Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys Prepare For K-State
April 14, 2003 | Cowboy Football
Saturday, Oct. 12, 2002 * 1:10 p.m. [CDT] KSU Stadium [50,000] * Manhattan, Kan. radio - Cowboy Radio Network * TV - none
Complete Release in PDF Format
Depth Chart vs. KSU in PDF Format
Cowboys Continue Big 12 Play at K-State After a two-point loss to second-ranked Texas in Austin last week, Oklahoma State remains on the Big 12 road this Saturday as the Cowboys travel to Manhattan, Kan., to face 23rd-ranked Kansas State. The Cowboys will be trying to snap an eight-game losing streak to K-State and win for the first time in Manhattan since 1988. Kickoff at KSU Stadium is set for 1:10 p.m. (CDT).
Bags Still Packed For the sixth time in 21 seasons, Oklahoma State is opening conference play with back-to-back road games. OSU's first two weeks in league play in 2002 featured last week's two point loss at Texas and this week's trip to K-State. Three of the last six times OSU has opened conference play with two on the road, the Pokes have split. The other three times, OSU lost both. In 2000, OSU opened at Texas and at Missouri, losing both. In 1996, trips to Irving, Texas, (vs. Texas Tech) and Texas resulted in a pair of losses. In 1988, OSU won at Colorado before losing at Nebraska. In 1986, the Pokes lost at Nebraska and OU and, in 1981, OSU won at Kansas in the Big Eight opener before losing at Colorado in week two.
Records and Rankings Oklahoma State will go to Manhattan with an overall record of 2-3 and a Big 12 mark of 0-1. The Cowboys will be trying to right themselves after a 17-15 loss at second-ranked Texas last week. Kansas State will be hosting OSU after losing at Colorado last week. The loss leaves the Wildcats with an overall mark of 4-1 and a Big 12 record of 0-1. The Wildcats fell to No. 23 in this week's USA Today/ESPN Coaches Top 25 poll. Oklahoma State received votes in this week's poll.
Pass the Atlas Oklahoma State may need a road atlas before heading north this week. The Cowboys will be making their first appearance in Manhattan and in the state of Kansas since Oct. 17, 1998, when a fourth-ranked Kansas State team captured a 52-20 win.
OSU vs. the Ranked Saturday will mark the third time this season OSU has faced a nationally ranked opponent. In fact, it will be the sixth time in the last 11 outings Oklahoma State has faced a ranked foe. Kansas State is ranked 23rd this week, falling 10 spots from the week before. Texas was ranked second ahead of its game against OSU last week. UCLA was ranked 23rd when the Bruins came to Stillwater on Sept. 14.
OSU's Road Itinerary Oklahoma State will leave for Manhattan Friday morning. The Cowboys will have a closed walk-thru at KSU Stadium upon arrival in Manhattan. OSU will headquarter at the Holiday Inn-Manhattan and return to Stillwater immediately following Saturday's game. Leading up to Friday's drive to Manhattan, it will be a normal work week for the Pokes, even though there are no classes Monday or Tuesday (fall break) at Oklahoma State.
Tough Stuff Oklahoma State's 2001 football schedule was rated one of the five toughest in the country. Not much has changed in 2002. OSU's 2002 slate has already been tagged one of the toughest schedules in the country. The Cowboys opened with a game against the defending WAC champs, then faced one of the top-three teams in Division I-AA in Northern Iowa. No. 23 UCLA and second-ranked Texas were sandwiched around a game with SMU, and now the Cowboys face K-State in Manhattan before home games against Nebraska and Texas A&M and another road game at Texas Tech.
Where It Ranks According to the NCAA's web site, Oklahoma State's schedule is the 34th-toughest in the country, based on cumulative records of each I-A opponent. Southern California has the toughest schedule after week five. USC's opponents have a cumulative record of 46-16. Texas Tech has the toughest among Big 12 teams with a cumulative record of 46-20. The cumulative record of Oklahoma State's 11 I-A opponents is 36-24, ahead of this week's games. Two of Oklahoma State's opponents (Texas and Oklahoma) are still unbeaten, while UCLA and Kansas State each have 4-1 records. UCLA, Texas, Kansas State and Oklahoma all still boast Top 25 rankings. Nine of Oklahoma State's 12 regular-season opponents have winning records going into this week's games.
