Oklahoma State University Athletics
Oklahoma State Hosts UCLA
April 14, 2003 | Cowboy Football
Saturday, Sept. 14, 2002 * 6 p.m. [CDT] Lewis Field [48,000] * Stillwater, Okla. radio - Cowboy Radio Network; internet broadcast - okstate.com TV - Fox Sports Net
Cowboys Host UCLA In one of the most attractive non-conference football games on Lewis Field in several years, Oklahoma State hosts UCLA Saturday night. Kickoff for the nationally televised contest is set for 6:05 p.m. (CDT) on Fox Sports Net. It will be Oklahoma State's second-straight home game, and the first road outing of the year for UCLA. The Cowboys head into the game with a 1-1 record and fresh off a 45-10 win over Northern Iowa last week. UCLA comes to Stillwater with a 1-0 mark after upending 19th-ranked Colorado State, 30-19, in the Rose Bowl Saturday night.
Rankings UCLA will come to Lewis Field freshly ranked. The Bruins broke into the Associated Press poll this week ranked 23rd. UCLA received votes in the USA Today/ESPN poll. UCLA will be the first nationally ranked team on OSU's 2002 schedule, but the fourth nationally ranked team in the last nine OSU regular-season games.
Hall of Honor Weekend Oklahoma State's football weekend will begin with the annual Hall of Honor induction ceremonies Friday night in Oklahoma City. Six former OSU greats will be inducted into the Hall of Honor at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum. Joe Dial, Clinette Jordan, Joe McDaniel, Pat Smith, Scott Verplank and John Ward are the latest to join OSU's elite hall. The Hall of Honor banquet will begin at 7 p.m., and ticket information is available by calling (405) 744-3583.
Calling All Heroes In reflection of last Sept. 11, Oklahoma State University Athletics will honor area law enforcement, military and firefighters during this week's game against UCLA. Hundreds from the various ranks of these agencies statewide are expected to be honored at Lewis Field during halftime ceremonies.
Walk the Walk 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 two hours and 15 minutes 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 stadium.
Attendance/Tickets A crowd of 45,000-plus is expected for Saturday night's OSU-UCLA game. Tickets for the game and season tickets for the 2002 campaign are still available. The OSU Athletics 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, 1-877-ALL-4-OSU. Season tickets will be on sale through this week's game.
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 may 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 with a game against the defending WAC champs, then faced one of the top-three teams in Division I-AA. This week, 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 Oklahoma State notched its first win of the 2002 season with a 45-10 victory over Northern Iowa. The Panthers, ranked second or third in I-AA Top 25 polls, took an early 7-0 lead before the Cowboys scored 45 straight points to even their record at 1-1. Wide Receiver Rashaun Woods had the biggest night of his OSU career to date with nine catches for 175 yards. Among Woods' catches against the Panthers was a 51 yarder, also the longest of his career. Cornerback Darrent Williams contributed on the defensive side with two interceptions, the first of which he returned 29 yards for a touchdown. OSU's other touchdowns came from Billy Bajema on a one-yard pass, Willie Young on a six-yard reception), Josh Fields on a one-yard run, Vernand Morency on a two-yard dive and Mike Denard on a one-yard blast. Sophomore quarterback Josh Fields had his second-straight 200-yard passing performance. Fields completed 23-of-33 passing attempts for 262 yards and two touchdowns. Tailback Vernand Morency was OSU's leading rusher with 14 carries for 50 yards. The Cowboy defense limited Northern Iowa to 104 net rushing yards and 109 passing yards.
UCLA Last Week The Bruins came from behind to defeat 19th-ranked Colorado State in a nationally televised game from the Rose Bowl. UCLA returned a fumble on Colorado State's two-point conversion try that would have tied the game, and the Bruins added a late touchdown for the 30-19 winning margin. Quarterback Cory Paus completed 12-of-23 attempts in the opener for 142 yards, and Akil Harris had 54 net yards on 13 carries. UCLA rushed the ball very effectively against CSU with 235 yards on 37 carries and four touchdowns. The UCLA defense allowed 179 rushing yards, but limited Colorado State to just 98 yards through the air.
Cowboys vs. the PAC 10 Saturday's game will be Oklahoma State's first-ever against UCLA, and the Cowboys' 12th against a team from the Pac-10. It will be the first time the Cowboys have faced a Pac-10 club since Sept. 25, 1993, when OSU lost to Arizona State at Tempe. Saturday will be just the fifth time OSU has hosted a team from the Pac-10, the last coming on Sept. 14, 1991, when Arizona State came to Stillwater and claimed a 30-3 win.
