Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys Travel To Baylor
April 08, 2003 | Cowboy Football
ROADIES, BACK-TO-BACK -- For the first time in the Bob Simmons era and just the second time in this decade, Oklahoma State will finish a regular season with two straight road games. The last time OSU had back-to-back road trips to close out a season was 1990, when the Cowboys lost at Colorado 41-22 and won at Iowa State 25-17.
PLEASANT MEMORIES OF WACO -- The last time Oklahoma State visited Waco for football was Nov. 22, 1997. It was the regular-season finale for the Cowboys, and the game was witnessed by an ABC regional television audience and several members of the selection committee of the Alamo Bowl. OSU would win the game 24-14 to finish the season with an 8-3 record. Two weeks later, the Pokes accepted an invitation to play Purdue in San Antonio in the Alamo Bowl.
A FAMILIAR FACE -- For the first time in recent history, Oklahoma State will be facing a team coached by a former Cowboy assistant. Baylor's Kevin Steele was an assistant at Oklahoma State from 1984 to '86. Steele left Oklahoma State for stints at Tennessee, at Nebraska and with the NFL's Carolina Panthers before being named Baylor's head coach on Dec. 18, 1998.
ON THE ROAD -- Oklahoma State will depart for Waco early Friday afternoon on a Miami Air charter. OSU is likely to hold a light workout at Floyd Casey Stadium at a time to be determined. The Cowboys will headquarter at the Waco Hilton and return to Stillwater immediately following Saturday's game.
KICKOFF, RECORDS, ETC. -- Oklahoma State's game at Baylor is scheduled to kick off at 1 p.m. CST. The Cowboys travel to Waco with an overall record of 4-5 and a Big 12 Conference mark of 2-4. The Pokes snapped a three-game losing streak last week with a win over Kansas. Baylor is playing its final game of the season this week and will come in with an overall record of 1-9 and a league mark of 0-7. Baylor's lone win so far in 1999 was a 23-10 decision over North Texas. The Bears have lost five straight ahead of this week's game against OSU.
ON THE GRASS -- For the third time this season, Oklahoma State will be playing on a natural surface. The Cowboys played on the real stuff at Mississippi State and at Texas A&M and will close the season with two games (Baylor and Oklahoma) on grass. By the way, OSU has lost three straight on natural surfaces. The last win was at Oklahoma on Nov. 8, 1997.
ON THE AIR -- Saturday's game between Oklahoma State and Baylor will be broadcast live on the Cowboy Radio Network. Bill Teegins, sports director at Oklahoma City's KWTV (channel 9) is the radio voice of Oklahoma State football and basketball. Tom Dirato, OSU's coordinator of radio and television, provides the analysis. The network broadcast will begin at 12:30 p.m. and end with live interviews from the OSU dressing room. The 30-station Cowboy Network is a division of Learfield Sports in Jefferson City, Mo. This week's game will not be televised.
BUSY WEEK FOR BROADCASTERS -- Oklahoma State's radio broadcast crew will have some serious air time this week. The crew will broadcast Friday night's Cowboy basketball game, fly to Waco on an OSU plane, broadcast Saturday afternoon's football game, then return to Stillwater for a Saturday night basketball game.
OSU LAST WEEK -- Oklahoma State built a 10-0 first-quarter lead only to watch Kansas score 13 unanswered second-quarter points. The second half was all OSU as the Cowboys took advantage of a spectacular day by punt returner Terance Richardson and an opportunistic defense that accounted for 14 of the day's total points. Richardson set up the go-ahead touchdown early in the third quarter with a 44-yard return after KU's first possession. He then set up the clinching score by returning KU's next punt 60 yards to the Jayhawk eight. In addition to returning six punts for 160 yards, Richardson caught three passes for 34 yards. Oklahoma State allowed Kansas 307 yards of total offense but came up with key big plays throughout the game. Senior linebacker Tarrell Knauls had one of the best games of his season, registering nine tackles, including four for losses and one sack.