OSU Last Week Oklahoma State opened Big 12 Conference play in a nationally televised affair against Texas at Austin. The second-ranked Longhorns walked away with a 17-15 win, but it was a game that could have gone either way. Just like last year, Oklahoma State jumped on top early. A 39-yard field goal by Luke Phillips gave the Cowboys a 3-0 lead at the 9:56 mark of the first quarter. The three-pointer capped O-State's first offensive possession and lasted until the 5:52 mark of the second quarter, when Texas tied it on a 27-yard field goal by Dusty Mangum. The Longhorns took the lead late in the second quarter and added to their lead at the 2:26 mark of the third. Trailing 17-3, the Cowboys went to work. A 45-yard sprint by tailback Tatum Bell helped put momentum back on the Cowboys' side. A physical OSU defense kept Texas off the scoreboard in the fourth quarter. A 33-yard touchdown pass from Josh Fields to John Lewis pulled OSU to within two with 4:04 to play. The two-point conversion pass to Rashaun Woods was just short of the goal line, but the Cowboys weren't finished. On its final possession, OSU drove the ball into Texas territory, but the drive ended with a Texas interception. Seymore Shaw led the OSU ground game with 21 carries for 99 yards. Fields completed 14-of-29 passes for 134 yards and a touchdown, and Woods hauled in six catches for 63 yards. OSU's defense was led by linebacker Terrence Robinson (12 tackles) and tackle Kevin Williams, who had 10 total tackles and a pair of TFLs for minus four yards.
No Moral Victories How far has Oklahoma State Football progressed? Prior to Saturday, Oklahoma State's last three trips to Austin, Texas, resulted in the Cowboys being outscored 150-55. In previous times, a two-point loss to a second-ranked Texas team in Austin might have yielded different reactions. Cowboy head coach Les Miles, however, was emphatic after the game when asked about moral victories.
"There is no moral victory. It's a loss. We hope we're past moral victories. We're a good football team. We now have to get the victory."
Early Points The field goal that ended Oklahoma State's first possession against Texas also marked the third-straight game the Cowboys have scored on their initial possession. It also marked the first time this season Texas had trailed. It also marked the fifth-straight game in 2002 the Cowboys have posted first-quarter points.
Woods' Streak Continues Wide Receiver Rashaun Woods finished the game with six receptions for 63 yards. The All-America candidate has now caught at least two passes in 23 consecutive games.
Defensive Numbers Oklahoma State's defense held Texas to its second-lowest rushing total of the season. The Longhorns managed 145 yards on 43 attempts against OSU. Texas had 271 rushing yards against North Carolina, 233 vs. Houston and 176 vs. Tulane a week ago.
Woods Still Impressive as League Play Begins After five games of the 2002 football season, there should be no doubt that Oklahoma State wide receiver Rashaun Woods is among the elite of college football receivers. Saturday against Texas, Woods caught six passes for 63 yards, including a remarkable 25 yarder on a first-down play on the one-yard line. It was the first play of a 99-yard drive that gave the Cowboys a chance to win the game. Against UCLA earlier in the month, Woods hauled in seven catches for 143 yards against two-time All-Pac 10 corner Ricky Manning. It was Woods' fourth-straight game to go over 100 yards, and the eighth time he has eclipsed 100 yards in his career. His touchdown against SMU was the 10th of his career, and he has now caught at least two passes in 23-straight games.
Seymore Shaw Tough in Big 12 Opener Tailback Seymore Shaw was impressive in OSU's 17-15 loss at Texas. Shaw carried 21 times for 99 yards, an average of 4.7 yards per carry. His total carries and total yards against Texas both represented career highs. In five games of the 2002 season, Shaw has been OSU's most consistent ball carrier. Three times he has rushed for 90 or more yards. After five games, he leads the Cowboys with 58 carries for 368 yards. His four rushing touchdowns are a team high, and his 6.3 yards per carry average tops the team.
Fields Top 1,000 Mark Sophomore quarterback Josh Fields went over the 1,000-yard mark in season passing with a 134-yard performance against Texas in Austin. For the season, Fields has completed 92-of-164 passes for 1,083 yards. He has thrown 10 touchdown passes, only six interceptions, and is averaging 216.6 yards per game. With seven regular-season games remaining, Fields has a chance to pass for more yards than any sophomore quarterback in OSU history. His coach, Mike Gundy, has the all-time sophomore record at OSU (2,106), and Aso Pogi passed for 1,854 as a sophomore in 2001. If Fields maintains his 216 yard average over the course of the season, he would finish with more than 2,500 yards.
No Sophomore Jinx After sophomore quarterback Josh Fields passed for a career-high 291 yards against UCLA, he followed with a 193-yard performance against SMU. Fancy numbers for a sophomore quarterback who has started just five games in his career. Fields started the 2002 season by passing for 200 or more yards in three-straight contests.
