Oklahoma State University Athletics
Oklahoma State To Host Northern Iowa
September 02, 2002 | Cowboy Football
Sept. 2, 2002
Northern Iowa Panthers [1-0] vs. Oklahoma State Cowboys [0-1]
Saturday, Sept. 7, 2002 * 6 p.m. [CDT]
Lewis Field [48,000] * Stillwater, Okla.
radio - Cowboy Radio Network
TV - none
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Cowboys Open Home Schedule
Oklahoma State opens the home portion of its 2002 football schedule Saturday night as the Cowboys host Northern Iowa. Kickoff at OSU's Lewis Field is set for 6 p.m. It's a game that will pit the Cowboys of the Big 12 Conference against Northern Iowa, one of the toughest teams in Division I-AA. The Panthers ride into Stillwater with a 1-0 record. Oklahoma State will be looking for its first victory of the season after a 39-36 loss to Louisiana Tech last week in Shreveport.
Pokes Home for September
For the first time since 1988, Oklahoma State will be on the friendly surface of Lewis Field the entire month of September. The Cowboys host Northern Iowa this week, then face UCLA (Sept. 14) and SMU (Sept. 21) before an open date takes the season into October and the Big 12 opener at Texas. In 1988, OSU played just two games in September, but they were both at home. The Cowboys bested Miami of Ohio, 52-20, and Texas A&M, 52-15. O-State's schedule does get even in October when the Cowboys are away for two of the three games.
Orange Peel Weekend
The first home game of the season also means it's time for Orange Peel. The annual production is set for Friday night at Lewis Field, and will feature Goo Goo Dolls, Thirdeyeblind, Vanessa Carlton and comedian Kevin Nealon. The event is approaching sellout status, but tickets and information can be obtained by calling 877-OSU-PEEL. Past Orange Peels have featured Bill Cosby, Dana Carvey, Jeff Foxworthy, Sister Hazel, Randy Travis, Faith Hill and Sinbad.
The Walk is Back
Cowboy fans are once again reminded to take part in "the walk". Oklahoma State players and coaches will walk to Lewis Field from the Atherton, Student Union Hotel, approximately three hours prior to kickoff. Fans are encouraged to line Hester Street between the Student Union and Lewis Field and fall in behind the Cowboys as they walk to the game.
Attendance/Tickets
A home opening night crowd of more than 40,000 is expected when the Cowboys host Northern Iowa Saturday night. Tickets for the game and season tickets for the 2002 campaign are still available. The OSU Athletic Ticket Office is located in the Athletics Center and is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Tickets can also be purchased by calling, toll-free, 877-ALL-4-OSU (877-255-4678). Season tickets will be on sale through the UCLA game on Sept. 14.
Security at Lewis Field
Fans attending Saturday night's game at Lewis Field should be aware that stricter security measures are still in place. Large bags and containers will not be allowed in the stadium, and all persons and items entering Lewis Field are subject to search. Fans are encouraged to arrive early to avoid any possible delay getting into Lewis Field. Parking in close proximity to Lewis Field may not be permitted. The following items are not allowed in the stadium: alcoholic beverages, tobacco, food or beverage in ice chests, car seats/baby strollers, umbrellas, and video and professional photography equipment, except that of credentialed media.
Another Tough Slate
Oklahoma State's 2001 football schedule was rated one of the five toughest in the country. For the Cowboys in 2002, it's out of the pan and into the fire. OSU's 2002 slate has already been tagged one of, if not the, toughest schedule in the country. The Cowboys opened last week with a game against the defending WAC champs. This week, perhaps the best team in I-AA comes to Lewis Field. Following Northern Iowa, UCLA visits Lewis Field. Then it's SMU before the Pokes roll into their Big 12 schedule with Texas, Kansas State, Nebraska, Texas A&M and Texas Tech on successive weekends.
