One of the first games to wrap up in Week 2 was Oklahoma State football vs. South Alabama. The Cowboys came out on top by a score of 44-7.
The No. 9 Oklahoma State Cowboys notched themselves their final victory of the season against a Group of Five conference opponent. South Alabama did not have much of a chance at any point in this one. Oklahoma State ran this game through and through.
South Alabama was not able to get on the scoreboard until the fourth quarter. Senior quarterback Mason Rudolph gave the Cowboys a huge boost in the first half, totaling more than 350 yards and four touchdowns. He was the only Cowboy to score a rushing touchdown.
The Oklahoma State offense has played great so far through the first two weeks. It would be hard to find another offense that’s hard a better start to the 2017 campaign. However, we have yet to see the Pokes face a Power Five quality defense.
One of the things that stood out the most in this contest was the big effort from the Oklahoma State defense. They only allowed South Alabama to get on the scoreboard once, and that was very late in the game in the fourth quarter. Moreover, the Pokes won the turnover battle.
The front seven played well, despite injuries racking up at linebacker. Calvin Bundage will not miss the first half of the Pitt matchup due to a targeting call in the second half of the South Alabama game that was not overturned.
Even the Cowboy secondary allowed South Alabama less than 135 passing yards. Jaguar quarterback Dallas Davis threw for 126 yards and one touchdown with one interception. That’s very good because one of the biggest question marks entering the season for Oklahoma State was their defensive backs.
Now, let’s take a look at five overreactions from Oklahoma State football’s win over South Alabama.
5. Marcell Ateman is having trouble adjusting
While senior wide receiver Marcell Ateman had himself two touchdown catches, there were a few opportunities he missed out on. Ateman missed almost the entire 2016 season due to an ankle injury and came back for his sixth year with Oklahoma State.
It will take some time for Ateman to get back up to the speed of things. However, he needs to position himself as a firm start with the offense soon or the deep Oklahoma State receiving corps will find a way to replace him.
One of Ateman’s two scores was one that he bobbled and nearly dropped. That would have limited Ateman’s stat line to less than 50 receiving yards and one touchdown. Yet, with his great size it’s hard to not look his way in the red zone.
The game speed is now getting back with Ateman. He has two more weeks to continue getting into game shape before the Pokes start Big 12 play. Ultimately, Ateman will be fine but he needs to continue making adjustments.
4. Offensive line still has some question marks
Oklahoma State’s rushing attack was very productive for them in Week 1 against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane. Yet, sophomore running back Justice Hill and the Pokes were not able to muster much of a ground game against South Alabama.
Hill finished the game with 27 yards on 11 carries. The leading rusher for Oklahoma State was actually true freshman J.D. King. Fellow freshman LD Brown finished the game with 38 yards on 10 carries.
The offensive line struggled to get much of a push to give the running backs room. They did look good while facing Tulsa but struggled more with South Alabama. Injuries have not hampered the offensive line like in year’s past.
Working players like Cal transfer Adrian Cochran into the mix is something that could also take some time. Anytime you have an offensive lineman adjusting to a completely new pace of play in a new conference, some things could go wrong.
3. South Alabama can still make a bowl game
An 0-2 start to the season is nothing that South Alabama hoped for. Yet, after facing both Oklahoma State and the Ole Miss Rebels in the first two weeks, it’ll get much easier from here on out.
Next week, South Alabama faces Alabama A&M, out of the FCS, before working their way into the bulk of their Sun Belt slate. The Sun Belt is not a tough conference to play in. You could argue the Sun Belt is the worst conference in the FBS.
Related Story: 3 takeaways from Oklahoma State's win over South Alabama
The three toughest games that South Alabama has the rest of the way is the Troy Trojans, Arkansas State Red Wolves, and Georgia Southern Eagles. Winning out should not be too difficult for South Alabama.
While losing by 48-28 in Week 1 and 44-7 in Week 2 could hurt confidence, it will ultimately help out the Jaguars. They have seen two opponents with talent unlike any Group of Five team has on their roster. Getting bowl eligible is still very much in sight for the Jaguars.
2. Pitt should not be too much of a challenge
In Week 3, Oklahoma State faces their toughest non-conference test of the 2017 season. However, Pitt is not the same team that they were in 2016 when they were the only team to defeat the eventual National Champion Clemson Tigers.
Pitt took on the Penn State Nittany Lions in Week 2. Penn State downed the Panthers by a 19-point margin, not having much of a chance at any point during the game. While we don’t know how good the Pokes are compared to the Nittany Lions, we do know both are top 10 type squads.
USC transfer quarterback Max Browne does not measure up to Mason Rudolph in any way or form. Browne threw for less than 150 yards and also tossed two interceptions. If Pitt does end up defeating Oklahoma State, it will be because of the ground attack.
1. Oklahoma State has no chance in the Big 12
With how good the Oklahoma Sooners looked against the No. 2 ranked team in the country, things do not look good for Oklahoma State. OU upset the Ohio State Buckeyes at their home stadium in Columbus, Ohio.
Oklahoma State has looked fantastic through the first two weeks of action. However, Oklahoma has looked even better. The Big 12 should ultimately come down to Bedlam, on Nov. 4. Oklahoma and Oklahoma State are the clear two best teams in the conference.
Other competitors could include the West Virginia Mountaineers, TCU Horned Frogs, and Kansas State Wildcats. Watch out for TCU after they went on the road to Fayetteville, Ark., and took down the Arkansas Razorbacks.
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The Cowboys have finished second in the Big 12 two seasons in a row. They cannot get over the hump against the Sooners. Since Oklahoma carries a top-three ranking and considerable momentum into the start of Big 12 play, head coach Mike Gundy needs to be ready for Bedlam.