Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys Host Jackson State
July 24, 2003 | Cowboy Basketball
Saturday's Game
Oklahoma State returns to Gallagher-Iba for the first of two pre-Christmas home games when the Cowboys host Jackson State on Saturday. A victory would give OSU an 8-0 record and the sixth-best start in the school's 89-year basketball history. The Cowboys have moved up to No. 19 in the Sagarin computer rankings and will be looking to gain momentum before hitting the road for the first time Dec. 30 to face TCU, which is ranked 24th by the Associated Press as well as ESPN/USA Today.
OSU-JSU: The Series
OSU leads the series 2-0, having won 81-71 at Gallagher-Iba two years ago today in the most recent meeting between the teams. The Cowboys also defeated the Tigers 75-57 in the 1994 Great Alaska Shootout. OSU is 8-0 against Southwestern Athletic Conference teams.
OSU Head Coach Eddie Sutton
Eddie Sutton (Oklahoma State, 1958) is in his eighth year at OSU and his 28th year of collegiate coaching. Under his guidance, OSU has advanced to the NCAA Tournament five times. Sutton currently owns a career record of 594-234 (71.7 percent) overall and is 164-70 (70.1 percent) at OSU. Only three coaches - Dean Smith, John Wooden and Bobby Knight - won more games in their first 27 years than Coach Sutton.
Jackson State Tigers (3-5, 0-0 SWAC) at Oklahoma State Cowboys (7-0, 0-0 Big 12) 2:05 p.m. * Dec. 20, 1997 * Cowboy Radio Network Gallagher-Iba Arena (6,381) * Stillwater, Okla. * Tickets Available
Probable Oklahoma State Starters Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Yr. PPG RPG Notes F 34 Desmond Mason 6-6 207 So. 18.7 8.7 20 of career-high 25 points in second half vs. Arizona State C 31 Brett Robisch 6-11 255 Sr. 13.6 7.6 Second double-double and career-high 13 rebounds vs. Ariz. St. G 20 Adrian Peterson 6-4 197 Jr. 15.1 7.0 Current rpg more than double his career average before 1997-98 G 35 Joe Adkins 6-2 185 So. 11.7 4.0 11 points in second half against Washington G 44 Doug Gottlieb 6-1 190 So. 4.9 2.9 Leads nation in assists with 8.6 per game Probable Jackson State Starters Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Yr. PPG RPG F 4 Trent Pulliam 6-8 200 Sr. 13.1 6.6 F 24 Doug Williams 6-4 195 So. 5.3 2.9 C 20 Robert Fairley 6-10 230 Sr. 9.9 4.0 G 5 Michael Hall 5-9 160 Sr. 5.9 2.8 G 42 DeCarlo Draper 6-1 175 Sr. 9.0 3.1
1997-98 OSU Schedule/Results Tuesday, Nov. 11 California All-Stars (Exh.) W 97-83 Saturday, Nov. 15 Texas-Pan American W 103-71 Tuesday, Nov. 18 Buducnost (Exh.) W 114-52 Saturday, Nov. 22 Creighton W 86-70 Tuesday, Nov. 25 Southern Utah W 79-58 Saturday, Nov. 29 North Texas W 98-60 Tuesday, Dec. 2 Oral Roberts W 73-66 Saturday, Dec. 6 Washington W 81-66 Wednesday, Dec. 10 vs. Arizona State W 79-68 Saturday, Dec. 20 Jackson State 2:05 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 23 Arkansas State 6:05 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 30 at TCU (Ft. Worth Local) 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 3 at Texas A&M* 2 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 7 Nebraska* 7:05 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 10 Texas Tech* (ESPN) 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 14 at Missouri* 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 17 at Baylor* (Big 12 TV) 3 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 24 Texas A&M* 12:45 p.m. Monday, Jan. 26 at Oklahoma* 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 31 at Texas* (Big 12 TV) 12:45 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 3 Colorado* 7:05 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 7 Baylor* (Big 12 TV) 12:45 p.m. Monday, Feb. 9 at Iowa State* (ESPN2) 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 14 Oklahoma* (Big 12 TV) 12:45 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 18 at Texas Tech* 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 21 at Kansas State* 7:05 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 24 Texas* (Big 12 TV) 8 p.m. Sunday, March 1 Kansas* (ABC) 2:30 p.m. Thur.-Sun., March 5-8 Big 12 Championship (Big 12 TV) TBA * - Big 12 Conference games - Game played in Oklahoma City
About the Tigers
Jackson State is 3-5, having won all three games at home and lost all five on the road. The Tigers were an NCAA entrant last year and gave top-ranked Kansas fits in the first round. Trent Pulliam is the team's leading scorer, averaging 13.1 points per game.
