Oklahoma State redshirt freshman LaDainian Fields had his first big play at Arizona, and other young defensive backs made strides as well.
STILLWATER — LaDainian Fields cut short his mid-play celebration and glanced up at the Arizona Stadium jumbotron.
He wanted to make sure no Arizona players were around him as he tried to finish off the first big play of his Oklahoma State football career.
The redshirt freshman cornerback provided one of the few bright spots in OSU’s 41-13 loss to the Wildcats last Saturday, scoring the Cowboys’ only touchdown on a 55-yard interception return.
“I seen nobody was near me and I was like, dang, for real, I gotta score,” Fields said. “I was worried (about a celebration penalty). I was just trying to tell the fans I was going to the crib, you know? But I didn’t wanna get no flag, so I put it down.”
The 6-foot, 180-pound Fields played 22 defensive snaps, his most of the year, and was thrown at just the one time.
The cousin of OSU running back Rodney Fields Jr., LaDainian should be in line for a growing role along with a couple other young players in the secondary.
“There’s a lot of guys who stepped up that hadn’t done much,” OSU interim head coach Doug Meacham said. “Good for them. There’s strength in numbers, so you get your moment, the big eye in the sky never lies. You get your opportunity to get in there, make it happen. And some of those guys did that. That’s good.”
Here's a look at where Fields and others stand in this week's stock report:
Oklahoma State football stock report
Stock rising
New defensive backs: Fields had the pick-six in his first extended action. Another redshirt freshman cornerback, Eric Fletcher, also got some extra playing time and had an impressive pass breakup in the end zone. Mordecai McDaniel is a super-senior, but has only recently become a regular in the safety group. Making his first start Saturday, he led the team with 10 tackles.
Sam Jackson V, the quarterback: With Zane Flores likely out this week, and Hauss Hejny sidelined for at least a few more games, the Cowboys are thin on options. Jackson, who was a quarterback for the first four years of his college career, will be highly involved in the quarterback duties this week, and not just as a gadget function in the offense. He’ll be asked to play a traditional quarterback role.
Stock falling
Sam Jackson V, the receiver and returner: With the need for Jackson to play more quarterback, his snaps at receiver likely will be limited, and his kickoff return duties should be scrapped entirely. With health issues so deeply impacting the quarterback group, there’s no reason to put him in any additional danger.
Receivers: While there was excitement about the transfer portal additions at receiver OSU made during the offseason, no one from the group has emerged as a consistent presence in the passing game. At Arizona, Terrill Davis led the team with seven targets, making three catches for 23 yards. He had an impressive grab on a tough play along the sideline for a 25-yard gain. But otherwise, the receivers were fairly quiet. The trend of the season has been difficulty in getting open or making contested catches.
First-down offense stagnant at Arizona
The OSU offense struggled in a variety of areas at Arizona, but perhaps the most painful of them was first down.
OSU ran 21 first-down plays and gained 22 total yards.
Play calls were heavy on passes early, and quarterback Zane Flores completed three of the first four passes attempted on first down, though they produced only 6 yards. Of the final five first-down pass attempts, four were incomplete and one was intercepted.
Of the other 13 snaps, 12 were designed run plays and another was a scramble by Flores for a gain of 4.
Of the 21 total snaps, only six of them produced more than 2 yards. Only one went for more than 4 yards — an 11-yard rush by Rodney Fields Jr. in the first half.
“First-and-10 is the most important down there is to me,” OSU interim coach Doug Meacham said. “You’ve got to keep it between the sticks to have a chance. Because when you’re outside the chains, that’s when turnovers occur, sacks, all that kind of stuff.
“And typically, what guys do on second-and-long is, they blitz the crap out of you because they want you to be in third-and-10. That’s another reason you want some yards on first down so you don’t have to be in second-and-10.”
Redshirt tracker
With the season at the five-game mark, three Cowboys surpassed the threshold for redshirt status this year.
Senior linebacker Bryan McCoy Jr., sophomore safety Landyn Cleveland and sophomore receiver Shamar Rigby have appeared in all five games.
While some players, like Dylan Smith and Shea Freibaum, are headed for the transfer portal, a few other redshirt-eligible players remain active and could surpass the four-game mark.
And another true freshman saw his first action of the season. Quarterback Banks Bowen entered the Arizona game after starter Zane Flores was injured.
Bowen is likely to play again this week, though the quarterback situation remains in flux with Flores and Hauss Hejny both recovering from injuries.
Here’s a look at all the redshirt-eligible players who have participated in a game, with the total number of games in parentheses:
- Seniors: None
- Juniors: Longsnapper Shea Freibaum (4*); tight end Will Monney (4); safety Dylan Smith (4*); defensive tackle De’Marion Thomas (4*).
- Sophomores: Defensive end Kyran Duhon (4); tight end Josh Ford (4); safety David Kabongo (4*).
- Freshmen: Quarterback Banks Bowen (1); receiver Royal Capell (4); cornerback Kobi Foreman (3).
- Players who surpassed four-game barrier to redshirt: Sophomore safety Landyn Cleveland; senior linebacker Bryan McCoy Jr.; sophomore receiver Shamar Rigby.
*-Expected to redshirt or enter transfer portal.
Scott Wright covers Oklahoma State athletics for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Scott? He can be reached at [email protected] or on X at @ScottWrightOK. Sign up for the Oklahoma State Cowboys newsletter to access more OSU coverage. Support Scott’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com or by using the link at the top of this page.
OSU vs. Houston
KICKOFF: 11 a.m. Saturday at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater (TNT, truTV)
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Why Oklahoma State football DB LaDainian Fields' stock is rising
Category: General Sports
