The Unintended Benefit Of An Improved Run Game For Oklahoma State

Mike Gundy talked recently about the benefit of having a good run game. It is straightforward and probably obvious.

“Our ability to run the ball a little more effective this year has given us other options when last year it was just protect and keep chunkin’ it down the field, which I’ve never been comfortable with,” said Gundy.

“More effective” is a relative term, I suppose because Oklahoma State is only averaging 3.59 yards per carry this vs. 3.58 yards per carry last year. But I don’t think there is any question the run game has improved. Just watching this team move the ball is wildly different, and more of its rushing yards are coming via running backs instead of The General falling forward for a couple of yards.

Plus, OSU has allowed more sacks per game this year which brings the average down.

There is another unintended benefit linebacker Jordan Burton touched on recently.

“It also helps the defense because then we’re not on the field as much,” Burton told the O’Colly about a more established run game. “I think recently we’ve only been on the field 60 to 70 plays. Whereas last year, it was up to 118, 125 plays a game. Guys like that help the entire team. Not just the offense.”

The real numbers are 75 plays this year against 77 last year, but a couple of plays a game is a big deal. It adds up. So it’s small, but one of the best things about having a more stable ground attack is that your defense is not playing as many plays overall and it doesn’t feel like it is going right back out there after three incompletions and 10 seconds of actual game time run off the clock.