Oklahoma State University Athletics
OSU Football Prepares For Texas Tech
April 08, 2003 | Cowboy Football
Records, Etc. Oklahoma State travels to Lubbock with an overall record of 2-6, and the Cowboys are still looking for their first Big 12 Conference win of the season. O-State is 0-5 in league play but has three Big 12 games remaining to get on the winning track. Texas Tech will bring an overall record of 6-4 into this week's game against OSU, and the Red Raiders will be looking for a victory to make themselves bowl eligible for 2000. Texas Tech is 2-4 in Big 12 Conference play. While OSU is playing its final road game of the season, Tech will be making its final home appearance of the season. The Red Raiders finish the regular season Nov. 18 at Oklahoma.
Pokes on the Road Oklahoma State will depart Stillwater for Lubbock early Friday afternoon via air charter. The Cowboys will stage a brief, closed walkthrough at Jones Stadium on Friday. The Cowboys will headquarter at the Holiday Inn Civic Center in Lubbock and return to Stillwater immediately following Saturday's game.
Election Week Tidbits This could also fall into the meaningless-stat-of-the-week category. Since 1960, Oklahoma State is 4-6 in games played the week of a presidential election. The last time OSU won during election week was 1988 when the Cowboys toppled Kansas State 45-27. It's probably not an omen for either candidate, but 1988 was the last time a Republican won the White House. OSU has fared better during election week when the GOP has won. In fact, the Cowboys are 3-2 since 1960 after a Republican win and 1-4 after a Democratic win.
What's at Stake The Cowboys may be mathematically eliminated from a winning season and postseason possibilities, but there is still plenty to play for. A win this week against Texas Tech would be OSU's second straight over the Red Raiders (OSU won 41-21 in Stillwater last season). A victory would also snap a six-game winless streak for OSU in Lubbock. Oklahoma State's last win in Lubbock was in 1944. In six games since, OSU has lost four times and tied twice.
Looking Ahead After this week's game against Texas Tech, OSU comes back home to face Baylor. The Pokes will be trying to extend a four-game winning streak over the Bears. Baylor has not defeated Oklahoma State since the teams became members of the Big 12 Conference in 1996.
Still Further Ahead If snapping a streak at Lubbock and extending a streak against Baylor wasn't enough, there is that season-ending battle against Oklahoma on Lewis Field. The in-state rival is always a classic that could take on added flavor this season if the Sooners come to Stillwater ranked No. 1 in the country. It will also be Senior Day when OU comes to town on Nov. 25, and the Cowboys will be saying goodbye to an outstanding senior class.
Tough Schedule Oklahoma State has certainly entertained a difficult schedule, and that is apparent eight weeks into the 2000 season. No fewer than three of OSU's first eight opponents have current occupancy in the Associated Press Top 25 poll. Southern Mississippi is 6-2 and ranked 25th in this week's poll. Texas is 7-2 and ranked 19th, and Texas A&M used last week's narrow win over OSU to climb one notch in the rankings. The Aggies are 7-2 and ranked 23rd in the AP poll. OSU's first seven Division I-A opponents have a combined record of 34-26, and four of those seven have winning records.
OSU Last Week Oklahoma State gave 24th-ranked Texas A&M all it could handle before falling to the Aggies by a 21-16 margin. The game was up for grabs until the final minute. Texas A&M led 7-0 before OSU tied it on a four-yard run by quarterback Aso Pogi. The Aggies took a 14-7 lead shortly after halftime and led 21-10 when Gabe Lindsay returned a punt 57 yards for a touchdown that brought the Pokes with five. OSU had a chance to win the game in the closing minute, but a fourth-down pass from Pogi to Marcellus Rivers was ruled out of bounds in the A&M end zone.
Texas Tech Last Week Despite a 282-yard passing performance from quarterback Kliff Klingsbury, Texas Tech lost at home to Texas 29-17. Texas jumped on Texas Tech early, scoring the game's first 16 points. The Red Raiders rallied for 17 straight points and had a 17-16 advantage before Texas scored the final points on a field goal and six-yard touchdown run. Texas Tech had 20 first downs and 21:04 time of possession against Texas. The Red Raiders rushed for just 17 net yards but passed for 282.
On the Air Saturday's game against Texas Tech will be broadcast live on the Cowboy Sports Network. KWTV Sports Director Bill Teegins is the radio voice of Oklahoma State football and basketball and is joined on the broadcast by Tom Dirato. The Cowboy Sports Network is produced and syndicated by Cowboy Sports Properties, a division of Learfield Communications. The OSU-Tech radio broadcast will begin at noon with an extensive pregame show and end with a live postgame report from the OSU lockers. The broadcast can be heard in Oklahoma City on KOMA (FM 92.5), in Tulsa on KRMG (AM 740) and in Stillwater on KSPI (FM 93.7). There will be no telecast of the OSU-Texas Tech game.
