STILLWATER, Okla.– Tonight’s matchup looked a little different from last week’s, with the Oklahoma State Cowboys securing a 34-17 victory over the Arizona State Sun Devils. There were a couple of game-determining factors in this game that were not so present in the home opener.
First, the Cowboys relied much more heavily on the run game. While the passing game was still utilized with Sanders throwing for 268 yards and 2 touchdowns, the game on the ground solidified OSU’s victory. Junior running back Dominic Richardson led the team in rushing, with 131 yards and 1 touchdown, averaging 4.9 yards per carry, and Sanders was also in the mix with 54 yards and 1 touchdown.
The success that came with running the ball tonight can be attributed partially to a much-improved offensive line in terms of run blocking. Last week, in the post-game press conference, Head Coach Mike Gundy touched on how the team needs to improve on run blocking. It seems as if the team took that statement to heart tonight, creating holes in the ASU defensive line for Richardson to break through play after play. Richardson was the primary back of the night for the Cowboys and was able to make a statement with his playmaking abilities as the game progressed.
“I’m a physical runner for sure,” Richardson reiterated when asked about his play style. “I can’t do that without my o-line though, especially not without my QB. He gave me great lanes and read the plays really well.”
This adjustment was primarily evident in the fourth quarter, as the Cowboy offense shifted from a seemingly balanced run/pass game plan to an almost strictly run-based playbook. This could be because of the rain shower that started around the middle of the third quarter, or because the coaching staff was satisfied with what they saw on the ground.
Pat Kinnison - Chief Photographer
Rushing TD by Spencer Sanders.
“We ran the ball for 4.3 yards per carry,” Gundy said of his team’s run game. “4.5 is what we’re looking for, but much, much better rushing the football. We were much more physical in the second half, our running backs broke some tackles on key third downs to keep the drive alive.”
The final rushing stats on the night for the Cowboys were 197 yards and 2 touchdowns on 46 attempts.
Second, penalties played a huge role in the outcome of this game. With a total of 17 on the night for a combined 141 yards, several plays were altered as a result of these calls. Many of the calls were minor and common mistakes that can be addressed pretty quickly, such as holding calls or a false start flag. Others were more impulsive, such as the unsportsmanlike conduct call.
“There’s no need to talk trash, we talk about that a lot,” Gundy said. “So let’s just play football, I know it’s an emotional game, but you can’t win games being emotional after every play.”
Oklahoma State was responsible for 7 of these calls, losing 69 yards as a result. With something that is as easily controlled as penalties, expect a much cleaner performance from the Cowboys against Arkansas Pine Bluff next weekend.
Finally, the OSU defense redeemed itself after last week's questionable performance, finishing with 65 tackles, 8 tackles for loss and 3 sacks on the night.
It took a little more time than some would have liked for the defense to settle in, but when they did, Arizona State was forced to look for something that worked. The Sun Devils found success in big plays here and there but were not able to get into a consistent offensive rhythm. They finished the night with 354 total yards on offense.
Pat Kinnison - Chief Photographer
Tyler Lacy & Jason Taylor II celebrate after a big play.
Some of the defensive mistakes early on can be attributed, again, to some of the players looking to get adjusted to playing at a higher level that comes with a Power-5 matchup
“We were better obviously, you could tell by watching the game that it was a lot cleaner,” Coach Gundy said on his defense’s performance tonight in comparison to last week. “I'm pleased with where we are. We have a ways to go, but I’m pleased with the strides we made from that game to this game.”
So far, it seems as if this Oklahoma State team improves with each passing day. We can expect this trend to continue into the game against the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions next Saturday, which rounds out the non-conference schedule for the Cowboys. This matchup will be the last chance for OSU to get all the kinks out of their system before they face off against Baylor to kick off October and conference play.
