Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys Prepare for Bruins
August 31, 2004 | Cowboy Football
Oklahoma State Cowboys
versus the UCLA Bruins
in the Rose Bowl
Saturday, Sept. 4, 2004 • 2:30 p.m. [CDT]
Rose Bowl [91,500] • Pasadena, Calif.
Cowboys Open 2004 Season at UCLA
Oklahoma State opens the 2004 season Saturday afternoon in the Rose Bowl against UCLA. The game matches the Big 12 Conference against the Pac-10 in an attractive early season intersectional battle. Kickoff at the Rose Bowl is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. (CDT) and the game will be broadcast live on ABC and on the Cowboy Radio Network.
103rd Season of Cowboy Football
When the Cowboys kick off the season at UCLA, it will be the start of the 103rd season of Oklahoma State Football. OSU first fielded a collegiate team in 1901, hired its first full-time coach in 1907, has competed in four different conferences (Southwest, Missouri Valley, Big Eight and Big 12), and has 465 all-time victories. In it’s 102 years of football history, Oklahoma State has laid claim to 10 conference championships and appeared in 15 bowl games since 1945.
OSU On the Road
The Cowboys will depart for Los Angeles immediately following Thursday’s practice with an approximate 9 p.m. (PST) arrival on the west coast. OSU will stage a brief workout Friday at the Rose Bowl. Oklahoma State players are not available for interviews either Thursday or Friday. Head Coach Les Miles will be available briefly prior to OSU’s workout at the Rose Bowl. Please contact the OSU Athletic Media Relations office for details.
Cowboys-Bruins on the Air
Oklahoma State’s season opener at UCLA will be broadcast live by ABC as well as the Cowboy Radio Network. Keith Jackson, Dan Fouts and Todd Harris will provide the play-by-play and analysis for ABC. It will be Oklahoma State’s fifth appearance on ABC in the last two years, and the school’s 22nd all-time ABC appearance. On the Cowboy Radio Network, Dave Hunziker returns for his fourth season handling play-by-play chores. Tom Dirato will again provide the color with Robert Allen on the sidelines. Cowboy Football can be heard across the state of Oklahoma, including Stillwater’s KSPI, Oklahoma City’s KXXY and Tulsa’s KTBZ.
OSU-UCLA, Briefly
There’s much more on the OSU-UCLA matchup elsewhere in this release, but the Cowboys and Bruins will be facing each other for just the second time on the football field. The first game was Stillwater on Sept. 14, 2002, and UCLA claimed a 38-24 win. UCLA is coached by Karl Dorrell who is entering his second season after guiding the Bruins to a 6-7 record a year ago. UCLA returns 15 starters, eight on offense, five on defense and two on special teams. Oklahoma State, 9-4 a year ago, returns 18 players who started two or more games in 2003. The Cowboys rolled to a second-straight bowl appearance a year ago, losing to Mississippi in the SBC Cotton Bowl.
Records and Rankings
Saturday marks the season opener for both Oklahoma State and UCLA. The Cowboys finished the 2003 season with an overall record of 9-4 and a Big 12 Conference mark of 5-3. Oklahoma State was 6-1 at home in 2003 and was 3-2 on the road. The Cowboys finished the regular season ranked 22nd in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll, 21st in the Associated Press poll and 21st in the Bowl Championship Series poll. UCLA was 6-7 a year ago and had a 4-4 mark in Pac-10 play.
OSU vs. the Pac-10
The Cowboys are opening their season against a Pac-10 opponent for the third time in school history. The Cowboys opened at Arizona State in 1984, winning 45-3, and opened the 1985 season with a 31-17 win at Washington. Overall, Oklahoma State is 5-9 vs. the Pac-10, including a 3-3 record vs. Arizona, a 1-2 mark vs. Arizona State, an 0-1 record vs. UCLA, an even 1-1 mark vs. Washington and an 0-2 record vs. Washington State.
