OSU 24, KSU 14: Thoughts and observations
by Brandon Chatmon
bchatmon@opubco.com
Follow me on Twitter @BChatmon
— Quality win for Oklahoma State: On the road, without one of your main weapons and with two (essentially three) first half turnovers.
— The Pokes continue to prove they are way better than expected.
— As much grief as you gave the defense last week, you should be giving them equal praise this week. They won the game for OSU.
— I envisioned a lot of scenarios for this game. A 0-0 tie after one quarter and 7-7 tie at halftime was not one of them.
— Kendall Hunter may be too good for his own good. A 143-yard performance and I didn’t really think about what a great game he had. Sure there are flashes in my mind, like the third down run where he was hit and spin around on one leg, somehow staying on his feet long enough to get the first down. So consistent, so good.
— One of the better games of the year for quarterback Brandon Weeden. True enough, he could have been intercepted on more than one occasion. But he wasn’t. He managed the game well and got the ball in the hands of the right person. The junior finished 22 of 39 for 298 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions.
– Outstanding game by Johnny Thomas. He’s really stepped up since OSU lost Victor Johnson for the year with a knee injury. Six tackles, two pass breakups, one interception return for a touchdown and a forced fumble.
— Another game of over 500 offensive yards for the Cowboys but I bet most people will see 24 points and think they underachieved. Which they did since the point is to score and they scored less than half their average but they moved the ball at will and really kept themselves from putting up points on the scoreboard more than the Wildcats did.
— Have I ever mentioned before how much I like Joseph Randle and how much I think he should be involved. 9.7 yards per carry (7 carries, 64 yards) and four catches for 59 yards.
— Some people didn’t understand my halftime tweet so let me clear up something: I consider OSU a program on the rise, one that is on the cusp of competing for a Big 12 championship if not there already. As such, I think in terms of them playing (or striving to play) to that standard. Had OSU been playing a championship level team, they could easily have been down double digits, hence the point of my tweet. I got a lot of responses about how K-State was lucky to be close, which was true, but it’s not about them, it’s about Oklahoma State football. What OSU is doing? How OSU is playing? I don’t care what K-State (or any opponent for that matter) is doing. It’s not about them, it’s about OSU and are they doing the things that will make them a championship level team or not.
