Oklahoma State Freshman and Sophomore Report: These Cowboys Contributing Most
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The Oklahoma State Cowboys have another week of practice ahead of them after their incredible 39-31 victory over the Oregon Ducks.
The Cowboys are in no position to take any team lightly. The Murray State Racers come to town next Saturday and while the program hasn't won many games the past couple of years, the Cowboys know the pain of losing to a team with fewer resources than them. They felt that pain in Week 1 against Tulsa.
Because of the way that head coach Eric Morris and his staff built this team, it's heavily experienced. They put an emphasis on players with multiple years of college football experience. Entering the season the roster was among the Top 10 in college football in career snaps.
For that reason, it's been hard for true freshman and true sophomores to break in and get playing time. There are several redshirt sophomores logging considerable time, including quarterback Drew Mestemaker. But those players took a redshirt before the new age-based eligibility rule kicked in, which allowed them to get a bit more mature.
For the purposes of this report, we're focusing on those players that are true freshmen or true sophomores. After two weeks here are two players that fit that description that have lifted the Cowboys
WR Terrence Lewis
Lewis was one of nearly 20 players that followed Morris from North Texas after last season. He just wasn't as accomplished as most of them. He caught 11 passes for 184 yards and three touchdowns. That's not a bad start for a true freshman, especially one that played in all 12 games and logged time on special teams.
But Lewis’ time may be coming. Against Oregon he caught five passes for 37 yards. He was targeted six times. His playing time increased later in the game after Chris Barnes left the contest with an apparent injury in the second half. Depending upon where Barnes is health-wise going into the Murray State game, it could allow Lewis even more playing time.
Lewis already has eight catches this season. He’s on pace to shatter the limited touches he received a year ago.
P Lachie Pozzobon
As much as Morris likes to go for it on fourth down, he acknowledged that he knows he has a weapon in the true sophomore from Australia. The Cowboys snatched him out of the transfer portal from Stephen F. Austin, where he averaged 41.8 yards per game for the Lumberjacks in his first year of stateside football.
The rugby-style kicker was a stealthy weapon for the Cowboys against Oregon. He punted three time for an average of 44.3 yards and his directional putting pinned Ducks returners on the sideline, keeping them from making a return. He’s averaging 44.2 yards per game this season after two punts in the Tulsa game. It’s good to know Pozzobon can make an impact with limited chances.
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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.
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