Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys Prepare To Hook It Up With Texas
October 08, 2001 | Cowboy Football
Oct. 8, 2001
Stillwater, Okla. -
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Texas Longhorns [4-1, 1-1]
at
Oklahoma State Cowboys [2-3, 0-2]
Saturday, Oct. 13, 2001 * 11:30 a.m. [CST]
Lewis Field [48,000] * Stillwater, Okla.
radio - Cowboy Radio Network
TV - Big 12 Syndication
O-State Looks to Rebound Against Horns
Oklahoma State returns to the Lewis Field turf Saturday as the Cowboys play host to nationally-ranked Texas. Kickoff is set for 11:35 a.m., as the Pokes try to get back on the winning track after last week's triple-overtime loss to Missouri. The Cowboys will also be trying for their initial Big 12 Conference win of the 2001 season. The task will not be an easy one, however, against a Texas team that is 4-1 overall, 1-1 in Big 12 play and ranked 11th nationally in both the coaches and Associated Press poll this week. OSU will go into Saturday's game with an overall mark of 2-3 and a Big 12 mark of 0-2.
Texas Memory a Happy One for Coach Miles
Texas will come to Lewis Field this week riding a three-game winning streak against Oklahoma State. The Longhorns defeated OSU, 34-21, the last time they visited Stillwater. The first time Texas came to Stillwater after the formation of the Big 12 Conference was 1997 and current head coach Les Miles was O-State's offensive coordinator. That October afternoon, Miles' OSU offense rolled up 424 total yards, including 289 on the ground. Quarterback Tony Lindsay scored three rushing touchdowns as the Cowboys dismantled Texas, 42-16. The victory left OSU with a 5-0 record. That 1997 game was the last time Miles coached against the Longhorns.
Tough Stuff
No matter how you look at it, Oklahoma State's 2001 schedule is one of the toughest in the country. In fact, according to lists published last week by the NCAA, OSU's 2001 slate is the toughest in the country when calculating cumulative records of all opponents. Oklahoma State, Kansas, Colorado, California and Texas A&M ranked one through five, with Minnesota, Missouri and Penn State following. When you calculate only the records of previous opponents, OSU's schedule was the fourth-toughest in the country. Beginning this week against Texas, the Cowboys have six games remaining. Each of OSU's next six opponents have no worse than .500 records after Saturday's play.
Speaking of Rankings
Texas will come to Stillwater ranked 11th in the country in the latest coaches and AP poll. The Longhorns fell out of the top 10 after losing to Oklahoma Saturday in Dallas. The Longhorns represent the first top-25 team OSU has faced this season and the first since then-top ranked Oklahoma visited Lewis Field last November. OSU's last win over a nationally-ranked opponent was Sept. 19, 1998, when the Cowboys toppled 25th-ranked Mississippi State, 42-23, on Lewis Field. When OSU defeated Texas in 1997, the Longhorns were ranked 23rd in the country. Over the past 20 seasons, Oklahoma State has faced 64 opponents ranked in the top 25, and the Cowboys have a 10-54 record in those games.
Star Spangled Weekend
There's a lot happening at Oklahoma State this weekend. OSU's Star Spangled Weekend not only features Saturday's Big 12 football action against Texas, but the opening weekend of basketball practice for Eddie Sutton's Cowboys. The Pokes will begin their preseason practice schedule with the Great American Basketball Bash after the football game. Specially designed t-shirts will be on sale through the week and at Saturday's football game. The t-shirt is priced at $10, but will also be good for admission into the basketball bash. Without a t-shirt, admission to the bash will be $5. All proceeds from shirt sales and general admission to the Great American Basketball Bash will be donated to the American Red Cross for disaster relief efforts in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania.
OSU-Texas, On the Radio
Saturday's Oklahoma State-Texas matchup will be broadcast live on the Cowboy Radio Network to approximately 30 stations across Oklahoma. Dave Hunziker, who survived a visit from old college roommate and current ESPN SportsCenter anchor John Anderson over the past weekend, is the radio voice of Oklahoma State football and basketball. Hunziker is in his first year in the OSU booth after replacing Bill Teegins, one of 10 who died in last January's plane crash. Tom Dirato, a veteran of OSU football and basketball broadcasts, provides analysis and Joe Riddle, who has kept radio young in the Tulsa area for more than two decades, is the network producer.
And, on Television
In addition to network radio broadcasts by both OSU and Texas networks, the game will be televised live as the Big 12 Conference's syndicated game of the week. Drew Goodman, Dave Lapham and Jim Knox will provide the commentary for the game which can be seen in Oklahoma on Tulsa's KOTV-6 and Oklahoma City's KWTV-9. Saturday will mark the fifth time in the last six years the OSU-Texas game has been televised. Last year's contest in Austin drew ABC regional coverage, as did the 1998 game in Austin. The 1997 game in Stillwater was on Big 12 syndication and the 1996 game in Austin was on Fox national cable.
Maybe Third Time's a Charm
Saturday will mark the third time in the first six games that Oklahoma State has appeared on television. OSU is 0-2 in previously televised games in 2001. The Cowboy's season opener Southern Miss was televised nationally by ESPN and the Sept. 22 game at Texas A&M was the Big 12 syndication game. Since the Big 12 Conference began competition in football in 1996, Oklahoma State has appeared on television 27 times.
Tickets
Tickets for this week's game against Texas, and for all remaining Oklahoma State home games, are available at the Athletic Ticket Office in the Athletics Center. The Cowboys have three attractive home dates remaining. After Texas visits Lewis Field this week, Colorado visits for homecoming on Oct. 27 and Texas Tech is the final home game of the 2001 season on Nov. 10. To purchase tickets by phone, call 1-877-ALL-4-OSU.
