Oklahoma State University Athletics
OSU Football Set For Home Opener
September 11, 2000 | Cowboy Football
Sept. 11, 2000
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Saturday, Sept. 16, 2000 7 p.m. [CST]
Lewis Field [48,000] Stillwater, Okla.
Radio - Cowboy Radio Network
OSU Prepares for Home Opener
Oklahoma State opens the home portion of the 2000 schedule this week when the Cowboys entertain Southwest Texas. Oklahoma State comes home with a record of 1-0 after opening the season Saturday night with a 36-26 win at Tulsa. Southwest Texas comes to Stillwater with an overall record of 1-1. The Bobcats suffered their initial loss of the season Saturday night by a 19-13 margin to Cal State-Northridge in overtime.
Pokes 1-0, Again
Oklahoma State's 36-26 win at Tulsa Saturday night gave the Cowboys a win in their season opener for a fifth-straight season. OSU's string of opening-day victories dates back to 1996 and the Cowboys have won every opener under Bob Simmons except the first one in 1995 when OSU lost to second-ranked Nebraska. Three of OSU's last five season-opening victories have come on the road. OSU won at Iowa State in 1997, at Kansas in 1998 and at Tulsa in 2000.
Orange Peel Weekend
Saturday night's game against Southwest Texas culminates a weekend full of activities associated with Orange Peel. The annual student-sponsored event is scheduled for Friday night on Lewis Field. Comedian Damon Wayans and musical group Collective Soul are this year's entertainers.
Other Specials
In addition to Orange Peel events, it will be ?Take a Kid to the Game? Day and Fellowship of Christian Athletes Day at OSU. Several thousand members of FCA statewide will be in attendance. It's also OSU Experience, sponsored by the Office of High School and College Relations, with several thousand high school students on the Oklahoma State campus.
Tickets
Tickets for Saturday night's home opener and season tickets for the 2000 campaign are available. The OSU Ticket Office is located on North Boomer Road in Stillwater and the phone number is 1-877-ALL 4OSU.
What's Wrong with this Picture?
Go figure! Oklahoma State received votes in last week's Coaches Poll ... won its season opener ... and lost its votes. Despite going 1-0 and on the receiving votes for last week's poll, those votes were not to be found this week. The Big 12 is represented in this week's Top 25 by top-ranked Nebraska, sixth-ranked Texas, seventh-ranked Kansas State and 18th-ranked Oklahoma. Future OSU opponents who did receive votes this week included Southern Mississippi, Texas A&M, Texas Tech and Colorado.
The Sixth for Bob Simmons
Saturday night also marks the official beginning of the sixth home season of OSU football during the Bob Simmons era. In terms of longevity, Simmons is now the eighth OSU head coach (out of 20) to have OSU careers of six years or more. Jim Lookabaugh and Pat Jones both had 11-year stints at OSU to top the list. Below is a list of Oklahoma State football coaches who have served the longest tenures.
Longevity
| Coach | Years | Highlights |
| Jim Lookabaugh | 11 | Cotton and Sugar Bowl wins. |
| Pat Jones | 11 | Four bowl games in 11 seasons. |
| John Maulbetsch | 8 | His team was 6-1-2 in 1924 |
| Cliff Speegle | 8 | Beat Florida State in the '58 Blue Grass Bowl |
| Phil Cutchin | 6 | Two of his 19 wins were over Oklahoma |
| Paul Davis | 6 | Best record of the earliest OSU coaches. |
| Jim Stanley | 6 | Big Eight co-champs in 1976 |
| Bob Simmons | 6 | Three wins over Oklahoma and a bowl game. |
| Jimmy Johnson | 5 | Set the table for 1980s successes. |
New Faces
With the 2000 season underway and the Cowboys ready for their home opener, there are several new faces and a new look to OSU football. New to Bob Simmons' coaching staff for 2000 are offensive coordinator Del Miller, linebackers coach Dave Huxtable, offensive line coach Mike Jacobs and tight ends coach Mike Summers. Also new to the staff are graduate assistant coaches Shawn Fowler and Dale Ploessl.
New Facilities
In addition to new faces around the OSU program for 2000, there's a new look on the field and off. When the Cowboys open the home season this week against Southwest Texas, they will be playing on a newly-installed surface. The AstroPlay surface was installed over the summer and replaces the old surface that had been in use since 1987. OSU coaches and players are also beginning to occupy their new spaces in the OSU Athletic Center. The $54 million project is scheduled to be completed in December.
