Oklahoma State left Manhattan with a 66-28 win over Kansas State, and while the Cowboys aren’t exactly back in the driver’s seat to Arlington, they’re at least packed into the back seat with a real shot. There’s still meaningful football ahead, starting with Texas Tech next weekend.
The biggest reason for the blowout was a defense that answered a rough week with a much cleaner performance. After surrendering 51 points in Ames, OSU tightened things up against the Wildcats even with an early busted coverage that turned into a 72-yard touchdown.
The Cowboys gave up eight plays of 20 yards or more to Iowa State last week, but in Manhattan they allowed only two. One was that early deep score, and the other was a 23-yard run by Rodney Fields Jr. in the first quarter.
After Blake Barnett’s 10-yard rush to end the first quarter, Kansas State didn’t break off another double-digit run the rest of the game. The Wildcats also managed just one passing play longer than 15 yards, an 18-yarder.
That was a huge swing from the week before, when OSU gave up 581 total yards and 8.1 yards per play. This time, the Cowboys held K-State to 327 total yards and 4.5 yards per play.
The 21 points OSU allowed would have been a season-low against an FBS opponent, and by the time Kansas State added those last two third-quarter touchdowns, the game was already out of reach. Yes, the Wildcats had quarterback issues, but that doesn’t take away from what the Cowboys did on the road, especially with how banged up they are on that side of the ball.
On offense, the Cowboys kept rolling. That unit is making this team a blast to watch, and if the defense can just get a few timely stops, OSU can handle teams like Kansas State and West Virginia with a lot less drama. If the Cowboys had defended like this all season, they might already have a couple more wins.
There were a couple of blemishes, though. Wyatt Young put the ball on the ground after making a third-and-12 catch and trying to squeeze out a few extra yards. A defender knocked it loose, but the turnover didn’t do any damage because the defense forced a three-and-out on the next series.
Drew Mestemaker’s interception was the more costly mistake. Backed up at his own 13-yard line, he went looking for Justin Bowick on a go route down the left sideline, but he didn’t see Logan Bartley drop into coverage and jump the route for a pick-six.
Mestemaker also had a second interception wiped out after review, with the play ruled incomplete on fourth-and-long while he was scrambling. That one was the kind of throw that should have been sent into the stands.
The ugliest moment came on OSU’s first possession of the third quarter. The Cowboys came out of halftime with all the momentum, but the opening drive stalled with a holding penalty and an incompletion on third-and-8, producing their only three-and-out of the game.
Then the punt turned messy. William Mason hit Sterling Lockett, apparently not realizing Lockett hadn’t fielded the kick yet, and the catch interference penalty gave newly installed quarterback Dillon Duff a 45-yard field. Kansas State turned that into a touchdown in eight plays and cut the margin to 49-21.
It never became a real threat, because OSU answered with a sharp touchdown drive and pulled away again. Still, a few more mistakes could have made the finish a lot more uncomfortable. Even so, the Cowboys got the win, helped some draft stock, and gave Eric Morrs and his staff a handful of things to clean up this week.
In Other News...
Oregon State Has A Bigger Problem Than One Ugly Loss
The loss to Texas State was ugly enough on its own, but the bigger concern for Oregon State was how thoroughly the defense was carved up in a 42-21 defeat. The Beavers gave up 600 yards of offense, the most they have allowed since 2019, as Texas State controlled the game with balance and tempo behind Brad Jackson and Davian Jackson.
Oregon State did move the ball some, finishing with 356 yards, but the offense never did enough to keep pace after Braden Atkinson threw an interception and later gave way to Maalik Murphy in the fourth quarter. It left the Beavers with more questions than answers after a game that exposed issues on both sides of the ball, and the kind of defensive performance that tends to linger well beyond one September night. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon State Suddenly Has A Run Defense Problem Fans Cant Ignore
Oregon States loss to Texas State was ugly for a lot of reasons, but the most alarming part was what happened on the ground. The Beavers were gashed for 386 rushing yards in a 42-21 defeat, a number that stood out not just because of the score but because it exposed a defense that had no answer for the way Texas State wanted to play. The Bobcats kept leaning on their run game, and Oregon State kept coming up short in the same places.
JaMarcus Shephard did not sugarcoat the performance afterward, acknowledging that the defense has to be better against the run. For Oregon State, the concern is bigger than one bad afternoon, because a game like this can linger if it turns into a pattern. The Beavers now have to show that this was a breakdown they can fix, not a warning sign that opponents will keep targeting. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon State Just Walked Into Boises Biggest Game In Years
Saturday in Boise already had the feel of a major moment, and the spotlight only got brighter when ESPNs College GameDay chose the matchup between Boise State and Oregon State. It is the first time the show has come to the city since 2010, a sign of how much is riding on a game that has turned into one of the biggest on the Pac-12 calendar.
Boise State brings an eight-game winning streak into the matchup, with running back Dylan Riley powering the ground game, while Oregon State counters with quarterback Braden Atkinson, who has been one of the nations most productive passers. For the Beavers, it is the kind of road setting that can tell you plenty about where a team stands, even before the final whistle settles the bigger questions hanging over the night. [Read more 🡒]