SENIORS GO OUT IN STYLE -- Three of Oklahoma State's touchdowns in Saturday's win over Kansas were scored by seniors playing their final game at Lewis Field. Tight end Garret Steggs caught his first touchdown pass of the season in the third quarter, and it gave OSU a 17 -13 lead. Wide receiver Ethan Howell added a touchdown reception in the fourth quarter, and senior tailback Nathan Simmons finished the scoring with a one-yard run soon after. In addition, senior kicker Tim Sydnes added a 38-yard field goal in the first quarter.
BAYLOR LAST WEEK -- Colorado converted five fourth-down plays, including a fake punt, en route to a 37-0 win over Baylor in Waco. Colorado quarterback Mike Moschetti completed 18 of 24 passes for 210 yards against the Bears. Baylor managed only six first downs against a stingy CU defense and had just 94 yards of total offense. Baylor rushed the ball 26 times for 62 yards and completed just three of 21 passes for 32 yards.
OSU OPPONENTS RANKED -- The difficulty of Oklahoma State's 1999 schedule is also reflected in the number of Cowboy opponents included in the national rankings. This week (Nov. 14) alone, five previous OSU opponents are ranked in the top 25 with four of those foes ranked in the top 12. According to this week's Associated Press Poll, Nebraska is fourth, Texas sixth, Kansas State ninth and Mississippi State 12th. Texas A&M, a 21-3 winner over OSU three weeks ago, is ranked 24th in this week's poll. You have to look all the way back to 1976 to find a season with comparable rankings for OSU opponents. That season, OSU foes Kansas (8), Oklahoma (5), Missouri (10) and Nebraska (9) were all ranked in the top 10 in the country. The 1976 season also saw the Pokes play No. 12 Arkansas and No. 14 Iowa State. UPDATING THE 1999 OPPOSITION -- Oklahoma State's 1999 opponents have a combined record of 61-49 going into this weekend's play. Three OSU opponents have just one loss on the season, and seven of the 11 are at .500 or better through 10 weeks of the regular season.
Team Record Last Week This Week
Louisiana-Lafayette 1-9 lost to So. Miss 48-0 Wofford
Tulsa 2-8 lost to La. Monroe 37-34 SMU
Mississippi State 8-1 lost to Alabama 19-7 at Arkansas
Nebraska 9-1 def. K-State 41-15 at Colorado (N26)
Texas Tech 5-5 lost to Texas 58-7 Oklahoma
Kansas State 9-1 lost to Nebraska 41-15 Missouri
Texas A&M 7-3 def. Missouri 51-14 Texas (N26)
Texas 9-2 def. Texas Tech at Texas A&M
Kansas 4-7 lost to OSU 45-13 Iowa State
Baylor 1-9 lost to Colorado 37-0 Oklahoma State
Oklahoma 6-3 def. Iowa State 31-10 at Texas Tech
HOME STREAK STILL INTACT -- Oklahoma State successfully defended its home turf against nonconference opponents again in 1999. For the eighth straight season, the Cowboys did not lose to a nonconference opponent on Lewis Field. the Pokes will start the 2000 season with a 16-game winning streak at home against nonleague foes.
Year Opponent Score
1999 Tulsa 46-9
1999 Louisiana-Lafayette 24-7
1998 Southwestern Louisiana 44-20
1998 Mississippi State 42-23
1997 Northeast Louisiana 38-7
1997 Fresno State 35-0
1996 Utah State 31-17
1996 Tulsa 30-9
1996 Southwest Missouri 23-20 OT
1995 Southwest Missouri 35-7
1994 North Texas 36-34
1994 Tulsa 17-10
1993 TCU 27-22
1993 Southwest Missouri 45-7
1992 Tulsa 24-19
1992 Indiana State 35-3
HEAD COACH BOB SIMMONS -- Oklahoma State's Head Football Coach is nine games into his fifth season and will be coaching his 56th OSU game when the Cowboys face Baylor this week. Coach Simmons, who has guided the Cowboys to winning seasons in two of the last three seasons, will bring a career mark of 26-29 into Saturday's game. Simmons came to Oklahoma State from Colorado, where he was assistant head coach for Bill McCartney. He guided OSU to a bowl game just three years into his tenure and was the 1997 Big 12 Conference Coach of the Year.