OSU Radio Network
Saturday night's game and every game on the 2000 football schedule will be broadcast live on the Cowboy Radio Network. Learfield Sports is in the first year of a multi-media agreement with OSU, and the Cowboy Network is just one facet of that relationship. Bill Teegins, multiple-year recipient of the Oklahoma Sportscaster-of-the-Year award, returns for his 10th season as the radio voice of OSU football. Tom Dirato returns for his 20th season providing expert analysis. The Cowboy Network features 26 stations that cover Oklahoma from border to border. Those network stations are listed elsewhere in this release.
Television
There will be no live television for Oklahoma State's game against Southwest Texas. OSU fans can see highlights on the Bob Simmons Show, which airs in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and Stillwater during the week.
Livin' on Tulsa Time
Oklahoma State struck for three first-quarter touchdowns, came up with momentum-changing plays on defense, and shut down Tulsa when it counted as the Cowboys rolled to a 36-26 win over the Golden Hurricane at Skelly Stadium.
Another Top-10 Crowd
Oklahoma State's appearance at Skelly Stadium Saturday night drew another sellout crowd of 40,385. Tulsa officially lists eight all-time sellouts for its football facility and Oklahoma State has been the opponent for seven of those.
Vintage Tony
Despite rumors of his demise, Oklahoma State's senior quarterback took every snap against Tulsa, playing with a poise and effectiveness that comes with a fifth-year senior and four-year starter. He passed for 166 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 54 yards on 12 carries. That's 220 yards of total offense, an average of 6.87 yards every time he touched the football. Lindsay's three TD passes vs. Tulsa rank second in his career to four scoring strikes against Missouri on Oct. 25, 1997.
Bang for the Buck
Oklahoma State was opportunistic and efficient on offense in its opener against Tulsa on Saturday. Despite a deficit in time of possession (10 minutes less than the Golden Hurricane), OSU ran just 58 plays but finished with 413 yards of total offense. The Cowboys rushed for 247 yards, 187 of which belonged to tailback Reggie White, and passed for 166, all by senior quarterback Tony Lindsay.
Hanging on to the Ball
Not only was OSU efficient on the offensive side of the ball against Tulsa, the Cowboys were stingy as well. Tony Lindsay did not throw an interception in 20 attempts and the Cowboys fumbled only once. On the other side, Oklahoma State caused two Tulsa fumbles, recovering both, and came up win an interception.
Reggie
Tailback Reggie White erased a string of 12-straight games OSU has played without a 100-yard rusher. White gained 187 yards on 25 carries against Tulsa. He scored one touchdown and averaged 7.5 yards per carry. His performance was the best since 1998 when Jamaal Fobbs rushed for 217 vs. La.-Lafayette.
And, on the D
Oklahoma State limited Tulsa to just 62 rushing yards, an average of 2.1 yards per carry. Defensive end Juqua Thomas had six tackles, including three behind the line. The Oklahoma State defense had 12 tackles for losses against Tulsa, including four sacks.
Carter Makes it Count
Linebacker Chris Carter made the first start of his Oklahoma State career against Tulsa and came up big. He finished the game with five tackles, including two for minus-10 yards, and a sack of Tulsa quarterback Josh Blankenship. Carter came to OSU after an all-state career at El Reno. He spent the first three seasons as a defensive back before making the switch to linebacker. That move paid dividends for the Cowboys against Tulsa.
Other Linebackers Make Noise
Chris Carter wasn't the only OSU linebacker to turn in a solid performance in the season opener. In fact, the group of Dwayne Levels, Chris Carter, Terrence Robinson, Greg Richmond, Ron Able and Jake Riffe accounted for 16 tackles, five tackles for losses, one fumble recovery and two passes broken up.
Levels Shows Leadership
Linebacker Dwayne Levels stepped up against Tulsa. After spending two years in the shadows of senior linebackers, Levels rose to the challenge in the season opener. His totals included five tackles, one tackle for loss, one fumble recovery and two passes broken up. That's a good night's work for the Richardson, Texas, product who played in all 11 games a year ago and started three.
Craig Registers Rare Return
Defensive back Elbert Craig's 98-yard defensive PAT return was one of the keys to OSU's win over Tulsa. It not only added two points to OSU's side of the scoreboard, it helped swing momentum back toward the Cowboys at a pivotal time in the game. It also underscored a productive night for Craig. He made his first start in a Cowboy uniform and responded with eight tackles and the return. The return was the second in OSU history. Keith Burns returned a blocked extra point 74 yards against Oklahoma in 1992.
Coach Bob Simmons
Saturday night will mark the second 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 28-30 into this week's game against Southwest Texas.
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 19 teams that were nationally ranked, including non-conference opponents Tennessee (#12) in 1995 and Mississippi State (#25) in 1998.
