Oklahoma State University Athletics
Game Notes - Oklahoma State at Iowa State
November 01, 2009 | Cowboy Football
Nov. 1, 2009
Complete Release in PDF Format
No. 18/18 Oklahoma State at Iowa State
Sat., Nov. 7, 2009 :: 2:30 p.m. CT :: Jack Trice Stadium (55,000 cap.)
TV: ABC Sports (Announcers TBA)
Radio: Cowboy Radio Network (Dave Hunziker, John Holcomb and Robert Allen)
Internet: okstate.com
Satellite Radio: XM Channel 231
---------------------------------------
North To Ames
Oklahoma State continues the 2009 football season Saturday with a trip to Ames to battle the Iowa State Cyclones. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. The game will be televised to a regional audience by ABC. The Cowboys enter the game with a record of 6-2 overall and 3-1 in Big 12 play. The Cyclones are 5-4 overall and 2-3 in conference play. ISU is coming off a loss at Texas A&M on Saturday.
OSU And Television
This week's game will mark the first time this season that OSU has been televised on a regional basis. The Cowboys have played six games on national television. OSU's previous ABC appearances included a "reverse mirror" telecast that allowed viewers outside of the ABC regional broadcast area to view the game on one of the ESPN networks. OSU has also appeared on ESPN2, FSN and VERSUS.
This Is Iowa State
Oklahoma State has not played in Ames since Oct. 22, 2005, in the first year of Mike Gundy's head coaching career. The Cowboys lost that game by a 37-10 count.
The Cyclones Quickly
Iowa State has been one of the pleasant surprises of the Big 12 football season. The Cyclones enter Saturday's game just one win shy of bowl eligibility with a 5-4 overall record. ISU is 2-3 in Big 12 play and still very much in the hunt in the crazy Big 12 North. Iowa State is 3-1 in Ames this season with the only loss coming against undefeated Iowa. Iowa State leads the Big 12 in rushing with an average of 200.33 yards per game. ISU is trying to replace OSU atop the rushing heap. The Cowboys led the Big 12 in that category in each of the past three seasons.
The Cowboys' Way
Oklahoma State is 16-6 in its last 22 football games. Five of OSU's six losses during that span have been to teams ranked in the top 15 of the Associated Press poll. Four of the six losses have come to teams ranked third or higher in the AP at the time of the OSU game. OSU also has a win over an AP top three team (Missouri) during that stretch.
The Texas Numbers
OSU is coming off a 41-14 loss in a contest in which OSU suffered a season-high five turnovers, including two interceptions returned for touchdowns. The game ended with OSU holding 277-275 advantage in total offense. Some other tidbits worth noting from the Texas game...
• The Longhorns did not record a sack against the Cowboys after entering the game with an average of 2.7 per contest to rank No. 24 nationally.
• OSU ran for 139 yards against a Texas team that was allowing just 41 yards per contest to lead the nation in that category.
• OSU averaged just 3.1 yards per rush, but that was more than double what the Longhorns had been allowing per carry entering the OSU contest.
On The Defensive Side
Oklahoma State's defense is coming off an outing against No. 3 Texas in which it acquitted itself quite well.
• Texas entered the game averaging 438 yards per contest and managed just 275 vs. OSU.
• The Longhorns entered the game averaging 164 rushing per contest, but managed just 99 vs. OSU and just 3.1 per tote.
• The Texas offense had just two touchdowns drives in excess of 50 yards the entire game and one of those went for 53 yards.
Totally Speaking
The Texas total offense output of 275 yards vs. OSU was the lowest by the Horns against the Pokes since 1997 when OSU gave up 240 to UT in a 42-16 Cowboy win.
Avoiding The Two-Step
Oklahoma State has not lost two straight regular-season games since November of 2007 when the Cowboys dropped contests to No. 14 Texas and No. 5 Kansas in consecutive outings.
The Series
Oklahoma State holds a 24-17-3 lead in the football series with the Cyclones. The Cowboys are 10-11-1 all-time in Ames, including losses on their last two trips. Other series notes...
