Three Things We Learned In OSU’s Win Over Kansas State

We are still reeling from Saturday’s game in which OSU held on against Kansas State. We learned a lot about the Big 12 title race, but we also learned a lot about Oklahoma State’s team. Here are three things Kyle and Kyle learned from the game on Saturday.

Kyle Porter

1. Chris Carson has a role

It makes sense in retrospect, you know? Kansas State is the brawling, bruising team Carson was meant to pound, and he did it spectacularly all day to the tune of 9.9 yards per carry and the eventual game-winner. I’m happy for him.

“I don’t have as much speed as Justice and some of the other running backs, so I try to lead my head into a physical run and yards after contact,” Carson told the Oklahoman. “I can’t go down by one player. I just kept driving my feet and I ended up in the end zone.”

“I was proud of our ability to run the football,” said Gundy. “I thought Chris Carson was excellent. I thought twenty-seven was excellent.”

OSU ran it for nearly seven yards a pop which is an outragous number for this team which has taken a beating on the ground in the last few years. Carson was the bell cow on a day in which OSU badly needed it.

2. Vincent Taylor might be an All-American

Taylor had three tackles for loss and a sack of Jesse Ertz. He basically gave the ball back to OSU with this monstrous sack on third and three and OSU still trailing. Then he came up huge inside the red zone on the next drive.

He is certainly going to be an All-Big 12 player and could be Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and an All-American. He keeps coming up big in different ways week after week after week.

3. Gundy Badger Is Out Here (although he’s in hiding most of the time)

We might be overlooking it, but Gundy ran Jalen McCleskey out of the Wild Cowboy on the two-point conversion with 1:45 left in a conference road game. I get that the points didn’t actually matter, but it’s just one more example of Gundy either being completely insane or a total genius (or most likely somehow both at the same time).

I wish we got more of this in big boy games.

Kyle Boone

1. Mason Rudolph’s best quality is short-term memory

Mason Rudolph came out just a bit off the mark on Saturday, sailing his first interception of the game that cost OSU dearly with a pick-six and a huge swing of momentum in favor of the home team. Despite his 163 consecutive passes without an INT, he went on to throw yet another pick in the fourth quarter that looked to be, in my opinion, the dagger in the chances of the Pokes.

“One of those balls definitely sailed on me,” Rudolph said after the game. “The other one was kind of a 50-50 ball trying to get Jhajuan Seales to make a play there.”

Insane play by D.J. Reed for Kansas State, and that might do it. https://t.co/VE3SIFJsdM

— Pistols Firing (@pistolsguys) November 5, 2016

After throwing his second interception of the game, one that many thought may have been the nail in the coffin, QB1 responded emphatically to end the game. He finished the rest of the game 4-for-4 passing that went for 177 yards and a touchdown, to help the Pokes storm back. He has that ‘it’ factor and he’s a guy that wants to run it back after making mistakes. His swagger is sky high.

2. The defensive strategy is confusing, at best

Kansas State’s ability to attack from multiple angles, both with a strong power run game and a quarterback run game, forced OSU to play it safe in their defensive attack.

“We’ve got to come up with a couple of answers in stopping the run,” Gundy said in his postgame presser Saturday. “They are a little unique in the tight end, and the wing that they use in their down block and pull and the quarterback run game. You’re always a half man short, but I thought we got schemed pretty good in the run game.”

K-State’s quarterback had 30 carries for 153 yards on the ground, yet went just 12-of-18 for 87 yards passing. From an outsiders perspective, it didn’t make a whole lot of sense having your safeties 20 yards off if you knew their tendencies to keep the ball on the ground. With TCU and OU still on the schedule featuring two of the best running quarterbacks in the conference, it is a huge area of concern that will need to be addressed — and soon.

3. A renewed focus to involve tight ends paying off

The Cowboy back position was alive and thriving in Manhattan Saturday, highlighted by two game-breaking receptions brought down by senior Blake Jarwin. Jarwin’s first catch of the day was classic #AirJarwin set up by a dime-package deluxe from Mason Rudolph. Jarwin delivered.

Air Jarwin. What a throw. Pokes up 14-13. https://t.co/07apkROXd3

— Pistols Firing (@pistolsguys) November 5, 2016

His second catch was also huge, setting up OSU near the red zone and carrying defenders in the process.

Rudolph to Jarwin (again!) https://t.co/hpah90SNqc

— Pistols Firing (@pistolsguys) November 5, 2016

“Mason did a great job of just putting them where I could continue running,” Jarwin told The Oklahoman. “I’m just glad I had enough juice.”

A lot of the tight ends production doesn’t show up on the stat sheets, but Jarwin is now the teams fifth leading receiver on the year, with 14 catches for 247 yards. In his All Big 12 season from a year ago, he netted 17 receptions for just 200 yards. With OSU showing their willingness to go to the tight end in crunch time, he could be in line for another Big 12 conference honor at the end of the year.