Three Storylines I'm Watching Most in Oklahoma State's Week 2 Matchup Against Oregon
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The Oklahoma State Cowboys have just a couple more days before they play the No. 6 Oregon ducks at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater.
It's the first time the Cowboys have hosted a Big Ten team at home in their history. They're also putting a 30-year home opener winning streak on the line against one of the best teams in the country.
The Cowboys (0-1) are coming off a debilitating 24-10 loss to Tulsa on Saturday. That loss exposed flaws across the board for the Cowboys. Head coach Eric Morris and his staff are sifting through plenty of issues as they prepare for this game. But what am I watching for?
Here are three storylines that I have my eye on going into the game.
Left Tackle
With Jacob Sexton out for the season and Braydon Nelson still working his way back from a knee injury, who plays at left tackle and how well they play is going to be a dominant part of the storyline on Saturday.
The depth chart reads as an “OR” going into the game. Desmond Magiya has the advantage of having played in this scheme the past couple of years at North Texas and took roughly 200 reps at left tackle last season. Shaun Torgeson doesn't have the experience in the offense, but he was a full-time starter at left tackle last season at Portland State and played nearly 800 snaps.
Morris didn't tip his hand about a starter or playing time. He only said the one that practiced the best would play. The Cowboys need to find someone who can play consistently at that spot, as he is responsible for quarterback Drew Mestemaker’s back-side protection — at least until Nelson is ready. But there is no guarantee when that will be.
The reality is OSU doesn’t have many options outside of Magiya or Torgeson. It could move Ashton Lepo to left tackle, but that means putting either Magiya or Torgeson the right side (Torgeson is the “OR” at right tackle in the depth chart).
How the pair play will determine what the Cowboys will do with Nelson when he returns. He has flexibility to play in other positions. But if neither Magiya nor Torgeson take to the position how Morris hopes, Nelson will slide in that spot when he’s healthy. The mental reps don’t worry Morris since Nelson was his starter at left tackle at North Texas last season.
As for Saturday, Morris just needs one of them — or both in a tandem — to give his quarterback adequate protection.
Drew Mestemaker’s Rebound
The Cowboys have a lot invested in quarterback Drew Mestemaker. He has a lot invested in playing better than he did against Tulsa. With nearly two dozen NFL scouts set to attend Saturday’s game he's going to get the chance to show what he can do against one of the best defenses in the country.
I’m curious to see how much he can improve from Tulsa to Oregon. Mestemaker struggled with pressure, especially coming up the middle, against the Golden Hurricane. He failed to complete 60% of his passes. He didn’t get the ball downfield due to the pressure. He threw two interceptions. He lost a fumble.
The bad news is Oregon’s pass rush is superior to what he faced last weekend.
Morris said Mestemaker took in all the constructive criticism the way he would expect from his preternaturally mature redshirt sophomore. Ingesting constructive criticism is one thing. Turning it into a great game on Saturday is another.
Mestemaker and the Cowboys would have to play out of their minds to beat Oregon based on how they played last week. What I’m measuring is how much progress Mestemaker shows. Does he feel pressure better? Can he manufacture ways to get the ball down the field? Can he avoid turnovers?
This is the first game he’s started against a power conference opponent, for what it’s worth.
The Defensive Test
Morris had good things to say about his defense after the Tulsa game, especially the way they played in the first half. The unit was worn down in the second half, even though snaps were spread out among several players.
But he liked how they stopped the run, how they got Tulsa off the field and how they rushed the quarterback before they wore down. But the Oregon game is when we find out how good this defense is now and, more importantly, how far it must go to be a solid unit.
There isn’t much star power on that side of the ball, aside from linebacker Ethan Wesloski and, potentially, LaDainain Fields after his first interception of the season in the opener. Defensive coordinator Skyler Cassity is counting on a cohesive unit rather than one with a star to slow teams down. Oregon has one of the best quarterbacks in the country in Dante Moore. The Ducks have a stable of great receivers and a great offensive line. This is an offense filled with potential NFL draft picks. It will be the most talented team the Cowboys play all season, with apologies to Texas Tech.
Cassity is going to dissect this tape afterward. It’s a measuring stick game. And with “more important’ games coming up in two weeks — namely Big 12 action — I’m curious to see how the Cowboys measure up against the Ducks’ offense.
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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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