• The Cowboys won their last two home games in the series by a combined score of 95-24.
• The Cowboys have lost their last two road games in the series by a combined score of 82-27.
• OSU is 3-4-1 in its last eight games at Iowa State.
• The two schools played just once, a 1926 OSU win, prior to OSU joining the Cyclones in the Big Eight Conference in 1960.
• In Big 12 play, OSU holds a 4-3 series advantage.
• When playing as a member of the AP top 25, OSU is 6-2 against Iowa State.
Last Year In Stillwater
Oklahoma State rolled up 682 yards of offense, including Zac Robinson touchdown passes that covered 80 and 95 yards, in a 59-17 Cowboy victory. Robinson passed for 395 yards in the game while Dez Bryant had 171 receiving yards and Kendall Hunter rushed for 104 yards. The OSU defense limited the Cyclones to 362 yards and forced three turnovers. OSU held the ball for only 24:09 of the contest, but had five scoring plays in excess of 25 yards. The 95-yard Zac Robinson-to-Jeremy Broadway touchdown is the longest pass play in OSU history.
Northward
The Cowboys will try to remain hot against members of the Big 12's North Division. Including the win earlier this season against Missouri, Oklahoma State is riding a five-game winning streak against the North. OSU is 8-2 against the division since 2006 with at least one win against all six schools. Since the creation of the Big 12, OSU is 20-20 vs. the North.
North Trends
OSU got off to a slow start against the North Division when the Big 12 was formed. The Cowboys were 5-13 against the division from 1996 through 2001. However, since 2002, OSU is 15-7 against the North schools, including perfect 3-0 records in 2004 and 2008. In 2009, OSU is 1-0 against the North with the win over Missouri. The Cowboys close play against the division by hosting Colorado on Thursday, Nov. 19.
The Seventh Signs
Oklahoma State heads to Ames seeking its seventh win of the season. A victory would give OSU at least seven wins in four straight seasons for the first time ever. It would also mean seven seasons of at least seven wins in the same decade for the first time ever.
The Bowl Streak
Oklahoma State became bowl eligible with its victory at Baylor and all indications are that the Cowboys are heading for another postseason appearance. It is worth noting that a bowl appearance in 2009 would mark another first for OSU. The Cowboys would be appearing in a bowl game for a school-best fourth consecutive season.
The Conference Thumbnail
Another Big 12 win by the Cowboys this season would guarantee OSU a third straight .500 record in Big 12 play. OSU has only accomplished that feat on one other occasion (2002, 2003, 2004). Since joining the Big Eight Conference in 1960, OSU's longest stretch of successful conference runs came under Pat Jones when OSU was over .500 in five straight Big Eight seasons from 1984 through 1988.
Fast Facts
A couple of items right off the top...
• OSU leads the nation in fewest sacks allowed. The Cowboys are allowing a half-sack per game.
• OSU also leads the nation in fewest tackles for loss allowed (3.25 per game).
• Zac Robinson remains the Big 12 Conference's highest rated passer (147.88)
• The Cowboys have climbed to No. 45 nationally in total defense, allowing 342.50 yards per game.
• Cowboy freshman Quinn Sharp is third nationally with a punting average of 45.3 yards per try.
• OSU senior Perrish Cox leads the nation with 1.86 passes defended per game (passes broken up plus interceptions).
• OSU senior offensive lineman Russell Okung is the only offensive player among the 12 semifinalists announced for the Lombardi Award. He is also a member of the mid-season All-America teams selected by The Sporting News and Rivals.com.
• OSU now has two active players with more than 2,000 rushing yards each in Kendall Hunter and Keith Toston. Zac Robinson could hit 2,000 yards before his career is over.
• OSU safety Lucien Antoine leads the Big 12 with three forced fumbles.
