Oklahoma State University Athletics
Oklahoma State Takes On Iowa State On Saturday
October 09, 2000 | Cowboy Football
Oct. 9, 2000
Oklahoma State Football Weekly Release
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Cowboys Host ISU
After two weeks on the road, Oklahoma State returns home this week to host Iowa State. The Cowboys come home trying to get back on the winning track after losses at Texas and Missouri. Iowa State invades Lewis Field after suffering its first loss of the season last week. Nebraska pinned a 49-27 loss on the Cyclones in Ames.
Watch Them Run
Saturday's game between Oklahoma State and Iowa State will feature the top two running backs in the Big 12 Conference. Iowa State's Ennis Haywood has rushed for 642 yards and scored four touchdowns in the first five games of the season. He is the league leader and ninth in the NCAA. OSU's Reggie White is number two in the Big 12 and 13th nationally with 588 yards on 112 carries.
Records, Rankings and Kickoff
Oklahoma State enters this week's action with an overall record of 2-3 and a Big 12 Conference mark of 0-2. The Cowboys, who won their first two games of the 2000 season over Tulsa and Southwest Texas, have now lost three straight. Iowa State comes to Stillwater with an overall mark of 4-1 and a league record of 1-1. The Cyclones received votes in this week's Associated Press poll. Oklahoma State and Iowa State are scheduled for a 7:05 p.m. kickoff Saturday on Lewis Field.
It's Homecoming, Literally
Oklahoma State will be celebrating Homecoming activities this week. After two weeks on the road, it's a literal homecoming, but its also Homecoming on the OSU campus with activities scheduled all weekend. Oklahoma State's Homecoming is generally regarded as one of the largest in the country and the tradition will continue this year.
Cowboys in Homecoming Games
Homecoming has not been particularly kind to the Cowboys of late. OSU has lost two straight homecoming affairs, including last year to Kansas State and 1998 to Texas A&M. All-time, the Cowboys are 42-29-7 on homecoming, but have won just three of the last nine, dating back to 1991. Iowa State is providing homecoming competition for the third time since 1994, but for just the fifth time in the history of OSU football. The last time Iowa State visited Stillwater, the Cowboys narrowly escaped and there is more on that game elsewhere in this release.
An Odd Record
Oklahoma State is 2-0-2 against Iowa State when the Cyclones have been the opponent for homecoming. The teams played to a 14-14 tie on homecoming in 1966. Iowa State wasn't homecoming opposition again until 1992, when OSU prevailed by a 27-21 margin. Two years later (1994) the teams played to another tie, 31-31, and the Cowboys won in 1996 by a 28-27 margin.
OSU Last Week
Oklahoma State spotted Missouri a two-touchdown lead in the first quarter and could never recover as the Tigers took a 24-10 win in Columbia. OSU's only first-half points came on a 42-yard field goal by Seth Condley with 1:13 left in the first quarter. Neither team scored in the second quarter, but Missouri helped ice the victory with a third-quarter touchdown and an early score in the fourth period. OSU's only touchdown of the afternoon came on a 28-yard pass from Aso Pogi to Terrance Davis-Bryant with 5:22 to play. Oklahoma State had more first downs (24-17) and more time of possession (33:49 to 26:11) but couldn't convert either into points.
OSU Defense Still Stingy vs. the Rush
After allowing Texas 205 rushing yards the week before, Oklahoma State allowed Missouri 182 net-rushing yards on Saturday. The Tigers had 115 of their 182 net-rushing yards in the second half. OSU's rushing defense is still one of the best in the country. After five games, OSU is 16th nationally in rushing defense, allowing an average of 95.6 yards per game. The Cowboy defense led the country against the rush prior to the Texas game and was eighth nationally going into the Missouri game. Oklahoma State is currently one of 21 Division-1A teams allowing fewer than 100 rushing yards per game.
