Oklahoma State football: Cowboys' defense gets high marks in win over Iowa State

DEFENSIVE HANDS: B

The athletic play of the game came from OSU safety Daytawion Lowe, who made a one-handed interception in the third quarter to set up a Cowboy touchdown. That's the kind of highlight play the OSU defense routinely made a year ago but has not this season. But Lyndell Johnson and Justin Gilbert dropped sure interceptions, failing to do with two hands what Lowe did with one.

RECEIVERS: C

Charlie Moore was excellent, with eight catches for 129 yards. But freshman Austin Hayes dropped two passes and Josh Stewart dropped another and fumbled at the Iowa State 3-yard line. The Cowboys are short-handed at receiver with Isaiah Anderson and Tracy Moore injured, but they've got to catch the ball to keep this offense running smoothly.

TACKLING: A

The Cyclones didn't move the ball much – OSU had 11 straight stops after the first quarter – and tackling was a primary reason. Iowa State runners and receivers did not make the Cowboys miss, which had been an OSU problem earlier in the season. The Cyclones aren't blessed with NFL talent on offense, but still, in the middle two quarters, when this game was decided, OSU held ISU to seven first downs and 140 total yards.

ORANGE HELMETS: C

The helmets themselves were solid. Put orange helmets with the black or gray or white accessories, and they are a nice addition to the Cowboy wardrobe. But not with the orange jerseys and orange pants. OSU looked a little too much like Clemson.

SHORT-YARDAGE OFFENSE: C

The Cowboys ran six 3rd-and-1 or 4th-and-1 plays; they converted just three. J.W. Walsh fumbled on the fourth-down play but didn't appear to make the first down anyway. The other two failures came off a quarterback draw and a Joe Randle two-yard loss out of a power set. The Cowboys converted on a quarterback sneak, a Walsh pass and a Walsh sweep. OSU wasn't great at other short-yardage situations, converting just six of nine times on 3rd-and-2, 3rd-and-3 or 3rd-and-4.