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Oklahoma State football report card: Cowboys give uneven performance vs. Central Arkansas

scott wright, the oklahoman
·4 min read

STILLWATER — Mixed emotions, mixed results, mixed grades.

Oklahoma State came away with a 27-13 win over Central Arkansas in the season opener Saturday night at Boone Pickens Stadium, and the grades reflect what you’d expect after barely surviving against a team from the Football Championship Subdivision.

Here’s a look at how the Cowboys graded out.

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Pregame theater: A

Garret Rangel eventually took the first snap at quarterback for the OSU offense, but until he ran onto the field, it was unclear who would get the official starting nod. During pregame warmups, Rangel and Alan Bowman alternated throwing passes to receivers, and even alternated taking snaps from starting center Joe Michalski. Of course, it was third-stringer Gunnar Gundy who entered in the third quarter and led the offense on two touchdown drives to close the win.

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Oklahoma State's Alan Bowman (7) throws the ball during the third quarter of Saturday's game against Central Arkansas at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater.
Oklahoma State's Alan Bowman (7) throws the ball during the third quarter of Saturday's game against Central Arkansas at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater.

Bryan Nardo: C

A year ago at this time, Nardo was calling the defense at Gannon University at the Division II level. His Power Five defensive coordinator debut wasn’t perfect, and Central Arkansas killed some of its own scoring opportunities with penalties. But Nardo mostly adjusted well after a difficult first series. Central Arkansas had 59 yards on its first possession, but only 67 the rest of the first half. The Bears had a pair of long scoring drives in the second half as well, and finished with 391 total yards.

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Run game: D

Sure, the trio of Ollie Gordon, Jaden Nixon and Elijah Gordon came to life to rush for 97 yards in the fourth quarter and put the game away. But before that, the run game had been disastrous — not the fault of the backs. The offensive line’s new blocking schemes showed little promise through the first three quarters when the Cowboys averaged 3.1 yards per carry. They finished at 4.8.

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Uniforms: A

The Cowboys debuted their new uniforms highlighted by a throwback touch with “Oklahoma State” in block lettering across the chest and sleeve stripes reminiscent of the 1980s unis worn by legends Barry Sanders and Thurman Thomas. The orange jerseys and white pants were a traditional look to debut the new fit.

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Oklahoma State's Ollie Gordon II (0) runs the ball before hurdling over Central Arkansas's Tra Green (23) in the fourth quarter of Saturday's game at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater.
Oklahoma State's Ollie Gordon II (0) runs the ball before hurdling over Central Arkansas's Tra Green (23) in the fourth quarter of Saturday's game at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater.

Quarterbacks: B

The trio of Garret Rangel, Alan Bowman and Gunnar Gundy combined to complete 62.5% of their passes for 308 yards with one touchdown and one interception. The pick was the result of Rangel’s arm being hit as he threw. Rangel started strong, going 10 of 15 for 118 yards. Bowman was 13 of 24, running the up-tempo offense smoothly but also being hurt by a few dropped throws. And Gundy’s efforts saved the day in the fourth quarter.

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Transfers: C

With so many first-year transfers in the two-deep, the Cowboys are going to need meaningful contributions from several of them this season. De’Zhaun Stribling had 73 receiving yards, and Elijah Collins rushed for 41 and a touchdown. Walk-on punter Wes Pahl averaged 57 yards on two punts. Bowman was solid at quarterback and tight end Josiah Johnson had a pair of receptions. Defensively, the new faces were less impactful, with only cornerback Kenneth Harris recording a tackle and nose tackle Justin Kirkland knocking down a pass.

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Special teams: A

Korie Black blocked two field goal attempts to keep Central Arkansas off the board in the first half. Alex Hale hit field goals from 26 and 45 yards in his return to the starting role. The Cowboys seemed to go with a two-punter system, going to Pahl for booming punts and freshman Hudson Kaak for location kicks — and both handled their jobs well. About the only downfall of the special teams units came on kickoff return, where OSU had 25 yards on two tries.

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 Twitter 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.

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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma State football gives uneven performance vs Central Arkansas