OSU Last Week
The Cowboys opened on the road against Louisiana Tech and found themselves with a 36-18 lead late in the third quarter. A furious Bulldog rally resulted in a 39-36 La Tech win, sending OSU into this week's home opener with an 0-1 record. Opening night certainly had it's highlights on both sides of the ball. Junior wide receiver Rashaun Woods started the season with a 10-catch, 126-yard performance that also netted three touchdowns. Sophomore quarterback Josh Fields completed 22-of-41 passes in his first collegiate start for 204 yards. Freshman running back Vernand Morency started his college career with a bang by rushing for 108 yards on 13 carries and scoring a pair of touchdowns. Defensive end Greg Richmond had the best statistical day of his career with 10 tackles and a sack, and defensive back Chris Massey added nine tackles and three pass deflections. The game appeared to be all OSU. The Cowboys led 7-0, 14-2 and 29-15 before opening their widest margin (36-18) with 2:18 left in the third quarter. Tech scored with 22 seconds left in the third and added fourth-quarter touchdowns at the 4:20 mark and the 1:00 mark to leave Independence Stadium with the win.
Northern Iowa Last Week
The Panthers opened their 2002 season on Thurs., Aug. 29, with a 34-0 win over Wayne State. It was almost total domination by Northern Iowa. The Panthers had 292 rushing yards while holding Wayne State to 58. UNI had 229 passing yards and limited Wayne State to just 116. Overall, UNI outdistanced Wayne State in total offense by a 521 to 174 margin. Quarterback Griff Jurgens led the way for UNI by completing 11-of-19 for 195 yards and three touchdowns. Adam Benge was the game's leading rusher with 170 yards on 23 carries. Wide Receiver Marlus Mayes also had a big game for the Panthers with 144 yards on just five receptions and three touchdowns.
Scouting Northern Iowa
Oklahoma State will square off against a defending conference champion for the second-consecutive week with its home-opening matchup against Northern Iowa. After being picked to finish fifth in the Gateway Conference last season, the Panthers put together a banner year that saw them post an 11-3 mark on their way to a berth in the 1-AA playoff semifinals. UNI finished the season ranked fourth by both the Sports Network and ESPN/USA Today polls. The Panthers entered the 2002 campaign as the favorite to repeat as conference champions and were ranked as high as No. 2 in the preseason polls.
Coach Mark Farley
Entering his second season at the helm is Northern Iowa graduate Mark Farley. After posting an 11-3 mark during his inaugural campaign, Farley hauled in numerous honors. The former co-Gateway Conference Defensive Player of the Year was named the Bruce Craddock Coach of the Year and AFCA Region 4 Coach of the Year in 2001. In addition, Farley finished third in last year's Eddie Robinson Award balloting. Farley played at UNI from 1983-86 before moving into the coaching ranks at his alma mater from 1986-96. Prior to his return to Cedar Falls last season, he served as the assistant linebackers coach and punt block/return specialist at Kansas from 1997-2000.
OSU-Northern Iowa Series ... OSU leads, 1-0
Saturday's meeting will mark just the second time Oklahoma State and Northern Iowa have battled on the gridiron. In 1990, the Cowboys outlasted the Panthers, 33-23, at Lewis Field before a crowd of 36,300. OSU clung to a 17-10 halftime lead courtesy of touchdown runs by Vernon Brown and Gerald Hudson, and a 52-yard Cary Blanchard field goal. Blanchard tacked on a pair of field goals in the second half before Brown sealed the victory with a one-yard touchdown plunge with 7:01 remaining in the contest. Hudson led the Cowboy ground attack, rushing for 171 yards on 30 attempts. OSU was just as effective through the air as quarterback Earl Wheeler completed 14-of-28 passes for 236 yards and wide receiver Curtis Mayfield hauled in six passes for 117 yards.
Panthers to Watch
QB Tom Petrie - Petrie threw for 1,330 yards and seven touchdowns last season on his way to being named to the Gateway Conference All-Newcomer Team and as the league's freshman of the year. He also ran for 232 yards and a pair of scores and was named as one of eight finalists for 1-AA Freshman of the Year by Dopke.com. Petrie was tabbed as a preseason honorable mention all-conference pick in 2002.