OSU on Offense Through eight games of the 2000 season, Oklahoma State continues to feature a balanced offensive attack. The Cowboys are averaging 157 yards rushing and 211 yards passing, which combines for an average of 368.0 yards of total offense per game. On the ground, the Pokes are led by junior tailback Reggie White, who has rushed for 816 yards on 158 carries. As a team, OSU is averaging 4.2 yards per carry although the scoring production isn't what coaches would like it to be. OSU has scored just seven rushing touchdowns so far this season. When the Cowboys throw the ball, they lean on the strong and accurate arm of redshirt freshman Aso Pogi, who has passed for 1,058 yards and five touchdowns. The Cowboys are averaging 211 passing yards per game and 11.8 yards per reception. OSU is eighth in the league in passing offense and sixth in the Big 12 in rushing offense. The Pokes are seventh in total offense in the Big 12 Conference.
Pogi Taking Charge Quarterback Aso Pogi had played sparingly in four of Oklahoma State's first five games in 2000. Senior quarterback and leader Tony Lindsay spent the early part of the season competing with a bad shoulder. When surgery became necessary on Lindsay's shoulder, the quarterback chores fell on the the shoulders of Pogi. He has responded brilliantly and is one of the bright young quarterbacks in the country.
300 Once In his first start against Iowa State, Pogi passed for 328 yards. It was the most passing yards in school history by a freshman and the fourth-best single-game passing performance in Cowboy grid history. Only Mike Gundy, Ronnie Williams and Tony Pounds had better single-game performances.
300 Twice How could Pogi encore the numbers from his first start? How about throwing for 313 more yards in his second career start. Against Colorado in Boulder, Pogi threw for 313 yards on a day in which he completed 30 of 49 passes, threw for two touchdowns and had just one interception. He became the first Oklahoma State quarterback to pass for 300 or more yards in back-to-back games.
Against A&M He didn't duplicate a 300-yard performance, but Pogi was again impressive against Texas A&M last week. Against a defense that is fourth in the league against the pass, Pogi completed 15 of 29 passes for 146 yards with a long of 27. He carried the ball 12 times against the Aggies for 26 yards and scored one touchdown. It was Pogi's second rushing touchdown of the season.
Did You Notice? Among Oklahoma State's top 10 all-time single-game passing performances, the only two freshmen on the list are Aso Pogi and Mike Gundy. Gundy passed for 275 yards in against Kansas in 1986. If you extend the list through the top 40 single-game passing performances, you will find only six by Cowboy freshmen. Pogi's and Gundy's are already documented. Gary Porter passed for 261 yards against Missouri and 259 yards against Kansas as a freshman in 1992.
Good Company He has just three college starts under his belt, but OSU's redshirt freshman quarterback is among good company in this week's Big 12 statistics. In passing, Pogi is eighth in the league, behind Kliff Kingsbury, Josh Heupel, Mark Farris, Major Applewhite, Sage Rosenfels, Sylen Smith and Jonathan Beasley. In passing efficiency, Pogi is ninth but is barely behind Iowa State's Rosenfels.
Pogi Closing In On Freshman Passing Mark Redshirt freshman quarterback Aso Pogi is nearing the Oklahoma State freshman passing mark of 1,525 yards set by Mike Gundy in 1985. Pogi went over the 1,000-yard mark against Texas A&M with 146 yards passing, and now has 1,058 for the season. He needs 114 yards to pass Tony Lindsay and move into third place on the list behind Gundy and Gary Porter, who threw for 1,280 yards in 1992.
Reggie Shooting for 1,000 Oklahoma State is looking to notch its first 1,000-yard rusher since 1996. Reggie White heads into the ninth game of the season with 816 yards and a per-game average of 102.0. White is 184 yards short of the 1,000-yard mark and needs to average just over 61 yards per game over the final three to reach the coveted mark. The Liberty, Texas, junior registered 112 yards on 19 carries against Texas A&M. It was his fifth 100-yard rushing game of the season. He continues to rank No. 3 in the Big 12 in rushing and is one of just three backs in the Big 12 Conference who are currently averaging 100 or more rushing yards per game.
OSU Defense Defensively, Oklahoma State is allowing an average of 126 yards on the ground and 268.8 yards through the air. Those totals combine for an average total offense allowed of 395.4 yards per game. Individually, several Cowboys have good numbers. Linebacker Dwayne Levels leads the defense in total tackles with 70. Defensive end Juqua Thomas leads the defensive unit in sacks with six and in total tackles behind the line of scrimmage (13). Chris Massey leads the unit with three interceptions while Michael Cooper is tops on the defense with 12 passes deflected.
