Oklahoma State University Athletics

Game Notes - Cowboys Travel To Iowa State
November 13, 2011 | Cowboy Football
Nov. 13, 2011
Complete Release in PDF Format ![]()
Nov 18, 2011 :: 7 p.m. CT :: Jack Trice Stadium (55,000 capacity)
TV: ESPN (Joe Tessitore, Rod Gilmore and Samantha Steele)
Radio: Cowboy Radio Network (Dave Hunziker, John Holcomb and Robert Allen)
Internet: okstate.com
Satellite Radio: Sirius Ch. TBD, XM CH. TBD
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The Last Road
The Oklahoma State Cowboys close the road portion of the 2011 football season Friday night with a trip to Ames and a game against the Iowa State Cyclones. Kickoff is set for 7:06 p.m. with ESPN on hand to televise the game. OSU enters the game 10-0 overall and 7-0 in Big 12 play. The Cyclones, who are coming off an open week, are 5-4 and 2-4. Iowa State has won two straight after losing four in a row.
Historical Marks
The dominating 66-6 win by the Cowboys over Texas Tech last week was historic for the OSU program.
OSU is now 10-0 for the first time ever.
OSU is 7-0 in conference play for the first time ever and the seven league wins are a school record.
OSU has won 10 games in a season for the fifth time in school history and for the second straight year.
OSU has won 10 games in consecutive seasons for just the second time and for the first time since 1987 and 1988 (when Mike Gundy was the Cowboy quarterback).
OSU has 10 regular season wins for the second straight season and for the second time in school history.
OSU won its ninth straight game against Texas members of the Big 12 Conference with the win at Tech.
The win was OSU's 10th straight on the road - one shy of the school record.
The game in Lubbock was OSU's first as the nation's second-ranked team (by both AP and in the BCS rankings).
One More Win Would...
Another victory in 2011 would clinch the second 11-win season in OSU history and it would give OSU 11 wins in consecutive seasons as the Cowboys were 11-2 in 2010. OSU has never registered 11 wins during the regular season.
Magic Number Talk
Oklahoma State enters this week having already earned at the very least a share of second place in the Big 12. A victory this week at Iowa State would clinch a share of the league title. It would be OSU's first piece of a conference crown since 1976 when the Cowboys were part of a three-way tie atop the Big Eight Conference. Last season, OSU earned a share of the Big 12 South championship.
Television Info
Oklahoma State and Iowa State will do battle on ESPN. OSU will be appearing on ESPN for the second time this season and for the first time since Sept. 8 when the Cowboys hosted Arizona for a Thursday night game. Joe Tessitore will call the action. Rod Gilmore will provide analysis with Samantha Steele reporting from the sidelines.
BCS Update
For the second straight week, Oklahoma State is second in the BCS standings. Prior to 2011, OSU had never climbed higher than sixth in the BCS standings. This season, OSU has never been lower than fourth. OSU has now appeared in the last 29 installments of the BCS standings.
Ballot Box
Oklahoma State is second in the Associated Press poll for the second straight week. The last two weeks represent the highest ranking by OSU in poll history. Oklahoma State's previous best AP ranking was third earlier this season and in November of 1984.
As The Turnstiles...Um...Turn
Oklahoma State's 2011 season will be a record-breaking one at the box office. The school set a stadium record when 58,895 fans attended the Kansas State game. This season, OSU has hosted the largest, third (Baylor), fourth (Kansas), eighth (Louisiana) and ninth (Arizona) largest crowds in school history. The last three home games have provided three of the top four home crowds in school history.
Series Stuff
Oklahoma State leads the all-time series with Iowa State, 25-17-3.
OSU has won two in a row and three of the last four meetings.
The Cowboys are 11-11-1 all-time in Ames.
This week's meeting will be just the third between OSU and Iowa State since 2005.
The series began in 1926 with a 13-0 win by OSU (then Oklahoma A&M). The teams did not meet again until 1960 when OSU began Big Eight play.
After losing the 2005 game (in Gundy's first season as head coach) by a 37-10 score, the Cowboys have won two in a row by a combined score of 93-25.
The Cowboys will be trying to win three straight in the series for the first time since 1986-87-88.
The Last Meeting
Oklahoma State last faced Iowa State in 2009 and the Cowboys picked up a 34-8 win in Ames.
Keith Toston ran for a career-best 206 yards and No. 18 OSU jumped to a 27-0 lead in cruising to the victory.
Two freshmen receivers made contributions: Tracy Moore had four catches for 19 yards, including a 10-yard TD reception, and Justin Blackmon had three catches for 30 yards.
Cooper Bassett, now a Cowboy defensive lineman, had a six-yard reception as an OSU tight end.
The win was OSU's most lopsided in Ames since 1969 when the Cowboys picked up a 35-0 victory.
