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Oklahoma State vs. Louisiana Tech Position by Position September 4, 2001
Quarterbacks- Despite the fact that Oklahoma State did not score a touchdown against Southern Mississippi, Aso Pogi looked like the best quarterback in the Big 12 yet. Luke McCown is a strong quarterback for the Bulldogs and will cause problems for the Cowboys. Advantage- Oklahoma State
Running Back- Neither team was overly impressive on the ground in their first game, but both have talent. John Simon is an all-around back for the Bulldogs, while Tatum Bell is a speedster, game-breaking back for the Cowboys. I expect Bell to play better, but Simon's first game was stronger. Advantage- Louisiana Tech
Wide Receivers- The Cowboys are deeper and more talented than most thought going into the first game, now all they have to do is hold on to the ball after they catch it. Louisiana Tech has a good crew led by Allen Stark and Delwyn Daigre. Advantage- Oklahoma State
Offensive Line- Oklahoma State's offensive line had its good and bad points against Southern Mississippi. The rushing game was virtually non-existent, but Pogi had decent protection most of the day. The Bulldogs return the entire line from a successful offense a year ago. Advantage- Louisiana Tech
Defensive Line- Louisiana Tech's defense showed tremendous improvement in week one and is light years ahead of where they were a year ago. Oklahoma State's boys helped an effort that held Southern Miss to 53 yards on 39 rushes, impressive against a predominately rushing team. Advantage- Oklahoma State
Linebackers- Dwayne Levels is an all-conference type guy and made play after play against the Eagles. Curtis Randall played great for the Bulldogs against Southern Methodist and leads a talented crew. Advantage- Oklahoma State
Defensive Backs- The Cowboy secondary was a little better than it was in 2000 against the Eagles, but you still can't allow Jeff Kelly to make plays like he made in that offense on a consistent basis. The La. Tech secondary made some big plays against SMU, watch out for rover back Bobby Gray. Advantage- Louisiana Tech
Special Teams- The Oklahoma State special teams answered some questions on Saturday. Scott Elder looked good averaging almost 43 yards per punt and Luke Phillips kicked field goals like a seasoned vet. The La. Tech special teams looked OK, but needs work. Advantage- Oklahoma State
Coaching- Les Miles looked good in his first game against the Eagles and has been around some of the best in college football. However, Jack Bicknell has been around for a while and gets the edge on experience. Advantage- Louisiana Tech
Summary- Louisiana Tech is not Southern Mississippi, but there not quite Northern Arizona either. Oklahoma State must play well and cut out those costly turnovers to win. I believe they can and will win comfortably on Saturday.
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