Oklahoma State’s Five Biggest Questions Entering Week 2 Game Against Oregon
In this story:
The Oklahoma State Cowboys are preparing to play their second game of the season, and the opponent couldn’t be much bigger.
The No. 6 Oregon Ducks (1-0) are seen by many as Big Ten championship and College Football Playoff championship contenders this season. While the Ducks were tested last weekend against Boise State, they were able to elude an upset.
The Cowboys (0-1) weren’t so lucky. They lost to Tulsa, 24-10, in head coach Eric Morris’ debut. He and his staff have a lot to work on this week.
Here are the five biggest questions the Cowboys must answer going into Saturday’s game.
How Good is This Defense?
The Cowboys are about to find out. Morris had some good things to say about the unit, both on Saturday and on Tuesday. He liked how it got Tulsa off the field on third down. He liked the run stopping — in the first half at least — and thought the pass rush showed some promise, even without a sack to show for it.
But Oregon is a whole different team. This is one of the best offenses in the country. Even though the Ducks struggled at times to beat Boise State, they racked up nearly 500 yards in total offense. There's a reason many believe they are national championship contenders.
The defense got some good marks from Morris after its debut against Tulsa. But Oregon quarterback Dante Moore is far more talented than Tulsa quarterback Baylor Hayes (no offense to Hayes). Cowboys fans and Morris are going to find out just how good this defense is right now and how much farther it must go to be a bowl-eligibility level defense.
I think there is potential for the Ducks to expose some serious flaws on Saturday.
Will Oklahoma State Establish the Run?
Running back Caleb Hawkins had the best game of any offensive player last week. But in the second half the Cowboys stepped away from using the run game. Some of that was driven by falling behind by two touchdowns. Some of it by a lack of execution up front on run plays. But some of it was selling out to putting the ball in the hands of quarterback Drew Mestemaker.
Oregon has one of the best defensive front fours in the country. I think Morris wants to establish the run on Saturday. The real question is whether Oklahoma State’s offensive line can do it? Hawkins showed Saturday he can break off chunks of yardage with lanes to run through. But that room may be in short supply early in Saturday's game.
The question then becomes how long will Morris stick with the run? Because the run can't be established if one doesn't stick with it.
How Much More Efficient Will Drew Mestemaker Be?
As far as debuts go, quarterback Drew Mestemaker had a rough afternoon against Tulsa. The normally reliable and accurate quarterback completed fewer than 60% of his passes, threw two interceptions and lost a fumble. If Hawkins was the best offensive player on the field, Mestemaker might be the biggest reason why the Cowboys lost.
He was blunt in his assessment after Saturday's game. He said their performance was “embarrassing.” He took accountability for it. Morris said on Tuesday that Mestemaker took all of the constructive criticism the coaching staff had for him this week and believes he'll be able to funnel it into a better performance on Saturday.
Oregon has a tough defense. He's going to face more pressure than he ever has in his career. It will be interesting to see if he can boost the completion percentage and if he can limit the turnovers. He needs to show that progress as Big 12 play approaches.
Will Oklahoma State Get a Sack?
One area where Oklahoma State had hoped to cash in against Tulsa was putting pressure on the quarterback. The Cowboys pass rush wasn't nearly as consistent as Tulsa’s and the Cowboys failed to register a sack.
James Williams came the closest to bringing down Tulsa quarterback Baylor Hayes, who had much better protection than Mestemaker. Now this defensive line will go from chasing down Hayes to trying to catch Heisman Trophy candidate Dante Moore. That’s a big step up in talent.
Pass rush isn't all about sacks. It's also about pressures and getting hits on the quarterback. But getting Moore on the ground, a quarterback who is just as adept with his legs as he is with his arm, will be key if Oklahoma State hopes to keep this game competitive well into the second half.
Will This Team be in Better Shape?
Morris was not happy with his team's conditioning, especially in the fourth quarter. As he referenced on Tuesday many players were vomiting at the end of the game.
He mentioned at the beginning of fall camp that he had players that were not in condition. It's interesting that a month later it's still an issue.
But in how much better shape can Morris and his staff get his team in by Saturday? He can’t overwork them and expect a quick return. Some of Saturday’s issues were about heat and it’s going to be nearly as hot in Stillwater on Saturday. Some of it, he believes, could be about what his players are putting in them.
“There’s a bunch of science involved with it,” Morris said. “So we'll get a bunch of people, smart people, in a room and try to figure out the best way to solve it.”
This isn’t a problem that can be solved in a week. But how much can it be improved is the real question? The only answer for that comes on Saturday.
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Matthew Postins is the publisher of Oklahoma State on SI. He is an award-winning sports journalist who was formerly the editor of the College Football America Yearbook and covers the Big 12 Conference for Heartland College Sports.
Follow PostinsPostcard