Oklahoma State Football: Winners and Losers from the Week 9 Game vs. TCU

The Oklahoma State Cowboys started off shaky in Saturday's game against the TCU Horned Frogs, especially in their passing game.

The second half, on the other hand, was a completely different story, as quarterback Wes Lunt finally shrugged off six weeks of rust and became the strong-armed signal-caller everyone expected him to be.

It wasn't an easy win by any means, as the Horned Frogs played well on defense, while flashing potential on offense. But the Pokes ended up with the "W", becoming the big "winner" in this contest.

Winner: Quinn Sharp

I've been saying all year that Quinn Sharp is the best special teams player in the nation, regardless of position, and he further proved that sentiment this weekend.

Sharp was 5-for-5 on field goals and kept Oklahoma State in the game early with three in the first half.

Outside of a rare bad kick, Sharp was equally prolific in the punting game. He averaged 42.8 yards per punt, and only two kicks, punt or kick off, were returned.

Simply said, the Cowboys wouldn't have won without Sharp's big-time kicks and ability to completely change the field-position battle.

Here's hoping he gets recognized with either a Groza or Ray Guy award at season's end.  

Loser: Tracy Moore

Tracy Moore wasn't able to play for the second consecutive week, and for the second consecutive week, another Cowboys wide receiver stepped to be the leading receiver.

This isn't to say that I'm doubting Moore's ability, just to say that he's quickly losing his spot as the team's best receiver.

Before injury, Moore was the team's go-to target and led the team with four touchdown grabs. Now that he's been out two weeks, other guys have stepped up in big ways.

It's fair to say that Moore could see a big down tick in targets when he does make his return.

Winner: Josh Stewart and Friends

Speaking of guys who have stepped up in Tracy Moore's absence, how about Josh Stewart?

The young man has only been Oklahoma State's best receiver in back-to-back weeks. His 13 catches against Iowa State gave J.W. Walsh the safety valve he needed. Then he came out this week and recorded 120 yards against a tough TCU defense.

He's not the only one who's looked good, though. Blake Jackson has become the Cowboys' secondary buster, as he sprints down the seam for countless 20-yard pickups. And Charlie Moore's become a touchdown magnet who just can't stay out of the end zone.

Oh, and then there's that Joseph Randle guy. The stud running back only put up 126 yards rushing and a touchdown...no big deal. 

Loser: Gary Patterson's Recruiting

Both TCU and Oklahoma State's rosters are filled with top Texas recruits, and because of this, the two coaches know each other very well. They often find themselves going after the same player.

It's safe to say that many of those high school players were watching this game closely to see which team would come out on top.

Now, I'm not saying kids are going to leave Gary Patterson's squad and go to Mike Gundy's due to this loss, but this game can only hurt the Horned Frogs.

Imagine you're Gundy and go see a kid who's trying to decide between Oklahoma State and TCU. The first thing you do is put on this game tape and say, "Now, which school would you rather play for?"

Winner: Oklahoma State's Defense

Bill Young's defense looked a lot more like their 2011 self, forcing three turnovers and holding the TCU offense to just seven points.

Most importantly, the Cowboys' only two third-down conversions on the day. Sure, they gave up 344 total yards, but they were the definition of "bend, don't break."

As the Pokes move into the meat of their schedule, it's comforting for fans to see the defense improving week to week. 

Loser: Trevone Boykin's Throwing Motion

Trevone Boykin has one of the strangest and least consistent throwing motions I've seen in awhile. It seemed like almost every time he dropped back, he was throwing from a different angle, and that long windup he employs hurt him on multiple occasions.

Boykin's had passes batted down at the line four or five times throughout the game; however, that wasn't the worst part of his day.

Right after a questionable pass interference call on Justin Gilbert on fourth down, TCU was in a position to get back into the game.

Boykin dropped back to pass and started that windup of his, just as Nigel Nicholas came in and forced a fumble that basically sealed the game late. 

Winner: TCU's Defense

On paper, it might look like the Horned Frogs' defense was gashed by Oklahoma State, but when your offense is as ineffective as TCU's was all day, opponents are going to rack up yards.

The defense held the Pokes to 5-of-15 on third downs, held them to field goals five times in the red zone and kept Joseph Randle from really breaking loose all day long.

Add to that the fact that they forced two turnovers, returning one for a touchdown, and you have a team that looked bad in the stat column but actually played well in the loss.

Loser: TCU's Quarterback Situation

Since losing starting QB Casey Pachall, TCU is 1-3 and has shown flashes of brilliance while also struggling due to the amount of freshmen they employ on both sides of the ball.

That said, the news at the quarterback position got even worse after this week. Trevone Boykin has looked equally dynamic and lost at times in his four games as a starter.

However, that's not the news; the news is that Boykin was banged up late in the fourth quarter while trying to engineer a comeback win.

If Boykin is forced to miss time, that means the Horned Frogs will be starting Matt Brown as they begin a stretch of playing four straight ranked opponents.

Things aren't exactly looking up for Texas Christian.

Winner: Gadget Plays

It all started with a flea flicker from the Oklahoma State offense, and then the playbooks really opened up for both teams.

We saw multiple reverses, fake jet sweeps and both teams throwing the ball with someone that's not their quarterback (more on that later).

It was a fun thing to watch, for sure, and made you watch the game, just to see what crazy thing the coaches would draw up next.

The most impressive thing from all of this, is that almost every play worked for positive yards. These plays usually end up getting blown up just as often as they succeed, but pretty much every play turned out well for the offense that ran it. 

Loser: Daniel Koenig

Speaking of gadget plays, I just want to say "thank you" to Daniel Koenig for stealing away from me what would've been the highlight of the day. 

During the first half, Joseph Randle caught a pitch and took it outside. Just as he was nearing the line, he stopped and threw a glorious pass to Blake Jackson for a score.

Who knew that Randle could throw the ball? Who would've guessed that this was going to be the play that gets Oklahoma State back in the game? Why is there a flag on ground? Holding? Who did it? Daniel Koenig.

Winner: The Big 12 "Originals"

This one might be a little reaching, but with Oklahoma State's win here, the Big 12 "Originals" are now 5-3 against the teams that are new to the conference.

It could be worse for that for TCU and West Virginia, as WVU's two victories are by a combined 10 points. 

Obviously, this doesn't matter much either way, but it is nice for Big 12 fans to see that good teams can't just come in and beat the best the conference has to offer right away.

Loser: Wes Lunt

After sitting out six weeks with a knee injury, it's expected that Wes Lunt had some rust to shake off before he really got back into rhythm throwing the football.

However, when your first throw is an interception returned for a touchdown, you have a little more rust than anyone thought.

The interception was the big black mark on Lunt's game against TCU, but he played poorly throughout the first half.

He sailed balls way over receivers' heads, he threw balls into the dirt, he was late on countless throws, and he just generally looked like a scrub out there before halftime.

However...

Winner: Wes Lunt

There was a second half to be played, and play Wes Lunt did.

He led back-to-back third quarter drives that saw the Pokes move the ball for 64 and 80 yards and, most importantly, ended in touchdowns. 

Lunt also chewed up nine minutes in the fourth quarter, which kept TCU off the field and preserved the Cowboys' lead. That's even more impressive when you realize that the Pokes barely even huddled while trying to "hold the ball" late.

Lunt still has room to improve, but, if his second half is any indication, Oklahoma State is going to be a dangerous team in the Big 12.