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 Note-ing the Cowboys
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.
Captains
A quartet of senior captains have been selected for the 2000 season. Quarterback Tony Lindsay and offensive lineman Josh Lind will represent the offense while tackle Zac Akin and cornerback Alvin Porter will represent the defense. This year's team captains were chosen by a vote of the squad on August 25.
Fabulous Firsts
Reggie White's 187-yard rushing performance is one of the top performances for OSU running backs in their first collegiate start in the last 10 years. Senior Jamaal Fobbs rushed for 217 yards on 28 carries in his first start at OSU against Southwestern Louisiana on Sept. 6, 1997. Here is a list of the most recent OSU starting running backs and how they fared in their first starts.
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Opponent |
| Reggie White | 25 | 187 | 1 | Tulsa (Sept. 9, 2000) |
| Jamaal Fobbs | 28 | 217 | 0 | Southwestern La. (Sept. 6, 1998) |
| Nathan Simmons | 16 | 85 | 2 | Iowa State (Aug. 30, 1997) |
| David Thompson | 12 | 59 | 0 | Missouri (Oct. 16, 1993) |
| Rafael Denson | 21 | 88 | 1 | Tulsa (Sept. 7, 1991) |
| Gerald Hudson | 23 | 102 | 0 | Tulsa (Sept. 9, 1989) |
Young And The Restless
With much of the offensive attention focused on Tony Lindsay and Reggie White last Saturday against Tulsa, sophomore receiver Willie Young proved to be a deep threat with two touchdown receptions. The Kansas City native's second career reception went for 18 yards and a score, and less than five minutes later he followed that with a 34-yard touchdown catch, giving him two catches for 52 yards on the night.
Coming Close
Tailback Reggie White came close to joining a select group of former OSU backs to rush for 200 yards in a single game. White finished Saturday night's season opener with 187 rushing yards, just 13 short of the 200-yard mark. In OSU's storied history of talented tailbacks, only 30 times has a back rushed for 200 or more yards. White's performance did rank as the best single-game effort in more than two years and the sixth-best during the Bob Simmons era at Oklahoma State. The top ten single-game rushing performances of the past five-plus seasons are listed below:
| Rank, Name | Yards | Opponent | Year |
| 1. David Thompson | 321 | Baylor | 1996 |
| 2. David Thompson | 252 | Tulsa | 1996 |
| 3. David Thompson | 234 | Hawaii | 1995 |
| 4. Jamaal Fobbs | 217 | Louisiana-Lafayette | 1997 |
| David Thompson | 217 | Utah State | 1996 |
| 6. Reggie White | 187 | Tulsa | 2000 |
| 7. David Thompson | 181 | Kansas State | 1995 |
| 8. Andre Richardson | 173 | Iowa State | 1996 |
| 9. David Thompson | 171 | Southwest Missouri | 1995 |
| 10. Nathan Simmons | 161 | Louisiana-Lafayette | 1998 |
Lindsay Off and Running in 2000
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, Colorado product proved Saturday night he is up to the challenge. When Tony Lindsay started Saturday night, he added his name to a short list of OSU quarterbacks who have started four seasons. Mike Gundy was a four-year starter from 1986 to 1989 and Tone' Jones started from 1993 to 1996.
Lindsay's Career Passing
OSU's senior quarterback is looking to move up several career lists in the Cowboy record book. Lindsay goes into this week's game ranked fourth on the career passing chart with 3,547 yards. He is 93 yards behind Rusty Hilger and 1,265 yards behind No. 2 Ton? Jones. Mike Gundy is OSU's all-time passing leader with 7,997 yards.
OSU's Career Passing Leaders
| 1. Mike Gundy | 1986-89 | 604-1035 | 7,997 |
| 2. Tone' Jones | 1993-96 | 402-819 | 4,812 |
| 3. Rusty Hilger | 1981-84 | 280-515 | 3,640 |
| 4. Tony Lindsay | 1997-99 | 245-455 | 3,547 |
| 5. Tony Pounds | 1970-71 | 189-402 | 2,663 |
Lindsay's Career Total Offense
While Lindsay looks to move up the career passing chart, he made a bold move up the career total offense list this week. With 220 yards of total offense against Tulsa on Saturday, Lindsay moved past Thurman Thomas, Terry Miller and Bob Fenimore on that career chart. His 5,035 yards represents the third-best total in OSU history, behind only Mike Gundy and Ton? Jones. Going into this week's game against Southwest Texas, Lindsay needs 489 yards to move past Jones into second place.
