Russell Okung and the (Game-Changing) Futile, Sloppy, Go-nowhere Cowboys Offense

Ok, I'm out of here for a while.

1. 1st and 10 at OKST 22 Kendall Hunter rush for 5 yards to the OKSt 27, tackled by Quinton Carter.

Okung engages and turns Frank Alexander. Draw run behind right guard.

2. 2nd and 5 at OKST 27 Zac Robinson rush for a loss of 4 yards to the OKSt 23, tackled by Jeremy Beal.

Virtually identical action by Okung. Robinson scrambles right, sacks himself for a loss of four. Broken play.

3. 3rd and 9 at OKST 23 Zac Robinson pass complete to DeMarcus Conner for 7 yards to the OKSt 30, tackled by Dominique Franks.

Okung locks down Alexander. Robinson completes short of the first.

(Punt)

(Landry Jones sucks)

1. 1st and 10 at OKST 12 Keith Toston rush for 3 yards to the OKSt 15.

Okung pulls forward and seals and pancakes the middle linebacker. Toston runs behind Okung for three.

2. 2nd and 7 at OKST 15 Zac Robinson pass complete to Hubert Anyiam for 10 yards to the OKSt 40, OKLAHOMA penalty 15 yard roughing passer on Frank Alexander accepted for a 1ST down.

Interesting play here, and deceiving -- as intended. Robinson fakes an inside handoff left and the line sells the action by pulling hard left. Okung shifts left as if to run block but is caught in between when right defensive end Jeremy Beal ignores the fake and attempts an edge rush. Okung lunges and engages Beal, stalling and forcing him wide, but to initiate contact he shifts his weight ahead and in front of his feet. As Beal disengages wide, Okung falls. Robinson is long gone. He rolls right and finds Anyiam before taking a shot from Alexander.

3. 1st and 10 at OKST 40 Keith Toston rush for 6 yards to the OKSt 46, tackled by Brian Jackson.

Okung engages and turns Alexander. Run behind right guard.

4. 2nd and 4 at OKST 46 Kendall Hunter rush for 1 yard to the OKSt 47, tackled by Keenan Clayton.

Okung seals Alexander and smashes him into the right defensive tackle. Good, but nothing too exciting.

(A quick aside: Robinson starts the play under center. Oklahoma State runs a spread offense in which Robinson receives almost exclusively out of shotgun. Curiously, every so often, Robinson will start under center and hand off. This isn't unique to Robinson or the Cowboys. I have seen many programs telegraph plays in this same manner. Plays started under center are so disproportionately runs, it seems counterproductive. On this play, a promising looking hole is foiled by a run blitz. Clayton sees Robinson under center, moves from over the left slot receiver to just outside left tackle, and crashes into the backfield and tackles Hunter before the play can start. Wouldn't it be better to attempt this same basic play but out of shotgun?)

5. 3rd and 3 at OKST 47 Zac Robinson pass incomplete to Hubert Anyiam, broken up by Brian Jackson.

Okung begins his drop step and then cuts Alexander. The line pulls as if setting a screen pass, but Robinson instead targets a receiver running a crossing pattern on the right sideline. Incomplete. Decent cut block.