The Cowboy defense limited Iowa State to just 242 yards of total offense.
Connections
Oklahoma State defensive coordinator Bill Young coached the Iowa State defensive tackles in 1979 before moving on to Tulsa as defensive line coach in 1980.
Oklahoma State senior associate athletic director Dave Martin graduated from Iowa State and won a wrestling national championship for the Cyclones.
OSU associate AD Marty Sargent is also an ISU alum and a former football staffer for the Cyclones under Earl Bruce and Donnie Duncan.
Road Tested
Oklahoma State continued its run as one of America's best road teams at Texas Tech. The Cowboys have won their last 10 road games for the second longest streak in school history. A win at Iowa State would tie the school record of 11 set in 1943 through 1945 and it would complete OSU's second straight perfect road season. The Cowboys have also won a school record eight straight conference road games, dating back to the 2009 season finale. OSU's current road winning streak is the third longest in the NCAA.
Longest Active Road Win Streaks
1. Virginia Tech - 13
2. Oregon - 11
3. Oklahoma State - 10
The Big Picture
OSU and LSU, the two teams at the top of the BCS standings, now share the nation's longest winning streak at 11 games.
Longest Active NCAA Win Streaks
1. Oklahoma State 11
LSU 11
3. Houston 10
4. Oregon 9
5. Georgia 8
Southern Miss 8
Texas Tech Recap
Oklahoma State is coming off a stunning 66-6 win over Texas Tech in Lubbock. The Cowboys were a machine in the first half and held a 49-0 lead at intermission and were never threatened. Some game facts:
The Cowboys limited the Red Raiders to 270 yards of total offense, no offensive touchdowns and no snaps in the red zone. Tech's lone TD was a defensive score on a fumble return.
OSU achieved a school first with a 400-yard passer, a 100-yard rusher (freshman Herschel Sims) and two 100-yard receivers in the same game (Josh Cooper and Justin Blackmon).
It was the most points ever allowed by Texas Tech and that school's largest margin of defeat.
OSU had four touchdowns on plays of 27 yards or more.
True freshman Josh Stewart scored the first three touchdowns of his career (two TD catches and one on a fumble recovery).
Defensive lineman Cooper Bassett became the 10th Cowboy to intercept a pass in 2011.
OSU has now won in Lubbock in two straight seasons after losing nine straight games at Tech.
OSU had just three penalties covering 24 yards.
Freshman Herschel Sims ran for 109 yards for his second career 100-yard game.
OSU had eight first-half possessions that resulted in seven touchdowns and one punt.
Margins For Error
OSU's win at Texas Tech was the 11th largest margin of victory in school history and the most ever against a conference opponent. It was OSU's largest win margin since 1973 when the Cowboys knocked off Southern Illinois, 70-7. In actuality, OSU's win at Tech was the second largest of the modern era with nine of the 10 largest wins coming in or before 1916.
Scoreboard Watching
OSU heads to Ames second nationally in scoring at 51.7 points per game. OSU has scored at least 59 points five times this season, including three times against Big 12 opponents. OSU has not been held below 45 points since Oct. 15 when the Cowboys were 38-26 winners at Texas.
Leaders Of Men
With an offense that is scoring nearly 52 points per game after 10 weeks, it isn't a surprise that Cowboys are all over the national leader board.
Joseph Randle is third in the country in total TDs with 23 and second in scoring (13.8 ppg).
His 21 rushing touchdowns are third nationally.
Justin Blackmon is tied for the NCAA lead with 14 receiving touchdowns.
Blackmon is No. 7 in America with 114.2 receiving yards per game.
Blackmon is fifth nationally with 1,142 receiving yards.
Brandon Weeden is second nationally with 3,635 passing yards.
Weeden's 363.5 passing yards per game rank third nationally.
Weeden's 31 touchdown passes are tied for second nationally.
Defense, Too
OSU also has national leaders on the defensive side.
Defensive end Jamie Blatnick is No. 20 nationally and third in the Big 12 with 0.70 sacks per game.
Brodrick Brown is third in the league and No. 7 in America with 14 passes defended.
James Thomas, who entered his senior season with one career interception, is No. 15 in the country with four this season. He is tied with teammate Brodrick Brown in that department.
Randle Rumbles On
Sophomore running back Joseph Randle continued his stellar season at Texas Tech with three more rushing touchdowns, upping his season total to 21 (third nationally). He needs just seven more yards to reach 1,000 for the season. He enters the ISU game third in America in scoring with 13.8 points per game. Randle is averaging 5.9 yards per rush. He has rushed for 12 touchdowns over the last three games. The Doak Walker Award semifinalist has five 100-yard rushing games this season.
