Pokes Report Defensive Notes: Cobb on Fellow LB Benson vs. Tech and Sack Margin
(Oklahoma State Athletic Media Relations contributed to this story with the Lucky 50? segment.)
STILLWATER – Mason Cobb is having a strong season. The junior linebacker starting for the first time in his Cowboy career leads the defense in tackles with 30 overall. He has seven tackles-for-loss and two sacks. His stop on the fourth and one at the 16 versus Baylor last week was excellent pursuit and defensive perimeter work. His fellow starting linebacker Xavier Benson has 26 tackles. Benson is especially charged up this week as the Texarkana, Texas native is playing his original Big 12 team. Out of Pleasant Grove High School, Benson went to Texas Tech where after he red-shirted a season, Benson started and played in all 12 games with 57 tackles, 36 unassisted, four tackles-for-loss, and a sack. Benson had seven tackles in the game against the Cowboys, his career high at that point.
“He’s all excited and I know in film he is calling out friends and things about his friends (on Texas Tech team),” Cobb said of Benson this week. "He’s pointing out little things he remembers from being there. It is great that he gets to play his old team.”
It is and Pokes Report subscribers should get to hear more first-hand from Benson in his NIL report on Thursday. Benson doesn’t know this coaching staff led by Joey McGuire and all their schemes, but he knows many of the Texas Tech players and some potentially helpful knowledge.
“He’s got little tendencies. He’s really good friends with the running back and he’s talking about how he likes to spin and all this stuff,” Cobb said of Benson talking about Thompson. “How he likes to chop block (go low while blocking). It’s good to have him talk about all those guys.
Cowboys Have Numbers to Rush Donovan Smith
Oklahoma State had loads of success last season as they sacked Texas Tech quarterback Donovan Smith five times and held Smith to 9-of-29 passing for 83-yards in a 23-0 Oklahoma State shutout in Lubbock. This is not the same Smith as last season as he leads the Big 12 in passing yards since coming in against Murray State in the Red Raiders opener after season starter Tyler Shough was injured. This season Smith has complete 142-of-213 passing for 1,475-yards (Big 12 best) and 11 touchdowns but seven interceptions.
This Oklahoma State team already has 12 sacks and Texas Tech has allowed 19 sacks. Defensive tackle Brendon Evers was asked about the depth with the Cowboys comfortable with as many as 12 players rotating in and out on the defensive front.
“You’ve been around here and seen us week after week,” Evers said. “That is what we do.”
Head coach Mike Gundy likes the strength in numbers.
"That's always going to important,” Gundy said of having depth in rushing the quarterback especially when you may have to do it nearly 60 times. “Good news is we really don't have anybody playing more than 42, maybe 43 snaps per game, which is really good. We'd like to keep it that way. We're getting into a game here where there very well could be 100 plays on both sides of the ball from the standpoint of we play fast and they play fast. That depth could be important."
Sack Margin?
I have personally been trying to get football entities like the Big 12 Conference, the NCAA, and even the NFL to buy into my stat invention. I call it “Sack Margin” just like Turnover Margin.
Oklahoma State has thrown three interceptions and lost one fumble. Opponents have also thrown three interceptions and lost one fumble, so the Oklahoma State turnover margin is 0.0.
Sack margin the Cowboys have sacked opposing quarterbacks 12 times and the offensive line has only allowed three sacks, so the sack margin is +9 and it is +2.25 per game. Texas Tech has sacked quarterbacks 12 times, same as Oklahoma State, but they have allowed 19 sacks. That comes out to -7 sack margin and a per game sack margin of -1.4.
Lucky 50?
Saturday's contest will mark the 50th time the Cowboys and Red Raiders face off in a series that dates back to 1935. It will also mark the 27th consecutive season in which the two teams meet, which started in 1996 with the commencement of Big 12 Conference play. The winner will gain the advantage in the series, as the all-time series record is tied at 23 wins a piece, along with three ties. The series has heavily favored the Cowboys recently, with OSU winning 11 of the past 13 matchups. The Cowboys hold a 13-8 record when facing TTU in Stillwater and have won eight of the past nine games in the series when played at Boone Pickens Stadium.
Mike Gundy is 13-4 in his career against the Red Raiders, but will face first-year head coach of Texas Tech, Joey McGuire, for the first time. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. on Saturday and will be televised on FS1.