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It’s no secret that Oklahoma State has turned its season around, and in dramatic fashion, and its left OSU fans wondering where it came from and whether it’s here to stay. Since the Bye week the Cowboys have a Sunflower State sweep and a big road win in a very tough environment at West Virginia.

And, those results have quickly put this Cowboy team back into the Big 12 Championship conversation..

Wait, what?

Just 3 weeks ago, that statement would have gotten laughed out of Boone Pickens Stadium. Heck, maybe some of you chuckled in sarcasm, still, just by reading it. 

So, let’s dive in, and take a look, does this team have what it takes?

Lots of Fun

The players are having fun, the offense is rolling, the scheme has been exciting and OSU fans are showing up to Boone PIckens en masse.

Ollie Gordon has been the best back in America during this stretch, Alan Bowman has made just about every right decision, the receivers are showing their diversity and the O-Line, finally, has come together and is playing well.

But, what about the Defense?

Is it good enough to win the Big 12 Championship?

Let’s take a look at that side of the Ball

2 Sides to That Side

As with every situation, there are 2 sides to the story, and that certainly has been the case for the OSU defense. They have given up 87 points in the last 2 weeks, and that’s despite the fact that the Cowboys have possessed the ball a total of 8:14 seconds longer than KU and West Virginia combined. It’s also in the face of OSU rushing for 499 yards in those games as well.

Obviously, those numbers aren’t good, but they also don’t tell the story. 

At least not all of it.

The Defense, while giving up lots of yards and points, has also created 4 turnovers, 3 interceptions and 1 fumble recovered. It has also forced two other fumbles that they did not recover, and, it has also had multiple 4th down stops at key moments.

Think back to the interceptions from Kendall Daniels and Dylan Smith against KU, or the forced fumble and recovery from Kendall Daniels and the interception by Korie Black last week against WVU. All of those forced turnovers were huge, and went a long ways in flipping momentum and, ultimately, towards helping OSU pull out wins in close games. 

So, despite giving up some fairly “Gawdy” numbers, it feels like OSU has been coming up big on the defensive side of the ball.

Having said that, relying on turnovers for success is a risky proposition, and not one that a defense should rely on. That’s because there are too many variables that are usually out of your control to make those turnovers happen. 

Turnovers are game changers, no doubt, but It’s a much safer proposition to build for success based on being able to execute in areas that can be much more easily controlled. 

So, can OSU do that?

I say yes, and with a lot of confidence. 

Here’s Why

Kendal Daniels has a world of ability! He’s long and rangy, and he has the skills to play both the pass and the run. He’s been caught a couple of times fitting the run, for it only to be play action and for the offense to pass the ball over his head. But, being put in that type  of conflict is more “part of the deal” when asking safeties to fit on the run like OSU does. 

In doing so, you know that you are going to give up some big plays in the pass game, because you don’t have a blanket on the back end. But, I think you’d be hard pressed to find a more talented safety that can change a game faster than Daniels can. In fact, he’s done it two weeks in a row, one with an interception, the other with a forced fumble and recovery.

Nick Martin has been the defensive equivalent of Ollie Gordon piling up a mind boggling 43 tackles in the last 3 games. Simply put, he’s been the best linebacker in the country during that time.

But, while the tackle totals are insanely impressive, it’s not all he’s done.

He’s also done a great job dropping into coverage, has knocked away passes in big moments, and, he has brought the heat when rushing the Qb in the pass game. 

Martin is undersized, but makes up for that with instincts and game planning, which leads to very decisive decision making. That allows him to play fast while having the nose for the ball we’ve enjoyed watching him have.

Xavier Benson might be the most underrated defensive player on the team and the most underrated linebacker in the league. He is long and rangy, and has a ton of College experience, so he can absorb scheme and execute without having to slow down to think. 

Benson has 12 tackles in the last 2 games, which is very good, but his biggest impact seems to be that he just has a nose for the ball in the biggest moments. When he stopped Gilbert, the West Virginia quarterback, short of the the first down last week on a 3rd down scramble, that set up a game clinching 4th down that Kendal Daniels put the finishing touches on.

That’s just one example of how this dude just seems to show up in crunch time.

The 3-3-5 seems be a perfect fit for the Texarkana native because it allows him to use his length and athletic ability to be versatile. And, versatility in both offense and defense is huge, because it allows a defense to flip in and out of different type of looks without changing personnel. That makes it difficult for the other team to decipher the type or style of play or call you might have on from down to down.

Collin Oliver speaks for himself, Korie Black had a huge interception last week and Trey Rucker has shown to be a force in the run game. And, the D-Line, for the most part, can hold its own.

So, the pieces are there.

But, facts are facts, and it would stand to reason that they will have to quit giving up such large chunk plays, and as many points as they have if they want to win out. Which, is likely the only way this club would end up in Arlington. Sure, it’s possible to get there with 2 losses, but I’d rather not take that chance.

So, what do you think? Do the Cowboys have enough to make this run, the run to Arlington for the 2nd time in 3 years? Leave a comment and tell us what you think. 

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