Oklahoma State University Athletics
Football Prepares for In-State Rival Tulsa
April 08, 2003 | Cowboy Football
COWBOYS ON HURRICANE WATCH -- Oklahoma State renews an in-state rivalry against the University of Tulsa this week as the Cowboys travel to Skelly Stadium for a Saturday-night contest that will kick off at 6 p.m. Oklahoma State and Tulsa will be facing each other for the first time since 1996. The teams did not play in 1997, interrupting a string of 16 straight seasons in which the two teams had squared off on the gridiron.
RECORDS/RANKINGS -- Oklahoma State will head for Tulsa with a record of 1-0. The Cowboys opened their season last week with a 38-28 win at Kansas. Tulsa will be playing at home for a second straight week. The Golden Hurricane kicked off the season last Saturday with an impressive 49-14 win over Southwest Missouri State. Neither team was ranked in the latest polls, but Oklahoma State continued to receive votes in both major lists and would be ranked 30th this week if you extended the USA Today-ESPN Coaches' Poll.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN -- Oklahoma State will be playing its second straight road game when the Cowboys face Tulsa Saturday night in Skelly Stadium. It's the second straight season OSU has opened with back-to-back road games. Last year, OSU opened at Iowa State and followed with a game at Southwestern Louisiana, winning both. Including this season, OSU has had back-to-back road games at the beginning of a season just nine times in the past 30 seasons.
TWO AND OH WOULD BE NICE -- An Oklahoma State victory at Tulsa Saturday night would give the Cowboys a 2-0 start to their season for the second straight year and just the third time since 1988. After 1988, when the Pokes finished 10-2, OSU has opened with back-to-back victories only twice...1993 when they defeated Southwest Missouri and Tulsa and 1997 when OSU fashioned wins over Iowa State and Southwestern Louisiana.
EVEN SWEETER ON THE ROAD -- When OSU invades Skelly Stadium on Saturday night, the Cowboys will be trying to open the season with back-to-back road victories for the second straight year. Since intercollegiate football began at OSU in 1901, the Cowboys have opened with back-to-back road games 26 times. Four times in those 26 years, OSU has won both games. The Cowboys split the back-to-back road games nine times, were 0-2 12 times and were 1-0-1 in 1949. The only four seasons OSU has opened with two straight on the road and won both were 1947, 1950, 1954 and 1997.
Sweeping Up on the Road... Year Opponent Score 1947 at Kansas State 12-0 at Texas Christian 14-7 1950 at Arkansas 12-7 at Texas Christian 13-7 1954 at Wyoming 14-6 Texas A&M at Dallas 14-6 1997 at Iowa State 21-14 at Southwestern Louisiana 31-7
TRAVEL PLANS -- Oklahoma State is tentatively scheduled to bus to Tulsa on Friday afternoon for a light workout at Skelly Stadium. That workout is closed. In Tulsa, OSU will headquarter at the Doubletree Hotel at Warren Place and return to Stillwater immediately following the game.
ON THE AIR -- Saturday's game between Oklahoma State and Tulsa will be televised on the Tulsa Cable system. The telecast will on a delayed basis unless the game is sold out, which appeared unlikely at the time of this writing. The game will be broadcast live on the OSU Radio Network with Bill Teegins (play-by-play) and Tom Dirato (analysis). The Cowboy Network is a division of Learfield Communications, Jefferson City, Mo.
TICKETS -- Oklahoma State had sold all of its allotted tickets for Saturday's game at Tulsa, but several thousand tickets are still available at the University of Tulsa Ticket Office. In related ticket news, OSU has suspended sale of individual-game tickets for the game on Oct. 24 against Oklahoma. Approximately 2,000 tickets have been held back to service a large season-ticket demand. Any of those seats not sold on a season basis could be made available at a later date. The OSU Ticket Office is in the old Bank NA building on North Boomer Road. The telephone numbers are (405) 744-5745 or 1-800-522-6858.
