Cowboys Prepare for Tough Iowa State Team
STILLWATER -- There's no doubt that the hangover from this past weekend last just a few more days following the loss to Baylor on Homecoming. But Oklahoma State is back in the saddle, metaphorically speaking and ready to face a tough Iowa State team on the road.
"We just know that we've got to get back to work," said Oklahoma State linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga. "It was a tough loss that everybody understood. We were right there up until eight minutes left fourth quarter and to let something slip through your hands like that, was really disappointing. But we got back to work. It's a new week, a new opponent and new challenge we have to face. So, like nothing happened, we have to go back and practice like we've practiced throughout the whole season."
In the past 10 years, Oklahoma State has had a lot of success against the Cyclones as they've won seven games, including a stretch of six-straight from 2012-2017. But Iowa State took last year's game in Stillwater 48-42 in the breakout game of quarterback Brock Purdy.
Iowa State's offense enters this contest as a top-15 offense nearly across the board. Purdy, a sophomore, has led the Cyclones to a 9-2 record against Big 12 opponents in his two seasons at the helm, with only one conference loss in each season so far.
Through the first seven games of the 2019 season, Purdy's accounted for 2,185 passing yards with 14 touchdowns and just four interceptions. He's also rushed the ball 63 times for 399 yards and five touchdowns.
"They're quarterback, I think personally, he's probably the best in the conference," said Ogbongbemiga. "He does a great job with his feet and he's a great athlete. So we've got to find ways to stop him, confuse him and get after him. That's our best chance to win, to get after him and pressure him."
If the Pokes can figure out how to limit the mistakes they made in the Baylor game, then they definitely have a good chance at winning if they're able to pressure Purdy.
Against Baylor, Oklahoma State sacked Charlie Brewer four times and more than likely been able to pull out the win had it not been for the fourth quarter mistakes.
Iowa State also sports one of the best up and coming running backs in the conference. Freshman Breece Hall leads the Cyclones in rushing with 399 yards, the fifth-best overall total for a true freshman in Power Five.
"There's great backs all over this league," said Ogbongbemiga. "Week in and week out, you've got a different challenge that you face. Everybody's going to be good from now on, it's just what we can do to better ourselves."
While not undefeated like Baylor, this might be Oklahoma State's biggest challenge of the season so far. They need to try and find a way to get back in the win column, not just on the season, but in conference play on the road as well. Going back to last season, the Pokes have lost six-straight road conference games, and a tough Iowa State team in Ames is a tough hurdle to get over.
"We all know that we have to do better," said Ogbongbemiga. "On the road, it's so easy to get out of wack because nobody's on your side. Once you get going internally as a unit, to come together, everybody has to stay calm in bad situations and just keep moving forward, make our adjustments and just keep playing."
But should OSU find a way to win, it'll go a long way in helping ease the minds of some of the fan base, and certainly make it easier on the season as the team has just one more game before they get another off week.
