Justin Bowick Makes Murray State Pay for Attention Elsewhere in Oklahoma State Offense
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STILLWATER — Murray State entered Saturday night determined not to let some of Oklahoma State's most dangerous receiving weapons beat it.
Justin Bowick made the Racers pay for that decision. While Murray State devoted extra attention to Wyatt Young and Oklahoma State's slot receivers, Bowick repeatedly found openings elsewhere in the secondary, turning them into the biggest performance of his Cowboys career.
The senior wide receiver caught nine passes for 178 yards and two touchdowns — all before halftime — as Oklahoma State rolled to a 59-0 victory in its final tune-up before Big 12 play.
“They were trying to play us over the top a lot, and we just found the open space in the zones they were trying to play,” Bowick said.
It sounds simple. With the way quarterback Drew Mestemaker operated the offense Saturday, it almost looked that way.
Murray State Tries to Take Away OSU's Other Weapons
Young entered the game as one of Oklahoma State's most dangerous receiving threats after catching five passes for 121 yards, including a 52-yard touchdown, in the Cowboys' upset of No. 6 Oregon. Murray State wasn't going to let him produce another performance like that without resistance.
“They bracketed our slots quite a bit because Wyatt and Coleman play the same thing,” coach Eric Morris said. “They were able to take away some stuff playing them a little different.”
Young finished with just one reception Saturday. It went for a 13-yard touchdown.
But while Murray State limited his opportunities, space opened elsewhere. Bowick was the primary beneficiary.
He caught passes of 22, 28 and 27 yards before adding touchdown receptions of 24 and 38 yards. By halftime, Bowick had accumulated 178 receiving yards on nine catches as Oklahoma State built a 31-0 lead.
Mestemaker didn't force the football toward the receivers Murray State was trying to remove. He simply found the next option.
“Drew just did a phenomenal job going through reads and just what he's coached to do,” Morris said. “Find the open man.”
Bowick's Preparation Pays Off
Saturday's explosion didn't surprise Morris.
“He practices like a professional,” Morris said of Bowick. “He's having fun playing in a wide-open offense and where he's getting targets.”
Those targets have become increasingly productive. Bowick caught five passes for 81 yards against Oregon one week earlier. He followed that performance by surpassing both totals before halftime against Murray State.
His emergence adds another wrinkle to an Oklahoma State receiving corps that has already shown it can attack defenses in different ways.
Young provided the explosive plays against Oregon. Miles Coleman became a multidimensional threat against Murray State, contributing offensively and in the return game. And when the Racers adjusted their coverage to limit some of those options, Bowick took advantage.
That's exactly what Morris' offense is designed to force defenses to confront. Take something away, and someone else should be available.
Another Answer Before Big 12 Play
The level of competition changes considerably from here. Oklahoma State travels to West Virginia next Saturday for its Big 12 opener, and conference defenses will have considerably more tape on Morris' new-look offense than Tulsa or Oregon did earlier in the season.
They'll also have more players to account for. Mestemaker finished Saturday 20-of-22 for 324 yards and a career-high five touchdowns while completing passes to multiple receivers.
His leading target just happened to be the player Murray State left with opportunities while attempting to contain others.
Bowick took advantage of nearly every one. And after producing 259 receiving yards over Oklahoma State's past two games, opposing defenses now have another Cowboy demanding their attention.
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