OSU LAST WEEK -- Oklahoma State opened its 1998 season with a come-from-behind win over Kansas at Lawrence. It's the second time in as many years OSU has opened with a road win over a Big 12 Conference opponent. OSU fell behind early, trailing 13-0 with less than five minutes left in the initial quarter. A 51-yard touchdown run by Tony Lindsay and a 30-yard interception return by linebacker Troy West put OSU up by one, 14-13, before the end of the quarter. Kansas came right back, however, to take a 21-14 lead, but a Jeremy Halferty touchdown knotted the game at 21 at intermission. The teams traded touchdowns in the second half before Tim Sydnes broke a 28-28 tie with a 44-yard field goal with 2:01 left in the game. Another Troy West interception led to OSU's final score, a six-yard run by Lindsay with 1:21 remaining.
TULSA LAST WEEK -- The Golden Hurricane scored early and often, racing to a 49-14 win over Southwest Missouri State at Skelly Stadium. Wide receiver Wes Caswell scored three of TU's first four touchdowns on receptions of 19, 19 and 45 yards, each from quarterback John Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald completed 21 of 31 for 329 yards and four touchdowns. Caswell was on the receiving end of eight passes for 164 yards. Tulsa rushed for 286 yards and three touchdowns and passed for 354 yards and four scores against the Bears. The Tulsa defense was stout, especially against the run, allowing just 37 yards on 12 attempts.
COACH BOB SIMMONS -- Saturday's win against Kansas at Lawrence marked the beginning of year number four for Bob Simmons as Oklahoma State's Head Football Coach. The Bowling Green graduate assumed his current position in December 1994, and the state of OSU football has been on the rise ever since. Coach Simmons will take a career record of 18-18 into this week's game against Tulsa. Each season under Simmons, so far, has shown remarkable improvement. His first OSU team in 1995 finished with a 4-8 mark. One year later, OSU improved to 5-6 and one year after that, the Cowboys molded an 8-4 mark and made their first bowl appearance in a decade. The Cowboys also returned to the national rankings last year, climbing as high as number 12 after back-to-back wins over Texas and Colorado on Lewis Field.
COACH SIMMONS HONORED -- OSU's football coach reaped numerous awards and honors after the 1997 season. He was the Big 12 Conference Coach of the year as voted by league coaches. He was the AFCA Regional Coach of the Year and a finalist for numerous national coach-of-the-year awards. The Black Coaches Association named him the National Coach of the Year. Simmons' Record
As an Assistant School Year Record Notes Bowling Green 1975 8-3 Bowling Green 1976 6-5 Toledo 1977 2-9 Toledo 1978 2-9 Toledo 1979 7-3-1 West Virginia 1980 6-6 West Virginia 1981 9-3 Peach Bowl West Virginia 1982 9-3 Gator Bowl West Virginia 1983 9-3 Hall of Fame Bowl West Virginia 1984 8-4 Bluebonnet Bowl West Virginia 1985 7-3-1 West Virginia 1986 4-7 West Virginia 1987 6-6 Sun Bowl Colorado 1988 8-4 Freedom Bowl Colorado 1989 11-1 Orange Bowl Colorado 1990 11-1 Orange Bowl Colorado 1991 8-3-1 Blockbuster Bowl Colorado 1992 9-2-1 Fiesta Bowl Colorado 1993 8-3-1 Aloha Bowl Colorado 1994 11-1 Fiesta Bowl As a Head Coach Oklahoma State 1995 4-8 Oklahoma State 1996 5-6 Oklahoma State 1997 8-4 Alamo Bowl Oklahoma State 1998 1-0 1-0 in conference Totals 3+ years 18-18
FAMILY AFFAIR -- Oklahoma State head coach Bob Simmons is one game into his fourth season. Nathan Simmons, the youngest son of Bob and Linda Simmons, is a junior tailback for the Cowboys. The Simmonses are one of seven father-son combos in Division I-A in 1998 and the first-ever at Oklahoma State in football. OSU has recently had other father-son combos in other sports, including basketball, where Eddie Sutton coached both Sean and Scott, and baseball where Tom Holliday coaches his oldest son, Josh. Below is the list of father-son duos in I-A football.
