Too hot to Randle.

Oklahoma State beat Missouri 45-24 on the strength of a superb defensive performance as well as 4 touchdowns from running back Joseph Randle.


With the game slated for an early kickoff, some experts penciled this game as an "upset alert" given that Faurot Field can be a tough place to play.  Others speculated that it would be hard for the Cowboys to get on track having to play that early; leading me to question how many of these guys were still up when a rain delay pushed the Oklahoma State vs Tulsa kickoff to 12:15 am.


Without further ado, let's get to the breakdown of this game. 


Offense


No Blackmon?  No Problem; at least for the most part.  Justin Blackmon caught a touchdown pass to give the Pokes a 14-3 lead in the 1st quarter, but left the game after sustaining a shoulder injury.  Brandon Weeden was able to distribute the ball well, completing passes to 8 other receivers.  Tracy Moore and Michael Harrison (1 TD & a team high 71 yards receiving) were just among those who stepped up to pick up the tab.


Honors go to Joseph Randle, though.  With the game still in contention, he broke a 59 yard TD run to give the Cowboys a 21 point lead.  His third touchdown was just the icing on the cake of a game that was pretty much over.  Much like his counterpart Jeremy Smith did last week, it was Randle's turn to answer the bell, and did he ever, helping to spark an offense that was somewhat flat.


Defense

The Cowboys D rustled Franklin

The Cowboys defensive unit didn't have to spend about 40 minutes on the field this time, but they still put in a great effort.  Despite giving up 248 yards on the ground, they weren't challenged as much through the air thanks to the relentless pressure they put on Tigers QB James Franklin.


Franklin, one of the best dual threat QBs in the country, was limited to 184 yards passing, and 55 yards rushing but committed 4 turnovers; including one (a fumble) at the Cowboys goal line when Mizzou had a chance to pull within 7 points.  The Cowboys converted that turnover for a touchdown; just one of three turnovers that provided the 21 points that they scored in the second half.


Overall


Oklahoma State found a way to win, just like it seemed the momentum was getting away from them.  Someone has stepped on either side of the ball, and this has been the recurring them in their last 3 road games (this one included).  It's a testament to the team's resolve, which will continue to be tested, as 3 of their last 4 opponents will be ranked teams.


Special mention: "The Shout Outs"


The Cowboys defense have now forced 7 turnovers in their last 2 games.  Jamie Blatnick had a forced fumble as well as 2 tipped passes that resulted in interceptions by Shaun Lewis and Richetti Jones.  Lewis also recovered a red zone fumble (forced by Wilson Youman) closing the door on a scoring opportunity for Mizzou.


Joseph Randle ran to rescue - literally -, scoring the Cowboys' last 4 touchdowns (he had a TD reception in the first half).  His final total was 138 yards rushing on 14 carries, and 13 yards on 1 reception.


Next up:


The Cowboys head back home and prepare for an afternoon kickoff against Baylor; a team they routed 55-28 last year, despite all the pre-game hype.  Despite the phenom that is Robert Griffith III (RG3), Oklahoma State should be able to come away with the win, on the strength of having a better defense than the Bears.

Oklahoma wards off Tiger upset bid.

The last time Oklahoma faced off against Missouri, they were ranked #1 in the newly released BCS rankings, but were left picking themselves off the mat after the Tigers sprung an upset in Columbia, MO.  It was the third successive week in which the top ranked team fell on the road; Alabama lost to South Carolina a fortnight earlier, and Ohio State followed up with a loss to Wisconsin the week after.


This time around, Oklahoma made sure not to stumble, despite a slow start in which they trailed 14-3, ending the 1st quarter at 14-10 after a Ryan Broyles touchdown catch.  In the absence of Kenny Stills and Trey Franks, Jazz Reynolds and DeJuan Miller had to step up and fill the void.  Both receivers were starters at some point earlier in their careers, but due to various issues (Miller suffered a season ending knee injury, while Reynolds was suspended due to violation of team rules), they had been firmly supplanted by the aforementioned duo.  Reynolds came up with a huge 39 yard reception in the 2nd quarter that possibly shifted the game's momentum in favor of the hosts.


Oklahoma was eventually able to wear down their opponents with a short passing game, and running the ball taking time off the clock.  Also defensively, they made enough plays to hold off the Tigers until the game was beyond reach.  It may not have been the most satisfying performance, but a win's a win, right?


Landry Jones to Ryan Broyles seems to be the key to get this offense going.  In their previous match against Florida State, they hardly connected much after the opening drive.  Jones went over 400 yards passing (AGAIN!!) and Broyles had yet another 10+ reception, 100yd receiving game; numbers that seem to be pedestrian to these two guys.

Despite giving up a lot of yards, OU's defense clamped
down when it mattered the most.

It was nice to see coaches try to get Roy Finch involved, including him in the kickoff return unit.  With Brennan Clay and Dominique Whaley getting the lion's share of the carries in the running game, the only time Finch gets to see the field is while on the sideline.  It would be nice to get him more touches, but that's really up to the coaches.


This was clearly not Oklahoma's best defensive showing.  They gave up 532 yards and two big scoring plays; L'Damian Washington's catch and run for 45 yards & score, as well as Henry Josey who ran 48 yards for a touchdown off an option pitch.  They didn't force any turnovers either, but you can credit Mizzou for protecting the ball.  The defensive unit played really well in between the 1st and 4th quarters, so that's a positive. 


At the end of the day, Oklahoma got the result that it wanted, and it's a lot easier to fix any errors - be they mental or tactical - after a win than a loss.