A Look at Oklahoma State Football by the Numbers: Offense

In my last post, we took a look at how Glenn Spencer and the Oklahoma State defense did overall in the nation. Not bad Glenn. Not bad. But Mason Rudolph and the Cowboys’ offense might just have you beat. Let’s take a look.

Completion Percentage - 63.4%

This is a testament to the offensive dominance in the Big 12: The Cowboys were 18th overall in the nation, but were actually third in the conference behind national leader Oklahoma and tenth overall Texas Tech.

First Down Offense - 308 yards

Again, this is a testament to how good the Big 12 offenses are. 1/5 of the teams in the top 25 in this category belong to the Big 12. Oklahoma State was fifth in the league and 24th nationally. The other four teams (in order) are Texas Tech (3), Oklahoma (T-10), Baylor (T-10), and West Virginia (20). National Champion Clemson led the country with 403.

Passes Had Intercepted - 4

Mason Rudolph had an incredible season, only throwing four picks all year long. This was not only good for the conference lead, but it was also tied with Western Michigan and Georgia Tech for the national lead.

Passing Offense - 323.9 yards per game

Again, Rudolph had an outstanding year, and 323.9 yards per game in the air was good for ninth in the nation. But nobody could beat that Texas Tech offense. Patrick Mahomes threw for 140 more yards per game than Rudolph, pushing the Red Raiders to first overall with 463.0 passing yards per game. Wow.

Passing Yards Per Completion - 14.27

OSU was only bested by those pesky in-state rivals for the conference lead. The Cowboys claimed the 16th best spot in this category. Air Force led the nation in yards per completion, with an incredible 25.76 yards per catch.

With plays like this, it’s not wonder the Cowboys finished so high.

Scoring Offense - 38.6 points per game

Third in the Big 12, the Cowboys fall in behind OU (third in nation) and Texas Tech (fifth), claiming the 17th spot. The top two spots in the nation may surprise you as both are in Conference USA. The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers earned the first spot scoring 45.5 ppg, while the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs were close behind at 44.3 ppg.

Team Passing Efficiency - 158.37

Thanks to Rudolph’s stellar year, the Cowboys are the 10th most efficient team in the nation. Baker Mayfield was the most efficient though, as he led the Sooners with the most efficient passing offense, generating a rating of 193.79.

Total Offense - 494.8 yards per game

*spoiler alert* The Big 12 is good at offense. They aren’t as bad at defense as everyone thinks (as we saw during bowl season), the offenses are just stellar. How stellar you ask? Six of the ten schools in the Big 12 are in the top 25 in total offense. Oklahoma State is fourth in the Big 12 (but still 14th in the nation), trailing Texas Tech, who was first in the nation, OU is second in the nation, Baylor comes next, but is at sixth in the nation. Texas and West Virginia at 16th and 17th in the nation, respectively, round out the Big 12 in the top 25.

Thankfully, the Cowboys are retaining not only Mike Yurcich, the offensive coordinator, but we are also fortunate enough to have another year of #Rudolph2Washington.

Tune in tomorrow to finish the three-part look at how the Cowboys finished the season stat-wise. *Spoiler Alert* I also go on a mini-rant, because one player in particular doesn’t get nearly enough credit for the job he has been doing.