3 Takeaways From Oklahoma State's 17th Straight Big 12 Loss
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Oklahoma State had yet another bad loss this weekend, but it came in a different fashion.
On Saturday, OSU lost 14-6 to Kansas State at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater. While most of OSU’s bad losses this year have been by huge margins, this one was tight throughout and was arguably the most frustrating loss of the Cowboys’ season.
Three takeaways from OSU’s loss to Kansas State:
Relying on Logan Ward isn’t a winning strategy
Obviously, it’s not exactly a bold take to say that taking field goals isn’t a great way to win a game, but consistently relying on your unreliable kicker to make long field goals is simply a near-guarantee for failure.
In the first half, Ward nailed a couple of 47-yard field goals before coming up short on a 54-yarder that could have given the Cowboys a 9-7 lead with just under two minutes left in the half. Instead of potentially entering halftime with the lead, Ward’s lone miss of the half kep the Cowboys trailing after two quarters.
OSU’s defense has improved under Clint Bowen
The Cowboys fired Todd Grantham just four games into the season, but it has clearly paid dividends for the Pokes. While there have certainly been some big scoring performances from the Cowboys’ opponents over the past several weeks, it’s hard to imagine just how bad things might have gotten if that was still Grantham running the show.
Against Kansas State, the Cowboys allowed only 14 points and 284 yards. While the defense had shown some encouraging signs under Bowen, OSU’s bye week clearly made a difference in allowing that side of the ball to refocus and adjust for the stretch run.
Finding a quarterback should be top priority for new coach
While there’s still a chance that Hauss Hejny sticks around into next season and blossoms into something special, the Cowboys need to move on from Zane Flores. The third-year freshman had a solid game against Kansas a couple of weeks ago, but he looked like his usual self against the Wildcats this weekend.
While his stats don’t look too awful on the surface, completing 24 of his 36 attempts for 233 yards, his two interceptions were both killers for the Cowboys. Although one of those came on a poorly thrown Hail Mary to end the first half, the Cowboys’ struggles to take care of the football on Saturday were only hurt by Flores’ lackluster play.
Ivan is a sports media student at Oklahoma State University. He has covered OSU athletics since 2022 and also covers the OKC Thunder for Inside The Thunder and Thunderous Intentions.