3 Keys To A Cowboy Victory Against UCF

The Oklahoma State Cowboys are gearing up for their second-to-last game of the season as they go on the road to UCF. The 1-9 Cowboys have not had many positives to rally around, but this week seems like it could be the week for all that to change.

After a close loss to Kansas State last week, the Cowboys have proved they can hang with Big 12 opponents. The perfect opportunity to get a win might come in the form of the Knights, who are 1-6 in conference play.

For the Cowboys to finally get their first Big 12 win of the season, they’ll have to do the little things right.

Here are three key factors for a Cowboy Win against the Knights.

1. Taking care of the football

It has to be imagined that this is what the Cowboys have harped on all week, after turning the ball over five times last week. Quarterback Zane Flores was responsible for four of them as he threw two interceptions and fumbled twice.

These turnovers were at crucial points in the game, whether the Cowboys were driving down the field or backed up in bad field position. Turnovers can kill any team's chances of winning, and for the Cowboys to finally get their first win, they can’t let turnovers lose them the game.

2. Defense continuing to improve

At the beginning of the season, the Oklahoma State defense looked like one of the worst in college football, but thankfully, it is not the start of the season anymore. OSU has continued to improve every week on the defensive side of the ball all the way up to last week, when they only allowed 14 points against a Kansas State team that averaged around 30 points per game.

This type of performance will be essential once again this week to allow the Cowboys to get a win. Led by Parker Robertson and Wendell Gregory, the Cowboys must disrupt the UCF offense from the get-go to have a chance at an OSU win.

3. Don't settle on offense

Oklahoma State has had trouble getting the ball in the end zone all season. They have the capability to march the ball down the field, but when they get close, it seems there’s nothing they can do to punch the ball in.

This, however, can not be the case this week. The Cowboys can’t rely on kicker Logan Ward to score all of their points, and they can’t settle for just field goals. In situations where the Cowboys are close to the end zone and need a score, Doug Meacham has to be willing to go for it.

Yes, these choices are risky, but the Cowboys truly have nothing to lose.