As Arkansas and No. 16 Oklahoma State prepare to face off Saturday at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Oklahoma, HawgBeat decided to take a look at how the two teams stack up based on stats from each team's season-opener and high school star ratings for the starters.
On paper, Arkansas outpaces Oklahoma State in nearly every offensive and defensive category, but the strength of both teams' Week 1 opponents varies greatly.
The Razorbacks defeated lowly FCS program Arkansas-Pine Bluff 70-0 last Thursday, while the Cowboys defeated 2023 FCS national champions South Dakota State, 44-20, Saturday.
As for high school star ratings, Arkansas' starters average out at 3.36, while Oklahoma State comes in at an average of 2.64 stars. The Cowboys are expected to start seven players who were rated as two-stars or lower entering college, while the Hogs only have five.
Arkansas also fared better in Pro Football Focus' weekly grading update, but competition has to be considered for this, too. Interestingly, the Razorbacks and Cowboys struggled in the tackling and coverage departments against their respective opponents.
Here's a look at how both teams stack up based on stats from this year and high school star ratings:
Season Stats - Oklahoma State | Arkansas (FBS rank out of 134 teams)
Offense
Oklahoma State || Arkansas
Scoring: 44.0 (38th) | 70.0 (3rd)
Total yards: 394.0 (77th) | 687.0 (4th)
Passing: 245.0 (61st) | 408.0 (9th)
Rushing: 149.0 (78th) | 279.0 (17th)
Third downs: 35.7% (95th) | 100.0% (1st)
Sacks allowed/game: 0.00 (t-1st) | 0.00 (t-1st)
Turnovers: 0 (t-1st) | 0 (t-1st)
Defense
Oklahoma State || Arkansas
Scoring: 20.0 (78th) | 0.0 (t-1st)
Total yards: 388.0 (96th) | 130.0 (5th)
Passing: 264.0 (109th) | 123.0 (36th)
Rushing: 124.0 (72nd) | 7.0 (2nd)
Third downs: 23.1% (28th) | 10.0% (5th)
Sacks/game: 2.00 (51st) | 4.00 (18th)
Turnovers forced: 1 (54th) | 0 (UNR)
Star Comparison (using Rivals ratings)
Star Comparison - Oklahoma State vs Arkansas
| Oklahoma State | Stars | Arkansas | Stars |
|---|---|---|---|
| QB Alan Bowman | 3 | QB Taylen Green | 2 |
| RB Ollie Gordon II | 4 | RB Ja'Quinden Jackson | 4 |
| TE Tyler Foster | 3 | TE Luke Hasz | 4 |
| WR De'Zhaun Stribling | 2 | WR Andrew Armstrong | 2 |
| WR Brennan Presley | 3 | WR Tyrone Broden | 2 |
| WR Rashod Owens | 2 | WR Isaiah Sategna | 4 |
| LT Dalton Cooper | 2 | LT Fernando Carmona Jr. | 2 |
| LG Cole Birmingham | 3 | LG E'Marion Harris | 4 |
| C Joe Michalski | 3 | C Addison Nichols | 4 |
| RG Preston Wilson | 3 | RG Joshua Braun | 4 |
| RT Jake Springfield | N/A | RT Keyshawn Blackstock | 4 |
| DE Kody Walterscheid | 2 | DE Landon Jackson | 4 |
| NT Collin Clay | 4 | DT Eric Gregory | 4 |
| DE Iman Oates | 2 | DT Cam Ball | 3 |
| LB Collin Oliver | 3 | DE Nico Davillier | 4 |
| LB Nick Martin | 3 | LB Brad Spence | 3 |
| LB Kendal Daniels | 4 | LB Xavian Sorey Jr. | 4 |
| ROVER Dylan Smith | 3 | HOG Doneiko Slaughter | 4 |
| S Cameron Epps | 4 | S Jayden Johnson | 3 |
| S Koby Hylton | N/A | S TJ Metcalf | 3 |
| CB Korie Black | 3 | CB Jaylon Braxton | 4 |
| CB Cam Smith | 3 | CB Marquise Robinson | 2 |
Pro Football Focus Comparison (using season grades)
Team Grades (Oklahoma State | Arkansas)
Overall: 79.6 | 92.3
Offense: 75.7 | 92.4
Passing: 84.2 | 90.6
Rushing: 69.6 | 81.7
Receiving: 67.9 | 76.7
Pass blocking: 89.1 | 84.1
Run blocking: 62.1 | 85.0
Defense: 66.8 | 68.7
Run defense: 67.9 | 82.9
Tackling: 48.5 | 44.3
Pass rush: 71.8 | 66.4
Coverage: 59.3 | 56.2
Special teams: 67.4 | 63.9
PFF Comparison - Oklahoma State vs. Arkansas
| Oklahoma State | PFF Grades | Arkansas | PFF Grades |
|---|---|---|---|
| QB Alan Bowman | 85.0 | QB Taylen Green | 86.0 |
| RB Ollie Gordon II | 79.9 | RB Ja'Quinden Jackson | 62.3 |
| TE Tyler Foster | 33.6 | TE Luke Hasz | 54.3 |
| WR De'Zhaun Stribling | 68.5 | WR Andrew Armstrong | 62.2 |
| WR Brennen Presley | 65.5 | WR Tyrone Broden | 59.1 |
| WR Rashod Owens | 60.7 | WR Isaiah Sategna | 78.4 |
| LT Dalton Cooper | 63.0 | LT Fernando Carmona Jr. | 61.5 |
| LG Cole Birmingham | 64.2 | LG E'Marion Harris | 69.6 |
| C Joe Michalski | 69.0 | C Addison Nichols | 73.8 |
| RG Preston Wilson | 71.0 | RG Joshua Braun | 74.0 |
| RT Jake Springfield | 76.4 | RT Keyshawn Blackstock | 57.2 |
| DE Kody Walterscheid | 57.0 | DE Landon Jackson | 71.3 |
| NT Collin Clay | 70.6 | DT Eric Gregory | 73.4 |
| DE Iman Oates | 54.7 | DT Cam Ball | 60.2 |
| LB Collin Oliver | 83.5 | DE Nico Davillier | 66.1 |
| LB Nick Martin | 60.9 | LB Brad Spence | 61.7 |
| LB Kendal Daniels | 64.3 | LB Xavian Sorey Jr. | 77.2 |
| ROVER Dylan Smith | 65.5 | HOG Doneiko Slaughter | 52.4 |
| CB Korie Black | 70.4 | CB Jaylon Braxton | 62.7 |
| S Koby Hylton | 49.3 | S Jayden Johnson | 66.0 |
| S Cameron Epps | 55.2 | S TJ Metcalf | 62.7 |
| CB Cam Smith | 30.1 | CB Marquise Robinson | 89.9 |