Go West
Saturday will mark the first time the Cowboys have opened a season, home or away, against a team from the state of California. It is not, however, the first time OSU has played football within the borders of California. Saturday’s game at the Rose Bowl will be OSU’s fifth all-time appearance in California, and OSU owns a 3-1 record in the previous four meetings. The Cowboys have played in San Diego three times, twice vs. San Diego State (1980 and 1982) and vs. Wyoming in the 1988 Holiday Bowl. OSU also played at San Francisco in 1948, winning 27-20.
Away Again, Naturally
Surprise! Oklahoma State is opening its 2004 football season on the road. Hostile surroundings in a season opener is nothing new, especially of late. The Cowboys are opening their season away from home for the fifth-straight year and for the seventh time in the last eight seasons. A year ago, OSU opened its season in Lincoln against Nebraska. In 2002, OSU opened in Shreveport against Louisiana Tech, and in 2001, the first year of Les Miles tenure at OSU, the Cowboys opened at Southern Mississippi. The last time Oklahoma State opened its season at home was Sept. 4, 1999, when the Cowboys defeated Louisiana-Lafayette, 24-7.
TV Time
The Cowboys are opening their season on network television for the second-straight year. Last year’s opener at Nebraska was also on ABC. In 2003, Oklahoma State appeared on television a record 10 times. The Cowboys were on ABC four times and either Fox Sports Net or Fox National an additional six times. The four ABC appearances last year were the most ever by OSU in a single season. Since 1958, Oklahoma State has appeared on the tube 87 times. Since Les Miles took over the OSU program prior to the 2001 season, Oklahoma State has made 21 television appearances.
Head Coach Les Miles
When the Cowboys kick off against UCLA Saturday afternoon, it will mark the beginning of Les Miles’ fourth season as OSU’s head coach. Miles, OSU’s offensive coordinator from 1995-97, returned to Stillwater prior to the 2001 season and has clearly reordered the landscape of Cowboy Football. The former Michigan offensive lineman has the OSU program firmly planted on a nationally competitive foundation. He has guided the Cowboys to back-to-back bowl games, including the school’s first New Year’s Day bowl since the late 1940s. Under Miles, the Cowboys have won 21 of 37 games, and seven of those 16 losses came in his first season. Miles, the Big 12 Conference Coach of the Year in 2002, has built the Cowboys into winners without compromising integrity in the classroom. OSU had 100 percent graduation of its senior class a year ago, and an overall grade point average higher than the regular student-body average.
Strength up Front
One of the strong suits of Oklahoma State’s 2004 offense should be the guys up front. Four starters return from last year, including center Chris Akin, who started all 13 games of the 2003 season, and right guard Sam Mayes who logged 12 starts a year ago. Right tackle Kellen Davis and left tackle Corey Hilliard also return, and redshirt freshman David Koenig or sophomore Doug Bond could get the start at left guard. The combination of Akin, Mayes, Davis and Hilliard have a combined 59 starts under their OSU belts. Mayes was a preseason All-Big 12 selection and preseason All-America selection by several publications. Oklahoma State’s 2004 offensive line averages 6-4 and 298 pounds.
Tight End Tandem one of the Best
Oklahoma State’s tight end tandem of Billy Bajema and Charlie Johnson should be considered one of the best in the Big 12 Conference, if not the entire nation. A year ago, Bajema (6-5, 265, Sr.) played in all 13 games and had 12 receptions for 129 yards and a pair of touchdowns. His touchdown receptions came against Kansas State and Baylor. Johnson (6-4, 280, Jr.) also played in all 13 games and had seven receptions for 67 yards and two touchdowns. His touchdown receptions came against Louisiana-Lafayette and Texas Tech. Both Bajema and Johnson are terrific pass catchers and very effective blockers.
Ready to Step Up
While O-State will have to replace two-time All-American Rashaun Woods, there’s another Woods who is ready to catch passes by the bucket load for the Cowboys in 2004. D’Juan Woods (6-1, 195, So.) was the Cowboys second-leading receiver a year ago with 31 catches for 479 yards and a touchdown. He averaged 15.5 yards per reception, compared to his brother’s average of 17.8 per catch, and he averaged 40 yards per game with a long reception of 51 yards. D’Juan had an impressive spring and carried that forward into preseason camp.
