Orange Squeeze

Oklahoma State had gone 66 years before finally winning in Lubbock last year.  So just how odd was it, that in their first visit back, the Cowboys put "66" on the scoreboard against a Texas Tech team that has nose-dived since a massive upset win over Oklahoma 3 weeks ago.  

I'm sure there have been happier days before.

The Red Raiders scored more points in that game (41) than in their next three games combined (33), and have given up a total of 159 points in that same span.  In fact, had it not been for Cornelius Douglas' fumble return for a score, Texas Tech would have wound up scoreless; which I'm pretty sure hasn't happened in Lubbock. 

The Cowboys made light work of the Red Raiders, scoring just about every time they touched the ball in the first half.  It also didn't hurt that Texas Tech was intent on shooting themselves in the foot; something that the Cowboys defense appreciated, considering that they didn't have to spend almost 40 minutes on the field.  Still, the defense recorded 3 takeaways, each of which was converted for a touchdown.

Joseph Randle had 3 rushing scores to bring his season tally to 21 TD, trailing Wisconsin's Monte Ball (23 TDs), and Justin Blackmon got to pad his stats as well; but a person making a "Heisman statement" was Brandon Weeden who went 31-37 for 423 yards and 5 TDs. 

Weeden became the school's all-time leader in touchdown passes, and is 3 scores short of matching his totals for last season.  Throughout the season, he has slowly built his resume which will receive a massive boost should the Cowboys beat Oklahoma in their season finale. 

Next up for the Cowboys is Iowa State on Friday night.  The Cyclones are on a 2 game win streak, but I doubt they'll be able to match the Cowboys' firepower.

Cowboys prevail in a "Cat and Mouse" thriller.

It may not have had the "Game of the Century" hype, but Oklahoma State vs Kansas State was where all the action was; delivering all the excitement that one could possibly ask for.

The Cowboys won 52-45, but it wasn't until K-State QB Collin Klein's pass to Tramaine Thompson in the end zone fell incomplete that they could truly get the celebration going.  A game that looked like another rout for the Pokes early on, turned in a "cat and mouse" affair, especially in the last 5 minutes which saw a total of 29 points scored between both teams.

The Breakdown.

Offense:

Weeden bounced back from 2 early turnovers to register
a career passing day.

The Cowboys seemed to be on a roll, but it was their 4 turnovers that kept the Wildcats in the game.  Justin Blackmon muffed a punt early, and lost a fumble near the goal-line later on, while Brandon Weeden threw 2 interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown, rounding off a 24 point run for K-State.

Other than that, there wasn't really much the Wildcats could do to stop Weeden from hitting them up for 502 yards (a school single-game record); this only a week after getting torched by Oklahoma's Landry Jones for 505 yards (a school single-game record for OU).  With his offensive line giving him all the time in the world to execute, Weeden was literally playing armchair quarterback; picking off a secondary that not only played soft coverage, but hardly covered the middle of the field despite getting burned for big plays all game long.

Blackmon more than atoned for his costly fumbles with a 54 yard TD reception late in the game, but the rest of the receiving corp deserves some credit as well.  Tracy Moore, Isaiah Anderson and Josh Stewart combined for 15 receptions, causing more problems for an already weak secondary.

There wasn't much production from the running game, as Joseph Randle only managed 73 yards on 16 carries.  He still had three touchdowns, the last one giving his team the lead for good.  With the kind of success the Cowboys had in the passing game, Randle only had to be at his best when needed to.

Defense:

Klein gave the Cowboys more than they could handle.

A recovered fumble on K-State's opening possession helped the Cowboys take a 7-0 lead, and a James Thomas interception resulted in another touchdown to bring the score even at 24.  Unlike most teams however, the Wildcats would just not go away.

Collin Klein, who was held to 58 yards passing against Oklahoma the previous week, passed for a season-high 231 yards.  His improved passing enabled the Wildcats to mix the pass and run effectively, and play "keep away" by holding the ball for a little over 40 minutes.

While they Cowboys weren't able to force as many turnovers, a few stops here and there helped them stay ahead of a pesky Wildcat team determined to bounce back after getting routed in their previous outing.

Overall:

The Cowboys haven't been 9-0 since 1945, when they won the Sugar Bowl under the guidance of Jim Lookabaugh.  With only 3 games left in the season, they've positioned themselves for a BCS bowl invitation at the very least.  Anything more than that is literally "in their own hands".

Next up:

Oklahoma State travels to face a Texas Tech that's been routed in its last 2 games, and has lost 4 of their last 5 overall.  Lubbock hasn't always been kind to the Cowboys, but they were able to win there last year, and should probably do the same on this visit.

College Football Week 9: Hot, Not & Really?

 

After week 9 of College Football, I'm working on introducing a new segment called "Hot, Not & Really"; which rather speaks for itself.  Hopefully this can be a continuing theme as the season goes on.  Without further ado, let's get to it.


WHO'S HOT:


Case Keenum: The Cougars signal caller threw for 534 yards and 9 touchdowns (NINE!!) against city rival Rice.  Keenum is the NCAA's all time leader in TD passes, and should soon be the all time leader in passing yards as well.  More importantly, Houston stayed undefeated.


Oklahoma State's Defense: This unit may have surrendered a lot of yards, but lead the nation in turnover margin.  They've now forced 12 turnovers in their last 3 games; I'd have included the 4 against Kansas, but that wasn't much of a contest.


Oklahoma Sooners: It might seem too soon, but the turnaround is hard to overlook.  After getting embarrassed in a loss to Texas Tech, the Sooners bounced back to crush the previously unbeaten Kansas State; completely dominating both sides of the ball.  They've earned it.