RB Adam Benge - Benge was a second-team all-conference pick last season after rushing for 1,383 yards and a team-best 16 touchdowns. He is ranked by the Sports Network as the ninth-best returning running back in 1-AA. Benge registered his first 100-yard outing of the season last week, finishing the contest with 170 yards on 23 carries against Wayne State. Benge was tabbed as a preseason honorable mention all-conference pick in 2002.
OT Chad Setterstrom - The 6-3, 303-pound senior earned first-team all-conference honors last season and has been selected to earn the distinction again this season. Setterstrom was also chosen as a preseason All-American by the Sports Network.
PK Mackenzie Hoambrecker - Hoambrecker earned first team All-Gateway honors last season after drilling 18 of his 25 field goal attempts. Hoambrecker also converted 41-of-43 PATs. He is listed as the preseason first-team all-conference kicker this season and as an All-America selection by the Sports Network.
Odds and Ends
Last season, UNI defeated five ranked 1-AA teams and one 1-A squad (Ball State) ... in the school's five semifinal matchups, UNI has lost to the eventual national champion four times, including last year's 38-0 loss to Montana ... last year's conference title was UNI's first since 1996 and 10th in the 17-year history of the Gateway Conference.
Big Names, Big Numbers, Starting with Rashaun
The players wearing orange and white who were expected to come up big did just that in Saturday night's opener. The most impressive, however, might have been junior receiver Rashaun Woods. The preseason All-America candidate and Bilitnekoff list selection made it clear from the beginning he may just be the best pass catcher in the country. Woods caught his first pass of the season on the third play of Oklahoma State's first offensive possession. His second catch came two possessions later and was a 34-yard touchdown strike from Josh Fields to give the Cowboys a 7-0 lead. Woods would finish the night with 10 catches for 126 yards and three touchdowns. Following are notes about Woods' opening night performance:
- His 126 receiving yards represents the fourth-best single-game effort in his OSU career and it tied the 27th best receiving game in OSU history (Alonzo Mayes and Hermann Eben). It was also the fifth 100-yard receiving game of his OSU career.
- Woods' three touchdowns against Louisiana Tech marks the second, three touchdown game of his OSU career (Texas Tech last year) and gives him eight touchdowns in his last four games.
- As incredible as it might sound, the 34-yard touchdown pass against La Tech was the longest reception of Woods' career.
- Woods has now caught at least two passes in 19-straight games and has had at least four catches in 12-straight games. The last time Rashaun Woods failed to catch a pass in a game was against Missouri on Oct. 7, 2000.
Fields Handles First Start
Sophomore quarterback Josh Fields started for the first time in his career Saturday night in Shreveport and was predictably cool under fire. The Stillwater product was in on every offensive snap, finishing the night with 204 passing yards on 22-of-41 completions. He did not throw an interception and was sacked three times. Fields' first-start numbers compare with those of his last two predecessors. Aso Pogi's first-career start came against Iowa State in 2000 and he completed 26-of-45 passes for 328 yards and two touchdowns. Tony Lindsay's first-career start came against Fresno State in 1997 as he completed 7-of-9 attempts for 139 yards and two touchdowns.
Returns are in for T.D. and Chris
Two of the nation's top kick returners picked up in 2002 just where they left off in 2001. Terrance Davis-Bryant had an impressive night with eight punt returns for 127 yards. His eight returns fell one return short of tying the school record established by the legendary Bob Fenimore. Chris Massey, who led the country in kickoff returns last season, fielded two kicks against Louisiana Tech and returned them for a combined 59 yards. After the first week of the season, Massey leads the Big 12 and is sixth in the NCAA, while T.D. Bryant is 19th nationally in punt returns.
Morency Impressive in Debut
Less than a month ago, OSU tailback Vernand Morency was reporting to camp an unknown back who was coming off a professional baseball stint in the Colorado Rockies organization. After one game of the 2002 season, Morency is 35th in the country in rushing and registered OSU's first 100-yard rushing game since Tatum Bell had 109 against Louisiana Tech 10 games ago. He also becomes the first OSU tailback to gain 100 or more yards in his first start since Reggie White rushed for 197 yards on 25 carries in his first collegiate start against Tulsa in 2000.
