Oklahoma State CB Kollin Lewis is Earning More Playing Time: Biggest Observations

Maybe it was only a matter of time before the former UNT cornerback played more. But it appears Kollin Lewis has arrived.

OSU players sing on the field after a victory over UCF. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

One of the most interesting pieces of the Oklahoma State secondary right now is Kollin Lewis.

The former North Texas cornerback — who was one of nearly 20 former Mean Green players who followed their head coach, Eric Morris, to Stillwater — played his most significant game of the season against UCF on Saturday.

In the 42-28 win over the Knights, Lewis played a season-high 56 plays for the Cowboys (4-1, 2-0 in Big 12). More importantly, he started for the second time this season. To make room for him at right cornerback, the Cowboys slid LaDainian Fields to left cornerback and Mo Horn out of the lineup.

Unlike his start against Oregon, where Horn returned to the lineup the following week, Lewis may hang onto the job this time. If Pro Football Focus (subscription required) grades mean anything, there are two good reasons why.

Why Kollin Lewis May Start Moving Forward

Oklahoma State’s Kollin Lewis. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Throw out the Murray State game and Lewis’ play count has risen steadily since the opener against Tulsa, when he logged 24 plays. His snap count went up to 37 against Oregon, then 41 against West Virginia and 56 against UCF.

Along the way, his overall defensive grade has gone up every game. PFF graded him at 46.9 against Tulsa. Since then, his grades have gone up to 50.5 (Oregon), 63.4 (Murray State), West Virginia (65.1) and UCF (72.2).

He’s had the same trajectory with his coverage grades. Against Tulsa it was 43.4. Since then, it’s scaffolded up to 52.0 (Oregon), 62.9 (Murray State), 64.3 (West Virginia) and 72.1 (UCF). He clearly had had his best-graded game of the season against the Knights.

Horn has been more consistent since the start of the season. His overall defensive grades and his coverage grades were all at 63 or better in his first four games of the season, with a jump into the 80s against Murray State. But his defensive grade (44.3) and his coverage grade (42.5) plummeted against UCF.

So, what gives? It could be as simple as targets and catches. PFF keeps up with that too. Horn has been targeted 13 times this season and receivers have caught the ball 10 times. He’s broke up two passes and been penalized twice, including a key pass interference call early in the game against UCF.

Lewis has been targeted 12 times and only allowed five catches. While he’s only broken up one pass, he’s also had just one penalty. That also came against UCF.

Even with Horn taking three of the five starts, he only has 147 snaps to Lewis’ 132 snaps. They’ve been co-starters, but Lewis’ surge in snap count and coverage grade may signal that he’s turned a corner and that one of the starting jobs is his for good.