Oklahoma State University Athletics
Oklahoma State Football Hosts Texas Saturday
April 08, 2003 | Cowboy Football
TWO AND GONE -- The final month of the 1999 season will be split between home and road games for OSU. The Pokes host Texas this week before closing out the home schedule next week against Kansas. Oklahoma State then takes to the road for the final two regular-season games, at Baylor on Nov. 20 and at Oklahoma on Nov. 27.
ANOTHER TOP-15 FOE ON LEWIS FIELD -- Oklahoma State will be hosting yet another top-15 team this week when Texas comes to Stillwater. Just two weeks ago, Kansas State visited Lewis Field with a No. 7 national ranking. The Wildcats have since moved up a notch to No. 6 (Coaches). This week, Texas will travel north of the Red River with a No. 11 national ranking.
UT MAKING SECOND-EVER VISIT TO STILLWATER -- The University of Texas will be making just its second-ever football appearance in Stillwater this week. The teams have played 13 times previously, but just one of those games (1997) has been played in Stillwater. This is a correction from the OSU media guide, which incorrectly lists the 1918 game as being in Stillwater.
SPEAKING OF DIFFICULT -- Oklahoma State's 1999 schedule has proven to be one of the most difficult in recent history. OSU's four losses have come to nationally ranked teams that have a current combined record of 28-3. Kansas State (8-0), Nebraska (7-1) and Mississippi State (7-0) are each ranked in the top 10 while Texas A&M (6-2) is ranked 18th this week.
KICKOFF/TICKETS -- Saturday's game between Oklahoma State and Texas is scheduled to kick off at 1:30 p.m., and tickets are still available. Single-game tickets for both the Texas and Kansas games are available at the Athletic Ticket Office in Stillwater or by calling 1-877-ALL-4OSU.
ATTENDANCE, PART II -- Saturday should be OSU's fourth straight crowd of 40,000 or more. The Cowboys drew a sellout crowd of 48,500 to the Kansas State game two weeks ago and had more than 44,000 for Texas Tech and 46,000 for Tulsa earlier in the season. Through four home games in 1999, Oklahoma State is averaging 43,725 per game. One contributor to OSU's increased attendance in 1999 is the number of season tickets sold. Cowboy fans bought more than 31,000 season tickets this year, the second-highest number ever sold.
SPECIALS -- Not only will Texas make an appearance on Lewis Field this week, Krazy George will be in attendance. It will also be Special Olympics Day and "Toys to the Game Day," in which toys will be collected at the gates and later distributed to children in need. This week's game between Oklahoma State and Texas is being sponsored by Southwestern Bell.
RECORDS/RANKINGS -- Oklahoma State will begin November with an overall record of 3-4 and a Big 12 Conference mark of 1-3. Texas comes to Stillwater with an overall record of 7-2 and a league mark of 4-1. Texas comes to Stillwater on top of the Big 12 South Division. The Longhorns' 4-1 record bests Texas Tech and Texas A&M, which both sport 3-2 league marks at the end of October. The Longhorns used a last-minute win over Iowa State last week to move up one notch in the latest wire polls. Texas jumped from 12th to 11th in both the Associated Press and Coaches' Polls this week.
ON THE AIR -- Saturday's game between Texas and Oklahoma State will be broadcast live on the Cowboy Radio Network. Bill Teegins, sports director at Oklahoma City's KWTV (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.
Texas Longhorns [7-2, 4-1] at Oklahoma State Cowboys [3-4, 1-3] Saturday, Nov. 6, 1999 * 1:30 p.m. [CST] Lewis Field [48,500] * Stillwater, Okla.
radio - Cowboy Radio Network television - none
OSU LAST WEEK -- Oklahoma State had several opportunities against Texas A&M but could not turn opportunities into production in a 21-3 loss on Kyle Field. Playing in a steady and sometimes torrential rain, the Aggies scored all the points they would need in the second quarter. Two second-half touchdowns followed, and the Pokes were able to answer with just a field goal. OSU's opportunities were numerous. The Cowboys took the ball to the A&M 31 on their first possession but missed a field goal. After A&M punted on its first possession, Terance Richardson returned the ball 49 yards to the Aggie 34, but on a fourth-and-two from the 27, a faked field goal was unsuccessful. Oklahoma State drove the ball to the Texas A&M 39 on its first possession of the second quarter but turned the ball over on an interception. Trailing only 7-0 in the third quarter, OSU threatened again when quarterback B.J. Tiger kept on an option play and raced 59 yards to the A&M 21. The drive ended with a missed field goal. Tiger, playing in place of Tony Lindsay (shoulder), completed 15 of 21 passes for 154 yards. Ethan Howell was OSU's leading receiver with six catches for 62 yards. Jamaal Fobbs led the Cowboys on the ground with 41 yards on 10 carries. As a team, OSU had 264 yards of total offense while allowing Texas A&M 394 total yards.
