Five Oklahoma State players pushing for more playing time in second half of season (2024)

STILLWATER — Oklahoma State entered the season loaded with returning experience, but that hasn’t stopped a few players from positioning themselves for larger roles following the bye week.

Some will see the field more due to injuries, while others see increased playing time due to poor performance among starters or even possible schematic changes.

The Cowboys (3-3, 0-3 Big 12) might shake things up in unexpected ways over the off week, but here are five players who seem poised for increased roles during the next six games.

All snap counts based on Pro Football Focus database.

Against West Virginia: Game-high 12 tackles, including two for loss and one sack

WVU playing time: 100% of snaps, a 45% increase from his season average

Although he’s been a season-long contributor, Roberson saw the biggest uptick in playing time following the injury to linebacker Nick Martin.

Six of his tackles either stopped West Virginia for a 1-yard gain or forced the Mountaineers to lose yardage. The rest of the Cowboys combined for 10 such plays in the entire game.

“I thought I played exceptional,” Roberson said. “There’s things I need to clean up. There’s things I need to be better off, obviously. Going forward, that’s what I need to work on.”

2. Backup quarterback(s)

Against West Virginia: Garret Rangel completed 4-of-5 passes for 75 yards and a touchdown

WVU playing time: 15% of snaps, a 5% increase

Oklahoma State has now benched starting quarterback Alan Bowman in two of its last three games, and unlike the loss to Utah, Rangel looked capable.

To this point, neither guy has made a case they can consistently elevate an Oklahoma State offense that struggles to stay on schedule from down to down. But if an offense ever needed a shakeup, it’s this one, and Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy suggested he would at least consider making a change over the bye.

No other quarterback on the roster has seen the field yet, but perhaps that could change during the back half of the season.

3. LB Kendal Daniels

Against West Virginia: Three tackles, all solo, including two for loss and one sack

WVU playing time: 100% of snaps, a 29% increase

The former safety turned-linebacker embraced Martin’s role on Saturday as the leader of the defense.

“He does a good job,” Roberson said. “This game, we understood, the concept was, we need to be a family. So we tried our best. Like I said, we didn’t get the outcome we wanted.”

Gundy estimated that would be like a 20% change for Daniels, who is playing linebacker full-time for the first year in his career.

It also means a larger workload, considering he was typically seeing the field between 60-85% of the snaps previously. Daniels and Roberson actually practiced in these roles together during the spring when Martin missed time.

“Nick was out for his wrist surgery, so we kind of knew (how it would work),” Daniels said. “I mean, we talked to each other every day, so it was fun just getting out there with him and communicating.”

4. Safety Kobe Hylton

Against West Virginia: Four tackles, including three solo

WVU playing time: 61% of snaps, a 28% increase

The UTEP transfer played a season-high 51 snaps and played more than 43% of the snaps in a game for the first time this year. Hylton’s involvement seems to be tied closer to the specific opponent than most of the others.

So, it wouldn’t be a shock to see him in and out of the lineup. However, with injuries mounting at the linebacker position, it might benefit the Cowboys to play defensive back-heavy packages, provided they can figure out how to stop the run, which has proven difficult for most of the season.

5. WR Da’Wain Lofton

Against West Virginia: Caught all three targets for a team-high 73 yards

WVU playing time: 52% of snaps, a 52% increase

The Virginia Tech transfer made his season debut on Saturday and proved to be one of the team’s lone bright spots.

Given the talent of the trio ahead of Lofton, it’s tough to argue he deserves to see 50% of the snaps each week. However, he certainly made a strong case he should become a regular contributor in the offense moving forward now that he’s ready for game action.

Oklahoma State has shown a tendency to use second-string receivers early in games in certain packages, while their playing time late often appears more closely tied with starters needing breaks.

“Loft played great,” wide receiver De’Zhaun Stribling said. “First game, right, yeah. So he just got the jitters out, he played great. Had a lot of composure, playing fast, catching the ball. He did great.”

Safety Lyrik Rawls- Gundy previously estimated it would take until mid-October before he returned to pre-injury levels.

WR Talyn Shettron- He would be higher if not for Lofton’s big day and the talent of the starting trio limiting his snaps.

DE DeSean Brown- Ignoring the Tulsa blowout, he played a season-high 48% of the snaps against West Virginia.