Oklahoma State Cowboys
Overall Rank: #34
#5 Big 12
The Oklahoma State Cowboys had an up and down 2018 season as they won seven games and had their issues as a favorite as well. Oklahoma State lost four times last season as a favorite, which is a bit uncharacteristic for them. Head Coach Mike Gundy heads into his 15th season looking to get the Cowboys back on a track as a contender for the Big 12 championship.
2018 Record: 7-6, 3-6
2018 Bowl: Liberty Bowl vs. Missouri (38-33 W)
Coach: Mike Gundy, (121-59 at Oklahoma State, 121-59 overall)
Offensive Coordinator: Sean Gleeson
Defensive Coordinator: Jim Knowles
Returning Leaders:
Rushing: Chuba Hubbard, RB, 740 yards
Passing: None
Receiving: Tylan Wallace, WR, 1,491 yards
Tackles: Malcolm Rodriguez, S, 83
Sacks: Mike Scott, DE, 3.0
Interceptions: Rodarius Williams, CB, 2
Other Key Returnees: WR Dillon Stoner, OL Marcus Keyes, C Johnny Wilson, OL Teven Jenkins, OLB Calvin Bundage, CB A.J. Green, CB Rodarius Williams, S Jarrick Bernard, K Matt Amendola
Key Losses: RB Justice Hill, DE Jordan Brailford, LB Justin Phillips, QB Taylor Cornelius, OL Larry Williams, DE Jarrell Owens, WR Tyron Johnson
Offense:
Sean Gleeson takes over for Mike Yurcich as the offensive coordinator this season as Yurcich moved on to take a job at Ohio State. Gleeson led a Princeton Tiger offense that put up 47 points per game in 2018 and went 10-0 last season. Tylan Wallace is the top returning player on offense for the Cowboys as he caught 86 passes for 1,491 yards and 12 touchdowns. The duo of Dillon Stoner and Landon Wolf should be able to provide enough production at wide receiver to help freshman Spencer Sanders in the passing game. Speaking of Sanders, he heads into fall camp as the favorite to win the starting quarterback job over senior Dru Brown. Sanders is a dual-threat quarterback that should be able to take pressure off of the offensive line with his ability to make plays with his legs and his arm.
Defense:
This is where Oklahoma State has some work to do if they are going to contend with Oklahoma and Texas for the conference championship. There is plenty of experience at cornerback as A.J. Green and Rodarius Williams are two guys that can go to battle with the best wide receivers in the conference on any given day. Malcom Rodriguez is the leading returning tackler for the Cowboys after collecting 83 last season. Calvin Bundage and Devin Harper will need to lead the way at linebacker since they have the most experience and proven talent out of that position group. The defensive line has some questions after losing six players from that unit heading into 2019. Mike Scott is a senior who did collect three sacks last season and will be counted on for increased production. Israel Antwine is a transfer from Colorado who has plenty of upside as a sophomore and should be in the mix to start right away.
The Bottom Line:
A long road trip out to Corvallis to play Oregon State on a Friday night can be a tricky game if the Cowboys don’t come out ready to play from the opening kickoff. McNeese and Tulsa round out the rest of the non-conference slate. On September 21st, Oklahoma State will open up Big 12 play down in Austin against Texas as the Cowboys will look to pick up another win against the Longhorns after a 38-35 upset victory in Stillwater last October. If they can steal that one it should give OSU a lot of momentum to go on a nice little winning streak in the month of October. TCU and Oklahoma will be the two toughest home games of the season in the month of November and those games could swing the direction of the season pretty quickly. Overall, look for an improved-on field product by Oklahoma State that should come in at around 8-4 or 9-3 depending upon how quickly Sanders can develop at quarterback.
Projected Bowl: Texas Bowl
2018 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 190.3 (46th in nation, 2nd in conference)
Passing Offense: 309.8 (10, 4)
Total Offense: 500.2 (10, 3)
Scoring Offense: 38.4 (13, 3)
Rushing Defense: 185.4 (87, 10)
Pass Defense: 267.1 (118, 8)
Total Defense: 452.5 (112, 9)
Scoring Defense: 32.5 (97, 9)
Turnover Margin: -0.69 (118, 9)
Sacks: 3.00 (10, 1)
Sacks Allowed: 2.62 (95, 8)
Madness 2020 NFL Draft Rankings:
#65 Tylan Wallace