Shaw Almost Hits 100
Another Cowboy making his regular-season debut was tailback Seymore Shaw and, like Morency, the results were impressive. Shaw, who left the game with a slight ankle sprain, finished with 97 yards on seven carries. He put 75 of his 97 net yards in the column on one run. In fact, with Shaw's 75-yard run and Morency's 76-yard run, they became the first running back duo in OSU history to have runs from scrimmage of 70 yards or longer in the same game.
Quick Hitters
Oklahoma State's offense struck quickly and efficiently in the first three quarters against Louisiana Tech. The Cowboys had five scoring drives against the Bulldogs, and the five combined took just six minutes and 11 seconds. OSU's longest drive was an 80 yarder that took four plays and 1:40. The Cowboys also had a 79-yard drive that took seven plays and lasted 2:26, and a 21-yard drive that took three plays and 1:36. OSU's other two scoring drives took one play each.
Third Quarter Fireworks
Oklahoma State exploded for 22 third-quarter points against Louisiana Tech last week and that number was significant. It represented the most points scored in one quarter by the Cowboys since a 24-point outburst in the second quarter of the 10th game of the 1999 season at Baylor. That makes Saturday's third-quarter production a 23-game high for Oklahoma State.
Phillips Adds to Streak
Junior kicker Luke Phillips, already on the initial Lou Groza Award watch list, added to his string of consecutive successful extra points last week. Phillips, who was perfect on all 27 PAT's attempted in 2001, was 3-of-3 at Shreveport against Louisiana Tech. He has now connected on 30 of 30 for his Oklahoma State career.
Home Openers
Oklahoma State officially opens the home portion of its 2002 schedule this week and the Cowboys will be looking to add to a lengthy success story in Lewis Field openers. The Cowboys have won six-straight Lewis Field openers, dating back to the 1995 opener against top-ranked Nebraska. Since 1969, Oklahoma State has won 27-of-33 home openers. The six losses were to Arkansas (1978), West Texas (1980), Houston (1986), Texas Tech (1989), Arizona State (1991) and Nebraska (1995).
Four to Remember
1997 - The Cowboys were coming off back-to-back road victories to open Bob Simmons' third OSU season. A talented Fresno State team came to Stillwater only to go home on the short end of a 35-0 score. OSU would win its first six games of 1997, finish 8-3 and play Purdue in the Alamo Bowl.
1988 - Oklahoma State was expected to defeat Miami of Ohio in its' 1988 season opener and it did, 52-20. The memorable moments of this home opener included a 100-yard kickoff return to open the game by Barry Sanders. It was the second-straight season Sanders returned the year's opening kickoff for a touchdown. It was also the first game of Sanders' Heisman winning season and he gained 182 yards on 18 carries.
1986 - OSU, 1-1 after two season-opening road games, came home to face a talented Houston team. The final score (Houston 28, OSU 12) was not especially emblematic. What was significant about this game on Sept. 20, 1986, was the true freshman quarterback Pat Jones tabbed to take every snap of the second half. That quarterback was Mike Gundy, and he would go on to set new standards for Cowboy quarterbacks.
1976 - Bowl seasons usually need a positive start and Oklahoma State got just that in 1976. The Cowboys had finished 7-4 the year before and needed a win over Tulsa in the '76 season opener at home to keep that momentum going. The Cowboys got just that in a 33-21 win that would propel them to an 8-3 regular season record, share of the Big Eight Conference title and Tangerine Bowl berth against Brigham Young.
NOTING THE COWBOYS
Team Captains
Seniors Terrence Robinson and Jason Russell have been voted as the captains of the 2002 OSU Cowboys by all members of the team. Robinson is in his fifth year at Oklahoma State, coming from John Tyler High School in Tyler, Texas. Russell is also in his fifth year, coming to Stillwater from Putnam City High School in Oklahoma City.
