Oklahoma State University Athletics
Game Notes - Cowboys Host Baylor For Homecoming
October 23, 2011 | Cowboy Football
Oct. 23, 2011
Complete Release in PDF Format 
RV/RV Baylor at No. 3/4 Oklahoma State
Oct. 29, 2011 :: 2:30 p.m. CT :: Boone Pickens Stadium (60,218 capacity)
TV: ABC Sports (Bob Wischusen, Bob Davie and Jeannine Edwards)
Radio: Cowboy Radio Network (Dave Hunziker, John Holcomb and Robert Allen)
Internet: okstate.com
Satellite Radio: Sirius Ch. 138 and XM CH. 196
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Home for Homecoming
The Oklahoma State Cowboys play their first home game since Oct. 8 and just their second since Sept. 8 when the Baylor Bears visit Stillwater for the 2011 Homecoming game. The Cowboys enter the game with a record of 7-0 after Saturday's 45-24 win at Missouri. Baylor comes to town 4-2 overall and 1-2 in Big 12 play. In part of the scheduling shuffle that took place in the Big 12, Baylor is visiting Stillwater for a second straight season. The Bears are coming off an open week.
7-0
Oklahoma State is 7-0 for just the third time in school history and for the second time in four years. OSU ended 1945 with a perfect 9-0 record. OSU was 7-0 in 2008 and ranked seventh by Associated Press but lost its eighth game of the season, 28-24, at No. 1 Texas. OSU is also 4-0 in conference play for just the second time ever and for the first time since 1940.
Television Info
Oklahoma State and Baylor will do battle on ABC. The game will be OSU's third on ABC this season and the Bedlam game has already been selected by the network as well. Bob Wischusen and Bob Davie call the action and Jeannine Edwards reports from the sidelines.
Homecoming Is Big Here
Homecoming is a big, big deal in Stillwater and has been labeled as America's Greatest Homecoming Celebration. This year will mark the 90th Homecoming in OSU history and is themed "Where Your Story Began". The first Homecoming on campus was the 1913 Harvest Carnival.
• One of the highlights of Homecoming is the Friday night "Walkaround" in the Greek area of the campus. Last year more than 35,000 participated in the Walkaround.
• Other big events include the Saturday morning parade and Hoops and Homecoming, which is part pep rally, part Midnight Madness. That event follows the Walkaround and will be held in Gallagher-Iba Arena Friday evening.
• The OSU campus is full of Homecoming activities all week. Details can be found at http://orangeconnection.org/homecoming.
Homecoming Heroes
Oklahoma State is 47-35-7 all-time in Homecoming play. The Cowboys are 2-0 when hosting Baylor for Homecoming with OSU earning wins in 2008 and 1972. Kansas State is OSU's most frequent Homecoming opponent. The Wildcats have visited Stillwater 14 times for the event.
BCS Update
Oklahoma State is third in the second BCS standings of the season. It is the highest OSU has ever climbed in the BCS standings.
Ballot Box
Oklahoma State has also climbed to third in the latest AP rankings. It is the highest the Cowboys have been ranked by the media since November of 1984 when OSU was ranked third in the AP when it headed to Norman for a Nov. 24th game at Oklahoma. This week ties the highest AP ranking in OSU history.
As The Turnstiles...Um...Turn
Oklahoma State's 2011 season will be a record-breaking one at the box office. The school has already had the second (Kansas), sixth (Louisiana) and seventh (Arizona) largest crowds in school history visit Boone Pickens Stadium. Early purchases and season ticket sales already have the Homecoming crowd in excess of 55,000.
Series Stuff
Oklahoma State leads the all-time series with Baylor by a 17-12 count.
• Oklahoma State has won five straight and 14 of the last 15. The loss came in 2005 (Mike Gundy's first year).
• The series began in 1914 and Baylor won 10 of the first 12 games.
• OSU has won nine straight home games against the Bears, dating back to 1939. Overall, OSU is 10-5 when playing Baylor in Stillwater.
• In the last game of the Jimmy Johnson regime in Stillwater, OSU knocked off Baylor, 24-14, in the 1983 Bluebonnet Bowl in Houston.
• Oklahoma State has scored at least 34 points in the last 12 games of the series.
