Oklahoma State's Defense Benefitting From Final Tune-Up Game
The Oklahoma State Cowboys play their final of three non-conference contests on Saturday as they travel to take on the Tulsa Golden Hurricane. The 11 a.m. local time contest will mark the kickoff of the final tune-up game the Cowboys have before Big 12 play.
The timing of this game is perfect for the program. Playing a program like Tulsa -- which Oklahoma State is a 20-point favorite over -- the Cowboys are going to be able to address holes within their team one final time.
The most glaring hole within the team might just be the defensive side of the ball as a whole, too. It doesn't help that Oklahoma State star linebacker Collin Oliver suffered a long-term injury in Week 2, but the entire team was outcoached, as Mike Gundy explained earlier this week.
“The majority of the problems was we got outcoached,” Gundy said. “Then our players were put in the wrong positions. (Arkansas players) were running wide open. The good news is this: it’s fixable. If players don't have schemes that give them an equal opportunity or a better opportunity than the opponent, you’re exposed.”
During Week 2 against the Arkansas Razorbacks, Oklahoma State was certainly exposed. They allowed 648 yards to Arkansas. The good news? They still came away with a 39-31, two-overtime victory.
Now, 2-0 on the season, playing Tulsa allows the Cowboys to both find one last good result before Big 12 play while getting a chance to make schematical changes to put the defense in the best position to succeed.
The front seven stopping the run and containing quarterbacks is essential to Oklahoma State's defense finding improved success, but the secondary can't have any blown coverage. All around, the scheme needs to be solid and backed up by strong play at every level of the defense.
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KADE KIMBLE
Kade is a strategic communications student at Southwestern Oklahoma State University, where he also minors in Sports Management. He has been covering the Oklahoma City Thunder with InsidetheThunder.com since the 2022 season after having followed the team since its early days.