Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys Look To Secure Bowl Eligibility Saturday At Baylor
November 11, 2007 | Cowboy Football
The Final Road Swing
Oklahoma State begins the final two weeks of the 2007 football season this week with a road trip to Baylor for a Saturday night game against the Bears. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. with Fox Sports Net on hand to televise the game live. OSU will close the 2007 regular season with a Bedlam game at Oklahoma.
TV Time
After two straight games on ABC, including a visit to the prime time slot for the first time, Oklahoma State returns to Fox Sports Net this weekend at Baylor. The Cowboys played on Fox Sports Net twice earlier this season (a win at Texas Tech and a loss at Texas A&M). OSU was also a part of an FSN pay-per-view telecast at Nebraska. The Baylor game will mark OSU's seventh televised contest of the season.
For The Record
Oklahoma State will enter the Baylor game with a 5-5 overall record and a 3-3 mark in Big 12 play. The Cowboys have lost two straight for the first time this season. Baylor is 3-8 overall and 0-6 in Big 12 play. The Bears will be playing their final game of the season. Baylor is 2-3 in Waco this season.
Scouting The Bears
Baylor is 3-8 on the season following a Saturday night loss to Oklahoma in Norman. The Bears generate 355.1 yards of offense per game and allow 454 yards. Baylor defensive back Jordan Lake is among the league's leading tacklers and averages 11.1 stops against Big 12 competition (second in the conference). Leon Freeman of Baylor has seven tackles for loss in Big 12 play to rank fifth in the conference in that category. Baylor has the nation's No. 20 passing offense, generating 277.8 yards per game through the air.
Oklahoma State And Baylor
The series between Oklahoma State and Baylor dates back to 1914 when the Cowboys opened play against the Bears with a 60-0 win in Stillwater. The series now stands at 13-12 in favor of OSU. The Cowboys hold a 10-1 advantage over Baylor since the two became conference rivals. The lone OSU loss came the last time Oklahoma State visited Waco (2005). Since 1999, OSU has scored at least 34 points in every game against Baylor and more than 50 three times. OSU is 4-6 all-time in Waco, but has won four of its last five games at Baylor.
Last Year In Stillwater
The Cowboys put up 38 points in the first half on their way to a 66-24 win over the Bears and their highest point total since 1973. OSU scored in a variety of ways, including a field goal, touchdown pass, rushing touchdown, interception return and fumble return. The Cowboys rushed for 387 yards, including 116 by Dantrell Savage. OSU ended the day with 510 yards of total offense.
Last Time In Waco
OSU's last visit to Waco was forgettable for the visitors. The Cowboys committed eight turnovers, including five in the first half, and trailed at one point 38-0. Oklahoma State rallied to within 38-21 but never got closer than the final 44-34 margin of defeat. OSU quarterback Al Peña passed for 351 yards and four touchdowns, including two in the final minute of the game.
Back Home In Waco
The trip to Baylor will mean familiar territory for several in the OSU football program. OSU defensive back/return specialist Perrish Cox is a product of Waco's University High School. Head coach Mike Gundy was on the 1996 Baylor staff as the quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator. The Bears picked up wins over Louisville and Oregon State that season. Offensive coordinator Larry Fedora was at Baylor from 1991 through 1996 and along the way coached the Bears' tight ends, receivers and running backs. Baylor earned a spot in the Copper Bowl, Sun Bowl and Alamo Bowl during Fedora's stay. OSU offensive line coach Joe Wickline spent the 1997 and 1998 seasons in Waco. Kelvin Garmon and Derrick Fletcher, a couple of NFL linemen, were coached by Wickline at Baylor.
Roadies
When the Cowboys travel to Baylor, they will be trying to win two straight Big 12 road games for the first time since the 2004 season. The Cowboys' last game in the road whites this season ended in a 45-14 win at Nebraska. During the 2004 season that culminated with an Alamo Bowl appearance, Oklahoma State won at Colorado and at Missouri in consecutive road appearances.
What A Win Might Mean
A victory at Baylor would improve Oklahoma State to 6-5 on the season and stamp the Cowboys as bowl eligible. Should eligibility result in another bowl appearance, it would be OSU's fifth postseason trip in six years. OSU has never made five bowl appearances in six seasons.
The Future
Oklahoma State's last two teams have been among the productive in the school's history on the offensive side. The future looks pretty bright as well. Consider the fact that Zac Robinson has made just eight career starts at quarterback and is already registering one of the top passing, total offense and quarterback rushing seasons in history. OSU freshman running back Kendall Hunter leads the team with 7.1 yards per carry and his 46-yard rush and 47-yard reception are the longest plays by a Cowboy back this season. And another true freshman, Dez Bryant, set an OSU freshman record with 155 receiving yards against Kansas. Another dose of youth comes up front where OSU is starting three sophomores and a junior.
The Impact Of Zac
Zac Robinson is already etching his name into the Cowboy record books despite playing in a season that did not begin in full force for him until the Troy game (the third week of the season when he made his first start). Robinson is just the fourth player in OSU history to pass for 2,000 yards in a season – joining Josh Fields (twice), Bobby Reid and Mike Gundy (three times). Robinson's 2,215 yards already represent the seventh best season in OSU history.
OSU Single-Season Passing Yards
1. Josh Fields (2002) 3,145
2. Josh Fields (2003) 2,494
3. Bobby Reid (2006) 2,266
4. Zac Robinson (2007) 2,215
5. Mike Gundy (1989) 2,203
6. Mike Gundy (1988) 2,163
7. Mike Gundy (1987) 2,106
The Total Package
Thanks in part to just two interceptions in his last five games, Zac Robinson has flown up the NCAA charts and is now No. 18 nationally in passing efficiency (146.96). He is No. 28 in the country in total offense and those numbers are a bit skewed. The Littleton, Colo., sophomore is credited with 10 games played and he averages 277.6 yards of total offense per contest. In reality, Robinson got just a handful of snaps against Georgia as he entered the game as Bobby Reid's backup (he had five yards passing and seven rushing against the Bulldogs). If the Georgia game is thrown out, Robinson is averaging 307.1 yards of total offense per game. That number would move him to No. 13 nationally. His 486 yards of total offense against Texas not only set a school record, but it was also the 13th best total offense output in the country in 2007. He has already registered the second best total offense season in OSU history. Robinson set a school record when he passed for 430 yards against the Longhorns.
