Oklahoma State Football Battles Mississippi State Saturday

After back-to-back home games to open the 1999 season, Oklahoma State takes to the road for the first time as the Cowboys travel to Starkville, Miss., to face the defending champions of the Southeastern Conference's West Division.

Oklahoma State Cowboys [2-0] at Mississippi State Bulldogs [2-0] Saturday, Sept. 18, 1999 * 2:30 p.m. [CDT] Scott Field [40,656] * Starkville, Miss. radio - Cowboy Radio Network television - Jefferson Pilot [KOCB (Ch. 34) in OKC * KWHB (Ch. 47) in Tulsa]

Oklahoma State's 1999 Schedule

Sept. 4 UL LAFAYETTE W 24- 7

Sept. 11 TULSA W 46- 9

Sept. 18 at Mississippi State 2:30 p.m.

Oct. 2 at Nebraska 12:30 p.m.

Oct. 9 TEXAS TECH 7 p.m.

Oct. 23 KANSAS STATE 1 p.m.

Oct. 30 at Texas A&M 1 p.m.

Nov. 6 TEXAS 1 p.m.

Nov. 13 KANSAS 1 p.m.

Nov. 20 at Baylor 1 p.m.

Nov. 27 at Oklahoma 2 p.m.

Mississippi State's 1999 Schedule

Sept. 4 MIDDLE TENNESSEE W 40- 7

Sept. 11 MEMPHIS W 13-10

Sept. 18 OKLAHOMA STATE 2:30 p.m.

Sept. 25 SOUTH CAROLINA 6 p.m.

Oct. 2 at Vanderbilt TBA

Oct. 9 at Auburn TBA

Oct. 23 LOUISIANA STATE 1:30 p.m.

Nov. 4 KENTUCKY 7 p.m.

Nov. 13 at Alabama TBA

Nov. 20 at Arkansas TBA

Nov. 25 OLE MISS 7 p.m.

AWAY FOR A WHILE -- O-State's game this week at Mississippi State marks the first of three straight weekends the Cowboys will either be away or idle. After Saturday's game, the Cowboys are open on Sept. 25 before facing Nebraska at Lincoln on Oct. 2. OSU's next Lewis Field appearance is Oct. 9 against Texas Tech.

KICKOFF, RECORDS, ETC. -- Kickoff for Saturday's Big 12-SEC matchup is set for just after 2:30 p.m. (CDT). Oklahoma State enters the game with a record of 2-0 after wins over Louisiana-Lafayette and Tulsa. Like the Cowboys, Mississippi State enters this week's action with a 2-0 mark, having posted early wins over Middle Tennessee State and Memphis. Saturday will be the third of four straight home games for Mississippi State to open the season.

After OSU, the Bulldogs entertain South Carolina before facing their first road test at Vanderbilt.

THE LAST TIME -- Oklahoma State will be making just its second-ever appearance at Starkville, Miss. The only other time OSU has played in the state of Mississippi was 1970 when Floyd Gass took his Cowboys to face the Bulldogs in the season opener. OSU dominated the game statistically but had a hard time finding the end zone. OSU could score only a pair of field goals and a 39-yard touchdown pass from Tony Pounds to Hermann Eben, and MSU recorded a 14-13 win.

ON THE AIR -- Saturday's game will be broadcast live on the OSU Radio Network to 30 stations throughout the state of Oklahoma. Bill Teegins, Sports Director at KWTV in Oklahoma City, is the radio voice of Cowboy Football. Tom Dirato, Coordinator of Radio and TV at OSU, is the network analyst. The game will also be telecast live by Jefferson Pilot Sports, whose coverage area is primarily in the SEC region. The game will be aired in Tulsa on KWHB (Channel 47) and in Oklahoma City on KOCB (Channel 34).

TRAVEL PLANS -- Oklahoma State will leave for Starkville on Friday afternoon on a Miami Air charter. The Cowboys are scheduled to stage a light workout at Mississippi State on Friday afternoon. The Cowboys will be headquartered in Columbus, Miss., at the Landmark Hotel and will return to Stillwater immediately following the game.