Streak continues as Cowboys open season
It's been almost 11 years since Oklahoma State lost a home game to a non-conference opponent, and the Cowboys' streak is now the fifth-longest in Division I history. OSU's 76-game non-league win streak at Gallagher-Iba Arena is the longest such current streak in the country; Maryland has the second-longest streak at 55 games. The Cowboys' last non-conference loss in Gallagher-Iba was an 81-75 setback against Missouri Southern on Jan. 7, 1987, and the last Division I non-conference opponent to win in Stillwater was Tulsa in a 67-58 decision Dec. 21, 1985.
Nice November, tough December
The Cowboys' schedule has turned up a notch in December with a number of tough foes on the slate. The combined record of OSU's November opponents is 5-24 (through Sunday), and their average rank in the Sagarin ratings is 230th. The Cowboys' December foes, though, have a combined 33-16 record, and their average rank is 84th.
Cowboys recover from slow start, beat ASU
Down 17 points with 3:09 remaining in the first half, OSU scored the last eight points of the period and went on a 22-5 run to open the second half as the Cowboys defeated Arizona State 79-68 in Oklahoma City on Dec. 10. OSU shot 37.9 percent from the floor in the first half while ASU hit 56.7 percent, but the Cowboys shot 51.4 percent in the second half and held the Sun Devils to 36.4 percent. OSU out-scored Arizona State 60-32 over the game's final 23 minutes.
Mason's super sophomore season continues
Sophomore forward Desmond Mason, already having an outstanding start to his second season, turned in his top scoring performance of the year in the victory over Arizona State. Mason scored 20 of his career-high 25 points in the second half to lead the Cowboys' comeback. Mason's career scoring high after his freshman year was 11 points, but this year, his low scoring total has been 14. Nineteen of his 52 field goals (36.5 percent) have been dunks, and Mason has recorded two double-doubles this season. He currently leads the Cowboys in scoring (18.7 ppg, fifth in the Big 12) and rebounding (8.7 rpg, sixth in the league) and has scored 20 or more points in three of the past four games.
First-half effort carries Cowboys to victory
OSU held Washington under 30 percent in field goal percentage in the first half and coasted in the second to earn an 81-66 victory over visiting Washington on Dec. 6. The Cowboys opened up a 15-point halftime lead by forcing Washington into 15 first-half turnovers, and a balanced OSU scoring attack - three players led OSU with 14 points each - helped the Cowboys shoot 56.1 percent from the field in the game.
Gottlieb passes his way into the record books
Sophomore transfer Doug Gottlieb, who joined OSU this season after spending his freshman year at Notre Dame two seasons ago, has shown early in the season that he will provide the element the Cowboys missed last year - a true point guard. Gottlieb has 60 assists and just 17 turnovers, a 3.53 assist/turnover ratio (second in the Big 12), and he has shown an ability to beat a press on his own on the dribble. Gottlieb had a career-high 12 assists against North Texas, tying for the seventh-best single-game mark in school history. He had 10 assists against Oral Roberts and 11 against Washington, becoming the first OSU player to record double-figure assist totals in three consecutive games. Gottlieb went into the Arizona State game as the nation's second-leading assist man; ASU's Ahlon Lewis was first. After that game, though, Gottlieb now leads the nation with his 8.6 apg average.
Robisch leads Cowboy scoring attack vs. ORU
Senior center Brett Robisch hit 10 of 17 field goal attempts to score a season-high 22 points in the victory over Oral Roberts. Robisch also pulled down eight rebounds in the game, which marked the second 20-point contest of his career. Robisch pulled down a career-high 13 rebounds in addition to scoring 16 points in the victory over Arizona State. He currently ranks 18th in the Big 12 in scoring (13.6 ppg) and 14th in rebounding (7.6 rpg).