TEXAS LAST WEEK -- The Longhorns won a last-minute thriller at Iowa State when Kris Stockton nailed an 18-yard field goal as time expired for a 44-41 win over the Cyclones. Texas appeared to have the game under control with a 41-27 lead and just over nine minutes to play. Iowa State came back, however, and tied the game on a one-yard touchdown run by Darren Davis. Texas, starting from its own 28-yard line, only had to get Stockton in field goal range, and it did just that. Cowboy fans will remember Stockton's kicking heroics from a year ago when he nailed a last-second field goal to upend OSU in Austin. Texas quarterback Major Applewhite completed 30 of 40 passes for 345 yards, including touchdown strikes of 41 and 4 yards to Montrell Flowers. It was Applewhite's fifth 300-yard passing game of the season and the 19th time he has thrown for more than 200 yards in a single game. UT had 474 yards of total offense and allowed Iowa State 359 total yards but just 68 rushing yards.
UPDATING THE 1999 OPPOSITION -- Oklahoma State's 1999 opponents have a combined record of 49-40 going into this weekend's play. Two of OSU's 1999 opponents are still unbeaten after seven weeks of regular season play.
Team Record Last Week This Week
Louisiana-Lafayette 1-8 lost to Ark St. 31-27 Open
Tulsa 1-7 lost to Fresno St. 28-14 at UTEP
Mississippi State 7-0 Open Kentucky (Thurs)
Nebraska 7-1 defeated Kansas 24-17 Texas A&M
Texas Tech 4-4 lost to Missouri 34-7 Iowa State
Kansas State 8-0 def Baylor 48-7 Colorado
Texas A&M 6-2 def Okla. State 21-3 at Nebraska
Texas 7-2 def. Iowa State 44-41 at Oklahoma State
Kansas 3-6 lost to Nebraska 24-17 Baylor
Baylor 1-7 lost to K-State 48-7 at Kansas
Oklahoma 4-3 lost to Colorado 38-24 Missouri
BOWLING -- One of Oklahoma State's 1999 season goals is still very much within reach. With four games to play, the Cowboys need three wins to make themselves eligible for a second bowl trip in three years. The Big 12 Conference has automatic ties with the Southwestern Bell Cotton Bowl, the Sylvania Alamo Bowl, the Culligan Holiday Bowl, the Insight.com Bowl and the Sanford Independence Bowl as well as a spot in the BCS (Tostitos Fiesta). Following is a look at Big 12 teams that are already bowl-eligible and those still in the hunt with their remaining schedules.
Already Eligible: Kansas State, Nebraska, Texas, Texas A&M
In the Hunt:
Colorado (5-3) Iowa State (4-4) Texas Tech (4-4) Oklahoma (4-3)
at Kansas at Texas Tech Iowa State at Iowa State
at Baylor Oklahoma at Texas at Texas Tech
Nebraska at Kansas Oklahoma Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State (3-4) Texas Kansas at Baylor at Oklahoma
HOME STREAK STILL INTACT -- 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 seven games into his fifth season and will be coaching his 54th OSU game when the Cowboys face Texas this week. Coach Simmons will bring a career mark of 25-28 into Saturday 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.
CONTRACT EXTENSION -- Earlier this season, 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 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. * 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 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 and the nation's first Division I-A OT game in the 1996 season opener against Southwest Missouri State. * 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 ten whey they faced Oklahoma State. In the last two seasons, Oklahoma State has defeated three opponents (Texas and Colorado in 1997 and Mississippi State last year) 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' 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 3-4 All four losses to ranked opponents
Totals 25-28
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 will air 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 will air 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 to noon.
Noting the Cowboys
LINDSAY MISSES A&M GAME -- One week after returning to the lineup after a knee injury, OSU quarterback Tony Lindsay did not play at Texas A&M. Lindsay suffered a shoulder injury late in the Kansas State game. After Lindsay experienced some pain during the week, a last-minute decision was made to start B.J. Tiger against the Aggies.
FAST STARTERS -- Oklahoma State has outscored its opponents 52-36 in the first quarter. The Cowboys have had first-quarter leads over four of their first seven opponents, been tied once and trailed twice. The Cowboys led both Kansas State and Texas Tech 14-0 after the first quarter. OSU led Tulsa 17-3 after one and Louisiana-Lafayette 7-0 after one period. The Pokes and Texas A&M were scoreless after one frame, and the Cowboys trailed Nebraska and Mississippi State after one quarter.
SPREADING THE WEALTH -- Through seven games of the 1999 season, Oklahoma State has had 10 different players catch at least one pass. Four of those receivers are in double-digit receptions with more than one-third of the season still to play. Ethan Howell leads all Oklahoma State receivers with 25 catches for 391 yards. Marcellus Rivers (15), Jamaal Fobbs (14) and Terance Richardson (13) follow.
ETHAN CLOSE TO 400 MARK -- Going into this week's game against Texas, Ethan Howell has 391 receiving yards, nine short of the 400-yard mark. With four regular season games to play, he should make his way up the single-season receiving yards list. He needs 23 yards for 414, which would be the 30th-best single-season receiving effort in OSU history.
