Oklahoma State football looking for defensive boost vs. Kansas State after bye week
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STILLWATER — Oklahoma State was already past its first open week when Clint Bowen was moved from his position as an offensive analyst to interim defensive coordinator in late September.
The Cowboys (1-8, 0-6) had just lost their third straight game when Todd Grantham was fired, so Bowen took over a struggling defense with just a few days to prepare for his first game in charge of the unit.
And though the results in terms of points allowed haven’t shown much progress, the OSU defense has shown some actual growth in recent weeks.
The Pokes allowed just 88 rushing yards to a Texas Tech offense that is averaging nearly 200 a game. Kansas had just 342 total yards, the lowest allowed by OSU against an FBS opponent since BYU in November 2023.
And then, ahead of this week’s game against Kansas State at 11 a.m. Saturday at Boone Pickens Stadium, Bowen got a breather.
A week off to focus on the foundation of his defensive principles without fully focusing on the installation of a game plan.
“You can look back on all the games you played and reflect back as a player and coach and find out, what do you really need to work on?” interim head coach Doug Meacham said. “How can you improve to be able to win? You can look at self-scout a little bit more in detail on both sides of the ball to figure out, ‘OK, we're giving these things away on these formations or these looks defensively, and how can we not do that?’”
Bowen hasn’t had that opportunity without the looming need to prepare for the next opponent, nor have his players.
“We’ll get two whole weeks to study for K-State,” linebacker Brandon Rawls said after the Kansas game. “We need that extra week to rest our bodies and get back to work.”
The recent improvements are signs of light that the work is paying off, and that leads to further inspiration.
“We just gotta keep working,” linebacker Bryan McCoy Jr. said. “Every time in the weight room, every time on the field, whatever it is, just gonna keep workin. We gonna pray that something good will come out of it.
“I’m sure something good will come out of it. I don’t doubt that in my mind at all.”
In terms of yardage, K-State will be the worst offense OSU has faced, averaging 362.4 yards per game. Only Houston has a lower scoring average than the Wildcats’ 29.8 points per game.
But K-State quarterback Avery Johnson is a veteran who can pick apart a secondary if given the opportunity.
Regardless of what happens Saturday or the final three weeks of the season, Bowen’s work with the defense is commendable.
“He stepped in that room as an offensive analyst,” Meacham said. “And he stepped in a room full of a bunch of guys that were brought here by some other people, and took command of the room and simplified.
“I know we haven’t won much, and numbers don't show up as much, but they played pretty well considering what was going on with us in general.”
Scott Wright covers Oklahoma State athletics for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Scott? He can be reached at swright@oklahoman.com or on X at @ScottWrightOK. Sign up for the Oklahoma State Cowboys newsletter to access more OSU coverage. Support Scott’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com or by using the link at the top of this page.
OSU vs. Kansas State
KICKOFF: 11 a.m. Saturday at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater (ESPNU)
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma State football looking for defensive boost after bye week
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