Last Year's Game
In last year's contest against Baylor, OSU set a new school record with 725 yards of total offense as the No. 19 Cowboys knocked off the No. 22 Bears, 55-28. Justin Blackmon had 173 receiving yards with a TD and a 69-yard TD run.
• Brandon Weeden set a school record (since broken) with 435 passing yards (34-of-42 with three scores).
• OSU jumped to a 24-0 halftime advantage and followed that up on the first play of the second half with Blackmon's 69-yard run.
• OSU also rushed for 290 yards with four players running for at least 50 yards.
• OSU won the turnover battle by a 3-1 count.
• Justin Gilbert had a 93-yard kickoff return for a score. It was the first TD of his career. He has since tied the school record with a total of four.
• Colton Chelf had three catches for 79 yards, including a 62-yard TD grab.
Connections
Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy and offensive line coach Joe Wickline are former Baylor assistants. Gundy coached in Waco in 1996 and Wickline coached the Baylor o-line in 1997 and 1998.
A Win Would Mean
A victory over the Bears would be significant for the Cowboys on several fronts. With a victory...
• OSU would be 8-0 for just the second time in school history and for the first time since 1945.
• OSU would reach eight wins in four straight seasons for the first time ever.
• OSU would improve to 5-0 in conference play for the first time ever.
• OSU would have its eighth straight win over a Big 12 Texas school.
Missouri Recap
Oklahoma State is coming off of a 45-24 win at Missouri. OSU jumped to a 21-3 lead in the second period but saw the Tigers claw back into the game and OSU held just a 24-17 halftime advantage. In the second half, however, OSU held Missouri off the scoreboard until the 8:04 mark of the fourth quarter as the Cowboys cruised to the victory.
• Brandon Weeden passed for 338 yards for the 10th 300-yard game of his career. It was also the eighth time that he tossed at least three TD passes in a game.
• Sophomore running back Joseph Randle ran for 138 yards and three touchdowns and also had a 13-yard TD reception. He became the first Cowboy since Justin Blackmon and Kendall Hunter in the 2010 season opener against Washington State to score four touchdowns in a game.
• The Cowboys once again won the turnover battle (4-1) with three interceptions.
• Sophomore linebacker Shaun Lewis had a fumble recovery and an interception.
• Missouri entered the game No. 29 nationally in total defense, allowing just 337 yards per game. The Cowboys came to close to that total in the first half (315) and ended the game with 533 yards.
• OSU hit the Tigers with 279 passing yards in the first half and 159 rushing yards in the second half.
• Junior college offensive lineman Michael Bowie made his first career start.
• The win was OSU's third straight in Columbia and ended Missouri's 10-game home winning streak.
• OSU was penalized just 15 yards and two of those were intentional delay penalties.
• Sophomore receiver Michael Harrison had a career-long 31-yard reception and sophomore running back Joseph Randle had a career-long 59-yard TD run.
• Missouri had lost three games in 2011, all against ranked teams, by a total of 24 points.
The Lone Star Streak
Oklahoma State enters the Baylor game looking to win its eighth straight against the Big 12 Conference's Texas entries. The streak is significant on several fronts...
• OSU was just 16-28 against the Texas schools from 1996 through 2006 (the first 11 years of Big 12 play).
• Since the beginning of the 2007 season, OSU is 13-5 against those schools with seven straight wins and nine wins in the last 10 games.
• Only three times in those first 11 seasons did OSU reach even a 2-2 record against the Texas schools. The Cowboys were 3-1 against the Texas foursome just once from the beginning of Big 12 play in 1996 through 2008.
• Over the last three seasons, however, OSU has gone 3-1, 4-0 and 2-0 against the Texans.
• OSU has now defeated Texas in consecutive seasons for the first time ever with both wins coming in Austin.
• OSU has won four straight against Texas A&M for the first time ever.
• OSU has won two straight and three of four against Texas Tech, along with the winning streak against Baylor.
Joseph and Jeremy
Oklahoma State entered 2011 looking to replace two-time All-American Kendall Hunter at running back. What has evolved is an incredibly effective two headed sophomore monster in Joseph Randle and Jeremy Smith.
