Three Takeaways From Oklahoma State's Loss at Iowa State

The Oklahoma State Cowboys had an impressive start to their matchup against Iowa State, but couldn't maintain it as they eventually lost to the Cyclones 34-27. There are signs of hope, and some issues that may not seem major but could be hard to fix. 

Iowa State's Rocco Becht torched the Cowboys' defense with a blend of short throws and big plays that led to scores, which isn't what was expected in this matchup. The Cyclones' offense was worse than Oklahoma State's coming into this matchup, yet it's how they won the game.

Here are three takeaways from the Cowboys' loss to the Cyclones:

- Oklahoma State's defense. Some positives, some negatives. They were making stops, and doing so well. There were also some busted coverages leading to big plays. The 3-3-5 defense that Bryan Nardo brought in isn't supposed to allow that, yet it did. 

"We just had a bust, just dropped coverage," Mike Gundy said after the loss. "The scheme was fine, but we dropped coverage. Somebody didn't cover their man I guess is the best way to put it."

It's understandable to lack on a couple of plays, but those mistakes cost the Cowboys defense two touchdowns and 14 points. The run defense was good, which it should have been given the Cyclones haven't been able to run on anybody yet.

- Naming a starting quarterback was beneficial. Even though the team lost, the offense was significantly more in rhythm without playing three quarterbacks. Ollie Gordon saw plenty more touches and Alan Bowman played the entire game under center. Whether a coincidence or not, this is a good sign for the offense.

Oklahoma State's offense put up 409 total yards to Iowa State's 422 total yards, with the biggest difference being a simple conversion on a drive for a touchdown. The Cowboys had the ability to come away with a score on the final drive but fell short. 

It's hard to answer whether Bowman was the right choice, but the scheme was right. Gordon was getting touches, which opened up the passing game for Bowman to spread the ball out to his receivers. Brennan Presley notably only had two catches for nine yards, which is unacceptable for a player of his caliber. 

The offensive numbers are slightly inflated, as a Gordon 71-yard run and Bowman connection with Jaden Nixon for 60 yards really gave the numbers a boost.

- The quarterback battle might not be over yet. It's good that the team stuck with one quarterback, but it might benefit Oklahoma State to see one of the other two quarterbacks in contention for the job in that position. 

When asked about the battle and Bowman's job security as the starter, Gundy simply answered, "I can't give you that right now."

It appears the door isn't shut in trying another quarterback. The scheme with Bowman under center was better, even if the team wasn't able to remain in a consistent rhythm, but there were signs that they could achieve that, especially with a bye week coming up and more time with a full-time starter.

It'll be interesting to watch how this team handles things on both sides of the ball following bye week with matchups against Kansas State and Kansas on the horizon. 

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