POKES WIN AT HOME -- Oklahoma State just wrapped up its fourth straight season with a winning record on Lewis Field. The Cowboys were 4-2 in 1999 with wins over Louisiana-Lafayette, Tulsa, Texas Tech and Kansas. OSU has been 4-2 at home each season since 1996. The Pokes were 1-4 at home in 1995, meaning OSU has a 17-12 home record in the Bob Simmons era.
COACH SIMMONS ON THE WWW -- Oklahoma State's head coach recently launched his own web site, Bob Simmons' Cowboy Corner. Portions of the proceeds from Simmons' site (http: //www.bobsimmons.com) go to the National Kidney Foundation of Oklahoma, Inc., and the OSU Foundation.
MILESTONES UNDER SIMMONS -- Oklahoma State's football fortunes have soared since Simmons became the school's 20th head coach on Dec. 4, 1994. Below are just a few of those milestones.
-- When OSU defeated Texas Tech 41-21, it was the first win over the Red Raiders since 1988, snapping a four-game losing streak.
MILESTONES UNDER SIMMONS -- Oklahoma State's football fortunes have soared since Simmons became the school's 20th head coach on Dec. 4, 1994. Below are just a few of those milestones.
-- When OSU defeated Texas Tech 41-21 this season, it was the first win over the Red Raiders since 1988, snapping a four-game losing streak.
-- OSU registered its first win under Coach Simmons on Sept. 16, 1995, when the Cowboys upended Southwest Missouri State 35-7 on Lewis Field.
-- When Simmons led the Cowboys to a 30-26 win over Missouri at Columbia on Oct. 21, 1995, it snapped a 20-game winless streak in conference play.
-- Two weeks after defeating Missouri at Columbia, the Cowboys defeated Oklahoma at Norman. It was OSU's first win over its in-state rival since 1976 and was a signal of things to come. O-State has defeated Oklahoma in three of the four meetings since Simmons became head coach.
-- When Oklahoma State won at Iowa State in the 1997 season opener, it would be the start of a six-game winning streak and help guide the Cowboys to their first bowl season since 1988. OSU would win its first six games of the season, including back-to-back wins over Texas and Colorado.
-- Since overtime became vogue in college football in 1996, Oklahoma State has had more than its share of extra-period contests. Under Simmons, the Cowboys have gone into overtime four times, including a two-overtime thriller at Texas A&M two years ago.
-- Since Bob Simmons took over the OSU reins in 1995, the Cowboys have faced 17 teams that were nationally ranked going into the game. Eight of those opponents were ranked in the top 10 whey they faced Oklahoma State. In the last two seasons, Oklahoma State has defeated three opponents (Texas and Colorado in 1997 and Mississippi State in 1998) that were nationally ranked.
-- Under Bob Simmons, Oklahoma State is 10-0 against nonconference competition on Lewis Field and 12-6 vs. nonleague opposition overall.
SIMMONS ON RADIO/TV -- Oklahoma State's head football coach has shows on both television and radio each week through the 1999 season. The Bob Simmons Television Show airs each Sunday at 10:30 p.m. on KOCB (34) in Oklahoma City. Other airings include Monday at 8:30 on KWEM (31) in Stillwater; Tuesday at 8 p.m. on Tulsa Cable Channel 9; Wednesday at 8:30 on KWEM (31) in Stillwater; and Thursday at 3 p.m. on Fox Sports Southwest. The Bob Simmons Radio Show airs each Wednesday from 7 to 8 p.m. along the Cowboy Radio Network. The OSU coach is also featured each Tuesday on the OSU Football Show on the Sports Animal with Bob Barry Jr. and Craig Humphries.The show airs from 11 a.m. to noon.
