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Oklahoma State Cowboys Football: 2015 Season Preview and Prediction

By Patrick Schmidt

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After a disappointing 2014, Oklahoma State Cowboys head coach Mike Gundy looks to get back on track with a bounce-back 2015 campaign with QB Mason Rudolph.

Oklahoma State’s 7-6 record was the worst for head coach Mike Gundy since he led the Cowboys to a 7-6 record in his third season in Stillwater in 2007. The seventh place finish in the Big 12 after going 4-5 in league play was the lowest finish for Gundy in his tenure and the most losses since he went 1-7 in his debut season in 2005.

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Last year was a rebuilding year for Gundy and the Cowboys who hope to get back to the level they showed the previous six years when they won a total of 59 games.

Offensive Outlook

The Mason Rudolph got underway at the end of last year when the true freshman took over for Daxx Garman who transferred in the spring. Rudolph looked good in the last three games of the year, completing 57 percent of his passes for 853 yards with six touchdowns and four interceptions. He lost his first start vs Baylor but rebounded to beat Oklahoma and Washington in the Cactus Bowl to give him momentum heading into his sophomore year when he’ll be the leader of the offense.

Rudolph has a large array of weapons to work with after the Cowboys only lost Tyreek Hill after he was dismissed after an arrest but returns nine of the top 10 receivers from last year. Brandon Sheperd is poised for a 1,000-yard season after leading the team with 39 catches for 737 yards and five touchdowns last year. James Washington could be a breakout star after catching 28 passes for 458 yards and a team-high six touchdowns as a freshman last year.

Tight end Jeremy Seaton has All-Big 12 potential and adds to the playmakers Rudolph has at his disposal.

The offensive line was bolstered with the addition of UAB transfer tackle Victor Salako who has NFL potential and should bring valuable experience and leadership to the unit.

The run game has some questions after the graduation of leading rusher Desmond Roland who had 770 yards and 10 touchdowns last year and Hill’s contributions as a runner. That duo combined to rush for 1,304 yards and 11 touchdowns which leaves Rennie Childs at the top of the depth chart after he had 294 yards and three scores last year. Four-star junior college transfer Chris Carson could win the job with a strong fall.

Defensive Outlook

Oklahoma State had the nation’s No. 94 scoring defense a year ago when the Cowboys allowed an average of 31.2 points per game. That has to be better this year if they want to move up the Big 12 standings and compete with the likes of TCU, Baylor, Kansas State, Oklahoma and Texas.

The personnel looks better than this time a year ago and an improved offense should help the defense, which it didn’t do last year. It starts up front for the Cowboys with Emmanuel Ogbah after he led the team with 11 sacks and 17 tackles for loss to garner Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year. Jimmy Bean starts opposite him and looks to build on the 6.5 sacks he had as a junior and the defensive tackles look promising with sophomores Will Leveni and Vincent Taylor.

Ryan Simmons and Seth Jacobs led the linebackers after finishing second and third in tackles last year with 96 and 92 stops, respectively, and both are candidates to be All-Big 12 selections. Sophomores Justin Phillips or Gyasi Akem are competing at the SAM.

Junior Jordan Sterns returns at free safety after leading the team with 103 tackles and cornerback Kevin Peterson is a potential shutdown corner after having 11 pass deflections and two interceptions last year. Tre Flowers and Ramon Richards who had a team-high three picks as a freshman last year round out the starting secondary for a team that finished eighth in conference in pass defense.

Prediction

This is a much improved team from last year when Gundy had to rebuild and the growing pains and lumps his team took en route to a 7-6 finish should pay off this year. Rudolph is a talent who should thrive in this offense that has a host of playmakers on the perimeter but he’ll benefit with a legit running game to complement an improved passing attack.

Defensively, this unit has studs at every level with Ogbah, Simmons, Jacobs, Sterns and Peterson candidates to be first-team All-Big 12 picks. There is a nice mix of experience and high-upside youth to make sure Oklahoma State is far better than the No. 94 scoring defense they put on the field last year.

The schedule sets up nicely with a soft non-conference slate and home games with Kansas State, TCU, Baylor and Oklahoma. The Cowboys may run the table on the road with Texas their toughest challenge away from home so this team has the chance to be one of the most improved in the country and get nine wins.

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