STILLWATER — With so much already known about this Oklahoma State football team thanks to its 20 returning starters, the season opener presented few unexpected twists.
Perhaps the defense shows a bigger glimpse into the offseason changes it made when the 17th-ranked Cowboys host Arkansas at 11 a.m. Saturday at Boone Pickens Stadium.
And maybe the offense has some new wrinkles in store for the Razorbacks, too.
But in most respects, the product on the field Saturday looked a lot like the one OSU fans watched last October.
It wasn’t a carbon copy, however, and the 44-20 win over FCS No. 1 South Dakota State revealed a few important revelations about this edition of the Cowboys.
Here are three key developments from Week 1 that should benefit Oklahoma State this season:
The backup running back’s numbers don’t knock you over, but the way he played in limited opportunities against SDSU was worth noting. He had 18 yards on seven total touches, plus generated a 15-yard penalty when a defender nearly twisted Vailahi’s head off by the facemask.
For a player who was lightly recruited and a late addition to the Cowboys’ 2023 recruiting class, Vailahi has shown significant improvement since arriving at OSU 15 months ago. He’s bigger and faster, but more importantly, has shown he can be trusted in meaningful situations as a backup to Ollie Gordon II.
Indiana transfer Trent Howland didn’t get as many opportunities to show his ability, but that could come this week, considering the size of Arkansas’ defensive line. Having a bigger back like the 6-foot-3, 240-pound Howland enduring some of the pounding might be helpful when the Cowboys decide to rest Gordon.
More: Oklahoma State football stock report: Who is rising, falling after Cowboys’ Week 1 win?
South Dakota State’s Graham Spalding (29) grabs the face mask of Oklahoma…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/oklahoma-state-footballs-biggest-development-220503397.html
Author : The Oklahoman
Publish date : 2024-09-03 22:05:03
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