PORTER HAVING SOLID YEAR -- Oklahoma State defensive back Alvin Porter continues to have a season that should warrant consideration for All-Big 12 honors. Porter, who led the Cowboys' defensive effort against Texas Tech two weeks ago, has impressive numbers through seven games of the 1999 season. His 33 total tackles are fifth-best on the OSU defense, and he leads the team in interceptions (3) and passes broken up (10).
EDWARDS BUSY AGAINST AGGIES -- Defensive back Adam Edwards had a big day against Texas A&M. The senior registered 11 total tackles and one for loss. This came one week after logging eight tackles, breaking up a pass and grabbing his first interception of the season against Kansas State. Through seven games, Edwards is OSU's leading tackler with 37, and he has a pair of passes broken up.
LINEBACKERS ARE TWO, THREE, FOUR -- While Adam Edwards leads the team in total tackles, a trio of linebackers are just behind. Senior Kenyatta Wright is No. 2 with 35, and just behind him are Jack Golden and Dwayne Levels who each have 32 total tackles on the season. Tarrell Knauls, another senior linebacker, has 27 total tackles.
Player UT-AT Tot For Loss Sacks PBU
Kenyatta Wright 14-21 35 3-12 1 1
Jack Golden 11-21 32 5-33 1
Dwayne Levels 9-23 32 2-10 1
Tarrell Knauls 12-15 27 2-5 0 2
RICHARDSON IS TRIPLE THREAT -- Another Cowboy worthy of All-Big 12 consideration as a punt returner is Terance Richardson. Richardson, with 379 yards on 25 returns through seven games, is already fourth on the season punt return yardage list. Richardson needs 16 yards to move past Jim Spavital into third, 44 yards to move into second place past Bennie Goodwin and 143 yards to move past R.W. McQuarters and establish a new single-season record for punt-return yardage. He needs just 96 yards to tie Goodwin (787 yards during 1967-69) for the school record in career punt-return yardage. Richardson also has 114 receiving yards and 83 rushing yards this season.
OSU Season Punt Returns Year Returns Yards
1. R.W. McQuarters 1997 32 521
2. Bennie Goodwin 1967 35 422
3. Jim Spavital 1947 17 394
4. Terance Richardson 1999 25 379
ALL-PURPOSE FOBBS -- Tailback Jamaal Fobbs is not only OSU's leading rusher through seven games, he is No. 3 in receiving and is the Cowboys' leading kickoff returner. On the ground, Fobbs has 363 yards on 73 carries. He is averaging 5.0 yards per carry and 51.9 yards per game. He has caught 14 passes for 160 yards and one touchdown and is averaging 11.4 yards per catch. He has returned 17 kicks for 393 yards, an average of 23.1 yards per return.
FOBBS, SIMMONS ON THE CAREER LIST -- With 363 yards through seven games this season, Jamaal Fobbs now has 1,618 yards for his OSU career. He will go into this week's game against Texas 18th on the career rushing list. Fobbs is 292 yards behind Nathan Simmons on the OSU career rushing list. Simmons, who returned this season after major knee surgery, has 1,910 career yards and is 14th on the all-time list. He needs just 90 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
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. Nathan Simmons (1996-Pr.) 1,910
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.) 1,618
NEXT WEEK -- Oklahoma State closes out the home portion of its 1999 schedule by entertaining the Kansas Jayhawks. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. It will be senior day at OSU with pregame ceremonies honoring Oklahoma State's 1999 senior class. The Cowboys then go on the road for a pair of games. OSU travels to Baylor on Nov. 20 and Oklahoma on Nov. 27 to close out the regular season.
This Week's Opponent
THE SERIES -- Saturday's game will mark the 14th meeting between Oklahoma State and Texas, and the Cowboys have not experienced much overall success against the Longhorns. Texas leads the overall series by an 11-2 margin although the Cowboys won the only meeting in Stillwater, that 42-16 victory was perhaps the signature moment in the Cowboys' 1997 Alamo Bowl season.
LAST YEAR -- The Cowboys' 37-34 loss to Texas on Nov. 7 last year bore some eerie similarities to the Longhorns' victory at Iowa State last week. In both games, the Longhorns held a 14-point lead but saw their opponent tie the game with a late touchdown, and in both cases, a missed PAT kept Texas' foe from taking the lead with that score. Also in both games, the Longhorns drove the length of the field for game-winning field goals, although in the victory over OSU last year, UT kicker Kris Stockton banked in the decider. OSU did have some major offensive success against Texas in Austin last year, Nathan Simmons gained 95 yards on the ground, and for the first and only time in school history, two OSU receivers -- Ethan Howell and Marcellus Rivers -- topped the 100-yard mark in receiving gains.
THE COACH -- Texas' second-year coach has won 36 of his last 44 games and has led his teams to a 70-23 record over the last seven years. He is 102-79-1 in 15 years overall, has posted nine straight winning seasons and has produced seven straight bowl bids. At Texas, Brown owns a 16-5 record despite taking over a program that had gone 4-7 the year before his arrival.