Peterson adds rebounding to familiar scoring touch
Junior guard Adrian Peterson has been one of OSU's top scorers over his two-plus seasons at OSU, but he has added a new dimension to his game this season - rebounding. Peterson pulled down a career-high 11 rebounds against Arizona State and recorded the second double-double of his season and career. Peterson's career rebounding high (seven) prior to this year is equal to his current average, which ranks 16th in the Big 12.
Adkins continues to shine at home
Sophomore guard Joe Adkins set career scoring highs in each of OSU's last two home games a year ago, and he has continued that improvement into his second year. Adkins led OSU with 17 points against Southern Utah, and he scored 16 - 12 in the second half - against Creighton. He also collected a career-best six steals against Southern Utah, becoming the ninth player in school history to do so. Six steals ties for the fifth-best single-game mark on the OSU charts. Adkins hit 5 of 6 three-pointers and scored 24 points in the 97-83 exhibition win over the California All-Stars. In his last eight Gallagher-Iba Arena games, Adkins has averaged 13.4 points, well above his overall career average of 5.1 points per game.
Inside the numbers
Here's a look at how OSU and Jackson State compare statistically (number in parentheses represents OSU's Big 12 rank):
OSU JSU Record 7-0 (1) 3-5 Scoring Offense 85.6 (4) 69.5 Scoring Defense 65.6 (4) 65.0 Scoring Margin +20.0 (2) +4.5 Field Goal Pct. 52.1 (1) 40.1 Field Goal Pct. Defense 40.8 (6) 39.1 Free Throw Pct. 65.4 (7) 64.9 Rebound Margin +9.3 (3) -4.1 Three-Point FG Pct. 28.0 (11) 33.3 Three-Pointers Per Game 4.0 (12) 6.5 Turnover Margin +3.4 (2) +4.3
Peterson moves up OSU scoring charts
Peterson was OSU's leading scorer a year ago, and he is currently second on the team this season. "Pete," an honorable mention All-Big 12 selection a year ago, already ranks 27th in career scoring at OSU and is tied with Sean Sutton for fourth in school history in three-pointers made. At his current scoring pace (15.1 ppg), Peterson would become OSU's 20th 1,000-point scorer in OSU's Jan. 26 game at Oklahoma.
Cowboys getting the ball up the floor
OSU averaged 69.4 points per game in 1996-97, making last season's team the lowest-scoring Cowboys in 20 years. But if the first seven games of this season are any indication, that trend is changing drastically, with OSU averaging 85.6 points per game. In defeating Texas-Pan American 103-71 in the season opener, the Cowboys topped 100 points for the first time since the 1995 squad defeated Alaska-Anchorage 112-72 on Jan. 2, 1995. The Cowboys have already had as many 80-point games this season (four) as they had in all 32 games last year.
Home, sweet home, sweet home, sweet home...
Oklahoma State recently concluded a six-game homestand, the longest in Gallagher-Iba Arena history. OSU played seven consecutive home games during the 1920-21 season, 18 years before moving into its current building. The Cowboys will play nine games this season before competing in a road contest, the longest such streak since the 1938-39 season began with 11 non-road games (five neutral, six home).
Big win gives reserves a chance to shine
OSU's 38-point victory over North Texas on Nov. 29 gave some Cowboys a chance for career-best performances. Sophomore forward Brian Montonati hit 4 of 5 field goals and all four of his free throw attempts to score a career-best 12 points. In addition, redshirt freshman guard Estell Laster hit all five of his field goal attempts and scored a career-high 10 points. Sophomore forward Alex Webber also had his best performance of the year, scoring seven points and pulling down four rebounds.
Looking ahead
Looking to avenge a 1996-97 loss in Jonesboro, Ark., the Cowboys play host to Arkansas State on Tuesday at 6:05 p.m. OSU hits the road for the first time Dec. 30 to face Billy Tubbs' talented and 24th-ranked TCU club.
Coaches vs. Cancer
Cowboy coach Eddie Sutton is joining his NABC colleagues in participating in the Coaches vs. Cancer program this season. The Coaches vs. Cancer IKON Three-Point Attack is a fund-raising program that recruits fans to help fight cancer. Fans can contribute by making a one-time donation or by pledging any amount from $.01 to $10 or more for every three-point basket the Cowboys make during the season. For information, fans may call the Men's Basketball Office at 405-744-5845.
