the third leading receiver Saturday, with 4 receptions for 52 yards.