Oklahoma State Snap Count Analysis: Biggest Winners, Losers, Role Changes in Week 4

Oklahoma State is coming off a big win against West Virginia. Here is what the snap counts for certain players tell us about the game — and the future.

Oklahoma State's Mose Phillips III (right) works out during a practice. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Oklahoma State Cowboys needed that victory over West Virginia, perhaps more than they needed that win over Oregon a couple of weeks ago.

Beating Oregon put the Cowboys back on the national map. But beating Oregon isn't going to win the Cowboys a Big 12 Championship. But beating West Virginia gets them one-ninth of the way to earning a berth in the Big 12 Championship game in Arlington in December. So, in that sense, this victory was bigger.

Head coach Eric Morris and his staff have the week off to help their team heal up and to prepare for the final eight games of Big 12 play, which start against UCF on Oct. 10.

Who were the big winners and losers from the game based on their snap count? Here’s a look back at the game.

Snap count numbers are per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

Winners

Offensive Line

Oklahoma State Cowboys offensive lineman Johnny Dickson III. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

For the first time this season the Cowboys had all five starting offensive linemen play every snap in a game. The return of Joseph Hanson at right guard allowed the Cowboys to move Johnny Dickson III back to left guard and all five members of the line took all 70 snaps. As a result, the Cowboys put 608 options in yards on the board and in the second-half the line dominated the Mountaineer front four.

With Hanson back, the cohesiveness of the front five was clear for everyone who watched that game. The intriguing question will be what the Cowboys will do with Brayden Nelson assuming he's ready to go for the UCF game on Oct. 10.

TE Carson Kolb

It’s clear which tight end Morris trusts. He took 64 snaps on Saturday, but the interesting part was the split between run plays (36) and pass plays (23). The other tight ends logged 13 snaps. It’s not just that Morris trusts Kolb after four games. He trusts Kolb in every matchup after four games. No offensive player has had the rise from transfer portal to fall camp to regular season like Kolb has.

S Mose Phillips III

One of the more surprising moves on the depth chart going into the West Virginia game was Phillips as the starter at free safety. But he showed why the Cowboys felt he was the more effective choice over Evan Jackson.

Phillips played 80 snaps on Saturday. Only safety Quinton Hammonds and linebacker Ethan Wesloski played more. Phillips had the game momentum swinging interception and gave the Cowboys quality play on the back end all night.

LB Isaiah Chisom

Part of his snap cap boost was the Cowboys going to a 3-3-5 alignment to start the game and using Chisom as a starter. It’s also reflective of the Cowboys building more trust with Chisom on the 4-2-5 set, even with Wesloski and Tate Romney as the starters. The Cowboys are starting to use him more in that base defense and it's paying off. He had seven tackles on 50 snaps.

Losers

RB Ayo Adeyi

Oklahoma State Cowboys running back Ayo Adeyi. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Adeyi has fought hard to be the backup running back and while he leapt onto the depth chart as an “OR” next to Tre Page III this week his workload didn’t reflect it. He only took 15 snaps for the Cowboys and left the field at one point with trainers after he was shaken up. Interestingly, Page didn’t take a snap.

Adeyi’s snap count may have been reflective of being banged up, along with how reliant Morris intends to be on Caleb Hawkins in close games.

WR Chris Barnes

It will be interesting to see how the Cowboys use Barnes when they return to the field against UCF. For West Virginia, Terrence Lewis — his backup on the depth chart— took the start and had 44 snaps to Barnes’ 21.

Now that could simply be a matter of easing Barnes back into the lineup and the former Wake Forest star had a huge catch to start the second half that jump-started the offense.  But it's worth noting the disparity in snap count given where they sit on the depth chart.

DT Enai White

When the Cowboys were without Iman Oates against Murray State, Enai White drew the start at his nose tackle position. With Oates back, neither started because the Cowboys used Jerry Lawson as the tackle in their 3-3-5 set. But after a solid game against Murray State, White only saw five snaps on Saturday. Only backup defensive end DeSean Brown had fewer snaps. Oates’ return, combined with the change in defenses at the start of the game, came at his expense.

FS Evan Jackson

Just how far out of favor has Jackson fallen? He had just nine snaps against West Virginia. Now, Jackson only had four snaps against Oregon. But he took 38 snaps against Tulsa and 24 snaps against Murray State.

Is this a case where Jackson, who played at North Texas last season, just isn't ready for power conference competition? If so, it's possible he may get a surge in playing time once he's proven he can handle it.