Randle's Helpers
Joseph Randle is not the only Cowboy running downhill these days. Fellow sophomore Jeremy Smith is averaging 7.2 yards per carry. He has rushed for 515 yards and seven touchdowns. He had a 74-yard TD run at Texas when he ran for 140 yards on just seven carries. True freshman Herschel Sims has run for over 100 yards twice in the last three games and has runs of 81 and 56 yards this season.
Team Numbers
As a team, Oklahoma State is in the process of surpassing its cumulative totals for the 2010 season:
OSU has 30 rushing touchdowns in 2011 after running for 26 in 13 games last season.
Oklahoma State had 16 rushing plays of 20 yards or longer last season. In 2011, through 10 games, the Cowboys have 18 rushing plays of 20 yards or longer.
The Big Three
Oklahoma State joins Houston and LSU as the only undefeated teams remaining at the FBS level as it heads into Iowa State week.
The Rest Of The Story
The Cowboy defense spends a lot of time answering questions because of statistics. OSU enters the Iowa State game No. 88 in the country in rushing defense, No. 93 in passing defense and No. 101 in total defense. Here are some other numbers:
The OSU defense is second in the country with 19 interceptions.
The OSU defense is third in the country with 15 fumble recoveries.
The Cowboys lead the country with 34 forced turnovers.
The Cowboys are No. 15 nationally in red zone defense after keeping opponents off the scoreboard 10 times.
OSU is No. 25 in the country in quarterback sacks with 2.5 per game.
OSU is No. 20 nationally with 7.2 tackles for loss per game.
Opponents have attempted 25 fourth down conversions against OSU, the most in America.
A High Number Worth Noting
Due to the quick-strike nature of the offense, the Cowboy defense has been on the field for 825 snaps through 10 games. To put that number in perspective, the top-ranked Alabama defense has been on the field for 575 plays. Based on a typical college game, the OSU defense has, in essence, been on the field for almost three games more than Alabama.
Winning Time
Oklahoma State's defense has held seven of its 10 opponents to one offensive touchdown or less in first halves this season. Three of OSU's 10 victims in 2011 have been shutout at halftime. As a result, OSU has outscored the opposition in first-half play, 301-94.
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 eight games, the defense has forced 31 turnovers, highlighted by 18 interceptions. OSU enters the ISU game leading the nation in turnover margin and forced turnovers (34).
Advantage Cowboys
Oklahoma State has turned around its turnover story since September. 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 eight games, OSU has won the turnover battle 31-12. Over those games (Tulsa, Texas A&M, Kansas, Texas, Missouri, Baylor, K-State and Texas Tech), OSU has scored 143 points after gaining a turnover.
Group Picking
Defensive lineman Cooper Bassett became the 10th Cowboy this season to intercept a pass with his pick at Texas Tech. The last time OSU had 10 players with an interception in the same season was in 1988.
The Turnover Quartet
Four Cowboys have led OSU's turnover assault on the opposition with a total of 16 between them.
Junior CB Brodrick Brown has intercepted four passes and recovered two fumbles and broken up 10 passes.
Sophomore DB Justin Gilbert has three interceptions and a fumble recovery.
Senior linebacker James Thomas has four interceptions, a fumble recovery and a forced fumble.
Senior defensive end Richetti Jones has three forced fumbles, two recoveries and an interception.
Defensive Footnotes
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 in a 37-14 loss.
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.
Against OSU, Baylor was shut out at halftime for the first time since its 2010 game at OSU. The Bears scored 24 points, but 21 came in the fourth quarter (which OSU entered with a 49-3 lead). Baylor also had 193 yards of offense in the fourth quarter.
Texas Tech did not score an offensive touchdown and did not have a snap in the red zone while generating just 270 yards of total offense.
Building a Tradition
Under Mike Gundy, OSU continues to grow as a program. Since the opening of the 2008 season, the Cowboys are 39-10. That win total is the best ever for OSU over a three-year-plus period and the Cowboys are seventh 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 57-29 and clearly building a sustained period of success at OSU.
OSU was 12-15 under Gundy after 27 games, but has gone 45-14 since, including 39-10 over the last 49 games, 30-6 over the last 35 and 21-2 over the last 23.
Gundy's 57 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 .662 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 four straight seasons (yet another first).
Under Gundy, OSU has reached the top 10 of the AP 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 Iowa State game will mark OSU's 20th straight as a member of the Associated Press top 25.
Including this week, OSU has been ranked by the AP 42 times in its last 46 games, including 27 games as a member of the top 15.
Oklahoma State began the 2009 and 2011 seasons ninth in the AP poll. Those 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 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 the No. 2 spot that the Pokes have held the last two weeks.
Under Gundy, OSU is 31-10 as a member of the top 25.
Under Gundy, OSU has spent 20 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 27-9 when ranked in the top 10.
