Cowboys’ Two-Back System Made Noise Against Baylor

Even though OSU fell to Baylor to open up conference play, the Cowboys’ offense was not dormant, and it was mostly because of the players in the backfield.

In its previous three games, Oklahoma State played with one running back getting the majority of the touches. Kaleb Hicks had 21 carries against UT Martin and 14 against Oregon, whereas Rodney Fields Jr. had 17 carries against Tulsa. However, against Baylor, the Cowboys used two running backs, both on the ground and in the air.

Trent Howland had only six carries before Saturday's game against Baylor, but Howland left the game with 84 yards on 16 carries and two rushing touchdowns. Howland also had two catches for 14 yards and even had a 13-yard pass completion to Royal Capell. The 6-foot-2, 247-pound running back was tough to tackle and looks like he could continue to be a big part of OSU’s offense in the future.

Fields Jr. also contributed to the productive display by the offense. He was used more as their receiving back as he caught a total of five passes for 75 yards, including quarterback Zane Flores’ longest pass of the game for 47 yards. Fields Jr. was also a catalyst in the run game as he opened the game with a 33-yard run. In total, Fields Jr. had five carries for 39 yards.

The two running backs combined for 212 all-purpose yards, which propelled the Cowboys to a total of 448 offensive yards in the game, which is their highest of the season.

This two-back system was one of the many changes that interim coach Doug Meacham made to the offense this past week, and as the results show, it should lead to better things. With the two running backs, the Cowboys were able to have guys more suited for certain situations in the game. This is proved by Fields Jr. being able to break out big runs to the outside, and Howland being able to punch it in for the Cowboys when the time came.

With how well the two backs played on Saturday, Big 12 play sure seems like it could go better than last year.