Head Coach Eddie Sutton
Eddie Sutton (Oklahoma State, 1958) has coached for seven-plus years at his alma mater with a 164-70 record at the school as well as a 594-234 overall mark in his 28th year of collegiate coaching. Sutton finished the 1996-97 season ranked ninth in total victories and 18th in winning percentage among active Division I coaches with at least 10 years' experience. Under his guidance, OSU has advanced to postseason play in six of the last seven years and has won 17 games or more each season. Only three coaches - Bobby Knight, Dean Smith and John Wooden - won more games than Eddie Sutton in their first 27 years as head coaches.
Years School (No. of Years) Record Pct. Conf. NCAA 1970-74 Creighton (five) 82-50 .621 --- 2-1 1975-85 Arkansas (11) 260-75 .776 139-35 10-9 1986-89 Kentucky (four) 88-39 .693 48-24 5-3 1991-98 Oklahoma State (eighth)164-70 .701 59-39 10-5 Totals 28th year (828 games) 594-234 .717 246-98 27-18 Sutton at Oklahoma State Year Record Conf./Finish NCAA Final AP Notes 1990-91 24-8 10-4/First 2-1 14th OSU's second Big 8 championship 1991-92 28-8 8-6/T-Second 2-1 11th Second straight Sweet 16 1992-93 20-9 8-6/T-Second 1-1 23rd Big Eight Coach of the Year 1993-94 24-10 10-4/Second 1-1 19th 1994-95 27-10 10-4/Second 4-1 14th Final Four/Nat'l Coach of the Year 1995-96 17-10 7-7/T-Fourth --- --- 1996-97 17-15 7-9/T-Sixth --- --- First career NIT appearance 1997-98 7-0
Postgame procedure
The Oklahoma State locker room is closed to the media. However, selected OSU players and head coach Eddie Sutton will be brought to the sports information office for postgame interviews. If you have any questions, please contact OSU coordinator of media relations Will Hancock.
On the Air
Tonight's game will be broadcast on the OSU Radio Network with Tom Dirato and Bill Teegins providing commentary. Dirato and Teegins are in their seventh year as the Cowboys' basketball radio team, and Dirato is calling OSU men's basketball for the 21st season in 1997-98. Due to a conflict with the Alamo Bowl, the Cowboys' Dec. 30 game at TCU will not be broadcast on the Cowboy Radio Network. Instead, Dallas Cowboys play-by-play voice David Garrett will provide frequent extensive updates during Dirato and Teegins' football broadcast.
National Rankings
Here's a look at Oklahoma State's week-by-week appearance in the Associated Press and USA Today polls, Jeff Sagarin's basketball ratings and the unofficial RPI compiled by Jim Sukup (RPI rankings have not yet been released):
Week AP USAT Sag. RPI Preseason (64) --- 48 Nov. 17 (61) 59 Nov. 24 (65) (60) 52 Dec. 1 (56) (44) 50 Dec. 8 (36) (45) 24 Dec. 15 (37) (45) 17 Here's how some of OSU's opponents stack up in the current rankings: Team AP USAT Sag. RPI Baylor --- --- 128 Colorado --- --- 191 Iowa State --- (48) 165 Kansas 2 3 3 Kansas State (50) --- 70 Missouri --- --- 117 Nebraska --- --- 58 Oklahoma (53) --- 152 Texas --- --- 99 Texas A&M --- --- 141 Texas Tech --- --- 113 Big 12* 8 * - Ranked among the nation's 31 conferences. The Record Books Career Scoring 1. Byron Houston, 1989-92 2,379 25. Clayton Carter, 1954-56 939 26. James King, 1963-65 888 27. Adrian Peterson, 1996-Present 859 Career Three-Pointers Made 1. Randy Rutherford, 1993-4-5 279 4. Adrian Peterson, 1996-7-Pres. 108 Sean Sutton, 1991-2 108 8. John Potter, 1990-91 91 9. Chad Alexander, 1995-6-7-Pres.67 Double-Figure Assist Games 1. Andre Owens, 1995-6 9 2. Eddie Hannon, 1981-2 5 Bill Self, 1982-3-4-5 5 4. Randy Wright, 1978-9-80-1 4 5. Matt Clark, 1979-81-2-3 3 Doug Gottlieb,Present 3 Best OSU Season Starts Year Start Finish 1991-92 20-0 28-8 1950-51 16-0 29-6 1914-15 10-0 10-4 1969-70 9-0 14-12 1936-37 9-0 20-3 1937-38 8-0 25-3 Current Big 12 Standings through Dec. 16 Big 12 All