Chalk Talk: Jim Knowles’ Defensive Complexity on Display versus MSU

The Oklahoma State Cowboys cruised to a 58-17 victory over Missouri State last Thursday, and although their offense shined with a top 10 rushing performance in school history, the defense was just as impressive under new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles. Knowles was known for his creativity and 4-2-5 philosophy at Duke, and all of those qualities were on display against the Bears. In this article, we’ll look at a handful of plays that show how unique this defense is, specifically in relation to hybrid coverages and pattern matching.

In this first example, the Cowboys appear to be in “blue” coverage, also known as cover 4. The corners and weak and free safeties are responsible for one deep…