OSU report card: Cowboys' offensive line, pass rush get high marks

Kudos to equipment manager Wes Edwards and his staff. The Cowboys showed no signs of sloppy footing on the Royal-Memorial Stadium turf. Meanwhile Texas quarterback David Ash was slipping all game.

SHORT-YARDAGE OFFENSE: C

The Cowboys faced four plays on third or fourth down needing two yards or less. They converted just one. But the one was big; Jeremy Smith's 30-yard touchdown run late in the first half, on 4th-and-1.

DEEP PASSING GAME: D

Weeden four times threw deep to Justin Blackmon. All were incomplete. Offensive coordinator Todd Monken lamented the missed opportunities, considering how often Texas covered Blackmon one-on-one.

PASS RUSH: A

The Cowboys got after Ash, a freshman, with five quarterback sacks. Twice that many times OSU flushed Ash from the pocket and mostly contained his scrambling. Defensive coordinator Bill Young got pressure with both blitzes and his front four. End Jamie Blatnick and safety Daytawion Lowe each had two sacks.

BALL SECURITY: A

The Cowboys' only turnover came on a flukish punt play. Meanwhile, OSU produced three takeaways, and while linebacker James Thomas' late interception was irrelevant, Caleb Lavey's first-quarter interception and Cooper Bassett's fourth-quarter recovery of Ash's fumble (courtesy of Lowe) were huge.