School Coach/Father Son Pos. Cl. OSU Bob Simmons Nathan TB Jr. Wake Forest Jim Caldwell Jimmy WR Fr. Georgia Tech George O'Leary Marty FS Fr. Kentucky Hal Mumme Matt QB Sr. Houston Kim Helton Tyson QB Jr. Rutgers Terry Shea Garrett DB Jr. Ohio Jim Grobe Ben LB Fr. Breakdown by conference: ACC (2); Big 12, Big East, MAC, SEC, Conference USA (1)
A BIG DAY FOR THE BIG 12 -- Saturday was a smashing success for teams in the Big 12 Conference. Eight league teams posted victories, topped by Colorado's surprising rout of Colorado State late Saturday night in Denver. In addition to the Buffs, Kansas State, Nebraska, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, Texas Tech and OSU were victorious. Two Big 12 teams, Texas A&M and Baylor did not play and Iowa State lost to TCU.
OSU'S LAST TWO SEASONS RATE HIGH -- Over the past two seasons (plus one game), Oklahoma State has a 14-10 record, the fourth-best winning percentage in the Big 12 Conference over the same period. OSU and Texas Tech share the 14-10 record, which equals a .583 winning percentage. Nebraska, Kansas State and Colorado top the list with records of 25-2, 21-4 and 16-8, respectively.
1. Nebraska 25-2 .925 2. Kansas State 21-4 .840 3. Colorado 16-8 .667 4. OSU 14-10 .583 Texas Tech 14-10 .583 6. Texas A&M 15-11 .577 7. Missouri 13-11 .542 8. Texas 13-12 .520 9. Kansas 9-14 .360 10. Oklahoma 8-16 .333 11. Baylor 6-16 .272 12. Iowa State 3-20 .130 Game Two Opponent...Tulsa
TURNPIKE RIVALS CLASH AGAIN -- Oklahoma State and Tulsa are set to battle on the football field after a one-year absence from each others' schedules. The teams had met 16 straight seasons between 1981 and 1996 before previous scheduling commitments put a one-year crimp in the series. The teams are scheduled to play next season in Stillwater.
THE SERIES -- Oklahoma State leads the overall series by a 35-26-5 margin, and the Cowboys have won four of the last five. Oklahoma State has not had impressive success against Tulsa at Skelly Stadium, where the Golden Hurricane has a 21-13-2 series advantage. Since 1982, Oklahoma State has managed only two wins in seven tries vs. TU on its home field.
The Last Seven in Tulsa Year Date Winner Score 1982 Sept. 19 Tulsa 25-15 1984 Sept. 29 Oklahoma State 31-7 1986 Sept. 13 Tulsa 27-23 1989 Sept. 9 Tulsa 20-10 1991 Sept. 7 Tulsa 13-7 1993 Sept. 18 Oklahoma State 16-10 1995 Sept. 9 Tulsa 24-23
HISTORY TALKS -- Through the years, Oklahoma State's game against Tulsa has been a fairly good barometer of how the season would go for the Cowboys. In only five of the 26 years Oklahoma State has lost to Tulsa, have the Cowboys gone on to have a winning season. Since the series resumed in 1982, Oklahoma State has lost to Tulsa five times, and the Cowboys' combined record in those five seasons is 18-35-3. The only time since 1982 OSU has lost to Tulsa and managed a winning season was 1986, when the Pokes finished 6-5.
LAST TRIP TO TULSA ONE TO FORGET -- Oklahoma State's last trip to Tulsa to play the Golden Hurricane is one the Cowboys would probably like to forget. On Sept. 9, 1995, in Bob Simmons' second game as OSU's coach, the Cowboys enjoyed a 23-3 lead early in the fourth quarter before the Hurricane staged a remarkable rally for a one-point win. OSU scored first on a 42-yard field goal by Lawson Vaughn and led 17-3 at intermission after second quarter touchdowns by Kent Luck and David Thompson. After a scoreless third quarter, the Pokes appeared to ice the game on a nine-yard run by Tone' Jones. Tulsa scored 21 points in the final 10 minutes to take the game away from OSU.
