Inside the Pokes: OSU Insider Zachary Lancaster Lists 6 Players to Watch For
The Mountaineers are just days away from opening the lid on Big 12 Conference play against No. 15 Oklahoma State. To provide the best insight on the Cowboys, we reached out to fellow Sports Illustrated writer Zachary Lancaster of the Pokes Report. He will be helping us out throughout the week to give you an idea of what to expect in this Saturday's game.
Today, Zachary gives us three players on each side of the ball to watch for not named Tylan Wallace or Chuba Hubbard - arguably two of the best players in the country at their position.
OFFENSE
QB Shane Illingworth
Starting quarterback Spencer Sanders went down with a high ankle sprain against Tulsa this past weekend and might not be available for Saturday’s game against WVU. He’ll be re-evaluated on Wednesday, but just in case he can’t go, Shane Illingworth is a 6-5 freshman out of Norco, CA and came into the game on Saturday and led the Pokes to a win. While he only went 4-of-5 for 74 yards, he was calm, cool and collected and seemed to know the offense well and had it clicking.
RB LD Brown
Everyone’s heard of Chuba Hubbard as he rushed for over 2,000 yards last season and is a Heisman candidate for 2020. LD Brown has seen limited action over the past few seasons serving as a backup, but he showed his growth against Tulsa as he had nine carries for 61 yards and moving the ball when no one else could. He would’ve finished with 112 and a touchdown, but a 51-yard run the TD was wiped out by a holding call. Mike Gundy said in his weekly Zoom call with media that Brown earned a considerable amount of carries against WVU.
WR Brennan Presley
Going back throughout Mike Gundy’s tenure as head coach, there haven’t been too many freshmen that have either earned playing time have been given the opportunity before being redshirted. Brennan Presley is a dynamic freshman wide receiver that earned playing time on both offense and on special teams. He was one of the most explosive high school athletes out of Oklahoma in quite some time as he was named the Oklahoma Gatorade Player of the Year in 2019 and carried that over into fall camp.
Defense
DE Trace Ford
Ford’s a sophomore defensive end that came on strong as the 2019 season came to a close. He’s fast, strong and is incredibly hard to keep out of the backfield. However, Ford’s not your traditional hand in the dirt defensive end. He plays as a hybrid pass rusher and could either be lined up on the edge on either side, or as a linebacker.
LB Malcolm Rodriguez
Highly underrated and under-recruited out of high school, Malcolm Rodriguez is entering his senior season and is one of the best players for the Cowboys on either side of the ball. Recorded 103 total tackles this past season and he appeared to have picked up right where he left off as he led the Pokes with 10 total tackles against Tulsa. Checking in at 5-11, close to 230 pounds (10 pounds more than he was last season), he’s stronger than last season, but he hasn’t missed a step in his quickness.
S Tanner McCalister
Tanner McCalister came to Oklahoma State as a safety, was moved to corner as a sophomore and is now back at safety. He’s played in nearly every game since arriving on campus, but it appears he’s finally “arrived.” One of the leading tacklers against Tulsa this past weekend, McCalister recorded easily one of the best plays of the game as he cleanly broke up a touchdown to preserve the Cowboys’ lead. We found out towards the last half of 2019 that OSU had one of the best safety groups in the Big 12. They all returned, plus added McCalister to the mix. This is going to be a dangerous secondary.
You can follow us for future coverage by clicking "Follow" on the page's top righthand corner. Also, be sure to like us on Facebook & Twitter:
Facebook - @WVUonSI
Twitter - @SI_WVU and Schuyler Callihan at @Callihan_.