Oklahoma State University Athletics
Photo by: Bruce Waterfield
Five Things You Should Know About OSU's Win Over K-State
October 04, 2015 | Cowboy Football
STILLWATER – Oklahoma State was a 36-34 winner over Kansas State in Boone Pickens Stadium yesterday. Entering the game, Kansas State had an FBS-long 49 consecutive games won when leading at halftime. The Cowboys trailed at half, 28-20. Here are five other reasons why the win mattered:
The Oklahoma State Win...
• Improved the Cowboys to 5-0, marking the fourth time under Mike Gundy that OSU has a perfect record after five games. The previous three occasions were in 2008, 2010 and 2011. OSU had only seven 5-0 starts in 103 seasons of football before Gundy took over in 2005.
• Was the Cowboys' seventh consecutive victory dating back to last season, marking the sixth-longest active streak in the country. It is OSU's longest win streak since the Pokes rattled off seven straight wins in 2013.
• Was the Cowboys' fifth straight over Kansas State in Stillwater. The Pokes claimed a 38-34 win in 2003, a 41-39 victory in 2007, a 52-45 triumph in 2011 and a 33-29 success in 2013.
• Was Mike Gundy's 51st win over a Big 12 opponent since taking over as Oklahoma State head coach in 2005. None of Gundy's predecessors as OSU football coach won more than 30 conference games. Among active Big 12 coaches, only Bill Snyder (109 Big 8/Big 12 wins in 23-plus seasons at Kansas State) and Bob Stoops (105 wins in 16-plus seasons at Oklahoma) have more than Gundy has amassed in 10-plus years at Oklahoma State.
• Improved the Cowboys to 42-5 in their last 47 games against unranked opponents, dating back to 2010.
Oklahoma State had several players step up, including James Washington and Marcell Ateman, who became the first two Cowboys to go for 100 receiving yards or more in the same game since Blake Jackson and Josh Stewart did it against Iowa State in 2012, but the following performances were also crucial to OSU's victory:
Offense
Mason Rudolph
Quarterback | Sophomore | Rock Hill, S.C.
Oklahoma State quarterback Mason Rudolph piled up big numbers (34-for-55 for 437 yards with three touchdowns) in the Cowboys' narrow 36-34 win over Kansas State, but it was the manner in which he did it that made it more impressive. Oklahoma State trailed for most of the game, but for the fourth time in eight career starts, Rudolph quarterbacked the Cowboys to victory when trailing after halftime. Rudolph was at his best in the clutch, completing 10-of-14 passes for 145 yards and a touchdown in the fourth quarter. He completed 10-of-14 passes on third and fourth-down attempts in the game, with all 10 completions resulting in first downs. Rudolph's 437 passing yards were the most ever for an Oklahoma State sophomore and marked the fourth-highest single-game total in school history. Making his performance even more impressive is the fact that OSU played the game without either its first-team running back or its second-team running back and that Kansas State was the opponent, which is notable because entering the contest, the Wildcats had an FBS-long streak of 49 consecutive wins when trailing at halftime. Rudolph is one of only two underclassmen in the country with multiple 400-yard passing games this season.
Defense
Chad Whitener
Linebacker | R-Sophomore | Mansfield, Texas
With starter Ryan Simmons out for most of the contest after sustaining an injury on the game's first drive, backup middle linebacker Chad Whitener not only filled in, but he excelled in helping lead Oklahoma State with nine tackles, two sacks and three tackles for loss in the Cowboys' 36-34 win over Kansas State. Making those totals even more impressive is the context in which they came, because entering the game, Whitener had career totals of 17 tackles, two tackles for loss and no sacks.
Special Teams
Ben Grogan
Kicker | Junior | Arlington, Texas
For the second straight week, Oklahoma State kicker Ben Grogan kicked a game-winning field goal with less than 40 seconds remaining. This time, he drilled a 37-yard attempt with 32 seconds left to boost the Cowboys from a 34-33 deficit to a 36-34 win. It was Grogan's only field goal attempt of the day, but going back to OSU's 30-27 win over Texas in Austin, Grogan's last three field goal attempts read like this: a 41-yarder to bring the Cowboys into a tie with Longhorns with 1:33 remaining, a 40-yarder to beat Texas with six seconds remaining and a 37-yarder with 32 seconds left to erase a deficit and give OSU a win over Kansas State. Grogan is eight for his last eight field goal attempts overall, with three of those coming from 40 yards or farther.
