By Michael Doutey
OSU heads into the off week taking a 31-12 beating to Kansas State. The Pokes followed a lackluster first half with a putrid second half as the Wildcats dominated OSU in every facet of the game.
OSU was out of sorts all game. They never looked in sync on offense and the defense fell on its face in the second half. It was a soul-sucking loss. OSU appeared stunned. They didn’t look like they believed that they could make the comeback.
OSU is at a tricky crossroads in their season as they have two weeks to think about what this season has turned into before facing Texas on Homecoming weekend. This isn’t the Oklahoma State football program that Mike Gundy has built. He must look his team in the eye and start making some tough decisions. It is amazing that nearly month ago that we thought OSU was looking a 9-0 start and now we are wondering if the team will make a bowl game. Here are today’s five observations.
ONE: It Might Not All be On Corn But He Isn’t Getting it Done
I’ve been a Taylor Cornelius defender almost all season. I’ve said since the beginning of the season that he is being used incorrectly. I really thought that Mike Yurcich was going to tailor his offense to his personnel, which he hasn’t. He is running his offense as if he still has Mason Rudolph and James Washington all while ignoring his best player in Justice Hill. Corn isn’t a deep ball thrower. That isn’t his game. He isn’t an efficient passer. But OSU’s offense is predicated on deep ball throws, and even though Corn can’t execute that pass with any sort of consistency, OSU is still going to run their offense the way they’ve always done it. This season has reminded me of the famous Albert Einstein quote; “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results.” OSU is going to continue to throw the ball deep with Taylor Cornelius and they are going to continue to lose games. Something has to change and if the coaching staff isn’t willing to adjust the play calling to support their quarterback then they need to play a quarterback who can execute the throws this offense demands. It is time for a change because it is clear that the status quo isn’t close to winning football.
TWO: Where is Justice Hill?
Justice Hill is still on the team, right? I say that factiously. Against the Wildcats, Hill had 11 carries for 41 yards and no touchdowns, snapping his Big 12 record at 12 consecutive games with a touchdown run. On the season Hill has 112 attempts for 684 yards and 7 touchdowns. But Saturday he was underused again. He had 13 overall touches, 11 carries and two catches. That’s not close to enough, yet in the first half he was standing around while Corn was slinging the ball all over the yard. Last season through seven games, Hill had 139 carries for 750 yards and five touchdowns. Even though he is undoubtedly the best player on this team, he has 27 fewer carries and 66 fewer rushing yards compared to last season who had Rudolph, Washington, Marcell Ateman, Chris Lacy and others. As a freshman in 2016, Hill had 109 carries over the first seven games for 565 yards and four touchdowns. Hill as a freshman wasn’t “the guy” until he took over in the fourth game and he had just three fewer attempts then than he does through the first seven games of this season. There is nothing to make sense of why he is being used as little as he is. Again, this is coaching and play calling. It is mind boggling how OSU is using Hill this season.
THREE: No Belief in Comeback
OSU cut the Wildcat lead to 17-12 in the fourth quarter. You might remember OSU went for a two-point conversion and dialed up a very confusing corner fade route to Tylan Wallace, which didn’t work. But there was never a feeling that OSU was going to score again. It was a grind to score that touchdown, the only one of the game. But even after OSU fell behind 24-12 with 9:41 to play in the game, there was enough time to mount a comeback. But there was a level of quit in the team that I’ve not seen in a long time. Maybe I am wrong about this. I really might be looking to hard here, but the offense didn’t have any life in them. It didn’t appear that they believed they could make the comeback. One thing that always rang true in the past with Rudolph was everyone believed that they could make a comeback. No one would panic. They would just bounce back. But I think the team knows that Corn can’t lead them back. I think there has been frustration building and Saturday was the breaking point. From watching on the other side of a TV screen, it felt like the team lost all faith in Corn that he can be the guy they need to be their QB1.
FOUR: Kansas State Ran Through the Heart of OSU’s Defense
It didn’t matter if OSU could have mounted a comeback because the defense couldn’t get a stop. OSU allowed Kansas State to score 28 second half points. As irritating as giving up big plays through the air are, what Kansas State did to the OSU defense was way more deflating than anything Brock Purdy and Iowa State did the week before. Alex Barnes and the Wildcats ran the football down OSU’s throats all second half. They went right to the heart of OSU’s defense and shredded it. Barnes ended up running for 181 yards on 34 carries and scored four touchdowns. K-State ran for 291 yards as a team. Once OSU’s offense failed to move the ball after K-State was up 24-12, OSU seemed to give up just like the offense. Guys weren’t flying to the ball or coming up to stop the Wildcat attack as K-State easily scored a touchdown putting the exclamation point on their first Big 12 victory.
FIVE: OSU Needs a Spark
This loss is about as bad as it gets. OSU is in the cellar along with Kansas in the Big 12. That is the reality of where OSU is. OSU is looking at losing the rest of their games. I think this OSU team is way underperforming. I think there are issues with personnel. I don’t think OSU is as bad as what they are showing. But they won’t improve if changes don’t happen. Either the offensive philosophy must be altered to fit Corn’s abilities or there must be a change at quarterback. OSU needs a spark. The team needs something to buy into and believe in. Whatever the message has been to this point has run its course and is falling on deaf ears. This bye week is important for OSU. They need to regroup and find common ground. That begins with Mike Gundy and works all the way down to everyone else. I am very interested to see what Mike comes up this week.