In 11 previous games against teams from the Pac-10, Oklahoma State has a 5-6 record. Of the 11 previous games, four have been on Lewis Field, and the Cowboys are 2-2 in those games. OSU's record vs. the Pac-10 includes a 3-3 mark against Arizona, 1-2 against Arizona State and 1-1 against Washington.
OSU-UCLA ... to be continued While Saturday night's game is the first-ever between OSU and UCLA, the teams are scheduled to meet again in 2004. Oklahoma State will travel to Los Angeles for a Sept. 4 season opener against the Bruins.
Cowboys vs. the State of California In 101 years of Oklahoma State football, the Cowboys have played just three previous games against teams from California. O-State defeated St. Mary's of California in the Sugar Bowl at the end of the 1945 season. Three years later, OSU defeated San Francisco, 27-20, in San Francisco. The Cowboys hosted Fresno State on Sept. 13, 1997, and won by a 35-0 margin.
Scouting UCLA For the first time ever, UCLA and Oklahoma State will do battle on the gridiron. The Bruins come to town fresh off a season-opening win against Colorado State at the Rose Bowl. Trailing 13-7 at halftime, UCLA erupted for 23 fourth-quarter points on its way to a 30-19 victory. Sophomore running back Manuel White ran for a pair of fourth-quarter scores, including a 16-yard jaunt with a minute remaining to seal the victory. Last season, the Bruins jumped out to a 6-0 start, including four victories over top-25 opponents, and climbed as high as fourth in the Associated Press poll and No. 3 in the BCS rankings before losing four out of five contests to close out the campaign with a 7-4 record.
Coach Bob Toledo Now in his seventh season as the head coach at UCLA is Bob Toledo. During his tenure, Toledo has led the Bruins to a pair of 10-win seasons and three bowl appearances. His squad captured back-to-back conference titles in 1997 and 1998 on its way to berths in the Cotton and Rose Bowls, respectively. He also directed UCLA to an appearance in the 2000 Sun Bowl. The San Jose, Calif., native has compiled a career record of 43-27 at UCLA and a 71-63 mark overall that includes stints at Pacific and UC Riverside. In addition to his head coaching experience, Toledo also served as an assistant at UCLA for two seasons before being named head coach. He has also made stops at Texas A&M, Oregon, USC, and UC Riverside during his coaching career.
Oklahoma State-UCLA Series ... First Meeting Saturday's meeting will be the first-ever contest between the two schools. However, the Bruins are no stranger to Big 12 foes. Overall, UCLA has fared well against the league, posting a 20-15-1 mark all-time. The Bruins have squared off against eight Big 12 schools in the program's 84-year history. In 1986, UCLA made its lone trip to the state of Oklahoma, falling 38-3 against the University of Oklahoma. The Bruins last meeting with a Big 12 opponent came last September against Kansas with UCLA prevailing 41-17 in Lawrence.
Bruins to Watch CB Ricky Manning -- A preseason candidate for the Jim Thorpe Award, Manning has earned first-team All-Pac-10 honors in each of the past two seasons. Entering the 2002 season, he had started in each of the squad's last 32 games. Manning has recorded 154 tackles and nine interceptions in three seasons. Also a standout on the baseball field, Manning was a 22nd round draft pick of the Minnesota Twins out of high school and plays professionally during the summer months.
DT Rodney Leisle -- Leisle was one of several UCLA players to garner preseason recognition. He was tabbed as a preseason All-American and was named to the Outland Trophy and Lombardi Award watch lists. Just a junior, Leisle has started every game of his collegiate career. As a sophomore, the 6-4, 312-pound tackle earned second-team all-conference honors after being named honorable mention All-Pac-10 as a freshman.
QB Cory Paus -- The fifth-year senior moved into third place on the school's career passing yardage list last week after throwing for 142 yards. Paus' 5,372 yards surpassed Troy Aikman (5,230) and Tommy Maddox (5,363). He also ranks sixth on the school's career completions chart (342) and sixth with 32 career touchdown passes.
P Nate Fiske -- A preseason All-America selection, Fiske was also named to the Ray Guy Award watch list. He is a two-time all-conference selection, earning first-team plaudits last season and second-team honors in 2000. Has led the Pac-10 in punting the last two seasons and his career average of 43.09 ranks second all-time in school history.
Odds and Ends Offensive tackle Mike Saffer is on the preseason watch list for the Outland Trophy and the Lombardi Award ... free safety Matt Ware was named to the Jim Thorpe Award watch list ... UCLA had six players taken in the 2002 NFL Draft, tying them for the seventh-highest total of players picked among all schools ... former Bruin Troy Aikman finished third in the 1988 Heisman Trophy voting behind OSU's Barry Sanders.