Under Gundy, OSU has cracked the Associated Press top 10 in four straight seasons -an OSU first.
The Iowa State game will be OSU's 11 straight as a member of the AP top 10 - an OSU first.
Mike Gundy has beaten at least one ranked team every year as head coach.
Ranked Repercussions
Kansas State became the third member of the AP top 25 to lose to Oklahoma State this season. It's the first time OSU has won three games over ranked opponents in the same season since the 1976 Big Eight championship team knocked off four ranked opponents.
Streaking in Stillwater
OSU will carry several team and individual streaks into the Iowa State game:
Brandon Weeden has tossed at least one touchdown pass in 23 straight games. He broke OSU's school record for that category at Missouri. The old mark of 19 was held by Josh Fields.
Josh Cooper has at least one catch in 26 straight games.
Safety Markelle Martin has started 34 straight games to lead the team.
OSU has completed a pass of at least 31 yards in 18 straight games.
Back in Blackmon
Justin Blackmon is flashing his Biletnikoff Award-winning form. Over the last three games, Blackmon has 32 catches covering 480 yards and six touchdowns. He now has 34 touchdown catches in his last 22 games (despite playing less than a half against Missouri and Kansas this season). Some other Blackmon numbers:
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 earlier this season.
On 10 occasions he has reached double figures in catches.
He has 204 catches over the last 22 games.
Blackmon is third nationally with 9.3 catches per game.
Big Play Blackmon
Justin Blackmon's big play scores have returned as well. One of his touchdowns in Lubbock went for 48 yards. Against, Kansas State he had a 54-yard TD grab.
Cooper Comes Back
OSU missed Josh Cooper while he sat out with a minor injury. He caught 26 passes over a four-game span before being limited to one catch against Baylor and he did not play against Kansas State. He returned against Texas Tech with six catches covering 106 yards. In the process, he moved into OSU's all-time top 10 for receiving yards (ninth).
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 and rank among OSU's all-time leaders. At Texas Tech, Blackmon moved into second place all-time at OSU with 3,184 receiving yards.
Weeden Watching
Brandon Weeden is forcing his way into the national conversation with his play on the field. The reigning first-team All-Big 12 quarterback was named the Walter Camp national offensive player of the week after leading his team back from a 20-3 halftime deficit to a win at Texas A&M. He is 21-2 as a starter, including 11-0 away from Boone Pickens Stadium.
Weeden Milestones
He has thrown at least one touchdown pass in 23 straight games (all 23 of his career starts).
He has at least two TD passes in 20 of his 23 starts.
Four times in his career he has tossed at least five touchdown passes (including last time out at Texas Tech).
He has now passed for 8,168 yards in his career.
Weeden's 3,635 passing yards in 2011 already rank as the second best single-season total in OSU history, behind only his 4,277 yards last year.
His 31 TD passes in 2011 rank as the second best single-season total in school history - behind his 34 last season.
At Texas Tech, Weeden set a new OSU record with his 69 career touchdowns passes and he passed his head coach in career passing yards and career total offense.
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 seven of the top 10 passing games in school history.
Nationally Speaking
Oklahoma State's Brandon Weeden can make a case for national consideration based on any number of measurable factors, including his record as a starting quarterback (21-2).
In Big 12 play, Weeden has 23 touchdown passes and just three interceptions. That body of work includes less than one half of play against Kansas and less than three quarters at Texas Tech.
He is averaging 363.5 passing yards per game.
Weeden is the only player in the top 10 in the country in passing efficiency (No. 8) with 400 attempts.
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 would lead the nation in punting if he had enough attempts to qualify with an average of 47.6 yards.
Sharp has 15 punts this season in excess of 50 yards and has at least one punt of 51 yards in every game except Texas Tech.
He has been nearly automatic in field goals, connecting on 16 of his 18 attempts.
He leads the nation with 48 touchbacks on kickoffs. He has led the country in that category each of the past two seasons.
Sharp is No. 7 nationally in scoring with 11.3 points per game and set a school record by going 10-for-10 on extra point tries against Kansas.
What Brown Can Do
Brodrick Brown continues to display an all-conference level of play. 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. 7 nationally with 14 passes defended this season, and he is 15th 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.
Lewis Lights Up
Shaun Lewis may touch the ball more than any defensive player in the country. He has just 16 career starts and yet he has four interceptions, four fumble recoveries and four 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 OSU's first 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.
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 has 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
Twenty Cowboys have a tackle for a loss this season.
Thirteen Cowboys have a sack this season.
Ten Cowboys have intercepted a pass this season.
James Thomas had one career interception in three years before picking off four so far this season.
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.
Twelve Cowboys have scored a touchdown this season.
In Big 12 play, OSU is allowing 26 points per game, two points more than Texas, which allows a conference-low 24 ppg.
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.










