Oklahoma State football has two 100-yard passers & more stats from Cowboys' opener
STILLWATER — Oklahoma State was a bit sluggish, but ultimately it found its way in the fourth quarter.
And the Cowboys pulled away late from FCS foe Central Arkansas for a 27-13 win Saturday night in front of a sold-out crowd at Boone Pickens Stadium.
Here is a look at the season-opening win through the numbers.
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A trio of Cowboy quarterbacks take snaps
304: Combined passing yards by the trio of Garret Rangel, Alan Bowman and Gunnar Gundy. It’s the first time OSU passes for more than 300 yards since last season’s Bedlam loss.
118: Passing yards for Rangel, who earned the start and played the game’s first four possessions. He completed 10 of 15 passes and threw a touchdown to Brennan Presley on a screen pass. Rangel also rushed three times for 18 yards.
106: Passing yards for Gundy, the final passer to enter the game. He entered with 4:31 left in the third quarter and orchestrated two touchdown drives. He completed 7 of 9 passes but did not throw a touchdown, but did have a nice 39-yard completion to Jaden Bray on a deep throw.
80: Passing yards for Bowman, the former Texas Tech starter and Michigan backup. He completed 13 of 24 passes during his time. He was the lone quarterback to struggle rushing the ball, carrying it twice for minus-2 yards.
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OSU ground game mostly struggles
3.2: Yards per carry for the Cowboys in the opening half, a number lower than their season average of 3.4 a year ago. The longest rush was 10 yards by Rangel.
3.1: Yards per carry entering the fourth quarter until the Cowboys’ dominant drive early in the quarter to take command. OSU rushed the football three times for 35 yards on the 93-yard drive, an average of 11.7 yards.
17: Yard-runs by Ollie Gordon and Elijah Collins, the longest rushes of the night for the Cowboys.
8: Different receivers caught passes in the opening half. It would have been nine, but a long reception by tight end Quinton Stewart was negated by a penalty.
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Cowboys’ special teams dominates
60: Yard punt by OSU’s Wes Pahl, a career high. But it’s more impressive considering the veteran never punted at Western Kentucky. He was only a holder before transferring this offseason.
2: Blocked field goals by OSU defensive back Korie Black. He blocked one on Central Arkansas’ opening drive of each half. And both were aided by high snaps to the holder. OSU later added a blocked extra point by Kody Walterscheid.
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Defense has mixed night
4: Sacks by the OSU defense, with Nathan Latu getting to the quarterback twice for 1.5 sacks.
71: Rushing yards by Central Arkansas’ ShunDerrick Powell, one of the top running backs at the FCS level. He averaged 5.9 yards per carry.
6: Yards per play by the Bears, which topped OSU’s 5.7 yards per play on offense.
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Odds and ends
53,855: Fans in attendance, a sellout to begin the season for the Cowboys.
15-0: OSU coach Mike Gundy’s record against FCS opponents. Gundy is now 17-2 in season openers and 19-0 in home openers.
—Jacob Unruh, Staff writer
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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma State football vs Central Arkansas: Stats from Cowboys' win
