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Oklahoma State Football: Taking a Look at the Cowboys’ Perfect Drive Against Texas

By Kurt Freudenberger

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The Oklahoma State football team’s victory over Texas was filled with poor execution and mistakes on offense. Somewhere in there however, was a prime example of what this offense is capable of.

The offense’s performance on Saturday in Austin was rough. We all know that.

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When thinking about the game as a whole, the Cowboys’ first two drives initially stand out the most as examples of the success they can have when executing properly.

Two possessions, two touchdowns.

However, Those first two drives were extremely pass-heavy, with 119 of the 130 total yards coming through the air. Sure, it worked, but a somewhat more balanced attack is preferred by Gundy, and for good reason.

The Cowboys’ offense fizzled out by the time the first half ended, as the team finished with a field goal and punt on their last two possessions, respectively.

The second half began with the team’s first three-and-out of the game.

After getting the ball back for the second time in the third quarter however, the Cowboys began a drive from their own two-yard line. It transpired as follows:

  • Rennie Childs run for no gain
  • Mason Rudolph pass complete to Brandon Sheperd for 3 yards
  • Mason Rudolph pass complete to Brandon Sheperd for 25 yards
  • Rennie Childs run for 5 yards
  • Mason Rudolph pass incomplete to James Washington
  • Mason Rudolph pass complete to Marcell Ateman for 11 yards
  • Rennie Childs run for 6 yards
  • Mason Rudolph pass complete to Marcell Ateman for 29 yards
  • Rennie Childs run for 8 yards
  • Mason Rudolph pass complete to David Glidden for 3 yards
  • Rennie Childs run for 5 yards
  • J.W. Walsh run for 2 yards
  • J.W. Walsh pass complete to Jeremy Seaton for 1 yard for a touchdown

Stats on this drive: 6-of-7 combined passing for 72 yards, and six rush attempts for 26 yards. Two passes over 20 yards, three passes under five yards, one mid-range pass. Also, if you take out the first play of the drive, which was Childs’ first run for no gain, you’re left with 5.2 yards per rush.

That right there, is the ideal drive, and shows the potential of what this team can do. It featured everything they are capable of: short passes, long passes, rushes for at least five yards each attempt (some of which were actually on the outside for once,) and finishing it all of with the Walsh package, which included a pass this time on a play that showed exactly why Walsh is so valuable:

A long, grinding, 98-yard drive that displayed all the qualities we were hoping for with this team.

The Cowboys would of course go on to not score another touchdown, and Childs would be ineffective the rest of the game, but the team had something with this series.

The thing that stands out the most with this drive was the mixture of plays used. Runs were spread out evenly, Rudolph made as many shorter throws as longer ones, Childs did something other than run up the freaking middle, and Walsh did what he’s done all season in goal line situations: score a touchdown.

You can’t draw it up any better.

Whatever magic the Cowboys captured on this drive, they need to draw from it again and use it as an example heading into the matchup with Kansas State this Saturday.

Surely Gundy and Yurcich will take note of this.

Right?

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