OSU football: Six Shooter pregame thoughts on Cowboys vs. Miami in Cheez-It Bowl
No. 21 Oklahoma State takes on No. 18 Miami at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Cheez-It Bowl at Camping World Stadium.
The Six Shooter is loaded, and so is the big bowl of Cheez-Its, so let’s get after it:
Cowboy in the Crosshairs
OSU receiver Tylan Wallace
Miami is without its best cornerback, Al Blades Jr., who was diagnosed earlier this month with myocarditis after recovering from COVID-19. Expect Wallace to put a lot of pressure on the Hurricanes’ secondary and possibly draw some regular double-teams.
Matchup that Matters
OSU offensive line vs. Miami defensive line
The demise of the OSU offensive line has been well-documented, but this should be the fourth straight game with the same starting five. That's a big deal for a team that has been shuffling guys around all year. The Miami defensive front, however, is the one replacing people in this case. The Hurricanes' top two pass rushers, Jaelen Phillips and Quincy Roche, both opted to prepare for the NFL Draft, leaving their jobs in the hands of youngsters. The Cowboys need to win at the line of scrimmage to have a chance at moving the ball on offense.
Number to Know
47.3
That’s Miami punter Lou Hedley’s punting average, which ranks second nationally. OSU’s defense is second in the nation in third-down defense, but Hedley can flip the field.
Against the Spread
Under 58.5
The Cowboys are 2.5-point favorites, but that seems like a scary number to mess with. Yet the Pokes seem to be hitting the under nearly every week.
Uni-Guess
All-White
It would be fantastic if they pulled out the Thurman Thomas-era throwbacks for one more run, but that isn’t likely. So let’s go with the usual all-white with the script Cowboys helmet logo.
1 Wild Prediction
Two OSU running backs will go over 100 yards
The Hurricanes have a solid defense, but nothing otherworldly. They rank 83rd nationally against the run, giving up 180.6 rushing yards per game. Despite such an odd year at the running back position for the Cowboys, they still rank 36th nationally with an average of 194.7 yards per game.
(Wild Prediction record: Season, 3-7; All-time, 6-43)
![Keep an eye on Oklahoma State's Tylan Wallace (2) against Miami on Tuesday. [SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN]](http://cdn2.newsok.biz/cache/large960_blur-306def2423047ed81be626bb689023a3.jpg)
A lifelong resident of the Oklahoma City metro area, Scott Wright has been on The Oklahoman staff since 2005, covering a little bit of everything on the state's sports scene. He has been a beat writer for football and basketball at Oklahoma and... Read more ›