Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys Host Houston In Home Opener Saturday
August 31, 2008 | Cowboy Football
THE GAME
Houston at Oklahoma State
Saturday, Sept. 6, 2008 :: 6:05 p.m. Central Time
Boone Pickens Stadium (60,000 capacity)
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TV: None
Radio: Cowboy Radio Network (Dave Hunziker, John Holcomb, Robert Allen)
Internet: okstate.com
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Home Port
The Oklahoma State Cowboys (1-0) make their 2008 home debut Saturday night when they host the Houston Cougars (1-0) at Boone Pickens Stadium. Kickoff is set for 6:05 p.m. There is no live television of the game, but OSU will have highlights available on satellite Saturday evening. Details on the feed will be announced as they become available.
The Young Guns
Oklahoma State enters the Houston game with 15 seniors on the roster. That total is seventh lowest among the nation's power conferences, tying the Cowboys with Arizona State, Colorado and Notre Dame for the seventh spot. Minnesota and North Carolina have the smallest senior classes from the power leagues with 11 each. Of the 15 Cowboy seniors, three are walk-ons and two are specialists.
OSU Quickly
Oklahoma State is coming off a season-opening 39-13 win over Washington State in Seattle at Qwest Field. The Cowboys got a little offense, a little defense and a whole lot of specials teams play in the game. Oklahoma State pitched a first-half shutout and did not allow Washington State to snap the ball on the Cowboy side of the field before intermission, had three players with a kick return of at least 42 yards, and saw the offense take over in the fourth quarter to put away the Cougars.
Houston's Opener
The Houston Cougars defeated Southern, 55-3 to open the season and the head coaching career of Kevin Sumlin. The Cougars clinched the victory with a 31-point second quarter. Houston outgained its visitors in total offense, 615-252, and UH quarterback Case Keenum passed for 392 yards and five touchdowns.
Seamless In Seattle
Oklahoma State's win against Washington State represented the Cowboys' largest margin of victory in a road game against a BCS-conference member (outside of league play) since a 45-3 win over 12th-ranked Arizona State 1984.
OSU and Houston
The Cowboys and Cougars are meeting for the second time in three seasons, but for just the fourth time since 1970. Houston holds a 9-8-1 series advantage, including a win in the last meeting in 2006. The Cougars haven't visited Stillwater since the 1986 season. From 1951 through 1956, OSU and Houston met as members of the Missouri Valley Conference. The teams first met in 1951. The teams have split their eight games in Stillwater.
OSU And C-USA
Oklahoma State is 56-44-9 all-time against current Conference USA membership. Most of those games have come against the University of Tulsa. The Cowboys and Golden Hurricane have squared off 70 times with OSU facing the other league schools just 39 times. OSU has won four of its last five against the league with the loss at Houston in 2006 snapping the winning streak.
Houston Cowboys
The city of Houston and its surrounding areas have been important recruiting spots for the Cowboys of late. OSU enters the 2008 season with 18 players on its roster from the Houston area, including some of biggest names in the orange and black. The current depth chart features eight starters from the Houston area. OSU players from Houston and the surrounding area include:
• Terrance Anderson of Aldine, who is a part-time starter at corner
• Newcomer at linebacker Donald Booker of Houston's Klein Forest
• Junior receiver Jeremy Broadway of Houston's Washington High School, who has been in the receiving rotation for the past two seasons
• True freshman corner Brodrick Brown of Houston's Westfield High School
• Starting defensive tackle Jeray Chatham from Houston's Westfield High School
• Starting receiver DeMarcus Conner from Westfield High School in Spring
• Defensive lineman Shane Jarka from Austin High School in Fort Bend
• Patrick Lavine from Jersey Village, a three-year starter at linebacker
• Starting linebacker Orie Lemon from Yates High School in Houston
• Starting safety Quinton Moore from Pearland
• Russell Okung from Bush High School in Fort Bend, a three-year starter in the offensive line
• Offensive lineman Trent Perkins from Alice
• Two-year starter at safety, Ricky Price, from Houston's Cypress Falls High
• Three-year starter Andre Sexton from Houston's Cypress Falls High School
• Redshirt freshman linebacker/safety James Thomas from La Marque
• True freshman defensive back Johnny Thomas of Texas City, who is on the depth chart
• Running back Keith Toston of Angleton, who has been a contributor and part-time starter over the last three seasons
• Sophomore receiver Artrell Woods from Bryan
Returns Of Perrish
Two seasons ago, Perrish Cox and his returns were a bit of a novelty act after he took back the 2006 season-opening kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown. Two years later, it's safe to say that Perrish Cox is one of America's most dangerous kick returners. He added another chapter on Saturday when his lone touch against Washington State resulted in a 90-yard kickoff return for a score.
• Cox now has four returns for scores in his career (three kickoff returns and one punt return) with one kickoff return for a score in three straight seasons.
• Cox is tied for the national lead among active players with three career kickoff returns for scores.
• His 1,316 career kickoff return yards have him closing in on OSU's career record of 1,441 set by Jamaal Fobbs.
• Cox's 24.4 career average on kickoff returns is 11th among active NCAA players.
• Cox has three of the 13 longest kickoff returns in Oklahoma State history with his 98-yarder against Kansas State in 2007 ranking fourth, his 96-yarder against Missouri State in 2006 ranking 11th and his 90-yarder against Washington State last week ranking No. 13.
• For good measure, Cox had a 49-yard punt return for a score last season against Sam Houston State.
Lock Down Defense
Oklahoma State's defense opened the season with a strong showing at Qwest Field. The 13 points allowed were the fewest given up by the Cowboys since last season's win over Florida Atlantic (42-6). It was the fewest points allowed in a road game since the second game of the 2006 season when OSU won at Arkansas State, 35-7. And it was the fewest points allowed by OSU in a road game against a BCS conference member since the 2001 win at Oklahoma (16-13).
Yardage, Too
The Cowboys limited Washington State to 196 yards of total offense. It was the lowest output by one of OSU's opponents since Sept. 9, 2006, when the Cowboys limited Arkansas State to 188 yards in a 35-7 Cowboy victory. Along the way, OSU's defense recorded its first safety since 2001 when Jeray Chatham tackled WSU's Dwight Hardy for a four-yard loss in the Cougar end zone.
