Oklahoma State football stock report: Jake Schultz making an impact all over for Cowboys
Scott Wright
The Oklahoman
STILLWATER —
Jake Schultz has played in 53 career games over six seasons at
Oklahoma State.
He’s been a linebacker, defensive end, tight end and now, fullback.
But most of his work is done in anonymity.
Special teams and blocking duties that mostly go unnoticed by the fans at Boone Pickens Stadium.
But on Saturday against Arkansas — more later on why that was an important game to Schultz — the former walk-on was a key figure in two key plays during
the Cowboys’ 39-31 double-overtime victory against Arkansas.
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Most importantly, he was the receiver on OSU’s reverse flea-flicker, pulling in a pass from Alan Bowman and sprinting down the sideline to set up the touchdown that put OSU on top 28-21.
The 63-yard gain was nearly three times the yardage of Schultz’s career receiving total prior to Saturday (22).
Earlier in the game, Schultz had been penalized for an illegal chop block that took a touchdown off the board.
But his coach came to his defense twice since the game, claiming they had discussed the play prior to the game with three officials.
“We told them exactly what we were going to do and they said it was good,” coach Mike Gundy said. “Obviously, we didn't talk to enough of them because somebody called it.”
Gundy’s argument was that the block was legal if it occurred inside the tackle box, and he believed it did.
Schultz, who is from Prague High School about an hour south of Stillwater, spent part of his young life in Fayetteville, Arkansas, when his father was working under Frank Broyles with Arkansas Athletes Outreach.
The family lived about a mile from Razorback Stadium, and Jake was a big Hogs fan.
So Saturday’s big play was a thrill. But virtually everything Schutz does is for the greater good of the team, so even his 63-yard catch falls into that category for him.
“I’m just happy for our guys, that we eventually scored from it,” he said. “I’m not just thinking about my big play. I don’t care about that. It’s that we won the game. It’s a group effort for sure.”
Schultz played 20 total snaps on Saturday, and his position group of tight ends and fullbacks saw an increase in usage. So their stock is rising. Here’s a look at this week’s stock report:
Stock rising
Josh Ford, tight end: The true freshman increased his usage from the opener after showing his physicality would translate to gameday. He and super-senior Tyler Foster each played 27 snaps, and Ford had 23 receiving yards on three catches — one of which appeared to go for a touchdown before video review showed his foot touched out of bounds at the 3.
Obi Ezeigbo, defensive end: In the aftermath of the Collin Oliver injury, Ezeigbo is the player immediately set to see an uptick in playing time. And with Oliver out for the second half on Saturday, Ezeigbo produced, finishing with nine tackles, including 3.5 for loss and 2.0 sacks. His speed off the edge is going to be vital to the Cowboys’ effort to boost the pass rush without its top rusher.
Trey Rucker, safety: While Gundy says the super-senior safety still got out of position in coverage a couple of times, Rucker is finding his way to the ball at a higher rate than anybody in the country. He had 17 tackles Saturday and now has an NCAA-best 32 for the season, putting him nearly one-third of the way to his 14-game total of 100 from a year ago.
Stock falling
Cole Birmingham, offensive guard: Overall, the Cowboy offensive line is battling some early season difficulties. Birmingham, the left guard, drew the lowest grade of the group against Arkansas, according to Pro Football Focus analytics. Even though Birmginham’s grade in run-blocking situations was the piece that pulled down his overall grade, the rushing struggles aren’t solely on one lineman, so the group needs a better overall effort.
Pass rush: Sure, there’s lots of excitement about what Ezeigbo showed Saturday. But when you take one of the country’s best pure pass rushers out of the lineup, that element is going to suffer. It’s on coordinator Bryan Nardo and his assistants to figure out the answer to replace Oliver’s impact.
Oklahoma State redshirt tracker
There’s been little movement on the redshirt tracker through two games. To this point, only one true freshman and one redshirt-eligible transfer have appeared in any games.
The redshirt tracker won’t account for every redshirt-eligible player’s game participation, but will focus on first-year Cowboys and other notable redshirt candidates.
Players can appear in up to four regular-season games and still maintain redshirt status. Here’s a look at the redshirt tracker:
Played in two games: Josh Ford (Fr.); Gavin Freeman (Jr.).