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FULL RECAP: General thoughts on OSU's first Big 12 win of the season

The Cowboys take care of business on Thursday night, and now stand a strong chance of starting conference play 3-0.

Brett Deering

The stats are the stats. The running game and offensive line are still works in progress and there were too many penalties, but I was more intrigued by the "eye test," thoughts generated from the performance, AND the post game comments.

Garman throws deep like I eat burgers. I shouldn't do it every meal, I should dial back and have a healthy salad more often, but I like burgers, I know which ones are my favorite, and man is it awesome when I get a really good one, which will happen if you keep eating enough burgers. Oh, and for anyone who thinks that the offense was just as effective with Walsh at the helm, you are obviously not watching the same football I'm watching. The existence of Daxx Garman (and past performance of Clint Chelf) proves that this offense MUST have a solid passing game that threatens the defense.

According to Desmond Roland, it might be impossible to overthrow Tyreek Hill. Coach Gundy trolled us really hard in his post game presser when asked about the TD throw to Hill, but nobody bit. Ateman, Yurcich, and Gundy all clearly thought the ball was well overthrown. The Freek simply switched to his "track" gear and made an easy catch in stride. The fact that it's taken them this long to dial that up is mind-numbing, and I don't want to hear about not giving away too much of the playbook. Secrets are bullshit. Make plays, scare DC's with what you're doing, make them prepare for all kinds of crap. I know they are trying to bring Garman along slowly, but the deep ball to Tyreek is not rocket science.

James Washington is a true freshman. Let that sink in. You might also want to consider that Jhajuan Seales, who was considered the Cowboys most competent wide receiver, has quietly disappeared amid the flourish of activity from Ateman, Washington, and Blake Jarwin. That's how talented the WR corp is, and also what happens when your quarterback is capable of delivering the ball with regularity. BTW...if I'm Texas Tech, why would I work on loading the box against a team that has anemic rushing numbers and spent the entire previous game airing it out? Did they watch ANY game tape from UTSA? They did realize Walsh was not starting, right? If you are going to leave a cornerback alone on Ateman or Washington, you are going to get burned at a completion rate of over 50%. That's crazy.

Speaking of Blake Jarwin, he likes the offensive line. He was quoted as saying the line blocked really well. I hope Gundy and Yurcich help him raise his level of expectation. I'm glad he shows confidence in that group, but, while improving, this bunch still has a ways to go, and will hopefully get there by the time they travel to TCU.

The entire back 7 on defense is littered with inexperienced players. This we already knew, but we didn't expect them to all be on the field at the same time. I will say this...defensive recruiting has paid dividends as the athletic ability from the youngsters is obvious. Ramon Richards played admirably in taking over at CB when Lampkin went out with what looks to be a sprained ankle, and this wasn't an easy offense to deal with. Say what you want about the Tech defense, but Gundy was spot on when he mentioned that Kliff has a really good scheme for the offense, the players know it well, and they have athletes that work well within it. Grant, Marquez, and Washington gave the OSU defense trouble for most of the night, and our front four had trouble generating a pass rush. Webb's injury, while unfortunate, definitely changed the end of that game.

The Freek Show kinda got off the ground for the first time since FSU. Since Gundy obviously listens to folks at the bagel shop, how bout you get in his ear to stop running Hill up the middle. A draw play is good, it gets him the ball in space, but he's run like one jet sweep the entire season, and rarely gets the ball on the edge. The halfback pass should be a staple play with him on the field.

Those helmets. Man, I would love me some more of that, and how they pulled it off was sweet. Even I was complaining before the game when the plain white with OSU insignia came out, but Twitter went full explosion when the chrome domes appeared.

Three crazy post game pressers. Yurcich seemed genuinely happy for the first time this season. Glenn Spencer didn't throw his defense under the bus at all. Gundy spoke almost glowingly about Garman's performance. Maybe Thursday night games also effect the interviews.

That's it for now, but we'll have more as the weekend of football continues. Watch for our usual Game Day Gamethread tomorrow, then we'll be back to a normal schedule as we prepare for Iowa State and our friends at Wide Right Natty Light, who will be visiting Stillwater next week.

Enjoy the highlights:

 

GO POKES!!!