Large eddy simulations are performed to investigate the possibility of bypass transition delay in spatially developing boundary layers. An open loop wall control mechanism is employed which consists of either spatial or temporal oscillations of the spanwise wall velocity. Both spatial and temporal oscillations show a delay in the sharp rise in skin friction coefficient which is characteristic of laminar-turbulent transition. An insight into the mechanism is offered based on a secondary filtering of the continuous Orr-Sommerfeld-Squire (OSQ) modes provided by the Stokes layer, and it is shown that the control mechanism selectively affects the low-frequency penetrating modes of the OSQ spectrum. This perspective clarifies the limitations of the mechanism's capability to create transition delay. Furthermore, we extend the two-mode model of bypass transition proposed by T. Zaki and P. Durbin [J. Fluid Mech. 531, 85 (2005)JFLSA70022-112010.1017/S0022112005003800] to cases with wall control and illustrate the selective action of the wall oscillations on the penetrating mode in this simplified case.