Oklahoma State Cowboys
Overall Rank: #21
#3 Big 12
Oklahoma State went through some growing pains at times during the 2019 season but still found a way to win eight games and earn a berth in the Texas Bowl. The Cowboys will head into the 2020 season with a lot of experience on both sides of the ball, which should excite Oklahoma State fans a great deal. Head Coach Mike Gundy and his staff continue to find a way to put out a highly competitive product and should do more of the same in 2020 in spite of the lost practice time in the spring due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
2019 Record: 8-5, 5-4
2019 Bowl: Texas Bowl vs. Texas A&M (21-24 L)
Coach: Mike Gundy (129-64 at Oklahoma State, 129-64 overall)
Offensive Coordinator: Kasey Dunn
Defensive Coordinator: Jim Knowles
Returning Leaders:
Rushing: Chuba Hubbard, RB, 2,094 yards
Passing: Spencer Sanders, QB, 2,065 yards
Receiving: Tylan Wallace, WR, 903 yards
Tackles: Malcolm Rodriguez, LB, 103
Sacks: Amen Ogbongbemiga, LB, 5.0
Interceptions: Kolby Harvell-Peel, S, 5
Other Key Returnees: WR Dillon Stoner, WR Braydon Johnson, S Tre Sterling, CB Rodarius Williams, CB Jarrick Bernard, OL Teven Jenkins, OL Dylan Galloway, OL Bryce Bray, DL Trace Ford, DL Cameron Murray, DL Israel Antwine, DL Tyler Lacy, P Tom Hutton
Key Losses: QB Dru Brown, CB A. J. Green, OL Marcus Keyes, K Matt Ammendola, WR Jordan McCray
Offense:
Quarterback Spencer Sanders should take a step forward with his play heading into his sophomore season in 2020. Sanders had a typical freshman season in 2019 as he completed 62.75 percent of his passes for 2,065 yards, 16 touchdowns, and eleven interceptions. Chuba Hubbard is the bellcow of the offense nds he will be looking to put up another 2,000 rushing yard season in 2020. Hubbard averaged 6.4 yards per carry and rushed for 2,094 yards, along with 21 touchdowns. Look for Hubbard to be in the Heisman Trophy conversation all season long. The receiving corps should be rock solid as Tylan Wallace and Dillon Stoner will be back in 2020. Wallace would have been well on his way towards catching 100 passes in 2019 if he had not suffered a season ending injury in practice. Despite the injury, Wallace caught 53 passes for 903 yards and eight touchdowns while averaging 17 yards per reception. Stoner caught 52 passes for 599 yards and four touchdowns, which makes him a solid number two or three receiver. Braydon Johnson is back as well after catching 23 passes for 491 yards and four touchdowns last season. The offensive line returns three starters led by Teven Jenkins. They also will benefit from the addition of Josh Sills who transferred over from West Virginia in the offseason.
Defense:
Defensive coordinator Jim Knowles will reap the benefits of having a bunch of returning starters on this side of the football heading into the 2020 season. Amen Ogbongbemiga and Malcolm Rodriguez are back at linebacker to set the tone for the defense. Ogbongbemiga can definitely get after the quarterback as he had five sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss, thus creating a matchup nightmare for opposing offensive coordinators. Rodriguez led Oklahoma State in tackles last season with 103, including seven tackles for loss and four quarterback hits. The secondary is back intact led by Kolby Harvell-Peel, who picked off five passes in 2019. Tre Sterling is another playmaker in the backend who has knack of making plays as he had eight tackles for loss in 2019. Jarrick Bernard collected 54 tackles and had five pass breakups last season for the Cowboys.
The Bottom Line:
Oregon State is scheduled to visit Boone Pickens Stadium on September 3rd to finish off the home and home with the Beavers. Oklahoma State defeated Oregon State 52-36 in a good old-fashioned shootout. The rest of September sets up nicely as the Cowboys will host Tulsa and Western Illinois. On October 3rd, Oklahoma State will open up Big 12 play down at Fort Worth against TCU in what will be a bit of a swing game in the conference race. Bedlam will take place on October 24th in Norman against the Sooners as the Cowboys will be looking to avenge a 34-16 loss at home in Stillwater last season. The month of November has a balanced feel schedule wise with two home games against West Virginia and Texas intermixed with road trips to Baylor and Kansas State. If the offense makes enough progress, you can expect Oklahoma State to end up around the nine-win range with a shot for a tenth win in a bowl game.
Projected Bowl: Camping World Bowl
2019 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 229.6 (17th in nation, 2nd in conference)
Passing Offense: 224.3 (71, 8)
Total Offense: 453.9 (21, 4)
Scoring Offense: 32.5 (35, 4)
Rushing Defense: 158.5 (67, 6)
Pass Defense: 253.8 (102, 8)
Total Defense: 412.3 (82, 7)
Scoring Defense: 26.8 (61, 5)
Turnover Margin: -0.08 (70, 6)
Sacks: 2.15 (64, 4)
Sacks Allowed: 2.00 (64, 7)
Madness 2020 NFL Draft Rankings:
#49 Chubba Hubbard