Ohio State Buckeyes: After an off-season they would rather forget, the Buckeyes are making the most of this season.  They blew a 21-point lead in a loss to Nebraska, but responded by handing Illinois their first loss, then soiled any BCS hopes that Wisconsin had, courtesy of QB Braxton Miller's late game heroics.


Nebraska Cornhuskers: The Big Red machine are currently riding a 3 game winning streak, after receiving a rude awakening in their Big Ten opener against Wisconsin.  Their latest antics involved a dominant performance against Michigan State, leaving both teams tied for 1st place (along with Michigan) in their respective division.


Oregon Ducks: They've reeled off 7 straight wins in dominant fashion.  Doesn't matter what they wear, or how they wear it, they just wear opponents out.


WHO'S NOT:


Wisconsin Badgers: Playing within the confines of Camp Randall Stadium, the Badgers carved out a 6-0 start, and were in the running for a national title.  Then came the next 2 games out of state, and after a couple of "hail marys", they're all but out for not only the national title, but the conference title as well.


Texas A&M Aggies: A 38-31 loss to Mizzou marked the 3rd time that the Aggies held a double digit lead (they led 28-17), only to lose the game.  This was a team that most people thought would factor in the national title discussion.


Clemson Tigers: They started off their season by defeating 3 ranked opponents - including defending champ Auburn - and seemed to control their own destiny as far as the national title was concerned.  The Tigers were done in by their inability to stop Georgia Tech's "triple option" attack.


Kansas Jayhawks: They're riding a 6 game losing streak and easily boast the worst defense in all of college football.  In their last outing against Texas, the Jayhawks could only manage 46 total yards (!!!).  I could go on, but there's no fun in flogging a dead horse.


Colorado Buffaloes: They're 1-8 (0-5 in conference).  Can someone please remind me why they moved to the Pac-12?


REALLY?

Tommy Tuberville followed up a signature win
with an embarrassing loss.

Texas Tech Red Raiders: Coming off consecutive losses, the Red Raiders put on a clinic in an upset win over Oklahoma.  Just when you thought that they were finally on track, they lay an egg against Iowa State.  Did I mention that this game was in Lubbock?  In a weird twist of irony, they trailed 24-7 at the half, and conceded 41 total points; a complete reverse from the previous week when they led 24-7 at the interval, and scored 41 points.


Marquel Wade, Arkansas: The Razorback wide receiver delivered "The Cheap Shot Heard Around The World" while covering a punt that was about to be fielded by Vanderbilt's Jonathan Krause.  Wade arrived early and put a hit on Krause before he could even field the ball.  Wade was subsequently ejected from the game, and is suspended for the game against #9 South Carolina.  He has since issued an apology, and you can expect him to have learnt from this episode.

Bear down!!

In a match that had been billed as an offensive shootout, it was Oklahoma State who came out "pistols firing" in a 59-24 rout of the Baylor Bears; a performance that pretty much mirrored last year's "showdown" between these two teams.

Last November, both schools came into the game tied atop the Big 12 South standings.  The Cowboys jumped to 34-0 lead en route to a comfortable 55-28 win.  This time, the Cowboys ended the contest early, leading 35-0 lead at halftime, and were up 42-0 before Baylor got on the scoreboard.

Just like last year, it was the Cowboy's defense shutting down a potent Baylor offense, while the offense just kept rolling.

Let's proceed to The Breakdown, shall we?

Offense

In a match-up between an offense that scores a lot of points, and a defense that gives up a lot of points, the outcome will more than likely be in favor of said offense.  Such was the case as the Bears defense struggled to keep up with the Cowboys.


Justin Blackmon was back to his dominant self, catching 13 passes for 172 yards and 2 TDs, while Joseph Randle followed up last week's performance against Mizzou with yet another 4 TD performance.  Brandon Weeden's numbers may not have been "flashy", but the Pokes had only 2 scoring drives that required 10 or more plays; so it was a case of Weeden being at his efficient best.

Fans also got a preview into the future, when running back Herschel Sims took a hand-off and raced 81 yards for a score.  Sims was a highly touted prospect out of high school, but is having to wait his turn behind Randle and Jeremy Smith; just a little thing called "paying your dues".  From the looks of it, the tradition of good tailbacks in Stillwater will continue.


Defense

An 8-0 start is surely a cause for celebration for both
Markelle Martin and the Cowboy Nation.

Baylor's opening drive stalled at the 1 yard line when the Cowboys mounted a goal-line stand, setting the tone for the rest of the afternoon.  By the time the Bears finally crossed the line, the game was no longer a contest.


The Bears controlled the clock, ran more offensive plays and even racked up more yardage than their opponents, but just couldn't score.  Maybe it was me, but the Bears seemed to be allergic towards Oklahoma State's end zone; turning over the ball three times (on downs, an interception and a lost fumble).

The Cowboys defense has a little "Jekyll and Hyde" theme going on this season.  They rank very low in terms of yards given up, yet they lead the nation in turnover margin; bend but don't break.  They might bend, but they snap back with a vengeance.


They forced 5 turnovers (2 INTS and 3 fumble recoveries) along with 2 "4th down" stops, resulting in change of possession; that might as well bring up the tally to 7 turnovers.  They also sacked Bears QB Robert Griffith III twice, severely limiting his ability to impact the game with his feet (RG3 could only muster 27 yards on 16 carries).


Overall


Once again, Oklahoma State managed to turn a "potential shootout" into a blowout thanks to yet another solid defensive effort.  Not that Baylor is a bad team; in fact the Bears are in the midst of some of the best seasons in years, but the Cowboys were just too much to handle.


Next up


Oklahoma State will be at home at against Kansas State in a prime time match up.  The Wildcats unbeaten run came to a cruel halt against Oklahoma, who exposed their inability to defend the pass; something that should bode well for the Cowboys.

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.