Oklahoma State Knocks off Texas A&M: What We Learned
Just how much can we take away from the No. 7 Oklahoma State Cowboys' 30-29 win over the No. 8 Texas A&M Aggies? Lots.
Just start with how much this game means in the national title picture. Any time two top-10 teams play, one team is going to lose and watch their championship dreams take a massive hit, while the other cements their name in the national title conversation.
Obviously, Oklahoma State still has to take on the top ranked Oklahoma Sooners, but the Cowboys that we saw in the second half in College Station today looked like a team that can beat anybody.
We also learned how high-powered the Oklahoma State offense is. Brandon Weeden showed his best Andrew Luck impression, completing nearly 80 percent of his passes, while Justin Blackmon and Josh Cooper caught 11 passes a piece for a combine 244 yards.
The Cowboys spread out the ball well, with 11 different receivers making at least one catch. Combine that with the team's 93 rushing yards and you are looking at one of the best offenses in the country. Keep in mind, all of this was against an Aggie defense that was allowing 267 yards a game and was eighth in the country allowing only 10.5 points per game.
What's even better for the Cowboys? They have room to improve. They had one turnover on the game, where Justin Blackmon fumbled on a play where he could have walked into the end zone, and the offensive line allowed four sacks for a combined 26 yards. Erase these few mistakes and I'm not sure anybody could handle this Cowboy team.
We saw two different Texas A&M teams today. In the first half, the Aggie offense looked supreme, and the defense looked like one of the best in the country. Ryan Tannehilll led the Aggies down the field, scoring two touchdowns and two field goals in five first half drives. Tannehill showed wheels early, scoring the first touchdown of the game on a 65 yard run.
But the second half was the opposite. Tannehill looked terrible throwing the ball in the second half, with three interceptions. His receivers did not help him much, as All-American candidate Jeff Fuller had trouble getting open at all and Kenric McNeal caught one long pass but fumbled the ball at the end of the play. The defense could not stop the Cowboys in the second half, and the final result showed.
Oklahoma State showed just how good they are in the second half today, scoring 27 of their 30 points in the last 30 minutes. They proved that they are going to be not just in the discussion, but they are the discussion for the BCS National Championship.