Defensive Gems Earlier in the season, Oklahoma State's defense allowed Southern Miss minus-seven yards rushing, the lowest opponent rushing total of the season. It was the third straight week Oklahoma State had held its opponent to fewer than 100 rushing yards and the 19th time in 36 games OSU's opponent has been held to less than 100 yards on the ground. The performance against Southern Miss ranked among the all-time best in OSU football history. Southern Miss' minus-seven yards equals the sixth-lowest ever allowed by a Cowboy defense. Iowa State had the same rushing total against Oklahoma State in 1981. Southern Miss becomes the 10th OSU opponent to be held to minus rushing yards. Three of Oklahoma State's top 10 all-time efforts against the rush have come during the Bob Simmons era of Cowboy football.
Juqua One of the Best Senior defensive end Juqua Thomas is eight games into his senior season, and he has lived up to the preseason All-America billing. Through the first eight games of 2000, Thomas has 37 total tackles. 13 of his tackles have been behind the line of scrimmage, and he has six and a half sacks. With three games to play in the 2000 regular season, Thomas has equaled his 1999 total of 13 tackles behind the line of scrimmage. Thomas turned in one of best performances of the season against Iowa State. His numbers included six unassisted tackles, four tackles behind the line of scrimmage and two sacks.
NCAA Numbers for Juqua Ahead of last week's game with Texas A&M, OSU's All-America candidate was fifth in the NCAA in tackles for loss and tied for 24th nationally in pass sacks. Bryan Knight of Pittsburgh tops the country in tackles for loss while Dwight Feeney of Syracuse leads the country in pass sacks.
Saluting Tony Lindsay When shoulder problems ended Tony Lindsay's season prior to the Iowa State game, a significant era of Cowboy football also came to a close. Lindsay came to Stillwater in Bob Simmons' second OSU recruiting class and, after a redshirt season in 1996, asserted himself as one of the best quarterbacks to ever wear the OSU uniform. He has passed for 4,002 yards and is No. 3 on the career passing list. He also has 5,355 yards of total offense and is No. 2 on that career list at Oklahoma State. He was a four-year starter at Oklahoma State and one of only three quarterbacks to achieve that status in OSU football history. Mike Gundy was a four-year starter from 1986 to 1989, and Tony Jones started from 1993 to 1996. Lindsay was effective as a passer and a rusher. He finished his career with 1,353 rushing yards and 21st on that career list.
More on Tony During his OSU career, Tony Lindsay started 31 times for the Cowboys at quarterback. Nine of those starts came in his redshirt freshman season. He started all 11 games in 1998 and six games in 1999. His 1999 season was interrupted almost before it began. He suffered a knee injury in the season opener and remained out of the lineup until the Kansas State game.
A Few Extra Tidbits WR/TE Marcellus Rivers failed to catch a pass for the first time in 14 games dating back to Sept. 18, 1999 against Mississippi State ... RB Reggie White needs 184 yards to break the 1,000-yard rushing barrier and become the first back to do it since David Thompson rushed for 1,595 in 1996 ... WR/RB Jamaal Fobbs has caught a pass in the last 11 games, his lone touchdown reception last season was a 51-yarder against Texas Tech ... K Seth Condley is 13th in the nation in field goals per game at 1.38 ... The Cowboys six-game losing streak is the longest under Bob Simmons and longest in a season since losing seven straight to end the 1993 season ... Texas Tech's Wes Welker, a freshman from Heritage Hall HS, is the lone player from Oklahoma on the Red Raider team.
About Texas Tech Texas Tech fell, 29-17, to Texas at Jones SBC Stadium last Saturday in Lubbock to drop to 6-4 overall and 2-4 in Big 12 play. The Red Raiders opened the season, 4-0, before dropping their Big 12 opener against Texas A&M, 33-15, in College Station. Texas Tech has dropped three of its last four games while all six of the team's wins this season have come against opponents with losing records. TTU has posted winning seasons for the last six years, including this year; the last losing season occurred in the 1992 campaign.
Who To Look For Sophomore quarterback Kliff Kingsbury leads the Red Raiders offensive attack, averaging 288.7 passing yards per game (seventh in the NCAA), and has completed 291-of-481 passes for 2,887 yards with 17 TDs and 15 interceptions. Senior running back Ricky Williams, who missed last season with a knee injury, has only 390 yards rushing to lead the Texas Tech running offense, which is ranked No. 113 in the country. Senior receiver Tim Baker leads the team with 56 receptions (33rd in the NCAA) for 640 yards and four touchdowns this season, while Derek Dorris leads the squad with eight touchdown catches.
