STILLWATER, OKLA. ? Sporting his signature mohawk, Adarius Bowman hears the buzz around campus after Oklahoma State’s 2-0 start. From teachers, from students, from everyone.

“They’re expecting big things out of us,” Bowman said.

And Bowman thinks the Cowboys are worth the hype. Through two games, Oklahoma State has two blowout victories, outscoring its opponents 87-17.

“I feel like we’re going to get better by the day. We’re going to go out there every day and do what we’re coached to do and we practice to do, and I feel they should expect big things out of us,” the wide receiver said.

Coach Mike Gundy readily admits that the Cowboys are a better team than they were a year ago, when early games against similar competition didn’t result in blowouts. However, he’s not getting carried away by stats like this: The Cowboys’ first-team defense has yet to allow a touchdown.

“Our defense is playing good, but with all due respect to Missouri State and Arkansas State, I’m not going to say that our defense has been challenged the way that I want to see them challenged,” Gundy said.

Instead, the second-year coach says he wants to see improvement from his linebackers and secondary, where youth is a concern.

“Our defense is playing good, don’t get me wrong,” Gundy said. “And when you play good, if you’re playing people that are not as successful on offense as they would want to be at this time, then I think you’re supposed to shut them out.”