Here are the top takeaways and highest-graded players from Oklahoma’s 58-23 victory over Oklahoma State:
Oklahoma Sooners
— Though he left the jaw-dropping numbers to his running backs this week this was another terrific performance from Baker Mayfield (+3.8), bolstering his Heisman credentials further. Mayfield didn’t have to stretch the Cowboys defense as the game quickly got away from them, but he didn’t make mistakes on his short passes and added further value on the ground as a designed runner, on scrambles and even picking up a key block on Joe Mixon’s 66-yard touchdown run.
— The defensive star was Eric Striker (+5.6), with the Sooners’ edge rusher proving too hot to handle yet again with his fourth game of the season earning an overall grade of +4.0 or higher. Though he was held without a sack for the third week in a row, Striker was a menace in the backfield for Oklahoma State, tying a season high with seven pressure and three hits, and also disrupting Mason Rudolph as he threw on what resulted in a pick-six for Jordan Thomas (+2.3).
— After a fine showing against TCU last week (+2.1) this was a rough outing for CB Zack Sanchez (-4.0), as he struggled with Oklahoma State’s receivers on downfield passes, a lot of them turning into jump balls on under-thrown passes by J.W. Walsh. Targeted 13 times, Sanchez got his hands on two passes to take his season total to five, but more importantly he surrendered nine catches for 204 yards including two touchdowns. Entering this game Sanchez had only allowed 323 yards in the nine games he had played in.
Top performers:
OLB Eric Striker (+5.6)
QB Baker Mayfield (+3.8)
NRG Nila Kasitati (+3.7)
HB Joe Mixon (+3.0)
DE Charles Walker (+3.0)
Oklahoma State Cowboys
— Despite a pair of drops last night, the star performance for Oklahoma State came from wide receiver James Washington (+2.3) who produced down the field for Oklahoma State with four of his seven catches coming on passes targeted 10+ yards downfield. Washington collected 144 yards on those four catches including his touchdown, and would have had more if Walsh hadn’t underthrown him so badly during the fourth quarter to allow Zack Sanchez to recover and break the pass up.
— Entering this game with only 30 dropbacks to his name during his senior season, keeping pace with Baker Mayfield and the Sooners offense was always going to be a tall order for J.W. Walsh (+0.1) and so it proved for him. Walsh put up some good numbers but was aided in that regard by his receivers winning on jump balls down the field, his best region in the passing game was intermediate targets between the numbers, hitting on five of his nine targets in that region of the field for 86 yards. Walsh couldn’t will the Cowboys to victory in his final game in Stillwater, but ultimately he was not the sole or biggest reason for Oklahoma State’s defeat either.
— The Cowboys’ run defense was gutted last night and with 146 of the 346 rushing yards they allowed last night coming before contact, it’s hard even to lay the blame at the door of their 10 missed tackles as the reason for their leaky run defense. It started up front where five defensive linemen earned negative run grades including both starting defensive ends Trace Clark (-4.4) and Emmanuel Ogbah (-1.3) leading to a pair of long touchdown runs as the Cowboys surrendered 201 yards on 10 carries of left and right end combined.
Top performers:
LG Michael Wilson (+2.9)
WR James Washington (+2.3)
WR Jhajuan Seales (+1.8)
DL Jarrell Owens (+1.1)
DT Motekiai Maile (+0.6)
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