POKES LOOK FOR FIFTH STRAIGHT -- Oklahoma State will travel to Starkville looking for a fifth straight win, dating back to the end of the '98 season. OSU ended last season with back-to-back wins over Louisiana-Lafayette and Baylor and opened the 1999 season with wins over Louisiana-Lafayette and Tulsa. OSU's four-game streak equals the second-longest since 1988. The Cowboys won seven straight from the season finale in 1996 through the first six games of the '97 season.

CONCLUDING THE NONCONFERENCE SLATE -- Saturday's game at Mississippi State will conclude the nonleague portion of Oklahoma State's 1999 schedule. Under Bob Simmons, OSU has an exceptional record against non-conference opposition. Including last week's win over Tulsa, OSU is 12-5 during Simmons' tenure. That is a .705 winning percentage against non-conference foes.

1995 (2-3) L 23-24 at Tulsa W 35-7 SOUTHWEST MO. STATE L 25-45 at Wyoming L 0-31 at Tennessee W 24-20 at Hawaii

1996 (3-0) W 23-20 SOUTHWEST MO. STATE W 30-9 TULSA W 31-17 UTAH STATE

1997 (3-1) W 31-7 at UL Lafayette W 35-0 FRESNO STATE W 38-7 NE LOUISIANA L 33-20 Purdue (Alamo Bowl)

1998 (2-1) L 35-20 at Tulsa W 42-23 MISSISSIPPI STATE W 44-20 UL LAFAYETTE

1999 (2-0) W 24-7 UL LAFAYETTE W 46-9 TULSA

OPPONENT OFFENSES 0-FOR-2 -- Oklahoma State has not allowed an offensive touchdown through the first two games of the 1999 season. Louisiana-Lafayette scored on an interception return in the season opener two weeks ago and Tulsa was able to board only three field goals against the Cowboys on Saturday. You have to go all the way back to 1967 to find back-to-back games in the same season in which an OSU opponent failed to score an offensive touchdown. OSU and Air Force played to a 0-0 tie in the '67 season opener, and Arkansas was able to score just two field goals the next week in a 7-6 Cowboy win over the Razorbacks.

MORE ON THE D -- Oklahoma State is number two in the country this week in total defense, allowing an average of just 92.0 yards per game. Three of the nation's top five in total defense are from the Big 12 Conference. Kansas State is number one, allowing 82.0 per game. OSU is second followed by Virginia Tech, Miami (Fla.), and Nebraska.

MORE NATIONAL STATISTICS -- Not only are the Cowboys second nationally in total defense, they are No. 2 in rushing defense as well. OSU is allowing minus three (-3.0) yards per game after two games and that ranks only behind Louisville, which is allowing minus 13.5 per game. Oklahoma State is fifth in pass efficiency defense and 14th in scoring defense.

AND, ON THE OFFENSE -- Oklahoma State is 30th in the NCAA in rushing offense and 33rd in scoring offense. As a team, OSU is 10th in the country in kickoff returns and 20th in punt returns. Individually, Terance Richardson is 18th in the country in punt returns with an average of 13.2 yards per return. Ethan Howell is 34th nationally in reception yards per game with an average of 91.5.

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 Louisiana-Lafayette 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 State 23-20 OT

1995 Southwest Missouri State 35-7

1994 North Texas 36-34

1994 Tulsa 17-10

1993 TCU 27-22

1993 Southwest Missouri State 45-7

1992 Tulsa 24-19

1992 Indiana State 35-3

Head Coach Bob Simmons

THE COACH -- Oklahoma State's head football coach is two games into his fifth season and will be coaching his 49th OSU game when the Cowboys travel to Starkville 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 24-24 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 in just his third year and was the 1997 Big 12 Conference Coach of the Year.

CONTRACT EXTENSION -- Last Friday, one day before the Cowboys disposed of Tulsa on Lewis Field, the Oklahoma State Board of Regents approved a contract extension for Bob Simmons that will keep him as OSU's head football coach through the 2005 season.

COACH SIMMONS ON THE INTERNET -- 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.

