Everybody remember when New Orleans won the Super Bowl a couple of years ago? I had the Saints defense on my fantasy team and although they gave up a lot of points that year, they were the best fantasy football defense available due to that fact that my league awarded defensive points for turnovers and didn't really focus on yards or points.
The Oklahoma State defense is the same way, and after Saturday they are one step closer to playing in college football's biggest game.
Now if you just look at the stat sheet, the Cowboys gave up 463 yards with 248 being on the ground. Not a great day by the numbers really but there is no question that the Cowboy D was a huge factor in the gritty road win. After the Pokes lost a 21-3 lead, they did exactly what they've done all season. They forced turnovers.
There were 4 second half takeaways that turned in to three scores. Brodrick Brown continued to show why he is the best cornerback in the Big 12, and one of the best nationally with yet another key interception. Shaun Lewis played his ass off and had a 3rd quarter interceptions and fumble recovery. Richetti Jones got the first INT of his ENTIRE career. They did a good job pressuring Franklin and limited Henry Josey to just 138 yards on 25 attempts. It was another big day for the 100th ranked Cowboy D.
Status of Blackmon and Anyiam?
Coach Gundy said in the post game that they held All American Wide Receiver Justin Blackmon out for precautionary reasons due to a head injury. He could have played if we needed him but we didn't. How good does that feel. He should be good to go on Saturday against RG3 and Baylor.
Unfortunately, Hubert Anyiam is done for the season with a broken foot. He could be back for the bowl game. I feel bad for this guy. Solid contributor who's had a few bad breaks (no pun)
Weeden in the Zone
The fact that Brandon Weeden is not even in the Heisman conversation and guys like Kellen Moore and Andrew Luck are kills me, but it's something we're gonna have to deal with. I've come to terms with this and I'm fine as long as the team keeps winning ballgames. He was absolutely sensational though, even without Blackmon in the second half. His final line? 33-49 for 338 and 3 TD's. Looks like a Heisman candidate to me.
The OSU Running Game
We've got something special here folks. Joseph Randle rushed for 138 yards and three touchdowns. He also scored on a 13-yard pass from Weeden. SMIFF ran 13 times for 71 yards. What gives me sports wood though is that when the Cowboys chose to run the ball they were DOMINANT. On 22 second half rush attempts, Oklahoma State averaged 7.3 yards a carry. So yeah, it sucks that Blackmon was held out in the second half, but it just gave OSU the opportunity to flex their running game a little more. Awesome.
#3
Oklahoma State is now #3 in the College Football AP Poll. Also # 3 in the BCS. THE BCS!!! I cherish these moments.
RG3 and Baylor
So it's Homecoming week and we've got RG3 and they Baylor Bears coming to town. The Bears are 4-2 overall and 1-2 in the Big 12 with a big loss to Texas A&M in their last outing and a one point loss at Kansas State. The Bears are a dangerous team simply because of their ability to score a lot of points. It will be yet another big test for the Cowboy defense. We'll have more opinion and expert analysis throughout the week.
One a serious note, take a minute and reflect on where this program is today. Pretty amazing when you stop and think about it.
Go Pokes.