Lindsay's Career Scoring
Lindsay is also bearing down on Oklahoma State's top 10 in career scoring. Through three seasons, he has 138 points, including 22 rushing touchdowns and three two-point conversion runs. He will begin the 2000 season number 13 on the career scoring list, 18 points from moving into 12th place ahead of Colin Ankerson. Lindsay needs 43 points in 2000 to move past Hart Lee Dykes and into the all-time top 10 in career scoring.
Lindsay's Top Five
With his final OSU season underway, following are Tony Lindsay's top five individual game performances in both passing and rushing.
| Passing | |
| 1. 236 | yards and two touchdowns at Texas on Nov. 7, 1998 |
| 2. 217 | yards and one touchdown at Baylor on Nov. 20, 1999 |
| 3. 210 | yards and four touchdowns. vs. Missouri on Oct. 25, 1997 |
| 4. 201 | yards and 0 touchdowns vs. Mississippi State on Sept. 19, 1998 |
| 5. 179 | yards and 0 touchdowns vs. Baylor on Nov. 21, 1998 |
| ? | |
| Rushing | |
| 1. 158 | yards and one touchdown vs. Baylor on Nov. 21, 1998 |
| 2. 126 | yards and three touchdowns vs. Texas on Oct. 4, 1997 |
| 3. 126 | yards and one touchdown vs. Colorado on Oct. 11, 1997 |
| 4. 99 | yards and two touchdowns vs. Oklahoma on Oct. 24, 1998 |
| 5. 73 | yards and 0 touchdowns at Baylor on Nov. 22, 1997 |
Fobbs Joins Elite Group
Despite just six yards rushing last week vs. Tulsa, senior tailback Jamaal Fobbs became part of an elite group. He became just the 18th player in school history to reach the 1,800-yard career rushing mark. He now has 1,805 rushing yards in his career, and needs 66 to move into the top 15 and 195 to surpass the 2,000-yard mark.
Receivers Spread the Wealth
Oklahoma State began the 2000 season against Tulsa with six different receivers registering at least one reception. Marcellus Rivers led all OSU receivers with four catches for 47 yards and a touchdown. Gabe Lindsay and Willie Young each had two catches, while Bryan Blackwood, Jamaal Fobbs and Reggie White recording one reception each.
Speaking of Marcellus
His four catches against Tulsa last week marked the ninth time in the last two-plus seasons he has hauled in at least three receptions in a single game. Rivers' single-game career best, to date, is three catches for 104 yards against Texas in 1998. He also had six catches for 99 yards against the Longhorns last year. His top performances are listed below:
| No. | Yards | Year | Opponent |
| 3 | 104 | 1998 | Texas |
| 6 | 99 | 1999 | Texas |
| 4 | 68 | 1999 | Baylor |
| 4 | 57 | 1998 | Oklahoma |
| 5 | 47 | 1998 | Kansas State |
| 4 | 47 | 2000 | Tulsa |
| 4 | 40 | 1999 | Tulsa |
For Starters
Several Cowboys on both sides of the football should extend streaks of consecutive starts this week against Southwest Texas. Senior offensive lineman Josh Lind tops the list. Lind will make his 23rd straight start and the 25th 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 13th straight start and the 16th 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 the Bobcats will be the 28th of his Cowboy career. He started six games in '99, 11 in '98 and nine in 1997.
Next Week
Oklahoma State remains at home as the Cowboys host Southern Mississippi. Kickoff for the game is scheduled for 7 p.m. OSU will then take to the road for back-to-back games against Texas and Missouri to launch the Big 12 Conference portion of the schedule.
Big 12/National Rankings
Oklahoma State tailback Reggie White leads the Big 12 Conference and is ranked fifth in the country in rushing, averaging 187 yards per game. He also leads the conference in all-purpose yards (189 per game) and is eighth in the NCAA in that category. Quarterback Tony Lindsay ranks seventh in the league and 39th nationally in total offense (220 yards per game). Lindsay is second in the Big 12 behind Major Applewhite in passing efficiency (174.2). That also ranks him ninth in the country. Cornerback Marcus Jones is third in the conference in tackles with an average of 11 per game. As a team, OSU ranks ninth nationally in rushing offense, 10th in turnover margin and 15th in rushing defense.
About Southwest Texas
Southwest Texas is 1-1 on the season after falling to Cal State-Northridge, 19-13, Saturday night in San Marcos. The Bobcats, a Division I-AA team in the Southland Conference, are trying to rebound >from a 3-8 season in 1999. SWT opened the season with a 34-13 victory over Midwestern State on Aug. 31. Last year, Southwest Texas announced future plans to move to Division I-A football.