Oklahoma State Head Coach Les Miles Oklahoma State's 21st head football coach is two games into his second season and will carry a career record of 5-8 into this week's game against UCLA. Miles, who cut his football teeth under the tutelage of legendary Michigan coach Bo Schembechler, spent three seasons as OSU's offensive coordinator (1995-97) before being lured to the NFL's Dallas Cowboys. Three years later, Miles returned to Stillwater to take the reigns of the Cowboy program.
Winning Resumé Les Miles and winning football have been synonymous throughout his playing and professional career. Miles was a two-year letterman at Michigan and, during that two-year span, the Wolverines were 18-3-2. They finished in the Associated Press' Top 10 both seasons and played in the Rose and Orange Bowls. Miles had two coaching stints at Michigan, one from 1980-81 and another from 1987-1994. He was part of Michigan's run to five Big Ten championships and 10 bowl appearances. Sandwiched between his stints at Michigan, Miles spent five season on Bill McCartney's staff at Colorado and helped the process that rebuilt the CU program into a national contender. He came to OSU in 1995 as offensive coordinator. His 1997 OSU offense averaged 226 rushing yards and 150 passing yards per game and scored more touchdowns (41) than any OSU offense since the Barry Sanders-led squad in 1988.
The First Season The first season of the Les Miles era of Cowboy Football was certainly a memorable one. Facing what was arguably the toughest schedule in the country, the Cowboys went about their business in work-like fashion from day one. Two wins in the first month, including a victory over eventual WAC champion Louisiana Tech, set the stage for a rugged first five weeks of the Big 12 schedule. A triple-overtime loss to Missouri, a 14-point loss at Texas A&M in a game that was tied at the half, and a three-point loss to eventual Big 12 Champion Colorado were examples of how close the Cowboys were to an extraordinary season in 2001. Miles and his Cowboys erased some of the early season frustration with an impressive two-game winning streak at the end. A 38-22 win at Baylor set the tone, and a 16-13 win over fourth-ranked Oklahoma in Norman the following week gave the Cowboys pleasant memories for the offseason.
Surrounded by Winners Les Miles and the head coach's chair at Oklahoma State are a perfect fit. On short notice, Miles put together an impressive first recruiting class, and followed that with one of the country's top recruiting hauls in 2002. He also surrounded himself with some of the top coaching talent in the country. Miles and his 2002 staff have a combined 130 years of college coaching experience.
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.
Rashaun Comes Up Big, Again How does the best receiver in college football encore an opening-night performance where he had 10 catches for 126 yards? Oklahoma State's Rashaun Woods followed that performance against Louisiana Tech with a career-best performance against Northern Iowa. Saturday night on Lewis Field, Woods hauled in nine catches for 175 yards. It was Woods' career best, and tied Hart Lee Dykes for the fifth-best single-game receiving game in OSU history. Dykes had 175 against Miami (Ohio) in 1988. Just two games into the season, it is clear that Woods is setting himself apart from other receivers in college football.
Woods' Top Seven Games Sept. 7, 2002 Northern Iowa 9-175-0 Sept. 29, 2001 Northwestern State 10-144-1 Sept. 1, 2001 Southern Miss 10-139-0 Nov. 24, 2001 Oklahoma 8-129-1 Aug. 31, 2002 Louisiana Tech 10-126-3 Oct. 27, 2001 Colorado 6-109-0 Nov. 10, 2001 Texas Tech 10-109-3
Rashaun's Last Six ... Remarkable OSU's Biletnikoff Award candidate has posted eye-popping numbers over the last six games. Dating back to the Colorado game on Oct. 27, 2001, Woods has caught 47 passes for 694 yards and eight touchdowns. That's a six-game average of 115.7 yards per game and 14.8 yards per reception.
Sophomore QB Turns in Another 200 Josh Fields got his second start in as many games last week against Northern Iowa, and turned in another solid performance. The Stillwater signal caller completed 23-of-33 for 261 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He tossed his first interception of the season and was not sacked. His performance against Northern Iowa followed first-game numbers against Louisiana Tech that included 22-of-41 for 204 yards and three touchdowns. In two games this season, Fields has now completed 45-of-74 for 465 yards and five touchdowns. He has thrown only one interception, and is averaging 232.5 yards per game. His two-game passing efficiency rating is 133.19.
Speaking of Efficiency Through the first two games of the 2002 season, OSU's quarterback is keeping some pretty good company. Fields is fourth in the Big 12 and 39th in the NCAA in passing efficiency. Only Iowa State's Seneca Wallace, Texas Tech's Kliff Kingsbury and Texas' Chris Simms have better ratings. In addition to his passing efficiency numbers, Fields in 39th nationally and fourth in the Big 12 in total offense. In average number of completions per game, Fields is second in the league with an average of 22.5 per game.