• Through seven games, the duo has combined for 1,115 rushing yards with 19 touchdowns. They combine to average 6.02 yards per carry.
• Jeremy Smith had a 74-yard TD run at Texas and Randle added a 59-yarder (and four scores overall) at Missouri. OSU had just two running plays longer than those two carries in all of 2010 and one of those was by Justin Blackmon against Baylor (69 yards).
• Smith and Randle have combined for five 100-yard rushing games this season.
• Randle is coming off a career-best 138-yard at Missouri after Smith had a career-best 140-yard game at Texas.
• OSU has 20 rushing touchdowns this season. The Cowboys had 26 rushing touchdowns in 13 games last year.
The Big Eight
Oklahoma State finds itself as one of eight undefeated teams remaining at the FBS level as it heads into Baylor week. Six of the unbeaten reside in the "power" conferences. Joining OSU with unblemished records are Alabama, Boise State, Clemson, Houston, Kansas State, LSU and Stanford.
The Rest Of The Story
The Cowboy defense spends a lot of time answering questions because of statistics. OSU enters the Baylor game No. 91 in the country in rushing defense, No. 89 in passing defense and No. 103 in total defense. Here are some other numbers: the Cowboy defense leads the country with 15 interceptions. OSU leads the nation in turnover margin (plus-2.14 per game). OSU is second in turnovers forced, No. 15 in tackles for loss (7.71 per game) and No. 16 in quarterback sacks (2.86 per game).
Turnover Tradition
Every year under Bill Young the OSU defense has improved its takeaway number. In 2010, OSU ended the year with 34 takeaways to rank fifth in the country. Over the last five games, the defense has forced 21 turnovers, highlighted by 14 interceptions. OSU enters the Baylor game leading the nation in turnover margin and is second in turnovers forced.
Advantage Cowboys
Oklahoma State has turned around its turnover story since the beginning of the season. The Cowboys were on the negative side of the ledger after two weeks with four turnovers committed and just three gained. However, over the last five games OSU has won the turnover battle 21-5. Over those games (Tulsa, Texas A&M, Kansas, Texas and Missouri), OSU has scored 80 points after gaining a turnover.
Defensive Footnotes
• Oklahoma State's defensive statistics reveal a unit that is a victim of the Cowboys' success. Statistically speaking, the Cowboys only rank 103rd in total defense and No. 66 in scoring defense. However, when games are being decided, OSU's defense has been a much more effective unit.
• OSU allowed just 101 yards in the first half against Louisiana while sprinting to a 34-10 lead. The Cajuns ended the game with 320 yards after OSU began substituting liberally.
• OSU jetted to a 21-0 halftime lead against Arizona and cruised to the win. The Wildcats had just 168 yards during the decisive first half. Arizona ended the game with 439 yards.
• OSU jumped to a 31-6 halftime lead at Tulsa and yielded just 130 yards during the process. OSU went deep into its bench during the second half and TU finished with 482 yards.
• OSU limited Texas A&M to just 170 yards after halftime when OSU was outscoring the Aggies by a 27-9 count in the comeback win.
• Kansas had just 186 halftime yards against OSU and trailed 56-7. The Jayhawks finished with 478 total yards.
• The Cowboys gave up 26 points at Texas, but two came on a safety, seven came on a kickoff return and seven more came on a 15-yard drive following a turnover.
• OSU forced four turnovers at Missouri and stopped another drive on downs. The Cowboys allowed just seven points in the second half at Columbia.
NCAA Chart Watching
Some national numbers to mull over as OSU prepares for Baylor:
• Oklahoma State is second in the country in scoring at 48.6 points per game.
• Oklahoma State is third nationally in total offense with 548.6 yards per game.
• The Cowboys are second nationally in passing offense at 387.4 yards per game
• OSU is fourth nationally with 28 first downs per game.
• The Cowboys are fifth nationally in fumbles lost with just two.
Building a Tradition
Under Mike Gundy, OSU continues to grow as a program. Since the opening of the 2008 season, the Cowboys are 36-10. That win total is the best ever for OSU over a three-year-plus period and the Cowboys are No. 8 nationally in wins during that time.
