The last time Oklahoma State visited Tucson, in 2012, Arizona came away with a 59-38 victory that was the first signature win of the RichRod era. The Cowboys were coached by Mike Gundy, who was in his eighth season at the time and was three games into his 21st year coaching his alma mater when the school fired him on Sept. 23.
OSU (1-3, 0-1 Big 12) had just lost at home to in-state foe Tulsa for the first time since 1951. The Cowboys fell 45-27 at home to Baylor last week under interim coach Doug
Meacham, but since then have let go of their defensive coordinator and several players have announced their intention to transfer.
To better understand the chaos that’s going on in Stillwater, we reached out to Kyle Cox from Pistols Firing for some insight and a score prediction. Below are his heartfelt answers to our soulless questions:
AZ Desert Swarm: “It was another loss, but from an outside viewpoint it looked like the performance against Baylor was much better than the previous few. What were the positives that came out of that game?”
Kyle Cox: “The biggest positive was some semblance of life the Cowboys showed, especially on the offensive side of the ball. It was definitely a throw-the-kitchen-sink game but there were some things that OSU could use, namely Sam Jackson V in the Wildcat package.”
Zane Flores was thrust into the starting QB job after an injury to Hauss Hejny in the season opener. How has he looked, and what are some things that could prove to be troublesome for an Arizona defense that got burned for some big pass plays at Iowa State?
“Flores has had some ups and downs. He’s been around the program for a while but it’s important to remember that he’s pretty green when it comes to on-field snaps. He is more athletic than maybe people give him credit for, but he’s also struggled with accuracy at times on the deep balls. I think a lot of that is experience and all the moving pieces around him (coaching changes, OL rotations, etc.), more so than an issue of talent.”
How much of a factor is the Cowboys’ run game and who are the most dangerous with the ball?
“Fortunately for the Cowboys, they have a couple of options. Rodney Fields Jr. has been a godsend both on the ground and through the air. And Trent Howland was a bit of a bruiser against Baylor.”
All three FBS opponents have run for at least 200 yards against Oklahoma State. Is this something that can be fixed or will this remain a major issue all season?
“It’s obvious that OSU brass also picked up on that this week. You’d like to say it could be fixed, but it’s been an issue for some time, even with the changes. This week, defensive coordinator Todd Grantham was let go after just four games in Stillwater. In comes Clint Bowen so there are still a lot of moving pieces. So, the long answer is ‘I don’t know.’ I think the Cowboys have some pieces that can be more effective than they’ve been. It really just depends on how much of a change they make schematically, and how quickly that can happen between games.”
Who are the top defensive players for Arizona to contend with?
“Akron transfer Bryan McCoy Jr. is one of the veteran LBs that seems to be involved in most plays. He’s leading the Cowboys in tackles so far. Freshman Wendell Gregory has been a bright spot on the edge. He’s leading the team in sacks and TFLs.”
Now that Gundy has been let go, where does OSU go? Who are the names getting mentioned early for the job, and who is your dream candidate?
“That’s a good question. The biggest name making the rounds in OSU circles is Zac Robinson. He’s an ‘OSU guy’ which seems to mean more in Stillwater than at most programs and in most fanbases. GJ Kinne from Texas State seems like an interesting candidate and I’ve seen a lot of people mention Collin Klein. And I guess you have to include Doug Meacham if he can figure out a way to turn things around in dramatic fashion. I guess Robinson would be my ‘dream candidate’ at this point, but it’s really so hard to say with this stuff.”
Prediction time. Do the Cowboys get an upset win in Tucson or does Arizona bounce back from last week? Give us a score pick.
“I caught some flak for taking a flyer and picking the Pokes to get the upset against Baylor, so I don’t get burned again that quickly. I’ll say OSU is competitive but falls short down the stretch. Arizona 28, OSU 21.”
