Jaylen Warren Has Been a Difference Maker for the Pokes the Past Few Weeks

STILLWATER – There’s no denying the fact that Oklahoma State’s run game was rather stagnant the first couple of games of the season. The Pokes struggled to move the ball on the ground, combing for just 153 total yards and three touchdowns on the ground.

That is, the offense struggled on the ground until Jaylen Warren was made the main running back, which desperately gave the Pokes’ offense the shot in the arm it needed.

In the first two games of the season, as a backup, Warren totaled just 46 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries. The last two games as the primary back? Warren’s totaled 341 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, as well as 81 yards through the air, 52 yards of that coming on an impressive screen play in the opening drive of K-State game.

“Physical, explosive, it’s like he’s got a turbo pack on back there when he gets the ball,” said Baylor head coach Dave Aranda of Warren. “He jumps off the screen. He has been the difference in their offense, really.”

Altogether, through the first four games, Warren’s carried the ball 79 times for 387 yards and four touchdowns, and seven receptions for 117 yards.

"It's hard to tell at times when we evaluate high school players, transfer players, we miss right? The NFL spends millions and millions and millions and millions of dollars and they miss. So, obviously we liked [Jaylen Warren] from what we saw on tape, or we wouldn't have brought him in here,” Mike Gundy said on Monday. “It wouldn't have been fair to bring him in for one year if we didn't think he could get considerable number of snaps. So, we were correct in that. When he showed up and started training with Rob Glass, he made more strides in physical strength and speed development in three to four months than any player that I've seen. And it was because of the training that he's had with Rob Glass. Nothing against where he came from, nothing against their training, I just saw where he started and where he is now, and he made huge strides with his speed and his strength, in being here with coach Glass."

I’ve admitted the past couple of weeks just how wrong I was back in the spring. I was quite critical of the coaching staff for bringing in another running back because of who they already had. LD Brown had a solid season last year in replacing an injured Chuba Hubbard, Dezmon Jackson had a breakout performance against Texas Tech and looked poised for a solid season and Dominic Richardson had a breakout performance against Baylor.

Well, LD’s been hurt the past few weeks and wasn’t producing before that, Jackson has been hurt the past few weeks and wasn’t producing before that and Richardson just hasn’t gotten going yet. Thank goodness for Jaylen Warren and let’s hope he keeps the production from the past few weeks up moving forward.