Respect Through Performance and Proof the Competition is Better than Originally Thought
STILLWATER -- Back home and on Sunday the polls come out and as usual, Zach Lancaster has the story on where the Cowboys are ranked by the writers and broadcasters and the coaches and their assigned representatives. It was a huge jump for the Pokes on Sunday and after a 47-7 win against Big 12 cellar dweller Kansas. Let's start with that is the way that you are supposed to beat Kansas, completely and from start to finish.
Last week Baylor fell behind to the Jayhawks and that was a competitive game throughout the first half before Baylor used an opening kickoff return for touchdown in the second half to start the lopsided finish to a 47-14 loss.
The Cowboys played it straight through the first two series of the third quarter and at that point they led 41-0 and Oklahoma State had 459-yards of virtually balanced total offense to Kansas total of 59-yards of total offense. You get the point. The back-ups played for Mike Gundy the rest of the contest and they surrendered 134-yards of offense and the only score.
“It’s not nothing to nothing,” Cowboys defensive coordinator Jim Knowles told his defense at halftime. Instead, he was real about the situation.
“It’s 31-nothing." he said. "But we need to be able to have a standard of play that we execute no matter what the score. It’s great just to build one positive performance after another. Just trying to roll one performance into the next will help build confidence. We're trying to establish playing to a standard each week.”
The Cowboys offensive back-ups got 134-yards and put up six points.
“You always want to get better every week,” head coach Mike Gundy said on the postgame Zoom from Lawrence. “We know that. You hear that. That’s the old coaches’ talk.”
Tulsa running back T.J. Wilkerson (2) celebrates with quarterback Zach Smith (11) after scoring a third quarter touchdown in Tulsa's 34-26 upset over No. 11 Central Florida.
USA Today Sports Images - Mary Holt
It's also the national media talk and the talk is the Big 12 is lousy. That's why one of the most important results on Saturday for the Pokes was from Orlando, Fla, where Tulsa, the Cowboys 16-7 opening win, defeated No. 11 Central Florida 34-26. You typically don't jump in the polls seven places (AP) or nine places (USA Today) by beating Kansas. You do get a boost when a team you beat comes back around and knocks off one of the Group of Five teams that experts thought would be in the mix for the College Football Playoff.
Oklahoma State has an open week and a defense that is ranked sixth in the nation in scoring defense giving up 9.0 a game, that same defense is seventh in total defense allowing 274.3-yards a game, and they are first in third down conversion defense allowing opponents just seven first downs on 43 third downs.
The offense is coming around, but the Big 12 will need to show something. Oklahoma State can thank Tulsa. I believe Tulsa will keep playing and keep helping the Cowboys schedule strength.
How many times did I read stories in the past about how Oklahoma needed Oklahoma State and the other Big 12 schools in the national rankings to play well and boost up the conference standard and Oklahoma's playoff opportunities. It appears the shoe is on the other foot now. Oklahoma and Texas need to play hard, even the loser of next week's Red River Rivalry game. I believe the Cowboys can count on Iowa State, TCU, and Kansas State to do their part, maybe more than the Pokes want. Everybody does because right now the Cowboys are No. 10, Texas is No. 22, and Iowa State is No. 24. That is it for the Big 12.
