By Michael Doutey

Ladies and gentlemen, we are one week away from having football back in our lives. We are just seven days away from the start of Oklahoma State’s season. It is a new era in Stillwater. Out is Mason Rudolph and James Washington. Now it is Justice Hill’s turn to be the face of the program, even if it is just for a season.

Regardless of the changes, there is optimism surrounding this team and it seems to be growing. There is talent on the roster ready to take prominent roles left by guys who have moved onto the NFL.

But now that we are closer to the season it is time to take a closer look at some of the big questions surrounding Oklahoma State heading into 2018.

Quarterback Uncertainties

We know what Mason Rudolph meant to Oklahoma State over the past couple season. We also know how important that position is to a football team, especially to a high-octane offense like OSU’s. So, fans and media alike, looked to Spencer Sanders or Dru Brown as the starting quarterback. However, the former walk-on has won the job.

Taylor Cornelius has taken over the job. It came as a surprise to most everyone back in July when Cornelius was announced the winner. But after three weeks of camp, all you hear are great things about him. You hear it from the coaches. You hear it from his teammates. Anyone who has direct contact to the team has heard excellent things, even dating back to the summer.

I’ve been on the record saying that I think OSU will have multiple starting quarterbacks in 2018. But I am starting to back away from that. I am starting to buy into Taylor Cornelius. That doesn’t mean I am expecting him to be Mason Rudolph or Brandon Weeden. That would be unreasonable.

But I think he can be solid, much like Clint Chelf was once he took over in the 2013 season. One thing I am expecting from Gundy this season that he didn’t do back then is give his new starter some room to grow.

“You can’t expect him to go play like Mason the first day,” Mike Gundy said of Cornelius. “We have to be patient and let him make some mistakes and correct them. But I think he has enough ability to overcome those deficiencies as he works through the month of September.”

Cornelius is a redshirt senior. He has been around and seen a lot of football. Gundy said Cornelius knows this offense as well as anyone who has been in the program. He has a strong arm and good athleticism. Now he just has to backup what everyone is saying about him by doing it in a game. He is going to make some mistakes. That is just the fact of the matter. But it looks like Gundy and Co. are ready to ride with him this season. Again, the Boise State game will tell us a lot in terms of this team, but also at quarterback. If he makes it through that game he will be the guy all season long. But I have the gut feeling that Cornelius will surprise us all by seasons end. 

Jim Knowles’ Defense

The more research you do on Knowles and his defenses at Duke, the more you realize how aggressive his defense will be at OSU. Fans are used to the bend but don’t break defensive philosophy from the past couple seasons. Those resulted in long, drawn out drives that lead to fans becoming frustrated. 

OSU’s defenses really have worn down over the course of the past several seasons. By the time November rolled around, the defense was giving up tons of points. Since 2015, OSU has allowed 35.4 points per game from November to the end of the season. 

Knowles is looking to change things up by dialing up more blitzes. He is playing more man-to-man and press coverages. The thought is to provide more chaos providing more sacks, forced turnovers and quarterback hurries. But that also means the corners will be an island more than ever.

OSU is leaving the deep ball open. The corners are going to be physical at the line of scrimmage. We are going to see less and less of the corners giving receivers a large cushion. But that means OSU is risking giving up the big play. The Pokes are looking for more three-and-outs and shorter drives by risking allowing deep passes. It is a gamble, but if the secondary can find a way to limit the big play, it could pay off in a big way. 

It is a very different philosophy from what fans are expecting. OSU has really struggled over the years, especially the past two, with giving up big plays and deep passes. Think back to Bedlam and Kansas State from last season. If OSU can limit those plays, then this defense could see massive improvement in 2018.

🎙 Defensive Coordinator Jim Knowles is on the mic today… and he’s feeling very Zen 😌 #okstate #GoPokes pic.twitter.com/5nCGi92pKP

— Cowboy Football (@CowboyFB) August 14, 2018

Year of the Running Back

OSU has one of the best running back rooms in the entire country. There are only a few that compare. The lead is played by Justice Hill, who is the team’s best offensive threat. Gundy keeps saying that he wants Hill to have 15 touches per game, which I still don’t believe will happen, especially with what is expected to be an improved offensive line.

OSU averaged 38.8 rushing attempts per game last year, lead by Hill’s 20.6 carries per game. But this season OSU can rely more on its run game than they have been able to in a long time. So, if Gundy really wants Hill to stay fresh and only touch the ball 15 times a game, that means there is plenty of workload to go around.