Comparing First Start Numbers In the first start of his collegiate career against Louisiana Tech, Fields was in on every offensive snap, finishing the night with 204 passing yards on 22-of-41 attempts. 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 for 328 yards and two touchdowns. Tony Lindsay's first-career start came against Fresno State in 1997, and he completed 7-of-9 for 139 yards and two touchdowns.
Happy Returns for Massey, Bryant Two of the nation's top kick returners have picked up in 2002 just where they left off in 2001. Through two games, senior Chris Massey has three kickoff returns for 73 yards, an average of 24.3 yards per return. Going into week three, Massey is third in the Big 12 and 29th in the country in kickoff returns. Terrance Davis-Bryant had an impressive night in the opener 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. After two games, Davis-Bryant is seventh in the league and 31st in the country with 11 returns for 153 yards and a 13.9 average.
Farden Effective Sophomore Cole Farden is in his second season as Oklahoma State's primary kicker in kickoff situations. Saturday night against Northern Iowa, Farden was particularly effective, placing six of his seven kickoffs deep enough to allow no returns.
Morency Impressive in Early Going 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 two games of the 2002 season, Morency is 59th in the country in rushing and registered OSU's first 100-yard rushing game since Tatum Bell had 109 against Louisiana Tech at the beginning of last year. With his 108 yards against Louisiana Tech, he became 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. Morency leads the Cowboys in rushing after two games with 158 yards on 27 carries and three touchdowns.
Shaw Almost Hits 100 Another Cowboy who made his regular-season debut in the opener 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.
Bell Back on Track Junior tailback Tatum Bell appeared to be back on track Saturday night against Northern Iowa. Bell, who started against the Panthers, finished the game with 31 yards on just six carries. He gained five yards on his first carry of the night and had 22 of his 31 yards on OSU's first two offensive possessions. He did not play in the second half, but is expected to be ready for the UCLA game this week.
Phillips Still Perfect Junior kicker Luke Phillips, already on the initial Lou Groza Award watch list, added to his string of consecutive successful extra points in the win over Northern Iowa. Phillips, who was perfect on all 27 PAT's attempted in 2001, was 4-of-4 at Shreveport against La Tech and 6-of-6 against Northern Iowa. Phillips has now converted successfully all 37 extra-point attempts during his OSU career.
Defensive Numbers Improve in Week Two After allowing 486 yards of total offense in the season opener, Oklahoma State's defense returned to its stingy ways Saturday night against Northern Iowa, and this week's league and national statistics reflect that improvement. The Cowboys allowed Northern Iowa just 104 net rushing yards and 109 passing yards for 213 yards of total offense. Even more impressive, OSU's defense gave an average of just 2.7 yards per play on Northern Iowa's 79 offensive plays Saturday night. After this week's effort, Oklahoma State's defensive ranking improved in almost every category.
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 UCLA, 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. To the right is a list of defensive players with a minimum of 10 starts on their resumé.
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. In the season opener at Shreveport, T-Rob was credited with four tackles, and he also had a pass deflection. In last week's win over Northern Iowa, Robinson had four total tackles and one for minus yardage.
Darrent Williams Does it Again Oklahoma State's 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 7-7, 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 for touchdowns. Willams added another interception in the Northern Iowa game, but the Panthers kept him out of the end zone. Williams' production on the defensive side of the ball has been impressive. For his career, he has six starts, four interceptions and three touchdowns.
Elbert Craig Picks off Two It wasn't just Darrent Williams making his presence known in the Cowboy secondary last week. Junior safety Elbert Craig also came up big with two key interceptions. The interceptions were the fifth and sixth of Craig's Oklahoma State career.
Brown Effective in the Middle LaWaylon Brown has started both games in 2002 at defensive tackle, and has made his presence known, especially against Northern Iowa Saturday night. Brown was credited with five tackles and a pair of sacks in the 45-10 win over the Panthers. Brown's two-game 2002 numbers include seven total tackles and a team-leading three tackles for minus-18 yards. He is one of four Oklahoma State defenders with one sack each after two games.
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 (197 carries, 776 yards), passers Aso Pogi (1,854 yards passing) and Josh Fields (451 yards passing), receiver Rashaun Woods (80 catches, 1,023 yards) and scorer Luke Phillips (72 points). A glance at OSU's possible offensive starters for the UCLA game reveals 12 players with a combined 119 starts. Listed at the right are players with a minimum of 10-career starts.
Early Numbers are Strong The Cowboy offense ranks high in most categories after just two weeks of the season. Oklahoma State is fourth in the Big 12 in both passing offense and scoring offense. The Cowboys are 20th in the NCAA in scoring offense, averaging 40.5 points per game, and OSU is 35th nationally in passing offense, averaging 239.5 yards per game.
Junior wide receiver Rashuan Woods goes into the third game of his junior season 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.
