What does Oklahoma State football’s offense need? Mike Gundy says ‘we need to be balanced’

STILLWATER — In assessing what went wrong for the Oklahoma State offense last Saturday, answers were many.

Virtually nothing went right for the Cowboys in the 45-3 loss at Central Florida.

Inept run game. Turnovers. Pouring rain.

While those three issues are uncommon for the Cowboys this year, the Orlando experience shined a light on something that could be more bothersome going forward.

Because of the offense’s heavy reliance on Ollie Gordon II and the run game, it isn’t ideally suited for playing from behind.

To be fair, few offenses are. Most good offensive strategies rely on balance between running and throwing. But because of Gordon’s rise — he still leads the NCAA in rushing despite his 25 yards on 12 carries Saturday — these Cowboys have an enhanced need for a run threat.

As the 23rd-ranked Pokes head to Houston for a 3 p.m. Saturday game against the Cougars at TDECU Stadium, a return to running the ball is priority No. 1.

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OSU quarterback Alan Bowman (7) prepares to pass during the first quarter against UCF on Saturday in Orlando, Fla.

“When they know we have to throw the majority of the time, they’re going to kind of lean back on some things, and then be able to anticipate the pass,” quarterback Alan Bowman said. “What makes us a really good offense is when we can establish the run and that doesn’t mean run for 250 yards, it just means we’re gaining positive yards, we’re taking care of the football, we’re not hurting ourselves.

“We’ve been a team that’s taken care of the football, played some really good defense, and run the ball.”

Defensively, Houston ranks outside of the top 100 nationally in most major statistical categories, though run defense is its stronger area, ranking 92nd at 164.7 yards per…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/does-oklahoma-state-footballs-offense-123030629.html

Author : The Oklahoman

Publish date : 2023-11-16 12:30:30

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