The Oklahoma State Win...
• Improved the Cowboys to 5-0, marking the fourth time under Mike Gundy that OSU has a perfect record after five games. The previous three occasions were in 2008, 2010 and 2011. OSU had only seven 5-0 starts in 103 seasons of football before Gundy took over in 2005.
• Was the Cowboys' seventh consecutive victory dating back to last season, marking the sixth-longest active streak in the country. It is OSU's longest win streak since the Pokes rattled off seven straight wins in 2013.
• Was the Cowboys' fifth straight over Kansas State in Stillwater. The Pokes claimed a 38-34 win in 2003, a 41-39 victory in 2007, a 52-45 triumph in 2011 and a 33-29 success in 2013.
• Was Mike Gundy's 51st win over a Big 12 opponent since taking over as Oklahoma State head coach in 2005. None of Gundy's predecessors as OSU football coach won more than 30 conference games. Among active Big 12 coaches, only Bill Snyder (109 Big 8/Big 12 wins in 23-plus seasons at Kansas State) and Bob Stoops (105 wins in 16-plus seasons at Oklahoma) have more than Gundy has amassed in 10-plus years at Oklahoma State.
• Improved the Cowboys to 42-5 in their last 47 games against unranked opponents, dating back to 2010.
Oklahoma State had several players step up, including James Washington and Marcell Ateman, who became the first two Cowboys to go for 100 receiving yards or more in the same game since Blake Jackson and Josh Stewart did it against Iowa State in 2012, but the following performances were also crucial to OSU's victory:
Offense
Mason Rudolph
Quarterback | Sophomore | Rock Hill, S.C.
Oklahoma State quarterback Mason Rudolph piled up big numbers (34-for-55 for 437 yards with three touchdowns) in the Cowboys' narrow 36-34 win over Kansas State, but it was the manner in which he did it that made it more impressive. Oklahoma State trailed for most of the game, but for the fourth time in eight career starts, Rudolph quarterbacked the Cowboys to victory when trailing after halftime. Rudolph was at his best in the clutch, completing 10-of-14 passes for 145 yards and a touchdown in the fourth quarter. He completed 10-of-14 passes on third and fourth-down attempts in the game, with all 10 completions resulting in first downs. Rudolph's 437 passing yards were the most ever for an Oklahoma State sophomore and marked the fourth-highest single-game total in school history. Making his performance even more impressive is the fact that OSU played the game without either its first-team running back or its second-team running back and that Kansas State was the opponent, which is notable because entering the contest, the Wildcats had an FBS-long streak of 49 consecutive wins when trailing at halftime. Rudolph is one of only two underclassmen in the country with multiple 400-yard passing games this season.
Defense
Chad Whitener
Linebacker | R-Sophomore | Mansfield, Texas
With starter Ryan Simmons out for most of the contest after sustaining an injury on the game's first drive, backup middle linebacker Chad Whitener not only filled in, but he excelled in helping lead Oklahoma State with nine tackles, two sacks and three tackles for loss in the Cowboys' 36-34 win over Kansas State. Making those totals even more impressive is the context in which they came, because entering the game, Whitener had career totals of 17 tackles, two tackles for loss and no sacks.
Special Teams
Ben Grogan
Kicker | Junior | Arlington, Texas
For the second straight week, Oklahoma State kicker Ben Grogan kicked a game-winning field goal with less than 40 seconds remaining. This time, he drilled a 37-yard attempt with 32 seconds left to boost the Cowboys from a 34-33 deficit to a 36-34 win. It was Grogan's only field goal attempt of the day, but going back to OSU's 30-27 win over Texas in Austin, Grogan's last three field goal attempts read like this: a 41-yarder to bring the Cowboys into a tie with Longhorns with 1:33 remaining, a 40-yarder to beat Texas with six seconds remaining and a 37-yarder with 32 seconds left to erase a deficit and give OSU a win over Kansas State. Grogan is eight for his last eight field goal attempts overall, with three of those coming from 40 yards or farther.
Players Mentioned
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