Gundy in Perspective
Head coach Mike Gundy is in his seventh season as head coach at his alma mater with a blossoming resume in Stillwater. He is 54-29 and clearly building a sustained period of success at OSU.
• OSU was 12-15 under Gundy after 27 games, but has gone 42-14 since, including a 36-10 record over the last 46 games, 27-6 over the last 33 and 18-2 over the last 20.
• Gundy's 53 wins at OSU rank third all-time behind only Jim Lookabaugh (58-41-6) and Gundy's college coach, Pat Jones (62-60-3).
• Gundy's .650 winning percentage is second best at OSU. That OSU chart is topped by Hall-of-Famer Lynn "Pappy" Waldorf (.735).
• Perhaps the most impressive part of Gundy's tenure at OSU is that he has built the program with three different offensive coordinators and three different defensive coordinators. Three of his former assistants have left Oklahoma State to become head coaches (Dana Holgorsen at West Virginia, Larry Fedora at Southern Miss and Tim Beckman at Toledo).
• Under Gundy, OSU has gone to five straight bowl games (an OSU first) and won at least seven games in six straight seasons (another school first) and at least nine games in three straight seasons (yet another first).
• Under Gundy, OSU has reached the top 10 of the Associated Press poll for a school-best fourth straight season.
Home in the Polls
Oklahoma State has been in the top 10 each week of the 2011 season. At no time in its history has Oklahoma State been more visible in the national polls than during the Mike Gundy era.
• The Baylor game will mark OSU's 17th straight as a member of the Associated Press top 25.
• Including this week, OSU has been ranked by the AP 39 times in its last 43 games, including 25 games as a member of the top 15.
• Oklahoma State began the 2009 season No. 9 in the AP for its highest preseason ranking ever. OSU tied that preseason ranking in 2011. They are the only two preseason top 10 appearances in school history.
• In 2010, the Cowboys finished No. 10 in the USA Today poll, marking the first time that OSU closed a season in the top 10 of a major poll since 1984 when OSU was seventh in the final AP vote.
• The highest the Cowboys have been ranked under Gundy is this week at No. 3 in the AP (fourth in USA Today).
• Under Gundy, OSU is 28-10 as a member of the top 25.
• Under Gundy, OSU has spent 17 weeks (including weeks in which OSU was idle) in the top 10. Prior to Gundy, OSU had spent just 25 weeks in the top 10 of the AP poll in its history. The Cowboys hold an all-time record of 24-9 when ranked in the top 10.
• Under Mike Gundy, OSU has cracked the Associated Press top 10 in four straight seasons, which had never happened at Oklahoma State.
• The Baylor game will be OSU's seventh straight as a member of the AP top 10 - a first for OSU.
• Mike Gundy has beaten at least one ranked team every year as head coach.
Streaking in Stillwater
OSU will carry several team and individual streaks into the Baylor game:
• Brandon Weeden has tossed at least one touchdown pass in 20 straight games. He broke OSU's school record for that category at Missouri. The old mark was held by Josh Fields.
• Josh Cooper has at least one catch in 24 straight games.
• Safety Markelle Martin has started 31 straight games to lead the team.
• OSU has completed a pass of at least 31 yards in 15 straight games.
Back in Blackmon
Reigning Biletnikoff Award winner Justin Blackmon played less than a half at Missouri due to injury. But it was long enough for him to record eight catches covering 54 yards. Included in that total was an 8-yard touchdown reception. Since the beginning of the 2010 season, Blackmon has been college football's dominant receiver. He set an NCAA record with 14 straight games with at least 100 receiving yards. That streak ended with his seven-catch, 57-yard, one-TD night against Tulsa. A quick look at Blackmon over the last 19 games of his career (since the beginning of the 2010 season):
• He has 28 receiving TDs over the last 19 games, along with a special teams touchdown and a rushing TD.
• Fourteen of his 26 TD catches have covered at least 20 yards.
• On eight occasions he has reached double figures in catches.
• In seven of the 19 games he has reached at least 140 yards in receiving.
• He has 163 catches over the last 19 games.
Blackmon in 2011
Due to big leads and the injury at Missouri, Blackmon has played just 24 of a possible 28 quarters (one full game shy of the NCAA receiving leaders). He still enters the Baylor game sixth nationally with 8.7 catches per game and he is averaging 94.6 receiving yards per game.
