Oklahoma State Defensive Players to Watch vs. Baylor Week 5
When the Cowboys and the Bears last played each other, they were the two best defensive teams in the conference. The matchup also just so happened to be the Big 12 Championship game. Funny how that works.
Like how the Bears lost the heart and soul of their defense with Jalen Pitre and Terrel Bernard going pro, the Cowboys lost their All-American Linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez to the NFL and bring back just five defensive starters. So far, the inexperience has really hurt them on the defensive side.
In Week 1, Oklahoma State got all they could handle from Central Michigan, as the Chippewas dropped 44 points on them in Stillwater. They held their next two opponents (Arizona State and Arkansas-Pine Bluff) under 20 points but still rank 103 nationally in total defense, having allowed just over 265 yards a game. Here are the Cowboys to look out for.
DT Collin Oliver
Even with boasting one of the best and most seasoned defenses in the country last year, one of the Cowboys' biggest disrupters was a true freshman, Collin Oliver. The defensive tackle shows an innate ability to get after the quarterback with his bull rush, not unlike former Cowboy Emmanuel Ogbah in that respect, which is saying something because Ogbah was a defensive end, not a defensive tackle.
Oliver racked up 15.5 tackles for loss, 29 tackles, and 11.5 sacks in 14 games en route to being unanimously named the Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year. The scariest part for Bears fans? His season-high for tackles in a game (6), sacks in a game (2) and the only time he forced a fumble all came against the Bears. In three games this year, with all the attention on him, he has already amassed six tackles and two sacks. He is the best and most frightening defensive player the Cowboys have.
S Jason Taylor II
Along with Oliver, Taylor was named to the preseason All-Big 12 First Team this year, just a year after finally becoming a full-time starter in his fourth season on campus.
Taylor also has a knack for making the big play both on defense and special teams when his team needs it most. Taylor helped preserve a one-point victory over Boise State last year by blocking the go-ahead field goal with just over two minutes to play and corralled an 85-yard pick-six in Austin against Texas when the Longhorns were up 17-3 and in the red zone, sparking the Cowboys to go on a 29-7 run to win the game. He also collected 6.5 tackles for loss on the year and set a career-high with eight tackles against the Oklahoma Sooners. I'd have to imagine Taylor will be up for this game against the Bears.
DE Brock Martin
While Oliver receives all the plaudits, Brock Martin has quietly been a beast for the Cowboys at the same position.
In 13 games in 2021, Martin pocketed nine sacks and 14 tackles for loss, and while he hasn't had all his pistons firing so far in 2022, he still has a couple of tackles for loss and a sack so far this season. If he and Oliver play like they did in the Big 12 Championship, they'll be having another party in the Bears' backfield.
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Covering Baylor for Inside The Bears and the Locked on Baylor podcast. You can follow me for more Baylor content at @realcamstuart on Twitter. Originally from Rockland, Massachusetts and a Baylor alum, so I might mix the occasional bias and/or Boston sports tweet in there every once in a while.