Oklahoma State Snap Count Analysis: Biggest Winners, Losers and Role Changes from Week 2
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The Oklahoma State Cowboys had to make some changes after their Week 1 loss and they did. Those changes paid off with an exceptional victory over Oregon on Saturday.
The 39-31 win was one of the biggest upsets of Week 2 and it puts the Cowboys on a path where they can start dreaming a little bit about making a bowl game this year — at minimum. It's the kind of victory that can be a springboard for a season.
In looking at the snap counts for the offensive and defensive players in the game, it was clear the coaching staff deployed players in different ways from Tulsa to Oregon. In some cases, it was due to injury in other cases it was due to performance.
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
LT Shaun Torgeson
Torgeson took control of the left tackle job on Saturday — at least until Braydon Nelson returns from his knee injury. He took every snap, one of three offensive linemen to do so (the others were Johnny Dickson III and Ashton Lepo).
OL Desmond Magiya
Magiya was the lineman that lost the left tackle battle, but he showed the value of being able to play multiple positions. He took 56 snaps on Saturday, part of which was in place of Joseph Hanson, who left the game hurt at one point. It’s the second straight week Magiya hasn’t started a game but has finished it.
RB Ayo Adeyi
Adeyi is the back-up running back based on snap count. He took 20 snaps on Saturday as Tre Page III took just five. Head coach Eric Morris said it would be about who practiced the best and Adeyi not only did that, but he did enough in the game to show he can back up Caleb Hawkins capably.
WR Terrence Lewis
The sophomore snap count went up by nine from Tulsa (34) to Oregon (43) and he produced. Some of that uptick was due to Chris Barnes leaving the game after getting banged up. Some of that was production.
S Mose Phillips III
Phillips took the start ahead of Evan Jackson and it was not a rotation type of situation. Phillips took 57 snaps, third-most on the defense. There was no reported injury to Jackson pre-game, and this could have been defensive coordinator Skyler Cassity trying different personnel. But it’s worth watching.
CB Kollin Lewis
Another defender that made his first start of the season on Saturday, this was more of a rotation situation between Lewis (37 snaps) and Mo Horn (29 snaps). Lewis took 13 more snaps than Week 1, so the coaching staff clearly saw something it liked between Week 1 and Week 2.
DE Keviyan Huddleston
The former North Texas defender only played 18 snaps on Saturday, even though he started. But he came up with a big sack during the game, showing he can be efficient with the time he’s given.
Losers
OG Joseph Hanson
His snap count went down from 91 to 31 from Week 1 to Week 2 and we know why — he left mid-game banged up. But the drop in snap count shows just how banged up he was (or how cautious OSU was being with what happened) and means he’s worth monitoring this week. OSU hasn’t disclosed what happened. Cowboys Radio Network reported he left the game.
WR Rodney Harris II
One of those highly experienced players that the Cowboys brought in through the transfer portal, Harris — a fifth-year senior — has played two snaps in two games even though he’s on the two-deep. A disappointing start, even though he is among a talented group.
Tight Ends Except Carson Kolb
Remember when Carson Kolb had never caught a collegiate pass? Good times. His first collegiate catch was a touchdown reception and he played 73 snaps. The other tight ends, Donovan Green and Morgan McPhaul, combined for 19. McPhaul had a key play. But Kolb has clearly gained the staff’s trust at the expense of the rest of the position group.
DT Iman Oates
Oates made his first start of the season, but he played the fewest snaps of any defensive starter (14). The Cowboys want to rotate their linemen during the game, especially early in the season due to the heat. I did see Oates limping after the game, and he did leave the contest briefly. Perhaps it was a scheme decision this week that minimized his play? Either way, he saw his snaps cut in half from the Tulsa game.
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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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