Wreckin' Tech

     Oklahoma State has room to improve. That is the bottom line after Thursday night’s game against Texas Tech that ended with the Cowboys on top of the Red Raiders with a score of 45-35. Daxx Garman added another game where his quarterback rating was over 80, and he finished with 370 passing yards to go along with 4 thrown touchdowns and 1 that he ran for. Wide receiver for the Pokes, Marcel Ateman, made the most of his height advantage over the Red Raiders cornerbacks, and became Garman’s favorite target for the evening as Ateman racked up 130 receiving yards for OSU. With all the offensive praise that Daxx and company have gotten since the game, it was the defense that was the main point of focus after the Cowboy’s conference opener.

Oklahoma State linebacker Gyasi Akem
celebrates with fans following a 45-35
win over Texas Tech.

      The Oklahoma State defense was shredded in the passing game and had 3 of it starting 4 defensive backs get injured at least once during the game, and a couple of the injured players didn’t return. That meant that an already thin secondary core for the Cowboys had the potential to get even thinner. But the young freshmen that took the place of he injured veterans showed that the future of the OSU secondary has a very bright future. Sure, Texas Tech quarterback, Davis Webb, went after the young men, but aside from just a couple pass interference calls, the Pokes young guns got an interception of the Red Raider QB, and didn’t ever really get beat deep. Aside from that, the defense played a very mediocre game, and OSU looked like they could be in some trouble if they keep playing at that level. Teams like Baylor, Oklahoma, West Virginia, and Kansas State, could rip the Cowboy’s defense to shreds if they continue to perform at this level. Sure, Garman and the offense can put up points, but you can’t ask a first-time starter to continue to put 50 points on the scoreboard every single game. It’s just not possible against the defenses in the Big 12 that have proven themselves as being very impressive early on this season.

     When it comes to analyzing this game, there really isn’t much to say other than it was a good way to gain some momentum for the team. Oklahoma State plays Iowa State this Saturday, so expect to see the defense shut down the Cyclone offense and get back to playing the way they need to in order to compete for the third spot in the Big 12. I’m not saying OSU couldn’t rise to the top, but Oklahoma and Baylor would have to fall flat on their faces for such an event to take place. To this day, we still don’t know how good the Sooners and the Bears are, but to most, they look pretty dang good, and you won’t get a rebuttal from me on that one just yet.

      In conclusion, OSU proved that they could put up points and throw the ball deep in a very efficient fashion. Defense needs some work, and the special teams could improve when it comes to their kickoff coverage. These things can be fixed due to the fact that playing Iowa State should be a game where the Cowboys should find themselves up by multiple scores early on. These are just a few things for coach, Mike Gundy, to think about, as the Pokes host the Cyclones on Saturda

y at 11 AM CT.