2018 Oklahoma State Cowboys football team

The 2018 Oklahoma State Cowboys football team represented Oklahoma State University in the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Cowboys played their home games at the Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Oklahoma and competed in the Big 12 Conference. They were led by 14th-year head coach Mike Gundy. They finished the season 7–6, 3–6 in Big 12 play to finish tied for seventh. They were invited to the Liberty Bowl where they defeated #24 Missouri 38-33, ending the season with a 4-1 record against teams in the top 25.

2018 Oklahoma State Cowboys football
Liberty Bowl champion
Liberty Bowl, W 38–33 vs. Missouri
ConferenceBig 12 Conference
Record7–6 (3–6 Big 12)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorMike Yurcich (6th season)
Offensive schemeSpread
Defensive coordinatorJim Knowles (1st season)
Base defense4–2–5
Home stadiumBoone Pickens Stadium
Seasons
← 2017
2019 →
2018 Big 12 Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 4 Oklahoma y$^   8 1     12 2  
No. 9 Texas y   7 2     10 4  
Iowa State   6 3     8 5  
No. 20 West Virginia   6 3     8 4  
TCU   4 5     7 6  
Baylor   4 5     7 6  
Oklahoma State   3 6     7 6  
Kansas State   3 6     5 7  
Texas Tech   3 6     5 7  
Kansas   1 8     3 9  
Championship: Oklahoma 39, Texas 27
  • ^ – College Football Playoff participant
  • $ – Conference champion
  • y – Championship game participant
Rankings from AP Poll

Preseason

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Award watch lists

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Listed in the order that they were released

Award Player Position Year
Chuck Bednarik Award[1] Justin Phillips LB SR
Doak Walker Award[2] Justice Hill RB JR
Butkus Award[3] Justin Phillips LB SR
Outland Trophy[4] Marcus Keyes OL JR
Lou Groza Award[5] Matt Ammendola K JR
Walter Camp Award[6] Justice Hill RB JR
Ted Hendricks Award[7] Jordan Brailford DE JR
Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award[8] Taylor Cornelius QB SR

Big 12 media poll

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The Big 12 media poll was released on July 12, 2018, with the Cowboys predicted to finish in fifth place.[9]

Media poll
Predicted finish Team Votes (1st place)
1 Oklahoma 509 (46)
2 West Virginia 432 (2)
3 TCU 390 (1)
4 Texas 370 (1)
5 Oklahoma State 300
6 Kansas State 283 (2)
7 Iowa State 250
8 Texas Tech 149
9 Baylor 125
10 Kansas 52

Schedule

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DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendance
August 307:00 p.m.Missouri State*FS1W 58–1750,103
September 87:00 p.m.South Alabama*
  • Boone Pickens Stadium
  • Stillwater, OK
FSNW 55–1353,923
September 152:30 p.m.No. 17 Boise State*No. 24
  • Boone Pickens Stadium
  • Stillwater, OK
ESPNW 44–2154,974
September 226:00 p.m.Texas TechNo. 15
  • Boone Pickens Stadium
  • Stillwater, OK
FS1L 17–4153,166
September 2911:00 a.m.at KansasFSNW 48–2818,364
October 62:30 p.m.Iowa StateNo. 25
  • Boone Pickens Stadium
  • Stillwater, OK
ESPN2L 42–4852,995
October 1311:00 a.m.at Kansas StateESPNUL 12–3150,245
October 277:00 p.m.No. 5 Texas 
  • Boone Pickens Stadium
  • Stillwater, OK
ABCW 38–3556,790
November 311:00 a.m.at BaylorFS1L 31–3543,492
November 102:30 p.m.at No. 6 OklahomaABCL 47–4887,635
November 172:30 p.m.No. 7 West Virginia
  • Boone Pickens Stadium
  • Stillwater, OK
ABCW 45–4152,842
November 247:00 p.m.at TCUFOXL 24–3142,394
December 312:45 p.m.vs. No. 24 Missouri*ESPNW 38–3376,468
  • *Non-conference game
  •  Homecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
  • All times are in Central time
Schedule Source:[10]

Game summaries

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Missouri State

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1 2 3 4 Total
Bears 0 7 10 0 17
Cowboys 17 14 14 13 58

South Alabama

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1 2 3 4 Total
Jaguars 7 6 0 0 13
Cowboys 14 17 10 14 55