The Protectors
The Oklahoma State offense line continues to be among the nation's best in the tangible categories of protection. OSU has allowed just four sacks this season, fewest in the country. Oklahoma State also leads the nation in fewest tackles for loss allowed (3.25 per game). It continues a trend for the Cowboys under Mike Gundy and offensive line coach Joe Wickline. OSU is looking to finish among the top five nationally in fewest sacks allowed for the second time in three years and among the nation's top 20 in that category for the fourth straight year.
Magic Numbers
With one-third of the regular season remaining, the 2009 Cowboy defense has some favorable numbers compared to a year ago.
• The Cowboys have 15 quarterback sacks in 2009, tying the team's 13-game total from a year ago. Nine different Cowboys have been credited with at least a half-sack and Donald Booker's total of four is more than any Cowboy had a year ago.
• Last season OSU allowed an average of 4.3 yards per rush. This season, OSU is allowing 3.1 yards per rush.
• OSU gave up 28.1 points per game last season as compared to 22.6 through eight games of 2009.
• Last year OSU allowed 5.6 yards per offensive play by the opponent. This season that number has dropped to 4.9.
• OSU has not allowed a 100-yard rusher since the 2008 Holiday Bowl.
Third And Unruly
The Cowboy defense has won the critical third-down battles over the last three weeks. Missouri, Baylor and Texas offenses combined to go 13-of-43 on third-down attempts (30.2 percent). For the season, OSU's seven opponents are 37-of-110 (34 percent) on attempted third-down conversions. The Cowboys rank No. 22 nationally in that category. A year ago Oklahoma State finished 69th in that category, allowing a 40.1 conversion percentage.
Mr. Robinson's Neighborhood
As senior quarterback Zac Robinson enters the stretch run of his Cowboy career, his OSU resume continues to grow in length. Robinson has accumulated an OSU record 9,645 yards of total offense. That total is an OSU record and ranks eighth in the history of the Big 12 Conference.
TDs, Too
Zac Robinson now has 64 career touchdown passes to rank eighth in Big 12 history and top the OSU career chart. He has thrown a touchdown pass in 11 straight games, dating back to last season's visit to Texas Tech.
The Next Record
Zac Robinson enters the Iowa State game with 7,923 career passing yards. He is just 74 yards shy of Mike Gundy's school record of 7,997 yards.
Zac's Other Marks
Other notables for OSU's senior quarterback:
• He is No. 24 all-time at OSU with 1,722 rushing yards.
• He has 22 career rushing touchdowns to rank No. 9 all-time at OSU. The only quarterback ahead of him is Tony Lindsay, who ran for 23 touchdowns from 1997 through the 2000 season.
• He is No. 21 all-time at OSU with 132 career points.
• His 86 touchdowns responsible for is ninth among active NCAA players.
• His career passing efficiency of 13.52 is sixth in the NCAA.
• His 7.51 yards per play in his career are fifth nationally.
Record Breaker
Zac Robinson had a record-breaking performance at Baylor. Against the Bears, the senior signal caller completed 23 of his 27 passes for a completion percentage of 85.2. The old record for completion percentage in a game with more than 20 attempts was 77.1 (27-of-35) set by Mike Gundy against Kansas in 1989.
A Surprising Number
OSU quarterback Zac Robinson lost perhaps the country's best big-play receiver when Dez Bryant was sidelined. Despite that monumental setback, Robinson continues to lead the Big 12 Conference with an average of 13 yards per pass completion.
The New Targets
While playing without consensus All-American Dez Bryant, Oklahoma State has been developing a youthful receiving corps on the fly.
• Against Baylor, OSU got touchdown receptions from sophomore tight end Will Youman (the first of his career), freshman tight end Cooper Bassett (the first of his career) and sophomore transfer Dameron Fooks (the third of his career).
• Fifteen Cowboys have caught passes in 2009, including six players who had never caught a pass at OSU.
• True freshman Tracy Moore is averaging a whopping 26.3 yards on his six career catches.
• Sophomore transfer Dameron Fooks has three touchdowns on his eight career catches.
