Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys Look To Get Back On Winning Track In Lawrence
October 12, 2006 | Cowboy Football
Oklahoma State at Kansas
Memorial Stadium
Lawrence, Kan.
Saturday, Oct. 14, 2006 • 1 p.m.
Television — None
Radio — Cowboy Radio Network
Dave Hunziker (play-by-play)
John Holcomb (analyst)
Robert Allen (sidelines)
Joe Riddle (engineer)
Satellite — Sirius Radio Channel TBA
Internet — okstate.com
Storylines
The Oklahoma State Cowboys and the Kansas Jayhawks will clash on the football field in Lawrence on Saturday afternoon in a game that may not grab the headlines, but is critical in the early-season Big 12 standings and will feature some intriguing storylines.
Both teams are coming off of tough losses (OSU to Kansas State and Kansas to Texas A&M) as the league pecking order continues to sort itself out in mid- October. The Jayhawks had a nine-game home-field winning streak snapped on Saturday while the Cowboys will be trying to end a Big 12 road losing streak at seven.
Oklahoma State has continued to evolve into an efficient offensive football team behind the quarterback play of Bobby Reid and the kiddie corps at running back (sophomore Mike Hamilton, freshman Keith Toston and junior-college transfer Dantrell Savage). They will face a KU defensive unit allowing 358 yards per game.
The Jayhawks have made the close game an art form in 2006. KU's six games have included a two-point win over Louisiana-Monroe, an overtime loss at Toledo, a six-point win over South Florida an overtime loss at Nebraska and the three-point setback to Texas A&M last week.
Kansas running back Jon Cornish averages 118.3 rushing yards per game while Kansas quarterbacks have combined for 1,403 passing yards and nine touchdowns, but also 10 interceptions.
The Kansas offensive front has allowed 11 quarterback sacks through six games while the OSU defense has accumulated 19 sacks through five games.
On The Road Again
The Oklahoma State Cowboys will play their third consecutive road game this week when they head to Lawrence to face the Kansas Jayhawks in a critical Big 12 game between two teams coming off of tough losses. The Cowboys are 3-2 overall and 0-1 in the Big 12 while the Jayhawks are 3-3 overall and 0-2 in the league.
This Is Kansas
The Cowboys played their first game in the state of Kansas since November of 2002 last week when they visited Manhattan. Their next game in the Sunflower State will come just a week later with the trip to Lawrence. OSU hopes recent omens continue to hold. The Cowboys haven't been swept by both Kansas schools during the same football season since 1995.
Kansas Quickly
The Jayhawks enter the OSU game at 3-3 thanks to a double-overtime loss at Toledo (37-31), an overtime loss at Nebraska (39-32) and Saturday's setback vs. Texas A&M (21-18). Kansas had a nine-game Memorial Stadium winning streak stopped by the Aggies. KU running back John Cornish is No.10 nationally in rushing, averaging 118.3 yards per game. The game will feature two of the nation's top punt returners. Brian Murph of Kansas is fourth nationally with an average of 19.5 yards per return while OSU frosh Perrish Cox is ninth in the country with an average of 17.2 yards per return.
Last Week
The Oklahoma State-Kansas game will be a test of wills for a couple of teams coming off of heartbreaking losses. Kansas led the entire day against Texas A&M last week, before falling in the final moments, 21-18. Factor in the overtime losses and KU is just an eyelash away from a 5-0 start. It doesn't take much squinting to see OSU at 5-0 instead of 3-2 as well. The Pokes came up empty on two late scoring chances at Houston in a 34-25 loss and held a 10-point lead late in the fourth quarter at Kansas State before falling, 31-27.
Oklahoma State vs. Kansas
Oklahoma State and Kansas are deadlocked in the football series between the schools. After 58 games, the series that dates back to 1923 is even at 28-28-2. The Cowboys have won the last four games against Kansas – all four of the games between the schools since the formation of the Big 12. It is OSU's longest active winning streak against a conference opponent. During the current four-game winning streak, OSU has scored an average of 45.5 points per game.
