Oklahoma State WRs Laud Offense Heading into 2024: 'Picking Your Poison'
Last season, Oklahoma State's offense started slow, but looked solid by the end of the Cowboys' 2023 campaign.
With the Cowboys figuring out their quarterback situation, Ollie Gordon II still emerging as the team's superstar on offense and Charlie Dickey's offensive line still learning to play as a coheasive unit, Mike Gundy and company struggled out of the gate.
Once Alan Bowman secured his position as the full-time starter, Gordon began to dominate and the offensive line molded into a solid group, however, Kasey Dunn's offense began to flourish.
Coming into the 2024 season, OSU brings back almost its entire starting offense, including Bowman, Gordon, the entire offensive line and the team's two leading wide receivers from last season.
With Brennan Presley back in Stillwater after racking up over 1,000 yards from scrimmage last season, Rashod Owens looking for another solid year after tallying 895 receiving yards, De'Zhaun Stribling returning from an injury that sideline the former Washington State transfer for most of the 2023 season and Gavin Freeman transferring in from Oklahoma, the Pokes should have a stable of playmakers who can beat defenses through the air.
These talented pass catchers should get plenty of opportunity as well with Gordon, a Doak Walker Award winner, standing in the backfield. Most defenses will put extra players near the line-of-scrimmage to help prevent Gordon and Oklahoma State's veteran offensive line from breaking off big plays on the ground.
"(The wide receiver group) has a lot of people, top to bottom, who can go out there and make plays and play at a high level," Stribling said. "Whatever helps the offense win. If they want to pack the box, and we can throw it, that works beautiful. If they want to play back and we run the ball that works even better. So it's all about picking your poison and how you want to play us."
Defenses pick your poison this season against the #OKState offense
— Holden Krusemark (@HoldenKrusemark) August 4, 2024
Want to stack the box to try and stop Doak Walker Award winner Ollie Gordon? Well get ready for an array of talented receivers dubbed the "Freak Show" pic.twitter.com/IbbiQfsw77
Owens had a similar sentiment, pointing to the Cowboys' top three wide receivers as a tough trio for opposing defenses to slow down, especially while training to contain one of the top tailbacks in the nation.
"It's going to be hard for a lot of teams to try to cover, you know, the whole team," Owens said. "If you stack the box, then you've got to play the pass game and (we've) got three beast receivers that (have a lot of) experience that can go and get the ball, for sure, and make plays."
Owens and Presley will play their fifth collegiate seasons in 2024 while Stribling is set to suit up for his fourth year as a college football player. The three veteran wideouts have played a total of 5,424 offensive snaps throughout their careers, giving Oklahoma State one of the most experienced offensive units in the country heading into the fall.
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RANDALL SWEET