Receivers Young and Talented
While the Cowboys return only two other receivers who caught passes in 2003, the rest of the receiving corps looks to be very talented. Tommy Devereaux (6-1, 170, So.) is a speedster who played in 10 games a year ago as a true freshman and had four catches for 22 yards. Kenny Williams (6-4, 210, Jr.) played in 12 games last year and had three catches for 40 yards. Redshirt freshman Chijuan Mack is expected to start at one of the receiver spots. Mack (6-3, 185), was solid during the preseason. Luke Frazier (6-0, 205), a transfer from NEO, and Eric Allen (6-3, 204) a redshirt freshman, are two others who could see plenty of playing time as the 2004 season unfolds.
It’s Donovan’s Turn
When Oklahoma State’s offense takes the field against UCLA, there will be a new man under center for the first snap. Redshirt freshman Donovan Woods replaces the departed Josh Fields, who had started every game of the past two seasons. The last quarterback, other than Fields, to start for the Cowboys was Aso Pogi, who started the final game of the 2001 season at Oklahoma. Woods came to Oklahoma State from Oklahoma City’s Millwood High School, where he was one of the most sought-after high school players in the country two years ago.
Freshmen QB’s Nothing New
Donovan Woods will be the sixth true or redshirt freshman to start for Oklahoma State at quarterback since 1986. His current coach, Mike Gundy, gained his first collegiate start in the fourth game of his true freshman season (1986). Since then, Gary Porter (1992), Toné Jones (1993), Tony Lindsay (1997) and Aso Pogi (2000) all earned starts as either true or redshirt freshmen.
Cowboy Backs Impressive
When Oklahoma State runs the ball, the Cowboys will look to a stable of outstanding running backs to get the job done. At tailback, both Greg Jones and Vernand Morency have been impressive at times, and both have varsity experience under their belts. A year ago, Morency had 135 carries for 918 yards and eight touchdowns. Jones added 13 carries for 68 yards. Morency (5-10, 215, Jr.) came within 82 yards a year ago of joining Tatum Bell (now with the Denver Broncos) as a 1,000-yard rusher. Late in the season, filling in for an injured Bell, Morency came through in a huge way. In late season wins over Kansas and Baylor, Morency rushed for 269 and 227 yards, respectively, scoring four touchdowns. He had an 18 carry, 189 yard, two touchdown performance earlier in the season against Louisiana-Lafayette. Jones had a season-best seven carries for 36 yards against Texas at Boone Pickens Stadium last November. At fullback, the Cowboys will turn to returning starter Shawn Willis (6-1, 260, Jr.) and Julius Crosslin (5-11, 230, RS Fr.). Willis is one of the strongest players on the team, bench pressing 500 pounds, and could very well be one of the most effective fullbacks in the country in 2004.
Inside the Numbers
Oklahoma State’s offensive numbers over the past three years have been impressive. OSU’s 2003 offense averaged 217.8 rushing yards per game, representing the highest rushing average since the 1997 team that averaged 226 per game. The 2003 offense averaged 414.8 yards of total offense per game, the highest since the 1988 team, featuring Heisman winner Barry Sanders, averaged 515.2 yards per game. Last year’s total offense average was the third highest in school history. OSU’s 2003 total of 467 points was the most in a single season since the 522 scored by the 1988 team and is the second-most in school history.
Got You Covered
One of the strengths of the 2004 OSU defense is expected to the secondary, where talent and experience return at every position. Every player who started in the Cotton Bowl against Mississippi returns in 2004, including preseason All-America and Thorpe candidate Darrent Williams at left corner. Junior Vernon Grant returns to his strong safety spot. Jon Holland is the returning starter at free safety and Robert Jones at right corner. Jamie Thompson, who started one game a year ago, and Jamar Ransom, who started five games a year ago, return at the other safety spot.
