Pride on the Line as Well as an Early Leg Up on the Big 12 Championship
STILLWATER -- You can watch tape until your eyes bleed and over analyze any football game, but I really believe this Saturday in Stillwater gets kind of simple. Iowa State has the Big 12 leading rusher in Breece Hall. Oklahoma State has a returning All-American and 2,000-yard plus running back in Chuba Hubbard. Iowa State has the No. 5 total defense and scoring defense in the Big 12. Oklahoma State has the top scoring defense and the second best total defense and rushing defense so far in the conference.
Is it as simple as the team that runs the ball the best and the team that stops the run best will come out on top when No. 17 Iowa State visits No. 6 Oklahoma State?
"Yeah, I think they are a pretty good running team and their running back is physical and a very talented back," Oklahoma State defensive tackle Cameron Murray said answering that very question. "We play against one of those, actually two of those (Hubbard and LD Brown) every day. I think Coach (Jim) Knowles, the defense, and the defensive line are up for that challenge. We will go into this game and compete."
Cameron Murray works to get off a block against West Virginia.
Pat Kinnison - Pokes Report chief photographer
Compete. That is something that Oklahoma State has not done against another football teams since beating Kansas 47-7 in Lawrence on Oct. 3. You can't blame Oklahoma State for the COVID-19 issues that Baylor had causing the Oct. 17 game to be postponed, but you can blame Oklahoma State if they don't come out ready on Saturday.
"We're always ready and we can't help it (delay)," linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez said. "We have to have that same energy and we're just excited to be out there again."
Rodriguez (20) and safety Tre Sterling (3) poised to make a tackle on West Virginia running back Leddie Brown.
Pat Kinnison - Pokes Report chief photographer
Rodriguez is not a big talker, he uses an economy of words, but the ones he does use say a lot. His teammate down on the defensive line uses more words, but he was at the economy mode when I asked about Iowa State and all of the motion and formations they throw at defenses trying to confuse them.
"They have a really good offensive scheme," Murray said. It would be good if he works to keep it simple on Saturday against Cyclones quarterback Brock Purdy, Hall, those three tight ends, and that improving offensive line.
Oklahoma State, Murray, his teammates, and the defensive staff have been working a long time on pulling this defense up to a championship level. For a senior like Murray, that process has been long and it has lots of significance.
"It means a lot," Murray said. "I'm humble and I just know that I started off not getting as much playing time early in my career. I had to work my way up and trust in the process and that is the same for this defense as a whole. This unit has grown since Coach Knowles got here and it is like night and day, especially up front. This defense can win ball games here at Oklahoma State, and that is what we've wanted and we have to keep that going."
Continuation on Saturday would be a welcomed outcome.