SIMMONS ON RADIO/TV -- Oklahoma State's head football coach has shows on both television and radio each week throughout the 1999 season. The Bob Simmons Television Show will air Sunday at 10:30 p.m. on KOCB (34) in Oklahoma City. Other airings include Monday at 8:30 p.m. on KWEM (31) in Stillwater, Tuesday at 8 p.m. on Tulsa Cable Channel 9, Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. on KWEM (31) in Stillwater and Thursday at 3 p.m. on Fox Sports Southwest. The Bob Simmons Radio Show will air each Wednesday from 7 to 8 p.m. along the Cowboy Radio Network.

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 2-0 Opens season with two wins

Totals 24-24

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.

* OSU registered its first win under Coach Simmons on September 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 three of the four years 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 face 15 teams that were nationally ranked going into the game. Six of those opponents were ranked in the top 10 when they faced Oklahoma State. In the last two seasons, Oklahoma State has defeated three opponents (Texas and Colorado in 1997, Mississippi State in 1998) that were nationally ranked. * Under Bob Simmons, Oklahoma State is 10-0 against nonconference competition on Lewis Field and 12-5 vs. nonleague opposition overall. * When the Cowboys face Mississippi State this week, they will be looking for their fifth straight win, dating back to the final two games of the 1998 season. That would be the second-longest winning streak of the last 11 years. OSU won six straight to open the 1997 season after winning the final game in '96.

Noting the Cowboys

OSU LINEBACKERS CONTINUE TO SHINE -- Oklahoma State's linebacker corps turned in another solid performance against Tulsa, topped by Kenyatta Wright, who registered five tackles, had three tackles behind the line of scrimmage, broke up a pass, and recovered a Tulsa fumble in the end zone for a touchdown. Two of OSU's linebackers, Wright and senior captain Tarrell Knauls, are on the watch list for the Butkus Award, given annually to the top linebacker in the country. Below is a capsule look at their outstanding OSU careers:

Kenyatta Wright Tarrell Knauls

Year UT-AT For Loss Year UT-AT For Loss

1996 11-61 4-12 1996 13-19 5-35

1997 32-40 10-32 1997 19-22 7-34

1998 48-23 10-45 1998 34-25 11-45

1999 6-3 3-12 1999 5-5 1- 4

Total 87-128 27-90 Total 71-51 24-118

NATHAN COMES BACK, LOOKS FOR 2,000 -- Tailback Nathan Simmons spent the summer of 1999 going through a vigorous rehab program for major knee surgery last December. Saturday against Tulsa, Simmons rushed 14 times for 44 yards.

Two games into his final OSU season, Simmons is on the verge of becoming the 13th player in Oklahoma State history to rush for 2,000 or more career yards. The son of head coach Bob Simmons, now has 1,789 career yards, just 211 yards shy of the 2,000 mark. He is 17th on the all-time OSU rushing list, 51 yards behind Jim Dillard and 16th place.

Nathan's OSU Career:

Year Att. Yards TD APC APG

1996 17 57 0 3.3 5.2

1997 166 711 5 4.2 71.1

1998 204 937 5 4.6 85.2

1999 25 84 1 3.6 42.0

Totals 412 1789 11 4.3 51.2

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

6. Gerald Hudson (1988-90) 2,921

7. Shawn Jones (1980-84) 2,698

8. Bob Fenimore (1943-46) 2,299

9. Worley Taylor (1977-80) 2,217

10. George Palmer (1972-74) 2,110

11. Earl Lunsford (1953-55) 2,105

12. Walt Garrison (1963-65) 2,041

13. Andre Richardson (1994-96) 1,960

14. Brent Blackman (1971-73) 1,870

15. Robert Turner (1973-76) 1,861

16. Jim Dillard (1959-61) 1,840

17. NATHAN SIMMONS (1996-98) 1,789

SYDNES' SCORING -- Senior kicker Tim Sydnes began the season sixth on the career scoring list and is quickly adding to those totals. Saturday against Tulsa, Sydnes connected on all five PATs and was a perfect three-of-three in the field-goal department. For the season, he has hit four of five field goals and eight of eight extra points. In his fourth season, Sydnes has scored 227 points and trails number five Thurman Thomas by 39 points. He is already the third-most-prolific kick scorer in school history behind only Cary Blanchard and Larry Roach.