COACH DAVE RADER -- Saturday's win over Southwest Missouri State kicked off Dave Rader's 11th season as Tulsa's head football coach. He became TU's head man in 1988 after working one season as assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach. Prior to joining Tulsa's staff, he spent three seasons at Alabama and one season as offensive coordinator at Mississippi State. Rader played at Tulsa and was the Golden Hurricane's starting quarterback in 1977 and 1978. As Tulsa's starting quarterback, Rader was 0-1 vs. OSU, losing 34-17 in Tulsa in 1977. The teams did not play in 1978.
OSU-TULSA SERIES NOTES -- As difficult as it's been for Oklahoma State to win at Tulsa, it's been even more difficult for TU to win in Stillwater. O-State has won 17 straight from Tulsa on Lewis Field, dating back to a 35-7 Hurricane win in 1951 ... When OSU and Tulsa face each other, it's usually in front of a big crowd. Six of Tulsa's 10 largest crowds ever at Skelly Stadium have been when the Cowboys came to town ... Saturday will mark the 14th straight time Oklahoma State and Tulsa have met under the lights. The last afternoon battle between the Cowboys and Golden Hurricane was on Oct. 1, 1983, in Stillwater, when the Cowboys posted a 9-0 shutout win ... In the 66-year history of the OSU-Tulsa series, there have been 18 shutouts and two scoreless ties ... OSU's largest margin of victory over Tulsa was 39 points in 1917 (41-2) ... Tulsa's largest margin of victory over Oklahoma State was 49 points (55-6) in 1943 ... There are Tulsa connections on Oklahoma State's coaching staff. Offensive coordinator Ron Calcagni came to OSU from TU, where he coached both quarterbacks and receivers. OSU assistant Calvin Miller also spent time on the staff at Tulsa and, in fact, coached All-American Dennis Byrd... Bob Simmons is 1-1 vs. Tulsa. His Cowboys lost in 1995 but came back and defeated TU the next season in Stillwater ... Tulsa's Dave Rader is 3-6 against Oklahoma State but 3-1 vs. the Cowboys in Tulsa ... OSU has four players on its current roster from Tulsa, including defensive starters Trent Alexander and Tarrell Knauls. B.J. Tiger and Darien Hall are the other two Tulsans on the Cowboy roster.
CLOSURE ON OPENERS -- The Cowboys' victory at Kansas gives OSU a 56-36-5 record in season openers. The Cowboys, who defeated Southwest Missouri State at home in 1996 and Iowa State on the road last year, have won three straight lid-lifters and won back-to-back conference openers for the first time since 1987 and 1988. The Iowa State and Kansas games mark the first time in school history that OSU has opened consecutive conference seasons on the road and won both games. OSU last played consecutive league openers on the road in 1988 (a victory at Colorado) and 1989 (a loss at Oklahoma).
LINDSAY AVOIDS SOPH SLUMP -- Sophomore QB Tony Lindsay was the Big 12 Freshman of the Year in 1997, and his play in OSU's season opener would seem to indicate he'll continue his success. Lindsay scored the 10th and 11th touchdowns of his career against the Jayhawks, including a 51-yard scramble for OSU's first score and six-yard run for the Cowboys' game-clinching TD. The 51-yard touchdown is OSU's longest rushing TD since R.W. McQuarters ran for a 56-yard TD against Missouri last season.
WILD, WILD WEST -- Junior LB Troy West made quite an impact in his first game as a Cowboy, picking off two crucial Kansas passes. The first interception of his career came in the first quarter, and he returned it 30 yards for OSU's second touchdown of the day. He became the first OSU player to return an interception for a score since Kevin Williams took one back 40 yards against Colorado last year. West came up with the game's clinching play in the fourth quarter, when a pass tipped by junior LB Kenyatta Wright bounced into West's hands. That pickoff led to OSU's final touchdown of the day.