Three on the Charts
At Missouri, the OSU receiving corps took some bumps and bruises and at times kept three of the most productive receivers in OSU history on the bench. Justin Blackmon, Josh Cooper and Hubert Anyiam are all 1,000-yard receivers in their careers.
The Next Wave
With the veterans banged up, OSU turned to the youngsters at Missouri and the youth movement paid dividends.
• Sophomore Michael Harrison had three catches covering 71 yards. His totals included a 31-yard reception and a 27-yard TD catch.
• Junior Isaiah Anderson had never caught more than three passes in a game but he had five for 34 yards in Columbia.
• True freshman Josh Stewart caught two passes for 20 yards.
Other Unsung Heroes
The receiving corps wasn't the only group that had to help the Cowboys fight through injuries at Missouri. Sophomore defensive tackle Davidell Collins saw the most extensive playing time of his career and had two tackles, including one behind the line of scrimmage. Defensive end/tight end Wilson Youman set a career high with seven tackles, including two for loss. He was also credited with a forced fumble that stopped a Missouri drive in the red zone. Sophomore linebacker Tyler Johnson had four stops.
Weeden Watching
Oklahoma State's Brandon Weeden is the reigning first-team All-Big 12 quarterback and his play this season has propelled him into the national conversation. After he rallied OSU from a 20-3 halftime deficit at Texas A&M to a 30-29 victory, Weeden was named the Walter Camp national offensive player of the week. He is 18-2 as a starter, including 9-0 away from Boone Pickens Stadium. Some Weeden numbers:
• He is third nationally with 31.7 completions per game.
• He is sixth nationally in passing yards per game (348.0).
• He is sixth nationally with 2,436 passing yards.
INT Turnaround
Brandon Weeden started the season by throwing six interceptions in the first three games. He then reeled off 194 straight passes before throwing a second-half INT at Missouri. Over his last 200 passes, Weeden has 13 touchdown passes and just one interception.
Weeden Milestones
• He has thrown at least one touchdown pass in 20 straight games (all 20 of his career starts).
• He has at least two TD passes in 17 of his 20 starts.
• Three times in his career he has tossed at least five touchdown passes.
• He has now passed for 6,969-yards in his career.
• Weeden's 2,436 passing yards in 2011 already rank as the sixth best single-season total in OSU history.
• His 19 TD passes in 2011 rank as the seventh single-season total in school history.
The OSU Top 10
If the U.S. Government were to get involved, they might designate Brandon Weeden as a monopoly. The Edmond senior now has six of the top 10 passing games in school history and he has set the single-game high twice in the last 12 months. He has also moved up to third all-time at OSU in career passing yards.
Sharp Performance
The right leg of Quinn Sharp has become so valuable to the Cowboys, it might deserve its own seat on team charters. In his first season of handling all of the Cowboy kicking chores, Sharp has been among the nation's best at just about everything.
• He is third in the country with a punting average of 47.4 yards - less than half a yard behind the national leader.
• Sharp has 13 punts this season in excess of 50 yards and has at least a 52-yard punt in every game.
• He has been nearly automatic in field goals, connecting on 11 of his 13 attempts.
• He leads the nation with 34 touchbacks on kickoffs. He has led the country in that category each of the past two seasons.
• Sharp is No. 9 nationally in scoring with 10.86 points per game and set a school record by going 10-for-10 on extra point tries against Kansas.
Gilbert Makes His Mark
Justin Gilbert had a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown at Texas. Just 19 games into his career he has established himself as one of the NCAA's special teams stars.
• Gilbert's four career returns for scores ties the OSU record previously held by Perrish Cox.
• Those four touchdown returns rank second among all active NCAA players.
• He is No. 20 nationally with an average of 28.8 yards per return in 2011.
• Gilbert's career average of 27.6 yards per return is sixth among all active NCAA players.
What Brown Can Do
Brodrick Brown continues to display an all-conference level of play through seven weeks. The player who turned in the 2010 defensive play of the year with his leaping re-routing of a Landry Jones pass to OSU teammate Shaun Lewis in Bedlam, is No. 6 nationally with 11 passes defended this season, and he is sixth nationally with four interceptions. He picked off a pass against Kansas and at Texas A&M he broke up a pass on the Aggies' final snap of the game that linebacker James Thomas intercepted for the game-clincher.