OSU's All-Time Scorers

1. Barry Sanders 330

2. Cary Blanchard 315

3. Larry Roach 290

4. Terry Miller 270

5. Thurman Thomas 266

6. Tim Sydnes 227

BIG 12 HONORS OSU KICKER -- For his efforts in OSU's 46-9 win over Tulsa Saturday in Stillwater, Sydnes was selected the Special Teams Player of the Week in the Big 12 Conference.

ETHAN + HOWELL = BIG PLAY -- Oklahoma State wide receiver Ethan Howell had yet another big day catching the football for the Cowboys. Against Tulsa last Saturday, Howell had five catches for a career-best 107 yards. This effort followed a season opener in which the Monroe, La., senior had two catches for 76 yards. One of his catches against Tulsa was for 68 yards and helped set up a Tim Sydnes field goal. One of his catches in the opener was a 63-yard touchdown pass from B.J. Tiger.

Howell is picking up where he left off a year ago. He didn't catch a pass in OSU's 1998 season finale against Baylor, but in the two games prior to that (Texas and UL), he had four catches for 171 yards and two touchdowns. That's three touchdowns in hislast five games, and each has been 55 yards or longer. Additionally, in four of OSU's last five games, Howell has accounted for 354 receiving yards.

Ethan's Numbers (last five games):

vs. Texas (11-7-98) 3-106, 1 TD

vs. UL Lafayette (11-14-98) 1- 65, 1 TD

vs. Baylor (11-21-98) No receptions

vs. UL Lafayette (9-4-99) 1- 76, 1 TD

vs. Tulsa (9-11-99) 5-107, 0 TD

DEFENSE PART ONE: TOTAL YARDAGE -- OSU's defense, one of the nation's best at stopping the run over the past two years, stopped almost everything in the season-opening victory over Louisiana-Lafayette. The Cowboys allowed just 61 yards total offense, the second-lowest amount ever by an OSU opponent. The school-record total-defense performance came in 1947, when OSU held Kansas State to 29 yards. The best mark in the last half-century was a 71-yard effort Oct. 3, 1981, at North Texas State.

OSU came back the next week to hold Tulsa to 123 yards, the 19th-best mark in school history. The Cowboys' 184 total yards allowed in the season's first two games mark a school record for opponents' total yardage in consecutive contests, the previous mark of 194 was set in 1942. The Cowboys currently rank second in the nation in total defense (92.0 ypg) to Kansas State, which has allowed 82 yards in one game.

DEFENSE PART TWO: AGAINST THE RUN -- The Cowboys held Tulsa, which had come into the game off consecutive 300-yard rushing performances dating to last season, to minus-20 yards on the ground, the second-lowest number ever recorded by an OSU opponent. The school record was the 33 yards in net losses suffered by Kansas State in 1980.

After two games, OSU has allowed its opponents negative six yards rushing, that's a school record for consecutive games. The Cowboys rank second in NCAA Division I-A against the rush, allowing -3.0 yards per game, Louisville is averaging negative 13.5 yards on the ground.

DEFENSE PART THREE: AGAINST THE PASS -- OSU's secondary was widely believed to be its weakness in 1998. However, the first two games of 1999 have shown a change in that trend as OSU has allowed just 95.0 passing yards per game to rank ninth in the nation. Part of the Cowboys' stinginess against the pass has had to do with their quarterback pressure: OSU has recorded 11 sacks in two games. OSU's opponents' pass-efficiency rating is a mere 55.10, the fifth-lowest in the country.

DEFENSE PART FOUR: SCORING -- The Cowboys' defensive success in the first two games of the year can best be summed up by the total points -- 16 -- scored by their opponents. OSU has yet to allow an opposing offense into the end zone (Cowboy opponents' only TD this year came on an interception return), and dating to last season, the Cowboys have not allowed an offensive touchdown in 11 consecutive quarters.

The last team to score on the Cowboys' defensive unit was Baylor, which notched a first-quarter score in last year's season finale.

TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS AT HOME -- After Saturday's victory over Tulsa, OSU has won 16 straight nonconference games on Lewis Field. The last OSU home loss to a nonleague opponent was Sept. 21, 1991, when the Cowboys fell 24-21 to TCU. OSU finishes the 1990s with an 18-2 record in nonconference home games.

This Week's Opponent

RETURN GAME ON TAP -- Oklahoma State and Mississippi State square off Saturday in the second game of a two-year, home-and-home series. The teams' two previous meetings before last season's contest came in a similar series in 1970 and '71, MSU won the first meeting between the schools 14-13 in Starkville in 1970, and OSU won 26-7 the following year on Lewis Field. The Cowboys will hope to buck that trend after winning at home by a 42-23 score last season.

ABOUT THE BULLDOGS -- Mississippi Sate, which will be playing its third straight home game to open the season, is 2-0 after opening its season with victories over Middle Tennessee and Memphis. The Tigers made last week's game interesting, losing 13-10, but MSU dominated statistically, gaining 317 yards to Memphis' 181. Quarterback Wayne Madkins has spearheaded the Bulldogs' offensive attack in their first two games, completing 29-of-49 passes for 391 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. Dog safety Tim Nelson has recorded 12 tackles, four for losses, in leading a Bulldog defense that has allowed just 199 yards total offense per game.

COACH JACKIE SHERRILL -- In his ninth season at Mississippi State, Jackie Sherrill is one of the nation's top collegiate coaches, a fact evidenced by his taking the Bulldogs to the 1998 SEC Championship Game. Sherrill has directed the Bulldog program to four postseason bowl berths during his eight years, recurring prosperity unmatched in school history. He owns a career record of 156-87-4, including a 51-42-2 mark with the Bulldogs, and has taken teams to bowl games 12 times in his 21-year coaching tenure.

SHERRILL VS. OSU -- Mississippi State's coach had faced Oklahoma State only twice before last year's loss in Stillwater. Both previous meetings had occurred while he was at Texas A&M. Jimmy Johnson and the Cowboys defeated Sherrill's Aggies in College Station 34-15 in 1983. Texas A&M made a return trip to Stillwater in 1988, when Barry Sanders led OSU to a 52-15 win.

THE OSU CONNECTION -- Six coaches who served as assistants to Jackie Sherrill have Oklahoma State connections. Jimmy Johnson and Pat Jones, OSU's coaches from 1979 to '94, worked for Sherrill at Pittsburgh. Dave Wannstedt and Tony Wise, who served on Johnson's OSU staff, also worked for Sherrill at Pitt, and Denver Johnson, who was on Jones' OSU staff, was on Sherrill's staff at Mississippi State in 1993 and '94.

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING -- Here's a look at how OSU and Mississippi State match up statistically. National rank is in parentheses where appropriate.

Category OSU MSU

Record 2-0 2-0

Rushing Offense 208.0 (30) 153.0 (59)

Passing Offense 171.0 (79) 205.0 (53)

Total Offense 379.0 (57) 358.0 (68)

Rushing Defense -3.0 (2) 67.5 (20)

Passing Defense 95.0 (9) 131.5 (18)

Pass Efficiency Defense 55.1 (5) 86.9 (20)

Total Defense 92.0 (2) 199.0 (10)

Scoring Offense 35.0 (33) 26.5 (62)

Scoring Defense 8.0 (14) 8.5 (17)

Scoring Margin +27.0 +18.0

Net Punting 37.5 (40) 31.9 (90)

Kickoff Return Avg. 28.8 (10) 22.8 (33)

Turnover Margin 0.0 (56) +0.5 (39)

Penalties-Yards 18-170 15-123

Big 12 Conference Standings

South Division North Division

Conf All Conf All

W-L W-L W-L W-L

OSU 0-0 2-0 ISU 0-0 2-0

UT 0-0 2-1 NU 0-0 2-0

OU 0-0 1-0 KSU 0-0 1-0

A&M 0-0 1-0 MU 0-0 1-0

TTU 0-0 1-1 CU 0-0 1-1

BU 0-0 0-2 KU 0-0 1-1

Oklahoma State University Athletics

Oklahoma State Football Battles Mississippi State Saturday

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