Preview 2019: Previewing and looking ahead to the Oklahoma State Cowboys season with what you need to know.
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– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Recruiting Class Analysis | Schedule Analysis
– Oklahoma State Previews 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015
2018 Record: 7-6 overall, 3-6 in Big 12
Head Coach: Mike Gundy, 15th year, 121-59
– CFN Preview 2019: All The Team Previews
5. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE OKLAHOMA STATE OFFENSE
– The Oklahoma State offense more than kept up. It finished third in the Big 12 averaging 500 yards and 38 points, making it among one of the nation’s top attacks – but it wasn’t consistent. It put up 42 points or more seven times, and had strange power outages at the weirdest moments, scoring 17 against Texas Tech and 12 against Kansas State in blowout losses. Under new offensive coordinator Sean Gleeson – who’s great at cranking up passing games – almost everything is in place to do it all again, but …
– The quarterback situation has to sort itself out. Former Hawaii transfer Dru Brown – who’d have been a national statistical superstar had he stayed with the Rainbow Warriors – is a smallish bomber with a good arm, but redshirt freshman Spencer Sanders was the big recruit last season and has the bigger upside. Throw in freshman Brendan Costello into the mix, and there are options, even if there isn’t a ton of experience with the program.
– As always, the Oklahoma State receivers are fantastic. Tyron Johnson left to become a Houston Texan, but Tylan Wallace is back after leading the way with 96 catches and 12 scores. The O spreads out the wealth – eight Cowboys caught at least two touchdown passes – with Dillon Stoner ready to step up as an excellent No. 2 option, the shifty Landon Wolf a good veteran, and with a group of NBA small forward-looking options to work into the fold.
– The running game might have lost leading rusher Justice Hill, but Chuba Hubbard is about to explode. The 6-1, 207-pounder is one of the nation’s best combinations of size and speed, with the pop to hit the home run and the hands to be used for the passing attack. He’s not alone with the ultra-quick LD Brown a part of the mix and JUCO transfer Dezmon Jackson sure to be a factor.
– The offensive line should be a plus after having issues keeping teams out of the backfield. The interior combination of C Johnny Wilson and OG Marcus Keyes will be all-star caliber, and young tackles Dylan Galloway and Teven Jenkins have a little experience on the outside.
NEXT: What You Need To Know About the Defense, Top Players, Keys to the Season, What Will Happen
4. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE OKLAHOMA STATE DEFENSE
– Even by Big 12 standards, the defense was a problem. It was ninth in the ten-team league allowing 453 yards and 33 points per game, giving up 31 points or more in nine of the last ten games. Seven of the top ten tacklers are back, and there’s enough overall talent back to expect just a wee bit of an improvement, but …
– The entire defensive front is gone, starting with pass rushing star Jordan Brailford and with a tackle situation that needs to improve even with new guys in the mix. This is where the recruiting class has to help with JUCO get Sione Asia and Colorado transfer Israel Antwine needing to be instant factors. Overall, the cupboard isn’t totally bare, but it’s going to be a work in progress.
– The linebacking corps needs some work, too, after losing leading tackler Justin Phillips and third-leading hitter Kenneth Edison-McGruder. 215-pound Calvin Bundage is back at one spot after coming up with 62 stops. There’s a little more size with 235-pound Devin Harper back after making 44 tackles and 225-pound Amen Ogbongbemiga ready to do more after getting his feet wet as a special teamer.
– If you’re going to be good in one area on defense in this conference, it’s the secondary. The pass defense might have allowed 267 yards per game, but it was all on dinking and dunking. However, OSU only came up with five picks.
AJ Green is a good-sized veteran cover-corner, and Rodarius Williams is a good tacklers on the other side. The corners are the stars, but the safety combination of Malcolm Rodriguez and Jarrick Bernard aren’t far behind. Unlike other parts of the defense, there’s depth across the board, too.
NEXT: Top Players, Keys To the Season, What Will Happen
3. TOP OKLAHOMA STATE PLAYERS
Best Oklahoma State Offensive Player
WR Tylan Wallace, Jr.
The 6-0, 185-pounder wasn’t quite the best receiver in college football, but he wasn’t far off after going from being a part of the puzzle as a freshman to an 86-catch, 1,491-yard, 12-touchdown dominant force.
He might not be big or physical, but he’ll stretch the field averaging more than 17 yards per grabs. He hit the 220-yard mark with ten catches against both Texas and Oklahoma, but he was a consistent playmaker. He’s a true No. 1 to worry about.
2. RB Chuba Hubbard, Soph.
3. OG Marcus Keyes, Sr.
4. C Johnny Wilson, Sr.
5. WR Dillon Stoner, Jr.
Best Oklahoma State Defensive Player
CB AJ Green, Sr.