Boise State

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1 2 3 4 Total
No. 17 Broncos 0 7 14 0 21
No. 24 Cowboys 0 17 17 10 44

Texas Tech

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1 2 3 4 Total
Red Raiders 7 17 10 7 41
No. 15 Cowboys 10 7 0 0 17

At Kansas

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1 2 3 4 Total
Cowboys 14 10 10 14 48
Jayhawks 0 7 7 14 28

Iowa State

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1 2 3 4 Total
Cyclones 9 21 10 8 48
No. 25 Cowboys 7 14 7 14 42

Iowa State's Freshman Brock Purdy replaced Zeb Noland at quarterback and passed 18-for-23 for 318 yards and produced four touchdowns. He then ran for another 84 yards and another score.[11] The final score was a loss for the Cowboys at 48-42.[12]

At Kansas State

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1 2 3 4 Total
Cowboys 3 3 0 6 12
Wildcats 0 3 14 14 31

The previous week loss against Iowa State put extra pressure on the Cowboys to win coming into the game against Kansas State. Some of the issues the Cowboys bring in to the include lack of discipline, a disconnected defense, and a failure to force turnovers on defense. The 2018 loss to Iowa State had many similarities to the 2017 game between Oklahoma State and Kansas State that resulted in a K-State victory 45-40.[12]

Texas

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1 2 3 4 Total
No. 6 Longhorns 7 7 7 14 35
Cowboys 17 14 0 7 38

At Baylor

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1 2 3 4 Total
Cowboys 7 3 14 7 31
Bears 0 14 7 14 35

Oklahoma

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1 2 3 4 Total
Cowboys 14 14 7 12 47
No. 6 Sooners 14 20 7 7 48

West Virginia

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1 2 3 4 Total
No. 7 Mountaineers 14 17 0 10 41
Cowboys 7 7 10 21 45

At TCU

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1 2 3 4 Total
Cowboys 3 0 7 14 24
Horned Frogs 0 7 17 7 31

Vs. Missouri (Liberty Bowl)

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1 2 3 4 Total
Cowboys 7 7 21 3 38
No. 24 Tigers 3 13 3 14 33

Statistics

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Scoring

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Scores against non-conference opponents
1 2 3 4 Total
Opponents 0
Oklahoma State 0
Scores against the Big 12
1 2 3 4 Total
Opponents 0
Oklahoma State 0
Scores against all opponents
1 2 3 4 Total
Opponents 0
Oklahoma State 0

Rankings

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Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
Week
PollPre1234567891011121314Final
APRVRV2415RV25RVRV
Coaches252319152121RVRV
CFPNot releasedNot released

Players drafted into the NFL

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Round Pick Player Position NFL Club
4 113 Justice Hill RB Baltimore Ravens
7 253 Jordan Brailford DE Washington Redskins

References

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  1. ^ "2018 Bednarik Award Watch List". July 16, 2018. Archived from the original on July 16, 2018. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
  2. ^ "2018 Doak Walker Award Candidates". July 18, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  3. ^ "Butkus Award - 2018 Collegiate Watchlist". The Butkus Award. July 23, 2018. Archived from the original on August 20, 2010. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
  4. ^ "22018 OUTLAND TROPHY WATCH LIST UNVEILED". July 24, 2018. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
  5. ^ "Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award Announces 2018 Preseason Watch List". July 25, 2018. Archived from the original on August 17, 2009. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
  6. ^ Carbone, Al (July 27, 2018). "Walter Camp Football Foundation Announces 2018 Player of the Year Preseason "Watch List"". Retrieved July 30, 2018.
  7. ^ "Preseason Watch List - 2018 edition of the Ted Hendricks Award" (PDF). August 14, 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 14, 2018. Retrieved August 16, 2018.
  8. ^ "Watch List for 2018 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award ® Presented by A. O. Smith Announced". August 14, 2018. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
  9. ^ "Sooners Picked to Repeat in Big 12 Preseason Football Poll". Retrieved October 3, 2018.
  10. ^ "2018 Oklahoma State Cowboys Football Schedule". FB Schedules. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  11. ^ Becker, Dana (October 7, 2018). "Iowa State Football: Cyclones get Purdy to stun Oklahoma State". Saturday Blitz. Retrieved October 9, 2018.
  12. ^ a b Cooper, Mark (October 8, 2018). "OSU football: What we learned from Oklahoma State's 48-42 loss to Iowa State". Tulsa World. Retrieved October 9, 2018.