Games W L Pct. W L Pct. Kansas St. 0 0 ---- 7 0 1.000 Oklahoma St. 0 0 ---- 7 0 1.000 Kansas 0 0 ---- 11 1 .917 Nebraska 0 0 ---- 8 2 .800 Texas A&M 0 0 ---- 5 2 .714 Colorado 0 0 ---- 4 3 .571 Iowa State 0 0 ---- 4 3 .571 Texas Tech 0 0 ---- 4 3 .571 Oklahoma 0 0 ---- 5 4 .556 Baylor 0 0 ---- 4 4 .500 Missouri 0 0 ---- 4 4 .500 Texas 0 0 ---- 4 4 .500 Around the Big 12 Wednesday, December 17 LSU at Texas, 7 p.m. Thursday, December 18 Pepperdine at Kansas, 7:05 p.m. Friday, December 19 Texas A&M at Arizona State, 7 p.m. Saturday, December 20 Texas at Illinois, 1 p.m. Jackson St. at Oklahoma St., 2:05 p.m. Sam Houston State at Missouri, 3 p.m. Texas Tech at New Mexico, 3:05 p.m. Va. Commonwealth at Kansas St., 3:30 p.m. Florida Atlantic at Oklahoma, 3:30 p.m. Kansas vs. TCU, 7:05 p.m. Colorado vs. Massachusetts, 8 p.m. Alaska-Anchorage at Iowa State, 8 p.m. Baylor at Nevada, 9:35 p.m. Sunday, December 21 Md.-Eastern Shore at Texas A&M, 2 p.m. Detroit/Grambling at Iowa State, 5:30/8 p.m. Home non-league streaks Active streaks School No. Next home game Oklahoma State 76 Jackson State 12/20 Maryland 56 N.C.-Asheville 12/22 North Carolina 46 Hampton 12/16 Kentucky 37 Tulsa 12/20 Washington St. 32 Idaho 12/22 All-time streaks School No. Years UCLA 97 1966-77 Duke 95 1983-95 Marquette 81 1967-73 DePaul 81 1942-56 Oklahoma State 76 1987-Present #35 * Joe Adkins 6-2 * 185 * So. * G Team-high 17 points and career-best six steals vs. Southern Utah ... six steals ties for fifth-best in school history ... 24 points (5 of 6 from three-point range) in exhibition opener against the California All-Stars ... 16 points, 12 of which came in the second half, against Creighton ... 13 points, five rebounds, five assists, three steals vs. North Texas É 14 points, 11 in the second half, against Washington, including a key stretch in which he scored six straight OSU points. #12 * Chad Alexander 6-3 * 193 * Sr. * G The only remaining letterwinner from OSU's 1995 Final Four team ... scored eight points and pulled down five rebounds after coming off the bench against Texas-Pan American ... seven points and a key second-half three-pointer against Washington É one of seven Cowboys in double figures in the exhibition victory over Buducnost, hitting 3 of 7 three-point attempts. #44 * Doug Gottlieb 6-1 * 190 * So. * G Leads the nation in assist average (8.6 apg) É career-high 12 assists, the seventh-best mark in school history, against North Texas ... 10 assists against Oral Roberts and 11 (along with a season-high eight points) against Washington ... the first OSU player to record three straight double-figure assist games and just the sixth to record three 10-assist games in a career ... pulled down a career-high five rebounds against UTPA and again vs. Southern Utah ... second in the Big 12 with a 3.53 assist/turnover ratio. #33 * Michael Johnson 6-7 * 220 * Fr. * F OSU's only true freshman in 1997-98 ... has seen action in four games, scoring four points vs. UTPA ... was called "Too Much in the Clutch" by the Kansas City Star during his senior year at Shawnee Mission (Kan.) East High School after he hit numerous buzzer-beating shots to win games or send them into overtime. #25 * Estell Laster 6-2 * 172 * Fr.-RS * G Career-high 10 rebounds, hitting all five of his field goal attempts, against North Texas ... career highs of three rebounds and seven free throws against Southern Utah ... played 18 minutes vs. UNT and vs. Washington, his most substantial playing time this year ... medical redshirt in 1996-97 after suffering a broken arm in the fourth game of the year ... showed promise in his small amount of action last year, scoring eight points in his one full regular-season effort and 10 in an exhibition. #34 * Desmond Mason 6-6 * 207 * So. * F Career-high 25 points (20 in second half) against Arizona State ... 