More Defensive Numbers
Earlier in the season, Oklahoma State's defense allowed Southern Miss minus-seven yards rushing, the lowest opponent rushing total of the season. It was the third-straight week Oklahoma State had held its opponent to fewer than 100 rushing yards and the 19th time in the last 36 games OSU's opponent has been held to less than 100 yards on the ground. The performance against Southern Miss ranked among the all-time best in OSU football history.
Southern Miss' minus-seven yards equals the sixth-lowest ever allowed by a Cowboy defense. Iowa State had the same rushing total against Oklahoma State in 1981. Southern Miss becomes the 10th OSU opponent to be held to minus rushing yards. Three of Oklahoma State's top-10 all-time efforts against the rush have come during the Bob Simmons era of Cowboy football.
White Runs for Another 100
Tailback Reggie White had another productive day for the Oklahoma State offense against Missouri. White carried the ball 26 times for 102 yards. It was the fourth 100-yard rushing performance of the season for White, who has 588 rushing yards through five games. He continues to rank as one of the top rushers in the league and the country, and is making a mid-season bid for All-Big 12 honors. There's more on Reggie White later in this release, but Saturday's totals make him the first OSU back since David Thompson in 1996 to have four or more 100-yard rushing days in one season. In '96, Thompson reached the 100-yard mark six times, one season after he had rushed for at least 100 yards in eight of Oklahoma State's 11 regular-season games.
Iowa State Last Week
The surging Cyclones hosted second-ranked Nebraska and gave the Cornhuskers all they wanted before falling by a 49-27 margin. Iowa State led through much of the first half before Nebraska rallied in the second. The Cylcones had 383 yards of total offense against Nebraska, including 346 yards passing. Nebraska limited the Cyclones to just 60 rushing yards while rushing for 336 yards of its own.
On the Air
Saturday's game against Iowa State will be broadcast live on the Cowboy Sports Network. KWTV Sports Director Bill Teegins is the radio voice of Oklahoma State football and basketball and is joined on the broadcast by Tom Dirato. The Cowboy Sports Network is produced and syndicated by Cowboy Sports Properties, a division of Learfield Communications. The OSU-Iowa State radio broadcast will begin at 6 p.m., with an extensive pregame show and end with a live postgame report from the OSU lockerroom. The broadcast can be heard in Oklahoma City on KOMA (FM 92.5), in Tulsa on KRMG (AM 740) and in Stillwater on KSPI (FM 93.7).
Coach Bob Simmons
Saturday's game at Missouri will mark the fifth game of Bob Simmons' sixth year as Oklahoma State's Head Football Coach. The 52-year old Simmons has guided the Cowboys into the first season of the new millennium after spending the last five-plus seasons strengthening the overall foundation of the O-State program. There's little doubt the foundation is stronger now than when he became head coach in December of 1994. Simmons will carry a career record of 29-32 into this week's game against the Tigers.
More than Ready
When Bob Simmons arrived at Oklahoma State late in 1994, he was more than ready to be a Division IA head coach. His coaching resum? included seven years with Bill McCartney at Colorado, including two seasons as assistant head coach. He was an integral part in the process of building Colorado into a national power. His seven years in Boulder included seven bowl appearances, including two Orange Bowls and a national championship. Prior to arriving at CU, Simmons spent eight seasons at West Virginia with Don Nehlen. At West Virginia, he helped guide the Mountaineers to four bowl games, including the 1987 Sun Bowl opposite Oklahoma State.
Tough Schedule
In the five seasons of the Bob Simmons era, the Cowboys have faced some of the most demanding schedules in school history. Over the past five seasons, OSU has faced 21 teams that were nationally ranked, including non-conference opponents Tennessee (#12) in 1995 and Mississippi State (#25) in 1998 and Southern Miss (25) in 2000.