Simmons' Year-by-Year Coaching Record
As an assistant
1975 Bowling Green 8-3
1976 Bowling Green 6-5
1977 Toledo 2-9
1978 Toledo 2-9
1979 Toledo 7-3 -1
1980 West Virginia 6-6
1981 West Virginia 9-3 Peach Bowl
1982 West Virginia 9-3 Gator Bowl
1983 West Virginia 9-3 Hall of Fame Bowl
1984 West Virginia 8-4 Bluebonnet Bowl
1985 West Virginia 7-3 -1
1986 West Virginia 4-7
1987 West Virginia 6-6 Sun Bowl
1988 Colorado 8-4 Freedom Bowl
1989 Colorado 11-1 Orange Bowl
1990 Colorado 11-1 Orange Bowl
1991 Colorado 8-3 -1 Blockbuster Bowl
1992 Colorado 9-2 -1 Fiesta Bowl
1993 Colorado 8-3 -1 Aloha Bowl
1994 Colorado 11-1 Fiesta Bowl
Totals 20 years 149-79-5 12 Bowls
As a head coach
1995 Oklahoma State 4-8 Shut out Oklahoma, 12-0
1996 Oklahoma State 5-6 3-0 vs. non-conference opponents
1997 Oklahoma State 8-4 Alamo Bowl
1998 Oklahoma State 5-6 4-1 on Lewis Field
1999 Oklahoma State 4-5 All five losses to top-25 opponents
Totals 26-29
COACHING TREE -- Former Oklahoma State coaches are plentiful in the National Football League. In fact, 13 current head or assistant coaches in the NFL once coached at Oklahoma State.
Coach Current Pos. Team at OSU
Tony Dungy Head Coach Tampa Bay Assistant
Wade Phillips Head Coach Buffalo Assistant
Jimmy Johnson Head Coach Miami Head Coach
Pat Jones Assistant Miami Head Coach
Dave Wannstedt Assistant Miami Assistant
Brad Seely Assistant New England Assistant
Kent Stephenson Assistant Pittsburgh Assistant
Tony Wise Assistant Carolina Assistant
Keith Armstrong Assistant Chicago Assistant
Vance Bedford Assistant Chicago Assistant
Les Miles Assistant Dallas Assistant
Frank Falks Assistant Detroit Assistant
Frank Gansz Assistant St. Louis Assistant
Jerry Palmieri Strength Jacksonville Strength
Noting the Cowboys
RICHARDSON SHATTERS RECORD -- Terance Richardson used an outstanding day against Kansas to establish a new Oklahoma State career record for punt return yardage. His six returns for 140 yards against the Jayhawks gives him a career total of 832 yards, 45 yards better than the old record held by Bennie Goodwin.
Career Punt Return Yards
1. Terance Richardson 1998-99 61 832
2. Bennie Goodwin 1967-69 76 787
3. R.W. McQuarters 1996-97 42 655
4. Larry Elliott 1963-65 51 621
BIG 12 PLAYER OF THE WEEK -- For his efforts against Kansas on Saturday, Richardson was selected the Big 12 Conference Specialty Player of the Week. It is the second time this season an OSU player has earned that honor. Tim Sydnes was selected earlier.
BANG FOR THE BUCK -- Not only did Richardson have a spectacular day, the Cowboys took advantage of his heroics. His 44-yard return early in the third quarter set up Oklahoma State's go-ahead touchdown. His very next return, a 60-yarder, set up another touchdown that helped the Pokes nail down their fourth victory of the season.