Top 10 Fields' passing day against UCLA ranked as the 10th-best single-game passing effort in OSU football history. Mike Gundy's 429 yards against Kansas in 1989 is still the single-game best. Fields' 291 yards is just behind Aso Pogi's 294 against Southern Miss in 2001. Below are OSU's top-10 single-game passing performances.
Big 12 and NCAA Numbers Fields is one of eight Big 12 quarterbacks who have already passed the 1,000-yard mark for the 2002 season. In passing (completions per games), OSU's quarterback is third in the league behind Texas Tech's Kliff Kingsbury and Missouri's Brad Smith. He is tied for 34th in the NCAA in that category, and is 58th nationally in passing efficiency.
Farden Valuable vs. Horns Oklahoma State's sophomore kicker/punter may have had his most impressive game against Texas in Austin. He averaged more than 43 yards per punt, and put three of four kickoffs out of the endzone. One of his punts against Texas came after a bad snap and in the face of several Texas defenders who eventually hit him. The grandson of former OSU All-American Neill Armstrong has watched 19 of his last 25 kickoffs go for touchbacks.
Williams, Richmond and Brown Come Up Big On an impressive day for the Cowboy defense overall, three individuals drew particular praise from their head coach. Tackle Kevin Williams, end Greg Richmond and noseguard LaWaylon Brown combined for the most productive day of the season. Williams had nine solo tackles and 10 total, including two for losses. Richmond added five tackles, including one behind the line of scrimmage, and Brown had two tackles, one of which resulted in an eight-yard loss. The three Cowboy defenders totaled 17 tackles against the Longhorns and four tackles for minus-13 yards.
D Has Experience Two of the reasons for the expected efficiency on the defensive side of the ball are numbers and experience. When the Cowboys take the field Saturday against K-State, 10 of the 11 projected starters have previous starts on their OSU resumé. 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 he 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 in games against Southern Miss, Iowa State and Oklahoma. His 11 tackles against Missouri on Lewis Field was a season and career high. Through five games of the 2002 season, Robinson has 27 total tackles, including 17 solo stops. He also has two tackles for minus yards and a pair of pass deflections to his credit.
Massey Defensive Leader Senior defensive back Chris Massey may be having the best season of his OSU career. Through five games, Massey leads the Cowboy defense in tackles, and he is once again a valuable weapon as a kick returner. Against Texas last week, Massey was credited with nine total tackles, five of which were unassisted. For the season, Massey now has 25 solo tackles and nine assists for a team-leading total of 34. He has one tackle for minus-one yard, three pass deflections and one forced fumble. As a kick returner, Massey now has nine returns for 222 yards, an average of 24.7 yards per return. He is third in the Big 12 and 29th nationally. He led the NCAA in kickoff returns in 2001.
Elbert Craig Also Productive Junior safety Elbert Craig is also off to a good start in 2002. He had an eight-tackle performance against Texas last week, and he led the defense with three pass deflections against the Longhorns. For the season, Craig has 27 total tackles and is tied with Terrence Robinson for second on the defense in that category. Craig is also tied for the team lead with two interceptions, and he leads the Cowboy defense with six pass deflections.
Darrent Williams Does it Again OSU sophomore defensive back was a big part of the Cowboys' 45-10 win over Northern Iowa. In fact, it was a scene Cowboy fans have become very familiar with over the past two seasons. With the game tied at seven, Northern Iowa faced a second and eight from its own 24. Darrent Williams picked off Griff Jurgens pass and returned it 29 yards for the go-ahead touchdown. At that point, it was Williams third-career interception and his third-career interception returned for a touchdown. Williams picked off a pair of passes against Baylor last year in Waco and returned them both for touchdowns. Williams added another interception in the Northern Iowa game, but the Panthers kept him out of the endzone. Williams has been effective throughout OSU's first five games. His season totals now stand at 20 total tackles, two interceptions and six deflections.
On the Offensive Side 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 OSU's possible offensive starters for the Kansas State game reveals eight players with a combined 120 starts.
More NCAA Numbers In addition to the ones already mentioned, other Cowboys and their national statistical rankings include Cole Farden (38th) in punting, Elbert Craig and Darrent Williams (45th) in interceptions, Terrence Davis-Bryant (30th) in punt returns, and Seymore Shaw (73rd) in rushing.