TAILBACK TANDEM -- OSU's tailback duo of junior Nathan Simmons and sophomore Jamaal Fobbs combined to rush for over 1500 yards in 1997, and the pair got off to a good start with the season opener at Kansas. Simmons carried 13 times for 69 yards, including a 62-yard run to set up OSU's third touchdown. His long dash, which came on the first play of the second half, is OSU's longest rush since 1995, when David Thompson went for a 91-yard run against Kansas State (like Simmons, Thompson did not score on his long gainer). Fobbs gained 50 yards on 15 carries and scored shortly after Simmons' 62-yarder for the fourth touchdown of the sophomore's career.
FOURTH-DOWN SUCCESS CONTINUES -- OSU converted 12 of 17 fourth-down attempts last season, one shy of the school record, and that trend continued in the Kansas game. The Cowboys went for it twice in Lawrence and were successful both times. Both attempts extended drives that eventually went for scores. Last season, eight of OSU's 12 successful fourth-down conversions extended scoring drives.
SYDNES FINDS HIS RANGE -- Although he missed a 55-yard attempt, junior PK Tim Sydnes had an impressive game Saturday. He hit the game-winning field goal, a 44-yarder with 2:01 remaining in the game, and made all five of his PATs. Sydnes has hit his last 30 point-after attempts and connected on all 23 one-point tries a year ago.
OUR BALL -- After holding onto the ball for 36:38 at Kansas, OSU has won the time-of-possession battle in 13 straight regular-season games, including all 11 contests last year. The Cowboys' record in that span is 10-3. OSU ran 75 plays in Lawrence; Kansas ran 58.
OUR BALL, PART II -- OSU ranked sixth in the nation with a plus-13 turnover margin in 1997, and the takeaway trend continued at Kansas. In addition to West's two interceptions, the Cowboys recovered two fumbles, one by Zac Akin and one by Taber LeBlanc; OSU turned the ball over just once against the Jayhawks.
NOTING THE COWBOYS -- Junior FB Jeremy Halferty earned the first start of his career and responded with his first touchdown ... Kansas' 13 first-quarter points were the most OSU has given up in a first quarter since Missouri scored 14 on Oct. 26, 1996 ... Kansas' fumble return for a first-quarter score was the first against OSU since Sept. 14, 1991, when Arizona State took a Cowboy fumble 71 yards for a touchdown ... OSU and Kansas were tied at 21 going into halftime Saturday. The last time OSU was tied at the half was in 1995, when the Cowboys and Colorado were tied 17-17 at the break. Colorado won that game, 45-32 ... OSU's 38 points at Kansas were the most in a season opener since the Cowboys defeated Southwest Missouri State 45-7 in the 1995 lid-lifter ... The Cowboys snapped a six-game losing streak against Kansas and a 12-game skid against schools from the state of Kansas.