• Eleven different Cowboys have a reception of at least 19 yards.
• Eight Cowboys have touchdown catches this season. Five caught scoring passes all of last season.
The Kiddie Corps
Of Oklahoma State's 134 pass receptions this season, 77 have been made by freshmen or sophomores. Those same two classes have accounted for 11 of OSU 15 touchdown receptions with the other four scores belonging to Dez Bryant.
Toston's Countdown
OSU senior running back Keith Toston heads to Ames with 676 rushing yards to his credit this season. Assuming a bowl appearance, Toston would need to average 64.8 yards the rest of the way to turn in the 18th 1,000-yard rushing season in OSU history. Toston entered the season with 1,507 career rushing yards on 246 career carries. He also entered the season with 246 career receiving yards. He has 209 receiving yards through the first eight games of 2009.
Seniority
OSU senior Keith Toston entered 2009 as a backup to returning All-American Kendall Hunter. In Hunter's absence, Toston has become one of the Big 12's top running backs.
• His 109-yard rushing effort at Baylor was his second 100-yard game in three Big 12 contests.
• He has rushed for 398 yards in four Big 12 games to lead the league in rushing during conference play.
• Against Missouri and Texas A&M, he had pass receptions of 40, 34 and 24 yards. His 209 receiving yards already assure him of the best receiving season of his career.
Toston Nuggets
Keith Toston has now rushed for 2,183 yards in his career to rank No. 13 at OSU. He has scored 152 career points to rank No. 18 in that category.
Two For 2,000
Keith Toston (2,183 career rushing yards) joins Kendall Hunter (2,356 career rushing yards) as current Cowboy running backs to have eclipsed the 2,000-yard mark. Toston and Hunter are the first-ever duo in Oklahoma State history to have played together with over 2,000 rushing yards apiece in tow. For good measure, quarterback Zac Robinson has rushed for 1,722 yards.
Don't Forget Okung
Twice in his career, Russell Okung has tossed a shutout against the NCAA's sack leader. Texas A&M's Von Miller entered the OSU game as America's top pass rusher with nine sacks. Against Okung, he did not record a sack and had five tackles. In the 2007 Insight Bowl, Okung held Indiana's Greg Middleton, another NCAA sack leader, without a tackle. Okung is the only offensive player among the 12 semifinalists for the Lombardi Award.
Continuing The Climb
Under Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State has been on a steady climb up the Big 12 South ladder. Gundy's first team finished with a 1-7 Big 12 record in 2005. Since that time, the Cowboys have improved to 3-5 in 2006, 4-4 in 2007 and 5-3 in 2008. Last year's five-win total was OSU's best conference showing since the 2003 team also went 5-3.
The Rankings
Oklahoma State enters the Iowa State game ranked No. 18 in the AP and coaches poll. OSU has now appeared in the AP poll for 22 straight weeks. It is the Cowboys' longest stint in the balloting since the 1987 and 1988 seasons when OSU was ranked for 26 straight weeks. It is OSU's third longest stay in the polls in school history.
Polling Numbers
Facts and figures regarding the Cowboys and the Associated Press poll:
• The Cowboys were ranked in the AP's preseason poll for the first time since 2003 when Les Miles' eventual Cotton Bowl team was No. 24.
• OSU's debut position of No. 9 was an all-time best for the school in the preseason polls, besting the 1985 team, which was ranked No. 16.
• When OSU reached No. 5 in the polls (Sept. 8) it was the school's highest ranking since 1985.
• Under Mike Gundy, the Cowboys are 11-6 when playing as a member of the AP top 25. Five of the six losses have come against ranked opponents and four of the five losses came to teams ranked higher than OSU. Last year, OSU's three regular-season losses were against teams ranked No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 in the AP poll at the time of the OSU game.
The More Orange The Better
It seems each week provides a new milestone at the ticket office for Oklahoma State. Through the first half of the season Oklahoma State has...
• Set a new school record with 45,652 season tickets purchased.