ONE SHORT OF ANOTHER MARK -- OSU's senior receiver/returner has two games to erase another record. He is one yard short of equaling R.W. McQuarters' single-season record of 521 yards in punt returns. Richardson will go to Baylor needing two yards to establish a new record.
OSU Season Punt Returns
1. R.W. McQuarters 1997 32 521
2. Terance Richardson 1999 33 520
2. Bennie Goodwin 1967 35 422
3. Jim Spavital 1947 17 394
T-RICH REACHES 1,000 -- Senior receiver Terance Richardson had another big day against Texas and he moved into an elite group of OSU pass catchers. His 71 yards on four receptions against Texas moved him past the 1,000-yard mark for receiving yards in a career. He will go into this week's game against Baylor with 1,101 career yards and 12th on the all-time OSU list. In surpassing the 1,000-yard mark, Richardson joins a group of just 15 Cowboys to have 1,000 or more receiving yards in their career. Richardson needs just 44 yards to move into the top 10.
OSU Career Receiving Leaders
1. Hart Lee Dykes 203 3,171
2. Hermann Eben 114 1,973
3. Curtis Mayfield 93 1,507
4. Dick Graham 97 1,458
5. Neill Armstrong 115 1,434
6. Rafael Denson 93 1,414
7. Alonzo Mayes 92 1,372
8. Bobby Riley 74 1,229
9. Robert Kirksey 83 1,228
10. Gerald Bain 54 1,144
11. Terry Brown 88 1,113
12. Ron Ingram 59 1,069
13. Terance Richardson 84 1,101
14. Terry Young 66 1,024
15. Mark Cromer 66 1,017
SPREADING THE WEALTH -- Through nine games of the '99 season, Oklahoma State has had 12 different players catch at least one pass. Four of those receivers are in double-digit receptions with three games to play. Ethan Howell leads all OSU receivers with 438 yards on 28 catches. Marcellus Rivers is next with 268 yards on 23 catches with Terance Richardson (219) and Jamaal Fobbs (170) third and fourth, respectively.
FOBBS, SIMMONS ON THE CAREER LIST -- With 488 yards through nine games this season, Jamaal Fobbs now has 1,743 yards for his OSU career. He will go into this week's game against Baylor 18th on the career rushing list. Fobbs needs 98 yards to move past Jim Dillard into 17th place on the list. Simmons, who returned this season after major knee surgery, has 1,941 career yards and is 14th on the all-time list. He needs just 59 more yards to become the 13th player in OSU history to rush for 2,000 or more yards in a career.
OSU Career Rushing Leaders
1. Thurman Thomas (1984-87) 4,595
2. Terry Miller (1974-77) 4,581
3. David Thompson (1993-96) 4,314
4. Barry Sanders (1986-88) 3,556
5. Ernest Anderson (1979-83) 3,529
12. Walt Garrison (1963-65) 2,041
13. Andre Richardson (1994-96) 1,960
14. Nathan Simmons (1996-Pr.) 1,941
15. Brent Blackman (1971-73) 1,870
16. Robert Turner (1973-76) 1,861
17. Jim Dillard (1959-61) 1,840
18. Jamaal Fobbs (1997-Pr.) 1,743
ON THE KICKOFF RETURN LIST -- With 56 yards on three kickoff returns against Texas and one return for 18 yards against Kansas, Fobbs now has two of the top six single-season kickoff return yardage totals in OSU history. His 467 yards this season rank No. 6 on the list. His 534 yards last year represents the third-best single season OSU effort. He also has 21 returns which equals the fourth-best single-season number. His 1998 total of 22 kickoff returns is the second-most in school history.