Check Out These Numbers
On the latest depth chart, there are 11 players listed at five positions in the Cowboy secondary. In 2003, those 11 players accounted for 405 total tackles, 36 pass breakups and 14 interceptions. Five of those players, (Grant, Holland, Jones, Williams and Daniel McLemore) had 50 or more tackles in 2003. Among OSU’s returning defensive backs, there is a total of 74 collective games started, including 27 career starts by Darrent Williams.
Darrent Williams Gets Preseason Attention
Left corner Darrent Williams was a first-team All-Big 12 selection a year ago and has already been recognized as one of the top players in the country heading into the 2004 season. Williams is a preseason all-conference pick as well as a preseason All-American on most lists and on the preseason watch list for the Jim Thorpe Award, given annually to the nation’s top defensive back. Last year, Williams had 66 total tackles, and led the team with six interceptions for 130 yards in returns and an amazing 17 pass breakups. He was third in the country in pass deflections and second in the Big 12 in interceptions. For his Oklahoma State career, Williams has 152 total tackles, 11 interceptions and 45 pass deflections. Five times in his OSU career he has returned interceptions for touchdowns, a Big 12 record. The first three interceptions of his collegiate career were all returned for touchdowns, including two in one game against Baylor in 2001.
More on D. Williams
Not only is Darrent Williams one of the top defensive backs in the country, he is one of the most dangerous kick returners in the NCAA. Last year, he returned 13 punts for 233 yards and two touchdowns, an average of 21.2 yards per return. In 2003, he had four kickoff returns for 83 yards, an average of 20.8 yards per return. Below are just a few of Darrent Williams’ career highlights at Oklahoma State:
Linebackers Looking Good
Oklahoma State’s 2004 corps of linebackers may just be among the best in school history, and one of the top units in the country. Led by leading tackler Paul Duren, four of the Cowboys’ returning linebackers were among the team’s top-12 tacklers a year ago. Duren topped the tackle chart with 97 total stops. Sophomore Victor DeGrate had 76 tackles a year ago, junior Pagitte McGee added 46, and Lawrence Pinson, who missed all but five games last year, had 35 tackles. A pair of freshmen, Jeremiah Burton and Rodrick Johnson, are also listed on the preseason depth chart and could see action in 2004.
Paul Duren: Leading by Example
Junior Paul Duren is the quiet but extremely productive leader of Oklahoma State’s linebacking corps. All this redshirt junior has done over the past two seasons is lead the Oklahoma State defense in tackles while playing in all 26 games and starting 21 of those. His two-year tackle numbers include 103 solo tackles and 78 assisted tackles, 181 total. He also has seven tackles behind the line of scrimmage for 27 yards lost, including 2-1/2 sacks, seven pass deflections and a fumble recovery. He’s on a pace that would give him more than 360 career tackles, making him one of OSU’s top-five career tackle leaders.
Pinson’s Presence a Plus
When Lawrence Pinson arrived on campus prior to the 2002 season, OSU coaches knew he had a chance to be special. It didn’t take long for him to prove it. As a true freshman two years ago, Pinson played in all 13 games, started one of those and finished with 40 tackles. Going into the 2003 season, he was one of the starters at linebacker and started the first five games before suffering a season-ending leg injury against Louisiana-Lafayette. When his season ended, he had already registered 35 tackles, including three behind the line of scrimmage. After a winter and spring of rehabilitation, Pinson returned this fall and is expected to be in the starting lineup Saturday at the Rose Bowl.
Pokes Feature Youth and Leadership up Front
Oklahoma State’s defensive ends and interior defense feature both experienced and young talent. Clay Coe (6-2, 295, Sr.) is the veteran returner at nose guard. Coe started all 13 games a year ago, finishing with 34 tackles and a pair of sacks. Brad Girtman (6-5, 300, So.) and Xavier Lawson-Kennedy (6-1, 310, So) were both impact players as true freshmen, and return to a defensive tackle spot. As the Cowboys open the season, they will have to replace defensive ends Greg Richmond, Khreem Smith and Antonio Smith, now in the NFL, but both Marque Fountain (6-2, 260, So.) and Jerry Don Bray (6-5, 265, Jr.) appear ready to fill those spots more than adequately.