Serving Notice
It didn't take long for Bob Simmons to put his mark on OSU football and serve notice that football fortunes were improving. In his very first season (1995), the Cowboys snapped a lengthy road losing streak in conference games by claiming a 30-26 win at Missouri. The same season, OSU lost to No. 8 Kansas State by just six and to No. 15 Kansas by five. Simmons' first OSU squad blanked Oklahoma at Norman and finished the season with a 24-20 win at Hawaii.
Bowl Bound
Success came in a big way in 1997. The Cowboys started fast, winning their first six. It was an overtime loss to Missouri that kept the Pokes from winning the first seven. The '97 Cowboys upended 23rd-ranked Texas and 24th-ranked Colorado and also claimed a 30-7 win over Oklahoma at Norman. The 1997 success was rewarded with a trip to the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio.
Game of Inches
The last two seasons saw the Cowboys on the brink of even more success. The '98 Pokes finished 5-6, but included a seven-point loss to second-ranked Nebraska and a three-point loss at 20th-ranked Texas on a last-second field goal. The '99 Cowboys duplicated the 5-6 record, but spent the first half of the season without QB Tony Lindsay, who suffered an injury in the season opener.
Tough D
The Bob Simmons era at OSU has been marked by outstanding defensive squads. The '97 defense was ranked 14th nationally in total defense while the '99 unit was ranked 10th, allowing just 297.5 yards per game. The '97 defense was 20th in the country in scoring defense and was sixth in turnover margin. Both 1997 and '98 defenses were ranked 20th nationally in defending the rush. This season, OSU's defense is currently ranked eighth against the rush.
Note-ing the Cowboys
Watching Reggie Run
It's time to officially label Reggie White as one of the best backs in the conference and country. The Liberty, Texas, junior registered 102 yards on 26 carries against Missouri. It was White's fourth 100-yard rushing performance of the season. After five games of the 2000 season, White has rushed for 588 yards on 112 carries. He has scored three touchdowns and is averaging 117.6 yards per game and an impressive 5.3 yards per carry. White is on a pace that would give him more than 1,300 yards at the end of an 11-game schedule.
Reggie's Season
| Opponent | Att-Yards | TD | Long | |
| at Tulsa | 25-187 | 1 | 35 | |
| SOUTHWEST TEXAS | 23-130 | 1 | 22 | |
| SOUTHERN MISS | 23-65 | 0 | 15 | |
| at Texas | 15-104 | 1 | 69 | |
| at Missouri | 26-102 | 0 | 31 |
NCAA Rushers
1. LaDainian Tomlinson, TCU 194.8
2. Michael Bennett, Wisconsin 188.0
3. Damien Anderson, Northwestern 175.0
4. Ken Simonton, Oregon State 162.6
5. T.J. Duckett, Michigan State 162.0
6. Dwone Hicks, Middle Tenn. State 148.0
7. Anthony Thomas, Michigan 141.8
8. Chester Taylor, Toledo 132.8
9. Ennis Haywood, Iowa State 128.4
10. Maurice Morris, Oregon 125.0
11. Rudi Johnson, Auburn 123.7
12. Woodrow Dantzler, Clemson 122.0
13. Reggie White, Oklahoma State 117.6
14. Dan Alexander, Nebraska 112.6
15. Robert Sanford, Western Mich. 112.3
Big 12 Rushers
1. Ennis Haywood, Iowa State 128.4
2. Reggie White, Oklahoma State 117.6
3. Dan Alexander, Nebraska 112.6
4. Eric Crouch, Nebraska 95.6
5. Cornell Buckhalter, Nebraska 74.8
White's All-Purpose As Well
Oklahoma State's tailback is also ranked high in all-purpose yards. He goes into the sixth week ranked third in the Big 12 in this category, averaging 118.0 yards per game. Ironically, a pair of Iowa State performers are ranked one and two. J. J. Moses is the league leader with 167 yards per game. Haywood is second, averaging 150.8 yards per game.
