3 Cowboy Takeaways: Gordon Shines Again As OSU Routs Cincinnati, 45-13

The Oklahoma State Cowboys once again rode Ollie Gordon II to victory on Saturday night, only this time, it led to a dominant 45-13 win over the visiting Cincinnati Bearcats.

The Cowboys got off to a somewhat sluggish start in the first half, as a Josiah Johnson touchdown catch early in the first quarter followed by an Alex Hale field goal midway through the second were the only actions that gave the Cowboys the edge over the Bearcats going into halftime, as they held a slim 10-7 lead.

It was a completely different story in the second half, however, as an Ollie Gordon touchdown run paired with two more from Brennan Presley gave the Cowboys a comfortable 31-7 lead by the end of the third quarter.

Although Cincinnati scored with a little under five minutes left to go in the game, a late score by Elijah Collins that succeeded another long touchdown run by Gordon ensured a 32-point blowout win on homecoming weekend in Stillwater.

1st Takeaway: Ollie Gordon II Continues To Defy All Expectations

Running back Ollie Gordon II has registered some truly mouth-watering stat lines over the last five games for OSU, and his exceptional season continued to grow on Saturday night.

Gordon terrorized the Bearcats defense, as he recorded 271 yards and two touchdowns on 25 rushing attempts. He also registered a somewhat modest (for his standards) 21 yards receiving on just four receptions.

After yet another incredible performance, Gordon solidified his role as the heartbeat of the Cowboys offense, if he hadn't already.

Gordon and the rest of the Cowboys offense will face a much tougher task next Saturday, as they face a crucial matchup against an Oklahoma Sooners defense that just allowed 38 points in their road loss to Kansas.

2nd Takeaway: Bowman Returns To Early-Season Form In The Passing Game

Although the OSU offense is structured around the aforementioned Ollie Gordon, and rightfully so, the Cowboys' passing game has returned to its early season form in the past two contests.

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Now, that being said, there were a few factors that led to a few nervous moments when quarterback Alan Bowman was throwing the ball. Inclement weather and bad conditions certainly didn't help, as almost any quarterback would've struggled throwing the ball considering the fact that cold rain fell throughout the entire contest.

This could explain some of Bowman's inaccuracy throughout the game, as three of his passes early on should have probably been intercepted, along with the pass that Cincinnati's Jordan Young intercepted shortly before halftime.

On top of the awful conditions in Stillwater on Saturday night, three of Bowman's wide receivers didn't play due to injury, which forced players like Josiah Johnson up the depth chart.

Even though Bowman didn't have the odds in his favor going into the contest because of these factors, he put in another solid, but unspectacular passing performance, as he went 17/34 for 234 yards and two touchdowns, along with an interception.

Even though the Cowboys' offense is heavily reliant on the brilliance of Ollie Gordon, Bowman has to improve his accuracy, and even though 234 yards and two scores are serviceable, a 50% completion rate paired with a 134.2 passer rating (1261.2 is a perfect rating) is not.

3rd Takeaway: Defense Can Effectively Adjust

Along with the offense, the Cowboys' defense looked somewhat shaky at the beginning of the game, as they gave up a 63-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, and was being outplayed by the Bearcats' rushing attack early on.

However, they were able to adjust towards the way that the Bearcats were playing, and shut down their dual-threat quarterback Emory Jones, along with the rest of Cincinnati's running game.

Jones was pulled from the game in the second half, as OSU's defensive adjustments and bad weather led him to record a very poor day, especially through the air.

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The stubborn Cowboys' defense led Jones to complete only 37.5% of his passes, as he went 6/16 for 117 yards and one interception through the air before being replaced.

All in all, this defense has shown that it is more than capable at times, and they will need to be in the coming games, as OSU searches for a late-season push.

NEXT GAME: The Oklahoma State Cowboys will be taking on the Oklahoma Sooners in one of the biggest Bedlam matchups in recent memory at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater next Saturday. The game is set for November 4th at 2:30 p.m. CDT and will be televised on ABC.

Big 12 Standings:

1. Oklahoma
2. Oklahoma State
3. Iowa State
4. Texas
5. Kansas State
6. Kansas
7. West Virginia
8. TCU
9. Brigham Young
10. Texas Tech
11. Baylor
12. Houston
13. UCF
14. Cincinnati