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Oklahoma State looked horrible against Iowa State. They were out-coached and out-played at every level. Once again the offensive line was at the source of the problems on that side of the ball. There’s a lot for this team to improve on next week, but here are the three most important things for them to improve on in their second road game.
1. Offensive Line....
Justice Hill ran for 66 yards on 24 carries. JUSTICE HILL. 2.75 YARDS PER CARRY. I’m totally not mad O-line.
This group has to figure out how to block. This will be a 6-6 season if the offensive line doesn’t turn things around. Taylor Cornelius deserves some of the blame because he takes forever to read a defense and find open receivers, but he can’t make plays if he’s always running for his life.
2. Defensive Pressure
Oklahoma State saw a different game plan, and quarterback, from what Iowa State has used all season. That makes it tough for a defense to adjust in game. With that being said, that isn’t an excuse to let a FRESHMAN quarterback tear the defense apart for 318 passing yards and 48 points. The offense contributed to some of those points by putting the defense on a short field a few times, but this offense only scored 26 points on Akron. The front seven needs to get more pressure and A.J. Green needs to start turning around when the ball is in the air. Rodarius Williams did this later in the game and deflected a few passes and even came away with a nice interception because of it. Overall, this group simply has to play better together for OSU to beat Kansas State. Especially the front seven because Kansas State likes to run the ball so much.
3. Penalties
Once again Oklahoma State surrendered nearly an entire football field in penalties. This week it was nine penalties for 87 yards. Some of those penalties were drive killers in a game where every drive mattered. Other penalties prolonged Iowa State drives and helped them get into OSU territory without having to gain much of the actual yardage on their own. It shows a lack of discipline, and it’s hard to win football games without discipline. Kansas State has always been one of those teams that makes opponents pay for little mistakes. If OSU isn’t careful, they will lose in Manhattan this weekend, and penalties could be a big factor in the outcome of this one.