Sometimes you just have to get things done and you’ll get the credit. And Oklahoma State understood the task.

The Cowboys beat Tulsa 45-10 on Saturday in what could have been a game sandwiched between an SEC matchup and a game against the preseason Big 12 favorite. But OSU just did what it had to do and got through the non-conference games unscathed, now facing Utah.

Here are the scores from the Pokes’ first win of the season.

Alan Bowman: A

I don’t care what Kevin Wilson thinks, it seems like it would be good to have a quarterback with seven years of experience on the team.

Bowman played like a veteran, completing 77% of his passes for 396 yards and five touchdowns. He was one TD shy of throwing more passes than any other FBS player this season. His only blemish was an interception in the third quarter, which was the only difference in why he got 100% and A+ here.

There was no level that Bowman couldn’t get the ball to, and he excelled with the deep ball – throwing touchdowns of 78 and 63 yards. Bowman played his best game as a Cowboy two weeks ago. Saturday was even better.

Pass block: A+

Bowman completed OSU’s entire non-conference schedule, including an SEC defense, without being sacked.

OSU’s offensive line did a great job of protecting Bowman. Not only did Bowman remain untouched on Saturday, but TU didn’t even let him breathe without a quarterback egging him on.

Experience obviously plays a role in Bowman’s composure in the pocket, but the big guys blocking for Bowman may be his biggest comfort.

Execute block: C

While this group of big guys may be the best in the country at pass blocking, not even the best running back in college football can find a gap behind them.

Reigning Doak Walker winner Ollie Gordon averaged just 2.4 yards per carry against an inferior TU defense, which should have been a day for Gordon to boost his stats. And it’s not because Gordon runs poorly. He has to break tackles and gets slowed down before he even gets to the line of scrimmage.

It’s a problem that even Mike Gundy has publicly expressed his frustration with, and it’s even more puzzling when you know that this is the same group that paved the way for Gordon to lead the nation in rushing yards a year ago.

Defense: A

TU’s offense has been below average in its two appearances against FBS teams, but Bryan Nardo’s defense still gave it their all on Saturday and even fixed their problems, at least for the day.

The Golden Hurricane totaled 352 yards and didn’t score until the fourth quarter. Even when Bowman threw an interception in OSU territory, the Cowboys got a chance of their own and reversed everything so OSU had the best field position instead.

The biggest criticism of this defense is that it has allowed big plays. On Saturday, the Cowboys allowed five plays of more than 20 yards, but three (more than half) of them came in the fourth quarter when the starters got a rest.

TU isn’t Arkansas or what OSU expects to be at the start of Big 12 play, but regardless of the competition, Saturday was exactly the kind of performance the Cowboys needed on defense before they face their biggest test of the season next week against Utah and a veteran Cam Rising at quarterback.