Single-Season Kickoff Return Yards Single-Season Kickoff Returns
1. R.W. McQuarters, 1995 27 645 1. Curtis Mayfield, 1989 25
2. Curtis Mayfield, 1989 25 576 2. Jamaal Fobbs, 1998 22
3. Jamaal Fobbs, 1998 22 534 Ron Ingram, 1978 22
4. Larry Elliott, 1964 21 516 4. Barry Sanders, 1988 21
5. Ron Ingram, 1978 22 498 Jamaal Fobbs, 1999 21
6. Jamaal Fobbs, 1999 21 467 Larry Elliott, 1965 21
7. Larry Elliott, 1965 21 455 Larry Elliott, 1964 21
8. Dick Graham, 1970 17 449
HOWELL REACHES 400 -- Senior wide receiver Ethan Howell caught two passes for 11 yards against Texas two weeks ago and, in the process, moved past the 400-yard mark for the season. He will go into this week's game against Baylor with 438 season receiving yards. Howell is just 166 yards from moving into the top 15.
NINE STRAIGHT -- Howell has caught at least one pass in each of Oklahoma State's nine regular season games in 1999. If Howell can catch at least one pass in each of OSU's remaining two regular season games he will become the first Cowboy receiver to have at least one catch in all 11 games since Rafael Denson in 1994.
Single-Season Receiving Yards
1. Hart Lee Dykes, 1988 74 1, 278
15. Robert Kirksey, 1991 42 604
16. Jamie Harris, 1983 42 549
17. Mel Campbell, 1980 39 536
18. Alonzo Mayes, 1996 30 512
19. Terry Young, 1982 35 507
20. George Wooden, 1951 40 502
21. Robert Kirksey, 1990 29 486
22. Neill Armstrong, 1946 32 479
23. Cecil Hankins, 1944 19 474
24. Curtis Mayfield, 1990 28 455
25. Reuben Gant, 1973 19 447
26. Jarrod Green, 1989 30 441
27. Ethan Howell, 1999 27 438
28. Terry Brown, 1967 34 425
29. Alonzo Mayes, 1997 29 424
30. Alonzo Mayes, 1995 32 421
This Week's Opponent
BEARS LOOK TO CLOSE WITH "W" -- Against Oklahoma State, Baylor looks to snap a five-game losing streak and to finish a season with a victory for th efirst time since 1992. Six of Baylor's 1999 opponents are already bowl eligible, and two more still could reach the magical six-win mark. Despite opening the season with a pair of gutwrenching losses that nonetheless showed the improvement of the Baylor squad, the Bears are 1-9 overall and 0-7 in Big 12 play.
THE SERIES -- Baylor leads the all-time series between the schools by an 11-6 margin; nine of BU's victories over OSU came before 1945. The Cowboys have won three straight and five of the last seven in the series, although 1997's 24-17 victory was OSU's first in Waco since 1920.
LAST YEAR IN STILLWATER -- Backup tailback Reggie White, subbing for an injured Nathan Simmons (and Jamaal Fobbs, who was also out with an injury), rushed for two touchdowns in the final five minutes as OSU erased a 10-0 deficit to defeat the Bears 24-10. After spotting Baylor a 10-0 lead at the end of the first quarter, the OSU defense forced the Bears into 13 punts and two turnovers while the offense reeled off 24 unanswered points.
BU COACH KEVIN STEELE -- First-year Baylor coach Kevin Steele spent three years as an OSU assistant under Pat Jones from 1984 to '86. Steele came to Waco with an impressive resume as an assistant coach, serving for four years with the Carolina Panthers (1995-98), for six with Nebraska (1989-94) and in separate two-year stints with Tennessee (1981-82, 1987-88).
THE OSU-BU CONNECTION -- In addition to Steele's OSU background, the Baylor-Oklahoma State matchup brings up several ties between current and former players and coaches. OSU co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach Mike Cassity came to OSU this past summer after working in a similar capacity at Baylor for two years. Cowboy running back/kick returner Jamaal Fobbs will be going up against a team whose defensive tackles are coached by his father, Lee.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING -- Here's a look at how OSU and Baylor match up statistically. National and Big 12 rankings are listed where appropriate.