• Set a new school record with more than, 11,400 student season tickets purchased.
• Set a new single-game attendance record vs. Georgia with 53,012 fans in attendance.
• Set another new single-game attendance record with 56,901 fans on hand for the Grambling State game.
• OSU added to the single-game record again against Texas with 58,516 on hand.
Sweet 17
In a strange year of scrapes, bruises and assorted speed bumps, Oklahoma State has used 17 different players in its starting lineup on offense. The latest to join the group was sophomore receiver Hubert Anyiam against Grambling State. On the flip side, only 13 players have been utilized as starters on defense.
46
Andre Sexton was in the Cowboy starting lineup for the 46th time in OSU career in the Texas game. Sexton now holds the school record in that category. He could end his career with 50 career starts.
Sexton Moves Up
Four-year starters Andre Sexton and Patrick Lavine continue to climb the OSU and NCAA career record charts. Sexton is fourth in the NCAA with 196 career solo tackles and No. 18 in total tackles with 290. At OSU, Sexton is No. 15 all-time in total tackles. Lavine has 264 tackles to rank No. 22 all-time at OSU.
The New Mark
The Big 12 Conference has a new record holder for career kickoff return yardage. With his efforts against Texas, Perrish Cox upped his record total to 2,610 yards. Cox currently....
• Is tied for second among active NCAA players with his yardage total.
• Is third in the NCAA with four career kickoff returns for touchdowns
• Has 10 career kickoff returns of more than 50 yards, including a 74-yarder vs. Georgia this season
• Is No. 10 in the NCAA with 574 career punt return yards
Sharp Start
One of the 2009 question marks entering the season was redshirt freshman punter Quinn Sharp stepping in to replace OSU's 2008 Ray Guy Award winner Matt Fodge. Eight games into his career, Sharp has answered lots of questions.
• He enters the Iowa State game third nationally with a punting average of 45.3 yards.
• He has 11 punts in excess of 50 yards, including a pair of 61-yarders (vs. Georgia and Rice).
• Of his 33 punts, 13 have been downed inside the opponent's 20 (with only two touchbacks).
• Oklahoma State is No. 12 nationally in net punting with a 39.09-yard average.
• He has been named a mid-season All-American by Rivals.com
• While handling Cowboy kickoff duties, Sharp has recorded 26 touchbacks on 52 tries. OSU had 13 touchbacks all of last season on 96 kickoffs.
The Rushing Race
Three current Cowboys, Kendall Hunter, Zac Robinson and Kendall Hunter, are all moving up OSU's career rushing charts. Entering the Iowa State game, Kendall Hunter is No. 10 all-time at OSU with 2,356 rushing yards. Checking in at No. 13 all-time is Keith Toston with 2,183 yards while No. 24 is Zac Robinson with 1,722 rushing yards.
Upping The Total
The Cowboy roster now features a trio of offensive linemen with a combined 115 career starts. Russell Okung (42), Brady Bond (39) and Andrew Lewis (34) are the graybeards. On the flip side, guard Noah Franklin has made eight career starts and guard Lane Taylor has made six.
Senior Signal Caller
There are bushels of records that Zac Robinson has in his sites and this is due in part to a simple fact. He enters his senior season as a starter. Robinson is the first OSU quarterback to enter his senior season as a starter since Tony Lindsay in 2000. Robinson is 18-9 as OSU's starting quarterback.
The Dez Effect
Below is a quick look at the career of 2008 consensus All-America selection Dez Bryant and his impact on the OSU and NCAA stat lists midway through the 2009 season.
• He has nine 100-yard receiving games in his career, including six of the top 21 games in OSU history.
• He is No. 12 all-time at OSU with 194 career points.
• He is fourth all-time at OSU with 2,425 receiving yards.
• He is fourth all-time at OSU with 147 career receptions.
• He is third all-time at OSU with 29 touchdown receptions, and just one catch shy of second.
• He is tied with Darrent Williams and Barry Sanders with three career punt returns for touchdowns.
