Iowa State vs Oklahoma State football: Previewing the Cowboys offense

Oklahoma State may be in a rebuilding year and dealing with having to replace their quarterback, but they could be ahead of schedule. A number of young receivers have impressed and the new quarterback has filled in without many hiccups.

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This means Iowa State’s defense doesn’t get a break after having their first real bad overall showing against Baylor this year. Here’s who to watch on the OSU offense this Saturday.

Offensive line

• LT Daniel Koenig (58, 6-foot-6, 300 lbs, Sr)

The left side of the line is the strongest with two seniors. Koenig switched from right to left last year and thrived, winning the offensive line MVP award against Kansas and Baylor and was one of the keys to how the Cowboys solved the Bears’ great defense. Iowa State’s defensive line will have their hands full with Koenig and the other senior at left guard, Chris Grisbhy, who weighs in at 25 more pounds.

However, the rest of the line has sophomores and a redshirt freshman starting at right tackle, Zachary Crabtree. But don’t discount him — he starts in front of a senior and has nearly the same frame as Koenig (6-foot-7, 290 lbs).

Backs and Receivers

• WR Brandon Sheperd (7, 6-foot-1, 195 lbs, Jr)
• RB Desmond Roland (26, 6-foot-2, 210 lbs, Sr)
• RB Tyreek Hill (24, 5-foot-10, 185, Jr)

Aug 30, 2014; Arlington, TX, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys wide receiver Tyreek Hill (24) runs with the ball after making a catch against the Florida State Seminoles at AT&T Stadium. Florida State beat Oklahoma State 37-31. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

It’s been a bit of a mixed bag with five receivers recording 125 or more yards in the first four games, but we’ll highlight Sheperd’s 23.25 yards per catch and two touchdowns this season. There isn’t a senior leader, but there’s a ton of dangerous weapons that Iowa State’s defense will have to prepare for. That also means tackling can’t regress like it did against Baylor — it has to be a lot sharper keeping players out of the endzone.

That is even more true with a deadly tandem at running back. Roland had a career high 219 yards and 4 touchdowns on 26 carries last year against the Cyclone defense. And if you haven’t heard of JUCO sensation Hill, he’s not your standard back. So far this season, he has 29 carries for 174 yards and 12 catches for 126 yards and a touchdown.

Quarterback

• Daxx Garman (12, 6-foot-2, 205 lbs, Jr)

With J.W. Walsh potentially out for the season, Oklahoma State has to prepare for using Garman for the rest of the year. He looked decent in a win over Texas Tech, but how much of that was due to the Red Raiders’ bad defense? And if Iowa State’s defense can’t improve from the beating they got against Baylor, Garman could be due for a great performance.

In three games, Garman has completed just 56.3 percent of his passes (49-of-87 for 929 yards) but has thrown eight touchdowns to just interceptions.