Cole Farden: Best in the Country
Oklahoma State punter and kickoff specialist Cole Farden could well be the best in the country. Farden (5-11, 200, Sr.) has proven himself invaluable with his unreturnable kickoffs as well as becoming one of the best punters in the country. He should be considered a candidate for the Ray Guy Award and other postseason honors after being named second-team All-Big 12 last year. Over the past two seasons, 98 of his 147 kickoffs have gone for touchbacks. As OSU’s punter, he averaged 43.2 yards per punt a year ago, the ninth-best single-season average in OSU history. Two years ago, he averaged 41.4 yards on 57 punts and his career average of 42.2 going into his senior season is just two yards per punt behind Greg Ivy’s all-time OSU career punting mark. Farden is the leading returning punter in the Big 12 Conference.
Other Special Teams Notes
True freshman Jason Ricks and redshirt freshman Luke Roberts have competed all preseason to see who will handle field goal and extra-point chores in 2004. One of the two will replace Luke Phillips, who handled those chores for the past three years. It would be the first collegiate action for either Ricks or Roberts ... Oklahoma State has stability at deep snapper with the return of Jacob Dressen, who handled those chores in all 13 games a year ago ... OSU’s primary return specialists will be Darrent Williams, Daniel McLemore and Robert Jones ... John Wohlgemuth is slated to be the holder on field goal and PAT attempts.
Building Momentum
Oklahoma State heads into the 2004 season riding the momentum of two straight bowl appearances. In fact, the Cowboys will open a new season after having won 15 of their last 20 games, dating back to the middle of the 2002 season. The Cowboys are 19-9 in their last 28 games. It is OSU’s most successful era since the mid and late eighties. OSU won 23 of 27 between 1986 and 1988 and 26 of 32 between 1983 and 1985.
Sanders Honored, Again and Again
Former OSU All-American and Heisman Trophy winner Barry Sanders was inducted into both the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame this summer. Sanders played at OSU from 1986-88, and was the game’s best player in 1988 as a junior. Sanders rushed for 2,628 yards in 1988 and won the Heisman in a landslide. Sanders is OSU’s first representative in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and the school’s second in the College Hall, joining Bob Fenimore.
Looking Forward to Next Week
Oklahoma State will return from the west coast to begin preparations for its home opener on Sept. 11 against Tulsa. It will not only be the home opener, it will be the first game in the renovated Boone Pickens Stadium. Phase I of the three phase stadium construction is moving rapidly toward completion. Fans on the south side of Boone Pickens Stadium will enjoy state-of-the-art amenities, new concourses, as well as an all new club seat area, suite level and working press facilities.
About The Bruins
• The Bruins finished the 2003 season with a 6-7 record after their 17-9 loss to Fresno State in the Silicon Valley Football Classic, marking the sixth time in the last seven seasons that UCLA has qualified for a bowl game. The Bruins wrapped up Pac-10 play at 4-4 and tied for fifth place.
• The 2004 season will mark the 86th in the history of the UCLA program. The Bruins are 55-25-5 all-time in season openers. Last year’s season-opening loss at Colorado snapped a five-game winning streak in season-opening contests for UCLA.
• This season marks the 23rd that the Bruins have called the Rose Bowl home. Since moving to Pasadena in 1982, UCLA is 90-40-2 on its home field.
• Several Bruins have seen their names mentioned among the preseason award lists. Among those mentioned are junior center Mike McCloskey, one of 36 players named to the Dave Rimington Trophy watch list honoring the nation’s top center, and Mercedes Lewis, who is on the John Mackey Award (top tight end) watch list. Junior linebackers Justin London and Spencer Havner are both listed on the Rotary Lombardi Award (top lineman) and the Butkus Award (top linebacker) watch lists.