Charting Juqua
Senior defensive end Juqua Thomas has started the 2000 season just like he ended the 1999 season ... with All-America type numbers. Through five games of 2000, Thomas has 26 total tackles. Nine of his tackles have been behind the line of scrimmage and he has four and a half sacks. Through five games, Thomas is just four tackles behind his 1999 total of 13 stops behind the line of scrimmage.
Levels Continues Torrid Pace
Junior linebacker Dwayne Levels had another double-digit tackle performance this week. After registering 10 tackles last week against Texas, Levels came back this week at Missouri with a 16-tackle performance, tops in his OSU career. His performance against Missouri included 14 unassisted tackles and three tackles behind the line of scrimmage for minus-eight yards.
Team Leader
Levels' five-game total of 47 tackles not only leads the team, it establishes a new, single-season high for the talented linebacker. His 47 tackles through five games is already three more than he had all of last season. Levels' 2000 numbers include 40 unassisted stops, seven assists, eight tackles for minus-18 yards and one sack. He also has one pass deflection, one quarterback hurry and one fumble recovery.
Massey's Move Pays Off
Sophomore Chris Massey started the Missouri game at left corner after starting the first four games of 2000 at free safety. Massey finished the game at Columbia with three unassisted tackles, one interception and an additional pass deflection. He very nearly came up with another interception, but the ball bounced off him into the hands of a Missouri receiver. For the season, Massey is Oklahoma State's third-leading tackler with 34. His numbers include 25 solo tackles, and he leads the team with two interceptions. His two INTs tie him for fifth in Big 12 statistical rankings.
Robinson Also Showing Up
Another OSU youngster is putting up impressive early numbers. Sophomore Terrence Robinson has 26 total tackles through five games and has asserted himself as a potential play maker. He has four tackles for minus-17 yards and 2-1/2 sacks. He has also forced a fumble. A year ago, Robinson registered seven total tackles and one tackle behind the line of scrimmage.
Rashaun Comes Out of the Woods Against Missouri
Wide receiver Rashaun Woods had the best performance of his short career in OSU's loss to Missouri. Woods, who came into the game with only three catches for 16 yards in four games this season, caught eight passes for 84 yards against Mizzou. He narrowly missed scoring the first touchdown of his career in the fourth quarter when he fell on the MU five-yard line after a 22-yard completion from quarterback Aso Pogi. Woods receiving day was the Cowboys best this season and his eight receptions placed him in a tie with several players for 15th place on the OSU single-game reception list. Jamaal Fobbs was the last Cowboy to catch eight passes in a game against Mississippi State last season.
Porter Not Available
Senior cornerback Alvin Porter will not be available to the Cowboys for the remainder of the 2000 season. A final appeal was denied late last week, ending his OSU career. He is, however, an integral part of the team and will remain a captain of this year's squad.
For Starters
Several Cowboys on both sides of the football should extend streaks of consecutive starts this week against Missouri . Senior offensive lineman Josh Lind tops the list. Lind will make his 27th straight start and the 29th of his OSU career. The preseason all-conference selection started all 11 games in 1999, 10 games in '98 and two in 1997. Senior defensive tackle Zac Akin will be making his 17th-straight start and the 20th start of his OSU career this week. Like Lind, Akin started all 11 regular season games last season. Quarterback Tony Lindsay has more total starts than any other player on this year's roster, and he will add to that number this week. Lindsay's start against Iowa State will be the 32nd of his Cowboy career. He started six games in '99, 11 in '98 and nine in 1997.
Lindsay One of Three
Oklahoma State entered the 2000 season with a luxury few teams can boast ... a senior quarterback who is a four-year starter and been in the program five years. The Denver, Colo., product proved the last two weeks he is up to the challenge. Tony Lindsay is now one of three OSU quarterbacks who have started four seasons. Mike Gundy was a four-year starter from 1986 to 1989 and Toni Jones started from 1993 to 1996.