Oklahoma State 1998 Schedule S5 @ Kansas W, 38-28 S12 @ Tulsa 6 p.m. S19 MISSISSIPPI STATE 6 p.m. O3 vs. Nebraska 1 p.m. (Kansas City, Mo.) O10 at Texas Tech 6 p.m. O17 at Kansas State 1:10 p.m. O24 OKLAHOMA 6 p.m. O31 TEXAS A&M 2 p.m. N7 at Texas 1 p.m. N14 SOUTHWESTERN LA. 2 p.m. N21 BAYLOR 2 p.m. Tulsa 1998 Schedule S5 SW MISSOURI ST. W, 49-14 S12 OKLAHOMA STATE 6 p.m. S26 at West Virginia 11 a.m. O3 SAN DIEGO STATE 2 p.m. O10 at Colorado State 2:30 p.m. O17 at Rice 2 p.m. O24 AIR FORCE 2 p.m. O31 at UNLV 3 p.m. N7 at SMU 2 p.m. N14 TCU 2 p.m. N21 WYOMING 2 p.m. Associated Press Top 25 Poll (Sept. 6) Rec Pts Pvs 1. Ohio State (39) 1-0 1,708 1 2. Florida State (22) 1-0 1,667 2 3. Florida (4) 1-0 1,571 3 4. Nebraska (2) 2-0 1,546 4 5. Kansas State (2) 1-0 1,418 6 6. UCLA (1) 0-0 1,394 7 7. LSU 0-0 1,279 9 8. Tennessee 1-0 1,274 10 9. Penn State 1-0 1,131 13 10. Notre Dame 1-0 1,104 22 11. Washington 1-0 1,051 18 12. Virginia 1-0 963 16 13. Michigan 0-1 818 5 14. Arizona State 0-1 737 8 15. Georgia 1-0 716 19 16. Colorado 1-0 619 NR 17. Wisconsin 1-0 534 20 18. Texas A&M 0-1 487 14 19. Syracuse 0-1 470 17 20. West Virginia 0-1 445 11 21. Arizona 1-0 361 24 22. Southern Cal 1-0 287 NR 23. Texas 1-0 250 NR 24. Oregon 1-0 141 NR 25. Missouri 1-0 123 NR 30. Oklahoma State 1-0 45 31 USA Today/ESPN Top 25 Poll (Sept. 6) Rec Pts Pvs 1. Ohio State (38) 1-0 1,512 1 2. Florida State (12) 1-0 1,471 2 3. Nebraska (8) 1-0 1,388 3 4. Florida (2) 1-0 1,384 4 5. Kansas State (1) 1-0 1,289 6 6. UCLA (1) 0-0 1,186 7 7. Tennessee 1-0 1,121 10 8. LSU 0-0 1,084 8 9. Penn State 1-0 1,026 13 10. Washington 1-0 923 17 11. Notre Dame 1-0 836 24 12. Virginia 1-0 774 19 13. Georgia 1-0 766 18 14. Michigan 0-1 673 5 15. Arizona State 0-1 524 9 16. Colorado 1-0 469 NR 17. Wisconsin 1-0 428 20 18. Syracuse 0-1 383 14 19. Texas A&M 0-1 349 15 20. West Virginia 0-1 318 12 21. Arizona 1-0 278 25 22. Texas 1-0 276 NR 23. USC 1-0 274 NR 24. North Carolina 0-1 159 11 25. Missouri 1-0 134 NR 30. Oklahoma State 1-0 85 33 South Division Big 12 All Games W L W L OSU 1 0 1 0 OU 0 0 1 0 Texas 0 0 1 0 TTech 0 0 1 0 Baylor 0 0 0 0 A&M 0 0 0 1 North Division Big 12 All Games W L W L Nebraska 0 0 2 0 Colorado 0 0 1 0 K-State 0 0 1 0 Missouri 0 0 1 0 Iowa St. 0 0 0 1 Kansas 0 1 0 1 Results Sept. 5 TCU 31, Iowa State 21 Nebraska 38, UAB 7 Oklahoma State 38, Kansas 28 Oklahoma 37, North Texas 9 Texas Tech 35, UTEP 3 Texas 66, New Mexico State 36 Kansas State 66, Indiana State 0 Missouri 37, Bowling Green 0 Colorado 42, Colorado State 14 Upcoming Schedule Sept. 12 Iowa State at Iowa 11:15 a.m. N. Illinois at Kansas St. 11:30 a.m. Fresno State at Colorado 2 p.m. Texas at UCLA 2:30 p.m. Kansas at Missouri 2:30 p.m. Baylor at Oregon State 3 p.m. Oklahoma State at Tulsa 6 p.m. Oklahoma at TCU 6 p.m. Nebraska at California 6:30 p.m. Texas Tech vs. N. Texas 6:30 p.m. La. Tech at Texas A&M 7:30 p.m.
