Here Come Bullets: Recapping Iowa State

See below for recaps, highlights and thoughts on the Cowboys’ week 3 matchup against the Iowa State Cyclones:

Around the Media:

The Tulsa World’s Mark Cooper on James Washington’s big day: Where would Oklahoma State be without its top receiver? Perhaps, 3-3. Washington answered the questions about whether he would play by stealing the show in Boone Pickens Stadium Saturday with eight catches for 152 yards and two touchdowns. The 100-yard game, his second of the season, puts him on pace for what could be a 1,500-plus yard season.

Photo Gallery - Tulsa World

Coach Mike Gundy on the offensive line play after making the adjustment for the injured Larry Williams: “We played OK. We could have been better. I’m not a big fan of making adjustments. Those five guys have worked together, so it wasn’t as easy for us.” - Tulsa World

Jordan Burton on Tre Flowers game changing play: “That was a momentum-changer. They were about to go up (17) and Tre got the strip that turned the tide. We always harp on rip-and-strip at the ball.”

Basically everybody recorded a sack for the Cowboys on Saturday: OSU’s defensive line accounted for seven sacks. Even more impressive: Of the seven, 5.5 came from players who did not start. Defensive tackle DeQuinton Osborne and defensive end Tralund Webber, two junior-college transfers who arrived this summer, had 2.5 and two sacks, respectively. Vili Leveni also added a sack off the bench, and Motekiai Maile had one sack and Jarrell Owens had a half-sack. Through six games, OSU has 18 sacks, an average of three per game. That’s just a hair shy of the 3.1 sacks per game the Cowboys averaged last season (40 in 13 games). - Tulsa World

Gundy on Jeff Carr: “I told him he must be a draw specialist. Comes out when we want to run a draw. Made a nice run, didn’t he? Scooted along, made a guy miss, got down the sideline, was quick.”

Fourth-quarter total yards: Oklahoma State 113, Iowa State 23. That’s amazing.

The game recap from Iowa State’s SBNation site, Wide Right & Natty Lite.

I understand what Mason Rudolph is saying here, but when you are obviously more talented than Iowa State, you should be able to run your plays no matter what looks they give you: “They were giving us a lot of different looks that we hadn't seen on tape. A complete 180, really. At halftime, our offensive coaches did a great job of adjusting the game plan and putting in a bunch of plays we hadn't run in practice. And we executed 'em.” - NewsOK

Rudolph faked the handoff, rolled right, and short-armed an incompletion to Britton Abbott — a walk-on redshirt freshman with zero career statistics. A lack of execution and decision making that personified OSU's lackluster first three quarters. “Would I go for it again? Yeah, I'd go for it again,” Gundy said. “We needed to do something to create momentum.” - NewsOK

“That discussion could go on forever. There's been times when we've dropped handoffs. When you can run it down to under 15 seconds, basically, and one-step punt — and we have a great punter — the worst-case scenario is he punts it out (of the end zone) and they get it on the 20 and they get two plays. Defensive players are better now than ever at stripping the ball out. That's just what we want to do.” Gundy on late game clock management.

Zach Sinor is the man: In the Cowboys' win against Iowa State, 38-31, Sinor downed five more inside the 20. Just one touchback, too, after three Cowboys failed to pounce on a ball that bounced inside the 5. - NewsOK

10 Thoughts and the Game Notebook from Pistols Firing Blog.

Photo Gallery - OSU Athletics

Cinematic Highlights:

Plays of the Game:

Cowboys Ride for Free:

Joel Penfield’s unsung hero of the game is Zach Sinor: Sinor punted nine times, and of those seven landed inside the 20, including six inside the 20 during the second half. Two of his punts went over 50 yards, including his long of the day of 57 yards. His ability to pin Iowa State deep was key for the Cowboy defense, especially in the fourth quarter. Not only was Iowa State deep in their own territory, they were backed up with the rowdy (once the comeback started) student section and Paddle People breathing down their necks. The combination of the noise and Cowboy defense being lock-down made life miserable for the Cyclone offense, who had success all game until that point.

Check out Phillip Slavin’s position group spotlight for this week.

MVP Draft Weekly Recap

The Play of the Game

GAME RECAP