Who To Look For
The Bobcats return six defensive starters, seven on offense, and both kickers from 1999. Junior Reagan George has seen the majority of time at quarterback and is 20-of-34 for 358 yards and a touchdown and an interception in two games this season. Running back Lee Davis is averaging 105 yards a game on the ground with three touchdowns. Tyson Olivo leads the receiving corps with 11 catches for 156 yards, while Stephen Ross provides Southwest Texas a deep threat, averaging 18.4 yards per catch, including a 79-yard touchdown reception against Midwestern State.
The Head Coach
Bob Debesse is in his fourth season as the head man of the Bobcats after serving five years as the offensive coordinator at Minnesota. He returned to his alma mater where he was a three-year letterwinner from 1978-80 and was a student assistant coach on Southwest Texas' back-to-back national championship teams in 1981 and 1982. Prior to his tenure at Minnesota, he spent nine years as an assistant coach at TCU where he was named offensive coordinator of the year in the Southwest Conference in 1990. He coached under his current athletic director at TCU and followed him to Minnesota before being named the head coach at Southwest Texas in 1996.
A Familiar Name
Southwest Texas defensive backs coach Chad Glasgow returns to his old stomping grounds where he was a two-year letterwinner at linebacker at Oklahoma State in 1992-93. Glasgow spent one year as a graduate assistant coach under Bob Simmons before moving on to New Mexico and then Southwest Texas where he has been for the last three seasons.
The OSU-Southwest Texas Series
This is the first-ever meeting between the two schools on the gridiron. The Bobcats play two Division I schools this season, Oklahoma State and Louisiana-Monroe, before opening up their conference season against Nicholls State.
A Few Extra Tidbits
The last time the Cowboys played a Division I-AA school was against Del Miller's Southwest Missouri State squad on Aug. 31, 1996 (OSU won 23-20 in OT) ... nobody on OSU's roster has ever played against a I-AA team ... Bob Simmons is 2-0 against I-AA teams ... Saturday's game is the only game scheduled between the two teams ... Southwest Texas recorded only two winning seasons in the 1990s (1990 and 1991 under current TCU head coach Dennis Franchione) ... All 91 players on the Bobcats squad are from the state of Texas ... Jason Grifiin (QB) and Jason Washington (DB) of SWT played with OSU's Zac Akin at MacArthur High in San Antonio and Donnie Middleton (LB) of SWT played with Cowboy freshman Cashan Clark (DB) in Alvarado, Texas.
The Last Time Against A I-AA Opponent
Aug. 31, 1996 - Oklahoma State and Southwest Missouri State will go down in NCAA history as the teams that played in the first regular-season overtime game, with the Cowboys coming away with a 23-20 victory in Stillwater. The game was the last time OSU has played a I-AA opponent and an interesting side note was that the Bears were coached by current Cowboy offensive coordinator Del Miller.
OSU had to come from behind, tying the game with 51 seconds left. David Thompson's 13-yard touchdown run in overtime overcame an SMS field goal in the NCAA's first regular-season overtime game.
The Cowboys, who led just 10-7 at the half, saw Southwest Missouri State tie the game with a 52-yard field goal by Wayne Boyer less than two minutes into the third quarter and then were stunned when the Bears went on top 17-10 on a 14-yard run by Michael Cosey with 5:03 remaining in the quarter.
The Cowboys didn't answer until the final minute of the game, when backup quarterback Chris Chaloupka found tight end Jack Golden all alone in the end zone for a seven-yard touchdown pass on first-and-goal.
In overtime, where the teams take their shots from the 25-yard line, SMS had to settle for a 47-yard field goal by Boyer after three incomplete passes, two of them caught out of bounds and the third broken up by J.B. Flowers.
On Oklahoma State's first play from the 25, Chaloupka found Sean Love for a 12-yard gain to the 13-yard line. On the next play, Thompson broke over the left side, hit the secondary and swerved to the outside to reach the end zone standing up.
Statistically Speaking
Following is the statistical comparison between Oklahoma State and Southwest Texas:
| Category | OSU | SWT | |
| Scoring | 36.0 | 23.5 | |
| Rushing Offense | 247.0 | 202.0 | |
| Passing Offense | 166.0 | 221.0 | |
| Total Offense | 413.0 | 423.0 | |
| Rushing Defense | 62.0 | 85.5 | |
| Passing Defense | 373.0 | 251.5 | |
| Total Defense | 435.0 | 337.0 | |
| Takeaways-Giveaways | 3-1 | 9-4 | |
| Penalties | 9-61 | 21-190 | |
| Net Punting | 30.6 | 41.1 |