Great in the classroom as well as on the field, he’s an all-star in both areas with the talent, smarts, and leadership ability to be the main man for a good-looking secondary. He might be a wiry 6-1, 190-pounder, but he’s strong in the open field with 49 tackles, and he’ll win his share of battles when the ball is in the air. He only came up with one pick, but he broke up 11 passes.
2. LB Calvin Bundage, Sr.
3. S Malcolm Rodriguez, Jr.
4. CB Rodarius Williams, Jr.
5. S Jarrick Bernard, Soph.
NEXT: Keys to the Season, Prediction & What Will Happen
2. KEYS TO THE SEASON
Biggest Key To The Oklahoma State Offense
Run well every game. The passing attack might be fun, but the ground attack is usually the difference-maker under Mike Gundy. The backs are in place with a whole lot of speed, talent and flash, and the quarterbacks will run, too – now they all have to be effective game-in-and-game-out.
Oklahoma State ran for fewer than 140 yards five times last season … and went 0-5. It wasn’t just about the yards; the attempts weren’t always there. Texas Tech and Kansas State were able to control their respective games, OSU got behind, and those were the only two games all year – both blowout losses – with fewer than 30 carries.
Yeah, the ground game worked in the loss to Baylor, but the Cowboys went 7-1 when going over 140 yards and are 15-2 over the last two seasons when hitting the mark.
Biggest Key To The Oklahoma State Defense
A few takeaways would be nice. The Cowboy defense needs to restock the shelves in the front six, it has to be stronger against the run, and it has to stop getting picked apart by all the good quarterbacks in the Big 12. But the conference leader in sacks has to be able to force more screw-ups.
The Cowboys only won the turnover battle once last season – going a +1 against Boise State – because the D didn’t come up with turnovers. It recovered just six fumbles after coming up with two in the opener against SE Missouri State, and picked off a mere five passes with two coming in the loss to Texas Tech.
Worst of all, considering all the high-octane passing teams the secondary dealt with, there was just one interception over the final seven games.
Key Player To A Successful Season
QB Spencer Sanders, RFr.
Or Dru Brown, or Brendan Costello. It’s Oklahoma State – the quarterbacks are going to produce no matter what. Brown might be the more ready-made option, and Mike Gundy is never afraid to go young – Costello will get a long look – but Sanders has the skills to grow into the offense and be its signature star for the next few years.
Taylor Cornelius only hit 59% of his passes with 13 picks, but he ran well and threw 32 touchdown passes. Sanders can do that, but again, Brown is right there in the mix.
Key Game To The Oklahoma State Season
Oklahoma, Nov. 30
It’s time to win this game again. It’s the final date of the regular season, it’s in Stillwater, and after losing four in a row and six of the last seven in the series, Oklahoma State has to take it back.
Of course, if everything goes well, it might not matter. The Cowboys have a whole lot of other fish to fry before getting to November 30th, but they might be able to lose and still get to the Big 12 Championship. But … it’s time.
– Oklahoma State Schedule Breakdown & Analysis
2018 Oklahoma State Fun Stats
– Red Zone Scores: Oklahoma State 60-of-67 (90%) – Opponents 39-of-53 (74%)
– Time of Possession: Opponents 32:30 – Oklahoma State 27:27
– 4th Down Conversions: Oklahoma State 15-of-24 (62%) – Opponents 10-of-19 (53%)
NEXT: What Will Happen
1. OKLAHOMA STATE WIN TOTAL PREDICTION: WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN
There’s a lot not to like coming off a seven-win season.
The Cowboys need to come up with a new starting quarterback, the defense will undergo an overhaul on the front six, and the secondary – while talented and good – has to figure out how to intercept a pass.
Three of the first four games are on the road, five of the first eight are away from Stillwater, and it’s a backloaded slate with a trip at West Virginia and the showdown against Oklahoma to close things out, but …
Set The Regular Season Win Total At … 8
About that first part of the season with the road game run to kick things off, one of the dates is at Oregon State, and one of them is at Tulsa. Before getting a week off, four of the first five games are against teams that didn’t go bowling.
TCU and Oklahoma are going to be among the four best teams in the conference, and both of those games are in Stillwater, and there are only two games outside of Oklahoma after October 5th.
The quarterback situation will be fine, the skill players are amazing, and the offense will be among the nation’s most explosive again. The D won’t be Alabama’s, but it has talent in the secondary and the pass rush should still be there despite the loss of so many key producers.
The Cowboys will lose two of the four road games against Texas, Iowa State, Texas Tech and West Virginia, and they’ll drop two of the home dates against Kansas State, Baylor, TCU and Oklahoma.
There’s just enough uncertainty to keep the Cowboys from going to the Big 12 Championship, but they’ll be better, and they’ll come up with a stronger season.
– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– Recruiting Class Analysis | Schedule Analysis