22 points, nine rebounds, three blocked shots and three steals, vs. North Texas ... 21 points (including the basket that gave OSU the lead for good), 11 rebounds against Oral Roberts for his second double-double ... 14 points, eight rebounds, three blocked shots and a career-high four steals against Washington ... 16 points and career-high 14 rebounds against Creighton for the first double-double of his career ... 19 of his 52 field goals (36.5 percent) have come on dunks, including six dunks vs. UTPA ... scored 32 points against Buducnost ... has been one of OSU's top defensive players, holding ORU's Rocky Walls to two points and Creighton's Rodney Buford to 6-for-19 shooting. #30 * Brian Montonati 6-9 * 220 * So. * F Scored career-high 12 points, hitting 4 of 5 field goals and all four of his free throw attempts, against North Texas in just eight minutes of action ... 12 points and seven rebounds against Buducnost in 21 minutes of action ... hit 4 of 9 from the field and made all four of his free throw attempts ... scored four points in just five minutes of action against Texas-Pan American ... the Grand Rapids Free Press Player of the Year as a high school senior ... transferred to OSU from Fullerton (Calif.) College. #20 * Adrian Peterson 6-4 * 197 * Jr. * G Began the season with his 10th career 20-point game, tallying 24 against Texas-Pan American ... 13 points, career-high 11 rebounds vs. Arizona State ... fourth in the Big 12 in free throw percentage (81.6) ... 14 points and 10 rebounds against North Texas for his first career double-double ... has nearly doubled his rebounding output, now averaging 6.3 boards per game after his previous career average had been 3.2 rpg ... 14 points, seven rebounds against Washington ... 27th in career scoring (859) and tied for fourth in career three-pointers (106) despite being only seven games into his junior year. #31 * Brett Robisch 6-11 * 255 * Sr. * F/C 16 points, career-high 13 rebounds against Arizona State ... 12 points, 10 rebounds in victory over Texas-Pan American ... 14th in the Big 12 in rebounding (7.6 rpg) and fourth in offensive rebounds (4.0) after pulling down 10 vs. Arizona State ... averaged 12.4 points, 7.5 rebounds over the second half of 1996-97 after joining the Cowboys in mid-December ... has started 34 straight games - every contest since he officially joined the Cowboys in December 1996. #40 * Scott Robisch 6-10 * 196 * Fr.-RS * F/C Career-high eight points in Texas-Pan American game ... career-high six rebounds vs. North Texas ... 11 points (hitting all five of his FTs) and seven rebounds vs. Buducnost ... along with Brett, makes up first brother tandem at OSU since Dickey and Houston Nutt, who played in 1980 ... he and Brett are sons of former All-American Dave Robisch, who played at Kansas ... medical redshirt in 1996-97 with tendinitis and a broken hand. #22 * Tommy Warner 6-0 * 162 * Sr. * G On scholarship for the first time in his career ... expects to graduate in May and is a hot prospect in area accounting firms ... has played in three games (also had a first-half exhibition stint against Buducnost), scoring two points against Texas-Pan American. #45 * Alex Webber 6-10 * 257 * So. * F Eight points (4 for 4 shooting), four rebounds and two steals vs. Arizona State ... seven points and four rebounds against North Texas ... scoring total vs. ASU was his best since his 22-point outing against Mississippi Valley State last year ... one of OSU's most promising freshmen last season when a ruptured disk ended his season in mid-January ... had become one of only four OSU freshmen (including Peterson the year before) to start their debuts.