Scouting Kansas State Kansas State (4-1, 0-1) will look to rebound from last Saturday's 35-31 loss at Colorado. K-State rolled through the early portion of their non-conference schedule, defeating Western Kentucky, Louisiana-Monroe and Eastern Illinois by an average of 54 points, before knocking off then-No. 11 Southern California, 27-20, in Manhattan. The Wildcats have outscored their opponents, 237-71, on the year, and have outgained the opposition by more than 100 yards on average (398.8 to 285.2) through five games.
Kansas State Last Week Colorado, the defending champions of the Big 12 Conference, opened defense of that title with an impressive 35-31 win over 13th-ranked Kansas State in Boulder. The Buffs did it with offense ... 483 total yards and scoring plays of 94, 85 and 71 yards. The Wildcats had long scoring plays of 80 and 71 yards on their own and were particularly impressive on the ground. Kansas State rushed for 320 yards against the Buffs, 178 of which were provided by quarterback Eli Roberson. Darren Sproles added 121 rushing yards and three touchdowns for the Kansas State offense. Colorado exploded to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, only to watch K-State rally to tie the game at 14 in the second quarter. An 85-yard run and a 94-yard pass in the second quarter gave CU a 28-14 halftime advantage. Colorado scored the first touchdown of the second half, but Kansas State scored the final 17 points of the game.
Coach Bill Snyder Since taking over the K-State program in 1989, Snyder has directed one of the greatest turnarounds in college football history. After a 1-10 record during his inaugural season, Snyder has posted at least five wins every year since, including four 11-win seasons and one 10-win campaign. Under his direction, the Wildcats have played in nine-consecutive bowl games and have finished first in the Big 12 North Division three times. Snyder took over the program after serving as the offensive coordinator at Iowa, and has tallied a 109-50-1 ledger overall and a 59-38-1 conference mark during his 14-year tenure in Manhattan.
OSU-Kansas State Series ... OSU Leads 32-20 Saturday's contest between Oklahoma State and Kansas State will mark the 53rd time the two schools have met on the gridiron. However, it will be the first time since 1999 (a 44-21 K-State win in Stillwater) that the conference foes have met. OSU's last trek to Manhattan resulted in a 50-22 Wildcat triumph in 1998, and the Cowboys have not won at KSU Stadium since a 45-27 victory in 1988. Despite leading the overall series, including a 16-12 advantage in Manhattan, OSU has not defeated the Wildcats since winning 17-13 in 1989, and will be looking to end an eight-game losing streak in the series.
Wildcats to Watch QB Ell Roberson - Junior signal caller was an honorable mention All-Big 12 pick last season after rushing for 643 yards and nine touchdowns. Roberson also threw for 855 yards and four scores on his way to a 90.5 efficiency rating. He is the squad's second-leading rusher this season, toting the ball 57 times for 340 yards and three scores, including a long of 71 yards. He has completed 21 of his 38 pass attempts for 352 yards. Roberson has tossed one touchdown pass, thrown one interception and has posted an efficiency rating of 136.49 through five games. Last week, he became the 20th Wildcat in school history to go over the 1,000-yard rushing mark in his career, joining Michael Bishop as the only quarterbacks on the list.
RB Darren Sproles - Sproles has carried the ball 73 times for 469 yards and six touchdowns, pacing the squad in each category. The sophomore is averaging 6.4 yards per carry, and has also caught four passes for 25 yards. He has returned a team-high 11 punts for 143 yards, 13 yards per attempt. Sproles played in six games last season as a true freshman, rushing 28 times for 210 yards and one score.
CB Terence Newman - A second-team All-Big 12 selection last season, Newman has picked off two passes this season for seven yards, tying him for the team lead with Bobby Walker and giving him seven career interceptions. Newman is also a dangerous kick returner. He has returned four kicks for 184 yards, including a 95-yard touchdown return against Eastern Illinois. He has also returned 10 punts this season for 154 yards, one of which was a 40-yard touchdown jaunt against Louisiana-Monroe. Newman is a two-time Big 12 track and field champion in the 100-meter and 60-meter dashes, having set several school marks along the way. He also reached the semifinal round at the NCAA Championship and earned All-America honors in the 60 meters.
Odds and Ends The Wildcats have three Oklahoma natives on their roster: Danny Morris (Tulsa Union), Thomas Barnett (OKC Millwood) and Thomas Hill (Tulsa Hale) ... The Wildcats have posted an 8-1 record against Oklahoma State under the direction of Bill Snyder ... current Wildcat defensive ends coach Del Miller spent the 2000 season as the Cowboys' offensive coordinator ... KSU tight ends coach Matt Miller's father, Les, played football and baseball at OSU.
