Oklahoma State Football: Can 2017 be a repeat of 2011
With quarterback Mason Rudolph and wide receiver James Washington returning to the Oklahoma State football team, similarities exist with the 2011 team.
Multiple similarities exist between the circumstances entering the 2017 season compared to how the Oklahoma State football team looked entering 2011. Quarterback Mason Rudolph and wide receiver James Washington return for their senior seasons. This drew comparisons to the 2011 OK State team with quarterback Brandon Weeden and wide receiver Justin Blackmon that led the Cowboys to a no. 3 final ranking.
The 2011 OK State team came extremely close to winning, at the time, the school’s first football National Championship. However, a heartbreaking loss to the Iowa State Cyclones on the road dispatched any chance the Pokes had at a national title. Yet, they still ended up with one of the most successful seasons in school history with a Fiesta Bowl victory over Andrew Luck and the Stanford Cardinal.
Rudolph and Washington form one of the best deep threat combinations for any offense in college football. Washington caught 71 passes for 1,380 yards and 10 touchdowns this season. He averaged a whopping 19.4 yards per reception as well. Meanwhile, Rudolph threw for 4,091 yards and 28 touchdowns with only four interceptions. Rudolph and Washington played well against the Colorado Buffaloes leading the Pokes to a dominant 38-8 victory in the Alamo Bowl.
Adding on to the threat of Rudolph and Washington playing another season at OK State, the Pokes have a ton of talent surrounding them on offense. Freshman All-American running back Justice Hill returns for his sophomore campaign. Moreover, the Cowboys have Jalen McCleskey, Marcell Ateman, Dillon Stoner, and Chris Lacy all returning at wide receiver. OK State picked up LSU transfer and former five-star recruit wide receiver Tyron Johnson. All the talent needed for the Pokes to put together a special season offensively is there.
The defense returns numerous key players including safety Tre Flowers, linebacker Chad Whitener, defensive end Tralund Webber, and cornerback Ramon Richards. An x-factor for the Cowboy defense depends on the pass rush. OK State had defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah in his prime during the 2014 and 2015 seasons, so they rarely had to worry about a strong pass rush. Yet, pressure on the quarterback lacked consistency during the 2016 season.
The 2011 OK State squad focused on a “bend but not break” mentality. They relied on putting up an impressive turnover margin instead of dominating on defense, which no Big 12 defense should ever expect. OK State posted a +11 turnover margin in 2016, which should translate well in 2017. However, question marks remain regarding the talent present on the Cowboy defense.
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Similarities between the 2011 Cowboy squad and the projected 2017 squad exist. All that really stands in the way of the Pokes and a shot at the Big 12 title and the College Football Playoff likely lies in Norman. The Oklahoma Sooners destroyed any chance the Cowboys had at the College Football Playoff or the Big 12 title in three of the last four seasons. The 2011 season was one of only two times the Cowboys beat the Sooners in the last six years. That could very well be the biggest challenge of the 2017 college football season for the Pokes.