By the Numbers: How bad is Savannah State?

By Anthony Slater – Aslater@opubco.com - @anthonyVslater

The Cowboys could go run-heavy early on or air it out deep on the first possession. Maybe, in a bold and surprising move, they could bust out the orange helmets, distracting the uniform-crazed OSU fans from any negative on-field results.

But quickly after the subject was thrown out there, the obvious answer was realized. Mike Gundy’s program had already taken the pressure off Lunt, scheduling one of the worst nonconference opponents in school (and college football) history.

Savannah State is bad. A 1-11 record and last place finish in the MEAC is all you need to know. But I felt like diving into the Tigers a bit more. Just how bad was this unknown program last season. Despite your already underwhelming expectations, the offensive numbers are staggering:

12.55 – Savannah State’s points per game last season, worst in the NCAA. By contrast, Oklahoma State averaged more than 12 points per quarter and scored 13 or more in the first quarter seven times.

138 – Total points scored by the Tigers in 11 games last year. The Cowboys passed that number at Tulsa, in their third game of the season, with a Jeremy Smith third-quarter touchdown run. Yes, that means the Cowboys had more points in three nonconference games last season than SSU had all year.