STILLWATER, Okla. - The Oklahoma State Cowboys blew out the Murray State Racers, 59-0 , on Saturday and looked good doing it.
The Cowboys (2-1) left little doubt they were the better team, as they had a 31-0 lead at halftime and held the Racers to 160 yards in total offense. Many of Oklahoma State 's starters were out of the game by the third quarter, getting their first chance at a rest since the season began, something head coach Eric Morris appreciated.
In a game like that you would expect a lot of winners and very few losers. And that's what Oklahoma State has going into their game against West Virginia on Saturday . In fact, finding a loser was difficult this week. But we gave it our best shot.
Here is a look at the biggest winners and the biggest losers for Oklahoma State after Saturday's game.
Bowick had a career game . He caught nine passes for 178 yards and two touchdowns and did that in the first half. He admitted after the game that the wide-open offense agrees with him and that the scheme has really opened since the Week 1 loss to Tulsa. He now has 14 catches in the last two games. He's shown both the Cowboys and opposing teams that he's more than just a 50-50 target in the red zone. At this rate he'll have a career season by mid-October.
Murray State had a deceptively difficult screen game that Oklahoma State had to defend. It's one of the things that made the Racers unique. Horn had an exceptional game on the edge. He had three tackles - and were tackles for loss and all on the edge on screen passes.
That's where corners and safeties are required to win one-on-won matchups. Horn won all three of his and he set the tone for how aggressive and how efficient the Cowboys defense would be the entire game.
Webb's tenure with the Oklahoma State Cowboys has been marked by a lack of playing time. That is changing this season and his blocked field goal in the first quarter will only going help get him more. It came at a critical time. Oklahoma State had just taken a 7-0 lead and Murray State had a chance to score points. A Racers delay of gain penalty canceled out the first attempt, which went through. Webb blocking that field goal turned the tide early for Oklahoma State. The Cowboys need more special teams plays like that.
Morris lamented earlier this week that the Cowboys really haven't gotten their return game going this season. There have been precious few opportunities. Miles Coleman took advantage of five punt returns and ended up with 116 yards. Two of his returns were critical. They set the Cowboys up with great field position that led to a touchdown and a field goal.
Coleman also stepped in and caught three passes for 53 yards and a touchdown as he got more reps with the injury to Chris Barnes.
The Cowboys got their first look at the freshman in a live game and he was sharp. He went 6-for-six for 37 yards and a touchdown while he also rushed for eight yards on three carries. The Cowboys admittedly wanted to keep things conservative in the second half to avoid injury and get the game done.
But Morris did answer the question about which player he might trust more if Drew Mestemaker can't play. Right now, it looks like Vehrs. The other backup, Grant Taylor, never saw the field. That's a huge boost for the freshman quarterback.
In my three bold predictions piece for this game, I wrote that this would be the week the Cowboys got a big man touchdown. Well, they almost did. Charles intercepted a tipped pass and had one Murray State player not grabbed his towel and stretched it out to keep him from getting to the end zone he might just have scored.
Morris wasn't happy with the post-play celebration that led to a 15-yard penalty. But, those are the kinds of game-changing plays the Cowboys need more of as they get into Big 12 play.
Oklahoma State 's Drew Mestemaker (17) and Broderick Vehrs. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
The Cowboys had four sacks against Oregon on Saturday. It was one of the biggest reasons they won the game. Oklahoma State didn't have a sack against Murray State on Saturday. Now to be fair to the defensive line, Murray State's offensive scheme was much different than Oregon's and their goal was to get the ball out fast on screens. There wasn't much throwing downfield. But MSU's starter was out and finishing a game like that with no sacks is a missed opportunity to build on the momentum of last week.
Quarterback Drew Mestemaker had a fantastic game. He threw for 324 yards and five touchdowns on 20-of-22 passing, which was the most efficient game in Oklahoma State history.
But there's one little thing. He did fumble away a possession in the first half. It was Oklahoma State's only turnover of the game. And if there's any one thing to worry about with him going into Big 12 play it's ball possession.
He has six turnovers in two games - four interceptions and two fumbles. While you'll trade some ball possession for his immense production, he needs to manage those turnovers in key moments. It was one of the few things that Morris was unhappy about after the game.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/oklahomastate as Biggest Winners and Losers from Oklahoma State Week 3 Win Against Murray State: Cowboys Have Plenty to Choose From .
