Oklahoma State football: The best stats that showcase a dominant defense
By John Scimeca
Oklahoma State football got its seventh win in a row against West Virginia last weekend, overpowering the Mountaineers offense in an impressive display on the road. The Cowboys allowed just 133 yards of total offense in the 24-3 victory, constantly flummoxing a West Virginia offense that entered this game scoring nearly 30 points a game.
OSU (8-1, 5-1) moved up one spot to No. 10 in the latest AP poll after the victory, while West Virginia (4-5, 2-4) now needs to win two of its final three games to become bowl-eligible. OSU won its fourth consecutive game in Morgantown.
Oklahoma State football ranks among the nation’s best in categories such as rush defense, scoring defense, sacks, and third-down conversions allowed.
OSU wide receiver Tay Martin was one of the difference makers on Saturday afternoon, pulling in two highlight-reel touchdown grabs on similar-looking fade routes into the right side of the West Virginia end zone. He finished the game with seven catches for 63 yards and two scores.
It was OSU’s eighth win of the season, giving the Cowboys their best start through nine games since 2015.
Here are the statistics that best define how dominant OSU’s defense has become under defensive coordinator Jim Knowles:
5. OSU has shut down several of the nation’s top running backs.
Iowa State’s Breece Hall had 70 yards and one touchdown on 21 carries. The Cyclones are the only team that’s beaten OSU this season through its first nine games of the season.
In Hall’s other eight games, he’s averaged 131.4 yards per game while scoring 13 touchdowns overall. He’s also the nation’s third-leading rusher.
OSU held Kansas State’s Deuce Vaughn to just 22 yards on 13 carries in a 31-20 win early in the season. In Vaughn’s other eight games, he’s averaged 105.5 yards per game while scoring 12 touchdowns overall.
Baylor’s Abram Smith rushed for 97 yards and one touchdown in a 24-14 loss to the Cowboys. In Smith’s other eight games, he’s averaged 119.8 yards per game while scoring 10 touchdowns. He currently ranks as the nation’s eighth-leading rusher.
West Virginia’s Leddie Brown was held to 24 yards on 10 carries. In Brown’s other eight games, he’s averaged 79 yards per game while scoring 11 touchdowns overall.
Tulsa’s Shamari Brooks mustered only 26 yards on 10 carries. In Brooks’ other eight games, he’s averaged 86.8 yards per game while scoring five touchdowns overall.
Bijan Robinson is the one exception to this group of running backs stifled by the OSU defense. In the losing effort for Texas, he rushed for 135 yards and two touchdowns, although the OSU defense held Texas to 12 total yards on its final six possessions in the 32-24 comeback win in Austin.
4. OSU allows only 16.3 points per game.
Consider that OSU has consistently held its opponents to well below their season scoring averages. These are strong offenses, too, that have performed well in games in which they do not face the Cowboys.
Baylor averages 36.3 points per game and managed only 14 points in a loss to the Cowboys. West Virginia entered their game last Saturday scoring 29.3 points per game, yet only had one field goal against the Cowboys.
This scoring opponent average for OSU ranks as ninth-best in the country and the best in the Big 12 Conference.