Burning Answers: Lessons Learned in Oklahoma State's Third Straight Loss
Oklahoma State entered Saturday looking for a bounce-back performance but had its worst of the season.
On Saturday, OSU lost to West Virginia 38-14 in Stillwater in a game that knocked the Cowboys out of the Big 12 title race. With the same recurring issues showing up in Week 6, the Cowboys are searching for answers going into the bye week.
Answers to burning questions for OSU’s matchup vs. West Virginia:
Is the Kasey Dunn era nearing its end?
Signs are pointing in this direction again after another rough offensive day. In Big 12 play, the Cowboys are averaging 17.7 points per game and have entered the fourth quarter in single digits in both home games.
Now in his fifth season, Dunn’s offenses have not lived up to the OSU standard under Mike Gundy. Although his personnel has not been as great as the 2010s units, a continued lack of results could seal his fate.
Is Alan Bowman good enough to keep his job for the rest of 2024?
For the second time in three games, Garret Rangel has entered the game in the third quarter to relieve Bowman. While Bowman returned against Utah, his day was over when he was pulled against West Virginia.
Bowman completed 10-of-19 passes for 116 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions on Saturday. Meanwhile, Rangel went 4-of-5 for 75 yards and a touchdown. Considering that OSU has a bye week coming up and Rangel gave the Cowboys a small spark to finish against West Virginia, he could be in a position to take over the starting spot when OSU faces BYU later this month.
Can special teams finally give the Cowboys a boost?
OSU was solid in the special teams department, but it didn’t matter much. Cale Cabbiness had a 51-yard kickoff return as OSU attempted to get back into the game, trailing 17-0 in the second quarter.
Like most other positives OSU found against West Virginia, it was short-lived. That drive ended with a Bowman interception, and OSU never had another spark on special teams. The offense played too poorly for Logan Ward to ever attempt a field goal, and OSU roughed the kicker on West Virginia’s lone punt.
Has there been an overreaction to two bad games?
As it turns out, there might have been an underreaction to the Cowboys’ first two Big 12 matchups. Many of the Cowboys’ issues against Utah and Kansas State were partially blamed on the fact they were playing the Big 12’s preseason favorites and might just not be on that level.
However, OSU proved it is nowhere near the top of the Big 12 and might be closer to the conference’s worst squad. Everything OSU struggled with in the first two conference games was on display again Saturday, and optimism is nowhere to be found after six games.
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Ivan is a sports media student at Oklahoma State University. He has covered OSU athletics since 2022 and also covers the OKC Thunder for Inside The Thunder and Thunderous Intentions.