Oklahoma State football: Cowboys' rushing attack finds little traction against Missouri State

STILLWATER — Oklahoma State survived an upset scare Saturday night, opening the season with a 23-16 victory over Missouri State inside Boone Pickens Stadium.

The game wasn’t pretty, but here is a look at the win through key numbers:

1.9: The average yards per carry for the Cowboys’ offense, which was limited to just 54 rushing yards on 28 carries. LD Brown led the way with 30 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries.

6: Number of tackles OSU linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez had on the first 10 Missouri State offensive snaps. Rodriguez finished with 15 tackles, which led the Cowboys, and three quarterback hurries.

5: Number of catches for first-year receivers, including Jaden Bray and Bryson Green.

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15: Number of completed passes of 11 yards or more for sophomore quarterback Shane Illingworth, who completed just seven passes of less yardage. 

12: Number of stops the Cowboys had on third down on 17 opportunities. Last season, OSU led the nation in third-down defense.

7: Number of drives that ended with a punt or turnover for OSU in the second half, not including the final possession to run out the clock. Its lone drive that ended with points was a 35-yard field goal by Alex Hale after a Missouri State turnover.

25: The amount of seconds OSU took off the clock after forcing a turnover on downs with 1:59 remaining. The Cowboys ran the ball and threw two incompletions before they punted the ball back to Missouri State, setting up the final nail-biting drive.

Jacob Unruh, Staff writer

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