Lindsay Reaches 4,000-yard Mark
Senior quarterback Tony Lindsay reached an OSU milestone Saturday at Missouri. His 123 passing yards put him over the 4,000-yard mark for his Cowboy career. He is one of just three OSU quarterbacks to achieve 4,000 or more career yards. He will go into this week's game against Iowa State with 4,002 career passing yards, 811 yards from moving past Toni Jones into second-place on the all-time list. Mike Gundy is Oklahoma State's all-time leading passer with 7,997 yards.
Lindsay Also Moves Up on Total Offense List
The Denver, Colo., senior also moved up on the career total offense chart this week. His 101 total yards against Missouri boosted his career total offense total to 5,355, moving him past Tone' Jones into second place. Jones had 5,303 total yards in his four-year OSU career. Gundy is the Cowboys' all-time total offense leader with 7,749.
About Iowa State
Iowa State is 4-1 on the year after falling to Nebraska, 49-27, last Saturday in Ames. The game was closer than the final score as the Cornhuskers led, 21-20, heading into the fourth quarter where they outscored the Cyclones 28-7. ISU is two wins away from recording its first winning season since 1989 under then head coach Jim Walden. Iowa State did not record more than four wins in a season in the 1990's and has recorded only two winning seasons (1986, 1989) in the last 20 years. The last time the Cyclones made a bowl game was the Hall of Fame Bowl in 1978 under the tutelage of Earl Bruce, who guided ISU to three consecutive eight-win seasons in 1976, 1977 and 1978.
The OSU-Iowa State Series
The Cowboys and Cyclones have met 39 times on the gridiron, with the Pokes holding a 22-14-3 advantage. The Cowboys have won the last two meetings, including a 21-14 win in 1997 in Ames, the last time the teams met. For 12 straight seasons in the Big Eight (1979-90), ISU closed out its regular season against OSU. Oklahoma State owns a 12-5-2 series lead in Stillwater, while the two teams are tied 9-9-1 in Ames. The Cowboys came away with a 28-27 victory the last time the teams played in Stillwater in 1996. OSU went 4-2-2 against ISU in the 1990's after winning seven of 10 contests in the 1980's.
The Head Coach
Dan McCarney has posted a 17-43 ledger since taking over the Cyclones in 1995. Prior to Saturday's loss to Nebraska, McCarney had led the Cyclones to the team's first 4-0 start since opening the 1980 season 5-0 under head coach Donnie Duncan. In 1999, McCarney guided ISU to a 4-7 finish, the team's first four-win season since the 1992 campaign. He has guided the Cyclones to three-straight wins over in-state rival Iowa, and his teams have improved in the win column over the last three seasons. McCarney came to Ames after serving five seasons (1990-94) as the defensive coordinator/defensive line coach at Wisconsin under Barry Alvarez. In his last two seasons in Madison, he helped lead the Badgers to the 1993 Rose Bowl and the 1994 Hall of Fame Bowl. Prior to his stint at Wisconsin, McCarney spent 13 seasons (1977-89) as an assistant coach at Iowa. He was the offensive line coach for his first two seasons (1977-78) before moving to coach the defensive line under head coach Hayden Fry from 1979-89. During his tenure in Iowa City, McCarney helped lead the Hawkeyes to eight consecutive bowl games (1981-88). He is 1-2 against the Cowboys as the coach of the Cyclones.
Who To Look For
Iowa State has 20 starters and 24 seniors back from last seasons' team, including quarterback Sage Rosenfels, who leads the high-octane Cyclone attack. ISU is averaging 436 yards of total offense a game, 246 through the air. Rosenfels is 84-of-153 for 1,221 yards and five touchdowns on the season. The senior was 22-of-42 for 346 yards and two touchdowns and an interception in the loss to Nebraska. Junior Ennis Haywood entered the Nebraska game as the Big 12's leading rusher, but he was held in check by the Cornhuskers with only 27 yards on 11 carries. On the year, he has 666 yards in 129 attempts (5.0 avg.) and four touchdowns. Senior J.J. Moses leads the receiving corps with 33 catches for 489 yards and three scores. He had 11 catches for 158 yards and a touchdown in the loss to Nebraska. Senior defensive end Reggie Hayward, an All-Big 12 selection in 1999, leads the team with four sacks and is tied for second in tackles with 36. Linebacker Derrick Walker leads the team with 39 tackles, including three for losses. As a team, the Cyclone defense is giving up an average of 183 yards per game on the ground and only 176 yards through the air.
