Oklahoma State's Defensive Improvement is a Positive Process Within a Rough Season

STILLWATER – Nobody is doing back flips or hoisting toasts of celebration with Gatorade over in the West End Zone of Boone Pickens Stadium. The Cowboys saw head coach Mike Gundy be dismissed on Sept. 23. The next week after the loss to Baylor, defensive coordinator Todd Grantham was told to clean out his office. At that point in the season, Oklahoma State was averaging allowing 35 points and 473-points a game with two of the opponents being UT-Martin and Tulsa. Enter interim defensive coordinator Clint Bowen. Bowen felt the need to take a lot of scheme off the plate of the Cowboy defenders and replace it more with work on technique like tackling and cover skills. 

Bowen found of the players that have stayed attached to the program a willingness to put in the work, to be unselfish, and to do what was necessary to get better. That cover picture was taken in Arizona the day before the game with the Wildcats. The scenery is nice, but now the symbolism is even greater. This group looks together and now they’ve come together.

Jerod Hill/OSU Athletics

Clint Bowen is proud of how his defensive players have progressed in almost every area.

“We are fortunate to have some really tough conscientious kids that have bought into what it means to be a good teammate,” Bowen said of the group. “They are getting along. They are starting to celebrate with each other. I think it has become important to them not to let their teammates down in their role.”

Below is a glance through the pominent defensive statistics of the season. The first four games don’t look as bad in totality because of UT-Martin and Tulsa, but the numbers are bad and anyone who witnessed knows it was bad defense.

Bowen immediately made changes, most in scheme as he worked to make the defensive plan more simple. There was also some in personnel as some players opted for the transfer portal or choose to redshirt after four games, if the option was available to them. 

Jerod Hill/OSU Athletics

Armstrong Nnodim and Sitiveni Kaufusi combine for a stop against Kansas State.

Players emerged that had not been playing as much like corners LaDainian Fields and Eric Fletcher. Safeties like Raymond Gay II, and Cooper lai got more time. Upfront defensive ends Landon Dean and Kyron Duhon got more snaps as did tackles Armstrong Nnodim and transfer Sitiveni Havili Kaufusi and Luke Webb took reps. Leaders Malik Charles, Bryan McCoy, Brandon Rawls, and Parker Robertson influenced teammates. 

We did a story earlier this week on the positive influence of defensive line coach Ryan Osborn, but others have jumped in to like Dean Marlowe, Jules Montinar, and Stan Eggen. It has been a group process that the numbers show is working. 

Give the offense some credit for the defensive improvement as well. The offense has had more sustained drives, less three-and-outs. There have been some ugly turnovers in bad places, but there has been more complimentary football. 

There have been snapshots of plays, like last week’s interception early in the second quarter by Parker Robertson. Pressure put on the passer and the influence of another lineman helped set up that interception.

Jerod Hill/OSU Athletics

Parker Robertson had the interception but others influenced it.

“People never know but like Parker Robertson’s interception, Malik Charles does exactly what he was supposed to do to get the guard’s attention and allow Armstrong Nnodim to get to the quarterback and cause Avery Johnson to throw a bad ball,” explained Bowen. “They see Nnodim get on the quarterback and Parker get the interception and think those two had a great play. The one guy that made it all happen and just stuck his face on the right tackle’s inside shoulder and attract the guard’s eyes made it happen. No one outside of our team knows that Malik Charles was the true hero of that play.

“Guys are starting to buy into how important it is to do the sacrificial job sometimes,” Bowen added. “Early on, I’m not sure it was that way. I need guys to take pride in something I get no credit for, but it helps the team.”

What this process is doing is it may be helping the next head coach have a headstart on a good defensive culture and players here, that Oklahoma State needs, being willing to listen to that coach and stay. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to keep some of these coaches especially Clint Bowen and some assistants like Ryan Osborn or Dean Marlowe around.

Marlowe has worked a lot with Parker Robertson as has Bowen. In fact, Bowen talked us through the blitz early in the game where Robertson sacked Johnson. he told us how he corrected Robertson on his pass rush approach.  In postgame, I asked Robertson about that sack.

Jerod Hill/OSU Athletics

Robertson getting up after sacking Avery Johnson last Saturday.

“That’s Coach Bowen right there,” Robertson said. “Earlier in the week I’d been rounding off my blitz and he said go straight to the quarterback. ‘Make them block you and if they don’t you’re going to put him down.’ I have to give him the credit because I’d been rounding it off and this time I went straight to him and got the sack.”

Coaching, taking coaching, improving, building a stronger defensive culture, and having the results to show it. That’s been going on, so in case you think the season has been a waste, here is some proof it’s been valuable for now and for the future.