JD King is primed to have another solid season. Last year he wasn’t a consistent contributor. A third of his season carries came in the West Virginia game, where he had 36 carries for 142 yards. But King is another year in the program and has now had 12 months or more with Rob Glass. He is fully ready for a strong secondary role next to Justice Hill, much like Chris Carson was back in 2016. 

Then there is Chuba Hubbard and LD Brown, both who can explode and take any carry to the house. But how do you implement those two? That is a tough question. But for me, the real question is how do you divide up these carries between all four players? That is the question I am most interested in finding out. 

Last year it was hard to take the ball out of Hill’s hands. So, why would that be different this season? Hill is even better and I am having a really hard time seeing Hill carry the ball just 20 times a game, much less 15. I am really interested to see how the carries are divide up. But my guess is telling me that Hill will touch the ball in Big 12 play more than 20 times a game. 

Secondary Concerns

Tre Flowers and Ramon Richards were two of the most experienced players on the Cowboys defense last season. Now they are being replaced with Malcolm Rodriguez and Thabo Mwaniki, two true sophomores.

Now, as you know, OSU has moved to the 4-2-5 scheme. That means there will be three safeties and Kenneth Edison-McGruder is sliding back to one of the safety spot after losing 15 pounds.

This is a concern of mine. McGruder last played safety as a true freshman and has been at linebacker the past two seasons. Though this is his natural position, it has been a while since he has played it. For the other two guys, both have yet to play a ton at their position. Both were more special teams players as true freshman. But I think both Mwaniki and Rodriguez will be good in time, but there will be an adjustment period. How long will that take for them to become true playmakers is anyone’s guess. 

Another concern is the corner position, especially if OSU is going to play more press coverage. Both AJ Green and Rodarius Williams are back, but both had inconsistent seasons. Green and Williams made their fair share of plays last year but both were also burnt deep.

But they also had no real backups. So, who will be able to step in this season to spell Green or Williams? True freshman, Tanner McCalister, is in the running to be a backup. Also, former wide receiver Tyrell Alexander has a shot to play as well. One other option is Texas A&M grad transfer, Kemah Siverand. If one or two of those guys can give solid play behind the starters, OSU’s secondary could be as good or better than last season. 

Corner is one of the most important positions on the defense now that they will be in press coverage as often as it appears they will be. So having solid play there is going to be paramount to having a successful defense. Here is a look into how the secondary is being coached.

“He (coach Knowles) demands our safeties and corners to be more physical,” Darrion Daniels said. “Receivers are real pretty boys and they don’t like to be touched. You and see the frustrating in their get offs and you can see the frustration in film when they get touched. Our DBs and our corners are getting great about being more physical.”

Who Steps Up at Outside Receiver?

It is hard to replace what James Washington has done. After all, he owns the record for most receiving yards in OSU history with 4,472. He is an all-time great and one of the best deep threats we’ve ever seen. We also know his ability to catch 50-50 balls is amazing and there is probably no one on campus that can replace what he can do.

But there is still deep talent at this position. We know the inside receivers like Dillon Stoner and Jalen McCleskey. We don’t really have to worry too much about them, especially Stoner who I feel will lead the team in catches and yards.

But Tyron Johnson and Tylan Wallace will be jumping into a new role and Gundy knows he has to be patient with them as well and not to expect them to turn into Washington or Marcell Ateman overnight.

“We can’t expect some of the wideouts to look like James or Ateman,” Gundy said. “They just don’t have that experience. Stoner and McCleskey do at the slot, but those outside guys we have – 13 and 2 – they haven’t played as much as what those other guys have. So it’ll take them a little time, just like it’ll take Taylor.”

But one positive I hadn’t really thought of is that Cornelius already has a comfort level with Johnson, Wallace and even Landon Wolf. They spent a full season or more together getting used to each other on the second unit. Now they all are graduating to the starting unit at the same time, which Cornelius said is a big plus.

“You had guys last year who Mason was throwing to like James, Marcell and Chris and then I was throwing to those guys (Wallace and Johnson) the whole time,” Cornelius said. “I am really comfortable with them and they are going to be great for us this year.”

This group isn’t as good as it was a season ago and I am not expecting a huge drop off this season. But it will take Johnson and Wallace to play to their potential to make that happen.

We are getting closer to kickoff in Stillwater. In fact, tomorrow will have their week one press conference for Missouri State. We will have more on that next week and some season predictions.