Defensive Woes Too Much For Oklahoma State To Overcome In Halloween Loss To Iowa State
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When someone plays with fire it’s a matter of time before they get burned. The Cowboy defense has had lapses this season and Saturday was a true low point.
Iowa State beat Oklahoma State 51-49 on Saturday night at Jack Trice Stadium in a game that was a throwback to 2010’s era Big 12 football. For as nostalgic as fans get for the offensive fireworks it often gets overlooked that the defenses statistically struggled in conference play.
The Cyclones finished with 581 total yards of offense and scored on 9 of 14 drives. Iowa State quarterback Jaylen Raynor threw for 309 yards. It was the first time this season that he has eclipsed 300 yards. Their 51 points is the second-highest total as well, just behind 55 against Bowling Green.
Running back Aiden Flora also eclipsed 200 yards for the second time this season and had a season-high 221 yards on 29 carries.
Yards per play were also telling. Oklahoma State’s offensive success has been well documented this season and the storyline coming in was how overmatched Iowa State’s offense was. The Cowboys had a higher yards per rush (6.6-6.2) but yards per completed pass (17.2-12) and yards per play (8.1-7.2) both favored the Cyclones.
Most of Iowa State’s passing offense was aimed at the tandem of cornerback Mo Horn and safety Evan Jackson. The pair struggled to contain their assignments and multiple times looked out of position or slow to rotate as a play developed. Safety Quinton Hammonds was also targeted multiple times both in the run and pass games.
Flora was circled as the player to stop if the Cowboys were going to stifle Iowa State’s offense. While there were good moments in rush defense it was also a struggle especially against the pitch to the outside. Iowa State was able to seal off defenders to the perimeter seemingly at will to open extra lanes for Flora. One such play resulted in a 75-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to extend the Cyclone lead to 10 points.
Iowa State also entered as a statistically bad team in third down conversions. This trend was also broken against the Cowboys. The Cyclones converted 8-15 third downs for 53 percent success. Oklahoma State’s inability to get off the field and allowing ISU to extend drives proved to be costly. Simply put Drew Mestemaker and the Cowboy offense can’t hurt you if they aren’t on the field. The Cyclones ended with more than nine minutes more in time of possession.
Special teams was uncharacteristically poor as well. Sam Keltner missed his first field goal of the season after 18 consecutive makes coming into the game. The team was also caught on a surprise onside kick that gave Iowa State an extra possession and a touchdown.
The biggest blunder came after a defensive stop. Safety Bobby Deal Jr. tried to field the ensuing punt while sliding to the ground but muffed the catch and it fell into the hands of the charging Iowa State long snapper. That extended possession resulted in a field goal.
If Oklahoma State intends to reach a more prestigious bowl game the defensive miscues need to be fixed quickly. The Cowboys travel to Manhattan to play Kansas State next week.