A Few Extra Tidbits
Marcellus Rivers has a streak of 12-straight games with a reception ... OSU's 257 yards of passing offense was the most since notching 319 against Missouri in double overtime on Oct. 25, 1997 ... Willie Young caught three passes against Missouri, equaling his season total of three entering the game ... Four of the Cowboys six remaining contests are against teams with a winning record (Iowa State, Texas A&M, Texas Tech and Oklahoma) ... OSU did not complete a pass to a tight end against Missouri for the first time this season ... The Cyclones do not have a single player from Oklahoma while OSU has one from Iowa, offensive lineman Jeff Machado, from Regis Catholic High in Cedar Rapids ... Iowa State head coach Dan McCarney and OSU offensive coordinator Del Miller were both assistant coaches under Hayden Fry at Iowa from 1979-1988.
OSU-Iowa State Memory
(Oct. 19, 1996 - Last Meeting in Stillwater):
On Saturday, it was merely a near-death experience the Cowboys shared with their homecoming fans at Lewis Field. After plunging into a 17-0 first-half deficit, O-State rallied to overtake Iowa State and post its first Big 12 Conference victory, and first conference victory before the home folks in four years.
A 21-yard run, fumble and recovery in the end zone by Andre Richardson with 9:55 left in the game completed a comeback that earned the Cowboys a 28-27 victory before about 40,000 wind-blown but exhilarated fans.
It was Oklahoma State's biggest comeback since 1979, when the Cowboys overcame a 20-0 deficit to defeat Colorado 21-20.
"I'm going to have to come down (from this rush)," Cowboy coach Bob Simmons said as he took his seat for the post-game press conference. "I just got through enjoying this sweet victory with my football team. It was very satisfying."
The Pokes rolled up 542 yards of offense, including 363 on the ground as David Thompson (158) and Richardson (173) combined for 331. They both averaged more than 8 yards per carry.
Quarterback Toni Jones, playing what Simmons called his best game over the last two years, hit 14-of-21 passes for 179 yards, without an interception.
Iowa State's Troy Davis, a Heisman finalist last year and the country's No. 2 runner this season, picked up 238 yards on 36 carries, a 6.6 average.
OSU is now 4-3 overall, 1-3 in the Big 12. ISU is 2-4, 1-2.
The Cowboys' fourth victory of the season, equaling their total of a year ago, looked more like their fourth defeat throughout most of the first half. But Thompson scored from a yard out with 26 seconds left in the half to cut the deficit to 17-7, and when ISU scored on its first possession of the third quarter, the Pokes again answered with a six-play drive capped by a 20-yard TD run by Richardson to make it 24-14.
That's when the Cowboy defense finally stiffened, and the offense again answered with an eight-play salvo with Jones scoring from 8 out to make it 24-21 with 1:34 left in the third.
Iowa State fired its final bullet early in the fourth quarter, a 33-yard field goal by Jamie Kohl, and once again the Pokes went on the prowl. They took the lead for the first time as Richardson's 21-yard run capped a 7-play drive.
They squeezed the life out of the Cyclones by holding the ball for the game's final 7:38 with a 17-play, 73-yard drive that ended on the ISU 3-yard line as the clock ran down to 0:00. The Pokes actually had second-and-goal from the ISU 2, but took their bows with quarterback Toni Jones going to a knee on the final two plays.
Defensively, OSU gave up three touchdowns and a field goal on the Cyclones' first five possessions, but then forced the visitors to punt twice and settle for a field goal on their final three tries.
