What Did Cowboys Learn on Big 12 Saturday Off?

The first hope is that the Cowboys won't look back and have to say they learned any mistakes with COVID-19, but looking at the three games played there was a lot to learn.

STILLWATER -- You know that come Monday Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy will be asked if he watched much football over the Cowboys open weekend and what he thought. He'll say he saw just a little and that he was busy with is sons, maybe hunting or he was tending to his farm animals or he was on his tractor planting winter wheat. I can't argue with that because I'm not sure when you actually plant winter wheat. A quick Google check and he would be about 20 days late in planting winter wheat, but winter onions, garlic, peas, broad beans, root vegetables and cabbage would be right on time. 

The truth be told, we think Gundy may have watched more football than he let on this weekend. His major project right now is growing this Oklahoma State football season into a Big 12 champion and his team's top competition was on display this weekend. 

The Cowboys next hurdle is on the road at Baylor and the Bears not only weren't playing this weekend, but they were trying to overcome a coronavirus spike that caused the program to shut down their operations until Sunday and another round of mandatory Big 12 testing. Check out our story on that issue here at Pokes Report. 

The next home game for Oklahoma State is on Oct. 24 against Iowa State and that will be a major obstacle. The Cowboys have played some tight games recently with the Cyclones and Gundy respects Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell as an ultra-prepared and meticulous coach. Iowa State debuted quarterback Brock Purdy in 2018 in Stillwater and upset the No. 25 Cowboys that day 48-42. Last year it was a Malcolm Rodriguez "pick six" and two other fourth quarter interceptions that the Pokes road to a 34-27 win in Ames. 

The two teams that opened with losses to Sun Belt Conference teams are both 3-0 in the Big 12 and look like conference contenders. 

Iowa State defeated Texas Tech rather handily 31-15 and looked like a major competitor for the Big 12 title. Tech scored a touchdown late to make it look better, but running back Breece Hall carried 17 times for 135-yards and two touchdowns. Purdy threw for over 300-yards and two touchdowns. 

Iowa State is solid and their three tight end offense is unique and creates some mismatches. The defense is the rush three drop eight base that has given Big 12 offenses issues and has been copied by much of the league including Oklahoma State in some ways. 

One thing that helps Oklahoma State is that one of there top players in the secondary in nickel safety Isheem Young was thrown out of the game with Texas Tech late because of a targeting penalty and he will have to sit the first half in Stillwater as Iowa State has a bye week before playing the Cowboys. Young has 17 tackles, nine solo stops, and an interception on the season. 

Kansas State is better than anyone wants to give them credit for being. The Wildcats defense beat up TCU quarterback Max Duggan, intercepted his back-up Matthew Downing, and returned that pick for a touchdown. It was Bartlesville, Okla. native A.J. Parker with the "pick six" for K-State. The Wildcats won their second game in a row with mostly freshman Will Howard playing quarterback. Chris Klieman and his staff are really good. 

The Wildcats are pedestrian on offense, but have built that defense back in a hurry. 

Down in Dallas at the Cotton Bowl, Oklahoma won a Red River Showdown for the ages, 53-45, in four overtimes. As many good plays as there were, there were that many bad ones and head scratching decisions by coaches, particularly on the Texas side. If Mike Yurcich is in complete control of the offense, then some of his principles have changed since he was in Stillwater. Texas did not take what the OU defense was giving in a big section of the game and that goes against a primary Yurcich philosophy, a primary philosophy for a lot of coaches. 

I realize that Oklahoma State fans, most of them, were hoping the Sooners would get their third loss in a row. That would have buried Oklahoma for good on the season, but Texas comes up on the schedule first on Halloween Saturday in Stillwater. I'm not so sure Texas sinking wasn't the better move for the Cowboys going forward. This Twitter message sure spoke volumes right after the contest ended. 

Texas QB Sam Ehlinger is standing at the 37-yard line doing The Eyes of Texas. So is the coaching staff. Most of the team has already gone to the locker room.

— Brian Davis (@byBDavis) October 10, 2020

Most of the Texas team in the locker room and then after the game quarterback Sam Ehlinger asked what his message would be for Longhorn nation right now. 

"I don't have one right now," the Texas quarterback and UT fan his entire life said solemnly.

This could be a back breaker for Texas and the chair for Tom Herman is hotter than the color rating for COVID-19 in just about any county in Texas. 

The Longhorns have the weekend off before a home game with Baylor. 

Oklahoma will feel good about their win, but the Sooners have plenty of areas to improve on both offense and defense. Bedlam is still weeks off. Oklahoma has a schedule that should provide them momentum as they travel to TCU and Texas Tech before hosting Kansas and then both the Cowboys and Sooners have the bye week before the Bedlam meeting.