Blatnick the Bully
Senior defensive end Jamie Blatnick might be playing the best football of his Cowboy career. At Texas he set a career high with nine tackles and had four tackles for loss, two sacks and a pass-break up and was named Big 12 player of the week. That performance came on the heels of his Kansas game in which he had four tackles, a sack, an interception, a fumble recovery and a quarterback hurry. At Missouri, Blatnick had five tackles, a quarterback sack, a forced fumble and two pass deflections that resulted in interceptions. Some Jamie Blatnick facts worth noting:
• Blatnick is No. 12 in the country with six sacks. Prior to 2011, he had never had more than 5.5 sacks in a season.
• He has 14 career sacks to rank No. 12 all-time at OSU.
Lewis Makes His Mark
Shaun Lewis may touch the ball more than any defensive player in the country. He has just 13 career starts and yet he has four interceptions, four fumble recoveries and three forced fumbles. And his plays have been big...
• His 28-yard interception return vs. Texas A&M in 2010 set the stage for Dan Bailey's walk-off game-winning field goal.
• He picked off a Landry Jones pass in last year's Oklahoma game and returned it 52 yards for a score.
• His interception at Missouri set up an OSU touchdown and his fumble recovery in Columbia stopped Missouri in the red zone.
Youman the Defender
Senior Wilson Youman absolutely has to be one of the busiest players in college football. This season he has seen action on offense, defense and special teams. The senior played on offense as a tight end, on defense as a defensive end and on the special teams kicking units. Since arriving on campus, Youman has bounced between offense and defense, but 2011 is the first time he has seen game action on both sides of the ball in the same game. He has two pass receptions for six yards and against Texas he picked up his first sack of the season. At Missouri, he turned in the best game of his defensive career with seven tackles to lead OSU's down linemen. He had two tackles for loss, caused a fumble that ended a Missouri drive in the red zone and he deflected a pass that was intercepted.
Three Diplomas
Three members of the Cowboy roster, quarterback Brandon Weeden (business), center Grant Garner (business management), and defensive end Jamie Blatnick (health promotions) have already earned their degrees at Oklahoma State.
Road Tested
Oklahoma State continued its run as one of America's best road teams at Missouri. The Cowboys have won their last nine road games for the second longest streak in school history. The Cowboys have also won a school record seven straight conference road games, dating back to the 2009 season finale. OSU's current road streak is the second longest in the NCAA. The longest road winning streak in OSU history is 11 games in 1943-44-45. Two of OSU's roads wins this season have come against top 25 opposition (at No. 8 Texas A&M and at No. 22 Texas).
Longest Active Road Win Streaks
1. Virginia Tech - 10
2. Oklahoma State -9
2. Oregon - 9
Uniform Note
Oklahoma State sports a new look in 2011 - actually 48 new looks. OSU has partnered with Nike this season to play in Nike Pro Combat uniforms. OSU will have its choice of 48 different combinations with helmets of white, black and gray, jerseys of black, gray and orange (for home games), and pants that are black, white, orange or gray. A player panel has made the game selections for the entire season.
Grab Bag
• Eighteen Cowboys have a tackle for a loss this season.
• Eleven Cowboys have a sack this season.
• Eight Cowboys have intercepted a pass this season.
• James Thomas had one career interception in three years before picking off three in the first six games of '11.
• Junior DT Nigel Nicholas has 8.0 tackles for loss this season. No OSU tackle had more than 4.0 TFLs all of last season.
• Sophomore safety Daytawion Lowe is tied for the Big 12 with three forced fumbles.
Quick Recap
Oklahoma State is coming off one of the most successful seasons in program history. In 2010, the Cowboys, despite being picked to finish fifth in the Big 12 South, set a school record for wins with their 11-2 record. They won 10 regular-season games for the first time ever, tied for the Big 12 South title for the first time and went undefeated on the road for the first time since 1945. OSU finished in the top 10 of the national polls (No. 10 in USA Today) for the first time since 1984.