The Red Raiders have the third-ranked passing defense in the country, only allowing 149.8 yards passing per game, and the total defense is No. 21 in the country, allowing 313 yards per contest. Sophomore linebacker Lawrence Flugence leads the team in tackles with 126, including 10 tackles for losses and three sacks. Senior linebacker John Norman, brother of Oklahoma wide receiver Josh Norman, leads the team with three interceptions, 11 tackles for loss and eight quarterback hurries.
The Head Coach Mike Leach is in his first season as the head coach at Texas Tech after serving one season as offensive coordinator at Oklahoma. Leach is known for his aerial offensive attacks after spending seven seasons as an assistant under Hal Mumme at Valdosta State (1992-96) and Kentucky (1997-98). Leach, who has a law degree from Pepperdine University School of Law, began his coaching career as the offensive line coach at Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo in 1987. He spent a year as the linebackers coach at the College of the Desert in 1988 before taking his first head coaching job at Pori, Finland, in the European Football League. He came back to the States as the offensive coordinator at Iowa Wesleyan from 1989-91 before being hired in the same capacity at Valdosta State in 1992. This will be Leach's first game against Oklahoma State as head coach, but he did face the Cowboys last season as offensive coordinator at OU in a game the Sooners won, 44-7.
The OSU-Texas Tech Series The Cowboys and Red Raiders have met 27 times on the gridiron since the series began in 1935, with the Red Raiders holding a 15-9-3 advantage. Tech had won the first three meetings between the schools in Big 12 play prior to last season's 41-21 win by the Cowboys in Stillwater. Prior to that win, the last time OSU had beaten the Red Raiders was in 1988 in Tokyo by a 45-42 count. Texas Tech has a 6-2-3 series advantage at home with the last Cowboys' win in Lubbock occurring in the 1944 season.
OSU-Texas Tech Memory (Oct. 10, 1998 - Last Meeting in Lubbock):
In a South Division showdown of Big 12 Conference could-be contenders, Oklahoma State struck for an early 10-0 lead on the road, then crashed in a mass of mistakes, falling 24-17 to Texas Tech Saturday before a homecoming crowd of 47,589 at Jones Stadium.
Tech has now beaten OSU four straight times, including each of the last three seasons, although this one seemed different - at least for most of the first half.
The Cowboys, held to a single field goal against the Red Raiders in each of the two previous meetings, marched to a touchdown on their first possession, then added a field goal on their second drive to take a 10-0 lead.
But they didn't score again - until just 2:20 remained.
In between, the Red Raiders posted 24 unanswered points, with the Cowboys helping them to each score. And they did it despite a solid job by OSU to contain Tech's Ricky Williams, who had run for at least 100 yards and two touchdowns in each of his team's first five wins.
Against the Cowboys, he finished with 97 yards and was held without a score.
OSU's muffs were many: two lost fumbles, one returned for a touchdown and the other to set up a score; a blocked punt that set up a TD; and 11 penalties for 132 yards.
For the first time this season, the Cowboys took their first drive to a score. It covered 51 yards in 12 plays - all on the ground.
Quarterback Tony Lindsay and fullback Brian Aikins provided the big runs, with the latter scoring on a dive over the top from the 1.
OSU made it 10-0 later in the first quarter when Tim Sydnes booted a 38-yard field goal.
The Cowboys could have added to the lead, but a holding penalty stalled a drive after they had a first down at the Tech 18.
The Red Raiders, meanwhile, were going nowhere on their first five possessions. They had a net minus-2 yards after the first quarter.
But the Cowboys seemingly stalled their own momentum, using backup quarterback Chris Chaloupka on two unproductive series. Then Tech used two OSU mistakes to strike for two touchdowns and take its 14-10 halftime lead.
A fumble by Jamaal Fobbs set up the first Tech score, a 14-yard touchdown pass from Rob Peters to Hart. Tech's next touchdown was set up when Dorian Pitts fought through a block to get a hand on a Scott Elder punt. Peters and Hart hooked up again, this time on an 18-yard scoring pass for a 14-10 lead.
Tech held that lead before getting a 32-yard field goal from Chris Birkholz with 7:18 to play, then a 53-yard fumble return from Pitts at the 2:53 mark for a 24-10 lead.
Pitts scooped up a bounding ball after Lindsay was sacked by Montae Reagor and fumbled on a fourth-and-12 play from the Red Raiders' 41.
The Cowboys answered with a three-play touchdown drive that culminated with Chaloupka's 8-yard pass to Terrance Richardson.
That quick strike cut the lead to 24-17 and required just :33. It left 2:20 on the clock.
But OSU kicked off deep and didn't get the ball back until just :25 remained, then turned the ball over on downs.