Defense Makes Opening Statement
Oklahoma State's defense played hard and well for most of Saturday's season-opening loss at Shreveport. The Cowboy defenders allowed Louisiana Tech just 38 net rushing yards. La Tech tailback Joe Smith had 53 yards on 17 carries. The rest of the Tech backfield had six carries for minus 15 yards. While the Bulldogs did pass for a game total of 448 yards, 168 of that came in the fourth quarter. The Cowboy defense was hard-hitting, forcing two fumbles, and nearly came up with a pair of interceptions, including one that Elbert Craig tipped into the hands of a Tech receiver for a touchdown. After the first week of the 2002 season, Oklahoma State's defense against the rush ranks 11th nationally.
D Has Numbers and Experience
Two of the reasons for the expected improvement on the defensive side of the ball are numbers and experience. When the Cowboys take the field Saturday night against Northern Iowa, 10 of the 11 projected starters have previous starts on their OSU resume'. That list includes eight seniors who bring invaluable experience to the defensive equation in 2002.
T-Rob Leader On and Off the Field
Senior linebacker Terrence Robinson was labeled a leader well before he was named a co-captain of the 2002 Cowboys. Robinson was one of a select few student-athletes across the country to participate in an NCAA leadership conference over the summer. Robinson will call the signals for the Cowboy defense this fall from his middle linebacker spot and will be looking to make his senior season a special one. His 2001 numbers represented a career high. Robinson was credited with 75 total tackles (third-most on the defense) and he had 10 tackles for losses. He had multiple tackles behind the line of scrimmage in games against Southern Miss, Iowa State and Oklahoma. His 11 tackles against Missouri on Lewis Field was a season and career high. In last week's opener at Shreveport, T-Rob was credited with four total tackles and also had a pass deflection.
On the Offensive
Just like the defensive side of the ball, Oklahoma State's 2002 offense features talent and depth. OSU returns its statistical leader in every offensive category for 2002, including rusher Tatum Bell, passers Aso Pogi and Josh Fields, receiver Rashaun Woods and scorer Luke Phillips. A glance at Oklahoma State's offensive depth reveals nine players listed for the home opener who have a combined 125 career starts.
Early Numbers are Strong
The Cowboy offense ranks high in most categories after just one week of the season. Oklahoma State is fifth in the Big 12 in both passing offense and scoring offense, and the Cowboys rank 38th nationally in scoring. OSU is eighth in the league in rushing and ninth in the league in total offense.
Rashaun Woods ... All-American Watch
Junior wide receiver Rashuan Woods will open the home part of the schedule Saturday night as a preseason All-Big 12 first-team selection, preseason All-America candidate and on the watch list for the Biletnikoff Award. Woods goes into his junior season the most touted Cowboy receiver since Hart Lee Dykes, and he's got a chance to replace Dykes at the top of every OSU career receiving record.
As a Sophomore
Woods' sophomore season numbers were astonishing. In 11 games, he caught 80 passes, a new OSU season record, for 1,023 yards. He caught 10 touchdown passes, averaged 7.3 receptions per game, 12.8 yards per catch and 93.0 yards per game. Through his first two seasons at the collegiate level, Woods has 109 career receptions, 1,352 career yards and an incredible per-catch average of 12.4 yards.
As a Junior
As documented earlier in this release, Woods started the season last week with a bang. He had 10 catches for 126 yards against Louisiana Tech and added to his impressive career numbers.
The Chase
With 1,478 career yards, Woods will go into this week's game against Northern Iowa fourth on OSU's career receiving list. He will need just 30 yards to pass Curtis Mayfield (1,507) and move into third place. He needs just 476 yards to move past Hermann Eben into second place. Woods is 1,694 yards behind the phenomenal numbers posted by Hart Lee Dykes (3,172). Woods would need to average 77 receiving yards per game for the rest of his OSU career to catch Dykes on the career yardage list. Woods' 119 career receptions is second to Dykes' all-time number of 203. Woods is 86 catches from breaking that record.
Returning Leader
Woods led the Big 12 a year ago with his 93 yards-per-game average. He was the only receiver in the Big 12 Conference to eclipse the 1,000 yard mark in 2002 (his closest Big 12 rival had 920 yards) and he was seventh in the country in receiving yards per game.
