Oklahoma State Football: 5 Players Who Surprised Us, 5 Who Need to Step Up

Now that the regular season is over for the Oklahoma State Cowboys, it's time to start the discussion of who came to play this season and who we're still waiting on.

Most of the Cowboys really came to play this season, as evidenced by their 11-1 record and their first conference championship. But there are some who failed to show up as much as they were needed.

Here are five in each category.

Brandon Weeden

Surprised Us

Brandon Weeden has a wife, and she should be extremely proud of her man.

The 28-year-old senior threw for 4,328 yards (breaking his own school record), 34 touchdowns and just 12 interceptions. He led the Cowboys to their best regular season record in school history and to their first Big 12 Championship.

His maturity and ability to withstand pressure made this team nearly unstoppable.

Great things were expected of Weeden, but not things this great. OSU was projected to finish third in the Big 12, and no one had him in the Heisman race. He won the Big 12 and was a leader in the Heisman race until his one loss.

Oklahoma State's Defensive Front

Needs to Step Up

I know they played well against Oklahoma and provided a decent pass rush during the season, but this unit still needs to step up.

It allowed nearly 200 yards rushing per game and 21 rushing touchdowns. In the SEC, that would spell doom for any team. Luckily, Oklahoma State plays in the pass-happy Big 12.

Justin Blackmon

Surprised Us

How, you ask?

His overall stats went down, yet he convinced even more people that he is the best wide receiver in the country.

He did catch more balls, but did so for about 400 less receiving yards and five less touchdowns. To see that kind of dip in production and still come out smelling like a rose is a testament to Blackmon as a player.

The Linebackers

Need to step up

Anytime anyone did talk about Oklahoma State's defense, it was either about its ball-hawking secondary or its defensive front making plays. This linebacking unit was never really discussed.

That isn't good.

It seemed nonexistent out there, with the exception of sophomore linebacker Shaun Lewis, who is becoming a star.

The Secondary

Surprised Us

Despite losing Devin Hedgepeth and Johnny Thomas for most of the year, the Cowboys secondary played extremely well.

Senior safety Markelle Martin was the leader of the group, while Brodrick Brown and Justin Gilbert shut down opposing wide outs and Daytawion Lowe provided big hits.

This group finished the year at eighth in the country in pass efficiency defense. That is surprising for this underrated group.

The Offensive Line

Need to step up

The offensive line played extremely well this season, but during the times that they didn't, it clearly affected the entire team.

The best example is the Cowboys' lone loss at Iowa State. The offensive line struggled to keep Brandon Weeden safe, contributing largely to his three picks. It also struggled in run blocking, which added even more pressure onto the passing game.

As I said before, this unit is really good, but they need to be all the time.

Joseph Randle

Surprised us

One of the biggest question marks coming into this season was whether or not the Cowboys could continue to rush the ball effectively after losing All-American running back Kendall Hunter to the NFL.

Joseph Randle silenced those concerns quickly.

The true sophomore ran for 1,193 rushing yards, which is impressive in a pass-first offense. His rushing yardage isn't as high as that of Hunter's last year (1,548 yards), but he did get into the endzone more (25 total touchdowns to Hunter's 16).

Randle is a guy to watch in the years to come.

Hubert Aniyam and Michael Harrison

A bit disappointing

I can't say that these two guys need to step up because both suffered from injuries that really pushed their seasons off the tracks.

Hubert Aniyam and Michael Harrison are the best outside receivers on the team other than Justin Blackmon. They combined for over 600 yards and six touchdowns, just teasing fans about what they could have been.

As a senior, Aniyam will be gone next year, but Harrison will have a chance to be one of the best wide receivers in the Big 12.

Mike Gundy

Surprised Us

No one nationally thought Mike Gundy could actually accomplish what he has. Everyone just thought of him as that guy who went off during a press conference that one time.

Gundy proved this year that he's a big time coach by beating Texas for just the second time, Oklahoma for the first time and winning the school's first ever Big 12 Championship.

The guy is 40-11 in the last four seasons. T. Boone Pickens is already getting out his checkbook to make sure this guy stays around for a very long time.

Josh Cooper

Needs to step up

Don't get me wrong, as a receiver, Josh Cooper played great this year (660 yards, three touchdowns).

It's as a punt returner that he needs to step up.

I get why he's back there. He's the most sure-handed guy for the job. But averaging 3.5 yards per return doesn't cut it.

Oklahoma State's offense is so good that it hasn't mattered, but it might against Stanford in the bowl game.

Cooper needs to step up and get more yards on his returns.