Oklahoma State football: Numbers to know before road trip to Iowa State
By John Scimeca
3. Both OSU and Iowa State allow less than 100 rushing yards per game.
This matchup will provide two strengths pitted against each other. From both sides of the ball, the battle in the trenches will go a long way in deciding the outcome of Saturday’s ball game.
Iowa State allows its opponents 97.7 rushing yards per game while OSU allows only 98.8. The Cyclones and Cowboys are ranked No. 15 and No. 16 in the country, respectively, and are the Big 12’s best in this category.
Each team also features a dominant rusher: Jaylen Warren has been the focal point of the Cowboys offense by playing the starring role in each of the team’s past four wins. Against Texas, for example, the Utah State transfer rushed for 154 yards in the second half alone in a second-half rally.
Iowa State, on the other hand, counters with Breece Hall, who has rushed for 748 yards and 10 touchdowns this season while averaging 5.6 yards per carry. Linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez and the OSU defense must slow down Hall in order to keep the Cowboys in the game on Saturday.
4. The Cowboys are seven-point underdogs.
OSU fans can’t shake the haunting double-overtime loss to Iowa State in the 2011 season that cost Gundy and the Cowboys a berth in the national championship game. Maybe it’s the fact that the 2011 team was commemorated earlier this season as part of the 10-year anniversary of the Big 12 champions’ run, or that the Cowboys are on the road as an undefeated team in Ames.
Regardless, No. 8 OSU is pegged by the oddsmakers as seven-point underdogs this weekend against unranked Iowa State. The biggest reason that bettors feel more confident in the Cyclones is the way that OSU has won some of its games: the margin has been close, the offense has looked sluggish at times, and the team has started in a first-half hole in previous road trips to Boise State and Texas.
5. Jaylen Warren is the nation’s leading rusher from the past four games.
No running back in the nation can match Jaylen Warren’s rushing total (659 yards on the ground) from the past four-game stretch. One of these wins was at Boise State and the next three were each against a ranked Big 12 opponent.
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It’s arguable that Warren is setting himself for an argument to be a first-team All-America running back, if not the very best rusher in the country. Given his ability to carry the OSU offense against quality competition, Warren could add another badge to his accomplishments if he helps the Cowboys power past the Cyclones on the road this weekend.